Design Trade
American Institute of Architects
Green Building Policy in a Changing Economic Environment
The buildings in which we live, work and play account
for forty percent of carbon emissions into our environ- ment, making them the single largest contributor to climate change on the planet. Believe it or not, these buildings are affecting global warming more than automobiles. Everyone takes it as a given that if we make cars smaller and more fuel efficient, then we will fix our environment, but the truth is that in order to truly create a sustainable future we must fix buildings by designing and building them green. Architects can play a transformative role in this process,
and at the American Institute of Architects (AIA) we are approaching sustainability and green buildings with a so- lutions-based approach incorporating the business case for green buildings, which has become immeasurably stronger over the last decade as green material prices have decreased and knowledge of green design has increased. Numerous studies have shown that green buildings can be built for little or no additional cost, with general premiums ranging from zero to two percent. The payback period in savings is more than offset in the additional cost, with energy and water savings accruing for years after the building is com- pleted. Our country must become energy independent for the environment as well as our security, and green building has a large part to play in this effort. We believe that buildings need to be carbon neutral by
2030, meaning that all newly built buildings in the next 20 years gradually use less and less electricity and that the electricity that they do use they produce through solar, wind and geothermal sources. This goal is possible and numer- ous organizations, government associations, localities and architectural firms have signed on to this challenge. The AIA has sought to develop resources and tools
through our Local Leaders in Sustainability study for cities across the country that are developing or expanding green building programs. Green Building Policy in a Changing Economic Environment, due to be released his summer, is the fourth report in this series. By updating and adding to our original report on green cities, we hope to provide policymakers and implementers with the tools to navigate a changed economic landscape and keep a strong emphasis on making their communities more sustainable. Taking advantage of research compiled by the AIA over
the past three years, this edition of Local Leaders in Sus- tainability found the following: 138 cities with green build- ing programs, or more than one in five cities surveyed — a
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50 percent increase in green building programs since 2007; more than 53 million Americans live in cities with green building programs; and 24 of the 25 most populated met- ropolitan regions in the U.S. are built around cities with a green building policy. Close to 21 percent of surveyed communities have green
building programs, up from 14 percent in 2007. However, the true number continues to be greater, because our data has been limited to cities with populations greater than 50,000, thereby leaving out many smaller communities’ impressive sustainability efforts. In addition to identifying new programs that have been
developed in the past two years, the report sought to ask cities whether they have altered their original green build- ing policy guidelines in light of the economic downturn. These cities responded with a resounding “no” from coast to coast. Furthermore, our report finds that cities are inte- grating green building policies into wider economic devel- opment goals. While we know that the design and construction indus-
try is experiencing tremendous pain during this economic recession, it is heartening to see community leaders and policy implementers pushing ahead with sustainable design efforts. The downturn has had a devastating effect on con- struction in general, but sustainable building design contin- ues to maintain and improve its market share. Green Building Policy in a Changing Economic Envi-
ronment seeks to follow up on the important recommenda- tions offered in A Study of Green Building Programs in Our Nation’s Communities. These recommendations have now been augmented with an additional four garnered from the latest research. Green building policies continue to flourish and prolifer-
ate, even during this prolonged economic downturn, and the future looks bright for sustainable design. The ultimate goal is for the concept of “building green” to no longer exist, and instead have green design integrated into all buildings. This day is soon approaching, and the AIA is advocating for poli- cies to make this green future a reality. For more information on the full report visit
www.aia.org/advocacy/local.
Brooks Rainwater Director, Local Relations for AIA
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