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— Property Management Quarterly — August 2015
T
oday’s next generation of real
estate consumers increas-
ingly are looking for sustainable
places that feature a lighter
ecological footprint, respect for
future inhabitants, and are renewable,
responsible and efficient. In order to
realize the larger goal of creating and
managing sustainable communities
we first must address environmental,
social and economic factors to find a
balance between
natural systems and
development that
improves quality
of life, while main-
taining functioning
natural systems.
The term sustain-
ability has been
part of our national
dialogue for more
than a decade now,
yet relatively few
methods can suc-
cessfully define
and measure it for
practical purposes.
The Leadership in
Environmental and
Energy Design certi-
fication, sponsored
by the U.S. Green
Building Council
and administered
through the Green
Building Certification
Institute, is the most
widely recognized
system for measur-
ing sustainability.
Now in version 4,
LEED provides a
scientific, best practices method of
measuring sustainable design, opera-
tions and management of buildings
and related site performance for new
building construction, schools, retail,
existing building reuse, operations and
management, as well as for homes.
The Sustainable Sites Initiative, also
known as SITES, developed a comple-
mentary rating tool that addresses site
planning, landscape design, construc-
tion and maintenance.Twelve years
ago, landscape architects created this
tool to address site development proj-
ects such as campuses, parks, plazas,
streets, greenways and cemeteries.The
SITES version 2 certification program is
now one of several under the auspices
of USGBC that specifically address the
needs of land developers and manag-
ers. Other rating systems include PEER
(sustainable energy systems),WELL
(healthy buildings) and GRESB (Global
Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark).
More information on these programs is
available on the GBCI website.
The National Renewable Energy Lab
in Golden is one of two certified SITES
projects in Colorado.The new office
and industrial campus houses labo-
ratories that develop innovative new
building materials that showcase sus-
tainable approaches to site and build-
ing design.
While SITES certification requires a
very deliberate and time-consuming
process of documentation and sea-
soned professionals to implement it, it
provides a platform for a more holis-
tic approach to planning, design and
monitoring, said NREL Energy Program
Manager Michelle Slovensky. Long-
term cost savings from a SITES-based
approach results in measurable reduc-
tions in water and energy use, while
providing a noticeable physical and
visual fit within a project’s neighbor-
hood and community context, she said.
The SITES program pioneered the
concept of “ecosystem services,”
assigning a value to how natural sys-
tems help preserve, restore or enhance
a project site during the planning and
design process. Historically, build-
ing and site improvements are easily
quantified and their value assigned
by markets.The value of natural and
designed landscapes is much harder
to measure. SITES recognizes such ele-
ments as the value of healthy soils that
support vegetation and reduce erosion,
the value of tree and plant cover that
can reduce carbon dioxide and increase
shade, and the value of landscaping to
a sense of well being and quality of life.
SITES certification points are award-
ed in 10 categories, several with prereq-
uisites that are required prior to quali-
fying for any points:
• Site context (13 points)
• Predesign: Assessment and plan-
ning (3 points)
• Site design:Water (23 points)
• Site design: Soil and vegetation (40
points)
• Site design: Materials selection
(41 points)
• Site design: Human health and
well-being (30 points)
• Construction (17 points)
• Operations and maintenance (22
points)
• Education and performance moni-
toring (11 points)
• Innovation and exemplary perfor-
mance (9 points)
Similar to the rating system for LEED,
SITES certification has four levels
depending on accumulated points and
choices made during design and con-
struction:
• Certified (70 points)
• Silver (85 points)
• Gold (100 points)
• Platinum (135 points)
Registration, certification fees and the
costs associated with specifying, com-
missioning and certifying the points
should be factored into the decision to
become certified. Discounts are avail-
able through LEEDAccredited Profes-
sionals, USGBC and American Society
of Landscape Architects members.
Sustainable building programs, such
as SITES, provide powerful tools to
locally address global concerns such
as climate change, loss of biodiver-
sity and resource depletion. Land
is a crucial component of the built
environment, and it can be designed,
developed and maintained in ways
that protect and enhance the benefits
derived from healthy functioning
landscapes.
For those who influence land devel-
opment and management practices,
including property managers and their
planning, design and maintenance
teams, applying sustainable meth-
odologies to a project site can save
short- and long-term costs, and closely
conform to the needs and values of
the end user. More information and
certification applications are available
at
s
Sustainability
Photo courtesy NREL
SITES provides credits for managing storm water in wetland and multiuse landscape areas.
SITES encourages landscapes that are both functional and beautiful.
Jana McKenzie,
FASLA
Principal, Logan
Simpson, Fort
Collins
Craig Coronato,
FASLA
Director, Logan
Simpson, Tempe,
Arizona
