June 2, 1999

The 'green standard' -- it's an evolving thing

By CLAIR ENLOW
Journal A/E editor

What makes a project "green"?

If you think you can tell, consider this: You can build a "green" office building out in the middle of the woods, using recycled and non-toxic materials. But it's not "sustainable" because it contributes to sprawl.

"Everything is so interwoven," said Dave Miller of Miller Hull. "You can have a great recycled glass -- but maybe it is produced in Japan." Transportation costs mean it won't fly as a green material.

There are many experts on green and sustainable design but standards are hard to find.

Last month over 60 architects packed the back room at AIA Seattle to hear a panel discussion about the subject and choose several projects to hold up as good green examples.

Energy efficiency, appropriate siting, indoor air quality are all part of their screen for green. But the six panelists especially liked projects that set new standards for environmental friendliness.

Applying the green screen wasn't easy.

"Every project had something that could include or exclude it," said panelist Dorothy Payton, administrator for Portland's Architecture + Energy awards program.

The panel also included professor Michael Jones of Texas Tech University; Lucia Athens of Seattle Public Utilities; Christopher Stafford of the Northwest EcoBuilding Guild; Terrie Thompson of Rowley Enterprises; and energy consultant Mark Frankel.

Based on their comments, they liked Sleeping Lady, a retreat and conference center designed by Jones & Jones; Bainbridge City Hall, designed by Miller Hull; Lakeside Middle School by NBBJ; Cafe Flora by GGLO; New Holly HOPE VI by Weinstein Copeland; University of Portland Interactive Lab by Soderstrom Architects; the EPA Executive Suite by Steig Design Associates; and residences by Candace Gossen, Robert Harrison and Kathleen O'Brien.

But their all-around favorite, the North Cascades Environmental Research Facility by Henry Klein Partnership, is unbuilt. It seemed significant to some panelists that the project with the most winning combination of green features is still on the boards.

"There are always compromises that are made, and some of them are just heartbreaking" said Frankel. "With some of them, basically the whole green thing evaporated."

The stakes are high. Buildings account for 40 percent of the world's energy use, half of ozone-depleting CFC's still in use, and a third of raw materials consumed --not to mention generating 40 percent of municipal solid waste.

Not every architect has an eco-savvy, visionary client. But most architects know this environmental stuff, right?

Not necessarily. No one raised a hand when asked if there were any experts in the audience.

Most just wanted to know what makes a project green.

Seattle city officials will help set environmental standards by encouraging more examples of green design. The city just joined the U.S. Green Building Council, and now subscribes to the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) system of standards developed by the USGBC.

Under LEED, credits are given for erosion control, infill development, minimizing habitat disturbance, site preservation and restoration, alternative transportation facilities and location near public transportation. Bonus credits are given for brownfields redevelopment.

Last month, the city also established its "Green Building Team " to set standards and practices for city projects -- a timely move considering the upcoming justice center, City Hall, and library projects.

Architects can sell environmental measures to clients just as the city sells them to the public: Think long-term investment.

"It's not fair to assume that a project that is sustainable is going to cost more. We have so much more data now about workers' productivity, owners' liability -- not only for the design community but for the people that own and operate the buildings," said Lucia Athens, sustainable design and construction specialist with Seattle Public Utilities, who moderated the AIA Seattle panel.

Construction costs are still only two percent of the total lifecycle cost of a building -- if you count operations, maintenance and personnel. Green building measures are investments that gain value for owners, according to Athens.

According to a fact sheet Athens gives out, the returns are immediate and long-term:

oBy applying a combination of climate-sensitive design and technology, heating and cooling costs can be lowered by as much as 60 percent, and lighting energy requirements can be cut by 50 percent.

oA typical 100,000-square-foot office building can yield annual savings of $4,393 by installing high-efficiency appliances and fixtures, and reduce water consumption by 30 percent.

oDiverting construction materials away from landfills and recycling demolition waste can yield big savings. Builders of the Portland Trailblazers' Rose Garden arena saved $186,000 through waste diversion and recycling.

For the city, green goals extend all the way from indoor air quality to preserving public infrastructure --and even slowing global climate change.

"We've come a long way," said Athens, who headed a green building program in Austin, Texas, before joinging the city of Seattle last fall. "It's a fluid part of the discussion. It really wasn't 10 years ago. There is broad literacy as to what this is about."

The city's Green Team now includes Fulton Gale, recently picked by Mayor Paul Schell as the director of architecture and engineering in the executive services department. In private practice, Gale has designed self-contained biosystems in aquariums and advocated sustainable architecture through the AIA.

Dave Miller's firm has been applying sustainable design standards to projects for over a decade.

"Most clients are interested, even when you have to bring this up." However, "It quite quickly comes down to money."

"You can do this and not raise the budget significantly," said Miller. "But you have to start early -- with siting."

Green design is the sum of many little decisions based on broad experience as well as manufacturer's data, Miller said.

"It should not be held out on a pedestal as something that is separate and apart. This is just a process of good design."