Going green. From developments, buildings, offices, and dwellings, that’s what everybody is talking about nowadays. But what really makes a building green? And more importantly why go green?
In a nutshell, green buildings are constructed using processes that are environmentally responsible and resource efficient, promoting a healthy, sustainable ecosystem for all the stakeholders. Going green minimizes the strain on local infrastructure and reduces our carbon footprint which is the main culprit of climate change.
These projects efficiently use energy and water, reducing waste and pollution, improving air quality, as well as protect the health of the occupants, improving overall efficiency and productivity which result in higher property values.
Given the reasons mentioned above, going green does prove to have concrete tangible benefits – especially for the end user.
But like all business decisions, the decision to do (or not do) something, is usually based on financial considerations. This begs the question – “Is it really more expensive to go green?”.
Yes and no. Confusing? Not really. In the Philippines, if you want a building to be “green certified”, you must have it certified by either LEED or BERDE. LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a member of the US Green Building Council and the most widely used green building rating system in the world. LEED provides a framework to create healthy, highly efficient, and cost-saving green buildings[1]. BERDE, on the other hand, is the local counterpart. BERDE stands for Building for Ecologically Responsive Design Excellence and is the country’s green building rating system developed by the Philippine Green Building Council.
To be LEED or BERDE certified, you must pass a list of criteria and earn points based on their checklist to qualify for certification. Note that you will need a LEED or BERDE certified professional to properly guide you and register your building. However, you can easily download the checklist to roughly see how points are acquired. LEED’s checklist, for example, can be downloaded here: https://www.usgbc.org/resources/leed-v4-building-design-and-construction-checklist.
It is important to note that there are certain tiers you can get, each with corresponding point totals. Of the total 110 points, you only need a total of 40 points, while a LEED Platinum certified building would need at least 80 points.
Going platinum is certainly prestigious, but will be very expensive. It will likely entail the use of solar panels, rainwater harvesting, and advanced building management systems. However, if you are satisfied with being LEED certified, there are a few points you can get that won’t really cost anything if your architect has planned it properly on the onset. Properly sourcing your materials can easily get you 10 points while a reduction in energy use between 20% to 30% can easily get you 5 to 10 points – with an obvious benefit of reducing your building’s energy bill. Using low-emitting products like paint with low volatile organic compounds (VOC) or those with strong paint fumes can easily get your 3 points.
Most importantly, going green is not just about environmental protection. Yes, it has economic value, by lowering your utility bills. But what it really does is invest in our future. It gives our buildings purpose. And that is to serve as a legacy for our future generation.
