Design teams in sustainable design projects face several difficult decisions. Arguably, the most challenging is choosing between spending on optional features or spending on key features that amount to energy-efficiency, social, and environmental improvements.
Analyzing and deciding on this trade-off requires careful evaluation. This analysis informs the development of integrated solutions that yield a sustainable facility at an equal or lower cost than traditional ones. Case studies on buildings that were able to strike a balance and have lower first costs than initially budgeted give insights on how this can be done. Below are a few construction and design strategies that have been used to significantly reduce first costs.
Reduce the size of interior space
The goal of sustainable design is to make the most use of the least amount of space. Because of this, designing adequate space for needed function and avoiding wasting space should be the focus. Creative solutions are needed to strike that balance. For instance, considering moving some spaces outdoors can significantly reduce the first costs. Although the cost to optimize the small space to maximal efficiency may be higher, total costs are generally reduced.
Leverage natural site features to save energy
Sustainable designs will try to do the most with the least amount of resources. This is only possible when the design team considers the extent to which they can use the site’s natural resources and orientation to lower costs. A strategy along these lines might manipulate the orientation of the building and how to get maximal solar radiation which can be used for heating and lighting or using appropriate vegetation to shade key areas and reduce cooling costs. By fully leveraging natural features to save energy, first costs are reduced as well as subsequent HVAC system costs.
Eliminate superfluous features
Reducing the number of features that don’t serve essential design purposes reduces first costs. For instance, removing items that are not fulfilling any purpose can open space for designers to work with. Removing doors in spaces where privacy isn’t critical, ridding decorative paneling or removing dropped ceilings to reduce floor to floor height are some ways to strip down to the essentials and reduce first costs in the project.
Re-use as much as possible
From renovating to re-using materials from older buildings, these sustainable resources are good at lowering first costs. Re-using materials means there are reduced energy costs needed to produce new materials to fulfill the same purpose, the need for virgin materials is eliminated, and time to plan and get necessary permits for a new building is saved. Additionally, reducing construction waste and sticking to the essentials in design create optimal value while reducing costs. Techniques such as advanced framing and value engineering do just that by using modular or standard sizes to eliminate the labor and time to cut custom pieces, as well as costs for waste disposal.
Choose features that optimize energy
Like leveraging natural features to save energy costs, choosing to integrate features that save energy can further reduce costs. Optimizing large windows for daylight and ventilation in warm climates reduce the use of artificial light and mechanical cooling. Furthermore, involving the general contractor in planning will allow the streamlining of construction, which shortens the construction schedule and reduces construction costs.