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the atmosphere, while cooling equipment cannot use Freon, which harms the ozone layer. Lastly, all paints, varnishes and glues used in the building finish must be free of airborne organic compounds (such as formaldehyde).
The water we drink The main problem of the water resource is its extremely low cost. The low price of water is due to the fact that water is considered a renewable resource. Hydro-geological monitoring results for Moscow in 2008 show damage to the hydro-dynamic, temperature and hydro-chemical regime across the city’s entire territory. Among the manmade sources of water pollutants introduced to the city’s rivers are household, industrial and sewer drainage, surface drainage (rain, snowmelt, and streetcleaning waters), atmospheric precipitation, and car pollution. Ecological standards provide a solution to the problem of water pollution by lowering water usage, for example cleaning and reusing water in water-intensive processes in office and retail facilities (in Moscow this technology is frequently used at car washes and laundries), as well as reducing the dumping of polluted water from such places as parking lots, kitchens and unloading areas. An important problem for the city is the condition of the groundwater, as it has a comprehensive impact on buildings and structures. In particular, for example, groundwater is to varying degrees aggressive to metallic constructions; 24% of groundwater acts aggressively upon cement of average penetrability. An aggressive environment enables corrosion and damage to underground utilities and, as a result, malfunctioning. In Moscow, the conditions of nurturing and clearing groundwater have been violated as a result of wide-scale street paving, surface redesigns, continuous exploration of underground space and other factors. To address this problem, BREEAM and LEED propose to increase forested areas, use ecological drainage systems – such as collection ponds, greener drainage canals and a number of other measures. Of course, this is occasionally impossible to realize on areas with particularly dense development or in historic city centers, but for business parks and cottage villages the use of ecological drainage systems can provide a competitive advantage and create additional infrastructure for end users.
Turning waste into revenues Despite the fall in productivity in Moscow, the volume of waste production in the city remains high. For example, in 2008 alone in Moscow manufacturing and consumption produced approximately 24.4 mln tons of waste. The structure of the waste formed on Moscow’s territory is as follows: waste from construction and building demolition totals 4.6 mln tons, polluted waste soil from construction – 10.6 mln tons, residential sector provides 5.6 mln tons, with other sectors accounting for 3.4 mln tons. Ecological construction standards approach the treatment of waste according to the principle “reducing waste, reusing materials and recycling scrap materials.” The most
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ecologically and economically advantageous way of battling waste is to plan in advance a strategy for its utilization and secondary use in construction. Five points may be earned under the BREEAM standard by implementing a plan for managing construction waste. As part of operating processes, certified properties should have capabilities in place for separate collection and removal of scrap materials – separate premises, special containers, compactors for cardboard and plastic. The size of the groups of waste subject to separation is not principally important. Many Muscow building owners seethe at the lack of city infrastructure for separate collection and processing of waste; this problem indeed exists. Yet positive examples of how to solve it also exist – the first BREEAM building in Moscow – Hines Business Center already removes three groups of trash for recycling. To dispel any doubts regarding the efficiency of such programs, start at the bottom – collect waste and turn it in for recycling.
Conclusions If the ecological situation in Moscow is compared to that of other major world capitals, such as London, Stockholm, New York, and Toronto, there is a clear lag in the quality of living environment for residents. Quality, economical buildings which account for international ecological standards could contribute to solving an entire range of the city’s problems. While comparing the ecological effectiveness of the two international standards (LEED, BREEAM) based on their use in Moscow properties, it’s worth noting that they take different approaches to solving the same ecological problems (see the table). For example, under LEED it is possible to earn more points by the “energy efficiency” criterion than with BREEAM. Yet this does not mean that buildings constructed under LEED will be more energyefficient than those built under BREEAM. In particular, in order to earn 15 points by the “energy efficiency” criterion under BREEAM, one must build a nearly autonomous building with zero electricity fed from the grid. In order to earn 19 points in the same category complying with LEED standards, one must merely increase energy efficiency by 50%. Therefore, the task of comparing ecological effectiveness between standards isn’t as simple as it may seem at first. The answer will only come with time – when a large enough number of certified buildings are constructed in the city to conduct empirical research. At the same time, however, international standards cannot fully resolve all the city’s problems – such as, for example, the battle with snow in the winter and illegal parking. The ecological effectiveness of various measures prescribed by the standards will also depend directly on the infrastructure provided, such as, for example, enterprises for separate collection and reprocessing of scrap materials or a system of bicycle roads. In this regard, implementing ecological standards at various modern commercial real estate properties could provide a strong stimulus for the city’s government and entrepreneurs to develop programs and implement centralized measures for increasing the city’s overall ecological effectiveness.
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