--- title: How to Pitch a Green Commercial Building Design to Your Board description: If you're considering pitching to your BOD that your next facility should be of green design, let me help you make the case. image: https://www.carbonae.com/hubfs/Gallery/Wellness_Community/Conference_Room.jpg --- [![Carlson Studio Architects - Sarasota Florida](https://www.carbonae.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Logos/CSA-Logo_cropped.png?width=1004&height=197&name=CSA-Logo_cropped.png "Carlson Studio Architects - Sarasota Florida")](http://www.carlsonstudio.org) ![Sustainable design blog for progressive architecture](https://www.carbonae.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Gallery/1366_x_500_blog_cover.png?width=1366&name=1366_x_500_blog_cover.png "Sustainable design blog for progressive architecture") # The Sustainable Design Blog ### For the love of beauty, functionality, and the planet Earth ## [How to Pitch a Green Commercial Building Design to Your Board](https://www.carbonae.com/journal/green-commercial-building-design-pitch) Posted by [Carbon Design](https://www.carbonae.com/journal/author/carbon-design) on Wed, Mar 30, 2016 ![](https://www.carbonae.com/hs-fs/hubfs/C%20Mark-3.png?width=35&name=C%20Mark-3.png) Find me on: [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/carbon-design-architecture) ---   ### ![I want to propose a green commercial building design to my BOD, but I'm not sure where to start...](https://www.carbonae.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Gallery/Wellness_Community/Conference_Room.jpg?width=690&name=Conference_Room.jpg "I want to propose a green commercial building design to my BOD, but I'm not sure where to start...") ### What important components should one use to sell Their BOD on a green Commercial building design ? **So, you find yourself in an organization that needs to build facilities, and you have heard about green buildings or you already understand the benefits a green facility can provide, but you need to convince those higher up in your organization to consider the idea.  **   **                              What do you do?**   --- **Let's assess:** The only reason NOT to do a green building is if your organization wants to build the absolute cheapest first cost building it possibly can, and the organization does not want to own it for very long after it is built.   It is best to call a spade a spade and get on with your life. I don’t have a case I can make for you that will move that mountain. I don't mean to sound skeptical, but I've seen this conversation before, and it doesn't usually end well. **** **** ## Don't go it alone If this is not the case, my first suggestion is PASS THE BUCK!  Get in touch with an architect who knows what they are doing, has been designing green buildings for decade or 2, and have them help with the pitch. Trust me- they have heard it all before, and they want you to win the battle!   ## Or do... if you *insist*!  It is important to find out what motivates the decision makers. - Are they a bottom line type, and care about saving or making money as their first priority? - Do they see the value in happy and productive employees (People)? - Do they care about their children’s future and their community, locally and/or globally (Planet)?   Some may be motivated by more than one aspect, but one is typically dominate in the decision-making process. Once you understand where they are coming from you are half-way home.   ## Cater to what motivates them **Profit** (making and saving money) is probably the easiest one to address.Green buildings by design use a lot less energy and water than with typical code-minimum designed buildings. After all, saving energy and water saves money.   One may even want to spend a little bit extra in the construction cost to save even more money in the long run. This return on investment (ROI) is straightforward and easy to calculate. For example, if it takes 5 years to pay back the extra cost to create more energy savings, which is a 20% annual ROI. Not bad, huh? It's very likely to be MUCH better than any other investment the organization is making in the market, so why not?   Other ways of saving or making money include using materials that are easy to maintain and are long lasting (lowering operating costs), and increasing productivity of your employees (more on this below).   Resale is also a consideration. Green certified buildings are typically worth about 5% more than non-certified buildings. **** **** **“People”** is likely the next best way to make the pitch. Do the decision-makers understand productivity, job satisfaction, attracting and retaining employees?   Do you know that 95% of the cost of a typical office building over its lifetime is the cost of the employees that work in the facility based on their salaries?  Increases in productivity are huge, and LEED certified buildings have been proven to increase productivity.   This will make the profit motivated people really happy too! As noted by the [International Well Building Institute](https://www.wellcertified.com/), even a small increase in productivity makes a big difference in the bottom line. Healthy, non-toxic, naturally day-lit interior spaces (the things that increase productivity) also make people happy and healthy, which improves job satisfaction and reduces absenteeism.   IE - Everybody wins! **** **** The best companies compete for the best employees and need an advantage over other company’s recruiting efforts, and sustainable design is perfect for this, and a very attractive quality to Millennials. **** **** And finally, the “**Planet**." The planet is stressed, and we have to stop ignoring that.   To be clear, when I say "planet" I really mean how people will be impacted by the things that we're doing to the planet. The Earth will be fine with or without us. It will make self-corrections and move on. It's already doing that, actually, in response to our abusive behaviors.   Does your BOD wish the organization to exist for many generations? Do they want to make the world a better place for their children? Do they want to lessen their impact on the environment?Can they see their role in the big picture?   I think many organizations can and want to say yes to these questions, but they might need to be reminded of the bigger picture from time to time.   ## Tie it to the cause Everything about green design and LEED certification assists with these goals. In addition to the qualities of green design listed in the Profit and People categories above, an organization can do its share to make the planet better when by doing things like reducing construction waste, using materials that have a low carbon footprint, buying materials with recycled content and low chemical content, buying local and regional materials (LEED says that is within 500 miles), and using less materials- such as not building any more space than one needs.   --- **CONCLUSION:** Think globally, act locally; be the change you desire. ** **Find out what motivates the decision-makers, and understand that green design has a way to make them happy. Once you know what your organization is thinking, and why, connect the dots back to the strengths of green building design that fortifies their existing beliefs.   Want help pitching your green design idea to the powers that be? Schedule a free consultation with [Carlson Studio Architecture](https://www.carbonae.com/contact-us-green-architectural-design-services) today! 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