Dive Summary:
- Jerry Udelson, whose firm consults worldwide on sustainable design, predicts that 2013 will see a resurgence in green building in the U.S. as the recovery moves ahead, particularly in retrofitting existing structures to gain cost reductions in maintenance and operation.
- LEED certification will move ahead rapidly in China, the Middle East, Latin America and other regions where building has been booming.
- Zero-net-energy buildings, measured by the installation of LEED and Energy Star equipment, will grow in the commercial and residential sectors because clients are coming to expect them rather than having to ask for them.
From the article:
"... Awareness of the coming crisis in fresh water supply, both globally and in the U.S., will increase, leading building designers, owners and managers to take further steps to reduce water consumption in buildings by using more conserving fixtures, rainwater recovery systems and innovative onsite water technologies.
'Zero-net-energy buildings will become increasingly commonplace, in both residential and commercial sectors, as LEED and ENERGY STAR certifications have become too commonplace to confer competitive advantage among building owners,' says green design guru Jerry Yudelson. 'Developers of speculative commercial buildings will also begin to showcase zero-net-energy designs to gain marketplace advantages.' ..."
