Way back on August 13, GBLU’s inaugural post focused on the impending green building litigation and factors that would cause the litigation. One of the factors that was described focused on parties’ financial expectations: “Parties undertaking green building projects for purely financial reasons will expect to make a profit.” In order to make a profit … Continue Reading
On September 15, I had the opportunity to serve as a judge for the Associated General Contractors of DC’s Washington Contractor Awards for green buildings. Tabbed the “2008 Anti-Boring Event of the Year,” contractors from across the D.C. metro area will gather on October 7 to honor this year’s award recipients. I reviewed and voted … Continue Reading
Last week, we discussed the Virginia General Assembly’s attempts to pass green building legislation in 2008. Virginia Governor Tim Kaine was also forced to weigh in on his preferred green building rating system in 2008. Previously, in 2007, Governor Kaine indicated his preference for the LEED rating system in Executive Order 48: “All agencies and … Continue Reading
Back in August, GBLU discussed protracted disputes between the Washington D.C. Government and the Washington Nationals owners over the construction of the Nationals’ new stadium. The dispute centers on when the LEED certified stadium was substantially complete. To date the Lerner family, the team owners, have withheld payment of $3.5 million as a result of … Continue Reading
You may remember that in previous posts, GBLU warned that September was going to be a big month for green building regulations in Washington D.C. It was anticipated that the D.C. City Council would vote on new green building codes on September 16 but the codes were tabled to allow for more feedback from affected parties. But … Continue Reading
While GBLU has written extensively about green building bonds, a reader recently pointed out that green building insurance should not be overlooked. When you talk about green building insurance programs, you have to start with Fireman’s Fund. Back in October 2006, Fireman’s Fund had the foresight to launch three products for commercial green buildings, … Continue Reading
If you are in green building and worried about associated risks, this may be a post you do not want to read. On September 11, the Journal Record published an illuminating, but chilling, article regarding green building litigation. The opening sentence really says it all: As LEED projects proliferate, lawyers foresee an era of green-construction … Continue Reading
On Monday, we discussed the possibility of a federal green building mandate being voted on this week on Capitol Hill and what that green building mandate might look like. Yesterday, GBLU received a great tip regarding previous federal green building legislation that passed in the House of Representatives but not in the Senate. In 2007, … Continue Reading
One factor that has significantly increased demand for green building is government regulation that requires green building strategies. So far, GBLU has focused green building initiatives at the city level. While there has been some federal green building legislation, GBLU anticipated major federal green building legislation would emerge from Congress in 2009. It now looks like federal … Continue Reading
Over the Labor Day weekend, I had the pleasure of returning to my alma mater and attending the Orange Bowl Champion University of Kansas Jayhawks’ opening game of the college football season. While I was in Kansas, I remembered one of the more memorable recent green building developments: after being decimated by a powerful tornado, … Continue Reading
In 2007, my firm, Watt Tieder Hoffar & Fitzgerald, was retained to work on what potentially could have been the largest construction case in history: litigation arising from Hurricane Katrina flooding and the New Orleans levee structure. While we never went to trial, as part of our preparations for the case, I found myself in New Orleans … Continue Reading
