by Rebecca Walker — July 3, 2009—Green building may be booming, especially in the Northwest, but the claims made for high-performance buildings have been slow to gain traction in the financial community.
A new study of office buildings in Seattle, Washington; Portland, Oregon; and Vancouver, British Columbia by the Cascadia Region Green Building Council, the Vancouver Valuation Accord and Cushman & Wakefield identifies how high-performance green features and systems can increase the value of commercial buildings.
The report outlines how value was achieved and how sustainable attributes impact costs, savings, investment income, and capital value. It is a tool to help bridge the gap in understanding between the green building and financial communities.
It has aggressive rents and higher levels of occupancy than its non-green competitors. “This research makes much-needed progress in explaining how sustainable building attributes affect value,” says Brandon Smith, Chief Operating Officer of the Cascadia Region Green Building Council.
A copy of the report can be downloaded at the Cascadia Web site.
