April 2, 2007—McGraw-Hill Construction (MHC) has released the latest issue of its SmartMarket Report series, detailing its findings of market research into green building in the education construction sector. The Council of Educational Facility Planners International (CEFPI) and the US Green Building Council (USGBC) were co-sponsors of the report.
MHC found that the education sector is the fastest-growing market for green building, which MHC says is good news for the industry, given that education construction is the largest construction sector, by value, at $53 billion for 2007. MHC focused on the education sector because of the specific sensitivities children have to indoor air pollutants and environments, as well as the amount of time students (at the K-12 and university levels) spend in these buildings.
The research results contained in the Education Green Building SmartMarket Report were drawn from two phases of study. The first phase looked at the perceptions of “green leaders” as defined as owners and facilities managers/operators of green schools and universities. The second phase was a survey of a broader representation of school construction professionals as represented by the membership of CEFPI.
Although the key results were consistent among both phases of studies, there were some differences, notes MHC. For example, green leaders reportedly see factors such as “publicity,” “mission statement incorporation,” and “staff demand” as important triggers, indicating their view of increased green building coming from factors that make the process for green building easier.
On the other hand, the broader educational facility planning community reportedly emphasizes important triggers as ones that are measurable outcomes of green building such as “increased health & well-being,” “energy cost increases,” and “productivity benefits.”
To purchase the Education Green Building SmartMarket Report or other MHC studies, go to MHC’s Research and Analytics page.
