Page 290 - The Green Building Bottom Line The Real Cost of Sustainable Building

268 CHAPTER 9

that a building design will meet the goals of the developer: building information mod-
eling and peer review.
Building information modeling involves using software to predict a building’s per-
formance. Peer review allows a developer to take advantage of another design profes-
sional’s experience with green building. Developers should consider requiring one or
both in design contracts for green buildings.
One difficulty with peer review is that the reviewer will be earning a set fee and is
unlikely to warrant a building’s performance or assume liability if the reviewer’s
advice turns out to be wrong. A reviewer also is not hampered by budgetary con-
straints and might, therefore, tend to advise surer but more expensive alternatives than
a developer’s budget will tolerate. Despite these drawbacks, it can still be helpful, par-
ticularly if the architect on the project team has not previously designed a green build-
ing, to get the benefit of outside expertise.

Construction Contracts
Once a developer has a building design that is satisfactory, the construction phase of
the project can begin. The most important goal when negotiating the construction con-
tract, of course, is to ensure that the building is built consistently with the approved
design. The contractor should be obligated to use only the materials and technologies
specified in the design documents. Some aspects of the design, however, are likely to
be changed during the construction process—materials may not be available when
needed, problems with a technology included in the design might come to light, etc.
In order for the developer to be sure that the design will remain green, a process for
the careful review of any change orders should be put into place. The contractor should
not be allowed to make any substitution or otherwise deviate from the plans for the
project without the approval of the party responsible for ensuring that the project meets
its sustainability goal, whether that is LEED certification or some other standard.
In addition to the finished product, the developer and contractor must pay attention
to the construction process itself. The practice of green building relates not only to
what is built but to how it is built. The construction phase of the project is the only
opportunity to get some things right, such as the recycling of construction waste and
the indoor air quality during construction, so items like these must be addressed in the
construction contract. Failing to do so might cost a developer certification and make
it impossible to meet promises made to tenants, investors, and others.
Once construction is complete, the building’s systems should be tested to ensure
that they perform as expected, and the building’s property manager should be trained
in the use of the systems. It is often advisable to produce a manual for use with a sys-
tem. In many situations, LEED certification will require that the building’s HVAC,
lighting, and energy systems be commissioned in this way; in larger buildings this
commissioning must be performed by a third-party commissioning authority. The con-
struction contract should require that the contractor cooperate with the commissioning
authority and, following the commissioning process, correct any work necessary to
ensure that the building’s systems function as desired.