Value Beyond Cost Savings - Green Building Finance Consortium

Value Beyond Cost Savings: How to Underwrite Sustainable PropertiesSite • Focus on surface water reduction (holding ponds, porous paving)• Xeriscape landscaping (no irrigation)• Lower impact on local ecology• Increased green space (small building footprint, minimal surface parking)BuildingExteriorBuildingInteriorHiddenAttributes• Window canopies or light shelves• Alternative energy systems (solar or wind)• Green roofs• Efficient, targeted exterior lighting (minimizing light pollution)• Minimal materials (exposed structural materials)• Flexible layouts (movable walls, raised floors)• Occupant controls of heat and light (as opposed to large zone thermostatsor light switches)• Abundant natural light and access to views• Good air quality• Plumbing fixtures with reduced water usage characteristics• Operational promotion of “green” practices (such as recycling)• Highly efficient building envelopes• Materials selected to meet building goals (low environmental embodiedeffect, low VOC’s)• High efficiency mechanical systems integrated with electrical, structural,and architectural elements• Efficient lighting systems• The use of equipment without materials or components that could damagethe environment (e.g., ozone depleting substances in air conditioners)• The use of maintenance materials (e.g., detergents) that also meet thegreen goals• Continued measurement and optimization of system performance overtime.Source: A Business Case for Green Buildings in Canada, Mark Lucuik, March 2005What you need to know and do to effectively articulate a project’s public benefits include:• Develop a structured understanding of the types of public benefits a sustainableproject can generate (see Exhibit V-4);• Be able to articulate and show the link between types of property features, systemsand sustainable outcomes and the specific public benefits;• Analyze how the subject property specifically contributes to each of the publicbenefits claimed;• Specify the magnitude of benefits, and appropriately caveat method used toquantify. Because in many cases a single property will contribute only a smallportion of the broader public benefit, cite both the larger benefit and likelyproperty contribution. Because substantial sums of money are spent to deal with121