An Exploration of Green Building Costs and Benefits: Searching for the Higher Ed Context

Abstract

Green building certification on college campuses is relatively new. When determining the financial feasibility of a certified green building at an institution of higher education, the full building lifecycle perspective is important to consider. In this paper, I first provide a background on campus sustainable development and green building rating systems. I then review the studies that have addressed the upfront green premium and down-the-line green building operating costs. Lastly, deficiencies in the studies are highlighted as well as future research recommendations in order to cure these deficiencies.