The demand for healthier, more efficient buildings is
driving new design and construction practices
Green building is finding a welcome home in many Texas
communities as sustainable building practices prove their
worth. Natural Outlook looks at some of the outstanding
examples of green building in Texas—in the public sector and
academia.
In this story:
Going Greener
Going the Extra Mile
See related story: Leading Examples of Green Buildings
Early on, being green was anything but easy.
That's what Dallas city officials learned when they undertook
their first super-efficient, green building project in 1999.
The project on the drawing board was a new police headquarters,
which was needed to replace an overcrowded, 80-year-old
facility.
Ideas started rolling in for reflective roofing material,
waterless urinals, and higher wall insulation values.
A HEPA-grade filtration system was included to improve indoor
air quality.
Planners even devised a way to collect and store storm water to
supply all the irrigation needs on the 4-acre site, a
once-contaminated industrial property near downtown.
But one requirement—to use paints, adhesives, sealants,
and carpets with low levels of volatile organic
compounds—almost proved to be an impossible hurdle.
"It was difficult to locate materials that met the 'green'
criteria," recalls Robert Van Buren, a senior architect with the
city of Dallas. "They just weren't readily available. Over the last
five or six years, however, there has been a tremendous change in
the marketplace as more products have come out to meet green
standards. It really has transformed the industry."
The Jack Evans Police Headquarters opened in 2003 to the acclaim
of the Environmental Protection Agency and advocates of minimizing
the impact of commercial and government buildings on their
occupants and the environment.
Not long after the six-story building was in full use, the
savings began adding up. "Due to energy costs going up at a higher
rate than we projected and the building operating a little more
efficiently than the energy model, we are actually ahead of
expectations," says Van Buren, who was the project manager.
Rather than 10 years to recoup the front-end "green" building
costs, it now looks closer to 8 years, he said, explaining that
"even relatively inexpensive things like occupant sensors have
helped. This allows the building to turn lights off in areas not
being used. You don't have to rely on someone to remember to flip
the switch."
The police headquarters became the first project in Dallas
certified by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), a nonprofit
that promotes building and design practices that are
environmentally responsible.
Other green-building rating systems exist, but the USGBC's is
the most recognized and widely used.
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Going Greener
Dallas has company in its pursuit of long-term savings with the
green approach to municipal projects. City councils in Austin,
Houston, San Antonio, and Frisco have also passed resolutions or
ordinances calling for future city projects to follow green
guidelines for sustainability.
In fact, public projects have been at the forefront of green
building, says Van Buren. "Private developers did not see the value
added in that expense. It's been a gradual change as they now see
the marketing advantage."
A number of large corporations have now embraced the "healthy
workplace" standard at the urging of employees, says Houston
architect Tim Murray. "Some corporations will only lease space in
buildings that are considered green. It's necessary for recruiting.
College graduates who have been raised on the 'reuse and reclaim'
mantra are actually asking recruiters where they will be working
and in what sort of building."
Murray, president of USGBC's Greater Houston chapter, sees the
momentum for green building accelerating. He said that in June
2006, there were 29 projects in Houston seeking LEED certification
with the USGBC; by June 2007 there were 110. "It means they've
signed up with the USGBC and announced they intend to build by
these standards."
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Going the Extra Mile
The rating system for LEED (Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design) was issued in 2000 by the USGBC. The more
environmentally sustainable a project, the more points it earns
toward its LEED ranking.
Projects are evaluated by factors such as energy and water
efficiency, recycling and disposal of waste, and innovative design.
Points accrue, for example, for using building materials drawn from
local sources, which reduces energy spent on transporting
materials. Recycling is also rewarded when construction materials
are reused on-site rather than being hauled to a landfill.
The program also encourages features that promote worker health
and productivity—such as superior indoor air quality and
natural lighting.
Under the LEED system, projects registered with USGBC must be
evaluated before they can be certified. Certified projects that go
the extra mile and accrue additional points may be labeled silver,
gold, and, finally, platinum.
The USGBC reports that 37 projects (new construction) have been
certified in Texas. Of those, seven earned gold, but none has yet
to reach the pinnacle of platinum.
That may change after this summer's opening of the Dell
Children's Medical Center of Central Texas. Built on the runway of
Austin's former airport, designers took advantage of that fact and
reused about 47,000 tons of runway material in building the
hospital.
Also, 92 percent of construction waste was recycled on-site. Use
of local and regional materials saved fuel on shipping.
Reclaimed water is used for irrigation, and toilets throughout
the hospital have a dual-flush setting for high or low volume.
An on-site natural-gas turbine supplies all of the electricity,
while links to the municipal grid and emergency generators provide
backup. Converted steam energy from a heating and cooling plant
supplies the chilled water. Under-floor ducts for air distribution
in nonpatient areas require less fan power than ducts placed above
the ceiling.
Natural light is pervasive. Five interior courtyards and lots of
windows bring daylight to most offices and within 32 feet of every
patient room. Much of the food served on hospital trays is grown on
farms and ranches in Central Texas.
Officials with the Seton Family of Hospitals say that from an
environmental standpoint there is no other hospital in the world
like this one. The Austin facility is already drawing visitors from
as far away as Japan and China.
The USGBC estimates it will take several months to obtain a
third-party review of the project and determine whether the
children's hospital merits the prestigious rating of platinum. If
so, it will be the state's first.
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