Sponsored by:

Half of Central Ohio’s 38 buildings certified by the U.S. Green Building Council received their designations in 2010, and three times as many are on the way. Above is a sampling of the area’s projects.FOR IMAGE CREDITS, SEE PAGE 23.

LEEDers Adoption of green building practices

is picking up steam in Central Ohio.

How do we stack up?

green | BUSINESS FIRST | FEBRUARY 4, 2011

21

Editor: Katy Waters | kwaters@bizjournals.com | 614-220-5468

report

| @ j

columbusbusinessfi rst.com

|, ||

With the growth of “green,” companies of all types and sizes are changing the way they do business. Green building has become an

established trend in new building construc-tion and many commercial tenants are demanding more efficient buildings and office spaces. Green building and green leas-ing can each provide a company with sig-nificant advantages, but can also come with risks. To mitigate the risks, companies should plan for them in their project contracts. In some cases this planning involves new and different contracts or provisions; in others, it requires only modifications to traditional and recognizable contracts and provisions.

Green BuildingThere are a number of reasons a company may choose to construct a green building. In the era of the eco-conscious consumer, a company may build green to enhance its reputation. Despite potentially higher con-struction costs, a green building can provide significant energy and utilities savings over time. Green buildings provide a more com-fortable environment for their occupants and are often rewarded with tax credits and similar financial incentives. Whatever a company’s purpose for building green, its goals should be articulated to its design and construction team early in the project and incorporated into design contracts. If the project owner is also the end-user, they may also want to specify its involvement in the

design process, to ensure that the decisions made to meet certification also provide the functionality required by the end-user.

Green building in the United States is domi-nated by the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) standards. The LEED system offers several tiers of certification. The desired cer-tification level should be clearly spelled out in any design contract. Failure to achieve an anticipated certification level can result in the loss of tax credits or other financial incentives, substantially adding to the cost of the project. The design contract should be drafted to provide protection against the potential loss of tax incentives for failure to reach a requisite certification level. This may be accomplished by amending the limitations on damages that are included in many stan-

dard design contracts to allow for the recov-ery of consequential damages, such as the loss of tax credits. These provisions should also be crafted with an eye toward the limi-tations of the professional liability coverage carried by the architect or designer.

Green LeasingJust as the popularity of green building is on the rise, commercial landlords and tenants are increasingly looking for ways to maxi-mize efficiency and minimize environmental impacts of commercial space while creating a functional and comfortable environment for building occupants. One tool for accom-plishing these goals is a “green lease.” Though an authoritative definition of “green lease” remains illusive, a green lease is best described as a traditional commercial lease that contains provisions meant to promote and incentivize the energy- and resource-efficient operation and maintenance of the building and tenant spaces.

Provisions in a green lease can be as simple as terms providing for building-wide recy-cling programs, or specifying the use of green cleaning products. Green lease provisions can also take the form of more complex provisions, including terms allocat-ing costs of water and energy consumption between the landlord and tenant to promote and incentivize efficiencies by each.

Fortunately, traditional elements and con-cepts of a standard commercial lease can be

adapted to create a green lease. For exam-ple, using a gross rather than a net lease provides incentives for a landlord to maintain a high-efficiency, high-performance build-ing, because the landlord will retain energy cost savings. Building operational procedures or building management protocols can be used to charge tenants for excess or after-hours energy use. Landlords can further consider supplementing building regulations to extend the concept of green to tenant fit-outs, office equipment, recycling, and other day-to-day practices.

The key to a successful green lease is to incentivize efficient use of energy and other resources by both the landlord and tenant. Ultimately, the goal of the green lease is to avoid the split incentives for energy and resource conservation that commonly exist in conventional leases.

When embarking on a green building proj-ect, the negotiation of a green lease, or any similar leading-edge project, it is important to consider the green goals from the earli-est stages of the project and to incorporate those goals, and the methods for achieving them, into the project agreements. Further, project risks should be identified and allocat-ed appropriately. Accomplishing these goals may involve creating entirely new contracts or contract provisions, or simply adapting traditional agreements. To meet the goals of your green project, think green from the very first contract.

To Green Your Projects, Green Your Contracts

INDUSTRY INSIGHTS | M E S S A G E F R O M T H E S P O N S O R

By: Robert KarlChair, Environmental Law Group and Green Business Practice

By: Benjamin FranzAssociate, Environmental Law Group and Green Business Practice

TO SOLVE GREEN MATTERS IT TAKES MUCH0GREY MATTER. We’re talking brainpower. Because we’re more than a law fi rm, we’re a fi ring-on-all-synapses-answer fi rm. From clean energy initiatives to recycling building materials we do everything we can to help businesses get their green on.

Chicago

Cincinnati

Cleveland

Columbus

ulmer.com

ROBERT J. KARL

bkarl@ulmer.com614-229-0010

R. BENJAMIN FRANZ

rfranz@ulmer.com614-229-0016

J. GREGORY SMITH

gsmith@ulmer.com614-229-0018

BUSINESS FIRST | columbusbusinessfi rst.com FEBRUARY 4, 2011 | 23 | GREEN REPORT |

BY ROBERT CELASCHI | FOR BUSINESS FIRST

After a late start, the Columbus

metro area looks poised to

catch up with its sister cities in

embracing green buildings.

Central Ohio has 38 projects

certifi ed by the Leadership in

Energy and Environmental De-

sign program of the U.S. Green Building

Council, according to data provided by

the council.

Th at’s a better showing than Indianapo-

lis with 22, but not nearly as many as some

other comparable metropolitan areas,

such as Pittsburgh, which has 97.

Columbus doesn’t yet have a LEED

Platinum project, the top of the nonprofi t

organization’s building rating scale. Char-

lotte, N.C., and Cincinnati have four. Aus-

tin, Texas and Pittsburgh each have two.

How did Pittsburgh top this selective

list? Partly by getting an early start.

“We started doing green buildings even

before there was LEED,” said Aurora Shar-

rard, director of innovation for the Green

Building Alliance. Th e Pittsburgh group

was founded in 1993, the same year as the

U.S. Green Building Council. Th at allowed

the city to claim several LEED certifi ca-

tion fi rsts, including the fi rst convention

center, university dormitory and radio

station.

It also helped to get a few large corpo-

rations on board, including PNC Financial

Services Group Inc. Its downtown head-

quarters was the largest LEED-certifi ed

building when it opened in 2000.

“Now because PNC had such a good

experience with that building, every new

bank branch that they put up anywhere in

the country is LEED-certifi ed,” Sharrard

said.

Data for this story include projects

listed as anonymous by the council. Met-

ropolitan areas were iden-

tifi ed using ZIP codes from

counties in each metro ac-

cording to U.S. Census Bu-

reau classifi cations.

LATE BLOOMERIn contrast, the Colum-

bus Green Building Forum

didn’t start until 2003.

“It was really in response

to the lack of understand-

ing of what green buildings

are,” said founder and ar-

chitect Meera Parthasarathy. Early eff orts

focused on educating area design and

construction fi rms and showcasing sup-

pliers of green building materials.

“I don’t think Central Ohio was, at that

time, looking to be at the bleeding edge. It

was kind of sitting back a little to see les-

sons learned and mistakes other people

made around the country,” Parthasarathy

said.

Columbus chalked up its fi rst LEED

certifi cation in 2006. A year later, Colum-

bus and 12 other jurisdictions formed the

Central Ohio Green Pact to promote sus-

tainability.

Once the region got going, it quickly

Denison University: Bryant Arts Center

COURTESY FEINKNOPF PHOTOGRAPHY

Squire Sanders & Dempsey:Law offi ce interior

COURTESY PEPPER CONSTRUCTION

R.W. Setterlin Building Co. headquarters: Commercial offi ce

FILE PHOTO

Anshen & Allen:Architecture offi ce interior

COURTESY ANSHEN & ALLEN

Holophane: Commercial offi ceCOURTESY HOLPHANE/ACUITY BRANDS

Former downtown Lazarus:Major renovations

FILE PHOTO

Pepper Construction Co.:Offi ce renovation

COURTESY PEPPER CONSTRUCTION

Columbus & OSU:Neighborhood police station

COURTESY CITY OF COLUMBUS

Giant Eagle: New Albany COURTESY GIANT EAGLE INC.

Meyers & Associates :Architecture offi ce interior

COURTESY ESTO PHOTOGRAPHY

Columbus Fire Station 10: FranklintonRENDERING COURTESY CITY OF COLUMBUS

C-TEC: Career and technical centerCOURTESY CTEC

ProLogis Park 70 – Etna Building 3: Industrial

COURTESY PROLOGIS

Grange Scioto Audubon Center: Metro park nature center

COURTESY FEINKNOPF PHOTOGRAPHY

Union Rural Electric: Union County electric co-op offi ce renovation/expansion

COURTESY CDS ASSOCIATES

Ohio Dominican University: Student centerCOURTESY OHIO DOMINICAN

Mid-Ohio Foodbank: Commercial offi ceCOURTESY FEINKNOPF PHOTOGRAPHY AND FILE PHOTO

Battelle Proposal Center:Commercial offi ce

COURTESY BATTELLE

Honda R&D Americas: Central plantCOURTESY HONDA OF AMERICA

Morgan Stanley: Call centerCOURTESY DUKE REALTY CORP.

Ohio Department of Natural Resources: Fountain Square offi ce

COURTESY ODNR

Ohio Union: Student centerCOURTESY OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY

OSU 4-H Center: Classrooms, conference spaceFILE PHOTO

Whirlpool: Distribution centerCOURTESY PEPPER CONSTRUCTION

Emerson Liebert: Training and call centerCOURTESY EMERSON LIEBERT

Diley Ridge Medical Center: Health careCOURTESY MOUNT CARMEL HEALTH SYSTEM, FILE PHOTO

C-TEC: Career and technical education – Newark

COURTESY CTEC

ty:er

mpsey:

RUCTION

o.ial offi ce

orEN

Holophane: Commercial office ColColumbumbusus & O& OSU:SU:

AlbanyAGLE INC. :teriorOGRAPHY

nklintonLUMBUS

al center

0 – Etnaustrial

gCenter: Metro park nature center

COURTESY FEINKNOPFPHOTOGRAPHY

Union County electric co-opoffi ce renovation/expansion

COURTESY CDS ASSOCIATES

Ohio Dominican Universit

COURTESY OHIO DOMINICAN

Mid-Ohio Foodbank: CommCOURTESY FEINKNOPF PHOTO

Battelle Proposal Center:Commercial offi ce

COURTESY BATTELLE

Honda R&D Americas: CenCOURTESY HONDA OF AMERI

Morgan Stanley: Call centeCOURTESY DUKE REALTY COR

Ohio Department of NatuFountain Square offi ce

COURTESY ODNR

Ohio Union: Student centerCOURTESY OHIO STATE UNIVECOURTESY OHIO STATE UNIVE

OSU 4-H Center: ClassroomFILE PHOTO

Whirlpool: Distribution cenCOURTESY PEPPER CONSTRUC

Emerson Liebert: Training COURTESY EMERSON LIEBERT

Health careCOURTESY MOUNT CARMEL HEALTH SYSTEM, FILE PHOTO

technical education –Newark

COURTESY CTEC

JANET ADAMS | BUSINESS FIRST

David Dryden, Mount Carmel vice president of facilities, says

low-flow water fixtures con-trolled by this machine at Diley

Ridge Medical Center in Canal Winchester contributed to the building’s LEED Gold certifica-tion. Diley is a joint project of Mount Carmel Health System and Fairfield Medical Center.

SEE LEED, PAGE 24

Building momentum AFTER A CAUTIOUS start in the green building trend, metro Columbus is gaining ground on comparable cities as prices go down, standards evolve and attitudes shift.

On the coverA collage of Central Ohio’s

LEED-certified buildings:

M. Parthasarathy: Columbus Green Building Forum

West Side Family Health Center:City of Columbus

COURTESY CITY OF COLUMBUS

Mid-Ohio Foodbank: Commercial offi ceCOURTESY FEINKNOPF PHOTOGRAPHY

C-TEC: Career and technical centerCOURTESY CTEC

Kohl’s: DelawareCOURTESY CITY OF DELAWARE

24 | FEBRUARY 4, 2011 columbusbusinessfi rst.com | BUSINESS FIRST | GREEN REPORT |

picked up momentum. Nearly

half of the area’s LEED certifi ca-

tions came last year.

Looking ahead, the region has

133 projects registered for LEED

but not yet certifi ed. Th at puts

Columbus third behind Austin

and Pittsburgh, according to U.S.

Green Building Council data,

which for this measure do not in-

clude anonymous projects.

Columbus is in good company.

About half of all LEED certifi ca-

tions in the program’s fi rst de-

cade came in 2009, said Ashley

Katz, spokeswoman for the U.S.

Green Building Council. Last

year, the organization awarded

more than 15 certifi cates a week.

In Ohio, schools and govern-

ments have taken the lead on

LEED. Austin, Charlotte and Or-

lando, Fla., by contrast, have a

higher proportion of commercial

projects. Th e city of Pittsburgh

didn’t hire a sustainability coor-

dinator until 2008.

“Th e Ohio School Facilities

Commission has been a big pro-

ponent of LEED services,” said

Brent Long, a senior associate at

Dynamix Engineering Ltd. in Co-

lumbus. Much of the company’s

LEED work has been on pub-

lic schools, and it currently has

about 45 of them in the works

throughout the state.

Th ere’s some logic in that, as

some of the fi nancial payback

with LEED comes through low-

er operating and maintenance

costs. Governments, schools and

hospitals occupying their own

buildings are able to collect in

future years. Private developers

who sell their projects would

have to build the payback into

the sales price, which isn’t as

easy in the current market.

With the recession, building

plans have been reined in. Feder-

al stimulus money tended to go

to roads and bridges rather than

buildings, said Rod Davisson,

a LEED-certifi ed attorney with

Shottenstein Zox &

Dunn Co. LPA, and

the mayor of the vil-

lage of Obetz.

“Th e projects

that we are seeing

come to light now

have been in the

planning process

for four or fi ve, even

10 years,” he said.

He expects more

public-sector LEED

buildings when the

economy bounces back – if it

ever does.

“I think LEED is a crawl-walk-

run, and we are on the edge of

walk,” he said.

While the certifi cation itself

takes a few months, preparing

and documenting can take years,

Long said. Dynamix fi nished its

fi rst LEED building in 2005, but

it wasn’t certifi ed until 2008. Th e

DENISON UNIVERSITY BRYANT ARTS CENTER

210 W. College St., GranvilleLEED rating system: New Construction 2.2Points earned: 44 Certifi cation year: 2010 Square footage: 34,519Architect: Of record was Mad-

dox NBD of Dublin. Design architect was Beyer Blinder Belle of New York City, whose lead partner, Jack Beyer, is Denison class of 1954.

Construction manager: Lincoln Construction Inc.

Project type: Higher educationOwner/occupant type: Profi t organizationFeatures: Opened in 1904 as Cleveland Hall, a

men’s gymnasium. Now home to the studio art and art history programs. Green features include design for 37 percent energy cost sav-ings; materials containing 20 percent recycled content; project has 20 percent regional materials; building was designed to achieve 30 percent water use reduction.

GRANGE INSURANCE AUDUBON CENTER

505 W. Whittier St., ColumbusLEED rating system: New Construction 2.2Points earned: 42Certifi cation year: 2010Square footage: 18,200Architect: DesignGroup Construction manager:

Miles McClellan, Gutknecht Construction

Project type: Park, community development, gathering place

Owner/occupant type: Nonprofi tFeatures: Passive solar building. Low-fl ow, low

water usage plumbing, waterless urinals. Heat pump. Plant-fi lled green roof. Rainwater is channeled to rain gardens. Permeable pave-ment lessens runoff .

EMERSON NETWORK POWER – LIEBERT LEARNING CENTER

530 Westar Blvd., WestervilleLEED rating system: New Construction 2.2Points earned: 42Certifi cation year: 2010Square footage: 69, 877Architect: Fox Architects of

St. LouisConstruction manager:

Quandel GroupProject type: Commercial offi ce, laboratory,

interpretive centerOwner/occupant type: Profi t organizationFeatures: Data-center infrastructure training

facility and call center. Bike racks, showers, 22 parking spaces for hybrid or carpool vehicles, white roof materials to reduce cooling costs, low-fl ow water fi xtures, rainwater captures supplying 100 percent of water for landscape irrigation.

DILEY RIDGE MEDICAL CENTER

7911 Diley Road, Canal WinchesterLEED rating system: New Construction 2.2Points earned: 41Certifi cation year: 2010Square footage: 60,797Architect: DesignGroupConstruction manager: Elford

Inc.Project type: Health careOwner/occupant type: Nonprofi t organizationFeatures: Joint project by Mount Carmel Health

System and Fairfi eld Medical Center. Daylight-ing in waiting areas and patient rooms. The existing meadow, trees and stream on the campus were preserved and incorporated into a pedestrian-friendly setting. Water effi ciency incorporating low-fl ow plumbing fi xtures, drought-resistant local plants and limited decorative plantings. Energy-effi cient equip-ment including light and occupancy sensors and improved heating and cooling. Recycling systems to reduce waste. Improved Indoor environmental quality through paints, carpet, wood and furniture systems that emit low amounts of volatile organic compounds.

OHIO DOMINICAN UNIVERSITY BISHOP GRIFFIN STUDENT CENTER

1215 Sunbury Road, ColumbusLEED rating system: New Con-

struction 2.2Points earned: 41Certifi cation year: 2010Square footage: 36,235Architect: Moody Nolan Inc.Construction manager: Messer

ConstructionProject type: Retail, recreation, higher educa-

tion, restaurant, campusOwner/occupant type: Nonprofi tFeatures: Use of natural light, automatic light-

ing controls and recycled building materials. The interior features low-emitting carpet and adhesives.

UNION RURAL ELECTRIC OFFICE RENOVATION

15461 Route 36, MarysvilleLEED rating system:

New Construction 2.2Points earned: 41Certifi cation year: 2010Square footage: 28,055Architect: CDS Associates Inc.Construction manager: Thomas &

Marker ConstructionProject type: CommercialOwner/occupant type: Nonprofi tFeatures: Renovation and expansion of existing

building. Geothermal heating, waterless urinals, occupancy sensors for the lights, rainwater tank to store water for landscaping. Raised fl oor system. Pervious concrete parking lot, light wells, bike racks.

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LEED: Area’s public projects at forefront

Top point-gettersHere are Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design-certified projects in Central Ohio that achieved the most points out of a possible

69 on the New Construction 2.2 rating system, the most updated certification for new buildings earned in our area for now:

R. Davisson: Schottenstein Zox & Dunn Co. LPA

FROM PAGE 23

SEE COST, PAGE 25

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Gold

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Gold

Gold

Gold

Sources: U.S. Green Building Council, building owners, construction companies and architects.Note: Some LEED-certifi ed buildings in Central Ohio may be listed anonymously with the Green Building Council and not included on this chart. There may be additional projects that received certifi cation since this list was generated for Columbus Business First.

PROLOGIS PARK 70 – ETNA BUILDING NO. 3

127-143 Heritage Drive, PataskalaSquare footage: 524,234LEED rating system: Core &

Shell 2.0Points earned: 29Certifi cation year: 2009Architect: M&A ArchitectsGeneral Contractor: TA Vincent Co.Project type: IndustrialOwner/occupant type: Profi t organizationFeatures: About 93 percent of the occupied

areas within the warehouse receive natural light, compared with the 75 percent LEED re-quirement. Fluorescent lights with automatic on/off sensors are designed to save up to 70 percent of lighting costs.

280 PLAZA

280 N. High St., ColumbusSquare footage: 336,189LEED rating system: Existing

Buildings – Operations & Maintenance

Points earned: 36Certifi cation year: 2010Project type: Commercial offi ceOwner/occupant type: Profi t organizationFeatures: Several updates were made to Nation-

wide Insurance’s 280 Plaza, including revisions to the ventilation system, modernizing the elevators, instituting an offi ce recycling pro-gram and working with a janitorial company that became Green Sealed certifi ed. These and other measures were expected to save more than $150,000 a year in building operational costs. Online tools help tenants purchasing cost-eff ective, environmentally sensitive sup-plies and services.

C-TEC CAREER AND TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION CENTERS

150 Price Road, NewarkSquare footage: 315,000LEED rating system: New

Construction 2.1Points earned: 36Certifi cation year: 2008Architect and construction

manager: L.R. Kimble & AssociatesProject type: Daycare, K-12 educationOwner/occupant type: Local governmentFeatures: Controls for heating and air quality.

Waterless urinals. About 95 percent of con-struction waste was recycled.

Sources: U.S. Green Building Council, building owners, construction companies and architects.

Note: Some LEED-certifi ed buildings in Central Ohio may be listed anonymously with the Green Building Council and not included on this chart. There may be additional projects that received certifi cation since this list was generated for Columbus Business First.

BUSINESS FIRST | columbusbusinessfi rst.com FEBRUARY 4, 2011 | 25 | GREEN REPORT |

company’s own building is still

not LEED-certifi ed, though it’s

registered.

“On average we are seeing our

projects take three or four years

to go through the process,” Long

said.

SEAL OF APPROVALLEED does carry some extra

costs. Th at deters some from

pursuing certifi cation, even if

the project follows green build-

ing principles.

“Th e premium to building is

negligible. But as you can imag-

ine, at a time when every penny

counts, owners are looking at

those costs and saying that is

something I don’t want to bear,”

said Mike Bongiorno, an archi-

tect at DesignGroup in Colum-

bus.

Late last year, the city of Co-

lumbus set up a $1 million incen-

tive program through its Clean

Columbus Fund to pay the LEED

certifi cation fee for qualifying

projects, which can range from

less than $1,000 to the tens of

thousands of dollars.

“Th is program is new, so we

can’t yet talk about results, but

there seems to be a fair amount

of interest shown so far,” said

David Hull, assistant director of

sustainability and regional devel-

opment for the city. Th e program

covers only the certifi cation fee,

not any extra cost of using green

materials or staff time to docu-

ment the work. It also requires

the project meet eight of 12 green

policy objectives of the city.

But if a project goes beyond

the minimum, the reimburse-

ment can grow to three times the

cost of the certifi cation fee.

It’s a way for the city to pro-

mote green building practices

without having to devote staff

time to inspection, Hull said.

Some organizations have em-

braced sustainability to the point

where certifi cation isn’t a driver.

“We achieved LEED certifi ca-

tion without making a conscious

eff ort to go outside what we nor-

mally do,” said David Dryden,

vice president of construction

and facilities planning for Mount

Carmel Health System. Its Diley

Ridge Medical Center was certi-

fi ed LEED Gold last summer, and

it has a few other sustainable de-

sign projects in the works.

“It is one of those things that

will probably become the norm,”

Bongiorno said of sustainable

design. “Whether they end up in

a LEED building or not is some-

thing to be seen.”

Katz at the U.S. Green Building

Council is ready with a come-

back: ”We always say that if you

don’t certify, if you don’t get that

third-party confi rmation, it’s

kind of like going through college

without getting a diploma.”

ROBERT CELASCHI is a freelance writer.

COST: Fees still factor, prices for materials downFROM PAGE 24

WHIRLPOOL REGIONAL DISTRIBUTION CENTER

6241 Shook Road, LockbourneSquare footage: 1.6 millionLEED rating system: New

Construction 2.2Points earned: 29Certifi cation year: 2009Architect: Glavan Feher

Architects Inc.Construction manager: Pepper ConstructionProject type: IndustrialOwner/occupant type: Profi t organizationFeatures: Insulated, painted precast panel

construction. Four-acre retention pond with piping from building and site controls storm water runoff .

LAZARUS BUILDING RENOVATION

141 S. High St., ColumbusSquare footage: 750,000LEED rating system: Core & Shell 1.0 Pilots

OnlyPoints earned: 37Certifi cation year: 2007Architect: Moody Nolan

Inc., Schooley Caldwell Associates

Construction manager: Turner ConstructionProject type: Retail, commercial offi ceOwner/occupant type: Nonprofi t organizationFeatures: The Lazarus project is actually a

series of four buildings dating from the early 1900s to the 1950s. All the exterior glass on Town and Front streets blocks one-third of solar heat while letting full daylight to enter. “Thermally broken” aluminum window frames don’t conduct heat. Lighting features fl uorescent and LED fi xtures, plus controls to automatically shut them off on nights and weekends. Cooling controls allow chillers to be run only as needed.

BATH AND BODY WORKS HEADQUARTERS (LIMITED BRANDS DC-7)

8525 E. Broad St., ReynoldsburgSquare footage: 698,001LEED rating system: Existing

Buildings – Operations & Maintenance

Points earned: 47Certifi cation year: 2010Architect of record: Acock AssociatesEngineer of record: M EngineeringProject type: Commercial offi ceOwner/occupant type: Profi t organizationFeatures: Built in 1997, it has 150,991 square

feet of offi ce space and 547,010 square feet of warehouse space. Green design and operating features include storm water management, reduced site disturbance, light pollution reduction, water and plumbing effi ciency, ozone protection, energy effi ciency, emissions reduction, sustainable purchasing, solid waste recycling, indoor air quality and green cleaning.

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in Ohio, after KeyCenter and the East 89th Street parking garage in Cleveland.

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26 | FEBRUARY 4, 2011 columbusbusinessfi rst.com | BUSINESS FIRST | GREEN REPORT |

Brent Long, engineering

manager at Dynamix Engineering Ltd. in

Grandview Heights, has worked on plenty

of LEED projects for the firm. The

Dynamix office itself is in the process of being certified as

well. It uses recycled bamboo flooring,

right, and plenty of natural lighting.

JACK KUSTRON | FOR BUSINESS FIRST

Mapping LEEDColumbus has a way to go to catch up

with comparable metro areas for the

number of LEED-certified projects. It

does not yet have any Platinum projects,

the highest designation offered by the

nonprofit U.S. Green Building Council.

Source: U.S. Green Building

Council. Note: Includes certifi ed projects only. Includes projects listed anonymously.

Apples to orangesThere are a number of rating systems and versions of those systems under which a project can be-

come Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design-certified by the U.S. Green Building Council:

2009 RATING SYSTEMS

NEW CONSTRUCTION: Includes commercial and institutional projects, including offi ce buildings,

high-rise residential buildings, government buildings, recreational facilities, manufacturing plants and laboratories. Can be used for major renovations.

COMMERCIAL INTERIORS: Gives tenants and designers ability to make sustainable

choices even when they don’t control whole-building operations.

SCHOOLS: Based on New Construction rating system. Addresses issues for schools, such as classroom acoustics, master

planning, mold prevention and environmental site assessment.

RETAIL: New Construction or Commercial Interiors. For banks, restaurants, apparel, electronics, big box and more.

HEALTHCARE: Available spring 2011. Inpatient and outpatient facilities, licensed long-term care facilities, medical

offi ces, assisted living facilities and medical education and research centers.

HOMES: For single-family homes and multifamily apartment buildings and condominiums.

CORE AND SHELL: For developers. Covers base building elements such as structure, envelope and HVAC system.

Designed to be complementary to the Commercial Interiors rating system.

NEIGHBORHOOD DEVELOPMENT: New. Integrates principles of smart growth, urbanism and green building.

OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE: Addresses building cleaning and maintenance issues,

including chemical use, recycling programs, exterior maintenance programs and systems upgrades. Can be applied to existing buildings seeking LEED certifi cation and to projects previously certifi ed.

Source: U.S. Green Building Council

Grading greenThe number of points earned by a project determines

its LEED certification level, shown highest to

lowest, with point-achieving features:

PLATINUM: Public transportation access, use of renewable energy features on-

site such as geothermal heating and cooling systems, solar panels and wind turbines and a densely developed, connected community contribute to major points for projects. Energy effi ciency can play a big role here.

GOLD: Use of green power from outside sources such as utility companies that get their power from wind or

hydroelectric can help achieve LEED Gold. Parking for bicycles and carpool vehicles, regionally-sourced materials and on-site stormwater control measures are other common LEED-Gold features.

SILVER: Water reduction through low-fl ow toilets and other fi xtures, use of daylight instead of electricty-hungry

fi xtures and carpet and building materials that emit low amounts of chemicals can be found in LEED Silver and above buildings.

CERTIFIED: The basic LEED certifi cation must include construction activity pollution prevention

measures, reduced use of water in building operations, minimum energy effi ciency, recycling collection and storage and minimum indoor air quality .

BUSINESS FIRST | columbusbusinessfi rst.com FEBRUARY 4, 2011 | 27 | GREEN REPORT |

BY CINDY BENT FINDLAY | FOR BUSINESS FIRST

Almost $8.6 billion in American

Recovery and Reinvestment Act

funding is on its way to Ohio. More

than $272 million of that already has been

awarded by the U.S. Department of En-

ergy, mostly bound for ambitious energy

effi ciency projects in new and rehabbed

buildings, private and public.

Th e goal was to stimulate the green

building economy as well as make Ohio’s

buildings more energy effi cient. Has the

federal economic stimulus package sent

green shoots through Ohio’s economy?

More than $127 million in stimulus

funding is being administered by the

state’s Energy Resources Division within

the Ohio Department of Development,

and more than $29 million of that has

been disbursed. More funds are fl owing

through municipalities and directly from

various arms of the federal government.

According to the Development Depart-

ment, the interest has been high, with

more applications for funding than can

receive funds. Th e department’s energy di-

vision is working with grantees to exhaust

all funds by the federal deadline in 2012.

It seems to be feeding a demand that

has been growing in Central Ohio over the

past decade. Many credit the U.S. Green

Building Council’s Leadership in Energy

and Environmental Design building cer-

tifi cation program, as well as the work

of the Columbus Green Building Forum,

with creating an awareness of green build-

ing concepts in the area.

“I think what we’ve done for the last sev-

en years is educate the marketplace, and

let people know you can expect more out

of your buildings, you can expect them to

perform better. Th e marketplace I think is

really now demanding these things,” said

Meera Parthasarathy, architect, director of

the building council’s Central Ohio chap-

ter and founder of the forum.

Parthasarathy and others in the indus-

try say federal stimulus funding, along

with state, municipal and even incentives

from companies such as American Electric

Power Company Inc. are nudging along a

green industry that already is slowly roll-

ing, rather than propping it up.

Especially in the commercial and gov-

ernment sectors, energy effi cient design is

becoming the norm, Parthasarathy said.

More builders than ever have experi-

ence with green building techniques and

equipment, as well as with the process of

applying for certifi cation of a building’s

“green quotient” from LEED, all of which is

bringing down the cost on green projects.

“Also, many products have become pret-

ty cost competitive. Cost is no longer an

excuse,” said Parthasarathy.

POWERING EFFICIENCYTh e bulk of projects using federal stimu-

lus funds are focused on building effi cien-

cy, and as was well-publicized at the incep-

tion of the stimulus, were “shovel-ready.”

Many of those, like work done at COSI,

are using off -the-shelf technology to save

signifi cant heating and cooling costs.

Brian Lobaugh, COSI’s director of facili-

ties, said COSI conducted an energy audit

in 2008 and was already revamping the

building’s HVAC system, so it was posi-

tioned to benefi t from stimulus funds.

COSI already had won $500,000 in state

funding for the project. Th e city of Colum-

bus allocated another $144,000 in Energy

Effi ciency & Conservation Block Grant

funding, the program through which it is

allocating Department of Energy stimulus

funding, to enlarge the project.

With the $644,000, COSI was able to ret-

rofi t most of the West Broad Street build-

ing’s air handlers with variable speed mo-

tors, allowing the HVAC system to scale

down in times of low demand. Effi cient

lighting schemes were instituted, as well.

Depending on electricity prices,

Lobaugh estimates the changes will save

COSI between $140,000 and $160,000 an-

nually. He expects payback on the proj-

ect’s investment within fi ve years.

“We would have spent the money from

the state capital budget and done as much

as we could and gotten signifi cant sav-

ings,” said Deb Hackathorn, COSI’s vice

president for advancement. “Th is was a

scalable issue. By fully funding the proj-

ect with stimulus money, we can do more.

Certainly we would have tried to seek oth-

er ways to complete the project otherwise,

but I’m not able to say where we would

have gotten the funds.”

Th e much talked-about Franklin County

Courthouse, another project with green

elements, also used federal stimulus funds

directly from the Department of Energy.

Th e new courthouse incorporates smart

lighting and passive solar concepts, a liv-

ing roof garden to conserve water runoff ,

and a slew of other green techniques not

funded by stimulus money.

But a $3.2 million stimulus grant did

pay to link the heating and cooling infra-

structure with four other county facilities

to create a central system that promises to

pay for itself in under a decade, said Don

Brown, county administrator.

Th e courthouse is expected to be 25

percent more energy effi cient than similar

buildings.

However, the work probably would

have been done without stimulus funding,

Brown said. Th e bulk of the $25 million

project is being paid for by bonds issued

under House Bill 295/300, which allows

municipalities to borrow against future

energy savings.

APPLYING FOR SAVINGSCentral heating plants, smart light-

ing and more effi cient HVAC systems are

all considered “off -the-shelf ” technology

these days. However, other stimulus-fund-

ed projects use technology less common

to Central Ohio, such as solar panels.

IGS Energy was awarded $261,089 in

stimulus money by the state for a 93-kilo-

watt rooftop solar photovoltaic system on

its headquarters in Dublin, installed by

Athens-based Th ird Sun Solar and Wind.

Th e 135,000-square-foot building is pro-

jected to use 42 percent less energy than

a standard building, and features motion-

sensored lighting, low-chemical-emitting

carpet and paint fi nishes and a geother-

mal HVAC system. Th e company expects

the solar panels on the roof to supply 7.5

percent of the building’s energy needs.

“Our initial plan was to do as much as

possible to lower ongoing operational

costs, and with the grant, solar was an

easy decision to make,” said Jim Kilgore,

IGS’ director of marketing.

Th ird Sun Solar has grown every year

since its founding in 1997, said Geoff

Greenfi eld, the company’s president.

However, stimulus funding is making a

big diff erence to the company – and to the

solar power industry, Greenfi eld said.

“We saw a lot of projects happen last

year that would not have been as big or

have happened at all without (stimulus)

grants, especially for public institutions

like schools, which can’t access the tax

credits for installing solar,” he said.

Seven out of the 45 projects Th ird Sun

did in 2010 received stimulus money,

Greenfi eld said.

Similarly, the city of Columbus reached

for energy effi ciency with stimulus fund-

ing that should allow it to save more than

$200,000 annually in utility costs at fi re

stations and on pedestrian traffi c signals

that have been switched to LED.

“Especially in the economy we’re seeing,

I don’t think we would have been able to

invest that money in doing these projects,

at least not in the time frame we’re able to

do,” said Erin Miller, environmental stew-

ard for Mayor Mike Coleman’s offi ce.

Developers have seen more green build-

ing going on, too.

“Th e short answer is, yes. We’ve seen the

impact of stimulus money in the building

industry,” said Donald Wheat, vice presi-

dent for public private projects for Pizzuti

Cos., development manager of the court-

house project for Franklin County.

“In some cases, it’s making the diff er-

ence between using a particular technique

or not using it. Th e analogy I use is, if we

could already get this level of energy sav-

ings at no additional cost, we’d already be

doing it. But in general, we have to spend

a little more on certain things in order to

get the higher effi ciency we’re looking for,”

Wheat said.

CINDY BENT FINDLAY is a freelance writer.

Short answer, yes – green building industry has seen impact of stimulus

JANET ADAMS | BUSINESS FIRST

COSI’s Brian Lobaugh says the museum will save money with a stimulus-funded carbon dioxide sensor that tells the HVAC system to kick on when people visit the Ocean exhibit.