Achieving High-Performance Federal Facilities Strategies and Approaches for Transformational Change (2011) / Chapter Skim
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Recognizing the significant role of buildings in solving national issues such as energy independence and security, global climate change, and environmental sustainability, and recognizing the opportunity for federal leadership, Congress and two presidential administrations have enacted laws and issued executive orders directing federal agencies to develop high-performance, energy-efficient, sustainable federal buildings. They include the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA)
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The objectives include reducing the use of energy, potable water, fossil fuels, and materials; reducing greenhouse gas emissions; improving indoor environmental quality; increasing the use of recycling and environmentally preferable products; minimizing waste and pollutants through source reduction; pursuing cost-effective innovative strategies to minimize consumption of energy, water, and materials; leveraging agency acquisitions to foster markets for sustainable technologies, materials, products, and services; locating new buildings in sustainable locations; participating in regional transportation planning; and strengthening the vitality and livability of the communities in which federal facilities are located. EISA requires agencies to eliminate fossil fuel energy use in new buildings and major renovations by 2030.
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The levers are the following: • Systems-based thinking, • Portfolio-based facilities management, • Integrated work processes, • Procurement, contracting, and finance, • Communication and feedback for behavioral change, • Standards and guidelines, and • Technologies and tools. For its report, the committee defined best practices as "processes, procedures, or technologies that aim to optimize available resources and that could be effectively applied by the GSA and other federal agencies to meet similar objectives." The definition is intentionally broad, because new practices, technologies, tools, and processes related to high-performance green buildings are continually emerging.
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3. Align existing federal facilities to current missions and consolidate the total facilities footprint to lower costs, reduce carbon emissions, reduce water and energy use, and optimize available resources.
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Systems-based thinking provides a life-cycle perspective that can overcome challenges posed by the federal budget process and by segmented work processes. As importantly, it can help federal agencies identify new ways to use resources, to substitute more sustainable resources, to eliminate waste, and to avoid narrowly focused solutions with unintended consequences.
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Agencies regularly replace worn-out roofs, lighting systems, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems, water fixtures, computers, printers, and other equipment in existing buildings. Federal agencies have significant opportunities to upgrade the performance of existing building systems through effective operations, through routine maintenance, repair, and replacement programs, and through retrofit projects.
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When new buildings or major retrofits are needed, federal agencies develop criteria for the projects and then contract with private-sector firms to design and construct them. Federal agencies can use performance-based contracts to set high-level performance goals for new buildings and major retrofits and then challenge private-sector contractors to use their creativity and expertise to design projects that meet those goals.
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Sustainable practices and processes are evolving and proliferating rapidly. Federal agencies have already developed numerous databases and Web sites containing policies, guidelines, processes, tools, technologies, and evidence-based data for developing, operating, retrofitting, and managing high-performance green buildings and facilities.
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