Introduction to Green

Buildings & LEED

 Defining Sustainability
 UnitedNations World Commission on
Environment and Development

– “Development that meets the needs of

present generations without
compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs.”
 Defining Green Buildings
 Design and construction practices that
significantly reduce, or eliminate the
negative impact of buildings on the
environment and its occupants with regard
to site planning; safeguarding water use
and water use efficiency; promoting
energy efficiency and renewable energy;
conserving materials and resources; and
promoting indoor environmental quality.”
(US Green Building Council)
 Construction Impacts
 76 million residential buildings in US
 5 million commercial buildings in US
 consume 40 % or raw materials
 32% total energy produced
 17% fresh water
 25% global wood harvest
 5 billion gals water/day just for toilets
 generates
– 25-40% of municipal solid waste from C&D
– 50% of US CFC production
– 30% of US CO2 production
Building Operations Impacts
 49% of Sulfur Dioxide emissions
 25% nitrous oxide emissions
 10% of all particulate matter
 1/3 of all energy consumption in US
 2/3 of all electricity consumption in US
 disturbs natural habitats
 contaminates air, soil, and water
 depletes non-renewable resources
 ½ of greenhouse gases
 35% of carbon dioxide emissions
 community issues
 occupant issues
– sources: “The Architecture of Sustainability, 2002”, World Watch Institute, USGBC
 Key Issues and Benefits
 Institution
 Building Commissioning
 Air Quality
 Occupants productivity
and well being
 Energy Conservation
 Water Conservation
 Storm Water
Management
 Waste Management
 Local & State Standards
& Programs
 Green ethics / commitment
 Research and Grant
opportunities
 Being a leader (as it
should)
 Responsibility to show
importance
 Competitive advantage
(ie – recruiting)
 Institutional community
demand
 Great public relations
 Overall Financial Benefits
 Energy  Lower Operation and
Maintenance Costs
 Water
 Competitive First Costs
 Wastewater
– Through integrated
 Reduced Waste design & synergies
 Improved Indoor  Increased Value & ROI
Environmental Quality  Marketing Advantage
 Greater Employee  Reduced Liability
Comfort/Productivity – Improve Risk
 Reduced Employee Management
Health Costs – Insurance costs
 Overall Financial Benefits

 Financial
Benefits of a Green Building
equate to $50-$70 SF over lifetime

 Over10X return on any premium cost

associated with building it over lifetime

Source: USGBC
 Air Quality

 Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) – effect the

contents of the inside air has on a
structure and its occupants

 People spend 90% of their time indoors

 Indoor air has 10-100X higher pollutants

than outdoor air
 USEPA “Indoor Air Quality” Jan, 6 2003
 Energy Conservation

 US uses 25% of world energy but only has

5% of population & 95% of our energy is
from fossil fuels (US Energy Information Administration)

 Higher Education - $2 Billion/year on energy

(American School & University)

 Most can reduce by up to 30% - savings can

be used on:
– New faculty
– Upgrades/renovations for more savings
– New programs
 Water Conservation
 USA uses 340 billion gallons of fresh
water per day
 Nearly 65% is discharged into
waterways
 Energy Policy Act of 1992
 Facilities can easily reduce use by 20-
30% with little cost and effort
 Water & Sewer Bills
 Connection Fees & Tax Base
 Occupants Well Being and
Productivity
 Relationship exists between worker
comfort/productivity and building
design/operation

 Hidden sick days – higher absenteeism,

respiratory ailments, allergies, asthma =
lower productivity, higher insurance and
medical costs

 A 1% increase in productivity (about 5

minutes per day) equals $600-700 per
employee per year - a ^1.5% equals about
$1,000/yr
 (Katz 2003 study)
 Mythology About First Costs
 Common Perception when we started was
+20-30%

 Past & Current Trend

 Recent Studies
– Average Premium <2% or $3-$5 SF
– Most of cost associated with increased
architectural and engineering design, time,
modeling and integration time
– Earlier you integrate the lower the cost
 Mythology About First Costs

Average Green Cost Premium vs. Level of Green

Certification

8
Percent Cost 6
4
Increase 2
0 Average Green Cost
Basic Gold Premium (in percent)
Level of LEED
Certification

 Source: USGBC, Capital E Analysis

 Mythology About First Costs
 Another recent study has shown the
following average increase in project
construction costs, on a percentage basis
for LEED certification.
– Certified 0 – 2.5%
– Silver 0 – 3.3%
– Gold 0.3 – 5.0%
– Platinum 4.5 – 8.5%

 Start Early – Save Costs

 Source: Sasaki Associates 2004
 Mythology About First Costs
 Building green can be done for no additional cost
 Initial premium costs are entirely up to you and
project specific
 LEED buildings average only a 2-3% increase in
costs, but can be done for the same budget as
traditional buildings with planning
 Savings from green building’s more than return
any premium you may choose to put into it
 Design Fees will be higher but construction costs
may be reduced
 Set Budget first then work fees within framework
 General Mythologies
 Appearance of Green Buildings
– You design it to look how you want. It can easily match traditional
campus design or not.
– Carpet, furniture and windows do not have to look different. They
can look like traditional ones only they perform better and are
healthier.
– Does not need to be high tech to be green.
 Time
– Green Buildings take the same amount of time to construct as
regular buildings. More time may be required in the Design phase
though.
 Costs
– Green Buildings do not have to cost more. With planning they can
be built at the same price or less.
– Design fees may be higher in the beginning of the project but the
extra design work will lower the actual construction costs. In the
end the building costs the same and fits in the traditional budget.
 Normal: 2 + 2 = 4
 Green: 3 + 1 = 4
– Long term maintenance and operations costs can be reduced by 20
– 50% with good planning.
 Green Buildings at USC
 West Quad Residence  Baseball Stadium
Hall & Learning Center  Horizon Buildings
 School of Public Health  Biomedical Buildings
 Library Rare Books  Arnold II
Collection & Modern  Band/Dance Building
Political Wings
 Law School
 Innovista
 New Honors College
 Gamma Phi Beta
Sorority
 New Student Health
Center
West Quad
 West Quad
 $30.9M project cost -  Reduced Construction
$25M const. cost & Change Order Costs
 177,000 SF -  45%-55% More
$141.24/sf Energy Efficient =
 SAME COST & Time over $50,000 savings
 502 bed spaces – 4 annually
buildings  20% more Water
 Residential, office, Efficient = $ 3900+
academic & retail savings annually
spaces  Residents comment
 Goal of LEED Silver – on improved health
Achieved and productivity
 West Quad at USC
 Selected “Green” Project Particulars
– Designed to be 40% more energy efficient and to
use 20% less water
– “Green” roof on Learning Center
– Fuel Cell for supplemental electricity & hot water
– Solar pre-heating for domestic hot water
– Low VOC paints and carpets & 100% Fresh Air
– Daylighting in all buildings
 Building orientation
 Light shelves for shading and natural lighting
on southern exposures
 Light wells on Learning Center
– “Green” board in case good furnishings
– Total storm water management integration
 US Green Building
Council (USGBC)

Leadership in Energy
& Environmental Design
(LEED)
USGBC’s MISSION:
to promote the design and construction
of buildings that are environmentally
responsible, profitable, and healthy
places to live and work.

The organization’s activities…

 Integrate building industry sectors
 Lead market transformation
 Educate owners and practitioners
USGBC is...

 A national nonprofit organization

 A diverse membership of organizations
 Consensus-driven
 Committee-based product development
 Developer and administrator of the
LEED® Green Building Rating System
 What is “Green” Design?
Design and construction practices that
significantly reduce or eliminate the negative
impact of buildings on the environment and
occupants in five broad areas:

 Sustainable site planning

 Safeguarding water and water efficiency
 Energy efficiency and renewable energy
 Conservation of materials and resources
 Indoor environmental quality
 ®
Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design

A leading-edge system for designing,

constructing, operating and certifying
the world’s greenest buildings.
 ®
®
Why Was LEED Created?

 Use as a design guideline

 Recognize leaders
 Stimulate green competition
 Establish market value with recognizable
national “brand”
 Raise consumer awareness
 Transform the marketplace!
 ®
Why Was LEED Created?
 Facilitate positive results for the
environment, occupant health and
financial return
 Define “green” by providing a standard
for measurement
 Prevent “greenwashing” (false or
exaggerated claims)
 Promote whole-building, integrated
design processes
 LEED-NC® Market
 Transformation
Registered Projects by State - Top 10
35000000
30000000
Gross Square Feet-GSF)

25000000
20000000
15000000
10000000
5000000
0
306 107 102 100 90 76 73 68 68 62

CA PA WA NY OR TX MA IL MI VA
State and Number of Projects
As of 05.02.05 All statistics exclude pilot projects
 LEED-NC® Market
Transformation
Registered Projects by State - Top 10
Where does the Southeast stand?

 Georgia – 62
 South Carolina - 56

 North Carolina – 42
LEED-NC® Point Distribution
Five LEED credit categories

Indoor
Environmental
Quality Sustainable
23% Sites
22%
Materials &
Resources
Water
20%
Efficiency
Energy & 8%
Atmosphere
27%
 Resources
 www.usgbc.org – US Green Building Council
 www.usgbc.org/Resources/links.asp - Extensive Resource List
 www.greenerbuildings.com
 The HOK Guidebook to Sustainable Design
 WWW.Oikos.com - bookstore
 www.iso.org – ISO 14001 EMS
 www.epa.gov/ems/index.htm - EPA’s EMS site
 www.doe.gov – US DOE
www.epa.gov – US EPA
 www.housing.sc.edu/westquadhandbook.asp - West Quad
Handbook
 www.sc.edu/sustainableu - Sustainable Universities Initiative (SUI)
 www.buildinggreen.com – Environmental Building News
 www.edcmag.com – Environmental Design & Construction
 www.gbapgh.org – Green Building Alliance
 www.southface.org/web/earthcraft_house/ech_main/ech_index.htm - Earth
Craft Homes
 www.greenglobes.com – Green Globes
 Contact Info

Michael Koman Dr. Gene Luna

Environmental Programs Manager
1215 Blossom Street
Columbia, SC 29208
koman@sc.edu
803-777-1986
Associate Vice President
for Student Affairs
1215 Blossom St
Columbia, SC 29208
gene.luna@sc.edu