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As a member of the United States Green Building Council, DCA is committed to the principles of protecting the welfare of our environment and economy, and to helping our clients achieve their specific program goals. Clients will have the opportunity, through DCA, to certify their buildings through LEED (the USGBC's green building rating system: Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). LEED is a renowned program that has proven successful as a tool for clients to achieve national recoginition as a leader in the building industry.
It isn't as difficult to build a LEED-certifiable project as one may think. See the article below, "The True Costs of LEED," for a detailed look at how there are many simple design strategies and options that will not only save money in the operating costs of the building, but can contribute points toward obtaining LEED certification without additional construction costs. With LEED recognition also comes the potential for higher vacancy rates, rental rates, sale prices, and occupant satisfaction.
The goals of LEED are to provide improved energy performance, water efficiency, carbon emmision reductions, indoor air quality, and sensitivity to existing natural resources. Green building design strategies may include:
> Energy efficient heating, ventilaton and air conditioning (HVAC);
> Water-efficient plumbing fixtures;
> Landscape design that reuses wastewater, or requires no irrigation (depending on the climate and plants specified);
> Green roofs and/or cool roofs;
> Maximize natural daylighting to reduce lighting needs;
> Brownfield and infill development to protect existing undeveloped lands (especially farmland);
> Downtown revitalization, which includes street beautification, historic preservation and adaptive reuse of existing infrastructure.
Please visit the USGBC website for more detailed information.
be green and save money
> Abandon the myth that LEED is too costly to pursue:
> The True Costs of LEED -- An excellent article recently published in Environmental Design & Construction, describing how achieving LEED certification is not as difficult as is commonly thought.
> The Costs and Benefits of LEED-NC in Colorado -- An in-depth financial study of the a number of LEED projects in Colorado.
> Green Building Costs and Financial Benefits -- An examination by Gregory Kats of the possible financial benefits of building green.
> There are a number of financial incentives and rebates available when building green. Click on the following link for more information: Database of State Incentives for Renewbles and Efficiency.
sustainable design links
The following are a select few links to assist our clients in learning more about sustainable design.
> Green Building Certification Institute
> Whole Building Design Guide (National Institute of Building Sciences)
> California Integrated Waste Management Board - Green Building Design
> High Performing Buildings Magazine
> Environmental Building News - BuildingGreen.com
> Building Design & Construction Magazine
> AIA Top Ten Green Building Projects
> Advanced Buildings Guidelines
