Green
design for commercial properties
“The owners of standard buildings face massive obsolescence.
They must act now to protect their investments ….. soon, financial
institutions and investors will use new valuation methodologies to
quantify important green building factors”
-
Building the Green Way,
Harvard Business Review; June 2006
According to Natural Resources Canada, 64% of the energy used by a
typical commercial or institutional building in Canada is used for
heating and cooling. Existing, off-the-shelf renewable energy and
efficiency systems can dramatically improve energy productivity resulting
in significantly reduced and stabilized operating costs.
Viewed through a lifecycle costing perspective, green building strategies
have been documented to result in 10X factor ROIs and efficiencies.
Studies by the State of California have concluded that a 2% upfront
building cost premium for green design will result in lifecycle savings
equivalent to 20% of total construction costs. (The Costs and Benefits
of Green Buildings; California Sustainable Building Task Force, Oct.
2003).
In fact, a growing body of international studies have found the benefits
of green buildings to be multi-dimensional and include:
- Improved and reduced maintenance costs and lower lifecycle costs
- Higher occupancy levels and building valuation
- Higher worker health and productivity (related to air quality,
improved lighting conditions and reduction of "sick building
syndrome")
- Lower levels of absenteeism
- Enhanced academic performance for children in green schools
- Enhanced civic image
Using a whole-view, integrated design approach, Village Technologies
will work with your team to review your current situation and objectives.
Then, exploring the range of feasible options, we will design and
commission efficiency strategies and systems that work within your
budget and optimize long term financial returns.
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