Comments on: Build2Sustain- Renovation Realities

By: Most Tweeted Articles by Construction Experts

Most Tweeted Articles by Construction Experts — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 14:09:25 +0000

[...] on Integrated Practice, integrated practice, integrated project deliver… 2 Tweets Build2Sustain- Renovation Realities | Construction Law Musings- Richmond, VA A Guest Post Friday post by Sara Sweeney of EcoVision, LLC. Sara discusses sustainable building [...]

By: Timothy R. Hughes

Timothy R. Hughes — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 19:45:50 +0000

It feels like to me that the real meat of this discussion is centering around transit oriented development in the future and avoiding sprawl ... .-= Timothy R. Hughes´s last blog post ..Cowboys Practice Facility Collapse: NIST Finds Serious Design Flaws =-.

By: Christopher G. Hill

Christopher G. Hill — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 17:37:44 +0000

Great thoughts Nick. I appreciate your checking in.

By: Nick Pacella

Nick Pacella — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 16:54:20 +0000

I think that sustainability is definitely place based. What are sustainable goals in an urban environment are quite different from those in agricultural areas. In the urban/suburban centers, as Tim notes, it is about planning and locating transportation facilities to serve that population. As much as NYC is maligned, the subway system makes getting around simple. Much of the planning discussions now center on creating smaller urban centers, with all the amenities, within the larger urban environment. And I agree with Sara, we have to keep jobs in mind when we talk about sustainability. It would be fair to ask a large segment of the population to put their lives on hold until the new green sector jobs came on line to replace the one they lost in manufacturing or mining.

By: Christopher G. Hill

Christopher G. Hill — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 18:52:12 +0000

thanks for all the great conversation everyone, good points all

By: build2sustain (James Bedell)

build2sustain (James Bedell) — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 11:34:21 +0000

Twitter Comment

Fantastic Post by @sarasweeney concerning the cost of green renovation [link to post]

- Posted using Chat Catcher

By: Tim Hughes

Tim Hughes — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 10:59:46 +0000

Good consultants help their clients understand and plan their projects with realistic budgets and expectations. It is really clear Sara that your handle on the topic and also helping to shape expectations serves your clients and their projects well!! .-= Tim Hughes´s last blog post ..An Aggressive Bidding Environment ... the Perfect Storm for Claims =-.

By: Christopher G. Hill

Christopher G. Hill — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 00:28:37 +0000

Good thoughts all Sara and Tim. Thanks.

By: Sara Sweeney

Sara Sweeney — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 23:00:34 +0000

Thanks for you comment Tim! The better path is to indeed focus on ROI. However, even that path can come up short. What needs to be addressed -and what I do not feel has been addressed adequately yet, is project budgets and Owner commitment. For example, far too often I see RFP’s come in requesting LEED and/or other energy efficient attributes/technology. Then you read what the budget is, and based on the SF of the project, you realize that the overall budget for the building -and let’s say it is a mixed use development of retail and office space, as well as meeting space, is something like $150.00 a SF. Well, right there you realize the budget is off base absed on the LEED certification level listed in the RFP, and the Owner likely has little understanding of the integrated design process, or LEED. Does this $150.00 a SF account for certification fees, project registration, commissioning, building envelope upgrades and more? Unfortunately, usually the answer is no.

I also see far too many studies advocating that green costs no more. When you download the study and read it, you find it was a 100 million dollar, 300,000 SF project -or, about $330.00 a SF. Well, you can do a lot with that kind of budget. And it’s not the budget most construction projects have.

Sometimes I feel like I harp on this subject quite a bit. But I also feel it is irresponsible for the design and construction professions to claim that it costs no more to build green than it does to build conventionally. It is different in ways, and we must understand the differences so that when a project is in the early gestation period, these differences can be budgeted for properly. Then the ROI will really make sense.

By: Christopher G. Hill

Christopher G. Hill — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 19:39:26 +0000

Thanks for all the great comments!