Standard Building Design

Any new office construction or renovation project should feature both high performance and sustainable attributes. High performance buildings which are often green incorporate features not always thought of as green such as flexible and adaptable indoor spaces and improved indoor environments. Sustainable buildings focus on elements common to green construction such as energy and water usage, recycled content and greenhouse gases emitted to produce and ship the products.

There are many high performance and sustainable strategies available to achieve your goals however, very few deliver both, and do it cost effectively. A strategy such as daylighting offers both high performance and sustainable benefits because it helps to improve the indoor environment while reducing power lighting requirements.

Other common strategies such as waterless urinals, improved building shells and green roofs have sustainable advantages, but really provide no performance benefit to the occupants. High performance features such as company gyms or full service cafeterias have little sustainable benefits and add cost. Once strategies that cost effectively provide both benefits are identified, they should become standard building practices.