FEBRUARY 2008

Going Green: The Second in a Series of Articles about Green and Sustainable Sites

By Tom Kapusta, AIA

The intent of this column is that over the next few months, we will explore and explain the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED-Commercial Interiors  certification criteria with readers of this newsletter.  This month, we will focus on the topic of sustainable sites.

Many of us in the facilities profession are involved with the expansion, remodeling, relocation, or construction of commercial interior spaces.  As we take on the management responsibilities of those projects, it is important to be aware of the impact that a construction project has on land use, energy use, natural resources and the ecosystems that are affected by our decisions.  If we are concerned about the global environmental aspects of the built community, we should look to occupy those buildings that are either LEED certified or have addressed design elements critical to LEED certification criteria. 

When faced with an interior build-out project in an existing building, it is wise to work with an architect or other LEED accredited professional who is familiar with the criteria for LEED-CI and LEED-Core & Shell projects.  The following is a menu of items pertaining to LEED-CI Sustainable Sites.  Your professional will be investigating these on your behalf as you look for available buildings.

The LEED-CI criteria for sustainable sites is organized in three categories as follows:

1. Site Selection:  While a sure way to know that you are selecting a good building for your new commercial space is to see that it is already LEED certified, it is also true that many good buildings exist that did not go through the certification process.  Consequently, a part of your building review criteria should focus on existing LEED criteria, verified by a LEED accredited professional.  Locate your tenant space in a building that has in place some of the following characteristics:
1. A building developed on a Brownfield Redevelopment site or a site classified as a Brownfield by a local, state or federal government agency.  Effective remediation of site contamination must have been completed.
2. A building that minimizes imperviousness of it’s site coverage and/or has implemented a stormwater management plan that reduced surface water discharge through a variety of measures including perviousness of the site, stormwater retention ponds, capture of rainwater for reuse, or other measures.
3. A building with a stormwater management treatment system that limits disruption of natural water flows by eliminating stormwater runoff, increasing on-site infiltration and eliminating contaminants such as Suspended Solids and Phosphorous.  The site may incorporate treatment systems such as constructed wetlands, vegetated filter strips, and bio-swales to treat the site’s stormwater.
4. A building with pavement that is provided with shade or uses light colored materials with high levels of solar reflectance, to reduce the Heat Island Effect caused by radiation of stored heat.  Other techniques include the use of open grid pavements less than 50% impervious, underground parking or covered parking. 
5. A building with roofing having a Solar Reflectance Index greater than or equal to 78 for low sloped roofs, and 29 for steep sloped roofs, over 2:12 pitch.  Other roofing solutions that reduce the Heat Island Effect include vegetated roofs.
6. A building that eliminates light trespass from the building and site, improving the night sky visibility and reducing the impact on nocturnal environments.  Common techniques include the use of light fixtures that avoid off-site lighting, minimize or eliminate façade and landscape lighting, cutoff excess light spillage, minimize up-lighting, and use controls to turn off lighting after normal operating hours.
7. A building that limits the use of potable water for landscape irrigation, by employing high-efficiency irrigation technology or using captured rain or recycled site water to reduce potable water consumption for irrigation by 50% over conventional means.  Landscaping with indigenous plants and the use of stormwater or graywater collection systems help offset potable water use for irrigation.
8. A building that eliminates the use of potable water for landscape irrigation, and uses only captured rain or recycled site water for site irrigation or does not have permanent landscaping irrigation systems. 
9. A building that reduces the use of municipally provided potable water for building sewage conveyance by a minimum of 50%, or treats 100% of wastewater on-site.  Techniques may include the specification of high-efficiency fixtures and dry fixtures such as composting toilets and waterless urinals to reduce wastewater volumes. 
10. A building that meets the 20% reduction in water use requirement for the entire building and has an on-going plan to require future occupants to comply.  The building engineering professionals need to certify that the project uses 20% less water than the baseline fixture performance requirements of the Energy Policy Act of 1992.
11. A building that supplies at least 5% of the building’s total energy use through the use of on-site renewable energy systems such as solar, wind, geothermal, low-impact hydro, and biomass strategies. 
12. A building that has in place at the time of review, other quantifiable environmental performance characteristics for which the requirements may be found in other LEED Rating Systems.  The building should be able to provide the LEED for Commercial Interiors Submittal Template, signed by the architect, interior designer, building owner, engineer or other responsible party, declaring compliance with each claimed requirement based on the applicable standards as defined in applicable LEED Green Building Rating Systems.
2. Development Density and Community Connectivity: The intent of this criteria category is to channel development into urban areas with existing infrastructure, protect undeveloped greenfields, and preserve habitat and natural resources.  Technique for compliance includes the selection of a building that is located in an established, walkable community, or is located within ½ mile of a residential zone, and has pedestrian access to at least 10 of the basic services within ½ mile such as a bank, place  of worship, grocery, day care, cleaners, fire station, hair care provider, hardware store, laundry, library, medical/dental office, senior care facility, park, pharmacy, post office, restaurant, school, supermarket, commercial office, community center, and other recognized services evaluated on their merit.  Greenfield developments and projects that do not use existing infrastructure are not eligible. 
3. Alternative Transportation:  Based on statistics quoted by the U.S. Green Building Council, travel to and from work makes up nearly 30% of the vehicles miles traveled in personal vehicles, and the average length and duration of these commuting trips has steadily increased over the past few decades.  The roadways and parking lots used by automobiles dissects open expanses that wildlife relies on for migration and foraging, and the exhaust from automobiles pollutes the air and contributes to acid rain.  Reducing private automobile use saves energy and reduces associated environmental problems.  Fortunately, a surprisingly large number of people are willing to use alternative means of transportation such as bicycles, mass transit and car-pools if they are convenient and facilities are provided to encourage their use.  In northern Illinois in particular, by restricting the size of parking lots and promoting car-pooling activities, building occupants can benefit from increased green space.  While this concept does present a change in lifestyle for the participants, costs are minimized by reduced parking lot construction, reduced surface water runoff distribution, reduced fuel consumption, and reduced street traffic.

1. Public transportation access is acceptable if the building is located within ½ mile of a commuter rail, light rail or subway station; or ¼ mile of two or more public or campus bus lines usable by tenant occupants.
2. Alternative transportation is acceptable if secure bicycle storage is provided with convenient changing / shower facilities within 200 yards of the building, for 5% or more of tenant occupants.  If the building doesn’t already provide these amenities, the tenant should consider adding them as part of the tenant fit-out.
3. Parking availability reductions are encouraged to in turn, encourage building users to use alternative transportation.  The goal is to select a building with minimized car parking capacity, and to sign a lease with limited parking inclusions.  This is quite a different way to view a lease negotiation, especially in the northern Illinois region!  Several options exist and should be evaluated by the prospective tenant and their architect or LEED accredited professional.  It is suggested, among other things,  that parking spaces provided to the tenant should not exceed the minimum number required by local zoning regulations and priority parking will be provided for car-pools or van-pools, or no parking will be provided at all for tenant occupants. 

 

While these criteria for a sustainable site might seem to be outside the responsibilities of a prospective tenant, it is the tenant who drives the development of buildings that are green.  As the tenant or buyer market strives to have a LEED certify-able project, placing demands such as these on the available buildings of northern Illinois will eventually result in the greening of our region.  Good luck with your search for new space as you strive to “Go Green”!