A Special Report on NAIOP Green Initiatives

The green train has left the station and NAIOP is on board! In our on-going efforts to keep you up-to-date on NAIOP’s latest efforts with sustainability, we are highlighting two sustainable initiatives which took place in March 2007.

Engaging LEED Industrial Design Charrette Sparks Innovation

Ed Klimek of KSS Architects leads the charrette participants through a day-long discussion of how LEED credits can be applied to warehouse and distribution centers.

The charrette discussion resulted in a number of proposed modifications to the LEED-CS criteria based on the special characteristics of the distribution center building typology.

While most of the LEED credits do not have to be modified to apply to distribution centers, the LEED-CS criteria were written based on office, retail and laboratory occupancies and some of the requirements are not tailored to distribution center requirements. Therefore, a second set of modifications was developed using the general model of the existing criteria but not directly derived from any of the existing credits. These new credits are based on the use of warehouse buildings as elements in regional distribution networks utilizing various modes of transportation and are designed to reduce the environmental impacts of the buildings through lowering fuel consumption and reducing land development for the purpose of building distribution centers. The intention is that these new credits can be proposed as either Innovation Credits under the existing LEED-CS document or they can be proposed for full adoption into the LEED-CS criteria.

A diverse group of developers, architects, engineers and sustainability experts discuss proposed new credits under the existing LEED-Core and Shell category.

The proposed LEED-CS modifications include changes within the six main LEED categories of Sustainable Sites; Water Efficiency; Energy and Atmosphere; Materials and Resources; Indoor Environmental Quality; and Innovation and Design.

Proposed Innovation Credits under LEED-CS are within the categories of Proximity to Multimodal Transportation; Site Selection; Truck Idling Reduction; and Cubic Volume. Upon review and incorporation of the innovation credits discussed at the charrette into KSS Architects’ draft report, NAIOP will host a Webinar that will disseminate the draft document to NAIOP members. The U.S. Green Building Council will be invited to attend.

Charrette Participants: Greg Bauer – ProLogis Christopher Daly – Childress Klein Properties Barry Hibbard – Tejon Ranch Richard Johnson – Matrix Development Group, Inc. Alex Klatskin – Forsgate Industrial Partners Beth Lorenz – Rock Brook Consulting Group Yaki Miodovnik – Andropogon Associates Michael Purzycki – Rock Brook Consulting Group Greydon Sargent – AMB Property Corporation Doug Scalice – Grainger NJDC (end user) Tom Trochek – First Industrial Realty Trust Adrian Tuluca – Viridian Engineering & Environmental, LLC Research Team Ed Klimek – KSS Architects, LLP Michael Shatken – KSS Architects, LLP John Wreidt – KSS Architects, LLP Sheila Vertino – NAIOP Elizabeth Sherrod – NAIOP

NAIOP Green Task Force Embraces Change

The Task Force met in March for a one-day session in Dallas, Texas. Each member shared what green initiatives they were currently undertaking, and how they perceive it will change the industry in the future.

The Task Force also heard from Doug Gatlin, director, LEED for existing buildings/portfolio initiatives, U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), and Ward Hubbell, executive director of the Green Building Initiative (GBI). Both Gatlin and Hubbell provided an overview of their organizations’ rating and accreditation systems. States that have passed legislation in the last two years to incentivize companies to use green certification systems include Hawaii, Arkansas, Minnesota, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Connecticut.

Following a guiding principles discussion and presentations by the USGBC and GBI, meeting participants focused on sub-committee assignments. Subcommittee topic areas are:

• policy
• education
• research
• strategic alliances
• legislative issues

Subcommittee members are scheduled to research and report back to the full group via conference call in June on the five topic areas, with the goal of making recommendations that NAIOP should consider on a national basis.

Green Task Force Members Alan J. Beaudette – Chair - Lowe Enterprises, Inc. Thomas Bisacquino – President, NAIOP John Bryant - NAIOP Robert Bunyan - DBN Environmental Properties Dale Dekker – Dekker/Perick/Sabatini, Ltd. Peter Garver – Corporate Office Properties Trust Brian Gault – Peterson Companies Mark Gudenas – Swinerton Incorporated Kathryn Hamilton - NAIOP Alex Klatskin – Forsgate Industrial Partners Jim Lutz – Liberty Property Trust Michael Merle – Ray Fogg Building Methods, Inc. Dewitt Peart – Pittsburgh Regional Alliance Michael Murphy – CenterPoint Properties Michael Newman – Trammell Crow Company Shawn Parry – Touchstone Corporation Jonathan Ratner – Forest City Stapleton, Inc. Michael Shatken – KSS Architects, LLP Gregory Specht – Specht Development, Inc.

NAIOP Web Site Goes Green