Page 163 - Green Building Through Integrated Design
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INTEGRATED DESIGN CAN REDUCE COSTS  139




                TABLE 7.3   “SOFT COSTS” OF LEED CERTIFICATION, 2008*
                ELEMENT                      COST RANGE               REQUIRED IN LEED?

                1. Fundamental building      $0.40 to $1.00 per sq ft,  Yes
                  commissioning              $20,000 minimum
                2. Energy modeling           $15,000 to $30,000       Yes; depends on size
                                                                      and complexity
                3. LEED documentation        $25,000 to $90,000       Yes; depends on complexity
                                                                      of project, team experience
                                                                      and level of certification
                4. Eco-charrettes            $10,000 to $20,000       No
                5. Natural ventilation modeling  $7,500 to $20,000    No
                6. Enhanced commissioning    $3,000 to $15,000        No
                  services
                7. Daylighting design modeling  $3,000 to $10,000     No (some utilities offer this
                                                                      as a free service)
                8. Measurement and verification  $10,000 to $30,000    No, an optional credit point
                  plan (for LEED credit EA5)

                *Based on the author’s professional experience.





                      Integrated Design Can Reduce Costs


                      Often, the traditional “design-bid-build” process of project delivery works
                      against the development of green buildings. In this process, there is often a
                      sequential “handoff” from the architect to the building engineers to the contrac-
                      tor, so that there is a limited “feedback loop” arising from the engineering aspects
                      of building operating costs and comfort considerations back to basic building
                      design features.
                        In a standard design process, for example, the mechanical engineer is often left
                      out of the architect’s building envelope design considerations, yet those decisions
                      are often critical in determining the size (and cost) of the HVAC plant, which can
                      often consume up to 15 percent or more of a building’s cost. Along the way, the
                      standard “value engineering” exercise often involves reducing the value of the
                      HVAC systems by specifying lower efficiency (cheaper) equipment, possibly
                      reducing the R-value of glazing and insulation, and other measures that reduce
                      first costs, but higher operating costs for energy supply for the lifetime of the
                      building. (Lifetime operating costs are typically 80 percent or more of a building’s
                      total costs.)
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