Design Approach: Frequently Asked Questions

Will the building look unusual?
Many owners want to make a statement with whole-building design and sustainable features. Many other owners, however, are creating these buildings at little or no additional cost that appear no different from conventional designs.

Is "whole-building" the same as energy efficiency?
Energy efficiency does figure prominently in our designs, but there are many other aspects to design. The whole-building concepts looks to integrating all disciplines to meet a set of goals for a building.

Are these buildings just for large corporations?
Many of the early adopters were municipalities and government agencies that recognized the opportunities for life cycle cost savings. Anyone can benefit from whole-building design.

Is there a market demand for whole-building design?
Yes. Corporations, universities, and government agencies are demonstrating that whole-building design can provide better working environments and cost less to operate. Students, employees, and non-profit community groups are all demanding and campaigning for the adoption of low-energy buildings.

If I decide to "go green," won't I have to come up with more money?
Not necessarily. Some prescriptive requirements, such as use of Photovoltaics, may drive higher project costs, but several owners have published data demonstrating their success in procuring green buildings for less than the cost of a conventional building. Look around for incentives. These include incentives from local utility companies tied to energy efficiency, grants for renewable energy installations, and various tax rebate programs.

Isn't whole-building design based on fringe technologies?
Most of our projects have achieved good performance using conventional building systems. In many instances, it is the effective integration of conventional systems, rather than the use of a new technology, that conserves resources and improves environmental quality. New technologies are only used after careful consultation with owners and the design team.

If it hasn't been done before, isn't it hard to do?
Whole-building projects are demonstrating that it's not hard. For example, the fact that very few commercial buildings employ natural ventilation does not mean that it cannot effectively deliver satisfactory comfort year-round in many climates. In many circumstances, the techniques were used extensively before wide-spread use of air-conditioning.

How can you get high-quality materials and systems and good environmental performance at the same time?
Removing highly toxic chemicals from a product or designing a fixture to use less water does NOT mean that the product will be less effective or have a shorter life.