Green Building - Not so Green?

A recent article suggests that current LEED buildings are not as energy efficient as traditional, non-LEED buildings. Findings suggest that the LEED rating system does not necessarily support construction of energy efficient buildings, and may in fact hinder this goal.

While the findings of this article are debatable, there is no question that "green washing" occurs in many industries, and that construction is not immune to this trend. Programs such as LEED try to balance many complicated factors that affect the environment, and unfortunately companies may choose the cheapest or most expedient means to achieve LEED points (and hence achieve LEED certification), which can cause building designers to overlook something as important as energy efficiency. An unintended consequence of playing the LEED points "game" may unfortunately include lower overall energy efficiency.

CCR ASSOCIATES has noticed that construction methods commonly used in LEED buildings may aversely affect office acoustics. As always, it seems that common sense should guide decision making. Do the math when it comes to energy loss and consumption, material costs, and the possible costs involved in remediation (acoustical or otherwise). Acoustic components, such as acoustic ceilings, panels, flooring, and sound masking systems, are all energy efficient as well as economical. Credits for acoustic components are available for certain LEED projects.

Office Acoustics in a Green Building

Office acoustics and green building trends - can they play nice together? CCR ASSOCIATES' own Charles Roy was recently quoted by an article in Buildings magazine regarding this topic:

Both the design of an office space and its materials should be carefully considered to address the ABCs (absorb, block, and cover) of acoustics; this has proven effective for ensuring speech privacy for years. According to Charles C. Roy, president, CCR Associates LLC, an Essex, CT-based acoustical consulting firm, "… the absorption (ceilings, furniture, and carpet), blocking (walls, furniture, and ceilings) and covering of sound (controlling the ambient background with soundmasking) are critical components in addressing office acoustics. In general, when one segment or another is ignored, the cumulative outcome for speech privacy will be less than when all are addressed equally."...

LEED and other green building techniques can, without foresight, have a detrimental effect on office acoustics. However, so can many other building practices, green or not. With proper design and attentiveness to the ABCs, green offices can indeed "play nice" with acoustics.

What does a LEED office sound like?

LEED is certainly all the rage, and rightfully so. Though "green building" has been around for quite a while, with LEED we finally have a benchmark program with a proven track record of success.

What role do office acoustics play in LEED buildings?

The core purpose of the U.S. Green Building Council (the organization responsible for developing the LEED program) is:

"...to transform the way buildings and communities are designed, built and operated, enabling an environmentally and socially responsible, healthy, and prosperous environment that improves the quality of life."

How do we incorporate acoustics into this overall goal? Let's break it down:

Environmental and Social Responsibility:

On the surface this may seem like a non-issue. We're just talking about sound waves, right? But, as always, there are factors to be considered. Noise pollution isn't just something coming from cars on the highway -- it can also be coming from the copier in the hallway, or the phone ringing in the office next door, or the coworker sitting across from you. Noise pollution = noise where it shouldn't be. Excessive unwanted noise can create a toxic environment for office workers. This leads us to another important aspect of acoustics and the LEED program,

Occupant Health:

Numerous studies have concluded that excessive unwanted noise and lack of speech privacy can seriously affect your health, increasing stress levels, which leads to headaches, high blood pressure, and possible heart disease. Acoustics are an important component of Indoor Environmental Quality, but as yet have been overlooked in LEED certification standards.

A Prosperous Environment:

A successful acoustical environment leads to happier employees, less stress, less sick days, greater speech privacy, and greater productivity. In one study, workers in a noisy office made 40 percent fewer attempts to solve a problem, which amounts to a significant loss in overall productivity. Speech privacy is also important to a prosperous corporate environment -- without it, confidential conversations can become hot topics around the water cooler, or worse yet, lead to dropped clients or potential lawsuits.

Conclusion:

With proper acoustical design, office environments can successfully fulfill the core principles of the LEED program -- environmental and social responsibility, a healthy and prosperous environment, and a general increase in the quality of life.

Resources:

What Does Sustainable Design Sound Like? from Acoustics.com

What is LEED? from the U.S. Green Building Council

Green Audiovisual Systems from Sound & Communications

Research on Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) from the Center for the Built Environment