Hi Report: Green Buildings Market Grows to $260 Billion; Driven by Higher Rents, Values!.

Hi Report: Green Buildings Market Grows to $260 Billion; Driven by Higher Rents, Values!.

Construction of green buildings rose to 325 million m² of new floor space in 2013, representing a $260 billion market, according to Lux Research, with growth driven by economic benefits rather than environmental motivations.

Growth has exceeded expectations as green construction marches toward a significant share of the mainstream market. In the United States, for example, green buildings command an estimated 20 percent of new construction.

“Green buildings are driven not by utility savings, but by upticks in rental income or resale value,” said Alex Herceg, Lux Research analyst and the lead author of the report titled, “Cash Is King: Assessing the Financial Performance of Green Buildings.”

“Those factors, along with government incentives, can make the financial case for green buildings, delivering predictable internal rates of return (IRRs) north of 5 percent,” he added.

Lux Research analysts studied utility savings, rental rates, resale value and government incentives in green buildings and their impact on IRRs.

Among their findings:

• Green certification fuels growth. Lux Research’s analysis found that buildings with LEED Gold certification outperform their baseline peers. For instance, higher rental income added $4.1 million in value to a model 80,000 ft² commercial building in Los Angeles.

• IRRs get a boost from subsidies. Incentives like Germany's subsidized interest rates for energy-efficient homes, or government cash rebates in India, can lead to an IRR of 5 to 6 percent over 15 years.

• Energy efficiency codes offer market opportunity. While green building standards like LEED helped build market demand for green buildings, building energy efficiency codes such as ASHAE 90.1, IECC and ECBC India can create a much larger market opportunity. In Germany, Lux Research estimates that new floor space compliant with the EnEv 2009 code was 50 million m², or about 36 percent of overall new construction, in 2013.

The report, titled “Cash Is King: Assessing the Financial Performance of Green Buildings,” is part of the Lux Research Efficient Building Systems Intelligence service.

Hi Researchers use HIVE to test latest building methods.

Hi Researchers use HIVE to test latest building methods.

A new research facility in Wiltshire is set to 

advance the development of sustainable 

construction materials and systems.

Funded by EPSRC, the £1m HIVE facility will allow construction companies and researchers to conduct realistic, full-scale testing of their facade designs in open-air conditions.

HIVE, located at Bath University’s Building Research Park in Swindon, consists of eight cells that are insulated from one another, each with a single face left exposed to the external environment.

The cells themselves will let researchers analyse the environmental impact of construction materials including their energy efficiency, flood resilience, structural capability and internal air quality.

‘People are interested in looking at the latest iteration of their products and trying to compare them with previous iterations or with competitive products to see whether or not the performance is something to shout about,’ said Dr Mike Lawrence, director of the Building Research Park.

He cautioned, however, that related projects are beset with issues surrounding finding a suitable location to build, gaining planning permission and installing the infrastructure to carry projects out.

Dr Lawrence said: ‘[HIVE is] plug-and-play…we’ve already got the data loggers, all the infrastructure, weather stations, communications [etc.].

‘They can, on day one, start their programme, which saves between six months to a year of time.

‘At the other end when you’ve finished your programme, you often have to deconstruct your building and put everything back to where it started. Again, we’ve got processes where the whole thing can happen much more quickly and effectively.’

Sixteen platforms will be available alongside HIVE for researchers to construct pods of up to 125m³ enabling flexible testing of construction systems and performance.

‘We can whack [buildings] up very quickly because the foundations are already there and when the experiment’s finished take it down and put something else up straight away – all of the infrastructure is there,’ said Dr Lawrence.

Carbon footprint:

The construction industry is widely acknowledged as having a considerable carbon footprint, a situation that Dr Lawrence is keen to redress.

‘The construction industry is responsible for half of global emissions, that’s an enormous amount and big target to hit,’ he said. ‘Let’s try and hit it, let’s both improve its on-going performance but also…make a building with a lower carbon footprint actually embedded into it.

‘So instead of putting in lots of steel and concrete, let’s put in materials which have much lower environmental impact, or indeed where the energy input into building [a structure] is less than the energy stored within the fabric of that building if you convert it into carbon dioxide.’

 Inside the HIVE:

• a hygrothermal cell to evaluate movement of heat and moisture through buildings, energy efficiency, air tightness and acoustic efficiency;
• a double-height and width cell that can be used for flexible construction design, testing façades, internal walls and floors, together with a strong roof, allowing for load testing;
• a flood cell that can be used for testing the resistance of construction materials to high water levels or for testing technologies that resolve the effects of flood damage;
• a bladder cell that enables the testing of construction panels against horizontal loading such as wind load and geotechnical forces.

Hi LEED vs. Green Globes: A Comparison!.

Dec 9, 2013

Article Source: Lawrence (Larry) Clark, QCxP, GGP, LEED AP+ | Contracting Business.

Being a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Accredited Professional (LEED AP) for six years and a certified Green Globes Professional (GGP) for a year, I have noted first-hand both the similarities and the differences between the LEED and Green Globes systems. 

Both systems serve to drive green/high-performance-building design, construction, and operation. Both LEED and Green Globes rely on an independent third-party verification process although, as we’ll see, their approach is much different.

First, as one would expect, the primary focus of both systems is in the same basic areas. Both systems address factors such as the site characteristics, energy and water consumption, the use of resources/materials, and the indoor environmental quality (IEQ). LEED and Green Globes both offer 

different tracks for new construction and existing buildings. 

They both acknowledge the unique requirements of healthcare facilities and offer specific rating systems for them. Although LEED is the better known of the two, they’re both recognized and accepted by the General Services Administration (GSA) and other agencies of the Federal government, as well as many state and local jurisdictions.  

Both rating systems have been recently updated. The newest version of LEED (v4) was rolled-out at Greenbuild 2013 and features increased thresholds in energy, water, waste and IEQ; a new Location and Transportation credit; and a requirement for environmental product declarations and material ingredient reporting. 

Green Globes released its new NC (New Construction

) update earlier this year. It’s based on the ANSI/GBI Standard 01-2010: “Green Building Assessment Protocol for Commercial Buildings”, which meets the Guiding Principles mandated by Executive Order 13514. 

For those not familiar with the history of Green Globes, th

e first environmental certification system was created in the United Kingdom in 1990. Known as BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method), the Canadian version was adapted and launched in the U.S. by the non-profit Green Building Initiative (GBI) in 2005, becoming the first green building organization accredited as a standards developer by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). LEED, the better known of the two systems, was also based in large part on BREEAM.

Although there are similarities between the programs, the methodology between the two is somewhat different.  For example, both use online tools; however, Green Globes is interactive, while LEED requires data uploading and waiting for results. 

While both require a minimum number of points, LEED has mandatory prerequisites — that have no point value — while Green Globes does not. In fact, Green Globes allows non-applicable categories to be excluded from the total point count, so that buildings are not penalized for those categories that truly have no applicability, and the expensive “point chasing” sometimes associated with LEED projects becomes unnecessary.

Perhaps the most significant differences are the time and cost to complete 

a Green Globes certification, both of which can be substantially less than for LEED. 

The GBI estimates that its certification is typically completed in three-to-five months, at a cost of one-third to one-half of a comparable LEED certification.

My own experience has shown that, for the existing building projects that we’ve directly compared, the cost — including our fee — for Green Globes Continual Improvement of Existing Buildings (CIEB) averaged approximately 40% of the comparable cost for LEED 2009 for Existing Buildings (EBOM). 

For New Construction, the difference — including the commissioning requirements for Green Globes and both Fundamental and Enhanced Commissioning for LEED — was even more significant.

Interestingly, “From the Field News & Notes” (HPAC Engineering, Feb. 2013, p.12), cited the Turner Construction Company’s Green Building Market Barometer 2012, which found that the cost and time required were among the primary reasons for respondents not seeking LEED certification for their high performance buildings.

 

Possibly the most important advantage of Green Globes, based on my personal experience with LEED projects, is their on-site assessment process, where an independent assessor visits the site and meets with the owner and consultant to review the project. With LEED, the information is submitted and an anonymous review team, engaged by the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI), reviews the submission and provides comments. This can result in a serious lack of consistency and quality in the reviews provided by different teams. 

For example, there was an EBOM project involving several nearly identical commercial office buildings on an urban campus. The first two buildings, both of which were apparently reviewed by the same team, sailed through the LEED certification process with relatively few issues to be resolved.

The third building, however, was mired in negative comments that clearly showed a lack of understanding by the (obviously) different review team and resulted in the additional cost of appeals and a long delay in the schedule for the owner. Although the project was eventually certified, no one associated with the project was happy with the process. And having to provide allowances in the LEED consultants’ fees for appeals and interpretations only serves to inflate the total cost to the owner without adding any value to the process. It may also give the owner the perception that the consultant is not as competent as he or she ought to be, and generally reflect poorly on everyone — but particularly the LEED consultant — involved in the project.

This is not to say that LEED doesn’t have its advantages.  LEED is the most recognized and most implemented green building program in the world. 

It has arguably been the single-most influential advocate for sustainability in the built environment. And LEED has convinced many corporate leaders that green building isn't just for “tree huggers”, but is about social, environmental and economic benefits. It has also inspired tens of thousands of individuals — myself included — to share in that vision. 

Many large national and international enterprises have mandated LEED as the standard for their facilities and there is no question that a LEED-certified building has the potential, if operated properly, to outperform a non-certified building.

So let’s agree that, like everything else in our industry, there is no “one size fits all” solution. Each project should be evaluated based on its own goals and objectives, and the most beneficial outcome to the owner should be the deciding factor in selecting which green label to pursue…which, by the way, may not be just limited to LEED and Green Globes.   

Lawrence (Larry) Clark, CEA, GGP, LEED AP O+M, a member of HPAC Engineering’s Editorial Advisory Board, is principal of Sustainable Performance Solutions LLC, provider of energy audits, general energy-efficiency and sustainability consulting services, and metering and submetering solutions. He has more than a dozen published articles on HVAC- and energy-related topics to his credit and frequently lectures on central-energy-plant optimization, metering/submetering, and advanced ventilation.

Hi Scope; - "OSHA schedules meeting of the Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health."

Hi Scope; - "OSHA schedules meeting of the Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health."

WASHINGTON -- The Occupational Safety  & Health Administration will hold a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health May 7-8, 2014, in Washington, D.C. Work groups will meet May 7 and the full committee will meet May 8.

ACCSH(Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health),established under the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act and the Occupational & Safety and Health Act of 1970, advises the secretary of labor and assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health on construction standards and policy matters.

Click Here Or Image Above For Further Information On ACCSH.

The full committee agenda includes remarks from Dr. David Michaels, assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health, updates on rulemaking projects from OSHA's Directorate of Construction, discussion on the proposed rule on Beryllium: Alternatives for Construction and on updates to OSHA's standard on eye and face protection in construction and proposed amendments and corrections to OSHA's Cranes & Derrick standards. 

In addition, the committee will discuss items from the proposed Standards Improvement Project IV and a presentation on 29 CFR 1926, Subpart V, Power Transmission and Distribution.

Work groups and the full committee will meet in Room N-3437 A-C, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Ave., N.W., Washington, DC 20210.The following work groups will meet May 7: Health Hazards, Emerging Issues, and Prevention through Design from 10 a.m. - noon; Temporary Workers from 1-3 p.m.; and Training and Outreach from 3:15-5:15 p.m. 

The full committee meeting will be held from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m., May 8. All meetings are open to the public.

Comments and requests to speak may be submitted electronically at http://www.regulations.gov, the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. 

Click Here Or The Image Above To Access the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. 

Comments may also be submitted via mail or facsimile. 

See the Federal register notice for details by clicking the link here.

Comments and requests to speak must be submitted by April 18, 2014.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. 

OSHA's role is to ensure these conditions for America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. 

For more information, visit www.osha.gov.

Click Here Or Image Above For Further OSHA Information By Visiting OSHA Website.

Hi ASHRAE GreenGuide

Hi ASHRAE GreenGuide

The Design, Construction, And Operation Of Sustainable Buildings.

Click Link Here To View AMCA Homepage For Certified Axial & Centrifugal Hammam Industries & Co. Egypt Product Range & Product Catalogue Download For Fan Efficiency Grade (Green Seal Label) & Much More...,

Download &/Or View - "Complete Green Building Guidance from Planning to Operation."

The newly published fourth edition of the ASHRAE GreenGuide contains updated guidance that reflects how green building practices as well as the industry have changed since the first edition was published in 2004.

Over the past decade, the industry has witnessed the continued evolution of green building programs have evolved from voluntary to more in the industry mainstream or mandatory, according to ASHRAE.

ASHRAE GreenGuide: Design, Construction, and Operation of Sustainable Buildings, 4th Edition, uses an integrated, building systems perspective to provide need-to-know information on what to do, where to turn, what to suggest, and how to interact with other members of the design team.

The guide contains several changes that will impact green building design.

First is a complete revision of the indoor environmental quality (IEQ) chapter with much of the content based on the Indoor Air Quality Guide: Best Practices for Design, Construction and Commissioning.

Another change is a new chapter on sustainable sites.

As in previous editions, the book contains Green Tips, or which are sidebars containing information on techniques, processes, measures or systems. There are 44 Green Tips in this edition, including new ones on topics such as condensing boilers, rain gardens, green roofs and data centers. 

Click Link Here To Download &/Or View ASHRAE Greenguide. 

Whether you are an HVAC&R system designer, architect, building owner, building manager/operator, or contractor charged with designing a green building, ASHRAE GreenGuide aims to help you answer your biggest question:

"What do I do now?"

Using an integrated, building systems perspective, it gives you the need-to-know information on what to do, where to turn, what to suggest, and how to interact with other members of the design team in a productive way. Information is provided on each stage of the building process, from planning to operation and maintenance of a facility, with emphasis on teamwork and close coordination among interested parties.

This fourth edition of ASHRAE GreenGuide is an easy-to-use reference with information on almost any subject that should be considered in green-building design.

The Green Tips found throughout this edition highlight techniques, processes, measures, or special systems in a concise, often bulleted, format. Also, information is provided in dual units - Inch-Pound (I-P) and International System (SI) - so that the content is easily applicable worldwide. References and resources mentioned are listed at the end of each chapter for easy access.

Click Here To Visit Direct Link To ASHRAE Bookstore Homepage Guide For Purchase Of Standards & Much More..., 

Click Link Here To Visit ASHRAE Homepage Website.

A Hi Sustainable Approach & Green Routine

A Hi Sustainable Approach

With the latest Dubai Green Building Codes coming into effect for all residential and commercial construction in early 2014, the country is reaching a significant milestone in the Dubai Strategic Plan 2015 and its goal to become a city that follows the highest levels of sustainable development. 

Although many of you are no doubt already familiar with the impending regulations, I will briefly revisit what they are and who they will impact.

The regulations apply to:

1) All new buildings.

2)Additions, extensions and refurbishments of existing buildings that require a building permit from Dubai Municipality.

3) Existing buildings, where specified (for example, certain Mixed Use Buildings and when there is a change of use for a building).

The regulations are a welcome introduction and, contrary to perceptions that their implementation is overly-hasty with no structured process for educating stakeholders, the government is actually taking considered steps to inform the industry about the new requirements.

Dubai Municipality has made the regulations public and also issued guidelines on the certification of green building projects on its website. It is a good idea to familiarize yourself with the guidelines.

Click here or image above to visit DUBAI Municipality - Homepage

It is also a good idea to associate with organisations such as Dubai Chamber Sustainability Network click here to visit homepage. Its CSR Label is an excellent framework that helps companies to monitor, measure and improve their CSR and sustainability practices.

The key to the successful delivery of green projects, as per the new regulations, is to define roles and responsibilities – whether it is deciding who will look after new documentation procedures, sourcing of green-certified products, or agreeing how much of the regulation responsibility will be shared with your partners.

This is important in order to avoid making sudden changes to your business processes and for defining new roles when regulations come into effect.

Companies, building owners and designers can make small, internal changes to make adopting sustainable practices easier. For example, sourcing a list of green product suppliers is a good way for interior designers to ensure easier product selection. This simple practice greatly helps us at Summer town Interiors to ensure that key products we source are green-certified.

We have also created a ‘Green Library’ to provide reference material on sustainability. Mandatory regulation is just one of the many measures the UAE government is taking to support Dubai’s Expo 2020 bid, where sustainability plays a major role.

Hi Green Library Link : - Download the Dubai Chamber Sustainability Network employee volunteer guide book click here

Dubai Chamber Download Link - : "Center for responsible business", Dates to remember click here

If Dubai wins the bid, there will not only be a massive demand for construction, but a greater need for higher standards of sustainability, too. 

While the heavy hand of regulation will help accelerate green compliance, sustainability is, at its core, a voluntary code and we, as members of this industry and consultants to companies, play an important role in contributing to the triple bottom line.

Moving beyond the implementation phase, it is important to continuously assess the efficacy of the regulations so that they remain relevant and credible. The regulations themselves are a means not an end. They are a valuable tool, but become less valuable if their implementation results in an increase in projects that fail to meet the expected certification levels.

At the moment, the few projects in Dubai that are LEED-certified (click here) "to visit homepage for LEED U.S Green Building Council"  have achieved a higher level of certification (silver, gold and platinum). This is because the companies seeking accreditation are choosing to be so rather than this being a mandatory requirement.

Visit Dubai LEED Certification, Lead Certification, Asbestos, and BPI Certification Training :-  Click here to visit homepage.

Sustainability practices are already a fundamental part of these companies’ framework. Although a drop in standards is not ideal, the market has to start somewhere, so it is a situation we should celebrate, not bemoan.

A Hi Green Routine

The construction industry is often criticized for neglecting environmental issues in favor of profit.

While the industry as a whole is actively pursuing green building projects, the flip side is that not all companies who are accredited to Green Building Council membership, nor all LEED-accredited professionals, follow or encourage others to follow Eco-friendly practices in their day-to-day tasks.

If we do not collectively change our thinking and how we operate, critics of the sector’s overall environmental performance may be proved right.

With World Expo 2020 and the FIFA 2022 World Cup on the horizon, and as the GCC construction industry prepares for another construction extravaganza, there could not be a better time for all stakeholders to start seriously practicing sustainability in everything that they do.

One such issue is heavy usage of paper in the construction industry. It’s a fact that tonnes of paper and several thousand printer cartridges are being used by all stakeholders for communicating by means of circulating multiple hard copies of drawings, reports, submitting, schedules, manuals, purchase orders, invoices, delivery notes, time sheets, letters and faxes, without realizing the adverse effect we leave on the environment.

Due to this uncontrolled use of paper, paper mills produce tonnes of extra supplies. However, such paper production and usage takes a toll on the beautiful planet we live in. Paper is the third-largest industrial polluter of air, water and land, releasing well over 100 m kg of toxic pollutants each year.

Hi Sustainable Approach & Green Routine Links

GENERAL Links Section

BuildingGreen, LLC

This web-based company provides green building case studies and over 2,000 green building products organized by standard CSI divisions.

Environmental Construction + Design - Green Book

Environmental Construction + Design offers a print magazine and an online green product and resource guide.

Good To Be Green

This free directory of sustainable products and accredited green building professionals contains resources for both residential and commercial builders.

Greenguard Environmental Institute

Greenguard provides a guide to third-party, certified low-emitting interior products and building materials (registration required).

Green Seal Certified Products

Green Seal is an independent, nonprofit organization that identifies and promotes green products and services.

Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)

FSC provides independent auditing, certification and the promotion of certified forest products under the SmartWood name.

LEEDuser

This website provides step-by-step guidance to earning LEED credits while achieving the best possible environmental benefit. It is published by BuildingGreen and supported by the U.S. Green Building Council.

The NRDC Greening Advisor
NRDC's in-depth guide gives you the tools you need to bring your business into the green era.

Life Cycle Analysis Tools Links Section

International Design Center for the Environment

IDCE is a non-profit organization that promotes community sustainability and develops and disseminates tools for scientifically robust and efficient life cycle analysis of common materials.

LBLN High Performance Commercial Building Systems

The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory is developing a set of life cycle cost tools for improving commercial building performance.

Whole Building Design Guide - Life Cycle Tools

The Whole Building Design Guide, developed by the National Institute of Building Sciences, provides a variety of life cycle cost and assessment tools.

Federal Energy Management Program

Here is an additional resource for downloading software developed by the National Institute of Building Sciences Building Life-Cycle Cost programs.