Steve Teitelbaum practices real estate with Jones Day in their Washington DC office. Steve speaks frequently on real estate topics, particularly leasing, and has become a leading lecturer on "green" leases. Since we have not covered green leases much on this blog, I thought Steve would make for a great interview. Enjoy! Chris: What is … Continue Reading
When I give green building presentations, I make it a point to explain that the LEED rating system does not certify products. I’m not going to be making that statement anymore. Two weeks ago, the US Green Building Council announced the launch of LEED Pilot Credit 43: Certified Products (PDF). As you might have guessed … Continue Reading
I have already written about the short-term opportunities for contractors that focus on rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure. But long-term opportunities will also arise in infrastructure construction as a result of flooding along our coastal areas. The Wall Street Journal recently highlighted two reasons why coastal cities prone to flooding, like New York City, are making … Continue Reading
This is a cross post from my new legal blog, Construction Claims Playbook (www.constructionclaimsplaybook.com). I hate traffic. Some of the happiest months of my life occurred when I did not own a car and relied on public transportation in Washington, D.C. Most people I know despise traffic but accept it as one of life’s nuisances. But … Continue Reading
There are a number of LEED-policy articles floating around the internet these days. Fast Company wrote an article bashing LEED for poor energy performance. Lloyd Alter responded at Treehugger with an article bashing the Fast Company article. It’s time to move the discourse forward. How Does the USGBC Intend to Improve Building Performance? One of … Continue Reading
As famous Chicagoan Harey Caray would say, Holy Cow! That Greenbuild was the most productive, most informative, and most exciting on record, at least for me. Keep in mind, I have only attended two Greenbuild conferences. If you want a recap of key Greenbuild events as I saw it them, then check here, here and … Continue Reading
I will be taking a break from blogging over the next two weeks for a vacation. But I promise you that I will be thinking about green building – much to the chagrin of my wife. I will be thinking about green building because I am more excited than ever by the opportunities that are … Continue Reading
This week, I have been morbidly fascinated with stories about the state of the economy and construction. Not surprisingly, the construction downturn has dramatically decreased the number of projects registering for green building certification in 2010. The Business Journal recently came out with an excellent analysis of LEED registrations in 2010 and the results were … Continue Reading
The Green Building Certification Institute’s (GBCI) use of third-party certification bodies did not last long. You may recall that in 2009, the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) outsourced green building certification to the Green Building Certification Institute: "LEED certification became so popular that the USGBC had to begin allowing certification through independent certification bodies. . . … Continue Reading
As long time readers know, I am originally from Kansas. While green buildings have been common in DC for some time, the Midwest is just now starting to develop its own green building market. I was extremely excited to get an opportunity to tour one of the newest green buildings in Kansas City. Tim … Continue Reading
If you participate on building projects that are seeking LEED certification, this news may come as a relief to you. According to Marian Keeler of Simon & Associates, the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) is reconsidering its decision to stop making Credit Interpretation Requests (CIRs) public. I have previously described a CIR as … Continue Reading
2009 was my first full year blogging at Green Building Law Update. It was a difficult year for the construction industry, but the green building movement continued to grow. I recently went back and reviewed the Green Building Law Update stories from 2009. Below are some of my favorite quotes from my favorite posts. If … Continue Reading
I often argue there are three primary non-environmental reasons for seeking green building certification: profit, regulatory compliance and press/goodwill. An article in the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal recently looked at diminishing press for buildings that achieve LEED certification: A few years ago, it was a big deal when any building announced it was LEED certified. … Continue Reading
[Ed. Note: written by Steve McBrady] Starbucks coffee has always been an integral part of what we do here at Green Building Law Update. Until now, it was primarily a means of keeping our readers awake while we write endlessly on Green building and sustainable development in government contracts and in commercial construction, or discuss … Continue Reading
Congratulations to this year’s Top 100 green contractors, as determined by ENR. The Top 100 Green Contractors for 2008 RANK FIRM 2008 1 The Turner Corp., New York, N.Y. 2 Webcor Builders, San Mateo, Calif. 3 Skanska USA Inc., Whitestone, N.Y. 4 Bovis Lend Lease, New York, N.Y. 5 Swinerton Inc., San Francisco, Calif. … Continue Reading
I generally don’t like numbers. But I have never seen such compelling proof that the green building industry is here to stay (ENR – subscription req.): The Top 100 (green contractors) generated $38.69 billion in revenue in 2008 from projects registered with or certified by third-party rating groups under objective environmental or sustainable development standards. … Continue Reading
I found a YouTube video of a green roof being set on fire that I planned to post today. You know another topic would have to be very important to pre-empt a green roof fire video. Such a topic has revealed itself. On Wednesday, we started talking about the New York Times LEED energy performance … Continue Reading
Last week, my blog had one of those moments when I realized it was growing up before my eyes. Robert J. MacPherson is the Chair of the ABA Forum on the Construction Industry. In the recent issue of The Construction Lawyer (the Forum’s Journal), Mr. MacPherson published a farewell column as outgoing Chair (PDF). I … Continue Reading
[Sometimes I get great emails from readers and we discuss a green building topic or blog post. Then I sit on the topic for a while, waiting for the right time to share with the Green Building Law Update readers. Now seems like the right time to share an email I received from a reader. … Continue Reading
With the recent announcement that LEED certified projects will have to report energy performance data, the USGBC has signaled its intent to take on under performing green buildings. LEED 2009 requires the reporting of energy performance data, but does not include actual energy performance requirements. I have no doubt that the USGBC will require some … Continue Reading
Love might be too strong of a word but you get the point. The idea of LEED de-certification has touched off a firestorm of comments, some in support and others in objection. I think a follow up post is warranted. First, I want to clarify one important piece of information as I noticed some were … Continue Reading
I’m impressed. In one fell swoop, the USGBC has stepped up to the plate to address the primary criticisms of the LEED rating system. Kudos to Scot Horst and the USGBC for acknowledging an issue that has bothered many users of the LEED rating system: “Today there is all too often a disconnect, or performance … Continue Reading
I wanted to take a moment and thank all of the Green Building Law Update readers. You all have been blowing my minds the last few weeks. There has been a surge in comments and discussions that take place after my original post. Many times, these comments and discussions are much more important than the … Continue Reading
As I mentioned in my June 24 post, starting June 26, the USGBC eliminated public CIRs in order to improve the functionality of the LEED rating system. The USGBC’s Peter Templeton provided the following explanation for eliminating the public CIRs: Under the new LEED certification model, standards development and project certification responsibilities are divided between … Continue Reading
