Every day, architects and other design professionals are working to meet the challenges of designing more and more efficient buildings. This drive to efficiency is spurred by both building codes that require an increase in energy efficiency and the knowledge that designing and constructing efficient, sustainable buildings is the “right thing to do.”

The increasing availability of design expertise, sustainable products, and high-end design software allows us to design efficient, “high-performance” buildings close to the same construction cost we would expect to pay for traditional construction. If we look at the advantages of a high-performance building over the life of the structure, we can make a compelling case that it is in an owner’s best interest to insist on high performance construction.

• High performance design can offer:
• Potentially millions of dollars in savings in life-cycle building operations costs
• Lower carbon footprints
• More client input in the design process
• Increased opportunity for state and federal grants to offset green building features

We often see municipalities and other public bodies that make professional fees a key part of their architectural selection process. We recently answered a Request for Proposal that stated the architect’s initial fees were 40 percent of the selection criteria. The potential client also wanted a “green” building–something to be applauded. On the other hand, their initial emphasis on the lowest possible professional fees just about guarantees that the kind of up-front analysis required for a true high-performance building won’t happen as the architects and engineers compete to come in at the lowest initial cost. This can result in a building that will not be as efficient as it could, or indeed, should have been.

Taking the long view, it is a question of economy versus false economy. We must continue to do the right thing for our planet and the clients’ bottom line by promoting an increased degree of up-front planning that truly integrates the work of the architectural designer and the building engineers. This “integrated design” approach is new to most of us but, like it or not, it is the future. It requires architects to be more disciplined, engineers to be more creative, clients to be more involved in the design process, and everyone working more closely together than in the past; all good things! This is a future we have to embrace whether or not it is in our comfort zone. Luckily, there are consultants out there who are experts in this process who can provide direction as we test these new waters.