November/December 2009
Greenbuild 2009 Observations
C O N T E N T S
Homes: Greening the MLS, By Glen Girard, USGBC CO Communications Chair
Project Highlight: Housing Resources Office Building Achieves LEED Certification- First Existing Building to Achieve Certification in Grand Junction, By Elaine Matthews, Ryan, Sawyer & Associates
REGREEN: Workshop October 28-29, taught by Annette Stelmack and Pete Yost
Membership: Recap of Our 2010 Annual Membership Event, By Barb Josey, USGBC CO Membership Chair
Colorado Building Green is the official newsletter of the U.S. Green Building Council – Colorado Chapter, and is published bi-monthly. If you are interested in submiting a story, ideas or other information for publication, please contact the editor at sarah@usgbccolorado.org
Greenbuild 2009 Observations: Phoenix Show That Even Deserts Can Be Green
By Stan Wagner, M.E. Group
The Greenbuild International Conference and Expo has evolved from an expo with a limited display of specialized products and services to a major, multi-national event. This year’s conference and expo was held in Phoenix, Arizona, a burgeoning metropolis of green building awareness and activity. In addition to a downtown with multiple LEED certified buildings, those attending the event were treated to the Valley’s new light rail system and Phoenix’s LEED Silver convention center.
Even in the current economic climate, Greenbuild hosted over 28,000 attendees, as well as 1,800 exhibitors. Greenbuild 2009 was an exciting week of learning about new and innovative products, services and approaches to sustainable, green building. While the conference and expo covered a wide range of topics, the following emerged as highlights from the conference and exp.
Existing Buildings. Developers and owners are adjusting to the credit squeeze by investing in their existing building portfolio. Through LEED EBOM, their goal is to reduce energy costs and improve the occupant experience – and thereby encouraging current tenants to renew their lease while attracting new tenants with higher lease rates. Dubbed the “green lease,” the Owner/Tenant relationship is being redefined through advances in technology and improved O&M practices.
To improve the operations of existing buildings, organizations are utilizing retro-commissioning services to evaluate, recommend and implement energy conservation measures and improved operational practices. With the inclusion of sophisticated measurement and verification tools, retro-commissioning isn’t just a one-time process but it allows for the continuous optimization of building performance.
Finally, building life cycle evaluations are considering how to decommission a building…and with that, designers are looking at what goes into a building’s construction that will inevitably have to be addressed through recycling or disposal.
Energy. The sustainable community hasn’t forgotten the high energy prices in 2008, and building designers are responding with innovative building systems and energy plans.
Communities are increasingly interested in net-zero ready buildings – buildings that are designed to accommodate changes in energy sources to allow for the most economical short and long-term operation, while allowing for the future addition of renewable energy sources such as solar, geo-exchange or geothermal to augment or replace current building systems. With renewable energy, the building can achieve net-zero during its lifetime.
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