Developers say future Class A buildings will be all “Green” GLENDALE, Ariz.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--NAIOP (National Association for Industrial and Office Properties) unveiled the “Ultimate Green Office” exhibit last week at its first annual DevelopGREEN: Sustainable Solutions for Commercial Real Estate conference held at the all-green Renaissance Glendale Hotel & Spa in Glendale, Ariz. Nearly 400 commercial real estate (CRE) development leaders from across the U.S. attended the conference and visited the exhibit, which was built for the NAIOP conference by San Francisco, Ca.-based Swinerton Builders Inc., one of the nation’s top general contractors. The DevelopGREEN conference was created by NAIOP in response to a growing demand on the part of commercial developers for education on green building practices and sustainable resources. The event offered the most up-to-date information regarding sustainable development and best practices. “Developers play a critical role in building a strong future for sustainable development,” said Thomas J. Bisacquino, NAIOP president. “Investing now in green buildings, technologies and products is ultimately a win-win for developers and the communities they serve. Green is the class A of the future.” Ultimately what makes an office Green is its indoor environmental quality, which is influenced by daylighting, views of the outdoors, indoor air quality and thermal comfort. A Green office is also modular and flexible, accommodating changes within the working environment without requiring significant reconstruction. Also, it may be fabricated from recycled and recyclable materials or renewable resources. The “Ultimate Green Office” exhibit showcased each of these Green office elements in a 10 by 20 foot model office configuration, featuring Tate’s Building Technology Platform for the access floor system, a high-recycle- and post-consumer-content carpet tile system from InterfaceFLOR RePrise™ Collection, and a demountable architectural wall system called Altos® from Teknion. InterfaceFLOR is based in LaGrange, Ga., Tate is based in Jessup, Md. and Teknion is headquartered in Toronto, Canada. During the conference attendees had the opportunity to tour two exceptional LEED®-certified projects in the Phoenix, Ariz. area for a first-hand look at how to successfully incorporate high-performance design and energy-efficient features that result in successful green developments. The project sites included Papago Gateway Center in Tempe and Northsight in Scottsdale. According to Green Building Incentives That Work: A Look at How Local Governments Are Incentivizing Green Development, a study released by The NAIOP Research Foundation, the green building movement is growing at a fast pace. The report states: “In 2006, the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) LEED green building rating system recorded a 50 percent increase in cumulative LEED-registered projects (those intending future certification) and nearly a 70 percent increase in LEED-certified projects.”
