Green office buildings - Book Report/Review Example

This book by the Urban Land Institute published in august 2005 speaks of the principles of credit sides of green buildings from the perspective of capital estimations as well as operating costs. The Urban Land Institute is an NGO working in the realm of education and research initiated in 1936 and based in Washington, D.C. It is also comprised of the pros and cons of funding, leasing, and business undertakings and spells out scores of governmental and private projects backing green building.

The book is highly pragmatic as it provides the readers with glimpses of knowledge of developing financially feasible and environmentally main table office buildings. It lays out the business scenario for green buildings, and the nuts and bolts of management of site, design, sustainable building, facilities management, public policies, and futuristic trends. The book supplies illustrations of the efficient green office projects in United States, Europe and Africa. It guides about the cost differential between green and traditional offices, benefits of green office building business and contrary scenario.

A specific methodology is a must for concerted design, which is crucial for launching a successful project. There is also a specific mechanism, which tells how to choose contractors, processes of contracting, and what type of services a contractor should offer for the purpose of a green office project.The work mentions the conveniently execution procedures to reform the environmental output of a green office building. . It is accompanied by picture, site plans, and project data. Green office buildings are financially lucrative a fact about which this book is most vocal.

Further more, there are some hidden positive aspects too which this book brings to the surface. " These include the promotion, maintenance and restoration of native vegetation, storm water management, erosion control, water conservation, open space, climate mitigation and wind control, landscaped roofs and recycled materials" (Marge Fahey, Green Office Buildings: A Practical Guide To Development). The work undertaken by authors is highly appreciable because of even the minute guidelines it blesses upon the readers.

The book compares frankly the costs of green buildings versus the standard office buildings by making available expenditure data on 40 U.S. a very raw evaluation suggests that there is saving of average two percent but data portrays an extremely rosy picture that green buildings are instrumental in a long-term (say over a period of two decades20) savings in the range of $50 to $65 per square foot. Additional benefits of green buildings comprise of minimized energy needs and emissions, lesser operating and maintenance expenditures, and an upsurge in worker productivity and health.

The book stresses that a holistic approach must be adopted very early and it is possible if we cater to the design properly. "Many green design strategies rely on the developer's and the design and construction team's early brainstorming and goal setting. Otherwise opportunities may be lost." Green Office Buildings does give useful analysis of funding, borrowing and equity considerations and spells out a