Posted by
Expert Gadget Reviewer on Monday, 10 January 2011
First came LEED certification, next came the CALGREEN requirements (for those of us in California), now we can all breathe a sigh of relief because ANSI (American National Standards Institute) has approved and released the ANSI/BIFMA e3-2010 Furniture Sustainability Standard.
The e3 standard defines the technical requirements of the Level product certification program. The Level program is actually a useful tool, in that it provides the industry a standard benchmark to evaluate whether or not office furniture is manufactured in a sustainable manner using sustainable materials. This separates the truly sustainable products and organizations from the posers.
If past history is guide, the larger manufacturers will conform to the Level product requirements, and the smaller manufacturers (and specifically import manufacturers) will not.
Posted by
Expert Gadget Reviewer on Thursday, 21 October 2010
A law-suit was filed last week against the United States Green Building Council (USGBC), claiming that the USGBC LEED certification program is a fraud. The suit was filed by Henry Gifford, a New York City building energy consultant.
The suit centers around the USGBC's claims that LEED-certified buildings use 25 to 30 percent less energy than buildings that are not LEED certified. The suit alleges these claims are fraudulent misrepresentations. The claimants are seeking Class-Action status.
Ouch... this law-suit, in conjunction with the roll out of CAL-GREEN at the start of 2011, could mean a bumpy road ahead for the entire LEED concept.
Posted by
Expert Gadget Reviewer on Wednesday, 21 April 2010
Very cool webinar presented by Sustainable Industries on the impact of green office spaces on worker productivity. Panelists include David Pogue, National Director of Sustainability, CB Richard Ellis (San Jose), Clark Brockman, Principal, SERA Architects (Portland), and Kirsten Ritchie, Director of Sustainable Design, Gensler (San Francisco). The panel is moderated by Becky Brun, Editor of Sustainable Industries. You can download the PDF version (HERE).
Posted by
Expert Gadget Reviewer on Monday, 12 April 2010
A recent article on the Contractmagazine website focused on why "sustainable" interiors are here to stay.
Government & Large Institutional Clients: Most state and federal government projects and/or projects performed for large institutional clients require compliance with third party rating systems like LEED.
New State Regulations: Many states are starting to require that all projects over a certain square foot threshold adhere to a "sustainable" standard (i.e., CAL-GREEN).
Boom in LEED CI Projects: The total number of LEED CI (Commercial Interiors) projects increased to 1,258 in 2009, up from 766 in 2008.
LEED as a Marketing Tool: In certain markets landlords are using the fact that their building is LEED certified as a market differentiator to attract tenants.
Growing Evidence that Sustainable Interiors are More Productive: More independent studies are coming out showing the link between sustainably designed interiors and increased worker productivity and lower absenteeism (click HERE to see a posting with a link to the CBRE study).
It all stems from the fact that to achieve LEEDCertification from the United States Green Building Council (USGBC), a project needs to earn a pre-defined number of "credits", some of which may be earned in the category of Materials and Resources. At this time, the only wood products eligible under the current process is wood that is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). The folks at the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), think this is a bit "narrow", and would like the USGBC to open the process up to other "forestry certification systems". Of course the FSC believes this would weaken the overall certification process, remarking that "all certification systems are not created equal".
In the end, it is clear that the sustainability industry loves acronyms, and arguing. The bottom line is that the more complex, difficult, and expensive, the industry makes it to achieve "sustainability certification", the less likely people are to pursue it. Can't we all just get along...
Posted by
Expert Gadget Reviewer on Wednesday, 31 March 2010
Lots of dueling surveys floating around these days -- Just this past Friday I posted: SF Ranked # 3 in Green Buildings... which highlighted the fact that the U.S. EPA ranked the San Francisco Metro Area in third place for having the most energy efficient buildings (Washington D.C. was 1st and L.A. was 2nd). Today comes a survey from Cushman & Wakefield ranking the top 25 U.S. Markets in Opportunity for Green Building, and San Francisco comes in 1st ,with Oakland in 2nd.
The Green Building Opportunity Index, conducted by Cushman & Wakefield, in collaboration with the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance's (NEEA) BetterBricks initiative, is the first office market assessment tool to provide comparisons of top U.S. office markets on the basis of both real estate fundamentals and green development considerations. Unlike the EPA survey which focuses on the number of Energy Star-labeled buildings in each city, the Green Building Opportunity Index ranks each market on multiple factors, in addition to the number of Energy Star labeled and LEED certified buildings.
According to the index, the top 12 markets overall were:
San Francisco
Oakland
Midtown - New York
L.A.
Chicago
Orange County
Downtown New York
Washington D.C.
San Diego
Boston
Seattle
Portland Ore.
To see the complete national overview click: (HERE)
Posted by
Expert Gadget Reviewer on Monday, 29 March 2010
A good article in Contract Magazineoffers a nice summary of the current thinking in office furniture design. Some highlights:
4 Generations in the same workplace - Creates major challenges of "blending" workstyles together (Boomers desire private offices, Gen-Y'ers have no use for them)...
Personalized Furniture - We can currently "personalize" our ergonomic chairs, workers desire that same degree of personalization across the board.
Bye-Bye Walls - Space and furniture needs to be designed to promote collaboration and team-work, and allow for heads-down work. This means lower walls and panels, but smarter designed workstations.
Technology Integration - Current furniture allows for basic technology (power-voice-data), near future furniture is being designed to accommodate a much broader range of technology (I-Pods, various smart phone compatibility, etc...)
Sustainability - LEED is today - beyond LEED is early tomorrow morning... with manufacturers and designers taking a deeper and broader look at issues such as life cycle assessment and non-obsolesence.
Posted by
Expert Gadget Reviewer on Friday, 26 March 2010
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has issued its second annual list of metro areas with the most energy efficient buildings - and the San Francisco Metro Area has landed at #3 in the Country. SF actually dropped a spot (it was #2 last year), replaced by Washington D.C. at #2, and Los Angeles at #1.
The rankings surveyed the total number of Energy Star Labeled Buildings in each area. The top 10 list is:
Posted by
Expert Gadget Reviewer on Tuesday, 16 March 2010
First there was the LEED standard, next came the CALGREEN standard, and now we have, THE INTERNATIONAL GREEN CONSTRUCTION CODE...
The IGCC, created by the ICC (International Code Council, and yes, I'm having fun with the acronyms), is targeted at regulating the construction of new and existing commercial buildings, and aims to significantly reduce energy usage and greenhouse gasses. The code was publicly unveiled today after having been in development since mid-2009.
The code is sponsored by the "heavyweights" in the building industry including; the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the global standards firm ASTM International, the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).
Posted by
Expert Gadget Reviewer on Monday, 15 March 2010
According to the recently released "Green City Index", the San Francisco / Oakland / Fremont area is the 2nd greenest region in the country. The Index rated 41 MSAs (Metropolitan Statistical Areas) on 20 indicators of "greeness" including: Travel Time, Sprawl Index, Green Jobs per capita.
The top 5 regions were:
Portland/Vancouver/Beaverton OR-WA
San Francisco / Oakland / Fremont
Honolulu HI
Austin / Round Rock TX
Boston / Cambridge / Quincy MA
To view the entire Green City Index, click (HERE).
Posted by
Expert Gadget Reviewer on Friday, 12 March 2010
Support for "green building practices" is up, but the number of projects actually seeking and obtaining LEED certification is declining, reported the 4th Annual Green Building Survey. This was just one of the trends highlighted by the survey, which is sponsored by Allen Matkins, The Constructive Technologies group, and the Green Building Insider.
Other highlights from the survey:
LEED certification is slipping due to a combination of associated costs, and alternative standards being established and accepted
Saving energy and reduced operating costs are the top reasons given for deciding to build green
Risks associated with "green" projects are perceived to be slightly higher than risks associated with traditional projects
The use of "green" leases is increasing
Costs associated with developing a green project vary based on the experience of the project team
Carbon credits and offsets have not achieved widespread use
Posted by
Expert Gadget Reviewer on Thursday, 25 February 2010
The United States Green Building Council (USGBC) has released its Top 10 Green Bills for 2009. Topping the list is the ubiquitous American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (aka the Stimulus Bill).
Courtesy of various sources, the USGBChighlighted the following pieces of pending legislation:
House Legislation •The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Public Law •The American Clean Energy and Security Act, Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) and Ed Markey (D-Mass.) •The 21st Century Green High-Performing Public School Facilities Act, Chandler (D-Ky.) •The Expanding Building Efficiency Act, Dave Reichert (R-Wash.) •The Property Assessed Clean Energy Tax Benefits Act, John Sarbanes (D-Md.) •Act to Enhance Private Financing for Clean Energy Technology Deployment, Steve Israel (D-N.Y.) •The Energy Efficiency Modernization Act of 2009, Mary Jo Kilroy (D-Ohio) •The Water Accountability Tax Efficiency Reinvestment (WATER) Act, Michael Coffman (R-Colo.) •The Livable Communities Act of 2010, Ed Perlmutter (D-Colo.), pending introduction •The Federal Personnel Training Act of 2010, Russ Carnahan (D-Mo.), pending introduction
Senate Legislation
•The Clean Energy and American Jobs Act, John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) •The American Clean Energy and Leadership Act, Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) •Energy Efficiency in Housing Act (EEHA) of 2009, Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) •The Livable Communities Act of 2009, Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.) •The Expanding Building Efficiency Incentives Act of 2009, Snowe (R-Maine) •The School Building Fairness Act, Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) •Clean Energy for Homes and Buildings Act of 2009, Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) •The Energy Efficiency Modernization Act of 2009, Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) •The Water Accountability Tax Efficiency Reinvestment (WATER) Act of 2009, Mark Udall (D-Colo.) •The Federal Agency Energy Efficiency Improvement Act of 2009, Susan Collins (R-Maine)
Posted by
Expert Gadget Reviewer on Friday, 5 February 2010
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), the organization that created the LEED certification process, has designated the University of California Berkeley (aka CAL), as a USGBC Education Provider. The UC Berkeley Extension is the first continuing education program at the University of California, and one of the few public continuing education programs in the country, to offer USGBC-approved course credits.
CAL will offer courses in solar, sustainable construction, renewable energy, transportation, clean technology, and sustainability leadership and management. All USGBC-approved courses are approved for credit towards LEED Professional CredentialingMaintenance.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 30 percent growth over the next decade in top green jobs such as mechanical engineering, environmental engineer, environmental educator, and landscape architect. I'm coming to the conclusion that green tech/clean tech maybe to the 2010's what the dot-com era was to the late 1990's.
Posted by
Expert Gadget Reviewer on Thursday, 4 February 2010
From Greenbiz.com comes The State of Green Business 2010, a comprehensive review of 2009, and outlook for 2010. Specifically related to the office interiors industry, the report noted:
"The recession hit the building market hard. But while observers and experts predicted LEED-certified commercial buildings would take a beating, the reverse happened: Certifications for both new and existing buildings grew faster than ever, and registrations of new projects continued apace."
"Property owners found that tenants clamored for green buildings, so as plummeting rents sent tenants shopping around, a LEED-certified facility added another level of cachet for the spec sheet."
You can download a copy of the report by clicking (HERE).
Posted by
Expert Gadget Reviewer on Friday, 15 January 2010
Let the (marketing) battle begin! The California Building Standards Commission unanimously approved changes to the state building codes, including mandatory green standards that will be the strictest in the nation.
The new standards, which are targeted at nonresidential buildings over 10,000 sqft, are aimed at driving California into a leadership position in energy effciency and environmental protection.
As noted in yesterday's posting, several large groups including the United States Green Building Council (USGBC), which manages the LEED certification process, are not thrilled with the new codes. These organizations are concerned that CALGREEN (which is less stringent than the existing voluntary LEED system), will effectively dillute the label of a GREEN building in California.
In response to these complaints, the governor's office has released a "Myth vs. Fact" page to clarify CALGREEN's details. (Click HERE for this document).
Posted by
Expert Gadget Reviewer on Thursday, 14 January 2010
"California Bolsters Green Building Codes" blared the headlines today, trumpeting the "great" news that the golden state once again was leading the nation. This time California has created the "first in the nation" green building codes. Great news right? Nobody could be upset about this right?? GUESS AGAIN...
LA Times headlines on Tuesday read "Environmental groups try to block parts of California's green building code" Huh?? The USGBC (who control the LEED rating system), along with 6 other environmental groups, sent a letter to Governor Schwarzennegger stating that the state's new code would amount to a "setback for California's leadership in green building..."
Reading between the lines it appears that the state is trying to develop a system that mandates a higher level of conservation than is currently required, but falls well short of the voluntary levels required for LEED certification. The USGBC and their colleagues on the other hand are concerned about confusion in the marketplace, where a building owner would be able to claim that their building is a "California certified" green building - without having to push all the way through the laborious (and expensive) LEED certification process.
Posted by
Expert Gadget Reviewer on Wednesday, 23 December 2009
As Green Building technology and practices rapidly change, the test to become a LEED Accredited Professional (AP) has also changed. The USGBC introducedLEED V3 in April of 2009, with December 31, 2009 as the last day of the free migration period, during which currently registered projects can transition to LEED 2009 and LEED Online v3 without paying a new registration fee.
There are several new categories of LEED professional accreditation:
AP+:The AP+ Specialty will be a person who has an advanced depth of knowledge in green building practices and specialization in a particular LEED Rating System such as Building Design and Construction (BD+C) or Operations and Maintenance (O+M).
LEED Green Associate: The LEED Green Associate is a person who possesses the knowledge and skills to understand and support green design, construction, and operations
Individuals who are already certified as LEED AP, and don't wish to become an AP+ Specialty, don't need to do anything. For individuals who wish to become AP+, the USGBC website provides a map of the new requirements.
Information for this posting was taken from the USGBC website, and from an interview of Matt Macko, who helped develop the new LEED exam. To read the complete interview at cleantechies.com click (HERE).
Posted by
Expert Gadget Reviewer on Tuesday, 15 December 2009
A landmark building in San Francisco has completed its journey into the 21st century by going green. The iconic Transamerica Pyramid building, long associated with the San Francisco skyline, has acheived LEED-Gold certification.
Image CC licensed by Daniel Schwen.
In 2009, LEED certified square footage in San Francisco increased five-fold, and SF now has more green buildings than New York or Los Angeles.
A report by the San Francisco Existing Commercial Buildings Task Force, which provides "practical solutions to green the city's commercial buildings" has also recently been released.
Posted by
Expert Gadget Reviewer on Friday, 11 December 2009
Any construction project contains an element of risk. "Green" projects (where LEED certification is a goal) have their own set of "special" challenges. A recent article written by attorney Leonard Goodman posted on Greenerbuildings.com, 8 Steps for Better Management of Green Design and Construction Risks provides some insight into mitigating the risks associated with a green project.
Have A Clear Understanding of Your Particular Green Objectives and the Options for Meeting Them Under LEED
Engage Experienced A/Es and Contractors Capable of Working Together Collaboratively Early in the Development Process
Determine if BIM is Right for Your Project
Consider Pursuing the LEED Credit for Enhanced Commissioning
If Time Permits, Opt for LEED's Two-Phase Certification Process
Do Not Rely on Industry Standard Forms of Agreement
Consider Integrated Project Delivery
Purchase Property Insurance that Covers Losses Associated with Green Buildings
Posted by
Expert Gadget Reviewer on Wednesday, 9 December 2009
A recent report titled, Many Shades of Green:Diversity and Distribution of California's Green Jobsdetails the explosion in "green" businesses and jobs in California over the last 13 years.
Issued by the non-partisan group Next 10, the report states that "green" employment expanded 36% between 1995 and 2008, while "all" employment expanded only 13% during the same time period.
