GSA Public Buildings Service
Office of Applied Science
Applied Research
ASSESSING GREEN
BUILDING
PERFORMANCE
A POST OCCUPANCY EVALUATION OF 12 GSA BUILDINGS
RESEARCH OVERVIEW: INTEGRATION MEANS HIGH PERFORMANCE............................................................. 4
RESEARCH CONTEXT: A COMPREHENSIVE EVALUATION............................................................................... 6
FINDING 1: FULLY INTEGRATED DESIGN DELIVERS HIGHER PERFORMANCE............................................... 10
FINDING 2: GSA'S GREEN BUILDINGS COST LESS TO OPERATE.................................................................. 12
FINDING 3: GSA’S GREEN BUILDINGS HAVE SATISFIED OCCUPANTS............................................................. 14
FINDING 4: GREEN BUILDINGS DELIVER ON GSA'S MANDATES...................................................................... 16
SUSTAINABILITY

The Office of Applied Science supports GSA’s Public Buildings
Service by generating research findings and recommending business
improvements that can be directly applied to real world situations.
The mission of the Public Buildings Service is to provide superior
workplaces for federal customer agencies at the best value to the
American taxpayer.
Produced by GSA Public Buildings Service,
Office of Applied Science
June 2008
This document is printed on post-consumer recycled paper.

National Park Service,
Omaha, Nebraska
Photo Credit: Kessler Photography
INTRODUCTION
SUSTAINABLE DESIGN DELIVERS
To answer the question, ‘does sustainable design deliver?’ GSA evaluated 12 sustain-
ably designed buildings in its national portfolio. The evaluation of these buildings
was comprehensive—measuring environmental performance, financial metrics,
and occupant satisfaction. No previous analysis has taken such a holistic view. The
buildings studied all incorporated sustainable design criteria to varying degrees, with
seven receiving LEED ratings. The results of GSA's evaluation show that sustainably
designed buildings outperform the national average for buildings of their type by a
substantial margin.
INTEGRATED DESIGN YIELDS EVEN BETTER PERFORMANCE
The best performing buildings in the study were those that took a fully integrated
approach to sustainable design—addressing site development, water savings, energy
efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality. As America’s largest
public real estate organization, GSA has a special responsibility to lead in build-
ing sustainably and meet federal mandates, including energy policies and Executive
Orders. What the evaluation shows is that a fully integrated approach to sustainable
design is helping GSA to meet its mandates by delivering buildings that use substan-
tially less energy, cost less to operate and maintain, and lead to greater occupant
satisfaction.
NEEDED NEXT: NATIONAL SUSTAINABLE BUILDING DATA
This study is an important first step in a much-needed national assessment of sus-
tainable building performance in the public, private, and institutional sectors. GSA's
evaluation establishes a new benchmark for comprehensiveness using a protocol that
others can follow, both in the federal and private sectors.
3

RESEARCH OVERVIEW
Integration Means High Performance
"This study breaks new The US General Services Administration
(GSA) commissioned a comprehensive
KEY FINDINGS:
Compared to national averages,
ground by comparing post-occupancy evaluation of 12 of its sus-
buildings in this study have:
tainably designed buildings.1 The measures
GSA's sustainably designed studied included environmental perfor-
buildings against US com-
mance, financial metrics, and occupant
satisfaction. No previous US study has
26%
Less energy use
taken such a holistic approach to building
mercial buildings, using performance. The LEED buildings evaluat-
(65 kBtu/sf/yr vs. 88 kBtu/sf/yr).
ed represented one-third of the total LEED
the latest performance data.
Its findings will be rel-
buildings in GSA’s national portfolio at the
time the study was conducted. 13%
Lower aggregate maintenance
evant to building owners The study compared the energy perfor-
mance, operating cost, and water use of
costs ($2.88/sf vs. $3.30/sf)
and developers, public and the 12 GSA buildings against the average
private, across the country."
performance of US commercial buildings,
using the following sources of data: 27%
Higher occupant satisfaction
Measurement Data Source2
-DAVID WINSTEAD EUI CBECS National Survey
Commissioner, Public Buildings Service
of Commercial Buildings
constructed between
1990 and 20033
33%
Fewer CO2 emissions
CO2 ENERGY STAR4 (19lbs/sf/yr vs. 29lbs/sf/yr)
Maintenance IFMA5 and BOMA6
Costs: 2006/2007 Surveys
reporting 2003-2005 data
Water Use: Federal Water Use Index7
Occupant Center for the Built
Satisfaction: Environment, UC
Berkeley8
The study found that GSA's green build-
ings outperform national averages in all
measured performance areas—energy,
operating costs, water use, occupant
satisfaction, and carbon emissions. The
study also found that GSA's LEED Gold
buildings, which reflect a fully integrated
approach to sustainable design—address-
ing environmental, financial, and occupant
satisfaction issues in aggregate—achieve
the best overall performance.
4

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Figure 1: Performance Metrics
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GSA STUDY BUILDINGS
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5

RESEARCH CONTEXT
A Comprehensive Evaluation
“We believe that ‘green’ The 12 buildings selected reflect different
US regional climates, a mix of uses (court-
ABOUT THE LEED GREEN
BUILDING RATING SYSTEM
building and sustain- houses and offices), and a mix of build-to-
suit leases and federally owned buildings.
able design and opera- Land ports of entry were excluded
The US Green Building Council’s
(USGBC) Leadership in Energy and
because, as a building type, they are too
tion has a very positive different to allow meaningful comparisons.
Environmental Design (LEED) Rating
System is a nationally accepted
Eight of these buildings were designed to
impact on the people meet or exceed basic LEED certification.
third party certification program for
green building design, construction,
The other four were designed to meet the
that work in our build- requirements of other programs, including
and operation. As the USGBC
puts it, “LEED promotes a whole-
ings, in terms of their ENERGY STAR and the California Title 24
energy standard.
building approach to sustainability
by recognizing performance in
morale and productivity. The research team used a consistent
five key areas: sustainable site
development, water savings, energy
‘Green’ building is the evaluation process for every building
efficiency, materials selection, and
studied:
right thing to do, and indoor environmental quality.” LEED
closely approximates GSA’s holistic
it’s also the right busi- of operating data
approach to sustainable building
development and operation.
ness thing to do.”
The LEED Rating System addresses
DAVID BIBB new construction and renovation,
Acting Administrator, GSA operations and maintenance
To make the study useful to a larger audi-
of existing buildings, design of
ence, the team compared each perfor-
commercial interiors, building core
mance measure with the national average
and shell development, as well as
GSA asked Pacific Northwest National for US commercial buildings. The latest
neighborhood development and
Laboratory (PNNL) to evaluate 12 of available benchmark data comes from
homes.
GSA’s sustainably designed buildings, and widely accepted industry and government
answer this question: standards.
LEED provides four measures of
performance: basic certification,
While sustainably designed buildings
Silver, Gold, and Platinum, based
promise higher performance, do they
on a set of prerequisites and credits
deliver?
in the five major categories listed
above. Each measure represents an
The study evaluated actual, not modeled,
incremental step toward integrating
building performance, so the results are
the different components of
reliable and objective. Successes and
sustainable design, construction,
shortcomings were identified, along with
and operation to achieve optimal
areas requiring further research, to pro-
performance.
vide best practices to emulate and actions
to take to improve performance.
Learn more:
For more information on the LEED
Rating System: www.usgbc.org
6

WHITE ROOF TO REDUCE
HEAT-ISLAND EFFECT
BUILDING IS 66% MORE EFFICIENT
THAN ASHRAE 90.1 REQUIRED SOFFIT OVERHANG ON
WESTERN FACADE
FULL CUT-OFF LIGHT FIXTURES
TO REDUCE LIGHT POLLUTION
Department of
RECYCLED BRICK MULCH
Homeland Security,
FROM LOCAL BRICK PLANT
Omaha, Nebraska

HOW THE GSA STUDY BUILDINGS PERFORM
Figure 2: Comparison Against National Averages
LOW -60% HIGH 100% +92%
-53%
-50% -45% 80% +79%
-40% -39%
-40%
60%
-34%
-28%
-30%
40%
-20% -16%
20%
-10%
-3%
HIGH 0% NATIONAL AVERAGE NATIONAL AVERAGE NATIONAL AVERAGE NATIONAL AVERAGE 0% NATIONAL AVERAGE
LOW
Energy Use CO2 Emissions Water Use Maintenance Costs Building Satisfaction
Top 1/3 of studied buildings Middle 1/3 of studied buildings
THE TOP PERFORMING BUILDINGS IN EACH METRIC DELIVER
SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER RESULTS THAN THE NATIONAL AVERAGE.
GSA STUDY BUILDINGS: FAST FACTS
CLEVELAND DAVENPORT
The Metzenbaum Courthouse is on the The Davenport Courthouse is on the
National Register of Historic Places. The National Register of Historic Places. The
renovations preserved 96% of the existing renovation maintained the integrity of the
shell and 59% of the interior elements. historic space, while updating the me-
The courthouse won GSA’s Environ- chanical systems in the building.
mental Award for recycling because of The courtrooms incorporate techniques
Year Built: 1910 its seven-material collection system and Year Built: 1933 to bring in daylight and the mechanical
Year Renov: 2005 green housekeeping practices. Year Renov: 2005 systems use variable speed drives. The
Employees: 105 Employees: 45 HVAC system consists of water-cooled
Energy Star: 82 Energy Star: 78 chillers, boilers, and air handling units.
CO2e: 2,440 mt CO2e: 945 mt
LEED-NC Certified LEED Registered
DENVER FRESNO
The Arraj Courthouse was designed as a The Coyle Courthouse and Federal Building
green courthouse prior to the completion houses 14 courtrooms and is the tallest
of the LEED rating system. It is currently building in the city (11 floors high).
seeking LEED for Existing Buildings Certi- Designed under California’sTitle 24
fication. energy standard, the building includes high
Denver employs a hybrid underfloor air efficiency lighting, underfloor air distribu-
Year Built: 2002 distribution system, HVAC and lighting sen- Year Built: 2001 tion systems, water-cooled chillers, and
Employees: 170 sors, as well as photovoltaic panels. Employees: 85 natural gas boilers.
Energy Star: 77 Energy Star: 92
CO2e: 4,668 mt CO2e: 2,666 mt
CA Energy Stan-
dard Title 24
8

GREENEVILLE KNOXVILLE
The Quillen Courthouse replaced a smaller Located in downtown Knoxville, the
courthouse from which the occupants Duncan Federal Building currently houses
reclaimed quality historic furniture. a range of services including the FBI, US
Some of the energy-efficiency features Customs, and HUD.
include a well-insulated white roof and Alterations to the building incorporate
an Energy Management Control System high-efficiency lighting, enhanced meter-
Year Built: 2001 of lighting and occupancy sensors. It also Year Built: 1986 ing techniques, and low-flow fixtures. The
Employees: 85 scores the highest occupant satisfaction for Year Renov: 2005 roof design reduces the heat island effect,
Energy Star: 87 air quality, acoustics, and lighting. Employees: 285 as well as housing photovoltaic panels.
CO2e: 1,397 mt Energy Star: 91
CO2e: 1,516 mt
LEED-EB Silver
LAKEWOOD OGDEN
The facility at Lakewood for the Depart- Renovations transformed the historic
ment of Transportation is a LEED Silver- Scowcroft Federal Building into usable
leased building. office space meeting the IRS’s specific
Some features include low-emitting needs.
material selection, and daylight and views The space incorporates earthquake
in 91% of regularly occupied spaces. In prevention upgrades, improved roof insula-
Year Built: 2001 addition, all building occupants receive a Year Built: 2001 tion, radiant baseboard heating, and an
Employees: 252 booklet about the design and operations of Employees: 252 underfloor air distribution system coupled
Energy Star: 80 the building. Energy Star: 79 with indirect/direct evaporative cooling.
CO2e: 2,150 mt CO2e: 1,161 mt
LEED-NC Silver LEED-NC Silver
OMAHA DHS OMAHA NPS
The Omaha Department of Homeland The Curtis National Park Service build-
Security was designed to house multiple ing was built on a brownfield as part of an
DHS agencies, and recently won the 2007 urban redevelopment effort.
American Council of Engineering Award The building showcases passive solar
for its design. design, daylight harvesting and HVAC sen-
As a LEED Gold building, the facility in- sors, as well as underfloor air distribution.
Year Built: 2001 corporates daylight and rainwater-harvest- Year built: 2004 Use of native and adaptive vegetation elim-
Employees: 252 ing systems, a ground source heat pump, Employees: 125 inated the need for irrigation. Operations
Energy Star: 85 and Green Seal janitorial products. Energy Star: 86 also include green housekeeping practices.
CO2e: 1,168 mt CO2e: 872 mt
LEED-NC Gold LEED-NC Gold
SANTA ANA YOUNGSTOWN
Renovated in 2005, the Santa Ana Federal The Jones Federal Building and Courthouse
Building lies in the heart of the civic center facility was built on a brownfield, and was part
district and accommodates a large flow of of the city’s urban revitalization.
visitors to the building each day. Youngstown incorporates building con-
This building features high-efficiency lighting trols and daylighting to over 75% of occu-
and HVAC systems, a new roof, energy-effi- pied spaces. Unique features include a
Year Built: 1975 cient elevators, and lighting sensors. Year Built: 2002 storm water management demonstration,
Year Renov: 2005 Employees: 45 a white membrane roof, and light-colored
Employees: 409 Energy Star: 58 pavement.
Energy Star: 92 CO2e: 655 mt
CO2e: 1,344 mt LEED-NC Certified
CA Energy Stan-
dard Title 24
9

FINDING 1:
Fully Integrated Design Delivers Higher Performance
GSA’s sustainably The Omaha Department of Homeland
Security (DHS) building, Omaha,
designed green buildings Nebraska, performed well across all
categories. Its ENERGY STAR rating (85)
have 26% lower energy is also in the top third for the group. Its
water costs are 66% below the BOMA/
use compared to the IFMA baseline, achieved using rainwater
harvesting and low-flow and auto-flow
National Average. lavatory fixtures to offset its greater
public use. DHS has 65 regular occupants
(65 kBTu/sf/yr vs. 88 kBtu/sf/yr) and 360 occupant visitors while NPS has
Source of National Average: CBECS 125 regular occupants and 134 occupant
visitors. DHS's domestic water use is 58%
below baseline.
To achieve LEED Gold certification,
credits must be obtained in all five rating LESSON LEARNED
areas, requiring a completely integrated Across all buildings studied, building per-
approach to sustainable building design. formance tracks design intent. Buildings
The two LEED Gold buildings in this designed with a strong energy focus—
study clearly show that a comprehensive compliance with California’s demanding
approach yields broad, holistic perfor- Title 24 energy code or ENERGY STAR—
mance benefits. While neither building had outstanding energy performance,
led in every category, these two buildings although with a lesser achievement in
were the only ones studied that achieved terms of water use intensity. One LEED
consistently high levels of performance on certified building did not pursue energy
all measures. efficiency during design. As a result, it
achieved no LEED energy optimization
The Curtis National Park Service (NPS) credits, and had the lowest ENERGY
building, Omaha, Nebraska, performed STAR rating in the study.
well in all categories. Its ENERGY STAR
rating (86) is in the top third for the group.
Its water costs are 91% below the BOMA/
IFMA baseline. Its domestic water use
is 50% below baseline. Its CO2 emissions
are 34% under baseline, putting it in the
top half. Its emissions from occupants’
commutes, 1.7 metric tons per person, put
it in the top one-third.
NATIONAL BUILDING FACTS
31% 20% 2 trillion
projected increase in energy consumption of U.S. drinking water gallons of water a year would be saved if
by the year 2030 despite dramatic gains in supply is consumed by com- commercial buildings reduced their water
energy efficiency.9 mercial buildings.10 consumption by 10%.11
10

Figure 3: Top Performers by CO2 Emissions (lbs/sf/yr)
Source of National Average: Energy Star
ALL BUILDINGS IN THIS
STUDY PRODUCE A SMALLER
CARBON FOOTPRINT THAN
THE NATIONAL AVERAGE.
TOP THIRD
National Average
MIDDLE THIRD
BOTTOM THIRD
Figure 4: Top Performers by Water Use (thousand gallons/yr)
Source of National Average: Federal Water Use Index
LEED GOLD BUILDINGS IN THIS
STUDY HAVE SIGNIFICANTLY
LOWER WATER USE COMPARED
TO THE NATIONAL AVERAGE.
BOTTOM THIRD
33%
LEED GOLD TOP THIRD MIDDLE THIRD
National Average
-3%
-39%
-54%
Domestic Water Usage
Index Compared to the
National Average
11

FINDING 2:
GSA's Green Buildings Cost Less to Operate
The five top-performing LESSON LEARNED
The best practice lesson here is that
buildings studied O&M costs are lowest when sustainability
is integral to every aspect of a building,
spent 14% to 45% including cleaning and recycling. Building
and systems efficiency alone isn’t enough.
less on energy than the Upfront investments in sustainable
measures need to be matched by sustain-
National Average. able O&M practices.
Source of National Average: BOMA/IFMA
Why do operations and maintenance
(O&M) costs matter? Considered in aggre-
gate, they approximate the consumption
side of overall sustainable performance.
As a group, the 12 buildings studied
performed only slightly better than the
national average for US commercial build-
ings: 7% below that baseline. However, the
top-performing one-third of the group did
much better, at 41% below.
The two LEED Gold buildings were among
the best performers from an O&M cost
perspective. Lower utility and janitorial
costs and savings from recycling resulted
in top scores for the Curtis National
Park Service building and the Omaha
Department of Homeland Security build-
ing. The use of green cleaning practices
enhanced their performance.
On average, the bottom quartile of the
buildings studied had considerably
higher costs than the industry baseline:
45% above the national average for US
commercial buildings. These buildings had
unusually high maintenance costs and, in
one case, an operating emergency.
NATIONAL BUILDING FACTS
18% Why water efficiency?
of total U.S. energy use Between 1950 and 2000, the US population nearly doubled. In that same period, however,
consumption comes from public demand for water nearly tripled. Americans now use an average of 100 gallons of
commercial buildings.12 water per day—enough to fill 1,600 drinking glasses!13
12

Figure 5: Top Performers by Energy Cost ($/sf/yr)
Source of National Average: BOMA/IFMA
Buildings in this
THE TOP-PERFORMING SUSTAINABLE study, on average,
BUILDINGS STUDIED SHOWED spend 15% less on
CONSISTENTLY LOWER ENERGY energy than the
National Average.
COSTS THAN NATIONAL AVERAGES.
$1.76
15% PER GSF
$1.50
PER GSF
TOP THIRD MIDDLE THIRD BOTTOM THIRD
$0.95 $1.50 $2.05
GSA Study National Average
$.50 $1.00 $1.50 $2.00 $2.50 $3.00 $3.50 $4.00 $4.50 $5.00 $5.50 Buildings' Average
= National Average $1.76
Figure 6: Top Performers by Aggregate Maintenance Cost ($/sf)
Source of National Average: BOMA/IFMA
Buildings in this
study, on average,
THE TOP-PERFORMING SUSTAINABLE spend 13% less on
maintenance than
BUILDINGS STUDIED SHOWED the National Average.
CONSISTENTLY LOWER AGGREGATE
MAINTENANCE COSTS THAN THE 13% $3.30
PER GSF
NATIONAL AVERAGE. $2.88
PER GSF
TOP THIRD MIDDLE THIRD BOTTOM THIRD
$1.56 $2.77 $4.81
GSA Study National Average
$.50 $1.00 $1.50 $2.00 $2.50 $3.00 $3.50 $4.00 $4.50 $5.00 $5.50 Buildings' Average
= National Average $3.30
13

FINDING 3:
GSA’s Green Buildings have Satisfied Occupants
GSA’s sustainably For the lower-performing buildings, the
study found that occupant satisfaction is
designed green buildings undermined by poor acoustics, lighting
and maintenance problems. A low level of
demonstrate a 27% higher ambient noise, a lack of sound masking, and
a perceived lack of privacy make acoustic
occupant satisfaction than quality worse.The poorly calibrated systems
that turn lights on and off in response to
the National Average. daylight conditions may cause problems for
some occupants. Mechanical failures and
poor maintenance can drive down satisfac-
Source for National Average: CBE, UC Berkeley14 tion scores.
LESSON LEARNED
This study provides important new GSA’s sustainably designed buildings are
evidence that occupant satisfaction is scoring points with their occupants in
higher in sustainably designed buildings. terms of overall building and workplace
Occupant satisfaction is important quality, indoor air quality, cleanliness, and
because it correlates with personal and quality of maintenance. We also gained
team performance. That often means the following insights from the lower-
higher productivity and creativity for an performing buildings:
organization.
First, acoustic performance matters,
As a group, the 12 sustainable build- and should be addressed by appropriate
ings studied scored better in occupant teaming and design criteria at the outset
satisfaction than the national average of every project.
for US commercial buildings. Half of the
buildings studied scored in the top quartile Second, both change management and
for occupant satisfaction. Significantly, periodic fine-tuning may be needed to
their average scores in all categories were make automated systems work well for
higher than those of LEED certified build- building occupants, at least until these
ings in the private sector14. This suggests systems are fully accepted.
that GSA’s integrated life cycle approach
will be a valuable model for public and Third, good building maintenance is a
private organizations. foundation stone of occupant satisfaction.
Don’t neglect it.
NATIONAL BUILDING FACTS
79% 80%
of employees surveyed were willing to forgo of employees surveyed said they felt greater motiva-
income to work for a firm with a credible tion and loyalty toward their company due to its
sustainable strategy.15 sustainability initiatives.16
14

OCCUPANT SATISFACTION SURVEY
Figure 7: Comparison Against National Averages
Source of National Average: Center for the Built Environment, UC Berkeley
Air Quality Satisfaction
Top Third 79%
Middle Third 68%
Bottom Third 58%
National Average 46%
Cleanliness Satisfaction
Top Third 91%
Middle Third 86%
Bottom Third 74%
National Average 62%
Thermal Satisfaction
Top Third 63%
Middle Third 47%
Bottom Third 30%
National Average 39%
Acoustic Satisfaction
Top Third 62%
Middle Third 47%
Bottom Third 30%
National Average 38%
Lighting Satisfaction
Top Third 81%
Middle Third 75%
Bottom Third 67%
National Average 75%
15

FINDING 4:
Green Buildings Deliver on GSA's Mandates
New executive and legislative mandates
MANDATE PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENT
raise the performance requirements for
buildings in GSA’s national real estate
EPAct 2005
portfolio. (See chart to right)
better than ASHRAE 90.1-2004 by 2015
To meet these new requirements, GSA will
EO 13423 For entire GSA portfolio:
need to ensure that its future buildings,
including both new construction and major
renovation projects, achieve a consistently
(an average of 54.6 kBtu per sf per year)
high standard of performance. The study
found a strong positive correlation in
that direction. Taken as a group, these 12
EISA 2007 For new GSA buildings and major renovations, reduce
sustainably designed buildings use less
fossil fuel generated energy consumption by:
energy and water, and have a smaller
carbon footprint than the national average
for US commercial buildings.
LESSON LEARNED For additional information on EISA, EPAct 2005, and EO 13423:
Although they were not designed to meet www.wbdg.org/references/federal_mandates
GSA’s new legislative mandates, the
top performing quartile of the buildings
studied already meet 2015 requirements for
reducing metered energy and water use.
GSA can build on this strong foundation of
achievable performance. GSA is and will
continue to be an important benchmark for
other public agencies and for companies
and institutions as they plan and imple-
ment their building programs.
NATIONAL BUILDING FACTS
CO2 EMISSIONS
In the year 2004, the United States emitted over 7 billion metric tons of greenhouse gases. Carbon dioxide ac-
85% counted for the largest percentage of greenhouse gases (83%), followed by methane (9%), nitrous oxide (5%),
and high global warming potential gases (2%).17
16

GSA ON THE GROUND
Green Elements of the Omaha Department of Homeland Security
Although designed in 2004, the Omaha Department of Homeland Security already meets the latest federal mandates.
Landscaping captures storm water run-off Bike racks encourage people to leave their cars behind
The building features access to windows and daylight Skylights provide daylight where needed
Rainwater is stored and reused for landscape irrigation A ground source heat pump reduces energy costs
17

TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE:
QUESTION 1 QUESTION 6 QUESTION 9
How much of US total energy is used by Compared to average US buildings, what is Compared to average US buildings, how
commercial buildings? the aggregate reduction in energy use over much did the 12 buildings studied save in
the past year for the 12 buildings studied? aggregate maintenance costs over the past
QUESTION 2 year?
How much of US energy is generated by coal? QUESTION 7
Compared to average US buildings, what is
QUESTION 3 the aggregate reduction in domestic water
How much of US electricity is used by com- use over the past year for the 12 buildings
mercial buildings? studied? ANSWERS
7. 313,000 gallons
9. $1,175,707 6. 616,000 BTUs
QUESTION 4 QUESTION 8
cars. 5. 90%
Over the 30 year life-cycle cost of an office Compared to average US buildings, what is
sions for 28,667 4. 88%
building, what percentage is dedicated to the aggregate reduction in carbon emis-
annual emmis- 3. 35%
occupant salaries? sions over the past year for the 12 buildings
equivalent to the 2. 49%
studied?
8. 172,000 mt, 1. 18%
QUESTION 5
How much time does the average human
spend indoors?
RESOURCES
LESSONS LEARNED FROM CASE STUDIES OF THE ENERGY CHALLENGE: A NEW AGENDA
SIX HIGH-PERFORMANCE BUILDINGS FOR CORPORATE REAL ESTATE
National Renewable Energy Laboratory Rocky Mountain Institute / CoreNet
2006 2007
Analyzed the design, construction, and energy performance of Buildings use two-fifths of the world’s materials and energy and
six commercial buildings. All of the low-energy buildings used one-sixth of its fresh water. In the US, buildings make up 85%
more energy than predicted, but those designed with a whole of all fixed US capital assets. In short, buildings are part of the
building approach and with the “strongest” energy goals had problem and part of the solution. The Energy Challenge identifies
the best energy performance. Monitoring buildings to provide barriers, documents successes, and recommends actions to
feedback improves their energy performance. achieve greater energy efficiency in US corporate real estate.
THE COST OF GREEN REVISITED ENERGY PERFORMANCE OF LEED NC BUILDINGS
Davis Langdon New Buildings Institute
2007 2008
Found no significant difference in the average costs between Compares design intent to energy performance in 121 LEED-
green and other buildings. The study also found that the con- rated buildings. Office buildings used 33% less energy and all
struction industry has embraced sustainable design in most US buildings used 24% less energy than the CBECS average for US
regions, and no longer views sustainable design measures as an commercial buildings. Nearly half the buildings had an ENERGY
extra cost burden. STAR rating of at least 75; the average rating for all buildings
was 68, with a quarter rated below 50.
18

GLOSSARY
BOMA Federal Water Use Index IFMA
Building Owners and Managers Associa- This study used the Department of International Facility Management Asso-
tion International. This study used their Energy's research to obtain the national ciation. This study used their research
research to obtain the national average for average for water use. to obtain the national average for energy
maintenance costs. costs.
GSF
CBE Gross square feet. Refers to a building’s kBtu
Center for the Built Environment. This overall floor plate size, measuring from the 1000 British thermal units
study used their research as a basis for outside of its exterior walls and including
the occupant satisfaction surveys, as all vertical penetrations, such as walls and mt
well as obtaining the national average for elevator shafts. Metric ton
general building satisfaction, cleanliness,
lighting, air quality, acoustic, and thermal
satisfaction.
NOTES
1 This white paper summarizes research 8 Center for the Built Environment (CBE)
CALIFORNIATITLE 24 ENERGY STAN- presented in the following report: Occupant Satisfaction Survey. UC
DARD KM Fowler and EM Rauch: Assessing Berkeley.
A California-specific building standard Green Building Performance: A 9 www.yourenergyfuture.org/
that compiles codes from three sources: Post-Occupancy Evaluation of 12 energyFacts.htm, (accessed
standards from national model codes, GSA Buildings, PNNL-17393, Pacific 23.04.2008).
adapted national model codes to meet Northwest National Laboratory,
10 www.energystar.gov/index.
California conditions, and new standards Richland, WA, 2008.
cfm?c=business.bus_water, (accessed
www.gsa.gov/appliedresearch
to address particular California concerns. 23.04.2008).
2 See glossary above for abbreviations.
11 ibid.
CBECS 3 U.S. Department of Energy.
12 goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/
Commercial Buildings Energy Consump- Commercial Buildings Energy
gi_0199-6408096/Section-2-Energy-
tion Survey. The survey gathers and Consumption Survey (CBECS). 2003.
consumption-by.html, (accessed
compiles energy use and cost information Energy Information Administration.
01.05.08)
Washington, DC.
for US commercial buildings. This study 13 www.epa.gov/watersense/water/why.
used their research to obtain the national 4 ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager.
htm, (accessed 23.04.08)
average for energy use. www.energystar.gov/index.
cfm?c=evaluate_performance.bus_ 14 Center for the Built Environment (CBE)
portfoliomanager Occupant Satisfaction Survey. UC
CH Berkeley.
5 IFMA. 2007. Space and Project
Courthouse 15 Survey of 800 MBAs from 11 Top
Management Benchmarks #28. IFMA.
Houston, Texas. International Business Schools;
ENERGY STAR Stanford Graduate School of Business,
6 Building Owners and Managers
Energy Star is a rating to promote energy Association (BOMA) International 2002 GlobeScan International Survey,
efficiency in products and buildings.This Experience Exchange Report. 2006. MORI.
study used their research to obtain the Special Studies 2005, Agency Managed, 16 ibid.
national average for CO2 emissions. It is Downtown all sizes, U.S. Government 17 www.pewclimate.org/global-warming-
a joint program between the US Environ- Sector. BOMA International, basics/facts_and_figures/us_
mental Protection Agency and the U.S. Washington, DC. emissions/usghgemgas.cfm, (accessed
Department of Energy. 7 Federal Water Use Index, Department 01.05.08)
of Energy, Federal Energy Management
EUI Program.
Energy Use Intensity.
FB
Federal Building
19

U.S. General Services Administration
1800 F Street, NW
Washington, DC 20405
www.gsa.gov
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS SITE CONTACTS
Paul Anderson, Davenport CH
GSA Johnathan Bringewatt, Lakewood FB
Mike Atkinson Jim Brown, Ogden FB
Cheri Brown Diana Ciryak, Cleveland CH
Jim Carelock Pamela Coleman, Ogden FB
Patricia Cheng Scott Crews, Ogden FB
Don Horn Dan Fenner, Sault Ste. Marie Port
Sam Hunter John Garner, Omaha NPS FB and Omaha DHS
Kevin Kampschroer Christopher Grigsby, Denver CH
Kevin Powell Scott Hawkins, Greeneville CH and Knoxville FB
Sue Heeren, Davenport CH
PNNL Tina Hingorani, Santa Ana FB
Susan Ennor Jason Hunt, Fresno CH & FB
Kim Fowler Nicholas Infantino, Youngstown
Richard Fowler Mary Ann Kosmicki, Omaha NPS FB and Omaha DHS
John Hathaway Kristina Lee, Omaha NPS FB
Mike Perkins Jill McCormick, Omaha DHS
Emily Rauch J. Michael Ortega, Denver CH
Eric Richman Peter Pocius, Sweetgrass Port
Amy Solana Wendy Schuman, Lakewood DOT FB
Sandy Sitton, Fresno CH & FB
CBE C. Johnathan Sitzlar, Greeneville CH and Knoxville FB
Lindsay Baker Don Smyth, Omaha NPS FB
John Goins Mark Stanford, Sweetgrass Port
Jennifer Hsiaw Christopher Wentzell, Sweetgrass Port
Stephen West, Scowcroft FB
GENSLER
Andreas Andreou
Christine Barber
Jennifer Celesia
Elizabeth Cobb
Lisa Hsiao
Brenden Mendoza
John Parman
Kirsten Ritchie
Gervais Tompkin