Field Guide to Commercial Green Buildings

(Updated December 2007)

Green buildings are popping up in just about every American city. And for good reason -- green design elements not only help save environmental resources, they also boost the bottom line and are good for human health and morale. More and more sophisticated buyers and companies leasing office space are willing to pay a premium for the benefits green buildings offer. This page provides REALTORS® with information on green buildings and their benefits -- including information on NAR's own green building in Washington, DC. (M. Martinez, Library Manager)

What Is A Green Building?

Gone green yet?, (Commercial Investment Real Estate, Nov./Dec. 2007).

Defining green, sustainable, intelligent and secure buildings, (The Burnham-Moores Center for Real Estate, University of San Diego).

Does green pay off?, (www.resourcesaver.org, Nov. 19, 2007).

The business case for green office buildings, (Energy Priorities, Nov. 15, 2007).

Green can be integrated into all development phases, (San Antonio Business Journal, Sept. 28, 2007).

What makes a building green, (Santa Monica Green Building Program, n.d.).

Why build green?, (Rocky Mountain Institute, Mar. 22, 2005).

The rise of the green building, (The Economist, Dec. 4, 2004). Q

How green is your building? An appraiser's guide to sustainable design, (The Appraisal Journal, Winter 2004). Q

Green building: Looking smarter and smarter..., (On Common Ground, Winter 2004).

A brief history of green building, (Building Design & Construction, Nov. 2003). Q

Benefits of Green Buildings

2007 Green Building Survey: Why green building has staying power, (National Real Estate Investor, Nov. 2007). Q

The deeper benefits of going green: more than just buildings, (Blue Egg, Oct. 29, 2007).

Green downtown office markets: a future reality, (CB Richard Ellis, Summer 2007).

It pays to be green, (National Real Estate Investor, July 2005). Q

Investing in sustainable design; New technologies help developers and tenants save the environment -- and money, (Commercial Investment Real Estate, May/June 2004).

Why green buildings fatten your bottom line; You can save on much more then your utility bill, (Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce, May 2, 2004).

The benefits of greener buildings, (GreenerBuildings.com, 2004).

Human and social benefits of green building, (Building Design & Construction, Nov. 2003). Q

What's a Green Roof?

Green roofs, (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Oct. 12, 2007)

The mechanics of a vegetated roof, (Buildings, Sept. 2007) Q

Green roofs and the people under them, (In Business, Mar./Apr. 2005). Q

Green roofs, (Buildings; Cedar Rapids, Dec. 2004). Q

N.Y. aims to make roofs 'green', (The Wall Street Journal, Nov. 12, 2003). Q

Green roofs offer environmentally friendly alternative, (Plant Engineering, Aug. 2003). Q

Benefits of Green Roofs

Clinton presidential library builds 'green' roof, (MSNBC, Nov. 18, 2007).

Green-roof study results offer positive surprises, (ENR, Apr. 16, 2007).

Going for the green could save cash and trees, (South Florida Business Journal, May 20, 2005).

Green roofs sprouting up all over; Growing plants on buildings said to offer environmental benefits, (NPR - Morning Edition, June 23, 2004).

Green roofs atop campus and industrial buildings, (In Business, May-June 2004). Q

Ford's new Rouge plant gets "living roof", (Building Design & Construction, July 2003). Q

The U.S. Green Building Council & LEED Certification

U.S. Green Building Council (USBGC) - The USBGC, the leading organization for green building in the US, administers the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System®. Their website features information on LEED certification, publications, information on workshops and other events, and more.

The green standard?, (Fast Company, Oct. 2007).

Is bulk certification next for LEED?, (Building Design & Construction, July 2005). Q

America's cities 'LEED' the way, (Buildings, May 2005). Q

LEED detail: defining the green standard, (Chain Store Age, Mar. 2005). Q

LEED leads the way in the green building movement, (On Common Ground, Winter 2004).

The basics of LEED, (Building Design & Construction, Nov. 2003). Q

It's not easy going green; The LEED system is propelling sustainable design to new heights, but not without debate, (Facilities Design & Management, Feb. 2003). Q

Green Building Trends & Case Studies

Cities with green building programs up 418%, (www.jetsongreen.com, Nov. 28, 2007).

Tenants go for the green, (National Real Estate Investor, Nov. 2007). Q

Tishman Speyer installs 363 solar panels atop 45 Rockefeller Plaza in NYC, (Commercial Property News, Nov. 20, 2007).

Building a zero-energy commercial office, (Buildings, Aug. 2007). Q

Green office building goes back to the future, (Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce, Feb. 22, 2007).

NAR building given high environmental award by Green Building Council, (National Association of REALTORS®; Public Affairs, May 14, 2005).

REALTOR® building, (Building Design & Construction, May 2005). Q

Cultivating the green building industry: Public and private sectors moving in the right direction, (On Common Ground, Winter 2004).

Commercial real estate industry: Green helps gain the competitive edge, (On Common Ground, Winter 2004).

Useful Websites

BuildingGreen.com - The website for Environmental Building News features articles from the newsletter, directories, and other resources for builders. Most of the site requires a paid subscription, but many resources are free.

Environmental Design+Construction Magazine - Includes a searchable archive of articles covering all aspects of green buildings, plus product reviews, case studies, etc.

Sustainable Buildings Industry Council (SBIC) - Organization representing sustainable building professionals.

World Green Building Council - International organization for green building professionals. Includes a list of links to other national green building councils around the world.

Greenroofs.com, (www.greenroofs.com).

Penn State Center for Green Roof Research, (hortweb.cas.psu.edu / research / greenroofcenter).

Greenroofs.org, (www.greenroofs.org).

North Carolina State University's BAE Greenroof Research, (www.bae.ncsu.edu).

For a comprehensive list of green building & sustainable development websites, visit the US Green Building Council's Green Building Links page.

eBooks & Other Resources

eBooks.realtor.org

The following ebooks and digital audiobooks are available to NAR members:

Green Cities (Mobipocket)

Land Use Law for Sustainable Development (Adobe Reader)

Sustainable Energy Systems in Architectural Design (Adobe Reader)

Books, Videos, Research Reports & More

The resources below are available for loan through Information Central. Up to three books, tapes, CDs and/or DVDs can be borrowed for 30 days from the Library for a nominal fee of $10. Call Information Central at 800.874.6500 for assistance.

The Philosophy of Sustainable Design: The Future of Architecture, (Kansas City, MO: Ecotone Publishing, 2004).

Sustainable Property Development: A Guide to Real Estate and the Environment, (Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing, 2004).

Green Buildings Pay, (New York: Spon Press, 2003).

The Practice of Sustainable Development, (Washington, DC: Urban Land Institute, 2000).

Green Development: Integrating Ecology and Real Estate, (New York: John Wiley, 1998).

A Building Revolution: How Ecology and Health Concerns Are Transforming Construction, (Washington, DC: Worldwatch Institute, 1995).

Field Guides & More

These Field Guides and other resources in the Virtual Library may also be of interest:

Field Guide to Green Homes & Green Mortgages

InfoCentral Blog

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The inclusion of links on this Field Guide does not imply endorsement by the National Association of REALTORS®. NAR makes no representations about whether the content of any external sites which may be linked to this Field Guide complies with state or federal laws or regulations or with applicable NAR policies. These links are provided for your convenience only and you rely on them at your own risk.