Published Works

It seems that almost every major hotel brand has rolled out a green hospitality program over the past few years, and for good reason. With round-the-clock operations, utilities are a huge portion of overall operating expenses. Rarely do you flick on the room light anymore and find an incandescent bulb. That phase-out started in guest rooms years ago. From Kimpton Hotels where every property is GreenSeal certified to Element (Starwood’s new 100 percent LEED-certified brand) to IHG’s Green Engage program, the bulk of the national brands are pushing green initiatives. Study after study shows that people would rather stay at a green property, and these properties can command higher room rates. The federal government and more and more businesses are requiring employees to stay at green hotels, if available, and the conference industry is rapidly making sustainable venues and accommodations deciding criteria regarding where events will be located. Read more

Ten years ago, there was this fresh new kid on the block, one no one had seen before. Wildly different than the common way of thinking about designing and constructing buildings, this new concept was seen by supporters and critics as visionary, radical, market-changing, unnecessary, useless and industry defining. I’m guessing you won’t have to think too hard to realize I’m talking about the LEED rating system. A mere decade or so ago, LEED was introduced to a range of emotions and reactions on both sides. Indeed, while more commonly accepted today, the system still raises strong feelings, both for and against. Read more

Designing and constructing green buildings is the easy part — especially for nice, big office buildings where tenants have 10-year leases, or for retail centers with long-term clients. Or heck, even for schools, hospitals and civic buildings where the owner or end-user never changes! From a green perspective, that makes life so much easier for those who are actually managing and maintaining those projects. Turnover is low, capital improvements are way down the line, and outside of the general preventative maintenance and other daily activities, things can be pretty quiet. Read more

Green schools, what a no brainer! Of any buildings (other than hospitals), where does it make more sense to have a focus on daylighting, high indoor air quality, connection to exteriors and, of course, high-efficiency systems than in schools — the places where we educate the future of our nation? LEED for Schools has been rolled out in the past few years and has seen a good adoption rate at the K-12 levels. I’ve had the opportunity to work on three of these schools, so I’m going to pass on a few impressions. Read more

Of all the building types that should pursue sustainable design and operations, health care facilities make the most sense, don’t they? From hospitals with round the clock operations to medical offices where patients share their deepest health issues with their physicians, green health care makes absolute sense. Read more