On average, Americans spend 90 percent of their time inside buildings. A new report by Minnesota Planning, Return on Investment: High Performance Buildings, suggests that the way public buildings are designed, built and operated affects lifetime costs, human health, labor productivity, student achievement and environmental quality.
The report identifies emerging practices in the building trades, outlines efforts across the country and recommends ways to adopt these practices in Minnesota.
High performance buildings result from an integrated design approach that strives to increase human health and productivity, while minimizing economic and environmental costs over the building's life. Distinguishing features are:
- Extensive use of natural light and ventilation.
- More energy efficient designs and features, potentially saving between 70 percent and 90 percent over traditional energy use.
- Greater durability and adaptability to future uses.
- More efficient use of water and materials.
- Greater reliance on renewable, recyclable and nontoxic building products.
- Healthier, more productive spaces, stimulating average labor productivity gains between 6 percent and 16 percent and improving student test scores.
"Understanding the future implications of how we build buildings is right in line with the Governor's insistence on getting the best return on every dollar we invest," said Dean Barkley, director of Minnesota Planning. "The state of Minnesota is already moving down this road. We expect this report to help inform the trip."
At least eight other states, such as Pennsylvania, Oregon and New Jersey, have made significant commitments to incorporate high performance building practices into their public facilities and capital bonding processes.