Smart architecture, engineering, and environmental consulting firms already know that green building and design is not some passing fad but a bona fide best practice. Project owners in the public and private sectors are increasingly demanding green design services from their architecture, engineering, and environmental consulting firms and writing green features into their requests for proposals. A/E firms used to introduce the topic of green building to clients not knowing how they’d react, but now clients are starting to drive the process and expect the firms with which they work to have knowledge of green building practices.

The increasing popularity and support of green rating systems like the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) teaches the A/E industry an important lesson: in the not-so-far future, green building will not be a niche market but a standard way of building. Future codes will most likely have sustainable design practices built into them. Progressive states like California are already pushing to incorporate green building into standard building codes.

Green building and sustainable design call for a complete shift in mindset. The methods and practices your firm has used for years might not apply when it comes to sustainable design. You must look at the project management and the team members’ roles in a new light— or struggle through the green project every step of the way.

To succeed with your green building projects, you shouldn’t rely solely on accreditations. Take some advice from your peers and others in the industry who have already gone through the trials of green building— and relished in its successes.

For many A/E professionals, fears about the perceived cost and difficulty of green building hover over them and even prevent them from getting involved with green projects. The lessons you glean from our unique 360-degree case studies will ease your mind and dissolve the green building myths that linger in the A/E industry.

A/E firms cannot ignore the growing importance of green building and sustainable design. As government initiatives pile up and clients begin expecting greener results from their new construction and renovation projects, firms who don’t practice sustainable design will lose work to their competition— and ultimately, risk closing their doors for good.

When you tackle your next green project, whether it involves new construction or renovation, you’ll have an arsenal of practical field knowledge at your side. The advice you’ll get from your peers in 5 Must-Know A/E Lessons in Green Building will guide you as you navigate your next green project. Who knows? Maybe in the future, you’ll see your firm’s successful green project featured in a green building best practices book.