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Conference Reveals Nationwide Office Data on the Benefits of Building Green

Norm Miller, Ph.D., director of academic programs at the Burnham-Moores Center for Real Estate, presented the first national, systematic look at the benefits of building green at the center's Oct. 30 sustainable development conference. The conference, "Is It Easy Being Green?," was co-hosted by the city of San Diego, the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation and Clean Tech San Diego.

The preliminary research, presented by Miller, uses CoStar data to assess the rent differentials of office buildings that are LEED-certified or Energy Star-labeled vs. those that do not carry these designations. This is the first study to evaluate the rent and value differentials of energy-efficient buildings at the national level and the first release of the findings to the public.

The presentation was part of "The Economics of Building Green: Facts, Not Fantasies" panel discussion, which will also featured: Chris Day, vice president, preconstruction and business development, Swinerton Inc.; Fred Maas, president and chief executive officer, Black Mountain Ranch; Michael Gion, site development manager, Intuit Inc.; and Brian Doyle, vice president and San Diego Division manager, William Lyon Homes.

The second panel discussion addressed "The Politics and Profit Opportunities of Building Green and Sustainable Community and Economic Development," and featured panelists William Anderson, director of planning and community investment, city of San Diego; Martha Krebs, deputy director for research and development, California Energy Commission; Sandra Mendler, senior vice president and sustainable design principal, HOK; Alan Gold, chief executive officer, BioMed Realty Trust; and Matt Reid, vice president, development, Ryan Companies U.S. Inc.

The Honorable Jerry Sanders, mayor of the city of San Diego, delivered the keynote address and discussed the city's role in encouraging sustainable economic and community development, as well as outline the issues and opportunities related to the city's General Plan Update.