etftrends.com

By G.M. Corrigan

Originally published under the title "GOING GREEN DOESN'T MEAN GOING IN THE RED: FOUR AREA BUILDING PROJECTS PROVEMPERCEPTION ISN'T REALITY WHEN IT COMES TO THE BENEFITS OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT"of  in Smart Company Magazine, March-April 2010

Given the obstacles natural to any paradigm shift as sweeping as that of the environmental movement, it's not surprising that misconceptions abound as to not only the benefits and working particulars of sustainable development but also to their merits apart from the larger debate over man-made global warming.

According to SustainableBusiness.com and a recent report by the World

Business Council for Sustainable Development, a global association of over

200, industry-related, ecologically conscious companies, even developers and

builders commonly miscalculate the cost and benefits of green building

construction.

Among its findings were estimates by industry respondents that green

building construction costs 17 percent more than conventional construction,

when the actual increase is 5 percent, and the belief that buildings account

for only 19 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, when the reality is double

that at 40 percent.

Other common misunderstandings include the view that green products and

devices are functionally inferior to the tried-and-true gadgets; that

sustainable building design is only about saving energy; that green building

construction is too complicated; and that advocacy of sustainable

construction necessarily coextends with the movement's apocalyptic agenda.

Misconceptions such as these-or their refutations-were in evidence across a

set of bi-county green building projects examined by Smart Company magazine

for their insights into green perceptions.

"I Just Wanted To Fix A Leak"

"It takes education to get people to understand what this roof does," Ron

Bowers, chairman of the Maryland Theater's building committee, says of the

environmentally friendly, heat-reflecting roof recently installed-and

already vandalized-on the 94-year-old, Hagerstown landmark.

"I just wanted to get a leak fixed," the former Washington County supervisor

adds. "We were ready to reinstall a regular roof and [Eco Construction

Company President Kenneth Saur] said this is what we ought to do. You've got

to look long-term. It's going to keep costs down."

The $147,000 roof in question: a non-petroleum-based, bright white membrane,

called thermoplastic polyolefin-or "TPO"-that is heat-welded to an

environmentally friendly insulating medium with a non-carbon-based adhesive

at a per-unit cost of only six percent above standard roofing.

The net effect of which is a sealed, 20-year covering that reflects 79

percent of the sun's warming radiation without shedding any asphalt,

chemicals or fiberglass pollutants-major components of standard roofs-into

storm water run-off and, ultimately, area streams, bays and water tables.

"You're going to save ten-to-fifteen percent on your cooling bill each month

in the summer," Saur, a "moderate" greenie, says of his marquee product.

"So, it's energy efficient.and.environmentally friendly."

Asked if his zeal for sustainability means he also believes global warming

augurs impending worldwide calamity, Saur says, "I don't know that I buy

into that-and I'm a Democrat."

Doing Well By Doing Good

"Absolutely," states James Matan of Matan Realty, a development company 33

years in Frederick, Maryland about the marketability of sustainable building design.

"Tenants are putting it at the forefront of what they're looking for out of

responsibility for the impact their buildings have on the environment."

"And another reason is cost savings," Matan adds, proving that he was not

among the uninformed developers reported in the WBCSD report, "because all

of these features correlate to savings on energy and water usage costs."

Matan is pointing out the attributes of his company's showcase,

126,000-square-foot "Riverside 5" office building off Monocacy Boulevard in

Frederick. It's an exercise that highlights the building's sea of

low-emissivity (coatings that reflect radiant energy back to its source)

windows; ultra-low-flow toilets; scenic bio-retention pond; tight, tilt-up

construction; high-efficiency energy management controls and an HVAC system

that uses 40 percent more fresh air than conventional plants.

"Riverside Five is the greenest, new 'Class A' office building in Frederick,

which results in a reduced impact on the environment and costs savings to

our tenants," Matan explains. "And it's our big push to incorporate, from

this day forward, green features consistent with this building into all of

our projects."

Asked if environmentally friendly tilt-up construction is more difficult

than conventional construction, Matan says it actually is easier, and that

the building's high-performance, "ultra-low-flow" commodes will help reduce

water usage by 30 percent.

"What's really different about this building," Matan says, "is that we've

taken the natural elements of the surrounding area-the Monocacy River and

vast amounts of green space-and we've incorporated the building into those

elements."

Community Center Coup

Corporate Office Properties Trust, a publicly traded, Columbia-based real

estate investment trust active in Washington County, also vigorously markets

sustainable building design. It has 16, LEED-certified projects-seven gold

and nine silver-and 36 gold or silver candidate projects under development

across its 265 properties in six states.

(LEED is the U.S. Green Building Council's multilevel, Leadership in Energy

and Environmental Design sustainability rating-see SCM, March/April 2009).

And COPT's $5 million, 21,000 square foot community center at its Fort

Ritchie at Cascade project-a planned $250 million, mixed-use development of

591 acres of the former army base-is one of the golden ones, the first in

Washington County.

"We'll get the money back in spades down the road," Bill Hofmann, the

project's senior property and environmental services manager, says of the

center's renovated, 1950s-era gymnasium-much of whose structural wood was

reused-and new, environmentally-friendly locker, work-out and office spaces.

With great emphasis on the use of renewable materials-flooring made of

natural rubber, planking from "selected thinning" (vice clear-cutting)

logging, recycled cabinet materials and site fill rubble from demolished

product-COPT's community center demolishes the misconception that

sustainability is more about energy- and cost-saving than it is about

prudent environmental stewardship.

And the company plans further use of green methods, materials and marvels

throughout the 673-home, residential tract and 1.7 million square feet of

business park envisioned for the site.

Lucy With An Eye For Platinum

Established in 2002 to optimize pre-K-through-3rd grade education through

arts-based curricula, Middletown's Lucy School-formerly a 17-acre farm

subdivision whose names derives from the Latin for "light"-seeks to reflect,

in its own construction, the educational progressivism of its founders.

"We've tried to do a lot of things," says co-owner/founder (with wife and

school director, Victoria Brown) Chris Zachariadis, who notes that the

100-student school's recently completed Primary Building is under

consideration for a LEED-platinum certification. 

Supporting this claim and the application are the building's geothermal

heating and cooling system; low-E windows; variously placed solartubes

(devices for transmitting sunlight to interior nooks and crannies);

dual-flush, rainwater-powered toilets; reflective roofing; solar panels that

supply 20 percent of the school's electricity; reused, recycled and

renewable materials (cork, bamboo, etc.) for flooring and cabinetry;

low-fume paints, sealants and adhesives; and computerized energy controls,

complete with a carbon dioxide monitor.

It's a panoply of eco-friendly features that finds its most natural

fruition-and stewardship-affirming expression-in the eight rain gardens

pocketing the building's periphery, catchments designed to compensate for

rainwater distribution disruption from the new, 7,000-square foot structure.

"Reduce, reuse and recycle are the watchwords of the environmental

movement," Zachariadis adds. "So this new green building is consistent with

that philosophy."

Sustainability: Pros, cons and eco-pointers

Whether or not you're a subscriber to doomsday scenarios associated with

man-made greenhouse gas emissions, many eco-friendly measures advanced by

environmentalists are sensible from both conservationist and economic

standpoints. 

Here is an overview of some of them:

Solar Power

Solar energy can either be used to passively heat residential spaces and

water through savvy house design, windows and heat collectors or actively

through solar panels that convert sunlight into electricity. 

Advantages: Pollution-free, nearly maintenance-free, cost-effective (after

an initial capital investment), qualifies for a 30 percent federal income

tax credit and a Maryland Energy Administration grant, operates on a

renewable resource (the sun) and is noiseless.

Disadvantages: Higher start-up costs, dependence on clear weather, "down

times" during the night (when stored energy or alternate sources are needed)

and aesthetic limitations. 

Source: Standard Solar, Inc. of Gaithersburg and Earth911.com

Geo-thermal Heating

Geo-thermal water and space heating, such as used at Lucy School, is a

passive, geo-exchange system that employs a shielding principle, where

outside supply air is warmed (or cooled) by transfer through buried lines,

thus decreasing the cooling or heating temperature differential in the

thermal process.

Geo-exchange Advantages: Reduced heating and cooling costs (reportedly 1:4

kilowatt hours with conventional HVAC systems), quiet operation, low

maintenance, emission-free, heat pump inside home, where surplus heat energy

assists hot water heater.

Geo-exchange Disadvantages: About double the installation cost of a

conventional HVAC system, some trenching inconvenience associated with

retrofitting.

Source: Energy-consumers-edge.com and Total Comfort Heating and Air

Conditioning of Smithburg

Green Roofs (reflective, TPO or PVC roofs)

Green roofs may be of the reflective, TPO (such as the Maryland Theater's)

or PVC type, or be actual roof-top gardens, which provide insulation, reduce

"heat island" effects and handle storm water run-off in an eco-friendly way.

Reflective Roofing Advantages: No carbon-based materials contaminating storm

water run-off, reflects about 80 percent of the sun's heat energy, lowering

air conditioning bills, no more difficult to install than traditional rubber

roofing. 

Reflective Roofing Disadvantages: Costs 10-12 percent more than traditional

materials, must be kept clean to maintain its reflective capability and cost

savings.

Source: Eco Construction Company and Coolflatroof.com

Sustainable Materials

Renewable, sustainable and eco-friendly building materials such as reclaimed

timber, recycled fill, bamboo-, cork- or rubber-based appointments,

eco-friendly concrete and cement, low or no-VOC (volatile organic compounds)

paints, finishes and sealants, "rammed-earth" or straw bale walls, and

recycled and natural fiber carpeting are now available for green building

design.

Advantages: variously, conserves natural resources, lowers greenhouse gas

emissions, some cost savings, reduces transportation energy costs, protects

health, reduces landfill waste, conserves energy, increases energy

independence.

Disadvantages: not all recycled or renewable materials are energy-efficient,

easily available, or eco-friendly in other ways; some may increase building

costs; installation may require outside expertise; some pose local building

code complications, bamboo materials can contain formaldehyde; linoleum

gives off a strong odor; using only local materials (to reduce

transportation energy) may limit choices.

Source: Greenhomebuilding.com, Greensage.com