South Carolinians have an incredible opportunity to become a world leader in an emerging and profoundly needed field, while creating enhanced economic development and better jobs for our citizens. The dynamic restoration and sustainability cluster that is emerging in the Lowcountry needs our support. If we take appropriate actions now, our state has the opportunity to become a world leader in developing new practices and technologies that meet the impending challenges of diminished natural resources, aging infrastructure and global climate change.

There are several reasons why the coastal area of South Carolina is the ideal location for this globally significant economic cluster.

First is the redevelopment of the former Charleston Navy Base and Shipyard plus thousands of surrounding acres. This massive project envisions a global model of integrated urban revitalization, which combines brownfield redevelopment, infrastructure renovation and improvement, adaptive reuse of historic buildings and ecosystem restoration. The Navy base is drawing interest from established South Carolina firms such as R.L. Bryan and Wilbur Smith Associates, and entrepreneurial leaders such as Southeast Biodiesel and Fisher Recycling.

It is also becoming a collaboration site for regional organizations such as the Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester Council of Governments, S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control, and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration.

Another important aspect of the Lowcountry is our historic cities, arguably the most significant in North America. The historic areas within Charleston, Beaufort and other nearby communities provide scientists, architects, engineers, artisans and students an ideal setting for furthering the science and practice of conserving and restoring historically significant properties.

Finally, the Lowcountry of South Carolina contains the largest remaining protected, undeveloped coastal wetland ecosystem in the nation (the ACE Basin).

This area of our state provides a natural laboratory for interdisciplinary research focused on biodiversity, pollution impact assessment, land-use planning and restoration of natural systems.

To provide a vehicle for financially capitalizing on these South Carolina assets, Clemson University established its Restoration Institute in 2004, with plans to develop a facility in the Charleston area. The city of North Charleston has agreed to provide Clemson 82 acres of land for the Institute on the former Navy base. The property includes the Lasch Conservation Center, current site of materials science research and the H.L. Hunley submarine restoration.

In a 2004 report on South Carolina's economic future, renowned economist Michael Porter and his Monitor Group recommended that the state focus on creating clusters of globally competitive industries to raise the prosperity of our citizens. The report identifies a world-class university delivering basic research to private corporations as an integral part of developing a successful cluster.

A second study by Angelou Economics, conducted on behalf of the Charleston region and released in 2005, discusses the existing assets in our region that provide the opportunity, when combined with the Restoration Institute, to position the state to be able to share their "expertise to other regions in the U.S. and the world."

Clemson University is a land-grant university, founded to improve the economy of South Carolina. The university's decision to create a research site in North Charleston is driven by the location of the state's leading restoration and sustainability cluster assets. The resulting research will impact brownfield reclamation, preservation of historic buildings, and restoration of wetlands, lakes and other ecosystems throughout the state.

Abandoned industrial sites in the Midlands and Upstate, and the state's delicate natural environment that is so important to our economy and our lifestyles, will all directly benefit from research conducted at the institute.

The combination of unique economic assets, globally significant companies, budding entrepreneurs and a world-class research university, pioneering advances in restoration and sustainability, will allow South Carolina to establish itself as the "Silicon Valley of the Restoration Economy," a $2 trillion global market, according to the Virginia-based Revitalization Institute.

Politically and economically, South Carolinians must rally in support of the Clemson restoration research campus in North Charleston. This is a historic opportunity for our state to become a leader in a new and burgeoning economic area.

I would encourage the members of the Budget and Control Board to approve Clemson University's request for funding associated with the first phase of the Restoration Institute's development.

The future of the restoration and sustainability cluster depends on the institute's success.

Thompson E. Penney, FAIA, is president and CEO of LS3P Associates, a regional architecture, interior architecture and planning firm founded in Charleston. He was 2003 national president of the American Institute of Architects and is chair-elect of the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce.