Environmental Design + Construction - February 2009 - (Page 8)

NOTE EDITOR’S How much has the economic downturn impacted your business? A little. We are OK for now but have fewer projects in the pipeline. 37% Quite a bit. We have cut staff and are desperately seeking more work. 38% Sink or Swim? Times are tough. The construction industry is set for its biggest decline in nearly 30 years according to the latest forecasts of construction output from the Construction Products Association. Although many of our readers are getting hit, many are riding the wave of green design. Jim Nicolow, AIA, LEED AP, principal and director of sustainable development at Lord, Aeck & Sargent (LAS) says that things are going well for his firm. LAS is even hiring despite the layoffs that many other companies are facing. “So far we’ve dodged the proverbial bullet, though the constant drum beat of layoffs and poor economic indicators certainly gives us pause. We have remained busy because most of our institutional and public sector projects that were previously funded have continued on. We sense that ‘the ocean liner’ is starting to turn around, and we hope state and federal stimuli arrive like tugs to push the ship back on course,“ says Jim. Though previous projects are still in the pipeline for many, it’s not all good news. A poll on www.EDCmag.com reported a mix of feelings on how the economic downturn has affected business (see the results in the graph, top right). Although results are varied, green design may offer potential benefits in the current economic climate. Hopefully, greater attention will be placed on green design for its energy- and money-saving possibilities. Green building consultant Jerry Yudelson has published his “Top Ten” list of green building trends for 2009, and he, too, forecasts that green building will continue to grow in spite of the global credit crisis and the ongoing economic recession in most countries. “What we’re seeing is that more people are going green each year, and there is nothing on the horizon that will stop this trend,” explains Yudelson, principal, Yudelson Associates. Yudelson’s top trends include: 1 Green building will continue to grow more than 60 A lot. We may be closing our doors soon. 11% Not at all. We’ve still got a backlog of work. 15% percent in 2009, on a cumulative basis. “We’ve seen cumulative growth in new LEED projects over 60 percent per year since 2006, in fact 80 percent in 2008, and there’s no sign that the green wave has crested,” he said. 2 Green building will benefit from the new Obama presidency, with a strong focus on green jobs in energy efficiency, new green technologies and renewable energy. This trend will last for at least the next four years. 3 The focus of green building will begin to switch from new buildings to greening existing buildings. “The fastest growing LEED rating system in 2008 was the LEED for Existing Buildings program, and I expect this trend to continue in 2009,” said Yudelson. Heery International, an architecture, engineering, and construction management firm, has been helping clients with energy efficiency since the late 80s and is still going strong. The firm is continuing to evaluate ways to reduce its footprint and create incentives for employees to take the LEED AP exam. According to Heery’s president Bill Heitz, “While the recession presents some clear challenges, it is not causing us to modify our sustainability initiative. Similarly, most of our clients understand that focusing on sustainability in the design and operations of their buildings can reduce their facility’s life-cycle costs. As a result, we’re not seeing a reversal of their commitments to green building, although we are aware of some owners who are foregoing the formal LEED certification process, preferring to allocate those application funds elsewhere.” So much hinges on the new administration. I’m hopeful for the days ahead. Keep your head above water and let me know what strategies you recommend for others to stay afloat. Michelle 2401 W. 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Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Environmental Design + Construction - February 2009

Environmental Design + Construction - February 2009 Contents WebTOC Editor's Note Newsline New + Notable Diamonds in the Rough Alternate Alternatives Case Study: Energy Goes to School Product Focus Marketplace + Classifieds Advertiser's Index Parting Shot

Environmental Design + Construction - February 2009

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