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Green practices don't end when the building's finished-commitment, communication, planning, and monitoring are keys to maximizing performance over time
The terms "sustainability" and "green" naturally bring to mind the products and features designed and built into a new or renovated facility and the practices followed during construction. But sustainability and sound environmental practices don't end when the final item is crossed off the contractor's punch list. The third-and equally important-element of the equation is how the building is maintained and operated throughout its years of use.
While this point may seem obvious, it's only recently become a significant topic of discussion, and the theory frequently isn't put into actual, practice. In order for green buildings to realize their promise of enhanced environmental and economic performance, operational considerations need to be integrated into the design, construction, commissioning, and occupancy phases of building projects. There must be clear communication and hand-off of information as a project moves from one phase to the next. And facilities must be monitored over their lifespans to ensure that the designed performance is consistently realized.
The impact of operations on building performance
Failure to address post-occupancy operations and maintenance during the design process can lead a facility to fall short of performance expectations. For example, meticulous care can be taken during design and construction to ensure healthy indoor air quality, but those efforts are wasted if the cleaning crew then uses products containing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) or vacuum cleaners that have inadequate filters. Native landscapes installed to filter storm water, increase biodiversity, and create a beautiful healing environment are sometimes replaced with conventional turf grass by building operators who don't like their appearance, aren't patient enough to let them mature, or simply don't know how to property cultivate and maintain them.
When data on the actual energy use of some New York City buildings was recently released, some newer buildings-particularly some LEED-certified buildings that had undergone pre-occupancy commissioning to test their performance-didn't score as well...