Sustainable Design &

Green Building
A Primer for AEC Business Considerations

Authored by Jim Kissane

RedVector Enterprise Fellow

www.RedVectorEnterprise.com A RedVector Enterprise White Paper

 Overview
Today’s design professional cannot ignore the wave
that’s reshaping the world called sustainable design.
Design professionals today (architects, urban designers,
landscape architects, planners, hydrologists, economists,
attorneys, and others) work with community decision-
Inside this paper
makers and stakeholders around the world to help them Definitions of Sustainable Design . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
develop a vision and framework for a sustainable future. 9 Principals of Sustainable Design. . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Sustainable Design Standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
The objective of this paper is to provide an initial frame of Benefits and Costs of Sustainable Design. . . . . . 5
reference for “sustainable design” and introduce some of Strategy for Sustainable Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
the evolving standards being utilized in the green building Strategy for Sustainable Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
arena. Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

This paper is not intended to provide comprehensive

coverage of the topic of sustainable
design, but rather to serve as an
introduction to some of the basic
principles and concepts currently
under discussion

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About the Author
Jim Kissane is a respected consultant to design and construction
firms, a RedVector Enterprise Fellow, and a well-known AEC industry
author. His articles and columns appear regularly in numerous AEC
industry journals, providing insights to AEC firm leaders seeking
to refocus or improve operational performance. Mr. Kissane, who
represents the third generation of a family of heavy commercial
constructors with over 80 consecutive years in heavy construction, is
a regular session leader at design/engineering/construction conferences across the
U.S. He has served on several construction industry boards, is involved with several
industry education committees, and has been educating AEC professionals and
firms on construction best practices for more than 30 years. Mr. Kissane attended
the University of Pittsburgh, and pursued advanced education in Mining and Mineral
Engineering and Program Management. He is a former adjunct faculty member at the
University of Pittsburgh and at Clarion University’s School of Communications.

Understanding Sustainable Design and Green Building - A RedVector Enterprise White Paper Page 1
 Definitions of
Sustainable Design
Sustainable design is a philosophy of design and
development that meets the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet
their own needs. An original definition for sustainable
design was crafted in 1987: “A design and construction
approach that fundamentally changes the way that
structures are designed and built, creating spaces that are
better places to live and work, and by which a structure’s
resource use is minimized and lessening its impact on the
environment.” The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
defines “sustainability” as “the ability to achieve continuing
economic prosperity while protecting the natural systems of
G reen buildings are designed,
in essence, to reduce the
overall impact of the built
the planet and providing a high quality of life for its people.”
environment on human health
Both of these definitions set a framework for being and the natural environment . . . .
responsible stewards of the resources in the world we live
in.

A sustainable building, or green building, is an outcome of

a design that focuses on increasing
the efficiency of resource use —
energy, water, and materials — while
reducing building impacts on human
health and the environment during
the building’s lifecycle. Some of
the ways this can be accomplished
are through better siting,
design, construction, operation,
maintenance, and removal.

Green buildings are designed,

in essence, to reduce the overall
impact of the built environment
on human health and the natural
environment by efficiently using
energy, water, and other resources;
protecting occupant health;
improving employee productivity;
and reducing waste, pollution, and
environmental degradation.

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Sustainable Design
Rob Watson founded the Leadership in Energy
and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building
Rating System of the United States Green Building
Council (USGBC) in 1994, and was its founding
chairman through 2005. He was known not only as
“the father of LEED,” but was also CEO of EcoTech
International, a green building consultancy. One of
his predictions follows:
“In the next 20 years, floor space equivalent to the
world’s current building stock will be constructed,
70 percent of this in China and India. This boom
will strain energy, water and material resources and
cause costs to soar worldwide.”
“Design is the first signal of human intention,”
stated Bill McDonough, an author , architect,
and early pioneer in the arena of the sustainable
environment.
McDonough, the author of The Hannover Principles
of Sustainable Design, set out to address our
interdependence with nature and how we can
use design to better protect and improve our
environment. The guidelines he established aren’t
just meant for industrial designers, engineers,
architects and others with a hand in creation or
maintenance; they also include the responsibilities
that we have, along with those of our organizations,
suppliers, and customers, in preserving the earth
and its resources.
The nine principles McDonough espoused in The
Hannover Principles represent the “cornerstone
elements” of what today is known as the “green
movement.”
1. Insist on rights of humanity and nature to coexist in a
healthy, supportive, diverse and sustainable condition.
2. Recognize interdependence. The elements of human
design interact with and depend upon the natural
world, with broad and diverse implications at every
scale. Expand design considerations to recognizing
even distant effects.
Understanding Sustainable Design and Green Building - A RedVector Enterprise White Paper
9 Principals of
3. Respect relationships between spirit and matter.
Consider all aspects of human settlement including
community, dwelling, industry and trade in terms of
existing and evolving connections between spiritual
and material consciousness.
4. Accept responsibility for the consequences of design
decisions upon human well-being, the viability of
natural systems, and their right to coexist.
5. Create safe objects of long-term value. Do not burden
future generations with requirements for maintenance
of vigilant administration of potential danger due
to the careless creation of products, processes or
standards.
6. Eliminate the concept of waste. Evaluate and optimize
the full life-cycle of products and processes, to
approach the state of natural systems, in which there
is no waste.
7. Rely on natural energy flows. Human designs should,
like the living world, derive their creative forces from
perpetual solar income. Incorporate the energy
efficiently and safely for responsible use.
8. Understand the limitations of design. No human
creation lasts forever and design does not solve all
problems. Those who create and plan should practice
humility in the face of nature. Treat nature as a model
and mentor, not an inconvenience to be evaded or
controlled.
9. Seek constant improvement by the sharing
of knowledge. Encourage direct and open
communication between colleagues, patrons,
manufacturers and users to link long- term sustainable
considerations with ethical responsibility, and re-
establish the integral relationship between natural
processes and human activity.
Both the public and private sector are showing
increased interest in and willingness to commit to
observing social and economic sustainable design
standards, and therein lies the chance for more
sustainable development. The ultimate goal of
sustainable design is to create communities that
work as efficiently and elegantly as biological
systems, so that we can achieve and maintain, with
minimal capital, a high quality of life well into the
future. The results of this effort will be not just safer
drinking water, cleaner air, and healthier habitats,
Page 3
 Sustainable
Design Standards
but also a stronger economic base and – most adhered to so that they may strongly pursue the
importantly – a more empowered and engaged development of green buildings. Another purpose of
citizenry. the new standard is to regulate evaluation of green
buildings.
To accomplish this lofty goal (and out of necessity), • Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
several sustainable design standards have been (LEED) − The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)
created, among them: created LEED to become a national and international
standard providing reliable information, a rigorous
rating system, and a checklist for going green. In the
• Green Globes − An environmental assessment,
United States alone, buildings account for 39% of total
education and rating system that is promoted in
energy use and 72% of electricity consumption, 38%
the United States by the Green Building Initiative, a
of greenhouse gas emissions, 30% of raw materials
Portland, Oregon-based non-profit. Canada’s federal
use, 30% of waste output (136 million tons annually),
government has been using the Green Globes suite of
and 14% of potable water consumption. As such,
tools for several years under the Green Globes name,
buildings are one of the heaviest consumers of natural
and it has been the basis for the Building Owners and
resources, and thus, a logical area for sustainable
Managers Association of Canada’s Go Green Plus
design to have a significant impact.
program. The system, which is an online interactive
software tool, competes with the Leadership in Energy The dominant standard being followed today in the
and Environmental Design (LEED) system from the U.S. U.S. is LEED. There are several reasons for LEED’s
Green Building Council. momentum: It has proven successful for institutional
• BRE Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) and commercial buildings, it is becoming more
− A voluntary measurement rating for green buildings capital cost-effective with each successive release,
that was established in the UK by the Building and the benefits of adhering to LEED guidelines
Research Establishment (BRE), a private organization are being realized in reduced lifecycle costs.
funded by the building industry that carries out Additionally, the industry sees value in having the
research, consultancy and testing for the construction
enhanced credibility of an independent third party
and built environment sectors in the United Kingdom.
and an “outsourced” verification process.
• China’s “Three Star System” of the
Ministry of Construction’s Green
Building Evaluation Standard −
China’s first attempt to create a
local green building standard. As
the introduction of the rating system
notes, the purpose is to create a
voluntary rating system that will
encourage green development.
China is now in the phase of rapid
economic development, ranking
world No. 1 in terms of annual
building volume, with significantly
growing consumption of resources
year by year. China acknowledges that
scientific development philosophy
must be steadily created and seriously
implemented, and the concept of
sustainable development must be

Understanding Sustainable Design and Green Building - A RedVector Enterprise White Paper Page 4
 Benefits and Costs of
Sustainable Design
Unfortunately, there are still issues with the
embracing of sustainable design and LEED. It
begins with the fundamental understanding that
sustainable design is, in fact, a journey, not a
destination. There is an incomplete consensus about
the issue of sustainability. Translating social and
ecological demands into practice while taking into
account the legal and institutional frameworks on
the one hand and the profit orientation of business
and industry on the other represents a major
challenge to the sustainable design movement.
Appropriate forums and forms of participation in
the sustainability movement must be found; and
credibility built and transparency promoted.
The varied stakeholders in the global community are
all challenged to “retool” their knowledge and skills
to adapt to the future that awaits them. Not every
participant will see the sustainable design movement
as a blessing because it will require most players,
regardless of their current roles, to change. And
despite the increased societal awareness happening
around the world, there are still several challenges
that are likely to affect how quickly sustainable
design / LEED is embraced:
• Some owners may be reluctant to buy in. If the
owner’s desire is to decrease operational costs, then
the designer should first assure the owner that its
green design will achieve operational savings that
exceed the potential increased costs of the green
construction components. Unless the designer has
presented these costs and benefits to its client and
literally received the owner’s “buy in,” the designer’s
design philosophy may be at odds with the owner’s
stated need for low operational costs.
• Owners may not have correct expectations.
Building owners may demand a certain LEED level be
met, in the hopes that it will result in good marketing,
tax credits, higher rents, and lower operating costs. If
those standards are not achieved, some owners may
seek recompense from the designer.
• Building staff cooperation may be an issue. Building
staff, including subcontractors, must be aware of how
Understanding Sustainable Design and Green Building - A RedVector Enterprise White Paper
to operate the green facility effectively and in accord
with the designers’ / manufacturers’ expectations.
• Vendor management. It is important to ensure that
vendors and suppliers are on the same wavelength
(regarding waste management, cleaning services,
etc.). Being green implies pollution prevention,
waste minimization, recycling, and avoiding harm to
the natural system. It goes far beyond using green
cleaning products or materials.
• Tenant compliance. Despite the compliance of
the design and structure, it is essential that tenants
are encouraged to adopt and maintain sound,
comprehensive environmental management practices.
• Energy Perspective. As mentioned earlier, buildings
are responsible for approximately 72% of electrical
consumption in the U.S., and about half that power is
generated from coal. This situation puts those of us in
the building design and construction industry right in
the middle of climate issues. In case you were thinking
there was an easy way out by simply building green
with the LEED standard, think again. While LEED is
a good place to start, basic LEED Certification for
buildings does not automatically guarantee superior
energy efficiency (and associated carbon-emission
reductions). LEED represents a composite green
building “score” summing several criteria, including
energy, materials, indoor building environment, water
conservation, etc.− all of which are desirable. But
less than half the score of a typical LEED building
specifically assesses its energy performance. Only at
the higher reaches of the LEED rating system, e.g.,
Gold and Platinum, can one reliably expect substantial
energy efficiency and renewable energy measures.
• Impact of a changing economy. Green buildings
command higher rents and sales prices, are more
efficient and less costly to operate, provide healthier
work environments, and appeal to growing numbers
of tenants demanding green space and willing to
pay a premium for it. To property owners singing
the blues because they are struggling to pay for
operations and debt service, the thought of spending
for green programs may seem farfetched. But owners
with the vision to plant green seeds today may be
able to reap rewards relatively quickly without undue
financial strain.
Page 5
 Strategy for
Sustainable Design
• “Players” lack of familiarity with LEED. If we are
somewhat unfamiliar with the performance of a new
material, then we are probably even less familiar with
that material’s interaction with adjacent components.
This lack of familiarity should not be disregarded
simply because the manufacturer assures us the
material is appropriate for LEED-certified buildings.
The additional risk inherent in using innovative
products demands a higher degree of rigor on the
part of development teams in evaluating those
products.
• Lack of clear understanding/belief in “harder to

I t begins with the fundamental

quantify” owner/end-user benefits. While it is well
accepted that benefits of green buildings range
from energy and water savings to increased worker understanding that sustainable
productivity, overall environmental sustainability and
conscientious use of local resources, there are other, design is, in fact, a journey, not a
more difficult to quantify benefits (for example, in an
educational setting, better teacher retention, reduced
destination.
absenteeism and improved test scores).
• Cost and time associated to gain approval. Building
codes frequently present barriers to the approval
of green building alternatives. Those barriers are
both technical and non-technical in nature. Both
groups of respondents overwhelmingly indicated that
supporting information for alternatives
accompanying plans was the most
significant factor in gaining code
approval.
• Perceived higher first costs. Over
a building’s lifetime, the benefits
of green building outweigh slightly
higher average initial (first) costs.
Failure to perform lifecycle cost
analysis can result in owners /
designers discarding green building
strategies because of resultant “first
costs,” which if performed could
result in a savings on maintenance and
operating costs over the long run.

Understanding Sustainable Design and Green Building - A RedVector Enterprise White Paper Page 6

Sustainable Design
Firms and individuals that want to become part of
the sustainable environment movement can enter in
either an active or passive role. But no matter what
posture they choose to take, there will be significant
learning that will need to occur.
• Become aware of the changes involved. As the call
for more sustainable design, in particular in the field of
architecture, becomes louder, more and more diverse
experts are added to the design teams for building
projects. The resulting “integrated design teams”
are comprised of diverse professionals who must
collaborate to meet an entirely new set of standards
with novel criteria for success and progress.
• Setting the right expectations for green building
is essential. There is great value in using the LEED
scorecard in setting expectations and assessing
expectation risk with owners, contractors, and other
stakeholders.
• Focus on benefits of green building. Several good
resources exist to educate stakeholders on the
benefits of green building. Green buildings provide
financial benefits that conventional buildings do not.
These benefits include energy and water savings,
reduced waste, improved indoor environmental
quality, greater employee comfort/productivity,
reduced employee health costs, and lower operations
and maintenance costs. Stakeholders of all types
need to become better educated on the significant
long-term benefits. Citing findings from a 2008
report from Turner Construction , 84% of executives
said that energy costs were lower in green buildings,
and 68% said overall operating costs were lower.
Green buildings create an attractive cost/benefit ratio
according to most executives, and are considered
to be less expensive than non-green buildings for
several key cost measures. Fully 52% note a higher
return on investment, 49% higher occupancy rates,
46% increased worker productivity, and 41% improved
learning in schools.
• Think long-term investment. Green building
ensures owners − who may be concerned about their
investment − long-term affordability in the form of
lower utility bills, fewer maintenance costs, and a
healthier environment.
Understanding Sustainable Design and Green Building - A RedVector Enterprise White Paper
Strategy for
• Look at lifecycle costing instead of first cost.
Recognize that offsetting a higher first cost (of 1-4%
at present) are things like increased durability. Costs
are often recouped in less than 3 years in terms of
lower utility costs and lower maintenance costs.
Other factors that are sometimes overlooked include
the impact of reduced absenteeism and increased
productivity; increased building valuation; health,
comfort and well-being of occupants; building safety
and security; decreased insurance rates; lower air
emissions; reduced solid waste generation; and
decreased use of natural resources.
• Adapting to changes in scheduling of subs,
supplies, materials, etc. is a necessity as new
green methods and materials may affect choice
of contractors and the sequence of construction /
installation.
• Involve all stakeholders. Design firms (as well
as owners/GCs/subs) need to explain and above
all, educate. A green building strategy may not
make sense unless you have support from well-
informed senior design firm decision-makers. If firm
ownership agrees that a program such as LEED is
to be undertaken, LEED should be started during
conceptual design. The project chosen for the initial
green project should be significant and should include
within its scope systems and finishes.
• Be prepared for documentation. While one can
recognize the significant benefits encouraging owners
to construct green buildings, the biggest obstacle
to reaching these benefits that was cited in a recent
industry report was the cost of LEED documentation
− with 54% of executives noting it is an “extremely” or
“very significant” obstacle.
• Keep up to date on how LEED continues to evolve.
LEED will now be revised every 2 years, with more
significant changes expected in 2011. Among these
expectations is that the 2011 LEED version will
change much of the credit content. Additionally, it is
anticipated that these credits will be weighed against
social and cultural indicators that are just being
developed.
Page 7

Whether or not you are completely convinced
that human activity is causing global warming,
sustainable design is here to stay. There is no
reason for designers to shy away from such valuable
projects as long there is a good understanding of
the basics.
Sustainable, or green, design and construction
seems to have now reached a critical mass.
Governments have signed on, especially for public
and commercial buildings. Tax credits are available in
many states, and even financiers are getting into the
mix. According to USBanker magazine, “Banks like
PNC Financial Services and Bank of America are at
the forefront of the green-building craze.”
In Europe, the European Union has issued a directive
to require new homes to have energy performance
certificates. The U.S., with widely recognized green-
building standards such as LEED V3 (2009) being
utilized, is moving ahead as well.
The direction is being set, not just by a set of avant-
garde thinkers who wish to make a statement about
saving the planet, but by a much larger contingent
of people globally that have determined that our
future quality of life depends upon it. And it’s not
just designers involved. There are, as I have tried
to point out in this brief summary, both significant
risks and benefits for owners, architects, engineers,
contractors, and manufacturers as the pioneers
create a path through this new frontier. Like the
pioneers that discovered the New World, there will
be mistakes made and casualties incurred.
We can expect that emerging technologies and
methods will be created, and some will fail to
perform as expected. Likewise, we should also
expect that greenwash marketing (that is, marketing
that exaggerates the impact of green building)
will occur ahead of performance testing, and non-
believers will attempt to dissuade others from going
down this path by pointing to these false claims.
Understanding Sustainable Design and Green Building - A RedVector Enterprise White Paper
Conclusion
Those firms and individuals that lack the knowledge
and ability to address green building correctly may
discover that the feedback system for their missteps
will involve lawsuits and expensive financial claims.
But despite these concerns, the sustainable design
engine will continue to refine itself, with the promise
of transforming our world into a much different
place.
LEED 2009, which we will discuss in our next paper,
is seen as a significant movement for the USGBC
because it offers a much-needed transitional step
between the former LEED system and the one that
is expected to emerge in 2011. It is an important
step that will enable our industry to move closer to
the sustainable environment goal. However, with
LEED 2009 and the future enhancements to follow,
the emphasis will be placed on change, and LEED
professionals will have a significant and evolving
requirement to upgrade their knowledge and skills
to keep pace with the moving target the industry
has set before them.
There is much new happening in the design and
construction industry. Clearly, the future will belong
to those designers and builders that catch the
sustainable design wave and invest in acquiring the
knowledge and skills to insert themselves into this
exciting new era of design and construction. The
question is, “Are you positioned to take advantage
of the next era?”
Citations
i
Brundtland Commisssion, (1987), WORLD COMMISSION ON ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOP-
MENT
ii
Braungart, Michael; & McDonough, William (2002). Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make
Things. North Point Press. ISBN 0-86547-587-3.
iii
Braungart, Michael; & McDonough, William (2003). The Hannover Principles. William McDonough &
Partner. ISBN 1-55963-63501 .
iv
Wiliams, Daniel, FAIA (2005)“A Sustainable Approach to Neighborhood and Regional Development.”
Livability 101, AIA,
v
Edmonson, Amy PhD, Professor, Harvard Business School and Barrett, Frank J, PhD, Visiting Scholar,
Harvard Business School, Workshop on sustainable design
vi
Kats, Gregory, H, (2003) Green Building Costs and Financial Benefits
vii
Turner Construction Company’s 2008 Green Building Market Barometer
viii
ibid
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