Sustainable Building Technical Manual - Etn-presco.net

cost, within the tightest time-frame, and at the highest profit. The contractor isnot likely to implement environmental practices unless they involve almost noadditional cost, have been required contractually, or are economically beneficialto the contractor.Teamwork is the key ingredient in a successful construction project. Together,a building’s owner, architect, engineers, and contractor should develop guidelines,plans, goals, and practices for the construction process. The jointapproach will ensure that the contractor understands—and embraces—a project’sgeneral and environmental goals and specifications before the work begins.. ☛ SUGGESTED PRACTICES AND CHECKLISTI❑ The design team can establish and enforce environmental guidelines forconstruction by doing the following:– Incorporating such guidelines into the construction drawings and specificationsand monitoring the contractor’s compliance during construction.– Incorporating environmental responsibilities into the constructioncontract and monitoring the contractor’s specific compliance duringconstruction.– Indicating, in the above guidelines or statements of responsibility, practicesrequired by local, state, or federal environmental regulation.❑ In some cases, contractors may need education about environmentallypreferable practices in order to take advantage of them.The design team can help the contractor understand that an environmentallypreferable process can be more economical than—or equivalent in costto—a conventional one, and can be implemented without a regulatory orcontractual requirement.Site Issues★ S I G N I F I CA N C E .The construction process can cause a significant amount of site disturbance. Tominimize such disturbance and maximize the use of site resources, a projectteam should recognize a site’s existing natural, cultural, and constructed featuresand preserve those features through sound design, construction, andmanagement practices (see also Chapter 5, “Sustainable Site Design”).Despite their up-front expense, practices that plan and control site access—andpromote efficient and environmentally sensitive use of site features—oftentranslate into cost savings to the contractor, including lowered site-restorationcosts after completion of work. For example, preservation of existing trees orgeological features in the site design and construction can lessen the need forreplanting and other landscaping to achieve shading or privacy goals.Bear in mind, however, that opportunities to reduce site impacts and tap existingnatural resources through environmentally sensitive design vary widelyamong urban, suburban, and rural sites. Urban sites typically have more designconstraints. Rural sites, usually much larger than their urban counterparts, presentmore opportunities for environmental disturbance—along with moreoptions for resource utilization.