Sustainable Building Technical Manual - Etn-presco.net

. ☛ SUGGESTED PRACTICES AND CHECKLISTI❑ The owner, design team, and contractor should develop, collectively, a stagingplan for the project.The goal of this plan is to balance the contractor’s desire to build cost-effectively with theowner’s long-term need to protect valuable site resources and amenities. In many cases, itis in the contractor’s best interest to take actions that curb construction’s impact on a site,because such actions can sharply reduce site-restoration costs after project completion.❑ Develop specific site-protection requirements that the contractor should follow,and require the contractor to submit plans for meeting them.Include specific language in the contract and construction documents that tells thecontractor how to meet requirements, and develop monitoring and verification criteria.– Specify requirements for site utilization. Site-utilization specifications ensure a clearunderstanding of which areas of a site are to be used, and of how the site will bemanaged. Often, contractors do not tightly control site utilization by subcontractorsand workers, so the site is used on a first-come, first-served basis. Such lax site managementtends to cause unnecessary site disturbance and discourage efficient use ofexisting site resources for construction purposes. It requires the constant movementof materials and equipment to allow completion of work. The more often materialand equipment are moved, the higher the risk of damage, to both the transferreditems and the site itself.Typically, site utilization specifications require a contractor to address the followingissues:a. Where contractors and trades will locate their trailers;b. Which areas of the site will be protected, and which areas used for storage and staging;c. How waste will be handled and removed; andd. How the site will be isolated from public entry.– Designate specific vegetation for protection throughout the construction process.Specifications must indicate not only the types and locations of vegetation to be protected,but also the methodology for protection.– Specify requirements for site access. Issues to consider include:a. Access requirements of the different trades, for deliveries, installation, andother needs;b . How workers access the site and enter the building during the construction process;c. How access will change over the course of construction; andd. Vehicle-parking accommodations available to workers.– Specify requirements for site clearing and grading. Issues to consider include:a. How the site is to be cleared and graded;b. The environmental impacts that may ensue;c. How to minimize the square footage areas to be cleared and disturbed and stillmeet construction, design, and economic needs and requirements; andd . Whether the removed topsoil and/or excavated material can be stockpiledfor reuse.– Review the stormwater management plan. Preplanning and management can minimizesurface stormwater resulting from construction. Increasing the on-site stormwater-absorptioncapacity of a building—through the use of piping systems, forexample—can reduce flow of stormwater off-site. Other options include the developmentof an on-site pond that accumulates and releases surface water over time, or theconstruction of a retention system (such as a retention tank) in the building thatslowly releases water into the drainage system or allows water to dissipate naturally.Check local regulations to see if they require a stormwater management plan. Manyjurisdictions mandate such plans to protect surrounding sites from anticipated additionalsurface water and contaminants generated by construction projects.(See also Chapter 5, “Sustainable Site Design,” Chapter 6, “Water Issues,” and Chapter 7,“Site Materials and Equipment.”)