Is Green Building a Watershed Concept or a Fad?

Is green building here to stay? Some 70% of last week's Feedback Poll respondents say it is a watershed concept. Brian Schwagerl, who in recent months has become a sort of unofficial guru of green, says green is growing. Sitting atop of a building--Hearst's new headquarters--that looks to a 26% reduction in energy compared to assets that meet the minimum requirements of prevailing codes, he ought to know.

"Green's time has come. It's been a gradual process, moving from Europe to the West Coast, the Midwest and finally arriving in a big way in New York City. And the Hearst Building won't be the last by far. There'll be many more green buildings, such as the Bank of America Building, that will go on to do even greener things than we were able to conceive. At some point we had to say pencils down and let's get the building built. But we're exceptionally proud of all the innovations we've been able to put into our corporate headquarters.

"Of course, these steps were taken not to start a new trend but rather to do the right thing. If you're going to build a new building and you're going to use the best technologies, you have to ask yourself why you wouldn't incorporate the best green technologies.

"Increasingly, as the demographic for tenants becomes younger and more attuned to environmental need, building green will be a distinguishing feature for any developer. When corporate real estate executives have to build, they'll look at the floor plates and the location, but ultimately they'll look at the quality of air, the type of lighting and the energy savings that can be achieved.

"It does cost more to build green at this point, but the marketplace is moving to a place where there are a variety of choices, more than ever, that allows you to find a building system and a paint requirement and a ceiling tile that is competitive with the market."