Architecture and Green Buildings Career Outlook

As the world population increases and becomes increasingly urbanized, cities need to be sustainable. According to the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), “green building is a holistic concept that starts with the understanding that the built environment can have profound effects, both positive and negative, on the natural environment, as well as the people who inhabit buildings every day. Green building is an effort to amplify the positive and mitigate the negative of these effects throughout the entire life cycle of a building.”¹ 

Green building can be implemented at many different levels: using natural, reclaimed, and/or sustainable materials, applying new technologies to promote energy efficiency, and incorporating designs that encourage natural light, air flow, and include greenery. Green building is growing in many sectors of construction from residential to commercial spaces. To learn more about how Green Building positively impacts health, check out this report by The World Green Building Council.

EcoLeaders with an interest in design, engineering, landscaping, installation, and/or urban planning should consider pursuing a career path in sustainable or green building. Check out all of the information in this sector outlook, and don't forget to bookmark USGBC's page for green building career information!

   

Sizing Green Building Jobs:

Green building jobs are on the rise, within the next three years (2020) green construction jobs will comprise a third of construction jobs in the United States² and the global green building sector doubles every three years.³ Getting involved in this emergent field is possible with a myriad of positions for EcoLeaders who are passionate about improving the built environment!

A wide range of jobs in green building exist. Here are some additional options to consider:

Salaries for Green Building Jobs:

Annual salaries for green building jobs vary depending on the type of position and amount of experience, but are among the highest among all of the sectors analyzed in NWF’s career outlook profiles for EcoLeaders. The June 2011 Bureau of Labor Statics report on “Careers in Green Construction” listed the median annual salary for these positions: Architects ($77,210), Civil Engineers ($76,120), Electrical Engineer ($84,350), Landscape Architect ($62,090), Mechanical Engineer ($80,400), Urban and Regional Planner ($63,040), Solar PV Installers ($40,620).⁴

Required Education and Certifications:

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, an aspiring Architect can pursue a bachelor of architecture and/or consider a master’s degree in architecture, which typically requires a bachelor’s degree as a prerequisite. All Architects working in the United States also have to be licensed. Requirements for licensure are typically a professional degree from an accredited school, completion of an internship, and the passing of a national exam.⁵ Engineers, urban planners and others working in green building jobs are also required to have at least a bachelor’s degree. They may also benefit from being licensed, e.g. having the LEED Accredited Professional (AP) credential, various Building Performance Institute, Inc. certifications, and completing continuing education courses to keep up with new technologies.⁶ Experience is key, and to start off, seek out internships and junior team member opportunities, or volunteer to lead a campus green building audit and certification working group on campus or with your employer or a local group.
 

Examples of Certification Programs Related to Green Building

• U.S. Green Building Council | LEED AP Credential 
• Tidewater Community College | Green Design for Interior 
• Cape Cod Community College | Green Design and Engineering
• Green Building Initiative | Green Globes Professionals
• Building Performance Institute | Building Science Principles 
• University of California, Davis | Green Building and Sustainable Design (Professional Concentration)
• Harvard Extension School | Green Building and Community Sustainability (Certificate)
• Cape Fear Community College| Green Building (Certificate)
• University of Oregon | Ecological Design Certificate (Graduate Certificate/Diploma)

Examples of Academic Programs Related to Green Building

• Wake Technical Community College | Architectural Technology (Associates Degree) 
• Vermont Technical College | Sustainable Design and Technology (B.S.)
• The University of Arizona | Science in Sustainable Built Environments (B.S.)
• University of California, Berkeley | Landscape Architecture (B.S.)
• Northeastern University | Sustainable Building Systems (M.S.)
• University of Massachusetts, Amherst | Sustainable Building Systems (M.S., Ph.D.)
• Kansas State University | Architecture with an Emphasis in Ecological and Sustainable Design (M.S.)
• Georgia Institute of Technology | Science in Architecture with Concentration in High Performance Buildings (M.S.)

Green Building Project Examples from the NWF Sustainability Database:

Green Building EcoTopic Page - Start here to find lots of resources for you to start and share your own Campus or Community Building EcoProject in the EcoLeaders community! Or find inspiration from the following projects that other EcoLeaders have done:

• Ball State University – Indiana takes a giant step forward, changing their building code, requiring all new buildings to be LEED Silver certified.
• Bowling Green State University – Ohio Student Initiative Green Fund paid for live green roofs to be built upon the roofs of the dining centers. Currently, one green roof has been constructed and is operating.
• Emory University - Atlanta: This urban school outside of Atlanta is devising an ambitious “master plan” to make campus buildings greener and to make the campus itself more pedestrian friendly.
• Sterling College- Vermont: This historic Vermont college is working to make its existing buildings more energy efficient and to make its many new buildings environmentally friendly.
• University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign - Illinois: The Student Sustainability Committee awarded the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences a loan of $120,000 and a grant of $5,000 to install energy saving shades in nine of the greenhouse rooms in the Plant Sciences Laboratory Greenhouse.

For more information on Green Buildings, check out these Campus Ecology resources:

Going Underground On Campus: Tapping the Earth for Clean, Efficient Heating and Cooling – This guide finds that energy savings over conventional heating and cooling systems on campus range from 50-75% for ground-source heat pumps, 30-40% for earth-sheltered buildings, and even more for direct use geothermal (which can also cover electricity). Going Underground on Campus is produced by National Wildlife Federation in partnership with the Geothermal Energy Association, GEOExchange: The Geothermal Heat Pump Consortium, and APPA: Leadership in Educational Facilities.

Guide to Climate Action Planning – This guide addresses a simple question: How can colleges and universities significantly reduce their greenhouse gas emissions quickly and cost effectively? Reducing emissions without a climate action plan is like constructing a building without a blueprint – the outcome is unlikely to meet the original goals in a timely manner. Cutting an institution’s climate footprint efficiently requires careful planning, but the time and energy invested in this process are well worth the return. The planning process engages a wide range of staff, faculty, administrators, and students to analyze and prioritize an array of low-carbon strategies. Once in place, the climate action plan provides the design and timeline for achieving one’s carbon reduction goals. Learn how others have developed cutting edge climate action plans and how you can create one for your campus.
 

RESOURCES:

1. USGBC. “What is Green Building?” Retrieved on August 10, 2017.
2. “Why green building is red hot.” GreenBiz. Retrieved August 10, 2017.
3. “Benefits of Green Building.” U.S. Green Building Council. Retrieved August 10, 2017.
4. "Careers in Green Construction.” The Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved on August 10, 2017.
5. Ibid.
6. Ibid.

By: Crystal Grant Jennings, NWF 2015 and Christina Lopez, NWF EcoLeaders Fellow 2017