Austin, Texas Paves the Way for the Expansion of Green Building
 |
| Christopher J. Harney Courtesy of Querrey & Harrow |
Austin Energy, the 9th largest public power utility in the United States, services a population of over 900,000. In light of these monumental energy demands, the City of Austin has developed innovative and groundbreaking ways to supply green energy and thereby lower the energy output and reduce the carbon footprint of each of its customers.
Austin Energy has been so successful in its green transformation that it was named the recipient of the 2008 Environmental Protection Agency Climate Protection Award. In addition, the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency named Austin Energy an Energy Star Partner of the Year in 2005 and 2006.
Ordinances and Incentives
Austin had been a part of the progressive movement toward green energy and building early on (Austin created one of the first green building certification programs in the world in 1990), and its plans for creating a green city were escalated in 2000 when the City of Austin passed a resolution requiring at least LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) Silver certification for all municipal buildings within city limits.
 |
| Austin City Hall, a LEED Gold certified space Courtesy of the City of Austin |
According to the U.S. Green Building Council’s website, “LEED is a third party certification program and the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings,” offering the following levels of ratings: Certified; Silver; Gold; and Platinum.
Austin soon turned its attention to owners and builders of residential and commercial buildings to participate in the formation of a green city. Austin began adopting numerous green building provisions in the City Building Code, with requirements depending on location, zoning designation and building type.
Uniquely, Austin Energy Green Building™ developed its own rating system which offers a one to five-star rating based on a point system covering nine categories: Basic requirements; Team; Site; Energy; Water; Indoor Environmental Quality; Materials; Resources; Education; and Innovation. Furthermore, all buildings, including single–family dwellings, must meet the minimum requirements embodied in the one star rating.
Realizing the financial difficulties many residents face bringing their properties up to code, the City designed various rebate programs including the Solar PV Rebate Program, the Solar Water Heating Rebate program, and the Photovoltaic Incentive Program, just to name a few. In addition, the State of Texas has catalyzed these green ambitions by creating numerous loan programs and tax exemptions.
Impact on the Construction Industry
As many cities around the nation follow Austin’s lead, building owners, fueled by incentive programs, will look to the construction industry to bring their existing buildings up to code and to construct their new energy-saving properties.
Companies within the construction industry will be awarded with increased business, but this incentive will likely be accompanied by difficulties associated with unfamiliar code requirements and the complexities involved in implementing green elements in uncooperative locations. Builders and architects will need to develop innovative ways to ensure the building being constructed or renovated still serves its conceptualized purpose.
Construction in 2007 of the Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas, located in Austin, Texas, serves as a perfect example of the challenges companies within the construction community will face as cities and owners transform their properties into green spaces.
Tom Sneary, the principal architect of the Medical Center was quoted in an article titled “Green Guidelines Take Root in Austin.” Sneary said, “LEED itself, and the USGBC, are not geared toward a hospital environment, simply because it is one that runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.” Despite these challenges, Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas managed to become the first hospital in the world to obtain a LEED Platinum certification.
Construction of this hospital and similar sustainable projects in the Austin area illustrate the need for dynamic planning and cooperation with gifted architects and consultants. These projects also serve as stellar examples of how the move to green will bring increased business to the construction industry and how seemingly high standards required by various city ordinances and resolutions can not only be reached but surpassed.
Construction Industry and the Future
It is wise for companies to embrace these increasingly demanding green requirements and position themselves at the forefront of green building. A general contractor who successfully adapts to standards of sustainability will be in greater demand by owners and municipalities looking to fluidly bring their buildings up to code. In addition, this new area of construction offers bounds of future growth and promise to new companies seeking to find a niche in the construction industry.
Also, entrepreneurs should take advantage of incentive programs offered by cities and states to foster the development and startup success of green companies. For example, Texas’ Solar Wind and Energy Business Franchise Tax Exemption provides an exemption (from the franchise tax) for any company in Texas engaging solely in the business of manufacturing, selling, or installing solar energy devices. These types of incentive programs lessen much of the financial risk associated with business startup in the highly competitive construction industry.
Green Guidelines Take Root in Austin by Eileen Schwartz located at http://texas.construction.com/features/archive/0702_cover.asp
