Is LEED Dying

The LEED Program's Green is Beginning to Turn Brown

As I was riding my bike to work this morning in 82 degree temperatures, I thought about how silly it was that you could get an extra point towards a LEED certification for having a bike rack. I didn’t need a bike rack when I arrived at my plant, I needed a shower. Or shall I say, my employees needed for me to take a shower. This made me reflect upon how little I have seen LEED related projects on the drawing boards for new projects. What was once the great movement that was touted by all in the construction industry as a revolutionary way to consider construction, is now becoming a waning fad just like granite counter tops and brightly colored Croc shoes. How has the LEED program met with such a precipitous decline?

I wrote a post over two years ago about how the construction industry needed to wake up and see that the LEED program was adding very little value to the construction process. At the time, LEED was very popular and I felt like I was being heretical to oppose such a venerable institution. I certainly wouldn’t want to be perceived to be an irresponsible capitalist who scoffs at construction stewardship. Back in 2012, the LEED program was having a profound effect on realigning priorities in the construction industry and changing the way we looked at energy consumption and resource utilization. Architects were standing in line to gain certification and building owners were jumping through hoops to achieve a platinum level certification. I felt that the program had grown to the point where the costs were beginning to exceed the benefits. Here we are in 2015 and all that hype has dissipated because of a number of factors.

After you suffer through a LEED certified project, you have a better understanding of what costs are associated with achieving such a designation. The costs of registering the project are just the beginning. Most people who are experienced with the certification complain about the massive administrative costs associated with documenting compliance. Other costs such as increased design expenses, energy modeling, installation of monitoring devices, and testing that has become part of LEED’s latest version add a substantial amount to the project. Finally, we have the cost of construction which is amplified by demanding features such as FSC-certified wood and local sources for building materials that restrict one’s ability to source equal products at a lower cost. Some estimate that pursuing a LEED certification can increase the total cost of construction by over $1 per square foot.

The administrative burden is another reason that LEED has lost popularity. Everyone in the construction process from the owner, designer, contractor, subcontractors, and suppliers spend thousands of hours to research alternatives and provide documentation in an effort to meet the requirements. The last thing our industry needs right now is another reason to delay construction. For instance, our company has to spend one complete day per year to undergo a Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification to be able to provide the required FSC wood for a LEED project. It became such an exercise in nonsense, I recently told FSC we would pass on the renewal this year. If we run into a LEED project that demands FSC wood in the future, I will apply any associated fees to the costs of the project.

Let’s face it, from 2000 to 2012 it was exciting to get on the LEED bandwagon. The construction industry was in the dumps and everyone was looking for something to distinguish their company in a desperate attempt to generate revenues. Building owners were willing to pay more to brand their structure as LEED certified. Developers could charge more per square foot, corporations could benefit from positive public relations, and suppliers could charge more for certified materials. LEED gave the industry new hope during a lethal recession. We find ourselves in a different position today. Since there are over 50,000 buildings that have been certified over the years, the panache associated with a gold or platinum level certification has significantly diminished. The survivors of the poor economy have climbed out of the recessionary doldrums and are back to work. The last thing we are looking for now is a program that offers additional cost with little benefit.

In an attempt to keep growing in popularity and become more than just a passing fad, LEED attempted to justify its program by producing a biased study of the benefits of certification. The New Building Institute (NBI) produced a study documenting the difference in energy consumption between LEED-certified buildings and existing construction stock. NBI concluded that LEED buildings were 25-30% more energy efficient relative to conventional buildings. Very few people are aware that NBI is a non-profit largely funded by the USGBC which is responsible for LEED, or that the board of directors of NBI has members from the USGBC, When the study was evaluated by independent agencies, they concluded that there are no significant reductions in LEED buildings compared to similar structures. So why go through the pain of certification if there is no real benefit?

In conclusion, I think the LEED program will be looked at as that moment of excitement when the industry was reeling from one of the worst recessions in history. The stockholders of the USGBC will retire with their millions generated from the program, and architects will have to print new business cards without the LEED professional certification. Hopefully the industry will remember some of the valuable principles outlined in the program so we can continue to construct outstanding buildings.

I think it’s time for a shower. The flies are starting to take over my office and people are avoiding me.

The Replacement Treadmill

Re-View worked on this project 17 years ago where we restored the existing steel windows. Several openings had louvers and needed a new window installed so the construction team specified a wood replacement window to fill these openings. We installed what is known as one of the best wood replacement windows in the industry.

The industry has a negative impression of historic steel windows. They can be costly to restore and most often contain lead paint. They are also poor performers from modern energy efficiency standards. The glass is single pane and is clear so the R Values and shading coefficient ratings fail to compare to modern replacements. As a result, many of these windows are replaced. The industry has interpreted "Green" to mean high energy efficiency ratings rather than durable products.

The industry fails to recognize the true value of historic steel windows. They are designed to perform for hundreds of years with little maintenance required. But since the industry is focused on energy efficiency, they are replaced with energy efficient replacement windows that need to be replaced every 20 years. The picture below documents the condition of the wood replacement window compared to a restored steel window.

When you evaluate whether you want to restore or replace a historic window, ask yourself if you really want to get on the replacement treadmill?

Construction Stewardship

Last weekend, I was hanging out on the porch of preservationist Bob Yapp’s 1859 mansion in Hannibal, Missouri which he has meticulously restored into the Belvedere Inn Bed and Breakfast. Bob and I were sharing a number of war stories about the preservation business and he told me a great story about his father. His father was a weekend warrior who worked on his 1907 Craftsman style home. One day he said to young Bob, “We don’t own this home.” Bob became alarmed that the family was moving so his father clarified his statement. “Yes, we bought this home, but we are stewards of this house. Being a good steward means every time we fix something we must do good work that lasts so the next family can enjoy it as much as we have.” That interaction had a life changing impact on young Yapp and made me think about how few people in the construction business truly embrace the role of being a good steward.

Stewardship is an ethic that embodies the responsible planning and management of all resources. It can be applied to many practices like the environment, business, economics, government, theology, etc. This principle, essentially, is the guiding force to do what’s right for the long term. Most often that involves short-term sacrifices. Unfortunately, the American culture has become more driven by immediate satisfaction. We devour fast food, demand a rising stock market, have instant access to information, pop pills for quick remedies, and require prompt returns on real estate transactions. I am concerned that our obsession for immediacy is making us become poor stewards of our resources.

The neglect of the concept of stewardship is rampant in the construction industry. Most developers are in the business to earn a quick profit for their shareholders. They are not in the business of promoting the general welfare of the community. So it makes sense from their perspective that a city block needs to be razed to make way for the new office complex. The positive ROI they generate in a 20-year period far surpasses what could be generated from the existing structures. But where does this leave the community over the next 100 years? Many a city in the US has been carved up by misguided development that just doesn’t make sense over multiple generations. The Best Buy and Kohl’s stores will be long forgotten when the shells of their non-distinct buildings clutter the landscape.

We are also seeing a significant increase in the tearing down of established neighborhoods because the value of their land has increased to the point that it is desirable for constructing a modern McMansion. This movement called “mansionization” has resulted in an estimated 32,000 homes being leveled across the country in 2014 so an owner can have 4 bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms like one finds in suburban America. This clear-cutting of the vintage housing stock is obliterating the character of many a community. My old neighborhood where I lived in the mid 80’s in Dallas is totally unrecognizable today because of this phenomenon.

This isn’t to say there hasn’t been redevelopment of existing structures. Historic tax incentives and a rising appeal of classic architecture has sparked an interest in the restoration of historic buildings for use as loft apartments, offices, hotels, and specialty retail stores. Unfortunately, in an effort to achieve a quick ROI on this work, the construction team resorts to substandard materials and processes to reduce the cost of the restoration. Other projects are driven by unrealistic energy efficiency expectations, the naive desire to eliminate maintenance, or the achievement of LEED points. For example, the 75-year-old windows on these projects are often replaced with a system that has a useful life of 20 years. Instead of restoring an existing window that was designed to last for 100’s of years, they swap them with disposable replacements. Bob Yapp’s father would not be impressed.

The key to combating these disturbing trends is to embrace the concept of stewardship. When one understands how briefly we all occupy this land and accepts a responsibility to leave it in a better condition, stewardship will become second nature. I hope that someday this manner of living will become mainstream rather than an ethos shared by a radical minority.

Re-View Project Highlight: Vance Federal Courthouse

Re-View manufactured historically correct wood window replicas for the Vance Federal Courthouse in Birmingham, Alabama. This Classical Revival building was constructed in 1921 and has been on the National Register since 1976. This U-shaped building occupies an entire city block.

The window replicas were made of mahogany and have laminated glass reinforced with aluminum muntin bars for safety and security reasons. The casements have unique hardware that lifts the sash so it can be hinged to the interior of the structure.

Legal Lottery

It is Time to Vacate Occupied Construction

I am finishing up a three-month complete kitchen remodel at my house and have had my fill of the chaos, clutter, and disarray. If you have ever remodeled the most used room in your house, you know what I’m talking about. It got so bad the other night that I was accused of displaying male menopause behavior. While I have been complaining about the endless hours of work and the omnipresent dust, it made me think about the challenges we have in performing construction work on occupied buildings. I would submit that restoration work on occupied buildings is becoming increasingly more challenging for the construction team. What was once a common practice is now complicated by legal battles and exorbitant costs to accommodate the occupants. Unfortunately, I think our days of working on occupied commercial buildings are soon to come to an end.

Since Re-View specializes in restoring historic windows on national landmarks across the country, we have a great deal of background in working on occupied structures. Over the past ten years, we have seen a dramatic increase in conflict related to the work being performed. The construction process affects the atmosphere of an occupied environment. In addition to the noise and displacement associated with construction, occupants are subjected to dust resulting from activities like masonry restoration, demolition, and plaster repair. Fumes from new materials, finishes or adhesives also cause an invasion of foreign material.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) outlines the impacts of particulates, biological materials and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). Terms like Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) are becoming commonplace. Other terms such as mesothelioma and silicosis [ are becoming known to the general population. The effects of mold were well documented in the 90’s. Basically, advertising by attorneys and the proliferation of material on the internet has made the general public very well informed on all the dangers associated with occupied construction work.

It’s hard to find someone who is not familiar with the growth of all types of litigation over the past thirty years. Cases such as the McDonalds coffee lawsuit, tobacco litigation, and new forays into suing purveyors of junk food are universally known. Children are even suing their parents these days. One of the fastest growing segments in the advertising industry is the legal field. The proliferation of radio, television, and billboard advertising for legal services over the past ten years is staggering. What this means is that your construction project can easily become fodder for the next big legal revenue opportunity.

While the legal field has been ramping up its efforts to drum up business, there has been a change in mentality of the typical American. There is a growing segment of our population that has become conditioned to the concept of getting something for nothing. The rampant rise in gambling is a direct result of this shift in mentality. Opportunists see frequent examples of people scoring million dollar awards at the local casino and read about the latest Powerball or Mega Millions winners. This behavior has also given birth to what is called the legal lottery where people are using lawsuits to score their next windfall.

What does this mean to the construction industry? If you are an owner, architect, general contractor, or supplier you are in the cross hairs of this trend and it is only getting worse. There are things that can be done to mitigate exposure such as more efficient containment, training, testing, and stricter project management. New developments in low VOC finishes and materials are a positive development. If matters continue to get worse, however, the renovation of occupied spaces may become a thing of the past.

Re-View Project Highlight: Minnesota State Capitol

The Minnesota State Capitol located in St. Paul, Minnesota was designed by Cass Gilbert and completed back in 1905. The original windows had been replaced with aluminum windows 30 years ago and something needed to be done since the replacements had exceeded their useful life. Re-View was selected to bring the windows back to their original state with some added features.

The aluminum replacements were removed revealing the original wood window frames. Re-View restored the wood frames using restoration epoxies and replicated wood parts. We used an original complete wood window that still remained in the building as the basis of design for replicating new wood sash. The sash were constructed from a wood called Accoya that is more durable than teak and has a 50 year warranty against wood rot. On the interior surface, Re-View laminated recovered 100+ year-old pine from the Idaho Lakes so the interior surfaces of the windows would match the existing woodwork in the building. Re-View glazed the sash with laminated insulated glass with Low E coatings to improve the energy efficiency, security, and sound transmission. The sash were connected to chains and balanced on new pulleys and lead counter weights.

Since some of the individual double hung windows were six feet wide by thirteen feet tall, the sash weighed in excess of 250 pounds. Re-View incorporated a combination of historic metal and modern weather stripping in order to seal the operating windows. Many of the installed windows were tested for air and water infiltration by an independent testing agency and it was determined that they were twice as tight as the published ratings for modern replacement windows. In the next phase of the project, Re-View will manufacture and install interior ballistic windows made of steel and ballistic glazing in high security sections of the Capitol.

Technology Update

I read a couple of articles recently that serve as great examples of how our obsession with technology is compromising our ability to function properly. One is a boxing match on March 27th where a boxer had his cell phone fall out of his pants during a boxing match. See the video.  Don't want to miss a call or a text message even if you are in the midst of a boxing match.

The other is the result of a recent Penn State study of 152 college students who admit to texting during class, while taking a shower, and even while having sex. The participants responded to a 70-question survey about their personal texting habits. Over 34% say they sent or receive more than 100 texts in a day and all of them check their phone every four minutes for text messages. See the article.