More and more frequently, our clients want their building to be “green”. What is a green or sustainable design? It is the way a high performance building is designed, built and operated that make it green. The design makes efficient use of energy, water, materials and the land it is on. And it creates a more healthy and productive work or living environment.

The green building process is a relatively new way to make a building happen. Building green is now proscriptive in some jurisdictions while other jurisdictions offer incentives. The most widely accepted standard for certifying a building as “green” is the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating system developed by the U.S. Green Building Council.

Although there is a growing acceptance that green building is the new norm, it needs to be done in a thoughtful manner. That is where our project managers can help out. We have been through the process many times and can manage all the steps in the process by: