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You Don't Have to Spend a Pile of Dough to Develop Green
The 69,000-square-foot PGAL headquarters office building in Houston is seeking LEED Gold certification. It features site reforestation, low-water landscaping, daylighting, high-performance glass, recaptured concrete and other recycled content. |
Everyone wants to design, develop and build responsibly, but at what cost? Greening a project is often associated with a substantial price tag and developers, who must focus on the bottom line, often choose to forego LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) design and build conventionally. PGAL, a Houston-based architectural and engineering design firm, set out to determine if a conventional design and construction approach could be utilized while still seeking a level of LEED certification, without increasing the budget. PGAL used its own new headquarters building, Briarpark Green, in Houston as a working laboratory and designed the new building to LEED Gold standard.
"Green design should be the basis for building design going forward," said Jeff Gerber, AIA, CEO and president of PGAL. "But it should be easily achieved and affordable. Our building will be functional and flexible and incorporate all of the traditional approaches. We will achieve LEED Gold due to our energy-efficient design, site work, materials and finishes selection and application of basic green principles."
The three-story, 69,000-square-foot building will be completed in the second quarter of 2009. Projected to be within budget, the office building doesn't sport photovoltaic panels, rooftop gardens, raised access flooring or external water storage cisterns, which add appreciably to the cost of a project. Rather, Briarpark Green looks like a traditional office building with exterior cladding composed of composite metal panels and variegated sandstone masonry units with hand chiseled accents and brick. The three-story entry is flanked by a series of brushed stainless columns and an entrance canopy.
The building is designed to surpass energy efficiency code requirements and will realize 21 percent increased performance in relation to energy and operational savings, noted Gerber. High-performance glass, wall and roof assemblies and recycled content materials are additional green elements that increase the eco-friendly design without compromising the overall budget.
The site orientation will take advantage of northern exposure. Reforestation of the site will reduce heat island effect. Landscaping using indigenous, low-water plantings and creative daylighting for the building all add to the sustainable features of the project. Concrete recaptured from previous development on the site will be used in the aggregate mix and reused on the site. PGAL even commissioned a study at the University of Houston to determine the percentage of flyash component usable in the concrete mix. Flyash, a by-product of coal production, is usually earmarked for the landfill.
The architect explained that even projects where clients don't embrace green design or wish to pursue certification, can be made more environmentally friendly and reap the return on investment through selection of efficient MEP systems, high recycled content materials and use of daylighting to lower operating costs and create a less destructive footprint.
The LEED Rating System is extremely flexible and highly adaptable to many different building types and applications. There is no "one formula" to follow in designing a green building - that is why the program is so effective. Gerber said that the firm's building can serve as a model to provide on-site education to clients entertaining the idea of greening up a project. "We're excited to open our new headquarters and disprove the stigma of LEED certification negatively affecting the project budget," he concluded.
For more information
PGAL: www.pgal.com
How to Develop Projects in an Uncertain Market: Stay Flexible with a Mix of Uses
As the residential condo market cools off, developers with projects in the pipeline are looking to become more flexible -- revising their blueprints to transform the condo towers into mixed-use buildings by substantially reducing the number of residences and incorporating more hotel rooms, stores and offices.
According to Michael Cannon, managing director of the Miami office of Integra Realty Resources, a property valuation and counseling firm with more than 55 offices coast to coast in the U.S., if the developer has the expertise and the zoning is there, he or she is going for alternative uses. "In fact, some developers in urban areas who had phased development, which was a mix of uses including office, hotel and residential condos, are dropping the residential portion and going for more offices because office is more in demand. Governments, however, will have to be more flexible to allow for these types of uses."
Cannon cautioned that the condo developer who does not have the development expertise in other uses such as hotel, office or retail should bring in that expertise rather than trying to do it himself. "Developers who know that they cannot do everything themselves and do not let their egos get in the way will bring in outside expertise. If I am an expert in office development and you are an expert in hotels, let's get together and do the project."
For more information
Integra Realty Resources: www.irr.com
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Offshoot of High Energy Prices May Be More Transit-Oriented Development
One consequence of dramatically higher energy costs may be the creation of more "transit villages" that will help take the automobile out of the equation of the daily commute.
A recent example was the groundbreaking of an innovative public/private transit-oriented development, Avalon Walnut Creek at Contra Costa Centre, Contra Costa County, California. AvalonBay Communities, Inc., Millennium Partners, the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) and the County of Contra Costa are jointly investing $400 million in this residential/mixed-use transit village, which is adjacent to BART's Pleasant Hill station.
Contra Costa County Supervisor Susan Bonilla said: "The transit village will show that providing adequate public infrastructure and services that keep pace with growth is the best way to increase density within transit-rich locations. By creating a public/private partnership and engaging the local community, Contra Costa Centre and the BART Transit Village are providing over 2,800 residential units and employment for 6,500 people; and the Pleasant Hill BART station is serving 6,500 BART customers daily."
Transit time from Pleasant Hill to San Francisco is approximately 35 minutes, so residents can enjoy an affordable, quick and convenient commute without the need for private vehicles. Use of public transit reduces each community member's carbon footprint, and helps to maintain the environment of the entire Bay area.
When completed, Avalon Walnut Creek Transit Village will include 422 residential apartments, 85 of which will be affordable units, 20 percent of the total. High-quality and multi-functional, Avalon Walnut Creek will also include 100 condominium units, 35,000 square feet of retail, a civic use area, 19,400 square feet dedicated to a business conference center and 270,000 square feet of office space.
By Ron Derven, contributing editor, Development magazine
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