Pre-Design

Create Project Design

During the Pre-design phase of the delivery process it is essential to have a goal setting meeting. Ideally, during this meeting and throughout the project, sustainability is not treated as an extra layer, but is integrated and coordinated with overall project goals. It is important to integrate sustainability into project goals as early as possible as some sustainable goals will infuse the project with a longer time framework. Remember: the more comprehensive the planning the more likely opportunities will not be missed. More upfront design time will pay off!

· Provide a concise introduction (20-30 minutes) to sustainable building strategies to get everyone on the same page.
· Review and/or identify the project’s sustainability goals.
· Provide a structure or framework for considering strategies. Organize the discussion around whichever checklist or rating system is being proposed (ex. CalGreen).
· Ensure design participants identify solutions and next steps when barriers are raised.
· Design a manageable group process.
· Use basic facilitation rules for brainstorming (there are no bad ideas or dreams too big at this stage).
Post-charrette
· Issue a report of the ideas discussed, and goals and strategies identified.

Construction Documents

Written Specs. Written specs will need to incorporate green products and practices. Remember the audience: if contract documents are prepared for the contractor, write the specifications to the contractor.

Select products carefully, research manufacturer’s reputation for on-time delivery and for honoring warranties. Reference a standard when you can (CRI: Carpet and Rug Institute, Green Seal, ASTM, FSC, etc). Do not use term “or equal”, use “or approved”. Research availability, lead times, and cost, some products, like certified wood, can fluctuate in availability.

List at least three manufactures for each product and use telephone numbers and contact person if possible.

With green building, conventional construction practices will frequently need to be modified. The project will benefit from on-site training and oversight. Integrating education into typical practices (such as weekly safety meetings and site signage) is generally the most effective. A good approach to remember is that with every construction practice the primary goal is to avoid impacting the environment.

Eliminate waste. If you can’t eliminate waste, do your best to reduce it. If waste is created do everything you can to reuse, recycle, or dispose of it properly. Some waste reduction strategies are:

For construction methods and practices
· Panelized construction, pre-case concrete
· Advanced framing
· Central cutting areas
· Shotcrete
· Reusable form work
· Education and training of staff and contractors on all of the above strategies
For purchasing and materials-handling
· Prevent damage
· Reduce packaging (and request reduced packaging from vendors)
· Order pre-cut pieces
· Just-in-time delivery

Developing a Waste Management Plan. In the new CalGreen code there are specific requirements for waste diverted from the landfill. In order to meet these requirements you will need to develop a waste management plan for your project that clearly states the goals for the percentage of waste to be diverted (given either by weight or volume), the analysis of waste that will be generated (what is it and how much will there be), the handling procedures for the waste that is generated, the plan for communicating this information and engaging the construction crews, and the plan for reporting (how will you track and share your results?).

It is extremely important to remember to do everything you can during construction to keep to the site in mind. Limit site disturbance by preserving existing natural vegetation and use fencing to clearly outline protected areas. Stabilize exposed soils with mulch, temporary seeding, or nets and blankets.

Establish controlled construction access with protocols for all vehicles keeping in mind that compaction from heavy machinery during construction degrades soil structure and reduced infiltration rates (causing increased runoff and flooding potential).

More Tips on Conductioning Sustainable Construction
· Group deliveries together when possible and request minimal or no packaging
· Food and waste on job site
· Use electronic document and record keeping
· Use biodiesel light and heavy equipment
· Use energy efficient temporary lighting and equipment
· Encourage carpooling to and from job site
During Construction
Materials
Remember that there are many factors that come into play when determining if a material is considered green. Some of these are as follows:
· Toxicity
· Resource efficiency
· Durability
· Quantity of materials required to provide function
· Quantity of virgin material used
· Source location of material (where is it made?)
· Embodied energy (total energy used to extract the raw materials, manufacture the final product, transport the material to its point of use, and ultimately disassemble and deconstruct the material at the end of its life)
· Carbon footprint (greenhouse gasses produced )
· Maintenance requirements (cleaning and upkeep)
· Manufacturer’s environmental policies and practices

Green material options exist for most facets of residential building (framing, foundation, subfloor, doors, finish floor, interior walls, exterior walls, windows, cabinetry and trim, roof, insulation). Below are some examples of information and local providers of some of these products and services.

Be careful when attempting to choose “green” products to look for warning signs of greenwashing. According to the Sustainable Building Advisor Institute “Greenwashing is the practice of falsely advertising one’s product, company or practice as “green” or “sustainable” for purposes of increased revenue or clientele.”

Use certification labels as much as possible (ex. Forest Stewardship Council wood, Carpet and Rug Institute Green Label, Energy Star, Water Sense) and be sure to identify green priorities for your project early on to help in choosing which products meet these standards.

Although it may seem to be enough to simply include specific green materials into the construction of a building, it is equally important to use material-efficient design strategies. Some of these strategies include: building durability, adaptive reuse, design to use less, design for disassembly, and carbon-offsetting building strategies.

Building durability includes building in appropriate locations (avoiding floodplains, etc.) and slowing rates of resource depletion by focusing on durable materials and assemblies. Adaptive reuse includes repurposed buildings and materials as opposed to the use of virgin sites/materials. In the design to use less strategy advanced framing, and multi-purpose space design are of great importance. That includes any material or space that serves more than one purpose (ex. structural material that can also double as a finish). When building, it is important to consider the whole lifecycle of the building.

Demolition waste has been calculated to be 25-30% of all solid waste. When using Design for Disassembly strategies, materials are chosen that are reusable or recyclable and readily broken down into their elemental materials. This type of construction allows for reduced landfill space and postponed end-of-life impacts. Carbon neutral or carbon offsetting building strategies involve reducing or offsetting the embodied carbon footprint of the building. An example of some of these methods are using locally sourced materials (to reduce transportation), avoiding bigger than you need (to save materials), avoiding energy-intensive materials as fillers, and selecting materials that can be re-used or recycled at the end of their lives.