The Move to a Green and Sustainable Building

Most building owners and managers now have a pretty good understanding of what a “green” building is. It typically refers to a facility that has been constructed and is being maintained with products and materials that have a reduced impact on the environment when compared to comparable materials used for the same purpose. However, things get a bit sticky when we say a building is sustainable. Aren’t green and sustainable the same things? In a way yes and in a way no.

In most cases, a green facility is also a more sustainable facility. And it would be difficult to consider a facility if it did not incorporate green cleaning and operating strategies.

However, a sustainable building takes this a step further. While there are different definitions, a working definition of a sustainable building is one that provides optimal comfort for building users while at the same time leaving the smallest possible environmental impact. The building should also be economically feasible to design, construct, and maintain. For a new building being planned, this would mean the following:

  • Constructing the facility using renewable and recycled materials where possible
  • Designing the facility to take advantage of natural light and reduce heating and air-conditioning needs
  • Building systems that help the facility use energy and water more efficiently
  • A facility that puts considerable emphasis on protecting indoor air quality and results in a healthier work or learning environment for building users.

For an existing building to be a sustainable building there is a great deal of emphasis on the use of green certified cleaning solutions and equipment, to help protect the indoor environment, as well as reducing waste, recycling, and further emphasis on using water and energy more efficiently. Not only does this help reduce a facility’s environmental foot print, is offers several financial benefits for building owners and managers as well.

For instance, invariably a green and sustainable building proves more economical to operate, this is one reason why some real estate professionals refer to a green and sustainable building as a “semi-specialized” type of facility, essentially a step above comparable but none-green and sustainable buildings. As to marketability when looking for new tenants, real estate professionals also indicate these semi-specialized facilities have some key selling points such as a healthier environment, more natural light, better indoor air quality, and few if any toxic building materials.

This is why building owners and managers can typically charge high rents while at the same time attracting more tenants and higher quality tenants that remain in the facility longer. What this all means for owners and managers is that a green and sustainable building has their own “specialized” triple bottom line: economic, environmental, and social benefits.

Some Sustainable Building History

As to ways to make a facility more sustainable, we can use as an example implementing a green cleaning program.

In Montreal, there is a rather famous building, the Aldred Building. An art deco building built in 1931 and designed to resemble the Empire State Building in New York, it still is today considered beautiful and very functional. It was also designed and built like most all larger office facilities of the day. That is, it is totally enclosed building with relatively small windows, so there is little natural light. The facility is also very dependent on fluorescent lighting and reflective glass for internal lighting. And at least when it was built, it had an enormous but very inefficient HVAC system.

This type of construction was how most buildings were designed the 1970s. While there were some exceptions, such as facilities built with more glass allowing for more natural light, invariably this was for architectural and style reasons and not to help reduce the facility’s environmental impact. In fact, these buildings tended to be most costly to operate because they put greater demands on the facility’s HVAC system.

Why things changed, and changed rather abruptly, was the energy crisis of the 1970s. It resulted in the economies of major industrial countries of the world such as the United States and Canada, both of which were heavily affected and faced substantial petroleum shortages as well as elevated prices. It also helped spur the development of the green and sustainable movement, which has grown to even higher levels in the 21st century.

Steps in Making a Green and Sustainable Building

As to ways to make a facility a green and sustainable building, we can use as an example the steps I take with my clients when implementing a green cleaning program. While this applies to cleaning, it can also apply to many other factors such as waste, water, and energy reduction. There are essentially three steps:

Analysis. The goal of this step is to analyze and document how the facility is being cleaned and maintained now . Along with establishing a benchmark, we have a better understanding of what cleaning solutions and equipment are now being used as well as the overall cleaning needs of the facility. This step also includes analyzing the processes and procedures the custodial workers use to clean the facility. Environmentally preferable products are designed to reduce cleaning’s impact on the environment, but if not used properly and the correct cleaning practices are not in place, those benefits can be reduced if not eliminated.

Development. Now that we have a good overall picture of how the facility is being cleaned along with tools and equipment used, we have to develop a green cleaning strategy that will work with the facility. Do the custodial workers need training on state-of-the-art cleaning methods? What cleaning solutions and equipment can be replaced now with green alternatives and which may need to be worked into the program over time. Do building owners, managers, as well as tenants understand why a green cleaning program is being implemented? These and many other issues need to be addressed.

Implementation. As the name implies, at this point we start implementing the strategy. Training has begun, green certified products and equipment have been selected and are now in use in the facility. Part of implementation is also feedback. Since this is a process, we must always check how the program is being perceived and accepted by building owners, managers, tenants, as well as cleaning workers.

The Future of Sustainability

Without question, more facilities will be built and operated in a green and sustainable way in the coming years. Many are seeking LEED certification, to help ensure they are viewed as a “specialized facility,” as mentioned earlier. But even if a sustainable building is not seeking certification, most facilities today in North America are using the LEED standards and criteria as their building and operating guide and this is not only likely to continue but accelerate in coming years.