28 March 2008
Merchandise Mart Sets “Green” Standard for Existing Buildings
Prestigious LEED design award recognizes old as well as new structures
Washington -- The term "green architecture" usually is associated with sleek new buildings that employ the latest innovations in recycled materials, energy efficiency and environmentally conscious design. But the fact remains that new construction covers only a small number of the estimated 4.5 million commercial structures in the United States.
So when one of the world's largest wholesale commercial buildings -- the venerable Merchandise Mart in Chicago -- underwent a massive, multistage conversion that won it a coveted environmental certification, many people took notice.
The Merchandise Mart's award was a Silver Certification from Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Existing Buildings (LEED-EB), awarded by the U.S. Green Business Council. (See “U.S. Companies Embrace Green Technology.”)
As a result of its LEED award, the Merchandise Mart has another proud distinction: It is the world's largest “green” commercial building.
"LEED" AND GREEN ARCHITECTURE
The Mart may be the largest in the new wave of LEED-designated examples of green architecture in the United States, but it is hardly alone.
The Green Building Council is a voluntary organization comprising more than 13,500 members ranging from construction, real estate and manufacturing companies to architects, interior designers, engineers, site managers and nonprofit and government agencies. Its rating system -- LEED (new buildings) and LEED-EB (existing structures) -- has become the national standard for buildings that are environmentally responsible and energy efficient, as well as high performance and profitable.
The LEED certification process uses a complex set of measures to determine the building's environment footprint in five key areas, according to council representative Ashley Katz. These areas are sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.
The council then employs a scoring system for the building's overall sustainability that starts at Certified, followed by Silver, Gold, and the highest, Platinum.
Government agencies as well as commercial builders are using the LEED rating system, which now is being applied in 41 other countries, including Canada, Brazil, Mexico and India.
GREEN MARKETS
In the United States, buildings account for an estimated 36 percent of overall energy use, 65 percent of electricity consumption, 30 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions and 12 percent of water use.
The Green Business Council forecasts that the market for green architecture and buildings will reach $60 billion by 2010, up from $7 billion in 2005.
In 2007, according to one construction trade publication, companies laid down almost 300 million square meters of commercial building space under LEED's rating system.
LEED-certified buildings are more than environmentally responsible; they're economical. The council's statistics show that green buildings, by using an average of 40 percent less water and energy than conventional buildings, easily earn back their higher construction costs over the lifecycle of the building. These green buildings also eliminate 50 percent to 70 percent of construction and demolition waste going into landfills.
The LEED rule of thumb is that a 2 percent upfront cost in design and materials results in overall savings of 20 percent in future years.
Savings like these aren't just linked to new buildings. In 2006, the software firm Adobe received Platinum LEED-ED awards for an extensive renovation of its headquarters buildings in San Jose, California. The total cost was $1.4 million, which the company says it earned back in less than a year.
GREENING THE MERCHANDISE MART
Chicago's Merchandise Mart, a landmark structure built in 1930, claims the title of the world's largest commercial building. It covers two full city blocks, has 24 stories and contains 372,000 square meters of floor space. About half of the massive limestone structure houses offices and retail outlets, with the other half hosting 16 or more industry trade shows each year. On a typical day, 15,000 to 20,000 people occupy the space.
The process of undertaking the renovations necessary for the Merchandise Mart to earn a Silver LEED-ED certificate took three years and involved everything from fixing water leaks and replacing 4,000 windows to establishing an on-site recycling center for construction waste.
Mart officials did not have the luxury of shutting down the building, so the engineers and architects had to win the cooperation of its thousands of tenants.
"It can be like performing surgery while the patient is still awake," said Mart Vice President for Engineering Mark Bettin, who was quoted in a recent Business Week article.
THE LITTLE THINGS COUNT
Many of the critical energy and resource savings did not come from ripping out old materials and replacing them with new construction, but from carefully analyzing how the building and its occupants interacted. By installing individual meters, tenants could see their consumption of electricity and water -- and take immediate steps to reduce usage. (See “Entrepreneur Empowers Homeowners to Save Money on Electric Bills.”)
Even carpet color selections can have a big impact in a structure the size of the Mart, according to Business Week: Brighter colors reflect more light and reduce the need for artificial lighting.
By fixing leaks and reusing water not used for drinking, the Mart has cut water consumption by 35 percent, or roughly 75 million liters, since 2001.
Everything that can be recycled is recycled: paper, glass, metals, construction materials, even toxic chemicals like mercury.
Since 2006, the Merchandise Mart has reduced air pollution by more than 120,000 kilograms, the largest single reduction by any commercial building, according to company officials.
Among the Merchandise Mart's future plans are further steps to increase water and lighting efficiency and to use more renewable materials that eliminate ozone and other sources of indoor air pollution.
"We don't view this as a completed project," said Senior Vice President Myron Maurer. "We have developed the tools; now we use those tools in our day-to-day-operations. The Mart is going to continue to refine and improve our green building practices. This is a way of life at the Merchandise Mart."
For more information, see the March eJournal USA, “The Greening of U.S. Corporations” and “U.S. Energy Partnerships.”
