Green building becomes more commonplace

The Urban Land Institute conference, held in April in Seattle featured a variety of presentations illustrating a growing demand for environmentally conscious development. The consensus among the speakers was that green building is increasing being combined with smart growth techniques to produce sustainable, energy-efficient and land-efficient development.

ULI Senior Resident Fellow Edward McMahon told the conferees that declining quality of life resulting from decades of sprawling development is fueling public support for communities that combine green space and smart growth ideas.

“The single most popular response to sprawl is to save open space,” he said, adding that in the last election cycle, voters approved more than 160 measures across the country to preserve open space, through public acquisition, at a cost of more than $4 billion. He added that open space must be planned into infrastructure as cities continue to grow.

Bret Gregory, president and CEO of Mithun Architects + Designers + Planners in Seattle, spoke about a new program from the U.S. Green Building Council. The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Neighborhood Development, or LEED ND, program measures developments based on location efficiency; resource efficiency; environmental preservation; and compact, complete and connected neighborhoods.

The designation, Gregory said, is designed to expand the LEED rating and certification system to cover entire neighborhoods. The program is expected to be available by 2007.

The conference also touched on issues such as new programs that are increasing the affordability of green building and advanced green techniques being used overseas.

The green movement also is gaining momentum locally.

The Missouri Heartland Chapter of the USGBC, formed in 2003, recently received recognition from the national chapter and is now adding members.

Local projects using LEED techniques include the addition to the Discovery Center, built by Heartland Chapter member Dewitt & Associates, and a new educational facility for the Watershed Committee of the Ozarks.[[In-content Ad]]