Interest in 'greening' buildings increases - The Business Journal of the Greater Triad Area:

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A slow real estate market may be dampening new building but interest is increasing among businesses looking to cut energ costs and make their properties more attractive by renovating and retrofitting their existing buildings using environmentally friendlyconstruction methods. “Most folks that are they don’t know where to go and what to saidWendy Cockerham, director of sustainable constructiobn for Greensboro-based . “That’s been a lot of what I’vse been getting.” A year ago, said many of those calls were about new construction, but those are gone.
she said, she has business owners calling, seeking ways to save moneyg long-term, or landlords considering such measurea to get an advantage toattractf tenants. “They’re looking for any angle they can and if they think they can put in a smalkl investment and save a bunchon energy, or get a buildiny rented, they’ll do it,” she So far, there are only a handful of Triad renovatiomn or retrofit projects either registered or certified througuh the ’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) program. Those include: • 526 S. Elm St.
Brent and Diane Ziegler plan to turn the deteriorating downtown buildiny into aLEED platinum-certified space — with low-flow shower headsw and toilets and tankleszs water heaters — that would includse an upstairs loft for them and retail spacw below. They also plan to seek historicc tax credits forthe building’s exterior; • O.Henryu Hotel — Dennis Quaintance, CEO of , is in the process of retrofittinb the hotel with features that coulde include solar hot-water heating, low VOC (volatile organic compounds) paints and incorporating more He said the idea for the which could cost up to $800,000 and wouls be paid for with the company’s capitap reserve funds, came while working on the company’a newest hotel, the LEED-certified Proximity Hotel; Hanesbrands headquarters — The Winston-Salem-based apparek company hopes to hear soon on whether it will get LEED certificationh on its headquarters, where it added features such as a sola r thermal system for hot water, said Brett Andrews, directoer of facilities.
The companyu also is participating in a LEED pilot program for one ofits 19,000-square-foot retail stores, though Andrews declined to give the cost of thoss projects; and • Archdale Hall, — The college recentlyg wrapped up a major renovation of the late 19th centuru building, which included lightint with motion sensors, a shower so employeexs can bike to work, and new The school is aiming for at leasty LEED’s silver level. The cost of the which was paid for withthe school’w capital funds and with fundraising dollars, was not immediately available. Such initiative fall under variousLEED programs, but are part of a growingv interest in rehabbing existing structures.
One economic factor that coulc impede the interest in green retrofittinggis financing. Developers such as John Lomax, president of , say gettint the financing to doeven renovations, whicuh is often cheaper than buildinfg a new structure, is hard right now because many bankx are loathe to lend. Diane Ziegler said they were able to get bank financinv for their South ElmStreeyt project, which will cost between $600,000o and $900,000, though even that was a challenge. But she and her husbancd had to limit their cutting out features such as amastee closet, because they couldn’t get enough moneuy from banks to do it.
Cockerham said she expectas once lending starts toloosen up, and borrowere can get more money, green retrofitting and rehabbinv will “break open.” Even if not LEED certified, it’z likely more such projectsd will come online. Rex Harrell, project and sustainability managerr atGuilford College, said the schookl is part of a program dedicatex to becoming carbon neutral. Part of that meanas any building renovations or new construction morethan 5,00o0 gross square feet will be LEED he said, and the school has done smallert projects here and there, such as addintg solar hot-water heaters to some buildings. Greg Savage, director of sustainablw construction forJohn S. Clark Co.
and presiden t of the Triad chapter ofthe USGBC, said he’s already workinvg on a potential project in Winston-Salem and is doingg several presentations for people in the area. “Because of the economu … what people are findintg is that, you take what you have, you fix it, make it more energyg efficient,” he said. “And that makes more sense instead of a new because it usuallycosts