Green Building Survey Releases Results

Key findings of Turner’s 2014 Green Building Market Barometer show that companies remain committed to constructing green buildings and value the financial benefits they provide building owners and occupants. Of increasing importance among survey respondents are the benefits that green buildings provide for employee health and wellbeing, and for hiring and retention of employees.

The survey of more than 300 executives – who own or rent space or are involved in building design and construction – found the following:

Outlook for Construction Projects Remains Strong 

Reflecting a positive business outlook, 65 percent of executives said it was very likely their organization would undertake a new construction project over the next 12 months, while 75 percent said the same about undertaking a renovation project.

Continued Importance Placed on Financial Benefits of Green Buildings 

In deciding whether to incorporate green features, financial considerations were most often rated as extremely or very important. The financial factors most highly rated in the decision-making process to incorporate Green features in construction projects were energy efficiency, asking rents, ongoing operations and maintenance costs, and occupancy rates.

Attention to Benefits on Employees and Occupants is Increasing 

Several non-financial factors were highly rated benefits of Green buildings including health and well-being of occupants, indoor air quality, employee productivity, impact on brand/reputation, and satisfaction of employees/occupants. Recognizing the importance of an organization’s reputation for sustainability in its ability to attract and retain talented employees, employee hiring/retention was rated as extremely or very important by 62 percent of executives, up from 49 percent in the 2012 survey.

Expanding Attention to Water Efficiency 

Among other factors, a growing awareness of water as a finite, and sometimes scarce resource has prompted an increase in the likelihood that respondents would incorporate improved water efficiency into new construction and renovation projects, up from 57 percent in 2012 to 71 percent this year.

Increased Focus on Building Resiliency 

The ability to maintain or quickly resume operations in the event of extreme weather conditions such as hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, and drought have made building resiliency a priority of executives. In the survey, 66% of executives said achieving resiliency is extremely or very important when their organization designs, constructs, or operates a building.

Rising Importance of Material and Supply Chain Transparency 

For the first time, more than half of the executives said the level of a vendor’s sustainable practices was extremely or very important for their organization when choosing a supplier of goods and materials or a service provider. These figures have climbed steadily since 2010,.

Green Building Rating Systems 

Respondents expressed a continued interest in obtaining LEED certification on construction projects. Additionally, respondents expressed a significantly increased interest in alternative rating systems such as Green Globes, EnergyStar, Living Building Challenge and others, with 43 percent of respondents saying they would be extremely or very likely to seek alternative certification, significantly more than the 2012 number of 17 percent.

Source: Turner Construction Company