Sustainability in Construction Continues to Evolve

Sustainability is one of those buzzwords that gets thrown around a lot. With so much in the news surrounding the many impacts of climate change and the urgency to act, I’ve been reflecting on what sustainability really means in the construction industry and how we can continue to do our part to have a positive impact.

Since I joined the construction industry in 2005, the notion of sustainability from an industry standpoint has changed so much. When I was beginning my career, I had never even heard of LEED certification. Now a commonly known term, LEED (which stands for Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) was created by the U.S. Green Building Council around 1998. Since that time, LEED has continued to improve and evolve, and today is the most widely used green building system, with transformative impacts on building design, construction, and operation.

At Skanska, sustainability and environmental consciousness are at the forefront of what we do. We are subject matter experts in LEED standards and have created innovative solutions such as our Embodied Carbon in Construction Calculator (EC3) tool. Developed in partnership with the Carbon Leadership Forum and other industry partners, EC3 is a groundbreaking solution for calculating and evaluating the carbon emissions from building materials. Using this tool, contractors, owners and designers can access data for common building materials to create an overall embodied carbon footprint for a project, allowing them to make informed decisions throughout the building process.

When we partner with a designer or owner on a new project, our extensive experience with sustainable construction and LEED standards is a tremendous asset. From an owner’s standpoint, efficiency is often the business case for pursuing LEED certification, as a more efficient building can keep maintenance costs in check and improve return on investment. As more and more projects seek LEED certification, we are able to discuss in depth the latest trends we have seen, innovative solutions, and pitfalls to avoid. All of this helps an owner to realize and achieve their vision.

While LEED has significant impact on design and building operations, some of the most obvious impacts come from small changes in the construction process. So many of the materials that end up as waste on a construction site can be recycled, including metal, cardboard, wood, plastics, masonry, and concrete. When building North Carolina State’s new Fitts-Woolard Hall, which achieved LEED Silver certification, we achieved a 90% recycling rate for the construction process. The impact is tremendous.

I participated in a polar plunge into Lake Raleigh to benefit and raise money for the Special Olympics. Aside from how freezing I felt, I thought about the Fitts-Woolard Hall project we were constructing just up the hill from the lake. As part of the project’s NCDEQ and LEED requirements, we had sediment basins to reduce run off and keep all the silt and dirt on the site. Everything was treated on site so only clean water was going into the storm drainage systems, protecting the nearby streams and rivers. It was gratifying to realize the environmental precautions we had taken on that construction site just up the hill had a direct impact on the cleanliness of the lake I was now swimming in.

Sustainability in the construction industry is an ever-evolving practice. Fifteen years ago, LEED certification may have seemed cutting-edge, but now has become commonplace as more and more stakeholders have embraced the need to reduce their impact on the environment. With a sustained and ever-growing focus on sustainability, Skanska continues to push the envelope on new practices, such as with the use of geothermal energy on Wake Technical Community College’s Eastern Wake 4.0 campus project. Over the next 15 years, innovative practices and technologies such as geothermal will become much more common, and even newer technologies will lead the way to a more sustainable future.

Main photo (Top of page): Wake Tech Community College East Campus Central Energy Plant .

About the Author – Greg Cooper is a Senior Project Manager in Skanska’s Durham office. He works on projects throughout the Triangle area in the healthcare, higher education, and commercial market segments. Greg is LEED certified and has many years of expertise in sustainable building practices.

Skanska has been building in the North Carolina region for decades and our priorities have always aligned with what is important to our clients.  Learn more about Skanska and our projects.

Skanska is a leading global construction and development company. In the U.S., Skanska’s core operations include building construction, civil infrastructure and developing self-financed commercial properties. An industry leading innovator in safety and project execution, Skanska offers competitive solutions to help build a more sustainable future for our customers and communities.

This article originally appeared in Triangle Business Journal. Reprinted with permission.