Goizueta welcomes ‘green’ panel, new real estate initiative

A group of sustainability experts gathered recently at Goizueta Business School to discuss the status and future of green development in Atlanta’s real estate industry. Hosted by Goizueta and the Urban Land Institute (ULI) Atlanta’s Young leaders Group, the discussion, Sustainable Development and Green Building: The Economic, Environmental and Social Impacts, touched on Atlanta’s place in the national green scene (consistently in the top 10 in terms of LEED-certified commercial buildings), but also recognized that green building in the metro area is a mixed bag with a long way to go.

Two of Emory University’s own were on the panel, Laura Case, project manager, and Todd Dolson, associate architect. The pair discussed Emory’s sustainability efforts. In fact, the university currently has five LEED-certified buildings—including both Goizueta Business School structures, five buildings pending certification and there are six structures in the design process slated for LEED certifications for a total of more than two million square feet of real estate.

Three other panelists, J. Andrew “Andy” Abrams, executive vice president, Servidyne, Inc.; Greg O’Brien, senior vice president, CRESA Partners; and Susan Garrett, an associate at Southface, commented that builders and developers are beginning to realize that sustainable development is not only good for the environment, but it’s good for the bottom line.

“People ask ‘How much is it going to cost [to be green]?’ when the real question is, ‘How green can you be within your given budget?’” noted O’Brien, who represents tenants in the commercial real estate marketplace. Providing concrete numbers of costs is what can influence developers that ‘green’ can be good for the bottom line.

Goizueta Dean Larry Benveniste took advantage of the occasion to announce the creation of The Real Estate Program at Goizueta Business School, explaining that the program would “strike a balance between the drive for profits and the need to consider community goals.”—Allison Shirreffs