Client demand is the top driver for architects to practice sustainable design, according to 77 percent of respondents to the 2006 Autodesk Green Index survey. The overall Green Index number, based on a score of zero to 100, is expected to double by 2011. The 2006 number is 30.

In the 2005 survey, customer demand was tied with fuel costs as leading drivers for adopting green building practices.

In 2005, the American Institute of Architects established a goal to reduce building- and construction-related fossil-fuel use by 50 percent by 2010. More than 60 percent of architects responding to the Green Index survey predict that their integrated/high performance design work will help meet that goal.

The most prevalent energy-saving initiative for architects are high-efficiency HVAC systems, with almost two-thirds of respondents specifying their use on more than half their projects over the past year. Five years ago, only 36 percent of architects used these systems on more than half of their design projects; 85 percent expect to use them on most of their projects by 2011.