The report, "The Business Case for Green Building: A Review of the Costs and Benefits for Developers, Investors and Occupants," examines whether or not it's possible to attach a financial value to the cost and benefits of green buildings. Today, green buildings can be delivered at a price comparable to conventional buildings and investments can be recouped through operational cost savings and, with the right design features, create a more productive workplace.
"This report synthesises credible evidence from around the world on green buildings into one collective resource, and the evidence presented highlights that sustainable buildings provide tangible benefits and make clear business sense," said Jane Henley, CEO of WorldGBC. "From risk mitigation across a building portfolio and city-wide economic benefits, to the improved health and well-being of individual building occupants, the business case for green building will continue to evolve as markets mature. Indeed we have already seen this momentum grow globally where in more and more places, green is now becoming the status quo."
"This latest global research further reinforces and supports the findings in our own publication, The Rands and Sense of Green Buildings, which sets out the economic case for green building in a clear, incontestable manner based on local evidence and tangible case studies. It dispels the myth that green building is more expensive, lists the benefits of green building and provides the local proof of these," explained Green Building Council of South Africa's (GBCSA) CEO, Brian Wilkinson.
Key findings include:
The report concludes that by greening our built environment at the neighbourhood and city scales, the green building industry can deliver on large-scale economic priorities, such as climate change mitigation, energy security, resource conservation and job creation, long-term resilience and quality of life.
"This report underscores that green buildings play a fundamental and cost-efficient role in tackling some of the immediate challenges of our times," said Rick Fedrizzi, chairman of the WorldGBC and president, CEO and founding chairman of the US Green Building Council (USGBC). "The WorldGBC is proud to continue to play a leadership role in the explosive growth of global green building industry as we all continue to create a world that will give people better, brighter, healthier spaces to live, work and play."
"We are optimistic that reviews of this nature will continue to influence the strategies of many astute property investors, owners and developers and that the economic business case will be the key driver in ensuring that green building becomes the accepted standard for all property projects," concluded Wilkinson.