Sustaining Sustainability:What Happens After Building Handover

Presented by:

Caecilia GotamaP.E., A.P., Principal

Gotama Building Engineers

“Sustainable development is development which meets the needs of the present

without compromising the ability offuture generations to meet

their own needs.”

- Gro Harlem Brundtland,World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987

LEEDTM or “Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design”

LEEDTM

is a green building rating system developed by the U.S. Green Building Council. It provides a set of standards relative to environmentally sustainable construction.

Four Levels of Certification:

The level of certification addresses six major areas:

• Sustainable Site

• Water Efficiency

• Energy and Atmosphere

• Materials and Resources

• Indoor Environmental Quality

• Innovation and Design Process

Why build a sustainable building? Why get a LEED

TM

rating?

• Some municipalities and states have a financial inducement

• Resource conservation, waste reduction, environmental protection

• Improved staff retention and productivity due tohealthier working environment

• Reduced risk and liability from occupantsdue to poor indoor air quality

• Marketplace recognition for sustainabilityperformance and corporate responsibility

• Reduced operation and maintenance costs

According to research firm FMI’s 2008 Construction Overview, an annual publication since 1977, “Construction industry stakeholders have embraced the green movement and sustainable design for its energy savings, worker productivity increases and positive public perception.”

“Sustainability is a journey,not a destination.” – George Lohnes

The first step is certification; what follows is an ongoing process to continue the sustainability efforts and to move them forward. A building’s occupants, its managers, its landlords, all need to developstrategies to attain their sustainability goals.

Owens Corning WHG

At Owens Corning WHG, which opened in 1996, energy costs have been reduced every year but one (except 2005 - when a new Data Center was installed). Energy costs went from $1M a year down to around $600K a year for a 400,000 sq. ft. facility. Says Dehne, “This kind of result could only have been achieved with a continuous effort to find and implement energy use improvements. During the year after certification, our engineers found other improvements thatresulted in another $100K reduction inenergy use.”

Have a good plan and follow through on it.

To date, there are no universal systems in place to document or monitor the ongoing sustainability of a LEED

TM

building project.It is necessary for such systems to be put in place during building handover by the design team in direct communication with the building occupants. This assures that the building concept iscommunicated accurately and that activities necessaryto continued sustainability can be executed, withnecessary modifications, over the life of asustainable building.

Creating a Sustainability Handbook

• Document proper replacement materials fromlight bulbs to paint, office paper to toilet paper,plants to furniture

• Document all maintenance procedures

• Develop a master calendar to linksustainability efforts to routine businessactivities

• Encourage accountability

• Develop feedback systems to harvestcomments and ideas organization-wide

Educate and Train Management and Staff

• Provide owner/landlord, occupant and maintenance personnel with appropriate information about sustainability and create awareness enthusiasm around it

• Management should employ ongoing in-person workshops, newsletters, emails, signage, and information kiosks to

reinforce its importance

Educate and Inform the Public, Customers and Peers

• Initiate public and customer education about sustainability – both in the project and in their lives

• Increase company and project goodwill

Embed sustainability intoday-to-day activities of employees

• Encourage personnel to explore sustainability in their livesoutside of work. Provide information promoting sustainabletravel: i.e. carpooling, bicycling, walking or use of public transportation.

• Promote reduction of travel when possible(video or telephone conferencing)

• Ask for suggestions from occupants and public for improving sustainability

Keep Sustainability Efforts Alive

• Set goals, identify opportunities and monitor achievements to improve sustainability

• Assure that new or replacement equipment and furnishings as well as any re-fitting are done in accordance with the original design intent

• Have quarterly reviews of energy use, water use and waste production/reduction

• Document levels, implement agreed-uponimprovement strategies, and discussother possible improvements to increasesustainability

Keep Sustainable Efforts Alive

• Review any changes that have occurred (staff changes, after hours use, etc)

• Review the impact of cleaning on energy use; encourage daytime cleaning and use of environmentally-sound cleaning products

• Have yearly reviews of energy, water, gas usageand waste generation/disposal

• Compare amounts with previous years

• Strategic planning for the upcoming period

Other Ideas

• Consider releasing an Annual Corporate Environmental Report (i.e. Owens Corning’s yearly Sustainability Report)

• Consider staging special events to promote sustainability: building tours, Earth Day and Energy Day events, community outreach, media involvement

• Use the original design team as a resource to maintain an ongoing sustainable process.

For more information:

United States Green Building Council http://www.usgbc.org/

University of Oregon Sustainability Leadership Program

http://sustain.uoregon.edu

International Facility Management Association Sustainable Energy Education & Communication (SEEC) Program

http://www.ifma.org

Please visit our website:http://www.gbengineers.com

Contact us at:Caecilia@gbengineers.com