B+A Core

By Hannah Stuart The Good Incorporating green practices in your building process is a long-term investment that facilitates continued energy savings. The up-front costs of green building can add up to $10,000 per home, according to Cherie Shoquist, Principal Project Coordinator for the City of Minneapolis, community plan- ning a nd economic development. W hi le that premium can be an initial challenge to buyers, it can be recouped over time thanks to lower energy use. Sustainable building strategies can be incorporated into nearly ever y a spect of t he bu i ld . Some cl ient s seek modest energy reduction that can be achieved with energy-e„ cient appliances or low-VOC paints. Others, wanting a more drastic solution, want a net-zero home, a structure that generates as much energ y as it consumes. "Net-zero buildings ... don't even connect to the g rid," says Bria n K nowles, LEED A P, B D + C, I n du s t r i a l G r oup M a n a ger w it h T u r ner Constr uction Compa ny i n Huntsville, Alabama. "You get to determine how deep you want to get into those sustain- able building practices for your project." G r e e n b u i l d i n g i s n ' t j u s t g o o d f o r t h e e n v i r o n m e n t . M a n y f e a t u r e s o f susta inably bui lt homes, such a s pa ints t h a t u s e r e d u c e d a m o u n t s o f v o l a t i l e or g a n ic c omp ou n d s , n a t u r a l f lo or i n g , a nd vent i l a t ion s y s t em s t h a t pr omot e hea lthy a ir f low a nd a ir qua lit y, ca n a lso i m p r o v e t h e h e a l t h o f t h o s e l i v i n g i n them, something ma ny homebuyers view a s a positive, notes Shoquist. The Not-So Good Homebuyers may be reluctant to take on the initial costs of a green home. " M o s t h o m e b u y e r s a r e l o o k i n g f o r energ y-efficient products," says Shoquist, w h o s p e a rh e a d s G r e e n Hom e s Nor t h , a pr o g r a m de d ic a t e d t o r e v it a l i z e t he housing ma rket in Nor th Minneapolis by building 56 new homes built to Enterprise G r e en C om mu n it y S t a nd a r d s . " O f t en , h o w e v e r, w e h a v e a s it u a t ion w h e r e a homebuyer sees t wo homes on the sa me block with the sa me squa re footage a nd number of bedrooms a nd bathrooms, but one is bui lt to g reen sta nda rds a nd one isn't, so there's a price-point dif ference. S om e b u y e r s a r e w i l l i n g t o p a y m or e , but some buyer s w i l l go for t he lower - priced home." If potentia l buyers a re hesita nt about the price difference between a green- and non-green home, promoting the sustained energ y costs a nd hea lt h benef its faci li- tated by green features can shift the focus to long-term benef its. A not her potentia l drawback to g reen building is that energ y ef f iciency doesn't n e c e s s a r i l y l e a d t o d e c r e a s e d e n e r g y use. For exa mple, the insta llation of bike ra ck s a s a sof t g reen a dd it ion t hat ca n ea rn LEED points but doesn't rea lly have a direct impact on energ y costs. ■ To G o G r e e n o r N o t t o G o G r e e n Green technologies and practices continue to be a major force in the building industry, and more LEED- certifi ed homes are constructed every day. Still, sustainable con- struction practices don't work for every build. Meticulous planning is a must before starting a home, and sometimes green isn't the answer. To G o G r e e n o r N o t t o G o G r e e n | Builder+Architect BUILDERARCHITECT.COM

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