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Contractors Line Up To Catch the Green Express
By Mark J. Shaw, Editor-in-Chief
Among the avalanche of issues faced by contractors today is the business of building green. While many firms across the country have readily embraced the technique, others are reluctant to invest more time and money in it because they argue that owners think it’s too expensive.
But does it really cost more to construct sustainable buildings than traditional ones, and if so, are the long-term benefits worth the extra expense?
That depends upon whom you ask. A recent study by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development estimates that up to a 16% premium is needed to build a sustainable building. However, a study published in July by Davis Langdon concludes that LEED-certified buildings don’t cost any more to build than non-LEED buildings.
Then there are other factors, such as cost savings over the life cycle of a green building. Energy savings, marketing benefits and value from increased worker productivity can be huge over time. As building owners and managers consider the greening of their buildings, they must find the means to construct environmentally conscious structures that still meet their business objectives.
In other words, they need to build not just green but “business green.”
In our cover story this issue, writer Mary Powers explores what it takes to do business green well. The most frequent advice she uncovered is, be prepared. Green building holds great opportunities but only for those who educate and train their employees to do it right. “Learn it, practice it, teach it,” says Vertegy’s Thomas Taylor.
Those who do it well can set themselves apart from other contractors and achieve a profitable market niche, especially since, as Powers reports, building green is expected to be a $60-billion industry by 2010. The green process, like BIM, also encourages early collaboration among project team members and enhances the professional credibility of contractors. “This is the first time in a long time that we have the opportunity to regain our title as master builder,” Taylor says.
After reading the story, please send us a letter telling us what you think of green building and why it does or doesn’t work for contractors. As the story title implies, it’s a “green express” out there. Get on board or get run over.
Also in this issue of Constructor, we learn about some really big projects, like the new towers being built by two financial juggernauts in Charlotte and how their growth is changing the face of that city. Reporter Debra Wood reveals how Wachovia and Bank of America are investing in mega mixed-use projects with cultural and entertainment packages that will bring millions of visitors to the revamped downtown area. Charlotte will also be home to the $100-million NASCAR Plaza, which contains the NASCAR Hall of Fame and a new hotel.
Writer Bruce Buckley describes the new tallest building in Philadelphia, the 57-story, 975-ft Comcast Center, which will tower over downtown. Tony Illia introduces us to the 7.5-million-sq-ft Palazzo, a new casino resort on the Las Vegas Strip that will be more than three times larger than the Empire State Building. When the $1.8-billion, 3,042-room hotel debuts in December, it will be Vegas’ largest hotel-casino complex until MGM Mirage’s $7.4-billion, 18.67-million-sq-ft CityCenter opens in November 2009.
In Vegas, it seems, bigger will always be better.
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