Real Estate Issues articles from September 2008

Real Estate Issues archives from September 2008

"Like any professional, an architect is simply an educator".(Editor's Statement)
September 22, 2008... ONE OF THE GREAT BENEFITS OF MY JOB as editor in chief of Real Estate Issues is that I have the opportunity to read all of the wonderful manuscripts that the members of The Counselors submit for review. Often I find that I forward them on to...

Shifting the sustainability paradigm: from advocacy to good business.(FOCUS ON GREEN BUILDING)
September 22, 2008... INTRODUCTION SUSTAINABILITY HAS BECOME THE WATCHWORD for imagining a new utopia where the relationship of the human endeavor with the natural world is properly aligned to the benefit of both. But this, like all utopias, lies in the future....

Weather-related losses in the built environment: societal change and climate change.(FOCUS ON GREEN BUILDING)
September 22, 2008... INTRODUCTION IT IS NOW COMMON IN POLICY DEBATES to invoke human-caused climate change as a possible cause of economic, public health and catastrophic property losses. A close look at climate change issues and the built environment,...

Selling and governing the green project: owner risks in marketing, entitlement and project governance.(FOCUS ON GREEN BUILDING)
September 22, 2008... INTRODUCTION CRITICAL THINKING ABOUT THE LEGAL AND RISK MANAGEMENT issues related to green buildings is in its relative infancy. With the sustainable development revolution upon us and a general consensus that it is here to stay, attorneys...

Greening the standard of care: evolving legal standards of practice for the architect in a sustainable world.(FOCUS ON GREEN BUILDING)
September 22, 2008... OVERVIEW THE TASK OF DELIVERING GREEN OR SUSTAINABLE BUILDINGS requires the coordination of many parties in the chain of asset management and construction. Arguably, one of the more important figures in this process, particularly for new...

Trust, but verify ... building enclosure commissioning in sustainable design.(FOCUS ON GREEN BUILDING)
September 22, 2008... INTRODUCTION Sustainable design does not necessarily result in a sustainable building. As an architect practicing in the area of building enclosure failure investigation and repair design, personal experience has taught me that there is...

Expanding the principles of performance to sustainable buildings.(FOCUS ON GREEN BUILDING)
September 22, 2008... A MAJOR ISSUE IS EVOLVING WITH REGARD TO THE MEANING and implications of the term "building performance." To some, this expression means a promise to design buildings that will function in accordance with "green" or "high-performance-green"...

Sustainable buildings and the surety.(FOCUS ON GREEN BUILDING)
September 22, 2008... ONE OF THE MORE VITAL, THOUGH OFTEN HIDDEN, types of risk transfer mechanisms on many construction projects is the surety. In fact, sureties act as a basic backstop against the possibility that a project will get derailed due to the inability...

Green building representations and the emerging potential for securities fraud liability.(FOCUS ON GREEN BUILDING)
September 22, 2008... INTRODUCTION IN THE PAST TEN YEARS, THE NOTION OF "GREEN" or high-performance building has moved from an isolated concept discussed among small groups of idealists to become a key element of any credible discussion regarding public or...

Legal issues arising out of green building legislation.(FOCUS ON GREEN BUILDING)
September 22, 2008... AS CONCERN ABOUT THE STATE of the natural environment continues to rate higher on the public's agenda, an increasing number of state and local governments have enacted legislation to combat the significant environmental impact of building...

Energy performance in residential green developments: a Florida case study.(FOCUS ON GREEN BUILDING)
September 22, 2008... THE COMMERCIAL AND RESIDENTIAL SECTORS both have an important role to play in any worthwhile attempt to decrease the overall energy consumption of the United States. Often, the residential sector is too fragmented to provide real, economically...

Blinded by the (green) light: the rise of environmentalism and a new vocabulary-four perspectives.(FOCUS ON GREEN BUILDING)
September 22, 2008... Awareness of Energy and the Environment: Perspective One A NEW ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS Was thrust upon the United States in the 1970s with the OPEC oil embargo. (1) Facing rising energy prices and gas shortages, the U.S. had a...