Becoming a Green Building Professional: A Guide to Careers in Sustainable Architecture, Design, Engineering, Development, and Operations

Here is the completely up–to–date guide to today′s careers in sustainable building and design—a clear and concise survey of the field and advice for navigating a successful career. Filled with firsthand interviews with green building professionals, it covers everything from educational requirements and design specialties to the many directions in which a career in green building and design can go.

Becoming a Green Building Professional answers these key questions:

What do green building professionals do? What are the educational requirements for green building professionals? What types of jobs are out there? How does one get green building experience? What is the future of the green building profession?

FOREWORD xi

PREFACE xix

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS xx

1 Why Build Green? 1

Our Place 1

THE NEED 2

A REASON TO CARE 5

LEADERSHIP 5

FURTHER INCENTIVES 6

WORLD OF GRAY 6

GREEN BUILDING 7

HISTORY OF GREEN BUILDING IN THE UNITED STATES 7

AT ALL LEVELS 8

WHAT IS A GREEN BUILDING PROFESSIONAL? 8

LEGACY 12

GREEN JOBS STATS 13

GREEN AS IN “SALARY” 14

HOW TO GET INTO THE FIELD 14

THE POWER OF TWO 19

ON THE HORIZON 30

2 What Do Green Building Professionals Do? 33

Common Principles 35

THE NATURAL STEP 35

METRICS 36

INTEGRATED THINKING 39

MULTIFACETED PERSPECTIVE 41

3 Green Building Education 59

Importance of Eco–Education 60

A WELL–CONCEIVED PROCESS 61

Higher Education 62

DO YOU NEED AN “ENVIRONMENTAL” 62

DEGREE?

BUILDING OR GREEN DEGREE? 64

Degree Option 1: Building Profession 66

UNDERGRADUATE/BACHELOR’S DEGREE 66

MASTER’S DEGREE 74

PhD, OR DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY 74

Degree Option 2: Specialized Environmental 72

MULTIDISCIPLINARY DEGREES 80

CHOOSING A COLLEGE 81

Post–College Educational 89

Options

Training Programs 89

TIME AND RESULTS 90

FORMAT AND FORUMS 90

HANDS–ON TRAINING PROGRAMS 91

Continuing Education 92

Perspectives from Educators 92

4 Experience of Green

Building Professionals 103

Early Adoption Becomes Mainstream 103

How to Get Green Experience 105

HANDS–ON EXPERIENCE 105

VOLUNTEER—GET INVOLVED! 106

MENTORING 108

INTERNSHIPS 111

ACCREDITATION 111

The Green Job Search 113

THE PLAN 113

RESOURCES 113

TOOLS 120

Determining a Best Fit 123

The Green Architect 125

The Green Contractor or Construction Manager 130

The Green Civil Engineer 134

The Green MEP Engineer 138

The Green Interior Designer 142

The Green Landscape Architect 147

The Green Urban Planner 154

The Green Real Estate Professional 159

The Green Facility Manager or Owner 165

Experience + Resources = Results 174

5 Sustainability and Green Building Consultants 177

A Sprouting New Sector 177

THE RACE TO STAY CURRENT 178

RANGE OF ROLES 180

SUSTAINABILITY CONSULTANTS 180

GREEN BUILDING CONSULTANTS 182

HOW GREEN BUILDING CONSULTANTS WORK 191

Perspectives from Green Building Consultants 194

Green Lanterns 199

6 Green Building Process and Tools 201

Process 201

GUIDE: INTEGRATED DESIGN 203

The Toolbox 208

SELECTING THE BEST TOOL FOR THE JOB 209

TRANSPARENCY 210

STANDARDS 211

THIRD PARTY 212

PERFORMANCE 215

GREEN BUILDING CERTIFICATIONS 218

Nature Nexus 238

7 Green Building Impact Areas, People, and Tools 241

Common Ecos 241

SPECIALISTS 242

TOOLS 242

Site/Location 244

HEAT ISLAND EFFECT 245

BROWNFIELD REMEDIATION 245

Water 248

Energy 254

NEW VS. VINTAGE 256

ENERGY FOR NEW CONSTRUCTION 257

ENERGY FOR EXISTING BUILDINGS 268

COMMISSIONING THE BRIDGE 272

NEXT–GENERATION ENERGY 274

Materials 285

MATERIALS IN DESIGN 286

MATERIAL CERTIFICATIONS 288

ENTRY POINT—REDUCE/REUSE/RECYCLE TOXICITY 291

NEXT–GENERATION MATERIALS 296

MATERIALS IN CONSTRUCTION 304

MATERIALS IN OPERATIONS 304

Indoor Air Quality 305

AIR QUALITY BY BUILDING PHASES 308

AIR QUALITY IN DESIGN 309

AIR QUALITY IN CONSTRUCTION 309

AIR QUALITY IN OPERATIONS 311

AIR QUALITY IN POST–OCCUPANCY 312

8 The Business of Green Buildings 317

Chief Sustainability Officers 318

ONE ROLE, MANY NAMES 320

Green Legal Advisors/Environmental Lawyers 332

Financials 339

9 The Future of Green Building 365

Forecast 365

GLOBAL 366

UNITED STATES 367

BEAUTY OF AGE 378

NEW LOOK 379

THE END IS THE BEGINNING 382

APPENDIX 383

INDEX 387

Holley Henderson, LEED AP BD+C/ID+C, provides sustainable consulting and speaking for the built environment and global business strategy, collaborating with owners, design firms, and manufacturers via H2 Ecodesign, a company she launched that has facilitated nearly 3.5 million square feet of green buildings around the world. Holley has served on multiple national USGBC committees including most recently as Chair of the USGBC LEED CI Core Committee; current Vice Chair of the USGBC LEED Market Advisory Committee; and member of the USGBC LEED Steering Committee.

"For those considering a new career or a career change on green and sustainable design, Becoming a Green Building Professional offers practical information on educational requirements, career options, guidance and tips, and firsthand interviews. Perfect for design and building professionals who want to reinvent and renew their careers as well as students considering such a career, this is a vital and informative guide to a growing field." ( ASID Icon, Fall 2012)