JENNIFER DRILLING The Pennsylvania State University School of Architectural Engineering KIM PEXTON, ASSOC. AIA, LEED James G. Davis Construction Corporation T H E R OL E O F T H E G E N E R A L C O N T R A C T O R I N G R E E N B U I L D I N G S Why study the role of the contractor? –The challenge construction companies most often face when opting to enter the new market of green construction is the learning curve –Current green research Integrated design strategies Cost Strategies Formation of green teams –Very little information geared towards the contractor’s role –Information provided is from a designer perspective –Issues the contractor may directly face are not thoroughly stated in any one source

JENNIFER DRILLING The Pennsylvania State University School of Architectural Engineering KIM PEXTON, ASSOC. AIA, LEED James G. Davis Construction Corporation T H E R OL E O F T H E G E N E R A L C O N T R A C T O R I N G R E E N B U I L D I N G S Goal –To develop guidelines of valued added activities a contractor may perform during a green project Pre-Construction Construction –Where is the contractor’s role most significant? –What areas can contractor’s continue to develop and improve on –Establish industry comments, concerns, and knowledge of issue for future research

JENNIFER DRILLING The Pennsylvania State University School of Architectural Engineering KIM PEXTON, ASSOC. AIA, LEED James G. Davis Construction Corporation T H E R OL E O F T H E G E N E R A L C O N T R A C T O R I N G R E E N B U I L D I N G S Methods of Research –First developed a list of potential roles a contractor may perform to add value to a green project –Use of the following sources The HOK Guidebook to Sustainable Design “A Contractor’s Waste Management Guide” –Best Management & Recycling Tools for Job Site Recycling and Waste Reduction in Hawaii Environmental Building News feature article, “Construction IAQ Management” (May 2002) Turner employee interviews (LEED Toyota Project in CA) –Education/Training Procedures Kim Pexton –Education, Pollution Prevention Department of Energy (Environmental Code) –Title 42- The Public Health & Welfare, Ch.85 Air Pollution Prevention & Control

JENNIFER DRILLING The Pennsylvania State University School of Architectural Engineering KIM PEXTON, ASSOC. AIA, LEED James G. Davis Construction Corporation T H E R OL E O F T H E G E N E R A L C O N T R A C T O R I N G R E E N B U I L D I N G S Methods of Research –Established network of green professionals around country Contractors Design-Builders Architects Consultants A/E Managers Owners –Developed 5 page questionnaire Pre-construction –General –Planning and Sitework –Energy & Atmosphere –Building Materials –Water Conservation –Waste Management –Air Pollution Prevention Construction (Additional to above) –Education –Indoor Air Quality Management -Questionnaire asked surveyors to rank 94 potential possibilities Scale (1 to 4) = Contractors have little significance in this role - 4 = - 4 = Contractor has significant impact to this role

JENNIFER DRILLING The Pennsylvania State University School of Architectural Engineering KIM PEXTON, ASSOC. AIA, LEED James G. Davis Construction Corporation T H E R OL E O F T H E G E N E R A L C O N T R A C T O R I N G R E E N B U I L D I N G S Questionnaire Sample CONSTRUCTION GENERAL EDUCATIONAre there any comments you have on the CONSTRUCTION GENERAL or EDUCATION section? Anything you would add or delete? Do you feel anything needs to be more or less detailed?

JENNIFER DRILLING The Pennsylvania State University School of Architectural Engineering KIM PEXTON, ASSOC. AIA, LEED James G. Davis Construction Corporation T H E R OL E O F T H E G E N E R A L C O N T R A C T O R I N G R E E N B U I L D I N G S Pre-construction Results ALL PARTICIPANTS (32 ) EXPERIENCED PARTICIPANTS (24) Owners and Architectural/Engineer Managers highly value the contractor’s early involvement Design-Builders ranked higher than general contractors –Possibly have better sense of the importance and potential of their early involvement Architects & Consultants ranked low –Possibly feel less inclined for contractors to make suggestions on technical design/engineering issues More experienced contractors feel they can play a more significant role than less experienced contractors –Shows experienced contractor awareness of feasible green practices and what can be accomplished

JENNIFER DRILLING The Pennsylvania State University School of Architectural Engineering KIM PEXTON, ASSOC. AIA, LEED James G. Davis Construction Corporation T H E R OL E O F T H E G E N E R A L C O N T R A C T O R I N G R E E N B U I L D I N G S Construction Results ALL PARTICIPANTS (32 ) EXPERIENCED PARTICIPANTS (24) Owners and Architectural/Engineer Managers round off top again –Show that contractors can be doing more than what they actually think (perhaps not considering cost) Consultants show that the Contractor’s role is much more significant (highly regarded) during construction than that of pre-construction Design-Builders, Contractors, and Consultants are all about equal in rank Architects show least amount of potential involvement…Possible Reasons: –Have lack of communication/involvement with contractors during construction, or lack of understanding of the contractor’s ability during the construction process –Possibly architects show that contractors can not always handle the highly technical/or design activities as they think

JENNIFER DRILLING The Pennsylvania State University School of Architectural Engineering KIM PEXTON, ASSOC. AIA, LEED James G. Davis Construction Corporation T H E R OL E O F T H E G E N E R A L C O N T R A C T O R I N G R E E N B U I L D I N G S Highest Ranked Areas HIGH Ranked Roles –Help owner and engineer to produce estimates of possible LEED points –Locate a recycle facility that can provide the resources to recycle all types of materials –As CM or GC, effectively educate subcontractors- (1) in identifying vendors and materials that meet requirements and minimize cost, (2) in minimizing risk Lowest Ranked Areas LOW –Encourage conservation of existing natural features within a site plan –Suggest cogeneration –Suggest the use of low maintenance and easily replaced materials –Suggest the use of grey water for landscaping and toilets. Estimate the feasibility of this connection Pre-construction Construction Highest Ranked Areas Lowest Ranked Areas

JENNIFER DRILLING The Pennsylvania State University School of Architectural Engineering KIM PEXTON, ASSOC. AIA, LEED James G. Davis Construction Corporation T H E R OL E O F T H E G E N E R A L C O N T R A C T O R I N G R E E N B U I L D I N G S Comments –PRECONSTRUCTION: Contractors typically play a very small role or none at all in the case of public bid construction. It is largely viewed as a conflict of interest to bring in a contractor on a job that must be publicly bid. On private projects, the contractor may play a much more significant role. - Jason Kliwinski, AIA, LEED –IAQ: We can build timelines into the schedule that allow for off-gasing and curing, but need to be creative on projects with aggressive schedules that do not have much extra time. – Rob Bacon, DPR Construction –BUILDING MATERIALS The General contractor can contribute to this section with the use of a good QA/QC (quality assurance/quality control) program to ensure LEED/green building project is constructed with the specified materials. – Joe Bakke, Turner A General Contractor cannot always influence the products that are being specified – Rob Bacon, DPR Construction

JENNIFER DRILLING The Pennsylvania State University School of Architectural Engineering KIM PEXTON, ASSOC. AIA, LEED James G. Davis Construction Corporation T H E R OL E O F T H E G E N E R A L C O N T R A C T O R I N G R E E N B U I L D I N G S Comments –We find a few GCs who are making money from C&D waste recycling instead of charging the project. Even more important is the role of the GC in cost estimating so that they assist the design team in pricing methodologies that acknowledge the interlinked benefits of a variety of systems – i.e., moving from CSI format cost estimates to system linked cost estimates so that the life cycle costs and integrated system costs are calculated to make the benefits apparent. E.g., lighting, and HVAC and building envelope and even landscaping might be in a group and cross linked to other groups – Bill Reed, AIA, Natural Logic