A New Standard for Sustainability: L.A.'s Green Building Program

By Lore Pekrul
Chair, Green Building Committee

In the interest of curbing global warming and reducing short- and long-term energy costs, the City of Los Angeles is closing in on final approval for a green building program that will be an excellent starting point for the years ahead. The City's Energy & Environment (E&E) and Planning and Land Use Management (PLUM) Committees voted to approve revisions to the Green Building Program during a special joint hearing on February 15, 2008. The next approval required for the proposed program is by City Council. This program (along with the proposed Los Angeles County Green Building Program) is necessary to begin to address climate change in our region. We are at a point in time where we simply cannot afford to slow down our efforts to build green.

One critical element of program credibility is the inclusion of on-site third-party verification. We believe that third-party verification standards must be one of the first amendments to the program following inception. In addition, we have advocated for lowering initial threshold requirements from 50,000 square feet / 50 units threshold to 25,000 square feet / 25 units, as soon as practicable.

Five key areas of sustainability provide focus for the proposed Los Angeles Green Building Program: (1) site-related practices; (2) water efficiency measures; (3) energy and atmospheric concerns; (4) elements relating to materials and resources; and (5) indoor environmental quality. Sustainable practices, regulations and green building requirements are to be driven by two program elements, or 'Standards of Sustainability': The Standard of Sustainability requires green building at specific threshold levels and a Standard of Sustainable Excellence provides additional impetus.

The Standard of Sustainability requires non-residential and high-rise residential (above 6 stories) projects of 50,000 square feet or more, as well as low-rise residential (less than 6 stories) projects of 50 or more dwelling units and 50,000 quare feet, to comply with the intent of the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification program. Also covered would be 'the alteration or rehabilitation of at least 50,000 square feet or 50 or more dwelling units' . . . where construction costs 'exceed a valuation of 50% of the existing building.' A major weakness of this standard is that true LEED certification is not required - the requirement is simply to fulfill the intent of LEED as demonstrated in checklist form, leaving Los Angeles without certainty that its green buildings will match the design, construction and maintenance excellence of this proven standard.

A voluntary Standard of Sustainable Excellence would extend the program one step further, by requiring registration for LEED Silver+ certification as opposed to adherence to intent alone. Expedited and priority processing on the part of the Departments of City Planning and Public Works (among others) will provide incentive for LEED Silver+ projects.

Changes to existing building practices would be guided by a Green Building Team - which would hold public meetings, resolve technical issues, provide review and suggestion of changes to the Los Angeles Municipal Code, oversee program standards, and be responsible for city staff education as well as a public outreach program. The Green Building Team would be chaired by the Mayor's office and involve multi-department participation: Building and Safety, City Planning, Community Redevelopment Agency, Environmental Affairs, Fire, Public Works, Water and Power - plus municipal agencies and utilities.

The flexibility of the Green Building Program may allow for significant and rapid expansion of greened ordinances in the coming years; the entire proposal holds great promise if the intent to see it through remains strong. The Green Building Program will next be heard in City Council this spring; and if approved at that time will be on its way to the Mayor's office for final approval and official adoption. Should the program win approval, the Standard of Sustainability for commercial buildings would take effect six months after passage; residential standards would take effect at the one-year point.

This program needs our support to help make it through the approval process in its present form. A strong, quickly expanding green building program is absolutely critical for us to begin to meet greenhouse gas emission reduction goals set by Mayor Villaraigosa's progressive Climate Action Plan. Please support the Los Angeles Green Building Program (with no scaling back of requirements and effective funding for Green Building Team efforts) by writing to your City Councilmember and by attending the City Council meeting this spring, so we can all look forward to ever-improving standards over the course of the next several years.