Green Building for a Profitable Future

By Nicole Argyropoulos

In an era of escalating concern about climate change, boosting energy efficiency in the building sector will not only lower carbon emissions but can also provide substantial financial returns to businesses that implement ‘green designs and technology’ to their workplaces, Rocky Mountain Institute’s Greg Franta told the UK Carbon Trust in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Referring to U.S. data, Franta said Americans typically spend around 90 percent of their time indoors and such enclosed environments -- large and small commercial, industrial and residential buildings -- consume 40 percent of the nation’s energy output.

“Transformational change can be achieved in prosperous ways for our society, economy, and environment”, Franta told the audience of design professionals, business leaders, politicians and Carbon Trust representatives.

Efficient building design and technology will not only reduce our carbon emissions by 50 to 80 percent, but also save large amounts of money by reducing energy operating expenses, he said.

“These integrated building designs are done within a standard budget and can be implemented in a variety of building types, sizes and climate zones,” he added.

Franta highlighted the proposed ‘Energy Plus’ office block project set for the outskirts of Paris, France that aims to produce more energy than it consumes.

Through innovative design, the proposed 70,000 square meter building will generate not only enough electricity to meet its heating, lighting, and air conditioning demands, but will also create a surplus amount of energy for other uses, or to potentially return to the utility grid.

Franta heads Rocky Mountain Institute’s Built Environment Team, which is based in Boulder, Colorado. They will be advising on the landmark project.

Architects Skidmore Owings & Merrill, the project’s creators, says it is in talks to construct similar buildings in the US, Europe and the Middle East, according to Britain’s Daily Telegraph newspaper.

Franta also pointed to U.S. software giant Adobe Systems, which renovated their world headquarters in San Jose, California with major environmental and energy upgrades.

After rebates, the total net cost for the renovations was US$1.1 million. However, annual savings were US$1.2 million in reduced energy operating expenditures, according to company.

“I was one of the naysayers saying, ‘No green costs money, it doesn’t save money’. Boy I’ll tell you, once I started seeing the cost savings, I’ll jump right up on that band-wagon with anybody else because it works,” said Randy Knox III, Adobe’s Director of Global Facilities Services.

Overall, Adobe received a 121 percent return on investment, and a green building Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum rating. Moreover, the average payback per renovation project was just under 10 months.
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