Collaboration, Cheapness Keys to Green in 2012

CHICAGO-This year should further expand the use of sustainable design and development, according to Jones Lang LaSalle, as countries and companies the world over continue to collaborate on the best green practices for buildings. Dan Probst, chairman of energy and sustainability at the locally based company, says in a recent report that sustainable development is entering a new phase of greater alignment of public and private sectors.

For years, there have been reasons to not enact energy efficient building designs, Probst says. First, it was too costly, though he says that hurdle has been jumped, he tells GlobeSt.com. “It’s actually less expensive to design and build to the US Green Building Council LEED standards today,” he says. “Recycled building materials used to be rare, and cost more, but now they’re so common that they cost less. In other cases, the upfront cost of sustainable features is still higher, but the payback period is so short that it’s an easy call. A good example is lighting; if you need to retrofit a lighting system, LED may cost more but the savings in energy and labor costs are far greater than the upfront cost.”