Green building in the United States

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This article provides examples of green building programs in the United States. These programs span the public, private, and non-profit sectors, and all have the goal of increasing energy efficiency and the sustainability of the built environment.

Contents

Sustainable Design Organizations and Green Building Programs

In the United States, governments and private organizations have established several sustainable design organizations and programs in green building.

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is a non-profit trade organization that promotes sustainability in how buildings are designed, built and operated. The USGBC is best known for the development of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system and Greenbuild, a green building conference that promotes the green building industry. As of September 2008, USGBC has more than 17,000 member organizations from every sector of the building industry and works to promote buildings that are environmentally responsible, profitable and healthy places to live and work. To achieve this, it has developed a variety of programs and services, and works closely with key industry and research organizations and federal, state and local government agencies. USGBC also offers a host of educational opportunities, including workshops and Web-based seminars to educate the public and industry professionals on different elements of the green building industry, from the basics to more technical information. Through its Green Building Certification Institute, USGBC offers industry professionals the chance to develop expertise in the field of green building and to receive accreditation as green building professionals.

The General Services Administration, an independent establishment and government corporation under the Federal Government, builds, manages, and preserves government buildings and leases and manages commercial real estate. GSA works to ensure that the important and complex mandates and standards for federal buildings are understood and followed. Many of these requirements require improving building efficiency and sustainability by applying green technology and practices to operations and management services. [1] [2]

The National Association of Home Builders, a trade association representing home builders, remodelers and suppliers to the industry, has created a voluntary residential green building program known as NAHBGreen. [3] The program includes an online scoring tool, national certification, industry education, and training for local verifiers. The online scoring tool is free to builders and to homeowners.

The Green Building Initiative is a non-profit network of building industry leaders working to mainstream building approaches that are environmentally progressive, but also practical and affordable for builders to implement. The GBI has developed a web-based rating tool called Green Globes, which has been upgraded in accordance with ANSI procedures. [4]

The United States Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star program rates commercial buildings for energy efficiency and provides Energy Star qualifications for new homes that meet its standards for energy efficient building design.

The Collaborative for High Performance Schools is a non-profit green rating program specifically for K-12 schools. [5] CHPS addresses energy efficiency and additional design considerations fostering healthy and environmentally responsible school buildings. On June 4, 2008, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the "21st Century Green High-Performing Public School Facilities Act," which would commit over $20 billion of funding over the next five years to high performance schools. [6] CHPS is recognized as one of the standards that projects would need to meet in order to qualify for the H.R. 3021 legislation funding. [6] H.R. 3021 was referred to the Senate on August 1, 2008. [7]

The Green Communities Initiative provided the first National Green Building Program for new constructions and rehabilitation of affordable housing. It was launched in 2004 as a partnership between initiative taker Enterprise Community Partners (ECP), the Natural Resources Defense Council, Global Green USA, the American Institute of Architects, the American Planning Association, Southface and the National Center for Healthy Housing, along with a number of corporate, financial and philanthropic institutions. Enterprise Community Partners first committed to $555 million in grants, financing and equity to bring green affordable housing to the mainstream. ECP launched the "next generation" Green Communities in 2009 thereby committing to an additional $4 billion. The Green Communities Initiative created the Green Communities Criteria which address eight areas for green building projects and are compatible with LEED standards. [8] [9]

Campus greening

Transformative work on American college campuses in the 2000s has done much to change the implicit evaluation of "progress" that green building attracts amongst academics. According to Ann Rappaport, a lecturer at Tufts School of Engineering who writes about climate change and universities, "[t]he value of campus greening [in the United States] goes well beyond resources saved; greening generates interest and invites members of the academic community to think differently about societal values, goods consumed, and the infrastructure for shelter and mobility, raising questions about how human needs can be met in new ways." [10]

Federal High-Performance Green Buildings

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 has made available not less than $4.5 billion for measures necessary to convert General Services Administration facilities to High-Performance Green Buildings, as defined in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (Public Law 110-140).

Green affordable housing

Green affordable housing is affordable housing that exhibits "green" or "sustainable" features. Several state and local governments have adopted programs that encourage or require building green when constructing affordable housing. [11] [12] [13]

Mixed-income housing developer McCormack Baron Salazar was the first developer in the world to have received two U.S. Green Building Council LEED for Neighborhood Development (LEED-ND) Certifications for completed neighborhoods University Place, in Memphis, Tennessee and Renaissance Place in St. Louis, MO. Both are urban, mixed-income, affordable developments built under the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s HOPE VI program. [14]

State and local initiatives

California

The 2010 California Green Building Standards Code(Calgreen) is the first statewide green building code in the country and seeks to establish minimum green building standards for the majority of residential and commercial new construction projects across California. [15]

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom approved a green building ordinance in early August 2008 that imposes strict requirements on newly constructed residential and commercial buildings within the city, as well as building renovations. [16]

For homes, the ordinance requires ratings from the GreenPoints rating system, [17] developed by a non-profit organization called Build It Green. [18] Starting next year, new "small" residential buildings (those with four dwellings or fewer) must achieve 25 GreenPoints (equal to the "Elements" rating), but do not need to be rated. For 2010 and 2011, the homes must be GreenPoint Rated and building applications must demonstrate that a minimum of 50 GreenPoints (equal to the "Whole House" rating) will be achieved. And starting in 2012, building applications for new homes must demonstrate that at least 75 GreenPoints will be achieved. The same rules apply for mid-size residential buildings, except that the requirement for 75 GreenPoints starts earlier, in 2011.

For commercial buildings and high-rise residential buildings, the ordinance adds in requirements from the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating system. Starting in November (if the California Energy Commission has approved the legislation), new permit applications for high-rise residential buildings must include documentation to achieve LEED certification (or 50 GreenPoints), and starting in 2010, they must include documentation to achieve LEED Silver certification (or 75 GreenPoints). A number of specific LEED standards must also be met for landscaping, water use reduction, and construction debris management. Mid-size commercial buildings don't need to meet LEED certification requirements but must meet LEED standards for building commissioning, landscaping, water use, and construction debris management starting in 2009, and must meet enhanced commissioning standards and tighter water use requirements starting in 2010. Beginning in 2012, the buildings must also meet LEED standards for the use of on-site renewable energy or the purchase of renewable energy credits.

The toughest requirements apply to large commercial buildings. Starting in November, new permit applications for high-rise residential building must submit documentation to achieve LEED certification, and that requirement ratchets up to LEED Silver in 2009 and LEED Gold in 2012. There are also requirements to meet additional LEED standards, nearly equal to those for mid-size commercial buildings. Finally, for new large commercial interiors and major alterations to existing buildings, new permit applications must include documentation to achieve the same LEED rating requirements as for new large commercial buildings, and must also meet the LEED standards for materials that emit low levels of indoor pollutants. All new buildings must earn additional rating points if an older building was demolished to make room for it, and they must earn even higher points if the demolished building was historical. Building projects can also earn extra points by retaining historical features of the previous building.

Earning LEED credits within this framework is becoming cost neutral for most hotel developers, especially in the Napa Valley where the industry has caught up to speed.[ citation needed ] Since at least March 2008, green property builders have been giving them "real figures on what it costs to build a green property" after developer tax incentives. [19]

Virginia

Charlottesville, Virginia became one of the first small towns in the United States to enact green building legislation. [20] This presents a significant shift in construction and architecture as LEED regulations have formerly been focused on commercial construction. If US homeowner interest grows in "green" residential construction, the companies involved in the production and manufacturing of LEED building materials will become likely candidates for tomorrow's round of private equity and IPO investing. [21] [22]

Washington

In 2005, Washington state became the first state in the United States to enact green building legislation. [23] According to the law, all major public agency facilities with a floor area exceeding 5,000 square feet (465 m²), including state funded school buildings, are required to meet or exceed LEED standards in construction or renovation. The projected benefits from this law are 20% annual savings in energy and water costs, 38% reduction in waste water production and 22% reduction in construction waste.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green building</span> Structures and processes of building structures that are more environmentally responsible

Green building refers to both a structure and the application of processes that are environmentally responsible and resource-efficient throughout a building's life-cycle: from planning to design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation, and demolition. This requires close cooperation of the contractor, the architects, the engineers, and the client at all project stages. The Green Building practice expands and complements the classical building design concerns of economy, utility, durability, and comfort. Green building also refers to saving resources to the maximum extent, including energy saving, land saving, water saving, material saving, etc., during the whole life cycle of the building, protecting the environment and reducing pollution, providing people with healthy, comfortable and efficient use of space, and being in harmony with nature. Buildings that live in harmony; green building technology focuses on low consumption, high efficiency, economy, environmental protection, integration and optimization.’

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Low-energy house</span> House designed for reduced energy use

A low-energy house is characterized by an energy-efficient design and technical features which enable it to provide high living standards and comfort with low energy consumption and carbon emissions. Traditional heating and active cooling systems are absent, or their use is secondary. Low-energy buildings may be viewed as examples of sustainable architecture. Low-energy houses often have active and passive solar building design and components, which reduce the house's energy consumption and minimally impact the resident's lifestyle. Throughout the world, companies and non-profit organizations provide guidelines and issue certifications to guarantee the energy performance of buildings and their processes and materials. Certifications include passive house, BBC—Bâtiment Basse Consommation—Effinergie (France), zero-carbon house (UK), and Minergie (Switzerland).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LEED</span> Standard for green building design

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a green building certification program used worldwide. Developed by the non-profit U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), it includes a set of rating systems for the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of green buildings, homes, and neighborhoods, which aims to help building owners and operators be environmentally responsible and use resources efficiently.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U.S. Green Building Council</span> Non-profit organization that promotes sustainability in building design

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), founded in 1993, is a private 501(c)3, membership-based non-profit organization that promotes sustainability in building design, construction, and operation. USGBC is best known for its development of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building rating systems and its annual Greenbuild International Conference and Expo, the world's largest conference and expo dedicated to green building. USGBC was one of eight national councils that helped found the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canada Green Building Council</span>

The Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) was created in 2003 to further the expansion of green building in Canada. Prior to the formation of the Council, Canada had participated in the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) through British Columbia's membership in the USGBC's Cascadia Chapter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert K. Watson</span> American businessman

Robert "Rob" Watson is an international leader and expert in business and market transformation, circular economy, and green buildings. Working globally to solve large infrastructure and systems problems at scale, he founded the LEED Green Building Rating System of the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) in 1993 and was the LEED Steering Committee’s founding chairman and led its activity until 2006. In 2015, he founded the SWEEP Standard for sustainable materials management.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dockside Green</span>

Dockside Green is a 1,300,000-square-foot (120,000 m2) mixed-use community in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada owned by Vancity Credit Union and noted for its strict adherence to the principles of sustainable architecture or green building.

Green building on college campuses is the purposeful construction of buildings on college campuses that decreases resource usage in both the building process and also the future use of the building. The goal is to reduce CO2 emissions, energy use, and water use, while creating an atmosphere where students can be healthy and learn.

The LEED Professional Exams are administered by the Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI) for professionals seeking to earn credentials and certificates. The exams test knowledge based on the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Rating Systems.

The International Green Construction Code (IGCC) is a set of guidelines that aim to improve the sustainability and environmental performance of buildings during their design, construction, and operation. It was introduced by the International Code Council (ICC), a non-profit organization that provides building safety and fire prevention codes for the United States and other countries. It is a model code designed to be mandatory where it is implemented.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green home</span>

A green home is a type of house designed to be environmentally sustainable. Green homes focus on the efficient use of "energy, water, and building materials". A green home may use sustainably sourced, environmentally friendly, and/or recycled building materials. This includes materials like reclaimed wood, recycled metal, and low VOC paints. Additionally, green homes often prioritize energy efficiency by incorporating features, such as high-performance insulation, energy-efficient appliances, and smart home technologies that monitor and optimize energy usage. Water conservation is another important aspect, with green homes often featuring water-saving fixtures, rainwater harvesting systems, and grey water recycling systems to reduce water waste. It may include sustainable energy sources such as solar or geothermal, and be sited to take maximum advantage of natural features such as sunlight and tree cover to improve energy efficiency.

LEED for Neighborhood Development (LEED-ND), where "LEED" stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a United States-based rating system that integrates the principles of smart growth, urbanism, and green building into a national system for neighborhood design. LEED certification provides independent, third-party verification that a development's location and design meet accepted high levels of environmentally responsible, sustainable development.

The California Green Building Standards Code is Part 11 of the California Building Standards Code and is the first statewide "green" building code in the US.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raheja Mindspace</span>

Mindspace is a brand of commercial and industrial parks established by K Raheja Corp. Located in Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai and Pune, the industrial hubs offer offices, residential towers, entertainment facilities and other retail businesses. By 2016, the parks developed by Mindspace housed more than 50 businesses in India, including Accenture, L&T Infotech Ltd, Cognizant Technology and Capegemini Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gregory Kats</span> American businessman

Gregory H. Kats is an American businessman, environmentalist, and thought leader in the green economy sector. He is founder and CEO of the Smart Surfaces Coalition, a non-profit organization consisting of 40+ national and international partner groups working to ensure the rapid, cost-effective adoption of reflective, porous, and green urban surface infrastructure, or "smart surfaces", in cities. Previously, Kats served as a Managing Director at Good Energies,[2] a multi-billion dollar global clean energy investor, and Director of Financing for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).[3]

The House Energy Rating (HER) or House Energy Rating Scheme (HERS) are worldwide standard measures of comparison by which one can evaluate the energy efficiency of a new or an existing building. The comparison is generally done for energy requirements for heating and cooling of indoor space. The energy is the main criterion considered by any international building energy rating scheme but there are some other important factors such as production of greenhouse gases emission, indoor environment quality, cost efficiency and thermal comfort, which are considered by some schemes. Basically, the energy rating of a residential building provides detailed information on the energy consumption and the relative energy efficiency of the building. Hence, HERs inform consumers about the relative energy efficiency of homes and encourage them to use this information in making their house purchase decision.

The Green Building Initiative (GBI) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that owns and administers the Green Globes green building assessment and certification in the United States and Canada. It was established in 2004 and is headquartered in Portland, Oregon.

The Green Parking Council (GPC), a nonprofit organization and affiliate of the International Parking Institute provided leadership and oversight for the green conversion of parking facilities to sustainable, environmentally responsible assets. GPC expanded green parking practices and promoted sustainable urban mobility through its Certified Green Garage rating system. The Certified Green Garage rating system was acquired by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) and is administered by the Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI), the certification arm of the USGBC. Rebranded and launched as the Parksmart rating system, Parksmart is now aligned with the full suite of LEED programs under the USGBC organization.

The National Green Building Standard (NGBS) is an ANSI-approved green building certification program, specifically focused on single-family and multi-family residential buildings, remodeling projects, and land developments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green building certification systems</span>

Green building certification systems are a set of rating systems and tools that are used to assess a building or a construction project's performance from a sustainability and environmental perspective. Such ratings aim to improve the overall quality of buildings and infrastructures, integrate a life cycle approach in its design and construction, and promote the fulfillment of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by the construction industry. Buildings that have been assessed and are deemed to meet a certain level of performance and quality, receive a certificate proving this achievement.

References

  1. ↑ "Office of Federal High-Performance Buildings". www.gsa.gov. Retrieved 26 July 2017.
  2. ↑ "SFTool - Sustainable Facilities Tool - GSA Sustainable Facilities Tool". sftool.gov. Retrieved 26 July 2017.
  3. ↑ NAHBGreen - National Green Building Program | national green building standard certification nahb research center program homes residential builders remodelers scoring tool co...
  4. ↑ "Green Building Initiative" . Retrieved 2011-05-13.
  5. ↑ "Green Technology News". Archived from the original on 2008-10-17. Retrieved 2008-11-25. Green Technology.
  6. 1 2 eSchool News Archived September 17, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  7. ↑ http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:h.r.03021 Archived 2016-04-08 at the Wayback Machine : THOMAS Library of Congress.
  8. ↑ Myerson, Deborah L. (2008). ULI Community Catalyst Report Number 7: Environmentally Sustainable Affordable Housing. Washington D.C.: ULI - the Urban Land Institute.
  9. ↑ Enterprise Community Partners. "About". Green Communities. Retrieved 3 December 2011.
  10. ↑ Rappaport, Ann (January–February 2008). "Campus Greening: Behind the Headlines". Environment . 50 (1): 6–16. Retrieved 2009-04-22.
  11. ↑ Oregon Housing and Community Services (May 7, 2007). "Green Building in Oregon: Green Building Activities". Salem, OR, USA: State of Oregon . Retrieved 7 December 2011.
  12. ↑ Office of Housing, City of Seattle. "SeaGreen: Sustainability & Conservation". Seattle, WA, USA: City of Seattle. Retrieved 7 December 2011.
  13. ↑ Department of Neighborhood Development, City of Boston. "Green Housing Program". Boston, MA, USA: City of Boston . Retrieved 7 December 2011.
  14. ↑ Developer Achieves Sustainable Development Distinction Unique in Development Industry Archived 2011-09-13 at the Wayback Machine , press release, May 6, 2011.
  15. ↑ HCD, California Department of Housing and Community Development -. "HCD Page Not Found" (PDF). www.hcd.ca.gov. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 March 2011. Retrieved 26 July 2017.{{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help)
  16. ↑ "EERE News: EERE Network News - September 03, 2008". Archived from the original on 15 September 2008.
  17. ↑ "GreenPoint Rated". www.builditgreen.org. Retrieved 26 July 2017.
  18. ↑ "Build It Green". www.builditgreen.org. Retrieved 26 July 2017.
  19. ↑ Freed, Jason Q. (2008-04-21). "Speakers break down costs of going green". Hotel & Motel Management . Vol. 233, no. 7. Henderson, NV. pp. 1, 32. Retrieved 2009-04-23.[ dead link ]
  20. ↑ Albemarle examines cost, benefits of green buildings Archived 2008-12-26 at the Wayback Machine , Charlottesville Tomorrow, 2007-04-20. Retrieved 2007-05-03
  21. ↑ Energy Roundup, Wall Street Journal Energy Roundup, 2007-05-03. Retrieved 2007-05-03
  22. ↑ The Power of Small Communities to LEED Change: Charlottesville, VA, Energy Spin, 2007-05-03. Retrieved 2007-05-03 Archived April 12, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  23. ↑ Washington State Law Mandates Green Building [usurped] , RenewableEnergyAccess, 2005-04-21. Retrieved 2007-02-10
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