Our Approach

Introduction

High-performance buildings offer tremendous opportunities to enhance economic performance, gain competitive advantage, improve human well-being and productivity, and reduce humanity’s environmental impact. Hard data on both capital and operational cost savings now make the business case for high-performance buildings stronger than ever. Today, many corporations, government institutions, and homeowners are profitably improving their work, play, and home environments. This package of informational materials takes a “real stories, real people” approach to explaining and quantifying the benefits and true costs of high-performance building. While certain organizations offer benchmarks for developers to validate investments in Energy Star or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) buildings, the enclosed materials offer compelling results and real experiences from building operators, CEOs, architects, school principals, and other decision makers.

The Business Case

Emerging strategies and technologies are demonstrating cost-effective ways to build and operate high-performance buildings. A 2007 study by CoStar found that Energy Star offices experienced higher occupancy rates, higher rental rates, and were more profitable than non-Energy-Star-rated offices. Along with an increase in data on high-performance buildings and a decrease in the cost of low-impact materials and technologies, business leaders’ attitudes are shifting. “Our whole company is focused on the fact that no longer can the environment and economic growth be at odds,” notes Jesse Fink, Managing Director of Mission Point Capital Partners. “The only way to have economic growth is to have sustainable economic growth and business needs to take the lead.”

Integrated Solutions

Some owners reduce operating costs by incrementally “greening” their buildings. Incremental measures may include high-performance windows, daylighting, energy efficient electric lighting, appliances, and/or mechanical design, and control systems. While this approach can be cost-effective, there is a better way: integrated design. The integrated design process looks at each building component’s impact—individually and collectively—and optimizes the overall building performance.

Business Leaders Embrace Sustainability

The market is pushing the private sector to build and retrofit buildings to realize improved energy performance. Business leaders also know that visual, thermal, and acoustical comfort lead to better productivity and employee health. James Murdoch, CEO of British Sky Broadcasting, notes that efficient business and sustainable building practices, alongside branding and customer engagement policies, are fundamental to the health of his business. Wal-Mart is both selling green products and working to improve store design, construction, and operation standards. “For us it’s an imperative,” notes Chairman Rob Walton. “It’s an opportunity for better efficiency, to save money, to be more effective in the way we do business, and to serve our customers and our communities better.”

Reliability and Security

High-performance buildings can increase national security by reducing reliance on centralized energy systems and fossil fuels. James Woolsey, Vice President of Booz Allen Hamilton and former CIA Director (1993–1995), notes that security and sustainable business practices have an intrinsic relationship. “Sustainable practices with respect to energy can make the country and your own company more secure from accidents and terrorist attack,” he says.

Human Well-being and Productivity

One significant benefit of high-performance buildings is better well-being. Healthier environments boost productivity, attitudes, attendance, and learning as well as increase sales in retail stores. A small shift in well-being and productivity can be huge. For example, a one percent improvement in office-worker productivity as a result of superior lighting and thermal comfort can have a bigger impact on the bottom line than eliminating all of a building’s utility costs.

Environmental Impact

In the United States, buildings are the single largest producer by sector (40-plus percent) of greenhouse-gas emissions. The built environment produces about 40 percent of landfill waste, and uses about 40 percent of virgin materials. Buildings also use significant amounts of potable water. High-performance buildings address climate change by using less fossil-fuel-based energy and prompting builders and occupants to reuse and minimize waste production and water consumption.

Building the Future

Developers are now reaching beyond LEED and Energy Star toward “net zero” buildings. These buildings are being designed to mitigate negative impacts related to both construction and operations. Numerous building types in a variety of climates are producing more energy than they consume as a result of super-efficient design and the use of on-site renewable energy systems. As building practitioners become more knowledgeable about climate-responsive strategies and the cost of renewable energy continues to decrease, “regenerative” buildings will soon become the status quo.