Blog Posts By Month: September, 2009
In an article written by Monica Uphold of the SD Daily Transcript, she cites a study done by USD that shows an increase in productivity in "green" buildings:
Employees working in green buildings phone in sick to work less frequently and are more productive than their counterparts who work in non-green buildings, according to a recent study by University of San Diego's Burnham-Moores Center for Real Estate and commercial real estate firm CB Richard Ellis.
The study suggests buildings that bear the LEED-certified or Energy Star label are more valuable as office space because of the increase in productivity, said Norm Miller, academic director for USD's Burnham-Moores Center for Real Estate.
Indoor air quality, natural light and ventilation were cited as reasons employees perform better when working in green buildings.
"People like natural light, they like clean air," Miller said, whether the effects be on health, morale or psychological.
Conducted by Miller and David Pogue, national director of sustainability for CB Richard Ellis, the study surveyed 534 tenants of 154 green buildings nationwide.
Of those surveyed, 12 percent of respondents said they strongly agree employees were more productive in green buildings, 42.5 percent agreed employees were more productive and 45 percent noted no change in productivity. Of the companies that reported an increase in productivity, the average increase was greater than 4 percent.
The increase in productivity was in part due to employees taking fewer sick days. Forty-five percent of the companies surveyed reported employees took an average of 2.88 fewer sick days at their new green office location compared with their previous location. An equal amount noted no effect and 10 percent reported more sick days. The 10 percent were residents of Energy Star-labeled buildings, which -- unlike LEED-certified buildings -- do not have air quality requirements.
The study estimates the increase in productivity translates into a net effect of $20.82 per employee based on an office space of 250 square feet per worker using average salary as an index. The average effect on productivity was estimated at $5,204 per employee, with the average impact of employees taking fewer sick days was estimated at $1,228 per worker.
The effect of increased productivity and fewer days lost to illness increases the worth of rented space by $20.82 and $4.91 per square foot, respectively.
Despite the benefits, it is important to note that the majority of respondents said they would not pay more for a green building, an attitude Miller said he believes will change as people begin to realize the benefits of such office space.
"Healthier buildings reduce sick time and increase productivity," Miller said. "If you consider the benefits in terms of recruitment, retention of employees, less sick time and greater productivity, tenants should be willing to pay more rent for such space or require steep discounts for less healthy space."
Employees working in green buildings phone in sick to work less frequently and are more productive than their counterparts who work in non-green buildings, according to a recent study by University of San Diego's Burnham-Moores Center for Real Estate and commercial real estate firm CB Richard Ellis.
The study suggests buildings that bear the LEED-certified or Energy Star label are more valuable as office space because of the increase in productivity, said Norm Miller, academic director for USD's Burnham-Moores Center for Real Estate.
Indoor air quality, natural light and ventilation were cited as reasons employees perform better when working in green buildings.
"People like natural light, they like clean air," Miller said, whether the effects be on health, morale or psychological.
Conducted by Miller and David Pogue, national director of sustainability for CB Richard Ellis, the study surveyed 534 tenants of 154 green buildings nationwide.
Of those surveyed, 12 percent of respondents said they strongly agree employees were more productive in green buildings, 42.5 percent agreed employees were more productive and 45 percent noted no change in productivity. Of the companies that reported an increase in productivity, the average increase was greater than 4 percent.
The increase in productivity was in part due to employees taking fewer sick days. Forty-five percent of the companies surveyed reported employees took an average of 2.88 fewer sick days at their new green office location compared with their previous location. An equal amount noted no effect and 10 percent reported more sick days. The 10 percent were residents of Energy Star-labeled buildings, which -- unlike LEED-certified buildings -- do not have air quality requirements.
The study estimates the increase in productivity translates into a net effect of $20.82 per employee based on an office space of 250 square feet per worker using average salary as an index. The average effect on productivity was estimated at $5,204 per employee, with the average impact of employees taking fewer sick days was estimated at $1,228 per worker.
The effect of increased productivity and fewer days lost to illness increases the worth of rented space by $20.82 and $4.91 per square foot, respectively.
Despite the benefits, it is important to note that the majority of respondents said they would not pay more for a green building, an attitude Miller said he believes will change as people begin to realize the benefits of such office space.
"Healthier buildings reduce sick time and increase productivity," Miller said. "If you consider the benefits in terms of recruitment, retention of employees, less sick time and greater productivity, tenants should be willing to pay more rent for such space or require steep discounts for less healthy space."
While our street isn't as busy as some, we totally support the efforts of Park(ing) Day organizers to showcase the importance of parks in our urban communities, in a very interesting way!
So last Friday, we took park in Park(ing) Day 2009 by designating a spot on the street in front of our headquarters as our "park." We took some great pictures and had a lot of fun doing it! Check out the Park(ing) Day website to see pictures of Park(ing) Day entries from around the world! Here are some of ours - notice our green roof in the background!:
[gallery]
So last Friday, we took park in Park(ing) Day 2009 by designating a spot on the street in front of our headquarters as our "park." We took some great pictures and had a lot of fun doing it! Check out the Park(ing) Day website to see pictures of Park(ing) Day entries from around the world! Here are some of ours - notice our green roof in the background!:
[gallery]
This has been a very eventful week!
I'd like to say that it started off with a spectacular Monday night football game where the Chargers whooped up on the Raiders, but I'll have to settle for just a win...
Tuesday I brought the A-Team (Roofer Ulf Waldmann of Mission Valley Roofing and Robert Thiele AIA LEED AP architect) to the California Center for Sustainable Energy (CCSE) for a half day workshop on green roofs. I begin with an over-view and definition of green roofs, their history, styles and types. Robert follows with a view from 5,000 feet and from his perspective all about structure, codes and permits. Ulf comes on next with information on roof types, waterproofing and safety concerns along with his German experience. I wrap it all up with the sexy part - plants! I also include media, irrigation and drainage.
This is our third time doing the program (the first two were for Cuyamaca College) and I am proud to say that we drew the largest audience for any of their previous events. The crowd was a good mix of architects, contractors, developers, homeowner's and interested parties. For the first time I was asked about insurance concerns (I know of nothing) and what to do if you get termites in the building and how does one tent it. All I know about tenting a structure for termites is that it would undoubtedly kill the plants on the roof. I am looking into it for more in-depth answers.
On Wednesday I teamed up with Mathew Porreca of BNIM Architects to do a presentation to the Sustainability Committee of the Downtown San Diego Partnership organization. Mathew has worked on some amazing projects in Kansas City and the Midwest. I was stunned by the scale of their green roofs covering many acres.
After our presentation, I was off to Petco Stadium for QUALCOMM's vendor appreciation day at the Padres game. I went with a friend, Christine Petrarca of Christine Connects You, and she indeed knew most everyone and connected me to several new people. Plus, the Padres won!
I wasn't able to enjoy the game much as I had another appointment with Reno Contracting later in the afternoon. I met with their "Green-Team" and both learned about their objectives and shared with them about our work doing green roofs and living walls. I was impressed by both their interest and level of questioning. We have already started to look at a retro-fit green roof project on a building in Rancho Bernardo.
Last night I took my children; Teddy and Allie to the San Diego River Parks Annual Gala. After speaking with the director, Rob Hutsel, we will be doing a green roof presentation for them as they want to incorporate an eco-roof into their plans for a visitor's center.
And finally, I am preparing a new Power Point Presentation for a large un-named client that wants an edible wall in their new buildings cafeteria. I'm excited!
Whew! Hopefully I'll get some rest this weekend. Who knows what next weekend will bring!
I'd like to say that it started off with a spectacular Monday night football game where the Chargers whooped up on the Raiders, but I'll have to settle for just a win...
Tuesday I brought the A-Team (Roofer Ulf Waldmann of Mission Valley Roofing and Robert Thiele AIA LEED AP architect) to the California Center for Sustainable Energy (CCSE) for a half day workshop on green roofs. I begin with an over-view and definition of green roofs, their history, styles and types. Robert follows with a view from 5,000 feet and from his perspective all about structure, codes and permits. Ulf comes on next with information on roof types, waterproofing and safety concerns along with his German experience. I wrap it all up with the sexy part - plants! I also include media, irrigation and drainage.
This is our third time doing the program (the first two were for Cuyamaca College) and I am proud to say that we drew the largest audience for any of their previous events. The crowd was a good mix of architects, contractors, developers, homeowner's and interested parties. For the first time I was asked about insurance concerns (I know of nothing) and what to do if you get termites in the building and how does one tent it. All I know about tenting a structure for termites is that it would undoubtedly kill the plants on the roof. I am looking into it for more in-depth answers.
On Wednesday I teamed up with Mathew Porreca of BNIM Architects to do a presentation to the Sustainability Committee of the Downtown San Diego Partnership organization. Mathew has worked on some amazing projects in Kansas City and the Midwest. I was stunned by the scale of their green roofs covering many acres.
After our presentation, I was off to Petco Stadium for QUALCOMM's vendor appreciation day at the Padres game. I went with a friend, Christine Petrarca of Christine Connects You, and she indeed knew most everyone and connected me to several new people. Plus, the Padres won!
I wasn't able to enjoy the game much as I had another appointment with Reno Contracting later in the afternoon. I met with their "Green-Team" and both learned about their objectives and shared with them about our work doing green roofs and living walls. I was impressed by both their interest and level of questioning. We have already started to look at a retro-fit green roof project on a building in Rancho Bernardo.
Last night I took my children; Teddy and Allie to the San Diego River Parks Annual Gala. After speaking with the director, Rob Hutsel, we will be doing a green roof presentation for them as they want to incorporate an eco-roof into their plans for a visitor's center.
And finally, I am preparing a new Power Point Presentation for a large un-named client that wants an edible wall in their new buildings cafeteria. I'm excited!
Whew! Hopefully I'll get some rest this weekend. Who knows what next weekend will bring!
The past two weeks have been a flurry of activity. We've done two very successful lunch and learns with prominent San Diego architectural and interior design firms showing off our interiorscaping; plants, pots, design, installations and maintenance services. They are very excited about our work doing green roofs and living walls.
We also bid a large green roof in the Brentwood California area. I have to say it was a very aggressive bid, one that I am proud of as Pari did the lion's share of work and learned a tremendous amount. I don't know yet whether we were awarded the job, if we do I'll be posting details.
I flew up to San Francisco at the last minute on Tuesday to meet with the owners, developers, contractor and architects of a hospital project that is going to have a green roof. It felt like a senate subcommittee meeting with 10 of them on one side of the table and I on the other as they grilled me about our experience, knowledge, design ideas and other pertinent areas important in this early phase of the design process.
While in San Francisco I visited with friends Tony Caruso of Decorative Plant Service and Mathew Gardner of the Wright Gardener and we were able to see the Academy of Sciences spectacular green roof designed and installed by my buddy Paul Kephart and Rana Creek. Amazing project!
I also attended a couple of designer networking meetings and have to say that I feel a "nervous optimism" out there as the economy stops falling and bounces along the bottom. Folks are finding work, projects are beginning to move forward and the bleeding seems to have stopped. Let's hope so!
I also went to the "Slow Foods" group mixer and was impressed with the attendance. A broad and diverse group and everyone was interested in what we are doing with vertical gardening and the edible walls we are designing and proposing. Our newest potential client is the Marine Room in La Jolla. They want an edible wall close to the front door to establish the concept of very fresh locally grown spices and herbs. I like it!
We also bid a large green roof in the Brentwood California area. I have to say it was a very aggressive bid, one that I am proud of as Pari did the lion's share of work and learned a tremendous amount. I don't know yet whether we were awarded the job, if we do I'll be posting details.
I flew up to San Francisco at the last minute on Tuesday to meet with the owners, developers, contractor and architects of a hospital project that is going to have a green roof. It felt like a senate subcommittee meeting with 10 of them on one side of the table and I on the other as they grilled me about our experience, knowledge, design ideas and other pertinent areas important in this early phase of the design process.
While in San Francisco I visited with friends Tony Caruso of Decorative Plant Service and Mathew Gardner of the Wright Gardener and we were able to see the Academy of Sciences spectacular green roof designed and installed by my buddy Paul Kephart and Rana Creek. Amazing project!
I also attended a couple of designer networking meetings and have to say that I feel a "nervous optimism" out there as the economy stops falling and bounces along the bottom. Folks are finding work, projects are beginning to move forward and the bleeding seems to have stopped. Let's hope so!
I also went to the "Slow Foods" group mixer and was impressed with the attendance. A broad and diverse group and everyone was interested in what we are doing with vertical gardening and the edible walls we are designing and proposing. Our newest potential client is the Marine Room in La Jolla. They want an edible wall close to the front door to establish the concept of very fresh locally grown spices and herbs. I like it!
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