Successful Building



Successful Building

Introduction

The objective of this study is to investigate what factors influence successful building as a value factor for United Kingdom commercial properties and whether a commercial building in United Kingdom is worth more than a conventional one. The paper reviews existing studies conducted focusing on the measurement of the direct economic costs and benefits associated with surroundings necessary for a sustainable commercial buildings.

The more the subject of interactive building asserts itself in the real-state industry's collective consciousness, the more urgent becomes the consideration of positive interaction with the surrounding landscape criteria in real estate valuation. Valuers are thus facing the new challenge of embracing the practical implications of surrounding friendly buildings. The goal of this paper is, in addition to the objective above, to analyze how, and to what degree, surrounding friendly buildings aspects can be considered in valuation of commercial real estate, determine which valuation techniques are best suited to valuing sustainable buildings, what is required in order to do this and what barriers and challenges do valuers face when assessing the value of sustainability with regard to commercial buildings.

Discussion

The processes of design, construction, and building operations are inextricably linked: Design decisions determine in large part the methods, materials, and sequencing of construction; and the type of building systems selected in design and installed during construction determines the costs (dollar costs as well as energy costs) of operating systems both in the short-term (operational) and in the long-term (replacement). Traditionally, these three processes have been sequential and separate: performed by different teams of people at different times and places. More recently, the concept of performance engineering has been used in order to integrate the expertise of maintenance workers and contractors from the earliest points of building design in order to produce buildings that will be appropriately designed for prevailing construction practices in particular locales, and effectively and properly maintained by owners or maintenance staff. Buildings are responsible for more than half the world's energy use, thus thinking sustainably requires attention to how buildings can be designed, constructed, and operated to use less energy and fewer material resources (Gandy, 2006, 234).

Two central objectives in green design are to reduce energy use, especially the use of fossil fuels, and to minimize the wasteful use of resources. The aim of designing green buildings is to produce zero net energy; this is achieved through conservation measures and by using the building or site to produce energy with renewable sources, such as geothermal, solar, or wind power. Any surplus may be sold back to the local energy grid. The latter goal, minimizing use of resources, may be achieved by using smaller amounts of materials, using recycled or salvaged materials, using materials that are produced in a sustainable way or without harmful chemicals, or by some combination of these.

In commercial buildings, particular attention has been paid to making maximum use of natural light. This strategy is particularly important in office and retail buildings, where lighting is a large proportion of the ...