Page 249 - Green Building Through Integrated Design

A HIGH-PERFORMANCE LABORATORY PROJECT 225

GENERAL CONSTRUCTION ISSUES
During the CD phase, we have to write all the project specifications and get all the details
on the drawings, so that the general contractor and various subcontractors can actually bid
the project. These considerations naturally give rise to a number of important questions.

1 How will the project be bid, and how will this impact the inclusion of sustainability
criteria in construction documents? Will it be a negotiated bid or a competitive bid?
2 Is there a CM/GC process (or CM at risk) in place, so that we can involve the gen-
eral contractor or construction manager at this stage, to familiarize them with the
specific sustainability features of this project?
3 Do we have an updated LEED scorecard ready to share with the team and to make
part of any value engineering exercises?
4 Do the contract documents/specifications clearly reference the sustainability goals
of the project? Have the goals and related actions for the contractor been incor-
porated into a “green” Division 1 specification section?
5 Will we use a checklist approach at coordination meetings, to follow through on
our design intentions from the schematic design and design development phases?
6 Are we using LEED project management software to keep track of choices we
make, or are considering, in the detailed design phase?
7 For any materials, systems or processes that may be interpreted by bidders as uncon-
ventional, has the design team researched the local/regional availability of the items
and provided contacts for sources of additional information in the specifications?
8 Has the design been reviewed thoroughly to avoid areas of unnecessary overde-
sign and to incorporate integrated design systems such as green roofs for stormwater
management, or daylighting for energy conservation?
9 Do we require the general contractor to provide an erosion and sedimentation con-
trol plan and documentation of compliance with the plan, even if the specific
activities are required by code in the project city or county?
10 Do the construction documents make clear what documentation will be expected
from the contractor to comply with certification and incentive programs?
11 Do the construction documents make clear that substitutions will be reviewed rel-
ative to the environmental goals of the project, as well as relative to more con-
ventional criteria?
12 Have we reviewed all construction details to ensure that they use materials
efficiently?

PLATINUM PROJECT PROFILE
Verdesian, New York, New York
A 27-story residential building in New York City’s Battery Park City, the
Verdesian was completed in 2006. The 300,000-square-feet luxury apartment
building includes 252 residences; the total project cost was $75 million. A natural-
gas-fired microturbine produces 70 kW of power (20 percent of the base load) and