Living Building Financial Study Says Green Building Makes Economic Sense

It’s not too big a shock that the Living Building Financial Study, a study from the Cascadia Region Green Building Council would say, “Sure green building is financially sound and a great idea.” Green building skeptics might be thinking uh oh because of course the company behind said study is pro-green. However, this study is backed with actual facts and figures. The bad news is that much like we’ve heard before green building costs more at the get-go but in good news, these buildings reap savings later than conventionally built homes simply can’t.

From the the Matrix and Executive Summary are some key findings which kick off with…

“Living Buildings can be built cost effectively in today’s market driven economy given the rising costs of energy and water. The first cost premiums for many building types are significantly lower than what many would predict for an energy and water independent structure. The degree of cost effectiveness depends on the interplay of four factors: client, climate, scale and building use – as originally thought by the study team. The study found that two additional factors: 1) the availability of incentives and 2) the costs of energy and water, can tip the scales for economic competitiveness.”

A Living Building is a building that goes beyond LEED Platinum certification – it’s in a sustainable league of it’s own. However, it’s also realistic, which I like. The Living Building site notes, “The purpose of the Living Building Challenge is straightforward – to define the highest measure of sustainability attainable in the built environment based on the best current thinking – recognizing that ‘true sustainability’ is not yet possible.” Cool. You can take a look at the Living Building Challenge rating system (pdf) which is made up of six performance areas; Site, Energy, Materials, Water, Indoor Quality, and Beauty + Inspiration.

Jetson Green has the whole scoop on how Living Building are financially sound and for more information visit the International Living Building Institute.