A budding development is taking root in Central Florida — a move toward “green building,” or creating structures designed to conserve energy and preserve the environment. Currently, there are three Central Florida green buildings and at least two more green projects on the drawing board for Orlando.
“Going green is an exponentially growing trend,” says Mike Hess, managing member of Greentime, an Orlando-based environmental consultancy. “We are working with more than a dozen projects statewide, with several others pending.”
‘Perfect storm’ Propelling the growth of green buildings is a “perfect storm” of factors, including greater environmental awareness and government tax incentives.
Energy consumption is another factor behind the green movement. Consider: Commercial buildings consume about 40 percent of the energy used in the nation — more than cars or manufacturing plants — according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
The typical green project produces energy savings that range from 40 cents-50 cents per square foot each year, says Hess. And on the residential side, the savings for homeowners who have gone green can be as much as half of their home energy bill, if not more.
The rising cost of construction materials also has encouraged builders to go green. “Building green is becoming almost as economical as traditional construction methods, especially with the skyrocketing costs of such materials as concrete and steel,” says Roy O. Bonnell Jr., executive director of the Florida Green Building Coalition, a Naples-based nonprofit group.
Some of the latest green building materials include energy-efficient foam insulation, windows and doors, heating and air-conditioning units, solar lighting resources, pre-constructed wall systems and landscaping processes such as green roofing. In general, green materials have a high recycled content, can be reused or recycled, are made locally, are less toxic and are rapidly renewable, says Kyle Abney, head of pre-construction services for Hoar Construction and a founding member of the Central Florida chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council, which represents the building industry. The key to a successful green project is to involve all parties from the start, including architects, builders and landscape professionals, Bonnell says. That’s because the cost efficiencies generally come with building them into the design process instead of waiting until the construction phase, when the advantages are limited, he says.
To keep everyone on the same page, the coalition is creating statewide green building standards for houses, community developments, commercial buildings and government agencies. With its guidance, local standards for state municipalities were adopted earlier this year.