A Word from you CEO
The only unanswered question to come out of last weeks' Property Council supported Green Building Summit was - why wouldn't you build green buildings?
Listening to speaker after speaker tick every box on the logic of building in such a manner was compelling, and that was before you got to the part where it actually helps the planet to build to these principles.
Tenants like these buildings and stay in them longer - great news for owners who constantly have to worry about tenancy churn!
Productivity from people working in the environments created by green buildings improves measurably. That's not anecdotal evidence it has been scientifically measured - great news for employers!
Finally green buildings make good economic sense as they reduce the operating costs of the building, through electricity savings, water recycling and other initiatives. They reduce capex expenditure and because tenants want to stay in them longer, and will accept premium rentals, they smooth out the peaks and troughs in the property cycle - more great news!
And I should mention, of course, that they are good for the environment.
Property Council New Zealand is an enthusiastic partner with the Green Building Council in the Green Building. The quality of the speakers and the depth and robustness of the information we were given last week underlines why we support the Summit and the involvement of our members.
From the flow of analysis presented to us last week green building principles have certainly moved into the economic main stream. As we emerge from a recession it's clear to me that the previous standards for building are obsolete and these new principles are the standard for the future.
In this special online edition of the Advocate, we have a look at two of the most popular speakers from the Summit and summarise some of the other sessions.
Connal Townsend
CEO
Property Council New Zealand
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Joe Van Belleghem, Windmill West, Canada
PROVING THAT BEING GREEN AND PROFITABLE ARE NO LONGER AT ODDS
Canadian green developer Joe Van Belleghem says his super-sustainable Dockside Green development is based on the fundamental belief that developers need to bring ecology back into urban settings.
The managing director of Windmill West started out in green building 12 years ago after he grew tired of constantly being at odds with both the community and local bodies.He chose 15 acres of contaminated land owned by the City of Victoria, British Columbia to trial a different approach. Several developers had tried to get permission to buy the land, but failed.
Van Belleghem's proposal to develop the land on triple bottom line, natural ecology, social equity and economics, won hands down with Council, and he bought the land in 2005.Construction started on "Dockside Green" in 2006. It is made up of residential, light industrial, retail and office space.
When the first Dockside building was launched, 85 percent of the apartments sold in three hours at record prices.
Van Belleghem says from the very beginning, wherever there was an opportunity to offer a more green or sustainable option, it was taken.
For example a decision was made not to have any big brand name retail in the complex.
An organic baker situated in the complex grows his own wheat on site and offers free trade coffee. The baker also used wood recycled from the construction process to build the interior of his store.
No air conditioning is provided, so alternatives such as automated exterior blinds, mechanical awnings and opening double glazed windows are used.
Dockside Green treats all its own sewage onsite, invests in better whiteware to maximise energy savings, re-uses treated water and has roof top gardens.
"Fundamentally we believe as developers that we have an obligation to bring ecology back into urban settings," says Van Belleghem.
Dockside Green is now the highest rated green building in the world and being green and being financially lucrative are not mutually exclusive. "If we get serious about climate change it's going to create all sorts of economic opportunity for local businesses.
The most powerful part of the development is the social transformation and the feeling of community. "People really want to come together as a community, and it has paid dividends."
Van Belleghem says anyone embarking on a development cannot afford to ignore sustainability and green building practices otherwise the buildings run the risk of becoming obsolete in the future.
"Even though the economy is down, let's not lose sight of the end game. It's really important that we as businessmen and political leaders, do the right thing. I believe if we do, we can get ourselves out of the mess we're in now."
"We need to create the projects and the attitude to provide the comfort to the political leaders to do the right thing - we can't wait for them to do the right thing."
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Michelle Moore, Obama Administration
GLOBAL DYNAMICS AFFECTING THE BUSINCESS CASE AND UPTAKE OF GREEN BUILDING
The United States Federal Government is leading by example implementing a wide range of policies aimed at gearing the country towards a greener future.
Michelle Moore, Federal Environmental Executive, Obama Administration, says the United States Federal Government has half a million buildings, an estimated 600,000 vehicles and 1.8 million civilian employees.
Based on this large footprint, she believes the Federal Government has the opportunity to be a "real force for market transformation" in green building.
Moore says there are three major ways in which the administration has demonstrated a commitment to green building.
These include the Recovery Act and investment in a green economy, a new executive order, and a new initiative called Recovery through Retrofit.
The Recovery Act, which was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Obama in February, promises investment in the domestic renewable energy industry and the weatherizing (an insulating layer) of 75 percent of federal buildings and more than one million private homes around the country.
Moore says the Act has both green and social benefits.
"It will focus on projects around the United States to make buildings greener and with a higher performance level, but also on getting people back to work. "
She says the Department of Defense in particular will be investing in large scale green building, which in turn has a positive effect on the largely rural communities that the department operations are based in.
The administration's office of management and budgeting has allocated between 11 and 12 billion dollars for targeting sustainable federal buildings and fleets to make them greener.
On October 5, 2009, President Obama signed an Executive Order on Federal Sustainability committing the Federal government to lead by example and help build a clean energy economy through the way it operates.
Moore said the Department of Defense has set a goal to be using 25 percent renewable energy by 2010.
She also cites the example of the new Coast Guard headquarters at St Elizabeths which is set to meet federal energy goals, and LEED silver rating requirements.
Recovery through Retrofit, is a new United States Federal Government initiative that builds on the foundation laid in the Recovery Act to expand green job opportunities and boost energy savings by making homes more energy efficient.
By implementing the recommendations in the report, the Federal Government will lay the groundwork for a self sustaining home energy efficiency retrofit industry.
It includes developing an energy performance label for homes, and a standardised national home energy performance measure applicable to all homes in America.
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Reoccurring themes
THERE WERE A NUMBER OF REOCCURRING THEMES ACROSS ALL SESSIONS IN THE GREEN BUILDING SUMMIT 09. THESE INCLUDED:
"Think wide and work together"
For the "green" movement to become stronger and more widely accepted, we need:
- Technical innovation
- Planning beyond just buildings and understanding their context both socially and within the environment
- Understanding of development/funding risks and opportunities
- Acknowledgement by local and central government of the green building policy and its effects
- Links between physical/infrastructural/economic and social issues to get a good solution
- Discussions/strategies in the delivery sector of the industry to break down those slices of narrow expertise to wider understanding.
"Three Way Partnership between social, environment and the economy"
- The way we measure prosperity is being redefined
- Sustainability is all about people and community, the way we want to live and the legacy we leave behind
- As touched on by Adam Murchie, fund manager Drapac, and Nick Edgerton, research analyst AMP Capital, it's no longer just about green, it's a number of factors including the economic, social and the ecological impacts.
"Leadership"
Governments are providing leadership. The delegates heard thinking from Michelle Moore of the Obama administration and and Prof. Francis Allard from France's University of La Rochelle about how administrations are tackling this.
Romilly Madew, CEO of the Green Building Council of Australia, aptly pulled these threads back together, commenting on how we interact with those policies and highlighting how the world is an interactive system with policies in the United States or Europe affecting us directly.
She also highlighted the opportunity for New Zealand to link with where Asia is heading in terms of its green building policies.
The opportunities created by central governments should be taken and built on by those of us in the industry.
Whether it be the significant challenge laid down by Joe Van Belleghem and his Dockside Green development, or Michelle Moore's observation for industry to build a strategic partnership with government agencies, it is through us as an industry that we can make a difference.
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Highlights
Beyond the Building: Bridging the Gap between Urban Design and Green Building
Neill Savery, Chief Planning Executive, ACT Planning and Land Authority and Katja Liez, Sustainability Manager, Hobsonville Land Company looked at the challenges and opportunities facing developers and city planners when looking at wider urban landscapes. It also showcased some of the best examples of urban development that link green building practices with a wider sustainable community.
Case Study: 6 Green Star Building (Macquarie Building, 1 Shelley Street, Sydney NSW)
Mark Flanagan, project director, Brookfield Multiplex, Sydney and Andrew Steventon, project manager, Brookfield Multiplex, Sydney, described how this world leading six star office building was originally intended as a residential building but was changed to a commercial project for a sole occupier, due to market forces.
Its green building features include passive chilled beams, harbour water for heat rejection, controls that sense infiltration of natural light at the building perimeter and dynamically adjust artificial lighting to conserve energy. The potential annual energy consumption for the development has been predicted to reduce carbon emissions by more than 30 percent compared to a typical office building.
Public and Private Sectors Partnering for Enhancing Sustainable Investment
Ben King, Executive Director, Ernst and Young, and Dean Riddell, Director Davis and Langdon, spoke about how many forms of Public Private Partnerships ensure all parties consider whole-of-life design, costs and sustainability and that these are included as part of the integrated vision of a project. This means clear procurement processes and decision making should undergo strategic Life Cycle Costing analysis and review areas such as energy efficiency, material selection and more.
Real Innovation Opportunities in Building Design
Shane Esmore, Director and Head of Sustainability, Umow Lai, Melbourne, and Francois Garde, Reunion Island, France showcased the latest in design ideas and solutions being used in world leading green building projects, such as Co/Tri generation systems, underground thermal storage, renewable energy and technology and anaerobic waste management systems.
They included building design for extreme low/zero carbon emissions and other sustainable issues, encompassing the cutting edge of green building design around the world.
Case Studies: Going Beyond Office Projects
Carey Oldfield, Director of Property, NZ Post, Graeme Finlay, Director Warren and Mahoney and Peter Moloney, director facilities management, University of Canterbury discussed how the education sector is choosing to invest in the long-term value of green buildings, using the University of Canterbury as a case study.
There was also an in depth look at Courier Post's new sorting facility as leading New Zealand in green industrial design and its pursuit to gain a green star rating.
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Making Old Buildings New: Retrofitting Existing Buildings
Pippa Connolly, Principle Arup, Jason Happy, National Facilities Manager, Kiwi Income Trust, and Peter Walkinshaw, Portfolio Manager Commercial, AMP NZ Office Trust looked at the strategies that can exist buildings can take to ensure they meet the needs of tomorrow's tenants.
It shouldn't be just about energy efficiency, but also increasing worker productivity through spaces full of daylight, and clean air within a sustainable environment.
Global Dynamics Affecting the Business Case and Uptake of Green Building
Michelle Moore, Federal Environmental Executive, Obama Administration, Prof. Francis Allard, University of La Rochelle, France, and Romilly Madew, CEO, Green Building Council of Australia, discussed what initiatives are taking place around the globe.
Prof. Allard talked about EU policy and measures that have been taken to reduce green house gas emissions in the building sector, including the mandatory energy labeling of buildings, clear goals to reduce emissions by 20 percent and increase the share of renewable energy by 20 percent by 2020.
Does the Case for Green Buildings Still Stack Up? Finance / Investment Perspective
Adam Murchie, Fund Manager, Drapac, Nick Edgerton, Research Analyst AMP Capital, Sydney, Rod Oram, NZ Economist and commentator.
There are many institutions and investment funds, are signatories to the UN Principles for Responsible Investment, but there are challenges to acting on these principles. There is a clear tension between the short term fiduciary duties to be able to generate an immediate return for investors and the long term sustainable investment which is required. This is all underpinned by how the cost benefit ratio is worked out.
Re-thinking our Industry Silos
Jane Henley, Chief Executive, New Zealand Green Building Council, Peter Gomm, Chief Operating Officer, Mainzeal and Richard Harris, Director, Jasmax debated and discussed the processes and ways in which a project is best managed from funding, to design to construction. The way the process is currently segmented was supposed to reduce liability and allow for specialisation, however, it just seems to be adding complexities. Peter, Richard and Jane showed how we need to have discussions/strategies in the delivery sector of the industry to break down those slices of narrow expertise to wider understanding.
Links
www.docksidegreen.com- Joe Van Bellegham's Dockside Green project
www.whitehouse.gov/greengov- An in-house green initiative of the United States Federal Government
www.propertynz.co.nz - Property Council New Zealand. A number of presentations from the summit can be found in the 'events' section
www.nzgbc.org.nz - New Zealand Green Building Council. Joint partner in the Summit
www.worldgbc-asia-pacific-org- The World Green Building Council Asia Pacific Network
Sponsors
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For more information or any enquires please contact enquiries@propertynz.co.nz
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