The LEEDers and the Best

by Scotter Bragg

March 25th, 2008 in Detroit, Environment, Grand Rapids, Green, Living, Newsletter, The Alt. Energy Issue, West Michigan

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Given Michigan’s current housing slump, you might be surprised to know that our state is a leader in green building.

Over 200 building projects in Michigan are either registered with or certified by the The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program, a green building certification program developed in 2000 by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

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LEED does not rate only the completed project, but the entire building process: whether the materials are recycled or acquired from local suppliers, how much waste is produced from the construction, how well the building will save energy in the future, and how much impact the building has on its surrounding environment.

Certification is based upon a point system that gauges how well a construction or renovation meets LEED standards and awards the project with Certified, Silver, Gold, or Platinum recognition.

East Side vs. West Side

Grand Rapids has by far the most LEED-certified buildings in Michigan, due in part to the long-term support of local business leaders.

Nate Gillette, LEED-certified professional and chief architect at Bazzani Associates, says that Grand Rapids’ head start on sustainability is the result of the city’s thriving furniture industry: “The green building revolution on this side of the state was implemented by the furniture manufacturers here — SteelCase, Hayworth, and Herman Miller — who very quickly got on board not just with green building but creating sustainable practices, from how they use their materials in their furniture, how they dispose of their waste, and everything in the manufacturing process.”

Gillette also explains that the local philanthropic community is very sustainability-oriented, particularly Peter M. Wege, founder and president of the Wege Foundation, the primary funder of the new Grand Rapids Art Museum. The project achieved Gold certification from LEED in March 2008.

“Peter Wege’s mandate,” says Gillete, “is that he won’t give money to any project unless it’s LEED-certified.”

The east side of the state has not been getting as much national attention for its green building efforts, but Liz Vandermark, a LEED-accredited professional at SmithGroup and LEED Coordinator of the new Madonna University project currently underway in Livonia, suggests that it is not far behind.

“The west side of the state is much better at talking about building green and they definitely have a lot to talk about — they’ve done a wonderful job,” says Vandermark. “However, if you look at a map of LEED-certified buildings in Michigan, you’ll see that many of them are on the east side, and the very largest ones.”

Detroit, Vandermark adds, may be in a particularly advantageous position to become a leader in LEED-certified structures due to one of the city’s current problems: abandoned buildings. LEED actually awards points for the decision to renovate a standing structure, rather than building from scratch.

“Reusing existing buildings has a significant impact on how green the building will be,” she says. “The best green building is the one you don’t have to build at all. Ironically, that gives us an advantage in Detroit because we have so many buildings to work with.”

But Vandermark also warns that Detroit must begin renovating green as soon as possible. “We’ve almost hit a tipping point where we have to do something with these buildings or they will literally fall down. With the right energy and the right money, we could have a lot to work with.”

To LEED or not to LEED?

Although all LEED-certified buildings are green buildings, not all green buildings are LEED-certified. Building projects short on funds may not be able to afford to participate in LEED, and some sustainable projects miss out on the opportunity for certification because they break ground before registering with the USGBC. However, LEED is becoming the preferred path for most builders and architects because it helps to ensure that a building will truly be green.

“In general, LEED helps get a better product,” says Vandermark. “If you have someone taking notes, completing documentation, and collecting paperwork as you go, it tends to make people honest. You have to actually prove the things you say you’re doing, so the rigor of the system keeps everybody on track.”

“The real value of the LEED process and certification is the third-party verification that goes along with it,” Gillette concurs. “You’re having someone review aspects of that project from a neutral, third-party standpoint to see that it was really designed and built the way it was intended.”

LEED is shaping the future of green building, but it’s a future many are living now.

“I hope the term ‘the future of green building’ goes away, to be honest.” says Gillette. “I hope, in time, that we just talk about “building,” and that the sustainable practices are just something that we automatically do.”

“It’s about the process. It’s about trying to design the best building that you can,” he adds. “I don’t know how to design any differently anymore. It’s part of what I do.”

Michigan’s Green Buildings of Note:

Grand Rapids Art Museum, Grand Rapids
East Hills Center (of the Universe), Grand Rapids
Visteon Headquarters, Van Buren Township
University of Michigan Dana Building, Ann Arbor
Detroit School of Arts, Detroit
Ford Rouge Plant, Dearborn
David D. Hunting YMCA Complex, Grand Rapids
Goodwillie Environmental School, Ada
Immaculate Heart of Mary, Motherhouse, Monroe

Related articles:

Greenbuilding in Small Town America
Blueprints Go Green
Got LEED?
Green Home Guide

Scotter Bragg was born and raised in the suburbs of Detroit and moved to Washington, DC, for four years after college. Returning to Michigan in 2007, he also writes for the music blog The Post-Rockist and Metroblogging Detroit. He enjoys and writes about green living and sustainability, the Detroit music scene, and the arts in Michigan. He currently lives in Detroit.