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Building Green in a Black and White World--Chapter 1

The following is an exerpt from the book Building Green in a Black and White World.
Section 1; Chapter 1; Part 3; Trends Relating to Green Building (cont.)

David Ritchey Johnston
January 1, 1900
HousingZone

Part 3 of Trends Related To Green Building

Target Audience Surveys

These surveys address the innovators of green building as identified through AIA and Environmental Design & Construction surveys. Primarily architects, respondents answered questions about the green building industry. AIA Committee on the Environment readership surveys addressed the following areas: integrating green building materials and practices in current projects, perception of the value of building green, and expected growth of green building.

Client's Interest in Environmentally Considerate Building and Design, as Perceived by Architects

Survey Used

American Institute of Architects COTE Survey, 1998, 37 respondents, all architects.

Question: How important are these environmental issues to your clients? (Participants ranked interest areas as follows: 1 = lowest interest, 5 = high importance.)
Area of Interest	Mean	% who chose 4 or 5
Energy Efficiency	4.27	81%
Indoor Air Quality	4.12%	83%
Resource Conservation	3.52	47%
Water Conservation	3.38	42%
Land Use Issues	3.29	43%
Transportation Efficiency	3.1	40%

Respondents were asked to rate their clients' interest level in environmental design and construction. Responses to the survey indicate that clients' level of interest in some aspects of environmentally considerate design and construction is lower than that of the architects. But when their self-interest is involved, such as with energy efficiency and indoor air quality, the clients express high interest. This small sample and other anecdotal data suggest that architects are increasingly designing green buildings and providing leadership in the marketplace.

Architects & Building Professional Interest in Environmental Design and Construction

Survey Used

American Institute of Architects Member Survey, Professional Interest Area Membership Profile, 1997-1998, 45 respondents.
Environmental Design and Construction Publication Feasibility Study, 1997, 570 respondents. The survey consisted of approximately 45-50% architects, the balance made up of building owners/developers and building contractors and others. Of the respondents, 333 are subscribers to Environmental Building News and thus have prior interest in green building; the other the remaining 237 do not necessarily have a particular interest in green building.

Question: Rate your interest in the following areas of environmentally considerate design and construction. (Participants ranked interest areas as follows: 1=lowest interest, 5=high importance.
Area of Interest	Mean	% who chose 4 or 5
Energy Efficiency	4.6	95%
Indoor Air Quality	4.4%	82%
Waste	4.1	67%
Planning and Land Use	3.8	62%

A mix of building professionals' (mostly architects) interest in environmental design and construction was measured in two surveys that share similar results. Areas considered are listed below in order of importance. Where questions were the same, means were averaged from both surveys. The median figure reflects the percentage of how many participants responded with a 5 or 4, which indicated strong interest. Energy efficiency and indoor air quality showed the highest interest.

The high level of interest in green building features among architects is important because they have significant influence on including these features in the design. Homeowners, on the other hand, despite their interest in energy efficiency and indoor air quality, only moderately influence the existence of these features in their homes. Given the consistency of interest in energy conservation and indoor air quality on the part of both architects and homeowners, it is important to consider them as top priorities in developing new green home designs.

Continue to part 4 of Trends Related To Green Building