Many people believe that overseeing certification under the LEED rating system is the only service the U.S. Green Building Council
(USGBC) furnishes to the market. However, USGBC also provides a variety of tools and resources for delivery teams related to sustainability.
One resource is guidance for teams trying to make their projects more sustainable but lack the knowledge to effectively do so. The suggested first step for a project team is to make the key decision to pursue sustainability early in the process. Another recommendation is that this decision and the commitment that goes with it must start at the top, with the main decision-makers for the project. USGBC encourages building owners and delivery teams to make this vital decision early in the project, not only because increasing the level of sustainability in a building is the smart and responsible thing to do, but also because this one decision will drive all others in the project.
Recently, I have witnessed two project teams fail to make this driving decision early, resulting in sustainability diminishing as the project progressed to the eventual abandonment of core concepts of sustainability and the inability to achieve LEED certification at any level.
Prioritize Project Drivers
Planning for the first project took place before the economic downturn hit the U.S. economy. The project had priorities of safety, budget, schedule and sustainability. The design-build team had previous experience with sustainable projects, and the owner trusted that when the team specified sustainability as one of the four main drivers, the concepts of sustainability and the design elements required for LEED certification would automatically be incorporated into the design.
Throughout the design phase, the budget, schedule and safety plan were closely scrutinized. Because the owner believed that LEED was already being incorporated into the design, he felt that, as the project slowed due to the economic condition, a final decision regarding LEED certification could be put off and would be made as the design progressed and the construction phase approached. As the design phase came to a close, a representative of the owner’s executive management asked about the status of the sustainability effort and what level LEED certification the project was tracking.
The delivery team had performed a LEED scorecard exercise very early in the schematic design phase but had never taken any time to review the results or the impacts as the design progressed and changed. When the team gathered to review the data to answer the question and provide a status report, they found that many of the early concepts related to sustainability had been dropped from the design, and the project scorecard no longer showed sufficient points to allow for even basic level certification.
The owner then asked what it was going to take to get the project back to LEED certified. The team provided a host of options, all of which were difficult and costly to incorporate due to the design being complete and the construction ready to begin. In the final report to the owner, the team advised that it was going to cost the project too much to achieve LEED certification, but the building had incorporated all types of “sustainable features.”
Unfortunately, when pushed, the team was unable to pinpoint very many sustainable attributes because there had never been any real effort put into documentation and tracking of sustainability during the design phase. In the end, the team boasted that the contractor diverted more than 50 percent of its construction and demolition waste from the landfill and that every effort was made to source local products.
Understanding the Motivation
In the second example, the project owner committed to sustainability with the statement, “I would like a LEED certified building as long as it fits the budget.” In this case, the design-build contractor was seeking to secure this work in an overly competitive market, and therefore took the project with a promise to meet the budget, which had been established by using examples of typical buildings that had no sustainable features.
As the design progressed, the team found themselves having to reject items that enhanced sustainability and long-term operational cost savings for the owner in favor of less expensive conventional elements. Things like improved insulation values for the walls and windows were conveyed as an expense necessary only because of LEED. An improved HVAC system was regarded as a useless upgrade even though it would have saved money on the energy bills years after the project was complete. In the end, the contractor provided a quality-built conventional building. The project came in on budget, but through this experience, another owner came away with the view that sustainability and LEED certification was too expensive, and really, that was just an easy way to justify a lack of effort by the delivery team.
EARLY LEED DECISIONS = Success
My team is often asked whether a LEED certified building costs more. Our response is usually, “More than what?” There are plenty of examples of owners paying excessive premiums to have their buildings LEED certified. There are just as many examples of owners paying no more for their LEED certified buildings than what they had in their original budgets. The difference between these two scenarios is that the teams that provided certified buildings within a mandated budget were guided by clear direction from the project’s start. The owner made the decision early and provided clear direction that sustainability was a-or the only-primary driver the team should use while making decisions during design and construction. Taking the time to make a decision about sustainability early in a project may seem unconventional.
It takes time and effort to think about the long-term effects that will result from these early decisions, but when you stop and think about it, the design and construction of a new building will probably be the shortest phase in the building’s overall life. Taking the time to collect data, create buy-in from shareholders and commit to sustainability early in the process are the keys to delivering a project that’s on time, within budget and a sustainable success.
Thomas Taylor, a 30-year veteran of the construction industry and noted expert on sustainability, is the general manager of St. Louis-based Vertegy. His recent book, “Guide to LEED 2009: Estimating and Preconstruction Strategies,” provides step-by-step information about the LEED 2009 for New Construction process. To learn more about Vertegy or Taylor’s new book, visit www.vertegyconsultants.com for more information.
