College class inspires eco-friendly construction

Sunday, March 08, 2009

PALM CITY — Kyle Abney was a first-semester graduate student in building construction at the University of Florida when a class in sustainable development changed the focus of his career.

"It completely changed my life," Abney said. "It opened my eyes and made me see we needed to be doing things better in the construction industry. There was a lot of waste."

Suddenly, building in a way that conserves resources and doesn't degrade the environment made sense.

Abney went on to become the first person in the United States to get a construction degree with a concentration in "green building," obtaining his master's in 2001. UF was the nation's first university to offer such a degree, and Abney was its first graduate.

Last year, the 33-year-old Abney founded his own company, Abney + Abney Green Solutions, a Palm City-based consulting firm. He and his wife, Harmony, are its sole employees.

He had worked for a couple of commercial construction firms in Orlando, and then for his family's company, Abney & Abney Construction in Okeechobee.

When construction there slowed, he decided to launch his own firm.

Abney works with both residential and commercial construction projects, guiding them through the nationally known Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification process or if clients prefer, the Florida Green Building Coalition's standards.

"It's starting to get to the point that if you are not building green-certified LEED, especially with urban office or condo buildings, you will be obsolete," said Abney, who is also a state-licensed general contractor.

The payoff for higher costs upfront are energy savings of up to 30 percent and even greater savings in water usage, Abney said.

While the total number of construction projects is in decline overall, the percentage of energy efficient, sustainable green projects is growing.

One factor is the energy bill passed last year in the Florida Legislature.

Its many energy-related provisions include the requirement that all state-constructed and financed buildings meet LEED standards or another nationally recognized green building rating system.

Abney, putting on his environmentalist cap, says a benefit of green buildings is better health and a cleaner environment for the people who live and work in them.

For example, morale is boosted at workplaces with better indoor air quality and energy-efficient windows that let in a lot of natural light.

The green building consultant is also working with Habitat for Humanity in Palm Beach and Broward counties.

"Ultimately, affordable housing is the preferred market sector that needs to use less energy and water," Abney said.

Charles Kibert, the UF professor whose class inspired Abney, estimated that as many as 50 students have since followed Abney in obtaining a master's degree in building construction with a concentration in sustainable construction.

"Construction has been historically a fairly wasteful business," said Kibert, who is also Director of UF's Powell Center for Construction and Environment. "We are out to change that as well. It is not only the building that is green, it is the process itself."

And green-conscious builders such as Abney can make that happen, he said.

"He has always had this drive to do the right thing, and make the world a better place," Kibert said.

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/business/content/business/epaper/2009/03/08/a1f_abney_0309.html