Autumn C. Giusti,  New Mexico Business Weekly, 09.17.2010 

The economy has put a squeeze on construction, but developers in New Mexico have been willing to fork over a little extra green to build green.

That’s been the case for certification through the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program, the nationally accepted green building standard offered by the U.S. Green Building Council.

Despite the fact that LEED certification can account for 2 percent of a project’s cost, the program is more popular than ever statewide and nationally.

Of the 50 LEED-certified projects in New Mexico, 30 were certified in 2009 and 2010. Nationwide, the climb is even more steep. More than two-thirds of the 6,366 LEED projects certified since the program’s inception in 2000 were from 2009 and 2010 — a total of 4,144.

All this comes at a time when construction spending fell to a 10-year low of $805 billion in July, and investing in projects is down by 34 percent from the February 2006 peak, according to the Associated General Contractors trade group. Builders and construction-related businesses say green is in high demand because of its return on investment, but also because being environmentally responsible can boost a project’s profile and the developer’s reputation.

“I would say green building is stronger now than it ever has been. Because of that, our company is staying busy,” said Stace McGee, principal with Albuquerque architecture firm Environmental Dynamics Inc. and West Region Council chairman for the U.S. Green Building Council. His company employs 13.

At Albuquerque architecture firm Dekker/Perich/Sabatini, private commercial projects have scaled back a bit, but public projects are pushing forward with LEED and, in some cases, mandating it, said Dale Dekker, principal with the firm, which employs 155.

One such project is the $6.1 million nex+Gen Academy in Albuquerque, completed in August, which will accommodate 400 high school students. To comply with a school district mandate, project developers are seeking a minimum of LEED silver certification. (For more on the different levels of LEED certification, see end of story.) nex+Gen is designed to use 27 percent less energy than a typical school, and features solar panels for water heating and lighting, controlled by occupancy and daylight sensors.

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