By Shera Dalin
When construction giant Alberici Corp. christened its headquarters
building in 2005, it put itself and St. Louis on the map for
environmentally-conscious commercial buildings.
The building earned the highest environmental certification
(platinum) by the U.S. Green Building Council. And the propeller-driven
windmill twirling above and native grass surrounding the building
are just the outward signs that a trend has been born and continues
today. More and more developers, architects and building owners
are jumping aboard the green bandwagon.
In part, they have been aided by a drop in materials cost that
resulted from increased availability of environmentally-friendly
goods among a variety of manufacturers.
“(Demand) is skyrocketing,” says Tim Gaidis, architect and senior
project designer with HOK.
“The grassroots sustainability movement has reached a tipping
point through media coverage and awareness in the corporate
sector. Corporations are looking to show general responsibility
and so they often have sustainability plans and they want to
attract the best employees; employees want to work in the best
places. Workplaces with higher levels of sustainability are
more attractive to them.”
Further evidence of the trend toward commercial green buildings
comes from a requirement issued in February by St. Louis City.
Any City buildings larger than 5,000 square feet must be built
to the silver-level standards established by the Green Building
Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)
program. The City also encouraged LEED silver certification
principles be used to retrofit City buildings. St. Louis followed
Clayton in requiring silver-level LEED certification of new
buildings.
“When local governments require sustainability, local clients
will demand it,” Gaidis says.
Private projects that are following suit include St. Louis Community
College’s new campus in Wildwood, which will have a “green”
roof covered with grass to deflect heat and insulate the building
as well as several projects that Vertegy consulting worked on.
Other green projects underway in the area include Anheuser-Busch’s
Technology Center, Centocor Biologic’s office, St. Louis Center
renovation, Cupples Station, Security Building and the Roberts
Tower downtown.
Three reasons drive developers to seek LEED certification, says
Thomas A. Taylor, general manager of green consultant Vertegy.
Taylor, who led the construction of Alberici’s headquarters
before he formed the company’s Vertegy division, says companies
enjoy the positive publicity associated with “going green,”
higher quality of work from going through the LEED certification
process and one-upmanship.
“It’s a competition thing,” Taylor says. “If Toyota has already
done it, GM is going to do it too.”
With demand increasing, architects and designers like HOK and
the Lawrence Group are paying attention.
The Lawrence Group adopted green design in its corporate culture
several years ago and has a large portion of LEED accredited
staff (30), with more being trained.
Chief executives and developers considering eco-friendly building
should embrace the idea before the project is designed, Taylor
suggests. That way, costs for heating/cooling systems, low gas-emitting
carpets and paint, water-saving landscapes and more are part
of the design and compete with traditional building budgets.
“If you want to build a green building, challenge the team to
deliver that building for the dollar amount (you set),” Taylor
says. “You are saying, ‘I want the best building that I can
have, rather than just a building.’”
Be aware that costs can rise depending on the geographic area
and on the level of LEED certification the building is seeking:
certified (basic), silver, gold or platinum. They can jump by
between two percent and six percent, with the higher number
based on gold or platinum level, Gaidis says.
Savings on energy costs can be recouped over five years at the
silver level and closer to 10 years for gold certification.
That savings has caught the attention of AmerenUE. The utility
and the local chapter of the Green Building Council awarded
$90,000 to 18 building owners/developers applying for LEED certification.
The grants are part of a settlement between Ameren and the Missouri
Public Service Commission to encourage energy efficiency.
With more green projects on the horizon, the St. Louis area
will only improve its image as an environmentally-conscious
region, specialists say.
“There is no shortage of green work; only more of it,” Taylor
says.
