News
Industry weighs pros, cons of LEED projects
03/09/2009
The number of projects seeking Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification in the region is rapidly expanding, led by schools, universities and governmental projects. For many larger companies, a LEED certified building can also serve as a marketing tool and help show their company is concerned about the environment.
LEED certification is an independent industry benchmark awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council to green projects that accumulate enough points through the use of a number of sustainable design practices.
Proponents say it is important to have a respected green ratings system administered by a neutral third party that actually checks to make sure the standards were met.
“Our industry has always had an interest in this,” said Sean Ervin, a managing principal in the Sioux Falls office of the TSP Inc. architectural, engineering and construction firm and a LEED Accredited Professional. “The LEED process just formalizes it so we can document it.”
But the additional cost and time associated with going through the LEED process is not worth it for all clients.“Down in the Twin Cities where we do a lot of projects, it seems like everybody goes through the LEED paperwork process,” said Lonnie Laffen, co-founder and principal of JLG Architects, which has seven LEED APs in its offices in Grand Forks, ND, Fargo, Alexandria, MN, and Minneapolis and is currently working on a couple of LEED projects. “They are able to say they are truly LEED certified. In the northern end of the valley our clients do not think the paperwork to certify projects is as important. We’ve been designing most of our projects using LEED guidelines as a tool since 2003. We’ve had two projects that were designed to a LEED certified standard, but the clients never registered or certified them.
To a client sometimes the extra money and effort to document the process isn’t worth it. Having a sustainable building is worth it because they save money in maintenance and building costs. But having a piece of paper that costs an extra $20,000 and says you did it doesn’t mean anything to some of them.”Phil Stahl, the owner of Stahl Architects in Fargo, said he supports sustainable design efforts, but he advises clients to invest additional funds into adding more sustainable features to the building’s design instead of using the money to seek LEED certification. Stahl said the LEED process doesn’t always take into consideration the big picture.“Bamboo is a great renewable resource that grows in China,” Stahl said. “The problem is it grows in China and you have to ship it over here. Compact fluorescent bulbs can reduce your energy costs on lighting by more than 50 percent, but they have mercury in them.”Richard Graves, an architect with the Minneapolis office of the Perkins + Will architecture firm and a U.S. Green Building Council board member, said the latest version of the LEED standards, set to be released this spring, will offer regional credits and will be more adaptable to different parts of the country.The University of North Dakota has completed a number of recent building projects incorporating elements of sustainable design. But the university has decided not to pursue LEED certification for any of them.“We always put a focus on sustainability and minimizing the impact the building will have — that has pretty much become a standard,” said Rick Tonder, the university’s director of campus planning. “But LEED certification to me is more of a documentation process than anything else. Let’s not make it a paper chase for points for LEED certification. Let’s instead make it sustainable and green and meet our needs and find the best use of the building.”But Dennis Hulsing, a partner in the Bismarck-based Ritterbush-Ellig-Hulsing architecture firm, said that while arduous, the LEED process usually leads to better projects. “It requires some forethought,” he said. “It’s not only about energy savings; it’s about a better and more appropriate use of materials. It makes better projects because it forces you to think about the unseen part of building practices — transportation costs — the hidden costs that you probably don’t normally talk about.”David Shultz, president of Shultz & Associates in Fargo, said the LEED process was cumbersome, but helpful in the design of his first project seeking LEED certification, a new emergency operations center and command post for the Otter Tail County Sheriff’s Department in Ottertail, MN.Hulsing, who is also the founder of Hulsing & Associates Architects in Dickinson, ND, said he has compiled a library of information about potential building materials that are considered to be green that helps him when he works on LEED projects. As the number of prospective LEED projects has increased, the availability of compatible green building materials has also increased.“The nice thing that LEED is doing is focusing the manufacturing industry on producing more materials we can use in sustainable design,” said Ervin of TSP. “But the industry is still catching up to the green movement.”Warroad, MN-based Marvin Windows and Doors has not changed its product offerings, but has spent more time documenting and educating customers about the company’s building materials, President Susan Marvin said. Some of the company’s employees have also completed training to become LEED APs so they can better address LEED-related customer questions.Despite a growing number of LEED accredited architects, Hulsing said few construction companies in the region have experience working on LEED projects, which could cause some growing pains.LEED has become the industry standard for green building. But it and other green guidelines and ratings systems are sure to grow and evolve with advances in sustainable design and technology.“It is unclear whether LEED will be the dominant standard in the future or if competitors will emerge addressing regional and other issues,” said John Carmody, director of the Center for Sustainable Building Research at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. “One important trend is the need to move from strictly point-based rating systems toward requiring performance-based outcomes. Architecture 2030 is an example of this where there is a specific metric that must be met for energy and carbon emissions. Another trend will place greater emphasis on actual performance during operation, not just the design phase. LEED and other guidelines and rating systems are all adapting to address these issues.”
Ryan Schuster Prairie Business Magazine
Published Monday, March 09, 2009
