Many owners, design teams and construction companies are focusing on incorporating "green" elements or sustainable design and building practices into new projects in the downtown area for a number of reasons, both financial and environmental. Take for example the design of the proposed new Main Library in San Diego, which includes a number of sustainable design elements that will increase the efficiency of the building and decrease user costs.

The following is a brief outline and explanation of green building/sustainable design, why is it important and why an owner would choose to utilize these methods.

What is sustainable design practice?

* An integrated and interdisciplinary approach to design and construction

* Proper planning for and locating of facilities

* Efficient utilization of natural resources

* Optimization of systems

* Protection of employee health and safety

* Mitigation of the generation of waste

* Reuse and recycling of waste materials

* Applying life-cycle analysis (LCA) to evaluate a facility's performance and make smarter decisions

Understanding the consequences of our actions: Why is green important?

* Ecological footprint: The United States has 5 percent of the world's population, but consumes over 30 percent of the world's resources.

* Building construction consumes 40 percent of the raw stone, gravel and sand, and 25 percent of the virgin wood annually.

* Building operations consume 36 percent of the energy, 67 percent of the electricity and 12 percent of the potable water produced annually.

* Building construction generates 22 pounds of waste per square foot; in 1996 over 136 million tons of construction wastes were generated.

* Buildings contribute to global warming; 30 percent of the increase of CO2 is due to building activities -- 6.6 tons of greenhouse gases are emitted per person annually in the United States.

* 7 million tons of office paper are discarded annually; recycling three cases of paper saves one tree.

Acknowledging the benefits

* Reduced life cycle costs (ROI)

* Lower operating and maintenance costs: Reduced water consumption and reduced energy consumption

* Increased employee productivity

* Reduced resource consumption

* Mitigation of habitat destruction

* Streamlined regulatory and permitting approval

* New marketing opportunities

Why are owner's going green?

"It's the right thing to do" -- Birkenstock

"Worker productivity and reduced HR liability" -- Gap

"Lower operating costs through energy savings" -- Gap 901 Cherry: 30 percent less energy to run.

Over our 118-year history, Swinerton Builders has long since recognized the importance and value of employing construction and design practices that achieve the conservation of energy, water and other resources, the reduction of waste to create healthier (and more productive) built environments. This philosophy and approach to our industry is also commonly referred to as green building and sustainable design.

Swinerton Builders has embraced green building/sustainable design at our corporate and divisional levels. From our upper management to our frontline project teams, we have demonstrated our commitment to green building as witnessed by our numerous successfully completed green projects.

Submitted by Swinerton Builders.