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: 

Google Puts Plans for Beyond LEED Platinum Offices On Hold

 

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As we wrote last week, projects that do not incorporate green building strategies risk being outdated in the very near future as more projects incorporate such strategies.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: