Building Design + Construction magazine is still accepting survey submissions for its Giants 300 report. Survey submissions are due by May 29, 2009. Each year, BD+C tracks the business activity of the top 300 commercial architecture, engineering and construction firms in the United States.
This year's report will introduce ranking of firms that have the most LEED Accredited Professionals (APs) as of the survey cut-off date.
|
Tomorrow, the American Bar Association is holding its Construction Forum in New Orleans. The three-day conference, entitled "Talking Green Blues", focuses upon potential legal challenges facing the construction industry as the result of the Green Building boom.
Attorneys from across the country will convene to discuss legal issues associated with green and sustainable building projects, especially in light of rapidly evolving federal and state government regulatory mandates and related green litigation.
While several of the forum workshops are dedicated to litigation issues surrounding nuclear power plant, wind and solar farm, and other 'green' building construction projects, many of the workshops will focus upon more general liability and litigation issues associated with green building design and construction. The fact that the ABA is devoting three days to these matters illustrates the extent of the legal issues expected in this area, especially given the growing pains one would expect from such a new and evolving business sector.
Going forward, it will be important for building design and construction professionals to be very careful when making promises to existing and prospective clients about potential energy savings, prospects for certification, and related claims. Clients may pursue litigation against the architect, interior designer, builder or even the product manufacturer if promised energy savings or LEED or other ratings or certifications are not ultimately realized.
A lawsuit from 2008 ( Shaw Development v. Southern Builders ) illustrates the types of issues that can arise. The case involved a Maryland condominium project that included numerous green design features which were intended to bring the project at least a LEED Silver rating and corresponding failure to earn an 8% tax credit (worth $635,000) when the project became delayed and missed the cut-off date for achieving the tax credit.
There haven't been too many other 'green' litigation cases to date, but it's only a matter of time before the floodgates open. This is a topic that we will no doubt be hearing a lot more about in coming months and years, so stay tuned.
|
Design and construction professionals can take advantage of the Green Standard's Green Purchasing Accredited Professional online training program. Founded in 2000, the Green Standard is a non-profit dedicated to improving human health, productivity and quality of life by advancing sustainable production and consumption.
On April 23rd, the Green Purchasing AP program will begin offering intensive on-line training that advances best practices in green product evaluation, selection and purchase. Six online modules will teach purchasing decision makers from the design and construction trades how to green the supply chain by selecting environmentally sustainable products thereby building value and competitive advantage for individuals and their organizations by helping them effectively navigate today's environmentally-sensitive business landscape in a socially responsible manner.
Participants who successfully complete the training can then take the exam to become a Green Purchasing Accredited Professional. The exam fee is $250 and training is $750 (or $599 if all six modules are paid for before June 1st). Companies that enroll five or more individuals will save 20% on the training and the exam will be administered for free.
|
 Benjamin Moore will soon begin accepting entries for its fourth annual HUE Awards, a competition which recognizes the exceptional use of color in architecture and interior design. Submissions will be accepted between May 1 and October 9th of this year.
First established in 2005, the HUE award categories for this year's competition are: residential interiors, residential exteriors, contract interiors, contract exteriors, lifetime achievement and social responsibility. Five panelists from the architecture, design and fashion worlds will judge the entries
There's no fee to enter and submissions to multiple categories are welcome. The competition is open to all comers, from seasoned architects and designers to students and industry novices. Each award winner will receive a $5,000 cash prize and a hand-blown crystal "HUEY" sculpture.
Good luck!
|
A recent article in the South Florida Sun Sentinel touches upon issues associated with getting LEED certified. According to the article's author, Doreen Hemlock, the current 'green' certification process can take about a year and can cost up to 5 percent of the value of a project, just for the required paperwork and verification tests. The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) recognizes the problem and is expecting that LEED v3 will help streamline the process.
The USGBC will launch version 3 on April 27, 2009. New projects will be required to register for LEED v3 rather than v2 after June 27th. And December 31, 2009 will be the last day of the free migration period, during which currently registered projects can transition to LEED 2009 and LEED Online without paying a new registration fee.
With LEED v3, the project certification process will move to the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI), an independent non-profit that was established in 2007 with the support of USGBC. The goal will be to improve the speed with which projects can move through the certification process. I guess time will tell just how much more streamlined the certification processes and Online v3 tool will be. The LEED v3 rollout plans are described below.
|