Real Estate Journal — Green Buildings /Environmental— October 26 - November 8, 2018 — 13B
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M id A tlantic
G reen B uildings /E nvironmental JL Architects headquarters receives Energy Star score of 85 John Lister, AIA, LEED AP, GGP turns aspirations into achievements
I
n 2007 I achieved two of my personal goals, 1. To be a developer, and,
investments yield returns for a long time. We can show the payback operationally and as a capital asset. 3- We have a more valuable asset because of the certifica- tion. The objective and mea- surable performance shows that the operations cost is lower, resulting in a higher return. If I were a tenant look- ing for space, I would look for the one that will cost less to oc- cupy in both rent and utilities. We just checked off that box. Looking forward. Next, we will pursue certi- fication under Green Globe- Existing Buildings. While
Energy Star is a great program it only measures energy con- servation. Green Globes will take a broader view includ- ing the indoor environment. Indoor Environment leads to greater productivity. Greater Productivity leads to increased profitability. Increased Profit- ability benefits the ENTIRE team. It will either justify or provide a road map to improve the work environment result- ing in greater productivity and team satisfaction. John Lister, AIA, LEED AP, GGP is principal of JL Architects inWest Chester, PA.
2. Build an office build- ing for my company. In 1981 I started my first “real” job out of col- lege at Skid- more Owings
John Lister
and Merrill (SOM). I was told that SOM always wanted to be in a building they designed. While JL Architects will never be SOM, it was still in my head. While I had always been conscious of energy and re- source conservation, the green building programs were just getting started. In designing and building my family’s home in 1993, and then our com- pany’s home in 2007, I took into consideration many of the tactics of passive conservation and post-consumer recycled materials. Formal accredita- tion was not on my radar due to the cost of LEED. Stepping Up Last month we took the first step in correcting that shortcoming; our office build- ing achieved an Energy Star score of 85. This means that our building performs in the 85th percentile in a pool of its peers; buildings of a similar size, use and climate loca- tion. It is especially pleasing because the Energy Star stan- dards were recently updated to reflect improved building performance due to code up- dates and tighter regulations. Other Than the Sticker, What Does This Mean? First, there is objective data substantiating the increased value of our asset in saving operating dollars. I can also say that the cost of operations savings was negligible. The design of the building followed good building practices. The materials used were slightly more expensive. The return- on-investment was less than 2 years. While I always felt the building performed well, we now have the data to prove it because we undertook the process to measure it. Why Does this Matter? 1 – Most important is that we consult on Green Building Certifications under Green Globes and LEED. We fol- lowed our own advice to see if updates or changes in habits
JL Architects’ HQ in West Chester, PA protects the environment through superior energy performance. were needed. We found that our current routine works. 2- We have a new data point to show that minor capital
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