June 23, 2008
King County to “build green” in new government construction and major renovation
Meeting national green construction standard would reduce energy consumption
All King County government construction and major renovation projects will be required to achieve a top national green construction rating for energy and environmental design, within certain budget constraints, under an ordinance unanimously approved today by the Metropolitan King County Council.
“Green construction saves money and protects the environment,” said Councilmember Bob Ferguson, a prime sponsor of the legislation. “This ordinance shows that King County will preserve its place as a national leader in environmental stewardship, and acknowledges that historic preservation is also an important green building strategy because it is, by definition, sustainable development.”
“In the United States, buildings account for 39 percent of our carbon emissions, 65 percent of our waste output, and 71 percent of our electrical consumption. Green construction reduces those impacts and preserves resources,” said Councilmember Larry Phillips, another prime sponsor and chair of the Capital Budget Committee. “With this legislation, King County has the opportunity to lead the way in showing the many fiscal, environmental, and community benefits of sustainable construction.”
“Sustainable design of new construction results in buildings that are better for the environment and cheaper to operate,” said Councilmember Dow Constantine, another prime sponsor. “Projects in other jurisdictions have shown that these significant improvements can be made while minimizing increases in construction costs.”
Under the ordinance, King County will be required to seek a Gold rating for all of its capital construction projects from the U.S. Green Building Council’s “Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design” (LEED) certification program, so long as there is no cost impact to the County’s general fund and no more than a two-percent cost impact to other funds, as compared to a building that is not seeking the Gold rating.
“As King County seeks to achieve high environmental standards for the buildings that house our employees and serve our constituents, we can become a governmental role model if we are successful in meeting those standards while respecting our serious budget constraints,” said Councilmember Jane Hague.
The ordinance acknowledges historic preservation as a sustainable development strategy for King County. It requires the County to preserve landmark properties as part of its green building strategy, except where not feasible, and allows the King County Landmarks Commission to waive the LEED standard if it would conflict with landmark status.
Under the LEED program, newly constructed or remodeled buildings are evaluated on a point-based system that focuses on five categories: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality. The certification process is the national standard for assessing the environmental impact of construction projects.
Studies show that meeting LEED-certified standards can increase construction costs by two percent or less, but can also lower operating costs by as much as $50 to $75 per square foot over a 20-year period. For example, a 100,000 square foot LEED-certified building can return savings of between $5 million to $7.5 million in operating costs over 20 years.
The green building requirement will expire on Dec. 31, 2013, so that the policy can be reviewed and evaluated after five years of implementation.
