Like other big corporations, Bank of America is constructing new office space that meets green specifications. Its latest project is a 52-story skyscraper, set in midtown Manhattan, which aims to be "the world's most environmentally friendly skyscraper." However, as more firms become wise to the ways of building green, the growing trend brings to light the challenges surrounding new zoning procedures needed to support a new generation of architecture.

"We are attempting to show corporate America that doing the right thing for the environment needn't be impossible or uneconomical," said John Saclarides, senior vice president of corporate real estate at Bank of America. "We try to be a leader in many aspects, whether it's banking or being the best place to work or the environment. Buildings won't get taken to a higher standard unless we lead it."

The building's most notable green features include the following:

• An onsite 5.1 megawatt co-generation power plant that provides 70 percent of the building's daily power supply;
• A gray-water system that captures and reuses all rainwater and wastewater, saving millions of gallons of water annually; and
• Recyclable and renewable building materials.

These types of building amenities are exactly why zoning boards are being forced to rethink the approval process when it comes to giving green projects the green light, according to a recent write-up from Toolbase Services entitled "Green Land Development: Save Money and the Environment." Consider the following excerpt:

Almost all areas of development are open to innovation, but many will require institutional change to local zoning and development ordinances. Macro-level issues like planning and zoning will likely require a long-term commitment to a process that is often difficult to change. Other site-specific innovations may be feasible under current ordinances. Still other options fall somewhere in between, requiring some type of approval but at perhaps a lower level than the planning and zoning issues. The degree of feasibility for change also depends on the scope of the project in terms of overall size.

The town of Albany, Calif., located in the Bay Area, is quickly coming to terms with its outlook on green zoning issues by making green mandates around some new areas of construction. The following excerpt, from an Inside Bay Area story, seems to take a hard line around green construction initiatives but ponders what might be a solution for other cities and ordinances caught in the throes of a green approval strategy:

Under the Albany proposal, projects would be evaluated on a checklist of preconstruction, construction and materials requirements and projects would earn points for green building features, such as installing Energy Star appliances and a solar water-heating system, and must meet a required minimum of points to be approved.

Moreover, any project — including new construction, remodels and additions — would be subject to the requirements. If applicants for a project covered by the ordinance believe it is a hardship or not feasible, they can apply for an exemption.

Washington, D.C. also seems to be forcing green issues on both the public and private sector, according to The Washington Post. Under the city's new bill, within two years all new District-owned projects, including schools, would have to meet green standards; and in 2009, any building receiving more than 20 percent public financing would have to do the same. By 2012, every new commercial building over 50,000 square feet would have to meet the guidelines. The rules also apply to affordable housing.

Lobbyists are fighting to get communities to institute more lenient standards, according to Bill Hall, a lawyer who represents building material manufacturers.

"Failure to include these other rating systems would be like the D.C. Council mandating that only Google's search engine can be used in the District to the exclusion of Yahoo! and AOL because Google is the most widely used," Hall said.

In an effort to stem debates such as the aforementioned, Building Design + Construction recently published a 52-page white paper, dubbed "Green Buildings and the Bottom Line," which describes the financial factors of green building for 10 key types of buildings: office buildings, retail shopping, hotels, restaurants, housing, industrial buildings, schools, college/university facilities, and government buildings. The white paper ends with a 10-point "Action Plan" upon which government officials, design professionals, environmentalists, contractors and the public can act.

With 550 buildings having been certified as green by the U.S. Green Building Council, and more than 5,000 awaiting certification, it will be interesting to see what type of legislation is created to get green construction approved in a timely manner.

Resources

BofA goes for green in Manhattan project
by Laura Williams-Tracy
Charlotte Business Journal, Sept. 24, 2004

Green Land Development: Save Money and the Environment
Toolbase Services

Albany poised to enact green construction plan
by Justin Hill
Inside Bay Area, Nov. 26, 2006

D.C. Moves to Become Pioneer In Forcing 'Green' Construction
by Nikita Stewart
The Washington Post, Nov. 16, 2006

Green Buildings and the Bottom Line
Building Design and Construction, Nov. 10, 2006