Green design is gradually working its way into the A & D community's consciousness, and environmentally conscious design is becoming less an option and more a requirement in the design business (Weeks 44-45). Much of the success of the movement in the United States is due to the efforts of the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) and their Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Rating System, which provides certification to validate green initiatives by designers and gives clients a selling point.
LEED does not only influence building standards in the United States, but is having an impact overseas as well - even as far away as China (Weeks 44). China does not yet have its own codes so is borrowing the LEEDS standards until it does, and a whole lot of construction is going on in China. The Canada Green Building Council has submitted its own version - LEED Canada - based on the U.S. standards, to the USGBC for approval. The Green Building Council of Australia is developing a Green Star Environmental Rating tool, also based on LEED, and a related training course. The United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland, and Austria are among countries which have their own energy codes and green design standards which they set up long before LEED was created. Austria has had such programs for the last 20 to 25 years.
Energy costs are much higher in Europe, as much as four times higher than in the United States, so conservation is a natural part of an development project over there (Weeks 45). Another factor is the approach to building: in Europe much more value is placed on building a quality structure that will last for 200 to 300 years, so sustainability is essential. ôThe focus is on better, longer term, higher quality, more durable buildings,ö explains Dietrmar Eberle of the Austrian design firm Baumschlager-Eberle. ôIt matters little to specify sustainable products and surfaces if the actual build...