DISQUS

Vik Duggal · 1 year ago

Great write-up, really. I wouldn't say I'm a hardcore advocate as you seem to be, but I believe in the movement and I think the USGBC creates a platform for good dialogue. I don't understand your use of the word transparency (saw it used quite a bit in this post), so it would be great to see you do a write-up on transparency as it related to designing efficient buildings.

That being said, I couldn't agree with you more on the process. The template the USGBC has set up and the process they allow a development team to go through is one everyone should do on every project! I'm surprised that in 2008 we still construct buildings like it's the 1940s.

I commend you on discussing this topic. It would be great to see you take some of this data and make it a bit more visual. I do well with graphs, charts, and tools that allow me to input variables and get outputs as to what the dollar figures would look like. Are there different rules of thumb with "green" buildings?

Good to see that you think LEED can still be improved. I do to and concur that right now it's the best thing I've seen.

Robert Stockham · 1 year ago

Great article. I have this talk very often, especially with developers who plan on building and selling. The best part of the real estate crisis is that green real estate is still selling and more likely to hold its value.

Jameson Detweiler · 1 year ago

@Robert - Good to hear. There really is a lot of proof of the added value. I am concerned though that with this economic crisis that it will discourage building sustainably even though existing "green" spaces will likely continue to have a higher value.

@Vik - I actually probably come across in that post as more of an advocate than I am. LEED does truly have its problems, but I think in our current setting, it is very important to pursue it because people can say that they are building green, but how are we supposed to verify that? 25 years from now, when building practices have universally changed (fingers crossed), LEED will hopefully no longer be necessary. As you say, it really is about the process. So much of what we do today hasn't changed in decades (or has even gotten worse as is often the case with materials).

As for the transparency, I'll be touching a bit more on that in the next post, but essentially, I'm saying that builders, architects, and even (actually especially) product manufacturers need to be very open about the details of their work. If we are to be inside of these structures, we ought to have every right to know about virtually every detail. Most of us will not take the time or even have the ability to understand these things, but that is where we benefit from a group like USGBC who helps to ensure some of that.

Also, I'm interested to see how LEED 2009 fares. I've heard both good and bad things, but it sounds like it might address some concerns.

Chris Cheatham · 1 year ago

Very interesting article. I would be interested to hear your thoughts on green building regulations that include both LEED and Green Globes.

Chris
www.greenbuildinglawupdate.com