Integrating Sustainable Design
By Bill Barnard

Thinking of renovations or additions to your facility? Green design isn’t just for new buildings.  The cost savings, health and wellness gains, and environmental advantages benefit existing buildings, too.

Why Green?
Of course you help minimize global warming and save the Earth. But, you also lower your energy, water, and waste costs. Green improvements usually pay for themselves within three years, with an annual return on investment of 25 to 40 percent, according to the 2003 study “The Costs and Financial Benefits of Green Buildings:  A Report to California’s Sustainable Building Task Force.”

The elements of sustainable design also impact employee morale and productivity. Back in 1998, William Pape, cofounder of VeriFone, reported in Inc. magazine that 18 months after retrofitting the company’s building to reduce indoor pollutants and improve environmental quality, absenteeism dropped 40 percent and productivity rose more than 5 percent. In the article, Pape said that healthy workplaces have “done more to boost productivity than all the bandwidth in the world.”

The best part?  “…There is no significant difference in average costs for green buildings as compared to non-green buildings,” according “Cost of Green Revisited:  Reexamining the Feasibility and Cost Impact of Sustainable Design in the Light of Increased Market Adoption,” a 2007 report published by Davis Langdon.

What to Do?
Here are just a few ideas for incorporating sustainable design and improving the performance of your building: 

Analyze existing facilities.
Before adding on, examine how you could use your space more efficiently by moving walls or modifying features.

Upgrade your windows. 
Install windows with a higher Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC) to let in visible light while blocking the heat that makes your cooling systems run more. Not replacing windows? Get the same effect with window films. 

Turn off the lights. 
When enough daylight enters the building, photocells can automatically turn off or dim lights.  Set up cascading circuits to control different areas at different times of day. You not only save electricity, but your heat load decreases. 

Use outside air to temper indoor temperatures. 
Simple technology uses fresh air to cool temperatures and boost the efficiency of your air conditioning. (Economizer Cycle)

Insulate. 
A little insulation along perimeter walls decreases the work of your mechanical systems. New paints sprayed on the bottom of attic decks reflect heat out in the summer and reflect heat in during the winter.

Pave wisely. 
Use lighter tones with higher albedo, or reflective, values and suddenly the micro-climate around your building isn’t quite as hot in the summer.

Reduce Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). 
Pick paint with low or no VOC content. You’ll reduce sickness and insurance claims, and employees can move back into the space faster with no new-paint smell.

Install carpet with recycled content. 
Some companies even lease carpet. When you’re done with it, they transform the old fibers into new carpet.

Double-check. 
After your renovations, call in a professional for retro-commissioning. This step ensures that your new systems are installed and programmed correctly for peak efficiency and the highest return on investment. 

The End Result
Green building doesn’t have to cost more, but it does require creative decisions and an integrative process between you and the professionals working on your building. 

Bill Barnard, AIA, LEED-AP, is vice president of architecture for The Troyer Group, www.troyergroup.com.