When is a green building really 'green'?

By Thomas C. Palmer Jr.

Some "green" buildings look "green" -- for example, they have solar panels on the roof -- and some don't. Provocative architectural statements can be combined with green, or environmentally friendly, technologies. But some highly conventional looking buildings have a so-called carbon footprint as faint as a moccasin.

Those were just a few of the insights from "The Business Case for Sustainable Design," a seminar held this morning at the Hyatt Regency Boston hotel, organized by Nitsch Engineering of Boston and attended by more than 150 people.

Speakers were Vivian Loftness, professor of Architecture at Carnegie Mellon University; Nico Kienzl, director and building physics analyst for the New York office of atelier ten, which consults on environmental design and construction; Nicole Holmes, project manager at Nitsch Engineering; and Judith Nitsch, president of the firm.

Topics included "Sustainable Design for Health & Productivity," "Sustainable Design Process and Projects," and "Rainwater Harvesting." "High-performance buildings" described were Federation Square in Melbourne, Australia, Esplanade Theatres in Singapore, The Plaza at PPL Center in Allentown, Pa., and the Kroon Building at the Yale University School of Forestry, in New Haven, Conn.

Highlights of the presentation are here.
(By Thomas C. Palmer Jr., Globe Staff)