Taking the LEED

Green construction practices not only save the environment, but can save dollars in the long run

Story by Gina Mangan

The blue jeans that insulate the interior walls of Affinity Health System’s Greenville Clinic created quite the buzz.
The same will probably be true of the Lyptus wood used in part of Affinity’s St. Elizabeth Hospital renovation and expansion project. Harvested from fast growing Brazilian eucalyptus trees, it’s not exactly your standard building material in an oak and maple-forested Wisconsin.

These unique building materials are all part of Affinity’s commitment to using environmentally friendly materials, designs and practices when it builds and renovates its clinics and hospitals.

While the use of “green” materials do make for colorful conversation, it only scratches the surface of what Affinity’s construction teams have done to follow the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System, the standards by which environmentally sustainable building practices are now being being measured.

What you hear less about are the retention ponds that divert storm water runoff from the sewer systems. Or how about the alcohol-based hand cleaner and washing protocols that have the potential to reduce water consumption by 39 percent?

It doesn’t make for pretty talk to discuss the fact the buildings’ plumbing, electrical and mechanical systems undergo a rigorous process that guarantees they are running at peak efficiency, or that upon completion the buildings are flushed for two weeks with 100 percent of outside air to ensure the best possible inside air quality.

But these practices are just as noteworthy as building glass atriums to allow in more natural light and planting rooftop gardens, something under consideration for a future Affinity project.

Making the grade
Thanks to all of these elements – and more – five of Affinity’s new clinics and its St. Elizabeth Hospital project will receive the USGBC’s official stamp of approval by becoming LEED certified by early 2007. The LEED for New Construction Rating System outlines 69 practices that business owners and their architects and construction contractors can employ to minimize a building’s negative effects on the environment and its occupants.

A building must meet a minimum of 26 to 32 of the 69 to become certified. Those that qualify for additional “points” can become silver, gold and even platinum certified. Some of Affinity’s clinics should qualify for a silver rating, said Gary Kusnierz, Affinity’s director of development and construction.

“The fact that we’ll have six projects certified is huge when you consider that there are only five (other) certified health care buildings in the entire U.S.,” he said.

That number is sure to grow as an increasing number of health care organizations and other businesses jump on the sustainable building bandwagon. The USBC officially launched its LEED certification program in 2000, when it certified about 12 buildings.

Wisconsin Green Building Council executive director Constance Lindholm said there are now more than 600 buildings certified nationwide, and about 4,200 registered to become certified. The movement has prompted construction companies and architectural firms to undergo LEED training so they can better serve their clients. With all of the action, it’s not surprising that material suppliers within the industry include LEED information in its product literature.

“The entire market has transformed itself from 1998 to now,” said Theresa Lehman, manager of sustainable services with Boldt Technical Services, a division of the Appleton-based Boldt Company. “In 10 years the construction industry has gone from not knowing what green construction means to most people being very fluent in the subject.”

Lindholm attributes the transformation to the fact that commercial building owners have come to understand that it makes good environmental and economic sense to have a building that has better air quality, uses less energy and provides an environment that is more supportive of people working in it.

“Studies are starting to show those employees will, in turn, use less sick leave and are possibly even more productive,” she said. “If a company can drop the amount of sick leave by 1 percent, there’s a significant cost savings over time.”

Making green cost effective
Perhaps nowhere is sensitivity to indoor environmental conditions more necessary than in the health care industry.
Affinity began studying sustainable design more than three years ago when it was designing the first of several new Fox Cities clinics, relying heavily on the LEED expertise of its two primary contractors, Boldt Company and Greenville-based Hoffman Corp.

Kusnierz said LEED’s green building principles are closely linked to Affinity’s values, which include using sustainable designs to build environmentally friendly buildings, using lean manufacturing principles to reduce waste and maximize operational efficiencies, and using designs that have been proven to create healing environments.

“The whole concept of sustainability fits from the standpoints of economics, patient care and environmental stewardship,” he said.

The question that is most often raised by business is cost effectiveness. Faced with expensive environmental regulations in the past, business leaders frequently assume it costs more to build in an environmentally sustainable way.

But it’s a faulty assumption when figuring in the long term operating cost of a building, proponents say.

Lehman said while there was a period of time when suppliers were charging premium prices for what they called “green” building materials, that is no longer the case. However, she said, companies will pay an up-front premium for systems related to mechanical efficiencies.

For example, Lehman said, Boldt paid an additional $35,000 for energy efficient mechanical and lighting systems in its 21,000-sq. ft. Stevens Point office building. But the company estimates it will save enough money in energy-related costs to recover that extra payment within 1.1 years, and will save a total of $1 million in energy costs over the course of the next 30 years.

There are also other costs savings. For example, retention ponds used to divert water from the sewer system reduces the sewer bill. Boldt recycled 78 percent of the construction waste while building its own Stevens Point office, which saved $5,500 in landfill tipping fees.

“People used to ask, ‘Why should I do this?’ Now they’re saying, ‘Why wouldn’t I do this?’” Lehman said.
In some cases, companies find they have no choice but to implement many of the LEED standards. Federal law and state statutes require many of the solutions outlined in the LEED program, including storm water management practices, recycling and minimum indoor air quality standards.

Financially, skyrocketing energy costs are forcing companies to take a harder look at ways of making buildings more energy efficient and less expensive to operate.

“The universal language in this world is money,” Lehman said. “Until the energy costs rose, people didn’t want to take the time of day to hear about sustainable building. But now that they can’t afford the energy costs, they’re willing to listen.”

Registering and certifying buildings with the USGBC does come at a cost. The registration fee ranges from $400 to $650, and the construction and design certification review ranges in price from $1,750 to $22,500. The fee is determined by area in square footage of the building and membership in the AGBC. Many companies also find they need to pay a consultant, such as Lehman, to advise and file necessary paperwork.

While companies are finding that the LEED seal of approval is a valuable marketing tool, many do choose to follow sustainable methods without paying for the final review.

Many companies within the construction industry - including the Neenah-based architectural, design and engineering firm McMahon Associates Inc. - have been using sustainable building standards for years prior to the LEED movement. McMahon has used many of the principles in its designs for more than two decades, said architect Mark Keating.

“That’s particularly true for erosion controls, storm water management designs, energy reduction and recycling,” he said. “Those are at the core of LEED, and has been the core of our designs for many years.”

McMahon, a member of the AGBC, is in the process of becoming LEED accredited so it can demonstrate to its clients that its architects are up-to-date and knowledgeable in the LEED process.

While it may not be necessary for a company to LEED certify a building, there are many benefits, Lindholm said.

“The LEED process sets the standards and provides a very important independent third party analysis,” Lindholm said. “Without it, you can say a building is green, but how do you really know?”