Why developers’ projects need green building certification
Several years ago, I met the president of a successful development company that had built many kinds of residential and commercial buildings, both high-rise and low-rise. Out of curiosity, I asked him, “what is the most energy efficient and greenest building that you have constructed?” He stopped for a moment and replied, “I never thought of that. I do not know.” This experience makes me want to pose a challenge to many developers in our country. What is the most energy efficient and greenest building that you have constructed? The next important question is this: is your building green certified?
Many developers will say they do not need to get green certification because they are doing well financially. Perhaps, many developers are not aware that buildings that are green certified offer many cost benefits not only to the developers but also to the building owners, the designers and the community in general.
The first major benefit of having your building certified is gaining a competitive advantage. As more developers join the industry to keep up with the demand for commercial and residential spaces, the competition will be much tighter in the years to come.
Another major benefit for getting a green certification is that the developer avoids greenwashing. The developer of a truly green building cannot be accused of misleading his buyers or tenants by claims that are unsubstantiated. We call the practice of calling a building or building materials “green” even without scientific evidence, as greenwashing.
Raise the bar of the building industry
As more and more buildings get green certification, the inevitable improvement in the building industry will hopefully occur. This is the experience of many of our neighboring countries in the region. Those who cannot keep up will be left behind. We are already behind our neighbors in terms of green buildings—only a self-regulated improvement system like the green building certification can hopefully do the job. Many countries are already aiming for Zero Energy Buildings, which is being promoted by Japan in the region. For our country, many of our buildings are still struggling with energy efficiency and conservation. This is a good start, but it is time to move on. We must not wait for government regulations to “raise the bar.” We can do it by encouraging more of our buildings to be green certified.
