Market research from McGraw-Hill Construction reveals that education is the fastest-growing market in the green-building sector.

The findings are good news for the industry, given that education construction is the largest construction sector, by value, at $53 billion estimated spending for 2007.

The first phase of the study also found the following:

• Fiscal advantages of green building, such as energy cost savings, are a major motivation behind green schools and universities.
  
  
• "Improved health and well-being" was also found to be a critical facto for driving education green building -- a factor that was not as highly rated to the overall construction marketplace from research previously conducted by McGraw-Hill Construction and USGBC.
  
  
• Higher first costs are the primary challenge to building green in this sector. This is consistent with other McGraw-Hill Construction research into the commercial and residential green building markets (found in the Green Building SmartMarket Report and Residential Green Building SmartMarket Report).
  
  The study also found a strong need for access to and information on green building products. Of particular interest were those products related to improving health, such as reducing mold and indoor air pollutants.
  
  "The preliminary results are very exciting. With the strong education construction market and the increased awareness and industry adoption of green, this kind of research provides the information needed to pave the way for healthier learning environments for our children," said Harvey M. Bernstein, McGraw-Hill Construction vice president of Industry Analytics and Alliances. "McGraw-Hill Construction will continue to advance research in the area of green schools and will also be investigating green building in healthcare facilities in 2007."
  
  The results, presented at GreenBuild, are the first part of research being conducted by McGraw-Hill Construction into the education green building marketplace. The results reflect findings from a qualitative study of green school and university administrators and facility managers. The second phase, under way for completion in December, includes a broad survey of education facility professionals and in-depth interviews of education building owners. Findings of the entire research program will be presented in the Education Green Building SmartMarket Report to be released in early 2007.
  
  With the release of its comprehensive Education Special Sector Study in December, which will provide detailed economic intelligence, analysis and trends on the education construction sector, McGraw-Hill Construction provides a comprehensive look into this market.