LEED

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In Construction, Green and Frugal Often Go Hand-in-Hand

January 20, 2012 in Construction Trends | No comments

About this time last year, the Birmingham Business Journal published an article titled “Frugal by Design.” They talked with local architects about something that I truly think is national in interest: the changing landscape of the building business.

Three trends were identified that I’ve seen do nothing but grow over the last year. In fact, we’ve been involved in each:

1. Sustainable buildings. How can we build with the least environmental impact, now and down the road?

(Image: Ruffner Mountain nature center, which we built to LEED specifications)

2. Durable building materials. What is the upfront cost vs the cost over a building’s lifecycle?

(Image: LED Light poles we installed at a Florence, Alabama shopping center currently under construction)

3. Transforming existing structures. How can we breath new life into existing buildings?

(Image: The Waters Building, a circa 1880s structure we reworked in downtown Birmingham)

We have constructed multiple LEED projects over the last few years, for the right reason: sustainability. We have taken the time to evaluate new material types and equipment, including high-efficiency mechanical systems. We have re-purposed old buildings and in the process given them new lives.

These trends seem to be interlocking.

Recently, we were awarded a project for an environmental learning Center in the Southwest. In the process, we will transform a previous ice skating rink which is no longer in demand into an educational facility. This might be a double leverage. We will update an existing building and in turn help educate students in environmental fields.

To me, we need to start thinking long(er) term, not necessarily the way we have always done things over the past few decades. We hope to truly take advantage of what we have faced the last few years with the intent of benefiting future generations.

Did your business see a rise in the three “frugal by design” principles? What do you see ahead for 2012?

Merrill Stewart is Founder and President of the Stewart Perry Company, a commercial building contractor based in Birmingham, Ala. Contact him via email

Tags: Birmingham Business Journal, Building Materials, Frugal Design, LEED, Sustainable Buildings, The Waters Building

Looking for an Easy Way to Invest in Green? Purchase Power Credits.

March 30, 2010 in Conservation, Green Building, LEED certified, Preservation, Technology | No comments

This April marks two years since we moved to our new corporate campus. The upcoming anniversary got me thinking back to 2005 when we first started the design of our building and grounds. Being a responsible member of our new community was of the utmost importance, so it made sense to build with minimal impact and sustainability top of mind. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards seemed like a great guide to follow.

As many of you know, LEED is the certification program developed by the USGBC (U.S. Green Building Council), which gives points in the following categories:

Sustainable sites
Water efficiency
Energy and atmosphere
Materials and resources
Indoor environmental quality

Depending on the points a site accrues, the USGB grants certification at these levels:

Silver
Gold
Certified
Platinum

LEED was brand new to me back in 2005. We worked hard to educate ourselves and attain a Silver certification.

As we were getting ready for our final submission to the USGBC, I tallied up points. I discovered then that we could buy green power credits for points toward the certification. This means we would pay a little extra to use “green power” to offset the electricity used during construction and subsequent operation of the building. What you buy is based the anticipated building usage, guaranteeing energy is added to the grid from renewable sources like solar, wind, geothermal, biomass and hydro.

This seemed like cheating after all the hard work we had put into building materials and systems. After investigating, I determined the opposite was true. We were creating awareness, helping support a fledgling component of our power grid and reducing carbon emissions. You can do the same.

The EPA has created the Green Power Partnership (GPP), which works with organizations to determine if green power purchase is right for them. During the past year, the top 20 participating retailers had a combined green power purchase of nearly 3.3 billion kilowatt hours annually. That’s enough electricity to power more than 300,000 American homes for a year.

Kohl’s, Whole Food Markets, Pepsi, Dell, Deutsche Bank, ING, Dannon, The Tower Companies, and North Face are using green power for 100% of their U.S. electricity use. We’re working hard to get there too.