Talking Stick - May/June 2009 - 24

FaCilities aDviCe to Campuses ConsiDering a leeD proJeCt: buildings is at least 15 percent higher than it is in standard buildings, according to Brian Yeoman, an original member of the USGBC in 1993 and the current director of education and development at the National Association of Educational Procurement (NAEP). Yeoman also works with the Clinton Climate Initiative and is a retired facilities officer for the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. Studies support proponents’ claims that LEED is worth its weight in gold. A study by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) of 12 of their LEED buildings found that they used 26 percent less energy, had 13 percent lower aggregate maintenance costs, had 33 percent less CO2 emission – and had a 27 percent higher occupant satisfaction compared to national averages. Jim Curtin, AIA, principal at Solomon Cordwell Buenz, an architecture, interior design, and planning firm in Chicago, notes that two student LEED Gold housing projects his firm has recently completed spent 4.25 percent to 4.5 percent of the total budget for LEED certification with a payback period of 4.6 to 7.3 years: “The estimated energy savings with these two LEED projects over a code-compliant building was 53 percent, which is significant in the long term. Campuses invest in the future with their buildings. You might retain the building for 50 or 80 years, so the savings make sense. When you look at short-term dollars and cents, [LEED] seems like a big financial commitment. Look past the construction to 5 or 7 years down the line. If that building is occupied and savings are realized, it was worth it.” Curtin has been involved with numerous LEED buildings and believes the LEED system is “holding its own or even trending up” across the nation. The percent of clients requesting LEED buildings through his Chicago firm is increasing, and the city of Chicago is encouraging LEED by offering a faster green permitting process for LEED buildings. States have also promoted LEED by passing bills in the legislature requiring state-funded buildings to be LEED certified. The University of South Carolina (USC) in Columbia, which opened its first LEED hall in 2005, has since gained state support for LEED buildings in the form of a 2007 bill that requires statefunded buildings to be LEED Silver or Green Globes certified. Green Globes is similar to LEED in that it is an assessment protocol for green design. Unlike LEED, Green Globes is not nationally recognized. “There are other ways to be green, but LEED is the ultimate testimony to your commitment to sustainability,” says Steve Waller, the director of residence life at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, where there are plans to break ground on a LEED hall in 2013. Curtin agrees with this assessment of LEED’s prominence: “LEED is very recognizable, and I personally believe that LEED has already been a leader and will continue to be.” The Florida State legislature also passed a bill last summer requiring all state-funded buildings to be LEED certified. Florida State University (FSU) in Tallahassee has not constructed a LEED building yet but plans to break ground on a LEEDcertified apartment-style residence hall in October 2010. Dave Sagaser, the associate director of facilities management at FSU, says they are just starting the design phase for the building, and he doesn’t know what to expect from the LEED process yet. He is hopeful that the commissioning process, where a third-party commissioning agent certifies that the building meets LEED standards, will benefit the project. • Get the chemistry right with the design team. Spend more time during the selection process to find team members who share your vision and have LEED experience in order to avoid the expense and stress of having to remove members of the team later. Sit down with LEED-accredited professionals to discuss the upfront costs as well as the return on investment before making a decision on accreditation. • Don’t assume LEED is too expensive. • Send your design team on site visits. Tour buildings and talk to facilities, housing, and especially students who live in the buildings. • Don’t be intimidated by the LEED process. There are lots of pioneers out there who are willing to share lessons learned. they had no problems. There are always challenges involved with every project, and your design team will benefit from learning what went wrong, as well as right, on other projects. preconceived notions; let those go, and focus on the integrated design process to maximize creative ideas. • Be suspicious of anyone who says • Have fun. Your design team may have • Avoid greenwashing. Don’t just pick 15 green features to stuff into a building and make them sound good with marketing; examine your campus and regional culture carefully so you can construct a building that makes sense and saves money over the long term. projects are most successful when the campus community, especially upper administration, supports the cause and when both academic partners and students are on board. If your campus already has green programs like storm water recycling or renewable power programs, leverage those programs in your LEED project. Talking STick • Garner campus support. LEED • Piggyback on existing green initiatives. 2

Talking Stick - May/June 2009

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