October 31, 2005—Turner Construction Company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Turner Corporation, the nation’s leading general builder, has announced the findings of its survey of 665 building owners, developers, architects, engineers, corporate owner-occupants, consultants and educational institutions on green building issues.
The 2005 Market Barometer, similar to the survey conducted in 2004, again took a snapshot of the views of senior executives on the benefits and costs of green buildings. However, this year’s survey placed a special focus on green educational facilities—both K-12 and higher educational facilities.
The self-administered survey was conducted over the Internet by Bayer Consulting from August 12-26, 2005. For the purposes of the survey, green buildings were defined as buildings which use design and construction practices to significantly reduce or eliminate negative effects on the environment and building occupants.
The study found that more K-12 school districts and higher educational institutions are recognizing that green facilities provide a more effective learning environment. The interest in green educational facilities is part of a broader recognition of the critical importance of the physical environment to the health and performance of students and teachers. Large percentages of executives at organizations involved with green K-12 facilities rated them more highly than traditional facilities on a range of benefits, including the ability to attract and retain teachers (74%), reduced student absenteeism (72%) and improved student performance (71%).
For more on the survey, see the Turner Web site.
