Sustainable Land Development Today - February 2009 - (Page 19)

smaller scale. This groundbreaking facility is a major catalyst in generating new sales. Additionally, Solae’s new facility embraces sustainable design features such as high efficiency water saving fixtures such as dual flush toilets, which reduces the need for municipal water. With the urban location of the project, access to alternative transportation means reduction in the use of motor vehicles by employees, suppliers and visitors, which cuts automobile pollution and produces a measurable reduction in CO2 emissions, and smog, while conserving natural resources. The campus also consists of a soybean garden in the courtyard and a tobacco-free campus environment. Other green building features include: I Improved indoor air quality to provide a healthy and safe work environment I Use of Low emitting paints, carpets, adhesives and sealants I Covered parking facilities to reduce heat island effect I Native adaptive vegetative landscaping to reduce irrigation water use I Exterior sunshade to reduce solar impact within the building and reduce cooling energy use I Window views in 90 percent of the rooms to maximize day lighting I Energy efficient electrical and HVAC systems. Furthermore, the design-build team took measures during the physical construction of the building to lessen the environmental footprint. Using regional construction materials from within 500 miles and limiting the total amount of generated construction waste, the team significantly reduced waste in area landfills and also reduced waste-hauling transportation impact. Regionally sourced materials also provide an economic benefit to the area. LEEDing the Way to Greener Pastures There are common misconceptions about the construction of new buildings and green upgrades. The perception is that it costs more money to build green is simply not true. The bottom line is experienced professionals can offer LEED certified projects that run only ½ percent to 4 percent higher than traditional buildings. The short-term costs essentially require an investment in appropriate systems, materials and administrative duties involved in LEED certification. However, the long-term financial benefits far outweigh the initial premium costs. Many of the green upgrades available today improve business operation efficiency and demonstrate higher performance and lower energy bills. According to the New Buildings Institute’s study, “Energy Performance of LEED® for New Construction Buildings,” on average, LEED buildings are delivering anticipated savings and 2530 percent better energy use than the national average. LEED buildings also deliver paybacks in just a few short years: I Energy efficient HVAC – five year payback I Daylight harvesting – three year payback I Water use reduction – 10 to 15 year payback More importantly, sustainable opportunities available to owners today offer human capital paybacks that can’t be calculated in dollars. According to the Commercial Buildings Initiative, in the U.S., buildings account for approximately 40 percent of total energy consumption and 40 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. Through a variety of green initiatives – Energy Star, LEED among others—contractors can reduce this impact for the future. According to the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), every business day, $464 million worth of construction registers with LEED. There are LEED projects in all 50 states and 69 countries and over 1,700 commercial LEED Certified projects and over 13,000 commercial LEED Registered projects. The USGBC’s LEED Green Building Rating System Portfolio offers a benchmark for environmental operation, occupant health and financial return of high performance buildings. Careful collaboration between the design, construction, and ownership teams must occur to achieve each LEED credit and to identify potential credits. By leveraging the creature comforts of a sustainable building, owners can better attract employees who share their same core values. Displaying such quality-oflife benefits to potential employees during recruiting sets the stage for owners to create a dynamic environment dedicated to success. For instance, in the life sciences industry, highlighting the investment in sustainability by the company encourages a similar intellectual investment by researchers. Improvements in environmental, economic, and occupant-oriented performance and employee-health advantages can be seen in green buildings. For instance, higher insurance premiums are often associated with traditional buildings due to the harmful indoor air employees constantly breathe. The increase in health problems as a result of the lower air quality also takes a toll on employee productivity and absenteeism. Green buildings seek to address these issues and improve employee health, by utilizing such products as low-emission finishing materials and by incorporating more natural lighting. Solae’s $43 million facility combines sustainable features and the impressiveness of a corporate headquarters with a high-tech lab space, and a new campus that its employees, community and shareholders can be proud of. By understanding a company and its core values, a contractor can successfully capture the essence of an organization and bring it to functional reality. This headquarters and its methods for design and construction send a message that sustainable construction with its costeffectiveness, energy-efficiency, and attractive design are the new standard for the bio-tech industry. SLDT About the authors: Michael Reed is a Vice President at Solae, headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, a company that was formed through an alliance between Bunge Limited (NYSE: BG) and DuPont (NYSE: DD). For more information, visit www.solae.com. Paul Todd Merrill, PE, LEED AP, leads the sustainable construction efforts at Clayco, a design/build contractor based in St. Louis. For more information, visit www.claycorp.com. www.SLDTonline.com 19 http://www.solae.com http://www.claycorp.com http://www.SLDTonline.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Sustainable Land Development Today - February 2009

Sustainable Land Development Today - February 2009 Contents Our Voice Modern Flood Disasters Origin of the Sustainability Movement SLDI in Focus Calendar Build Smart Product Innovation Takeoff and Cost Management Industry News Products & Services Advertiser Index Editorial Board SLDT Resources Last Word

Sustainable Land Development Today - February 2009

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