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Critics or sceptics of green building design often state
"we can't afford to design a 'green' building". Listed
below are some industry reports and findings on
'building green' that suggest otherwise.
The Property Council of Australia recently stated in Property
Australia (Vol 18, 11, August 2004) that
"sustainability, productivity and performance were the new mantra
for interior design".
Canadian Architect (July 2004) emphasised the need to cost intangibles
(including churn) which may total 80% of enterprise value and that
a "3.7% productivity gain can pay for all facility costs over a 30
year period".
A Californian State Government report, "The Costs and Financial
Benefits of Green Building" has demonstrated conclusively that
sustainable building is a cost-effective investment.
Its findings provide encouragement to "build green". An
upfront investment of about 2% of construction costs
typically yields life cycle savings of over 10 times
the initial investment.
The report stated the financial benefits of green buildings
include:
lower energy costs;
lower water disposal costs;
lower water cost;
lower environmental and emissions cost;
lower operations and maintenance costs and
savings from increased productivity and health.
Cetec recently assisted a design team in justifying a large cost
differential between conventional and displacement ventilation.
This was done on the basis of occupant productivity gains
interpolated from overseas data, Cetec's experiences and
client labour costings.
There is an emerging
realisation that future proofing by building green makes financial
and social sense. In general, the earlier the
consideration of ESD, the more
options can be considered for achieving the best planning and
business outcome for new or refurbished property projects.
Cetec, through our Facility
Ecology approach, can examine your project concepts for
environmental, OH&S and productivity performance so you have the
financial justification for your business decisions.
Contact Dr Vyt Garnys or Dr
Robert Schiller in the Melbourne office or Phil Limberg in the
Sydney office. |
