Building Green: where responsibility meets marketability.

It started with a strong sense of responsibility for creating healthier workplaces with renewed and renewable materials. The goals were admirable: energy efficiency, water conservation, reduced indoor air contaminants, improved construction and demolition waste management. But, in the early days of sustainable design and construction practice, to paraphrase Kermit the Frog, "It wasn't easy being green."

Products that may have been environmentally friendly, weren't necessarily architect, interior design and construction friendly. It was an evolving technical discipline requiring a shift to an integrated approach to design and construction strategies. And the certification process for it all was labyrinthian.

It's been a slow build but sustainable design and construction has gathered tremendous momentum. It's hot. It's viable. And, in addition to being an opportunity to responsibility reduce waste and create healthier environments, it's also an opportunity for architects, designers, constructors, and the companies who employ them, to build green reputation and business.

A linkage of many factors, both public and private, contributed to what may seem like the sudden greening of New York City.

Nearly a decade ago, New York City's Department of Design and Construction created the Office of Sustainable Design. But it wasn't until late 2005 that Local Law 86 mandated that municipal buildings had to conform to exacting sustainability standards. The complex LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System system, which provides certification, professional accreditation, recognition of environmental leadership, training, guidelines and resources, has, since its inception, become somewhat less bewildering. Targeted to multiple industry segments, from new construction, core and shell and commercial interiors, to a new pilot program for retail, certification has become a coveted (and hard-earned) goal with multiple returns on investment: social responsibility; creating a green company profile; and providing a unique selling point to potential tenants and clients that you've achieved sustainability goals.

Concurrently, the socially responsible, but often architect and design reprehensible, materials and products of the past have given way to genuinely appealing, design savvy alternatives by enlightened manufacturers who have adopted green strategies into their own business growth plans.

Major corporations, and developers of major buildings, took a leadership position. With the exception of Central Park, Manhattan may not have many green acres, but it certainly has a growing confluence of green towers.

The Conde Nast Building (Four Times Square) was among the first to make a major statement about, and impact with, environmental responsibility on a large (1.8 million square feet) scale. Currently, Silverstein Properties' 7 World Trade Center, the Bank of America Tower headquarters at One Bryant Park, Goldman Sachs in the Financial District and Hearst Tower rising above the base of the company's original 1928 building, are among the prestigious commercial office towers being built with a strong commitment to environmental awareness and an eye toward obtaining LEED certification, whether core and shell and/or interior designation.

While the principles of sustainable design and construction are directed toward creating healthier, resource-efficient environments, the practice has evolved into a powerful marketing strategy. For corporations and developers, public perception of good corporate citizenship as a company which has achieved recognized environmental performance and sustainability goals, enhances media profile, provides a unique selling point for prospective tenants and can smooth the way for public and government project approval. Additionally, there is growing awareness that green design in the workplace can profit the HR bottom line, reducing absenteeism and turnover while increasing productivity.

With green design and construction, the matter of higher vs. lower costs plays out on a large, integrated field. Architectural costs may be higher, but can result in lower construction costs and higher LEED credits.

Using an experienced green design and construction professional may increase upfront costs but save money in the longer term. Many energy-efficient choices in finishes and equipment may cost more upfront, but can pay for themselves quickly or in the first months or years of operation. Energy-efficient windows, as one example, can reduce the size of an air conditioning system as well as conserve water needed for cooling.

The key to maximizing cost efficiency is to create synergies in the early stages of project planning, bringing in green building experts with experience in integrating sustainable design and construction who can suggest healthier alternatives for lighting, power usage, furniture systems, carpet fabrics, finishes, construction and maintenance materials. Construction professionals, B.R. Fries among then, and engineers have become much more cognizant of how to efficiently use recycled materials, achieve higher interior air quality, minimize energy usage and maximize sustainability as part of their own pursuit of building an eco-friendly, green brand. It's an exciting time for companies, developers, architects, designers, manufacturers and construction professionals as all seek to push the envelope of environmental responsibility, enrich the human experience and, in doing so, achieve increased awareness of and marketability for their own businesses.

BY BARRY FRIES, CEO, B.R. FRIES AND ASSOCIATES, CONSTRUCTORS