Earlier this month I had the opportunity to attend the Hotel Developers Conference held at the Green Valley Ranch Resort.  The topic of the conference was "Green Hotel Development, Renovation & Operation" and those in attendance were architects, engineers, and hotel developers/ operators. 

Nevada By Design has been a sponsoring member of both the national US Green Building Council (USGBC) and the local chapter for the past couple years and we have adopted the concept of "Sustainable Design" as part of our business practice.  I have been involved on a personal basis with the USGBC for several years and I am currently studying to become LEED accredited. 

Being familiar with the different levels of effort required to get a building LEED certified, I found it very interesting to listen to the developers speak about the subject from a business perspective.  While the architects and specialists on "Green Building" were talking about global warming and emphasizing the need for LEED certification; the developers and hotel owners were taking a more reserved look at the subject from an operational bottom line standpoint.  "What makes fiscal sense?"

From a marketing standpoint, it was pointed out that there is a swiftly growing number of consumers that are demanding that the businesses they patronize become more environmentally conscientious.  These consumers called "LOHAS" (which stands for Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability), makeup an estimated $209 billion U.S. marketplace for goods and services focused on health, the environment, social justice, personal development, and sustainable living.  The consumers attracted to this market represent a sizable group in this country.  Approximately 19% percent of the adults in the U.S., or 41 million people, are currently considered LOHAS Consumers.  These consumers are the future of your business and also the future of progressive social, environmental, and economic change in this country.  But their power as a consumer market remains virtually untapped.

So what does all of this have to do with your business?  I think it means that every new project built must incorporate sustainability to some degree.

Sustainable Design is something that protects the environment and preserves the earth's natural resources.  The USGBC documents how well your building does by assigning point values or credits based upon meeting energy and environmental goals.  There are a number of possible LEED points that are available through civil engineering design: (i.e., construction plans to prevent soil erosion and limit site disturbance; parking designs that minimize pavement area and provide preferred parking for low emitting and fuel efficient vehicles, carpool, vanpool and bicycle; conserving existing natural areas; maximize open space; stormwater quantity and quality control; Non-roof heat island reduction.)

But not all available LEED points are practical on every project and can in fact become a wasted expense to the bottom line of the project start-up/construction costs.  For instance, rainfall in the Las Vegas valley is equal to approximately 4 inches per year.  To design an extensive catch basin system to capture rain water is not a wise use of development dollars if the purpose is merely for the acquisition of LEED points.  There are sustainable designs that protect from soil erosion during a storm event but the most important part of drainage design is to protect other property and human life.

We at Nevada By Design realize that as design professionals it is our responsibility to understand the client's project goals.  We will do everything  we can to achieve the total number of LEED points needed to achieve a certified, silver, gold, or platinum level.  However, we also recognize that we are responsible as professionals and experts in our field to give the client the strait-up facts.  We work with the client to bring their projects to life and will not push them to go beyond what equates to good responsible engineering design. 

Our success is your success - we don't push excess.  Think "Sustainable"