The First Facility Management Blog

On February 4, 2010, the LEED Green Associate credential, which recognizes professionals in the green building field, launched in Canada. This credential is the Green Building Certification Institute’s (GBCI) fastest growing credential.

“The green building world is expanding; key players include not only those in the building industry but also sales and marketing professionals, lawyers, real estate brokers, product manufacturers and suppliers, students, and more,” said Peter Templeton, President, GBCI. “The LEED Green Associate credential gives these individuals a way to differentiate themselves from their peers in a highly competitive job market.”

The LEED Green Associate credential signifies fundamental knowledge of green building concepts and is ideal for both professionals in non-technical fields of practice as well as professionals and students working towards the LEED Accredited Professional exam. The LEED Green Associate launched in 2009 and has been earned by almost 4,500 professionals in over 40 countries. GBCI is working in collaboration with the Canada Green Building Council to support and grow the LEED credentials held by more than 10,000 professionals in Canada today.

GBCI, based in Washington, DC, administers the LEED Professional Credentials which have been recognized in the industry as a mark of significant achievement for almost a decade. Earning a LEED Professional Credential demonstrates a candidate’s comprehensive understanding of and commitment to green building design, construction and operations.

While much of the last decade had all of us focused on shiny new green buildings as the silver bullet for the many environmental challenges in the built environment, the virtual collapse of new development has helped the industry to refocus on the real solution: greening existing buildings. (Submitted by www.greenbuildingservices.com)

10. Existing building sustainability focus
While much of the last decade had all of us focused on shiny new green buildings as the silver bullet for the many environmental challenges in the built environment, the virtual collapse of new development has helped the industry to refocus on the real solution: greening existing buildings. There are many strategies one can employ to green existing buildings, but the most recent upgrade to the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance is like your one stop shop for all things to green operations and maintenance. Implementation of building audits, ENERGY STAR® benchmarking, retro-commissioning as well as policies and practices will not only green your building, but may just lead to the greening of your entire organization.

9. Visibility of building performance data
From building owners and facility managers to occupants and visitors, information is power. In this information age we expect building owners and facility managers to continue to integrate systems that provide detailed information on building performance. Seizing scale-appropriate information is key—from building portfolio tracking, whole building performance, down to the individual occupant or receptacle, real change will come when the data is in clear view. Captured data and analysis will be leveraged to change behavior, make important capital expenditure decisions and inform building certification.

8. Occupant engagement and behavioral change
To bring about the kind of dramatic energy reductions we have to make in the next decade, occupants have to be engaged early in the design process, trained on how to occupy and operate the building and provided with detailed feedback on their own resource use within the building. Remarkably, building users are often completely left out of the process and treated as an unknown. The next generation of buildings will fully engage these agents of change in the fulfillment of low energy design and operation of buildings.

7. Training and education
Increasingly rigorous regulations, growing political support, a variety of incentives, and consumer preferences create opportunity for professionals and companies with demonstrated green building and LEED knowledge and expertise. Cities like Washington D.C., now require energy reporting for commercial buildings, countries like Germany have outlawed air conditioning for certain building types, property management companies are certifying buildings in bulk, the LEED 2009 certification and professional programs are out and underway…there’s no time to stop and certainly no time to look back. Training and education is a key strategy to help organizations and individuals tackle the question, “How do I fit in green building and LEED?” Professionals distinguished by their breadth and depth of applied experience in green building and LEED have “been there” and can facilitate your transition from awareness creation to a discipline-specific ability to analyze and execute.

6. Green leasing
Owners and tenants can forge partnerships and come away with a win-win scenario with thoughtful approaches to green leasing. For both tenants and landlords who are interested in green measures for the space, education and relationship building facilitates making green building and operations part of the lease. Developing a more collaborative relationship, the stage is set to make additions to the lease in the areas of indoor air quality, energy use, water use, recycling, carbon credits, tenant-build out and green cleaning that will provide an incentive for the tenant and the landlord. The result is a more efficient building with less impactful operations. Often an afterthought in many green buildings, establishing this clear and detailed legal agreement ensures that green approaches are followed by the parties involved.

5. Building codes close in on LEED
With LEED certification becoming a more feasible and even expected outcome of new construction projects, government bodies are implementing code requirements that closely match the expectations of the LEED framework. Many of our projects that targeted LEED Silver and achieved LEED Platinum, due both to the tremendous efforts of the project teams as well as advances in the building industry. Organizations that develop model codes, such as the International Codes Council and others are raising code requirements to help address energy and environmental issues. These sorts of changes in 2010 will continue to push the USGBC to expand their reach and modify their frameworks at the lower certification levels and beyond their Platinum rating as well as ensure a higher level of accountability.

4. International expansion of green building
With the growth of green building councils across the globe, the USGBC emphasizing international expansion, and the increase of international firsts in the second half of 2009, we are at the cusp of a wave of international projects going through certification. As more and more countries develop LEED and LEED-like standards, there continues to be a growing need to translate green building standards and requirements into country-specific approaches that are relevant and appropriate.

3. Manufacturers and the supply chain retool for the green economy
Vendors continue to work to differentiate themselves from the increasing green noise among their peers. All one needs to do is walk the exhibition floor at a green conference to hear the emphasis vendors are placing on products with green, sustainable and LEED characteristics. Through their internal practices and products, manufacturers will continue to push the market forward with their commitment to green, authentic or not. Greening the supply chain will require significant effort. Organizations such as The Natural Step provides programs and business case studies that help businesses successfully integrate sustainability into their organization.

2. Green building goes to scale
Eco-efficiency at scale will continue to be a hurdle for city planners. The European “eco-district” approach to a unified community of buildings is gaining traction in the U.S.  Portland’s Eco-districts program forges a new model for infrastructure, policy, and governance.  In the same vein, the world will learn many lessons from the BC’s Olympic Village (eco-district) this winter. LEED ND hits the streets! With the official rating system being released by the USGBC, this exciting standard applies to new master planned development, infill projects and existing communities…just in time for the projected upswing in green development projected for the coming years.

1. Living Building Challenge, version 2.0
Nothing could be more exciting to us than the vision outlined in the new version of the Living Building Challenge. This Visionary Path to a Restorative Future outlines 20 Imperatives (rather than Prerequisites) under the now seven Petals of the Challenge.  Each Petal outlines the Intent, or why we should focus on these issues and revised Ideal Conditions and Current Limitations, which help us to envision an ideal built environment and describes the barriers to getting there. The former prerequisites have been updated, and in some cases combined or renamed, while others have been added to complete the standard and make it more all-encompassing. New elements include: Urban Agriculture, providing food production on-site; and Car Free Living, developing diverse mixed-use buildings and neighborhoods that support alternative transportation options. New Petals of Health and Equity add the Imperatives of Biophilia, integrating natural elements and forms into projects; Human Scale + Humane Places, places designed for people rather than automobiles; Democracy + Social Justice, moving away from gated communities, providing affordable housing and universal accessibility; and, Rights to Nature including access to Fresh Air (imagine that), Sunlight (ibid), and public access to Natural Waterways. At least four projects are slated to certify this year, with over 70 in design or construction.

Drafters of the International Code Council’s International Green Construction Code (IGCC) are nearing completion of the first ever integrated green code for traditional and high performance commercial buildings, set for a public release in March.

“This will be the first time code officials, owners, and designers will have an integrated regulatory framework to put into practice that meets the goal of greening the construction and design of new and existing buildings,” according to Code Council CEO Richard P. Weiland. “Only a code that is usable, enforceable, and adoptable will have the capability of impacting our built environment in dramatic ways.”

The IGCC is designed specifically to integrate and coordinate with the other International Codes already being enforced by governmental code officials at all levels. All 50 states and more than 20,000 U.S. jurisdictions use the International Codes developed by the Code Council for safety and sustainability.

The International Codes also serve as the basis for construction of federal properties around the world, and as a reference for many nations outside the United States. The International Code Council is a non-profit membership association dedicated to building safety, fire prevention, energy efficiency, and sustainable building construction and performance.

The IGCC links the International Codes to a public process, bringing together diverse areas of expertise to create the first integrated, regulatory framework for green commercial buildings. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) and ASTM International are Cooperating Sponsors. Other organizations with representation on the IGCC drafting committee, known as the Sustainable Building Technology Committee (SBTC), include the U.S. Green Building Council, the Green Globes Initiative, and more than a dozen others.

“We are not an industry or advocacy organization, but rather the same folks who have written the building codes used throughout the United States and around the world for decades,” said Code Council Board Member and SBTC Chair Ravi Shah. “From the beginning of our code development earlier this year, we’ve had 29 SBTC members and countless work group members from across the spectrum of government, industry, non-profit and academia weaving their views into a consensus code,” Shah said.

The Code Council’s consensus process invites continual public input from all perspectives, culminating in a final approval from code officials to ensure the best possible rate of compliance. A critical element of the IGCC is that it is consistent and coordinated with existing International Codes that span the spectrum of the industry from building, to energy conservation, fire safety, plumbing, mechanical fuel gas and existing buildings among others.

“Voluntary systems have led market transformation and paved the way for a regulatory framework that includes specialized standards addressing highly technical areas around installation and equipment performance,” Weiland said. “And with our Cooperating Sponsors at the AIA and ASTM International providing the essential perspective of the design and standards communities, there is finally an option on the table that a local, state or federal code official can actually use, enforce and adopt to impact the built environment.”

The first public version of the IGCC is expected to inform many policy discussions currently underway. At the same time, the IGCC will undergo continual maintenance with the solicitation of additional public comments thru hearings being conducted in August. The IGCC will then go through another round of review, comments and public hearings in 2011 for the publication for the 2012 ICC Family of Codes.

The Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM®) announced that its online course on “Sustainable Real Estate Management” (SRMOO1) has been approved for continuing education credit for LEED Professionals by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). With the acceptance of the course, IREM becomes an approved USGBC Education Provider. Education Providers are third-party organizations offering the highest-quality education that has been peer reviewed and endorsed by USGBC.

“IREM Members are committed to adopting sustainable building operating practices to help ensure that the properties they manage are environmentally sound, healthy places to live, work and shop,” said IREM President O. Randall Woodbury, CPM®. “USGBC’s recognition of the value of our green course in fostering sustainability and promoting efficient energy management both reflects and reinforces that commitment.”

“Sustainable Real Estate Management” also is eligible for elective credit toward the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (NAR) Green Designation. Those interested in earning this designation must be active members of NAR (either as a REALTOR® or Institute Affiliate member) and maintain membership in the Green REsource Council, founded by the Real Estate Buyer’s Agent Council (REBAC), a NAR subsidiary, to broadly disseminate knowledge about green real estate practices.

“Sustainable Real Estate Management” was designed and developed with IREM Member-experts in sustainable, or “green” real estate management. The course focuses on common sense, cost effective ways to meet owner, tenant, and resident demand for “green” real estate and increase a property’s NOI through sustainable real estate management techniques. Requiring approximately six hours to complete, it is self-guided and features open enrollment, enabling in individuals to begin and return to it at any time.

Specific topics addressed include:

• Sustainable property operations;
• Increasing energy efficiency;
• Increasing water efficiency;
• Improving indoor environmental quality (IEQ);
• How to reduce, reuse, and recycle; and
• The sustainable real estate management company.

For more information and to register, click this link.

The first comprehensive study to explore the impact of project delivery methods and procurement procedures on achieving sustainable design and construction goals was released earlier this month. Sustainable, High Performance Projects and Project Delivery Methods: A State of Practice Report was commissioned by the Charles Pankow Foundation and the Design-Build Institute of America. This ongoing study is being conducted by a team of researchers from the University of Colorado, University of Oklahoma, Pennsylvania State University, and Michigan State University.

The first phase of the research aimed to determine the state of practice in green building project delivery and procurement. The full report of the first phase is available here. The initial findings show that integrated delivery methods (such as design-build and construction-manager-at-risk) are superior in achieving or exceeding Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) certification goals and that procurement procedure also have an impact on the level of sustainability achieved.

Researchers evaluated the three most common delivery methods: design-bid-build (DBB); construction manager-at-risk (CMR), and design-build (DB). Under the DBB delivery method, an owner contracts separately for the design and the construction phases, often awarding construction contracts to the lowest bidder. DB is a fully competitive project delivery system that awards contracts for both design and construction to a single entity composed of one or several firms. CMR is a delivery system in which the owner contracts separately but somewhat simultaneously with a designer and a contractor who not only performs construction management services but also has significant input during the design phase. The five procurement procedures sampled in this study were low bid, best value, competitive negotiation, qualifications-based selection, and sole source.

To understand the state of practice, the research team employed a three-tiered research approach encompassing:

1. industry survey;
2. content analysis; and
3. structured interviews

The industry survey elicited 230 responses from LEED Accredited Professionals (LEED APs) regarding the project delivery methods, procurement procedures, and certification level on specific LEED certified projects. The content analysis was based on solicitation documents from 92 public and private projects representing over $2.2 billion in building investment.

Structured interviews were conducted with members of the industry as well as with owners to help interpret the results. Responses were received from 47 of 50 states and the District of Columbia.

The study found that all project delivery methods had been used to achieve all levels of LEED certification (certified, silver, gold, and platinum). It also found that all procurement procedures (low bid, best value, competitive negotiation, qualifications based selection, and sole source) had been used to achieve all levels of LEED certification.

However, some delivery methods and procurement procedures were more successful than others. Success was assessed through the ratings by LEED APs who have completed LEED projects and by identifying those projects that met or exceeded their initial LEED rating goals. Two key facts relating to success are:

• Integrated delivery methods (DB and CMR) are used in 75% of the projects surveyed; and
• Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS) procurement was most successful procurement procedure.

The ability to integrate construction knowledge early in design is essential to maximizing sustainability; therefore, strong preferences among LEED APs for integrated delivery methods on LEED projects is not surprising. Integrated project delivery methods either eliminate price competition or include price as one of several factors that determine the contract award.

Sustainable, High Performance Projects and Project Delivery Methods: A State of Practice Report provides insights for owners seeking to achieve specific sustainability goals. While all project delivery methods are in use, integrated project delivery methods are most commonly applied to projects seeking LEED certification. If owners choose QBS procurement methods to select team members, they may increase their chances to meet or exceed their sustainability goals.

With the recent introduction of LEED 2009 and with major revisions to LEED EB (now EB-OM) and serious structural changes to the LEED Accredited Professional requirements—one must wonder if USGBC is killing the goose that lays their golden eggs. 

After thousands of professionals have spend countless hours and tens of millions of dollars ”LEED-ing” project teams through the registration and certification process, does the industry really have unlimited resources (or patience) for constantly adapting to expensive and increasingly fluid LEED requirements? 

According to USGBC in a press release dated November 18, 2008, “Coupled with a credit alignment structure designed to create a more elegant and harmonized rating system, LEED 2009 will reset the bar for the certification of high-performance green buildings.”

All these changes sort of beg the question:  If the original LEED rating systems had been properly vetted and represented the ”best practices utopia” they claimed to be—why are so many wholesale revisions necessary?  This would be like a casino constantly changing the rules at a poker table to make the game ”more elegant and harmonized”.

According to GBCI (the educational wing of USGBC), there are currently over 60,000 LEED Accredited Professionals.  When considering the AP exam costs about $300, study materials are about $500 and a USGBC workshop costs about $400—that represents an investment of well over $1,000 per student (not to mention the percentage that don’t pass their first test—or ever).  Add in the cost for tens of thousands of project registrations & certifications and you don’t have to be a physicist or a hedge fund manager to understand the true definition of GREEN…

Will these USGBC gambles pay off for “the house”?  Or will players simply leave the table in a backlash to constantly changing rules?  

To be determined…