A Principal's Prospective - "iLEAD"

The growing priority of protecting our environment and conserving our natural resources within the main stream of our culture and our industry is both important and worth celebrating. This continued awareness is evidenced by (and through the leadership of the USGBC) LEED achieving name-brand status with respect to green building design. Just as one identifies iPods with MP3 players, LEED has become synonymous with sustainable development.

While this increased public awareness is encouraging, architects and developers (especially in the realm of multi-family and mixed use buildings) know that the world of sustainability is not simple. Many builders and developers continue to struggle to find there way through the increasingly complex world of point systems, new products and materials, and often loosely-defined local and regional requirements. The USGBC has made important strides though the development of pilot programs that are more applicable to multi-family housing, but the commissioning process has made many hesitant to embark on the certification process.

Buildings are responsible for well over half of all electricity consumption, approximately one third of energy use, greenhouse gas emissions, raw material use, and waste output, as well as a significant percentage of potable water use. (www.usgbc.org) With these facts in mind it continues to be incumbent on the building industry to wade through these challenges and take a leadership role in decreasing our impact on the environment and conserving recourses.

A significant difference can be made in a variety of ways. First, the design and development communities can take initiative by assisting local jurisdictions in the development of sensible, and achievable green building requirements that truly make a difference. It is not only in the interest of the development community to be at the table when decisions about these regulations are made, but it is also the best way to create measures and guidelines that are feasible. MVE, along with several of our bay area clients, are working closely with local cites to create a point system that balances local climate, infrastructure, and policy needs with appropriate construction technology and housing types.

It is also worth re-looking at the principles within our organizations that drive sustainable development and design. The most meaningful progress will be born out of a genuine motivation of stewardship, not merely market-driven approach.

Lastly, we can start by taking a hard look not only at what we design and build, but our own practice and office environments with the awareness that the sum of many small and seemingly insignificant gestures will add up to meaningful impact.