The Google Delays Green Building Project
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As the economy continues to stumble along, the effects on the green building industry are starting to emerge. Green Building Law Update previously predicted that LEED certification would find itself on the chopping block and specific examples were discussed. Now, via Jetson Green, an even more stark example has emerged:
Touted as the "greenest building of all time", Google (or The Google, if you prefer) intends to build a project that goes beyond LEED Platinum. But the down economy has even affected Google's green building project:
Dave Radcliffe, Google's vice president of real estate, said the project didn't make financial sense at the moment, even though the company reported unexpectedly high profits this quarter.
"We're focused on making the most efficient use of the space we have," he wrote, "and new construction at the site doesn't currently make the most economic sense."
Importantly, Google intends to build the project sometime in the future. Instead of eliminating the green building strategies, Google has simply put its green building project on hold. Google, it seems, recognizes the costs to build green will be repaid in the future:
"I don't think it's going to cost any more than it would to do a Class A style building for Google," Farrell said. "It's certainly going to cost less in the long run -- 10 to 20 years."
As we wrote last week, projects that do not incorporate green building strategies risk being outdated in the very near future as more projects incorporate such strategies. Google gets it, do you?
Related Links:
- Cutting Edge LEED on the Chopping Block? (GBLU)
- Projects Cut Out LEED Certification (GBLU)
- Google Puts Plans for Beyond LEED Platinum Offices on Hold (Jetson Green)
- Google's 'extraordinary' building (Mountain View Voice)
- Go Green or Die Not Trying (GBLU)
Looking into this project brought up some interesting questions regarding LEED certification. If individuals are exceeding platinum certification what criteria are they meeting? Do improvements beyond those required to obtain LEED platinum undermine the LEED certification process by showing that more can be done than is required to obtain the "highest" level of certification? Building on this does the ability to build to standards higher than LEED suggest that rather using a certification process that perhaps there should be a move towards requiring the use of the best applicable technology (BAT) or best practicable technology (BPT) used under schemes such as the CWA? I honestly don't know the right answer but see a potential slew of problems which can be raised when it is possible to build beyond the highest standards.
Rich,
Great questions. Two weeks ago, I attended the USGBC NCR's chapter meeting and one of the presentations related to the future of green building. The discussion centered around a process called "Cradle to Cradle" that goes beyond the LEED rating system. It appears the Google building uses similar green strategies.
More information is available here: http://www.mcdonough.com/cradle_to_cradle.htm
Thanks for the comments!
Chris
Another "Beyond LEED" system worth looking at is the Living Building Challenge put forth by the Cascadia Green Building Council.
http://www.cascadiagbc.org/lbc/lbc-v1.3.pdf
You'll find that the categories of performance are very similar to LEED, but the requirements much more stringent (prerequisites only, net zero water and energy consumption, etc.). Note that this is a pretty new concept, as well as being exeedingly challenging, so there are not yet any buildings that have been certified as Living Buildings.
Still, it is an extremely interesting take on approaching green buildings from a "sustainable" viewpoint rather than just "more green".
Also, we have had several clients who have decided to pursue various aspects of the LBC, so it is not really that far out there in terms of what people are willing to look at.
The cradle to cradle approach is very interesting especially in light of some of my thoughts regarding how green building could be regulated more like other environmental issues. I find the cradle to cradle approach very refreshing after studying environmental hazards and the cradle to grave approach.
Jason thanks for the information, I find the sustainable approach to be a very interesting one, especially as it seems to embrace the key principal of green which is environmental stewardship, no matter what its means of implementation.