An era of 'green' construction in Bermuda will be launched when the Island's first ever LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) accredited building in Victoria Place, Hamilton opens its doors at the start of November.

The building, which was designed and constructed by Purvis Projects, headed by chief executive officer Geoff Parker snr. and his son and architect Geoff Parker jnr., is not only environmentally friendly, but also energy efficient.

This is particularly relevant with the current global issue of sustainability and reducing carbon footprints, by cutting down on fossil fuel consumption and using alternative energy sources instead.

Purvis is currently in the process of applying for a building occupancy permit, with the smaller South building and the restaurant expected to be completed by November 1.

"We pioneered this new concept of the 'green' building and we have adapted to the LEED programme," said Mr. Parker snr.

"As far as the green part of the programme, we seem to be on track for all we set out to do.

"How much does green cost? - it costs a bit more than conventional methods, but not that much to get to a certain standard."

He said the building was drawn up with a big input from the owner Victoria Place Ltd., which has a 74-percent stake in the property, and the other individual shareholders, to meet their and the tenants' requirements for a healthy, light and spacious working environment. Four years on, the building is nearing completion.

"Everything is custom-designed for the tenants' needs to provide a working environment that is probably the healthiest in Bermuda," he said.

"Studies have found that working in a healthy environment improves production by 25 to 30 percent, with less sick days."

Mr. Parker jnr. said there were a number of simple steps which his company was taking to make the building more energy efficient, such as improving the technology to use heat, light, water and electricity better and maximise the use of space, with 40-percent savings being made in electricity costs.

"We are not doing anything super radical," said Mr. Parker jnr. "Everyone sees a green building and they want to see the solar panels and wind turbines, but that technology is a few years down the road before it is cost effective, so what you have to do is maximise the efficiency in normal buildings.

He admitted it had been a steep learning curve for the company and its contractors and partners involved in the implementation of the building to get to grips with the new LEED specifications, but they would realise the full potential of the benefits of using sustainable materials and equipment.

Other features which have got the most out of the building were higher floors to allow in more natural light, the installation of longer life insulation materials, and systems for recycling water and rubbish, and thus earn more points in the LEED accreditation system as it aims for a gold standard.

It is also about being responsible and accountable for the whole development, with a record being kept of what happened to every part of the old building, which used to be a food and office equipment wholesaler, and when it was demolished, from the 24 tonnes of steel that was shipped to the US, and the roof timbers (originally from the US) used to support them, to the gym floor which has now got pride of place in Mr. Parker snr's house.

"We have still got allowances for wind and renewable technologies to put them in when they come on board," said Mr. Parker jnr.

"Bermuda is starting to think a bit more about renewables - it relates to putting power back into the grid and Belco's issue with safety and they have got a plan for that and will decided how it will be done.

"I think the thing about the green buildings is it is little bits of small things and by the accumulation of them that is what makes a big impact - there is not a big wonder solution that will solve everything."

Meanwhile, Mr. Parker snr. has called on Government to remove duties on 'green' items and products used in construction.

"It is the way of the future," he said. "One of the things that would be useful for the green movement of buildings is to identify those green items that are integral to making a building efficient and having lower or zero duties on those items, so effectively punishing the old ones by creating an incentive for the new ways.

"We are trying to instill the green things here to create an incentive and best way to do that is through an economic incentive."

The new building will house a number of tenants including insurance companies Ariel Re, Hannover Re, RMS, Wind River Re, bank Lombard Odier Darier Hentsch, lawyers Wakefield Quin, telecommunications firm TeleBermuda International, and shopping centre The Phoenix Group.

There will also be numerous health and fitness organisations such as The Athletic Club, and Better Health, dentist Dr. Len Wedlich, and a restaurant called TPMD.

The last word went to Mr. Parker jnr.: "We stuck our necks out to be the flagship to try and just generate the interest among the rest of the construction industry and to prove that it can be done and make people feel they are comfortable to do it too.

"I think it is important for Bermuda to start thinking about energy conservation and having an infrastructure to support that, and the LEED building is just the beginning of all that."

Victoria Place: Energy efficiencies

Ground water cooling - the most efficient method of rejecting heat in Bermuda's climate and geographical region. This should ensure that the cooling water stays at 72 degrees Fahrenheit.

Multi-stage chiller plant - designed to ramp up and down to meet the load intelligently and remain efficient regardless of the demand.

Variable speed drives - all of the major pumps and fan motors throughout are controlled through variable speed drives to maintain optimum efficiency and to only supply as needed.

Exhaust air recovery - outside air is pre-cooled by the exhaust air, reducing the energy required to cool fresh, outside air.

BAS (Building Automation Systems) and controls - there are hundreds of sensors that measure everything from temperature, flow and pressure to CO2 levels. All of these are processed by the BAS system to keep the building running as efficiently as possible.

Heat harvester - a separate heat pump utilises the condenser water from the chiller to produce hot water far more efficiently than traditional element-based heaters.

Efficient lighting - utilising energy efficient lighting throughout the facility.

Daylighting harvesting - sensors located on the perimeter of the office space dim the lighting based on the ambient light entering the space, therefore maintaining a constant light level and using only as much lighting as needed. This in turn also reduces the heat generated by lighting reducing HVAC (Heating Ventilating and Air Conditioning) load.

Occupancy sensors - sensors throughout sense occupancy and bring the lighting on/off as needed. these in many cases work with other sensors and inputs from the BAS system to reach maximum efficiency.

Metering - the electrical distribution system has dozens of electrical meters that can be trended and monitored, which allows detailed analysis of power consumption.