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Green Building Is Growing And Cutting Greenhouse Gases

If you imagine unusually colorful facades on city streets when you hear talk of green buildings, it's time to update your vocabulary.

Eco-friendly architectural design means using alternative materials, energy saving or, even better, energy generating roofs and renewable energy sources to reduce the environmental impact of new construction.

And it is getting to be very popular with homeowners, building owners and their architects.

Why are green buildings important?

A recent survey reported that only 4 percent of U.S. adults realize that buildings, yes, buildings, are the leading source of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States.

That fact comes from the American Institute of Architects (AIA). Reducing the carbon footprint of buildings can have a major impact on global warming and our environment.

The Green Building Awareness survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of Autodesk between September 30 and October 6, 2008, among 2,682 adults ages 18 and older. A key finding of the multi-question survey is that only 4 percent of U.S. adults were aware that buildings such as offices, educational facilities and private residences are the leading sources of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States.

In fact, according to estimates in the AIA’s Architects and Climate Change report, buildings represent 48 percent of carbon dioxide emissions, with transportation and industry representing 27 percent and 25 percent respectively.

The Autodesk survey also revealed that 77 percent believe that constructing a green or highly energy-efficient building costs more than constructing a typical building, with 35 percent believing it costs a lot more. However, according to The Costs and Financial Benefits of Green Buildings, a study funded by the state of California's Sustainable Building Task Force, spending as little as about 2 percent to support green design up-front would, on average, result in lifecycle savings of 20 percent of total construction costs—an average of 10 times the initial investment.

Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK) and the AIA announced the results of the 2008 Autodesk/AIA Green Index in November. This annual survey measures how members are practicing sustainable design and asks the architects for opinions about the green building movement.

The 2008 index showed an increase in the implementation of sustainable design practices from architects and building owners. According to the survey, 34 percent of architects were implementing green or vegetated roof coverings on more than half of their new projects, compared with only 7 percent of architects in 2007.

Also, 39 percent are using renewable, on-site energy sources, such as solar, wind, geothermal, low-impact hydro, biomass or bio-gas on over half of new building designs, compared with just 6 percent during the prior year.

Owners Push For Green

A major finding of the 2008 Green Index was that 42 percent of architects report clients asking for green building elements on a majority of their projects, with 47 percent of clients actually implementing green building elements on their projects, an increase of 15 percent from 2007.

Client demand remains the leading driver for green building, with 66 percent of surveyed architects citing client demand as the primary influence on their practice of green building.

Architects believe that the primary reasons their clients are asking for green buildings are reduced operating costs (60 percent), marketing (52 percent) and market demand (21 percent, up from 10 percent in the 2007 survey).

“We are encouraged to see the continued rise in demand for green buildings, and that architects are responding to this demand by increasing their practice of sustainable design,” said Jay Bhatt, senior vice president, Autodesk AEC Solutions. “Autodesk is committed to developing software that makes sustainable design easier and more efficient, and it is rewarding to learn through this survey that 41 percent of architects are using software to help predict and evaluate the environmental impact and lifecycle of their buildings.”

“The results of the Autodesk/AIA Green Index survey are encouraging because it shows that clients and the market are realizing the bottom-line benefits of sustainable design,” said Christine McEntee, EVP and CEO of the AIA. “The AIA will be adding to our various resources to help accelerate the adoption of sustainable design principles by both clients and design professionals, and advocating at the local, state and federal level for energy-efficient buildings will continue to be our main legislative priority.”

Positive Attitudes about Sustainable Practice
The 2008 Autodesk/AIA Green Index found that 89 percent of architects believe sustainable design should be practiced whenever possible, up three percentage points from 2007. Over seven in 10 architects (71 percent compared with 67 percent in 2007) agree that when thinking about architecture and the environment, they feel the profession is headed in the right direction. Fifty-seven percent of respondents indicated that their organization is starting to implement standard operating procedures to inform clients about green building, up from 49 percent in 2007.

U.S. Architects Aligned with European and Asian Peers in Green Design
Over the past year, Autodesk also conducted similar green index surveys of architects in Japan, Italy and the United Kingdom, in partnership with organizations including the Japan Institute of Architects and the Royal Institute of British Architects.

When asked why their clients were interested in green building, architects in all countries agreed that it was due to the desire for reduced operating costs. AIA members lead their global counterparts in the belief that architects should practice sustainable design whenever possible, with 89 percent of architects in the United States agreeing, followed by 88 percent in the United Kingdom, 73 percent in Italy and 59 percent in Japan.

However, the reasons architects are building green vary across countries. In the United States green building designs are driven by client demand (66 percent), whereas in the United Kingdom and Japan the primary factors are regulatory requirements (75 percent and 64 percent respectively) and in Italy, rising energy costs (70 percent).

Green Light for Buildings Saving Money and the Environment

The message seems to be getting out that building or remodeling with environmental friendly designs and materials is good for everyone. The greenhouse gases involved with sustainable buildings are reduced, but on a practical level, the lower costs of maintaining a green building earn smiles from even the most practical of building owners. Reducing energy and water costs can be just as fulfilling as saving the planet if your job relies on greening the bottom line. If architects, building and home owners can save money while producing healthier buildings, it's a true win-win situation. The planet and everyone on it wins by reducing greenhouse gases, architects win by designing building that are both sustainable and attractive and owners win the reduced cost of running energy efficient—or energy producing—buildings and homes.

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