Greening the Government: Sustainable Building Solutions for New Public Programs

Green building technologies and innovative project designs assist federal, state and local governments to
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Why a green government?

The timing seems ripe for such thinking. In the fall of 2009, President Obama signed an Executive Order focused on federal leadership in environmental, energy and economic performance. While doing so, he noted, "As the largest consumer of energy in the U.S. economy, the federal government can and should lead by example when it comes to creating innovative ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, increase energy efficiency, conserve water, reduce waste, and use environmentally-responsible products and technologies."

President Obama signs Executive Order 13514, on federal leadership in environmental, energy, and economic performance.

Photo: U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

The "feds" also constitute the nation's largest landlord and top energy user, with more than 500,000 buildings housing many of its 1.8 million-plus workers and budgets adding up to a substantial portion of the $200 billion spent annually on products and services.

Recent news shows that U.S. agencies are acutely aware of the drain on both the environment and taxpayer's wallets, with many showing leadership by reducing fuel use, cutting costs and improving the indoor environmental quality (IEQ) for the nation's workers. Some have a head start: According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. government has been a leader in sustainable building practices since the movement crystallized at least 20 years ago. Many agencies also have a role in fostering the same technologies and practices they adopt to compete in the global marketplace, whether for energy efficiency, water conservation, or the use of renewable power.

Recent laws and regulations relevant to the greening of government facilities include the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA). The latter was developed to move the United States toward greater energy independence and security and to boost the use of renewables and alternative fuels. Both acts also emphasized energy efficiency.

More recently, the ARRA provides billions of dollars in spending for improvement of buildings owned by the federal government. Spending has begun and will continue for several years. Architects and other building professionals play a key role in this disbursement to agencies, local and state governments, and nonprofit groups. New construction and improved building operations are central components of the new law.

Government Seeks End to "Energy Poverty"

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, commonly known as the stimulus package, contains billions in promised spending and tax credits intended to make existing buildings more green. This includes $5 billion earmarked for the U.S. Weatherization Assistance Program, a DOE program launched in 1976 to reduce the problem of "energy poverty," and funds aimed at reducing the costs of retrofit materials. Energy Secretary Steven Chu remarks, "Programs such as these will decrease barriers to saving money: inconvenience, inertia, and inadequate information. We want to make home energy efficiency upgrades irresistible and a social norm for homeowners." (October 30, 2009 in the Huffington Post)

The Recovery Act has also bolstered the GSA's sustainable design program, with $4.5 billion in funds to be spent on converting Federal buildings into "high-performance green spaces" and another billion for other renovations. According to the GSA's Recovery Act spending plan, released in April of 2009, 43 projects will receive full building modernizations, and dozens more will be partially updated. The politics surrounding the stimulus are highly charged and divisive, which means that some of this spending is generating controversy.

In Portland, Oregon, for instance, the Wyatt Federal Building will be made over in part with a unique array of tall vegetated fins covering an entire side of the structure, which are intended to reduce the building's energy use. "They will bloom in the spring and summer when you want the shade, and then they will go away in the winter when you want to let the light in," says Bob Peck, commissioner of public buildings for the G.S.A.

But some say that the energy savings from such a new strategy are unproven, and the $133 million price tag caused Senators John McCain and Tom Coburn to put the project at number two on their list of the 100 worst stimulus projects. According to SERA Architects who are overseeing the project for the GSA, the project is due to be complete by 2013.

Tall, vegetated fins covering one side of the structure are intended to reduce the building's energy use at the Wyatt Federal Building in Portland, Oregon.

Photo credit: Scott Baumberger, Baumberger Studio.

As the nation and the government focus on green buildings, certain materials will be in high demand, since they will not only improve building performance, but may help owners qualify for tax credits:

• Low-E and insulated glazing

• High performing window and door framing

• Weather stripping and caulking

• Low VOC emitting insulation

• "Cool" (light-colored, reflective) roofing

• High-performance and Energy Star rated HVAC systems

• Programmable thermostats

The biggest fish in the sea of U.S. public-sector building is the General Services Administration (GSA), which owns and leases more than 354 million square feet of space in 8,600 properties across the country. As a huge stakeholder and the leader on many major construction projects, the GSA has taken a high-profile role in reducing negative impacts on the environment and improving the health and comfort of building occupants. The independent agency developed a Sustainable Design Program that has recently moved to require that all new federal construction projects achieve at least a Silver rating under LEED. (Gold is encouraged.)

Though this work, the GSA develops high-performing government buildings through new construction, renovation and retrofits. Using emerging technologies and cutting-edge design techniques, the GSA's sustainable building program includes such features as sensor-controlled daylighting; natural ventilation in favorable climates; rainwater collection systems to reduce potable water consumption; and an overall emphasis on high-performance buildings that use less energy, consume fewer resources, reduce carbon footprint and maximizing productivity.

"A high-performing green building is not just about energy; it's about the effects on human performance," said Kevin Kampschroer, director of GSA's Office of High-Performance Federal Green Buildings. "We're creating sustainable lifestyles for our employees that use fewer resources and produce less waste and damage to the planet. That's a long way from the old stereotypical perception of a cold, grey government building filled with inefficient bureaucracy."

 

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Originally published in May 2010

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Greening the Government: Sustainable Building Solutions for New Public Programs
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