Page 218 - The Green Building Bottom Line The Real Cost of Sustainable Building
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196  CHAPTER 6



                     ■ Complementary users and/or tenants. Ideal is a set-up whereby the waste by-prod-
                       ucts of one tenant are a critical need of another. So, for instance, a small manufacturing
                       company has on-site generation of electricity by capping the methane from a municipal
                       landfill nearby. The excess heat from the electric generation is captured and used by a
                       neighboring restaurant for its kitchen ovens. It sounds a bit farfetched today, though
                       there are already numerous examples of leveraging the potential symbiosis among
                       users in a development. By the way, it’s worth noting that such symbiosis does not have
                       to involve esoteric technologies—it could be as simple as having a tenant mix whose
                       work hours somehow prove complementary. The shared parking arrangement between
                       Crestwood and the neighboring Marriott hotel is a good example, since it reduces the
                       amount of impervious parking surface these two developments would require if viewed
                       independently.
                     ■ Tree cover. Does the building site have trees? Trees can reduce heat gain and glare from
                       the sun and reduce the heat island effect of paved areas. They can also provide shade
                       for outdoor gathering areas and parking lots.
                     ■ Landscaping. Is the landscaping replete with exotic plantings that are water hogs as
                       well as costly to maintain? Or is it characterized by native plantings that manage well
                       enough on their own? Could the cost of landscaping and the amount of water required
                       be reduced by the use of native plants or by planting perennials? Evergreen trees typi-
                       cally require less maintenance than deciduous trees, which drop their leaves in the fall.
                       How much sod is on the site? Grass must be mowed and maintained; in many areas, it
                       must be irrigated. Would it be possible to eliminate the lawn or at least reduce the
                       amount of sod? Could stormwater be captured and stored for irrigation?
                     ■ Parking. What’s the life expectancy of the parking lot? Are there opportunities to cost-
                       effectively move to a semi-permeable surface? How many spaces are required by code,
                       and are there opportunities for getting creative about reducing that number?


                       Beyond just the physical issues associated with the building, both on the inside and
                     in the outside environs are more general questions to consider: Is the building well
                     located for the use of mass transit or other modes of transportation (walking, bicy-
                     cling, car-sharing program access, etc.)? Is the project a good fit with key company
                     objectives (e.g., revitalizing a downtown urban core area, addressing a critical com-
                     munity need such as affordable housing)? This part of the checklist might seem to
                     extend well beyond issues of LEED for Existing Buildings adaptivity, but the con-
                     nection between social and environmental justice issues (as we will see in the next
                     chapter) is a critical one. The important thing to keep in mind is that, fundamentally,
                     a strategy for LEED for Existing Buildings certification should extend well beyond the
                     bricks and mortar of a building.


                     Concluding Remarks


                     While playing a lead role in greening the existing buildings we acquire is something
                     I feel passionate about, there is a high degree of common sense to our efforts. The con-
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