"I am easily satisfied with the very best."
-Winston Churchill

Hiring Professionals with High Performance Building Design Experience

Successful completion of a high performance building design (HPBD) required the work of experienced, committed professionals. The selection of a design team, usually through a Request for Qualification (RFQ) and a Request for Proposal (RFP), is a critical step in the HPBD planning process. Integration of high performance criteria outlined in the RFQ and RFP will set the tone and level of commitment from the beginning of any Brown construction project.

Those involved with design team selection, especially architect selection, should follow these steps to make sure the RFQ/RFP emphasizes and requests HPBD:

• Request that the firm's or individual's credentials and qualifications concerning HPBD be indicated on the submittal.
• Request a list of environmental conferences, seminars, and related workshops attended in the past 18 months
• Ask if and how, any firm members who will work on the project are actively involved in the local, state, or national level of the American Institute of Architect's (AIA) Committee on the Environment ( COTE )
• Ask what environmental systems or products have been integrated in recent building projects. Consistent use of environmental products in past projects is a promising sign of real environmental commitment, not just a marketing and public relations device.
• Request comparisons between life cycle cost estimates and actual costs on past High Performance projects
• Emphasize Brown University 's HPBD performance goals, (including LEED level requirement) outlining the responsibilities for the architects, engineers, etc. These include participation in integrated design team, employing design methods that meet the efficiency requirements of the LEED Guidelines and Rating System, and filing documents at outlined intervals.

Example:

The University of Oregon Facilities Planning Process explicitly insists on HPBD. It requires project RFQ's to include a section asking potential architects to explain their experience in environmentally sustainable design. Stanford's Sustainable Guidelines states,

"The University Architect's Office will include sustainable building design qualifications as one of the criteria for selecting the design architect for each project. Requests for Qualifications/Proposals for design architects will include experience/qualification in the area of sustainable building design and these qualifications will be considered during the selection process. Requests for Proposals given to potential design architects will include the Brown's HPBD Guidelines as an attachment."

Following the lead of these universities, Brown should include high performance building design experience in its design team criteria for every major construction project.

Examples of HPBD RFP language:

• The American Institute of Architects has published 16 actual Green RFP's.
• The Oregon Department of Energy provides sample language of RFP's for selection of designers to work within their State Energy-Efficient Design (SEED) guidelines.

In addition to selection design teams with high performance experience, Brown must have more people on staff that is responsible for increasing the performance of its building operations. To read about why Brown should hire a full time energy manager, click here.