The online survey was conducted by Bayer Consulting for Turner Construction Company during July 2004. Survey participants included 719 building owners, developers, architects, engineers and consultants. For the purposes of the survey, green buildings were defined as buildings that use design and construction practices to significantly reduce or eliminate negative effects on the environment and occupants.
Other findings of the survey: 88 percent of executives currently involved with green buildings have seen their activities with green buildings increase during the last three years, and nearly 40 percent have seen green activity increase substantially during that period.
Roughly three-quarters of executives at organizations involved with green buildings reported that these buildings generated a higher return on investment (ROI) than other buildings. Among executives lacking direct experience with green buildings, only 47 percent believed that green buildings generate increased ROI.
Of executives involved with green buildings, 91 percent believed that the health and well-being of their building occupants is greater, as did 78 percent of executives not involved with green buildings. Another gap existed among executives at organizations involved with green buildings. Sixty-five percent of executives involved with six or more green buildings said the occupants of green buildings enjoy much greater health and well-being, compared to 49 percent of executives involved with three to five green buildings and 39 percent of executives involved with only one or two green buildings.
According to the survey, executives at firms involved with more green buildings were far more likely to report that ongoing costs of green buildings were much lower than those of non-green buildings. Thirty-six percent of executives at organizations with six or more green buildings said that green buildings have much lower operating costs compared to 19 percent of those at organizations only involved with one or two green buildings. Of those executives most actively involved with green buildings, 37 percent said that 10-year costs are much lower compared to 18 percent of organizations involved with only one or two green buildings.
The survey found that the largest obstacles to widespread adoption of green building techniques are perceived higher construction costs (by 70 percent of all executives), a general lack of awareness regarding the benefits of green buildings (by 63 percent of all executives) and short-term budget horizons (by 53 percent of all executives). Eighty percent of all executives said that green buildings repay any additional upfront costs through lower operating costs and other benefits. When asked to compare a list of benefits generated by green buildings with those generated by non-green buildings, a significant percentage of executives said that green buildings outperform non-green buildings in the following categories:
• Greater health and well-being of occupants (86 percent)
• Higher building value (79 percent)
• Higher worker productivity (76 percent)
• Higher return on investment (63 percent)
• Higher asking rents (62 percent)
• Higher occupancy rates (52 percent)
• Higher retail sales (40 percent).
