Opportunities and Threats of Green Building Design for ABC Engineers, Kansas City

Abstract

“If your next project is not a green building, one that is certified by a national third-party rating system, it will be functionally outdated the day it’s completed and very likely to underperform the market as time passes.” according to real estate expert, Charles Lockwood. (Yudelson 2008, 27). The ‘Green’ building revolution has presented a unique opportunity for Consulting Engineering firms specializing in mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) design, such as ABC Engineers, to capture premium revenue for a limited timeframe. Capitalizing on this opportunity brings challenges that should be strategically planned for to optimize profitability. ‘Green’ building design is a buzz word and is being promoted as an ecologically beneficial concept in the architectural, engineering, and construction industry, but will become the standard expectation in the future. Projected revenues associated with ‘Green’ building design in this project illustrates the potential quick rise and fall of this market segment, therefore a plan of action should be implemented in a timely fashion. The plan must take into account the risks and Legal concerns directly drawn from case studies and professional experiences that can be applied to ‘Green’ building design. Establishing the competitive advantage of being experts at ‘Green’ building designs could assure capturing additional revenue that would otherwise be lost to other engineering firms. The main risks to having this competitive advantage are related to new legal responsibilities for the professional engineer when working to implement cutting edge green systems, identifying new products, and meeting energy performance criteria. Information included in this field project provides the Principals of ABC Engineers in Kansas City background information to create an applied marketing and business plan for the Green Building opportunities that present themselves in the target market.