An interesting concept came up during the tour of the Federal Reserve Bank in Kansas City: Value Engineering. In this case, it involved having a value engineering consulting firm review all materials and specifications to discover where lower cost (or better value) substitutions could be made, especially in wall coverings and furniture. The purpose or mission of the building is to be a working symbol of American financial stability. Because of this mission, the key priority of security trumped certain recommendations of the value engineering firm. Security and cost prevented attempting LEED certification also, but I must say that the site is filled with daylight as well as many other energy saving features.
What is the purpose of your organization? As we move toward greater sustainability, energy savings, and keeping costs low, we also have to remember who we are and why we’re doing what we do. A credit union needs to consider how the wall coverings support the mission of being a financial cooperative. Cost and sustainability are part of this evaluation, but not the entire focus.
Posted by Fred 
