Business Chief US+CAN Magazine November 2019 | Page 69

69 could be eroded . From the project manager ’ s perspective , if budgets are not being met , there could be pressure to cut corners and decisions might be taken to swap sustainable equipment , which comes with a higher price tag , for cheaper , less eco-friendly alternatives . While this could help to reduce capital expenditure , the longer-term impact of such decisions on the life-cycle performance of the building could be considerable , particularly if the replacement costs more to maintain .
Building in sustainability and forward planning at design stage can help to make projects more attractive to private sector investors and public sector sponsors . For this reason , many designers are focused on reducing both embodied and operational carbon emissions . This typically involves the specification of energy-efficient lighting or microgeneration technologies , such as solar panels or wind turbines . Such equipment may increase capital expenditure but has the potential to drastically reduce operational costs over time , making the building more efficient from a cost and environmental perspective . Increasingly , designers
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