Green is still fashionable

Sustainable development, all the rage less than a year ago, has survived the economic downturn.

There just isn't much in the way of development or construction sustainable or otherwise undertaken in northern Nevada these days.

But as projects are sketched out these days for construction once the economy rebounds, owners are telling architects and engineers to incorporate as much green design as possible into buildings.

"People still are talking about it in some cases as if it's a given now," says Reno architect Ric Licata, who heads the American Institute of Architects in Nevada. "It's now part of the equation."

During 2008, at least 90 percent of the requests received by Q&D Construction in Sparks asked about the company's experience with sustainable development and commitment to the process, says Q&D spokeswoman Sheila Hlubucek.

"The dialogue has been constant," she says. "Green technology is definitely not a fad."

In some cases, the boards of directors or top management of large companies have established corporate-wide policies dictating use of sustainable development processes, says Marc Markwell, a partner in Reno with the development company Dermody Properties.

That translates into energy-efficient design even in buildings that don't have signed tenants when construction begins. For example, when Dermody undertook a 545,550-square-foot distribution center at Stead as a speculative venture, the project included high-efficiency lighting, well-insulated windows and special parking for hybrid vehicles and bicycles.

Another factor that keeps sustainable building practices in the forefront is a widespread belief that fuel prices are likely to rebound from their current low levels.

"Everyone knows this decline is only short-term, with many peaks to come," says Licata.

But the continued interest in green practices doesn't mean that developers or owners are willing to spend a lot of extra money to get the warm feelings of winning designation from the Leadership in Energy and Environmental LEED program of the U.S. Green Building Council.

In fact, some owners are building sustainable buildings while deciding that they're not going to put the time and money into preparing and documenting an application for LEED designation, says Kimberly Phipps-Nichol, a LEED-certified professional who owns the Reno interior design firm Blue Water Studio.

The costs of documentation are a particular concern, she says, on smaller projects where the expense can amount to a significant percentage of the overall cost of the project.

But despite owners' willingness to forego LEED-branded designation of some projects, Phipps-Nichol says, "It is still in the forefront of people's minds."

While some owners have worried about the additional upfront costs required for some energy-efficient construction practices, the slumping construction business alleviates some of those concerns, says Pete Blakely, the president of BJG Architecture + Engineering in Reno.

The reason: Hungry contractors bid aggressively for work, bringing overall construction costs down even with the addition of energy-efficient upgrades.

But Blakely says owners also are very focused on the potential financial benefits of sustainable design practices.

"We're spending more time these days justifying the return on investment," he says.

The continued interest in sustainable design, too, is seen in the work undertaken by professional groups.

The Northern Nevada Chapter of the AIA, for instance, devoted a recent quarterly meeting to sustainable design, hosting speakers on subjects ranging from advancements in furniture design to the uses of wind-generation equipment.

And 39 construction and design professionals completed a two-day program on LEED certification hosted by the Nevada Chapter of the Associated General Contractors in Reno.

"Sustainability is the right thing to do, and we all know it," says Q&D's Hlubucek.