In the late 1980s, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) created the
Committee on the Environment (COTE), which has outlets today in just
about every AIA chapter across the country.All across the US and Canada,
architects have led the charge toward sustainable design, working through
local COTE chapters, as well as the US Green Building Council chapters.
Created in 1993, the US Green Building Council (USGBC) aims to
transform the building industry into a more environmentally responsible
activity. Beginning in the mid-1990s, the USGBC undertook, with Šnancial
assistance from the US Department of Energy, the development of a
rating and evaluation system to deŠne what a green building represented.
The Šrst system, dubbed Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
or LEED, for new construction and major renovations, was piloted or
beta-tested in 1998 and 1999 on about 50 projects in the US. In March
2000, version 2.0 of LEED was introduced as an updated, revised and expanded
version of the original LEEDversion 1.0. Since then version 2.0 has
had two major changes; LEED for New Construction (LEED-NC) version
2.2, eªective since late 2005, is the current standard.
The USGBC enjoyed rapid growth from 1998, when it had only about
100 members, to the beginning of 2007, when membership stood at more
than 7,700 corporate, institutional, governmental and nonproŠt organizations
(it does not have individualmembers).1 Representing all segments of
the building industry and environmental community, the USGBC has
been able to craft a consensus standard for evaluating the environmental
attributes of buildings and developments, by drawing on the resources of
this large ($1 trillion annual construction value) and diverse industry.
Established in 2004, the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC)
now has more than 1,300 member organizations, with chapters in many provinces.2 The CaGBC uses the LEED evaluation system but has adapted
it for Canadian conditions. By 2007 the CaGBC had more than 225 projects
registered for certiŠcation under the Canadian LEED standard.Green
building in Canada is a fast-growing movement, with a special focus on
energy e‹ciency and indoor air quality suitable for a more northerly and
colder climate.
Current Situation
Owners and developers of residential, commercial and institutional properties
acrossNorthAmerica are discovering that it is often possible to build
green buildings on conventional budgets.Many developers, building owners
and facility managers are advancing the state of the art in commercial
and large residential buildings through new modeling tools, design techniques
and creative use of Šnancial and regulatory incentives. For the past
ten years, in ever-increasing numbers, we have begun to see development
of commercial structures using green building techniques and technologies.
With more than 1,200 corporations issuing sustainability reports of
some formin 2006, it is clear that thismarket will not be a short-lived fad.
Companies want to locate in a space that rešects their values, and a highperformance
building goes a longway toward satisfying that requirement.3
Most long-time participants in the real estate, architectural design
and building construction industries realize that sustainable design is the
biggest sea change in their business careers. The urgency of global warming
and the increasing US dependence on imported fuels have led architects
to urge more concerted action to reduce energy use in buildings. In
late 2005 the American Institute of Architects (AIA), representing more
than 70,000 architects, released amajor policy statement that sets a goal of
reducing the fossil fuel consumption of new buildings by 50% by the year
2010, with additional 10% reductions every Šve years thereafter, to reach
90% reduction from 2005 levels by 2030. While this declaration has no
legal force, it does add pressure to incorporate superior energy performance
into the goals for each project.4 As architect EdwardMazria observes,
one can achieve a 50% reduction with existing building technology at no
extra cost by simply using the right design strategies, such as proper orientation
and form, daylighting, solar control and passive heating and cooling
techniques.
Understanding Green Buildings
What do wemean when we speak of green buildings or high-performance
buildings? According to the USGBC, these buildings incorporate design
and construction practices that signiŠcantly reduce or eliminate the negative impact of buildings on the environment and occupants in Šve broad
areas:
• Sustainable site planning.
• Safeguarding water and water e‹ciency.
• Energy e‹ciency and renewable energy.
• Conservation of materials and resources.
• Indoor environmental quality.5
Typically, green buildings are measured against code buildings — structures
that qualify for a building permit but do not exceed the minimum
requirements of the building code for health and safety. In addition, green
buildings are often measured according to a system such as the LEED rating
system (usgbc.org), the Collaborative for High-Performance Schools
(CHPS) ratings (chps.net), the Advanced Building™ guidelines (power
yourdesign.com),Green Guide for Healthcare (GGHC)6 or, in some cases,
local utility or city guidelines (a number of utilities have rating systems for
residential buildings). Such buildings must score a minimum number of
points above “standard building” performance thresholds to qualify for a
certiŠcation, or a rating as “green” or high-performance.
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