Conclusion:
Choosing to build green on brownfields makes sense for
a number of reasons, including:
• Reduced operating expenses with comparable
design and construction costs;
• Better indoor air quality for a more healthy
building;
Better occupant comfort and worker productivity;
For not-for-profit organizations, building green may
open opportunities for design and construction
funding that would not be available otherwise; and
The symbolic value of leaving behind a legacy of
contamination for a more sustainable future.
Although EPA is not planning additional Green Building on
Brownfields pilots, the lessons learned from these projects
can provide models for other communities interested in
pursuing a green building proj ect. For more details on each
pilotproject, see the individual Green Building on Brownfields
pilot factsheets, available on EPA's Brownfields Program
website, www.epa.gov/brownfields. Those interested in
learning more about green buildings are encouraged to visit
the web sites listed below.
Additional Resources:
The following web sites provide information about green
buildings and brownfields that may be useful.
Energy Star
http://www.energystar.gov/
The U.S. Green Building Council*
http://www.usgbc.org
GreenerBuildings.com, a partnership between
GreenBiz.com and the U.S. Green Building Council*
http: //www. greenerbuildings .com/
The Whole Building Design Guide*
http: //www. wbdg .org/
U.S. EPA's Green Buildings web site
http://www.epa.gov/greenbuilding/
U.S. EPA's Office of Brownfields Cleanup and
Redevelopment
http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/index.html
*EPA cannot attest to the accuracy of information
provided by this Web site. Providing non-EPA Web sites
does not constitute an endorsement by EPA or any of its
employees of the sponsors of the sites or the information
or products presented on the site.
United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, D.C. 20460
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5105)
EPA-560-F-04-240
June 2004
www.epa.gov/brownfields/
Many Reasons to Build
Green on Brownfields
Lessons Learned from the Green Buildings on Brownfields Pilot Initiative
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) Brownfields Program is designed to empower states,
tribes, communities, and other stakeholders in economic redevelopment to work together in a timely manner
to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse brownfields. A brownfield is real property, the
expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a
hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant.
In 2002, EPA provided eight applicants with expert
services to support the development of green
buildings on brownfields, in conjunction with
brownfields assessment and cleanup. These
professional services included architecture,
engineering, planning, and community outreach
activities. This effort, EPA's Green Buildings on
Brownfields Pilot Initiative, responded to the needs and
interests of many brownfields communities who
wanted to "green" their approach to brownfields
redevelopment. Building environmentally-friendly
buildings on what was once contaminated (or perceived
to be contaminated) land can be symbolic of a new,
environmentally-sound direction for communities, as
well as tangible growth for their economies.
This fact sheet summarizes some of the key lessons
learned from the Green Buildings on Brownfields Pilot
Initiative. Though each project was unique in some
ways, they also encountered many similar benefits and
challenges in their efforts to develop green buildings
on brownfields. This factsheet is intended as a resource
for stakeholders interested in developing green buildings
on brownfields, although many of the lessons learned are
more broadly applicable for those who seek to develop
green buildings on sites without contamination concerns.
Additional resources are listed at the end.
Green or sustainable
building is the practice of
creating healthier and more
resource-efficient models of
construction, renovation,
operation, maintenance,
and demolition.
Green Buildings on Brownfields Initiative:
Pilot Projects
+ Community Center Building, Springfield,
Massachusetts (EPA Region 1)
+ The National Aquarium in Baltimore's Center
for Aquatic Life and Conservation, Baltimore,
Maryland (EPA Region 3)
4 ReGenesis Medical Center, Spartanburg, South
Carolina (EPA Region 4)
+ Marina District Redevelopment, Toledo, Ohio
(EPA Region 5)
+ World Headquarters for Heifer International,
Little Rock, Arkansas (EPA Region 6)
+ Trailnet Inc., Trailhead Building, St. Louis, Missouri
(EPA Region 7)
4 Community Culture and Commercial Center,
Kauai, Hawaii (EPA Region 9)
4 Volcanic Legacy Discovery Center, Mt. Shasta,
California (EPA Region 9)
(Continue)
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Five Lessons Learned for Building Green on Brownfields
7 .* Green Buildings Can Leverage Green Money
Five of the pilots involved green buildings for not-for-profit organizations.
Though their reasons for choosing to develop green buildings varied,
each of these not-for-profit organizations spoke of the fund raising
advantage their decision to go green provided. For example, in
Springfield, Massachusetts, the New North Citizens' Council was
able to bolster its application for funding from Home Depot, the
Massachusetts Renewable Energy Trust, and other foundations
in large part due to its decision to pursue a green building.
Other pilots reported similar advantages.
The financial benefits for not-for-profit organizations also extends beyond the
design and construction phase. As one architect supporting a pilot pointed out, the
funding challenge for not-for-profit organizations does not end with the grand opening of a
new building. By choosing to go green, not-for-profit organizations benefit from reduced
operating costs over the lifetime of the building through reduced energy and water expenses.
2* Symbolism Can Be Powerful
Though financial considerations played a key role in the decision of some pilots to go
green, others were motivated more by a desire to distance their community from a
legacy of contamination. In Spartanburg, South
Carolina, residents were attracted to the concept
of a "healthy" building to move beyond past
problems with contamination. In Anahola, Hawaii,
residents were motivated to "do the right thing" in
part from native Hawaiian culture which views
the land as "borrowed" from future generations.
In both cases, the communities were energized
by the vision of a more healthy and sustainable
future through a green building.
Preliminary conceptual design (elevation view) of a mixed-use
development planned in Anahola, Hawaii.
3:
"Visuals " Help Build Visions
Many people have never heard of a "green" building. This may lead to misconceptions
when the prospect of a green building is first presented. For most of the pilots, it was
necessary to educate decision makers and other key stakeholders about the basics of
green buildings. Many people first assume that green
buildings must be significantly more expensive than
conventional buildings. In fact, the average green
building has been found to cost only two percent more
than conventional buildings according to one study.1
Moreover, any increase in cost is often quickly
recovered through energy savings. Others may wonder
if green buildings are as comfortable as conventional
buildings; in fact, occupant comfort and worker
productivity is a selling point for green buildings that
emphasize improved indoor environmental conditions.
(continued)
Several of the pilots used charrettes or other public meetings to educate stakeholders
about the basics of green buildings. In particular, the pilots that were able to develop
conceptual site plans, sketches, or other drawings of the proposed green building
reported that these illustrations were by far their most effective tool in building support
and energizing stakeholders around the proposed development. Illustrations and
stakeholder education can be a powerful combination for energizing stakeholders
around a common vision for a green building.
LCSSOH 41 Establish Clear Green Goals Early
:iB^^r
Green buildings can usually be built at costs similar to conventional buildings. However,
one of the ways that the cost of a green building can rise unnecessarily is through excessive
design expenses. If architects and engineers do not have a clear understanding of the
green goals of the building from the outset, they may revert to conventional design techniques.
The resulting iteration of designs between client and designer then increases the cost of
the project. It is much more cost-effective to design green
features in from the beginning, in an integrated fashion, than to
try to tack them on at the end.
Two of the pilots sought to address this issue by convening
key decision makers and technical experts to develop pre-
design documents that detail the green performance goals
of the building and, in some cases, the technologies to be
used. These pilots plan to incorporate text from these pre-
design documents into their requests for proposals from,
and contracts with, architects and engineers.
Preliminary site plan for the proposed New North
Citizens' Council Community Center in Springfield,
Massachusetts.
LCSSOH 5. Finding the Right Expertise Can Be a Challenge
'reliminary conceptual drawing of Heifer International's
new headquarters in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Most major cities have a number of architects and engineers with expertise in green
building design. The U.S. Green Building Council maintains a data base of Leadership
in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified professionals on their web site
to assist in locating green building experts. However there are still relatively few
green building professionals in many mid-sized cities and small towns.
Two of the pilots were in such locations, and chose to meet this challenge by working with
local architects and engineers eager to learn more about green building design. By doing
so, they were helping build local expertise for future green buildings. Ultimately, the
decision to work with a local architect or
engineer that is still climbing the learning curve
or a green building expert at a more distant
location will depend upon the specifics of cost
and the level of specialized expertise required.
JKats, Greg. "The Costs and Financial
Benefits of Green Buildings: A Report to
California's Sustainable Building Task
Force." October, 2003. Available online
at: http://www.usgbc.org/Docs/News/
News477.pdf
(continued)
Artist's conception of the National Aquarium's
proposed Center for Aquatic Life and Conservation in
Baltimore, Maryland.
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