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It’s not difficult
to design, build, and certify a LEED building if you understand
your client's immediate needs and long-term goals. It all boils
down to the builder acting as a true partner with the architect,
engineer, and other key stakeholders—all working together to
guide the client in making the best possible
choices.
Construction of a new or renovated green building makes it
possible to amplify and strengthen a place and its
purpose—through innovation, spirited design, and sustainable
features that fully optimize building operations and conserve
resources.
Likewise sustainable design and construction may involve timeframes
and project objectives that call for moving away from traditional
project delivery methods. Project delivery here is not something
new or mysterious, just adapted to successfully bring a building to
market faster or incorporate specialized, sometimes complex design
details. From charrette to project completion, the builder brings
special skill sets and expertise to the team to help achieve any
level of LEED certification.
Delivering Sustainable Construction: Lessons
Learned
In green projects, there are two primary rules of thumb to consider
for optimizing the builder’s role. First early involvement by
the builder, subcontractors, and facilities-operations personnel
during the design phase is crucial to sustainability success. Those
early decisions can increase a project’s chances of achieving
LEED certification. By its nature, traditional design-bid-build
doesn’t allow architects and contractors to work as a team
early in the project, as compared to the more team-oriented
construction management at risk, the construction management agent,
and design-build methods. Early participation in the design process
by an experienced design-builder/construction manager can offset
constructability issues. This can also result in significant cost
savings, leading to further benefits for the owner in terms of
time, delivery, and changes.
The second rule of thumb is working as an integrated
team—facilitating communication between team members,
collaborating, and incorporating input from a building’s end
users can lead to a unique synergy of thinking. People tend to take
ownership in sustainable design. Working as a team to identify
attainable LEED points may also involve
• Pricing LEED options early based on first cost and/or
lifecycle to determine best value
• Researching local material options and local recycling
capabilities
• Bidding scopes of work as multiple bid packages
• Commissioning coordination
One Example: Texas A & M ILSB Project
Currently under construction, Texas A & M’s
Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Building (ILSB) is a
264,000-square-foot, 640-foot-long research and teaching facility
in College Station, Tex. This new structure was the
university’s first-ever construction management at risk
project. Previously they had relied on traditional
design-bid-build, too often resulting in projects that were over
budget and schedules not met. Alternatively this construction
management at risk approach used an integrated team and multiple
bid packages, helping to keep schedules and costs on track.
Slated for completion next summer, the ILSB is on the site of a
parking lot and two old housing residences (demolished). The
project’s creative design made it possible to earn a number of
LEED points (Version 2.1) for this large building while meeting
program requirements on the site, nestled between the
university’s chapel and student center. Equally important, it
has served as an excellent example of what we call “working
LEED smart” by acting as a team, communicating regularly, and
bringing the construction manager in early to help identify cost
savings based on past lessons learned.
The Builder’s Role in Sustainability
Working LEED smart to address budget, first costs, corporate
culture, and other design and construction factors means focusing
on just what the project requires. Consider lifecycle costs as well
as first costs. If you don’t need platinum, don’t plan
for it. To achieve LEED silver, aim beyond the 33 points required
at a minimum in the event the project is denied a certification
point or two because of technicalities. Budget considerations also
involve balancing LEED requirements versus the value engineering
process on materials and understanding technical design scopes for
both mechanical and electrical systems early in the design
process.
The builder can play a vital role on construction challenges such
as bidding, recycling, and third-party commissioning as well.
It’s important to coordinate and communicate requirements to
subcontractors and vendors with multiple bid packages. Recycling,
particularly construction waste recycling, is primarily the
construction manager’s responsibility to manage, often
requiring creative solutions. JE Dunn’s internal sustainable
building program, Think Green Build Blue, details a wide range of
LEED credits that are achievable with minimal or no cost impacts.
On the ILSB project, no local resources are available for recycling
drywall so we’re exploring ways to grind it for use by the
landscaper as a mineral supplement to break down the heavy
concentration of clay in the soils there.
Subcontractors, Suppliers, and Other Critical Success
Factors
Builders contribute to sustainability in other, sometimes
indirect, ways too. Subcontractor and supplier integration can
drive green innovation at the building system level. Extending
design-build contracts to key subcontractors improves the
identification of options and budget control.
In addition, keep these “opportunities” and critical
success factors in mind:
• Integrate the builder and key subcontractors early in the
planning and design process
• Tap local knowledge, particularly the availability of local
materials and suppliers, to drive substantial project cost
savings
• Ensure that subcontractors carry the LEED documentation
requirements for their individual systems
• Make LEED a weekly point of discussion and assign advocates
for particular points
• Suggest innovation points early as possible; get early
rulings on acceptability
• Do not value engineer a point away
• Do not forget the educational points: educate your building
occupants and display your attentiveness to green
By fully understanding the client’s immediate needs and
long-term goals, it’s not that difficult to design, build, and
certify a LEED building. It all boils down to the builder acting as
a true partner with the architect, engineer, and other key
stakeholders—all working together to guide the client in
making the best possible choices. That’s working LEED
smart.
Steve Black, senior project manager and M/E coordinator for JE
Dunn Construction, has more than 35 years experience in the design,
planning, cost estimating, contracting, construction, and
commissioning of life sciences, crop science, research,
pharmaceuticals, health care, chemical, and environmental projects.
Kevin Brettmann, director of life sciences for JE Dunn
Construction, has been involved in the planning, cost estimating,
construction, commissioning, and qualification of life sciences,
research, and biotech facilities for more than 24 years.
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