This guide focuses on achieving improved performance through management practices and limited new capital expenditure or interruption to occupants.

Using This GuideFollowing is a checklist of technologies and approaches that can be employed in a building to improve environmental performance. The list is not exhaustive and many of the items will not be appropriate in all circumstances.

This guide should be used in conjunction with the Developing Green guide, which provides additional technologies and approaches suited to the refurbishment of buildings. It will also be worth reviewing the Occupying Green guide, for tenant improvement opportunities.

Use the checklist to identify opportunities and create a building improvement plan for your building.

ManaGInG GreenImproving existing building performance through management

ManageMent Audits – audit the bills, practices and fittings of

energy, water and waste systems to benchmark future improvements and identify specific improvement projects. Good consultants will be capable of identifying many opportunities with the likes of boilers, chillers, air-handling systems and controls.

Targets – Set against current performance and industry benchmarks.

Management Guidelines – Develop to support efficient management of sustainability practices in the building.

Building Users’ Guide – Produce to enable occupants to understand how to best operate the building from their perspective.

Building Management Control System – Upgrade the computer BMCS to operate building systems more efficiently and provide performance data.

‘Smart Metering’ – Install energy and water meters to provide real-time data of the energy and water usage of specific systems, such as the elevators, air-conditioning, etc. This can be supplied live to the BMCS for monitoring. Water meters can enable leak detection.

Re-Commissioning – ensure building systems are currently working to the level of performance intended.

Building Users’ Survey – Survey occupants to understand how the building is performing for them, particularly with regard to Indoor environmental Quality (IeQ).

energy – Heating, Ventilation and air-Conditioning (HVaC)

HVAC Upgrades – Identify high-performance options for installation at time of upgrade.

Variable Speed Drives – added to pumps and fans, these adjust speeds to accommodate required flow rather than continually operating at a high rate.

‘Economy Cycle’ – When outside air is a suitable temperature and humidity, it can be circulated through the building without chilling or heating. This greater amount of fresh outdoor air has a well-being benefit for occupants.

Waste Air-Conditioning – avoid air-conditioning during unoccupied hours and in spaces that don’t require it, such as ancillary spaces. Consider a slightly higher temperature set point.

Air-Conditioning Zones – reduce zone sizes so that less space is air-conditioned when occupancy is less than full.

Carbon Dioxide Sensors – Install to detect current levels of air quality (CO2 is a key indicator) and determine how much extra fresh air is required.

Heat Loss/Gain – Insulate and use high-performance glazing and shading to avoid loss or gain during heating or cooling phases, respectively.

Infiltration – Draught-proof to stop cool or warm air entering during heating or cooling phases, respectively.

Duct Insulation – ensure sufficient insulation.

Smart Elevator Controls – To optimize efficiency, e.g. destination controls.

energy – ligHting Office Lighting – Use T5 Triphosphur fluorescent

lamps with high-frequency ballasts (less flicker) in high-efficiency fittings. avoid incandescent bulbs and low voltage downlights (unless new high-efficiency models) and explore LeD as the costs reduce over time. aim for less than 1.5 Watts per meter 2 per 100 lux (SI unit of illumiance and luminous emittance).

Controls – Install timers to turn lights off, occupancy sensors to turn on lights without the use of light switches and daylight sensors to enable dimming of perimeter lighting when natural light levels are good

Zoning – Use small zones (ie 1,000 SF) to minimize the number of lights turned on when one person enters a dark office.

Task Lighting – Use lower ambient light levels combined with task lighting at workstations.

‘De-lamp’ – Where light levels are high, remove a proportion of fluorescent tubes.

Lighting Levels – reduce to minimum safety levels in places such as fire stairs and parking garages.

energy – otHer Tenancy Meters – Install for separate tenancies

to help tenants manage consumption.

Power Factor Correction – Install to improve efficiency of electrical devices.

‘Green Power’ – Purchase power produced by renewable means (e.g. wind or solar). ‘Green Power’ should complement, and not be a substitute for, good energy efficiency.

OPPOrTUnITIeS FOr BUILDInG ManaGeMenT

ManaGInG Green | OPPOrTUnITIeS

Water

Leak Reporting Procedure – For building occupiers, cleaners, security, etc.

High Efficiency Fittings and Fixtures – replace the likes of taps and showerheads. Install flow restrictors on existing taps.

Toilets – Upgrade to efficient dual flush models, e.g. 6/4.1L flushes, 6 liters for solids, 4.1 liters for liquids.

Waterless Urinals – Install those that use a chemical or oil trap and do not have a water supply pipe. These typically save 15,000 liters of water per year per urinal (Investa Property Group). Otherwise, convert existing units with ‘waterless urinal’ microbial tablets, prepare waste pipes accordingly and disconnect the water supply

Fire Sprinklers – Collect test water in holding tanks and reuse.

Rainwater – Collect on roofs for use in toilets and irrigation.

Greywater (waste water without feces) – Collect, process and re-use for toilet flushing or irrigation.

Blackwater (waste water with feces) – Collect, process and re-use for toilet flushing or irrigation.

Stormwater – Minimize discharge from site by using retention tanks, and maximizing permeable landscaping surfaces and ability of the site to absorb.

Plants – Use species that require little water, drip irrigate below the ground surface and use soil moisture sensors.

Waste Operational Recycling – Install facilities to collect

and store recyclable materials, such as metal, glass, plastic, paper, cardboard and even organic waste. These might be separated or the dry materials might be ‘co-mingled’ depending on the requirements of available removal services.

Fluorescent Tubes – recycle as they contain mercury, which is toxic to humans.

Tenant Improvement Waste Management Guide – Provide to tenants when they are doing improvements.

Pollution Refrigerants – Use non-ozone-depleting

substances. replace chillers that use substances such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)

Smokers – Provide places for people to smoke away from building air intakes, entrances and circulation areas.

transPort Bicycles – Provide storage and changing facilities.

Materials Tenant Improvements – see Tenant

Improvement checklist in Occupying Green guide. This includes finishes.

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) – avoid these air-polluting emissions from some materials, such as composite timber products (e.g. MDF and particle board), carpet and underlay, adhesives, paints and furniture upholstery.

Timber – Use Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified timber. This is a global and highly regarded standard for sustainable timber and timber products. Otherwise, use plantation or recycled timbers. Do not use rainforest timbers or timbers that may be supplied through the black market.

PVC – avoid due to toxicity in production and other lifecycle impacts. Substitute pipes, cables, etc. with other more benign plastics, such as HDPe (High-density polyethylene)

Recycled Content and Recyclability – Choose materials with a high recycled content and/or that can easily be recycled after use. This helps ‘Close the Loop’ on materials. Otherwise, choose those that are biodegradable and so return to the ecosystem. Design for disassembly, meaning that materials can easily be separated for reuse or recycling at the end of their current use. This often means mechanical rather than chemical fixings.

Flexibility – Design for flexibility to enable the building to adapt to different uses over time with minimal refurbishment.

Maintenance – Use materials that require minimal maintenance over their life cycle.

Construction waste – Design and document to minimize wastage in construction, e.g. use standard product sizes.

Cleaning Products – Use biodegradable, non-toxic products with no phenolic compounds or petroleum solvents.

Colliers International also produces a Green Guide for Developers and Occupiers. Please contact a Colliers Professional to learn more or go to www.colliersmn.com.

ManaGInG Green | OPPOrTUnITIeS

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