Sustainable Development Trends in Construction

The purpose of this paper is to examine trends in sustainability that could potentially impact construction education. Secondary data was obtained and time series analysis was conducted to document growth trends in sustainability. Significant trends were identified in all major private sectors of construction: residential, commercial, heavy/highway, industrial and institutional. Additionally, there has also been a significant growth in sustainable projects at all levels of government including the military sector. The trends identified and analyzed in this paper provide tangible evidence of the emerging presence of green construction and the implication that current and future construction professionals will benefit from understanding sustainable building practices.

Key Words: sustainable building, sustainable construction, USGBC, LEED

Introduction 

General Problem 

The Sustainable building movement is changing the way buildings are designed and built, causing “design and construction organizations … to rethink their approach to almost every aspect of their operations” (Riley, Pexton, and Drilling, 2003), creating a new challenge for the construction industry in the 21^st century (Miyatake, 2003). There are a variety of reasons why owners are seeking to have their buildings designed, constructed and operated in a sustainable manner: from a desire to reduce the impact of their buildings on the environment, to improve working environments for the building occupants, to reduce building operation and maintenance costs; or simply to project a better public image (Bosch and Pearce, 2003). While there is no one reason for this shift in priorities, what is apparent is that this shift is changing how buildings are designed and constructed (Austin, 1991; Riley, Pexton, and Drilling, 2003; Tinker and Burt, 2003).  

This trend toward sustainable projects cuts across all construction segments (residential, commercial, heavy/highway, industrial and institutional) and encompasses both the public and private sectors. Several cities have announced that all future government buildings will meet minimum sustainability requirements as established by the US Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. Among these are: Austin, TX; Boulder, CO; Cook County, IL; Los Angeles, CA; Portland, OR; San Diego, CA; San Jose, CA; San Mateo, CA; and Seattle, WA. The states of California, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, and Pennsylvania have also stated that all future government buildings will follow LEED Certification guidelines. At the federal government level, the Navy and the Army Corps of Engineers, as well as the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency have also mandated that all future buildings will be sustainable. (USGBC website, retrieved 1/2/2004). 

As this trend grows and reshapes the design process, it is impacting the role of the contractor. Integrated design, which is essential to the design of a green building, necessitates the early involvement of all project consultants, including the contractor, in the design process (Rosenberg, Merson, and Funkhouser, 2003). For this reason, a large number of owners are “moving towards the use of design-build delivery systems in which construction organizations are highly involved during the design phase” (Riley, Pexton, and Drilling, 2003). “Contractors have access to cost data and other technical knowledge” which can inform design team decisions (Rosenberg, Merson, and Funkhouser, 2003). This interaction facilitates the constructive input of the contractor early in the project, significantly impacting the constructability of the project, leading to increases in efficiencies on site such as reduced material waste, improved working environments for trades, and better indoor air quality for the finished building. This shift of project design and delivery method shifts the “sole responsibility for the … project” to the contractor (Chan, Ho, and Tam, 2001), making it vital that the contractor understand the owner’s objectives in building and occupying the project.  

Definitions and Abbreviations 

·         Integrated Design: “A holistic process that considers the many disparate parts of a building project, and examines the interaction between design, construction, and operations, to optimize the energy and environmental performance of the project. The strength of this process is that all relevant issues are considered simultaneously in order to “solve for pattern” or to solve many problems with one solution. The goal of integrated design is developments that have the potential to heal damaged environments and become net producers of energy, healthful food, clean water and air, and healthy human and biological communities.” (Rocky Mountain Institute, 1998)

·         Design/Build: “In a design-build approach the designer and builder work together as one company under a single contract with the owner.” (Gould, F. E., 2002).

·         Sustainability: “Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs, as defined by the Brundtland Commission, 1987.” (Rocky Mountain Institute, 1998)

·         Green Buildings (“Green”) “…buildings that are designed, constructed, operated, and demolished in an environmentally and energy efficient manner.” (Mead, 2001).

·         U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC): “The U.S. Green Building Council is the nation’s foremost coalition of leaders from across the building industry working to promote buildings that are environmentally responsible, profitable and healthy places to live and work.” (USGBC webpage, retrieved 12/21/2003).

·         Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED): “The LEED Green Building Rating System™ is a voluntary, consensus-based national standard for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings. Members of the U.S. Green Building Council representing all segments of the building industry developed LEED and continue to contribute to its evolution.” (USGBC LEED website, retrieved 12/21/2003).

·         LEED Certification: “LEED Certification distinguishes building projects that have demonstrated a commitment to sustainability by meeting the highest performance standards.” (USGBC LEED Certification website, retrieved 12/21/2003).

·         LEED Accredited Professional: Experienced building industry practitioners who have demonstrated their knowledge of integrated design and the LEED Certification process by sucessfully completeting the LEED professional accreditation exam (USGBC LEED accreditation website, retrieved 12/23/2003).

·         Built Environment: “a comprehensive term used to encompass land and real estate development including design, construction, and/or management of existing and/or proposed projects” (Nobe, Harrelson, and Nobe, 2003).

Importance of the Problem 

“Green” building is a comprehensive method to design and construct buildings in an environmentally sensitive manner. Sustainable, green buildings typically employ integrated technologies that effect project choices in energy systems, building materials, site development, and project management methods. The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating system, developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), is one mechanism that many owners are using to ensure that their buildings are meeting the criteria for sustainability. The LEED rating systems uses six categories to determine if a building is sustainable. Each section has prerequisites that must be met as a minimum for LEED certification and points for going beyond these minimum requirements. There are a total of 69 possible points and a minimum of 26 points are required for LEED certification. It is up to the owner and design team (of which the contractor may be a member) to decide what level of certification they want to achieve. However, the responsibility for attaining many of the identified LEED credits falls “squarely on the shoulders of general contractors, who must implement and document green building measures..” (Rosenberg, Merson, and Funkhouser, 2003). Ultimately, through the course of installation, the contractor is responsible for production of all green design aspects. Out of the 69 possible points, the contractor is directly responsible for 20 points and can have valuable input on another 21 points. (Klehm, 2003). Thus, it is to the owner’s benefit to “pre-qualify contractors based on experience with LEED projects or green buildings … to the extent possible” (Rosenberg, Merson, Funhouser, 2003). Construction organizations that are experienced with green projects are “better equipped to ….contribute to the success of these projects” (Riley, Pexton, Drilling, 2003).  

The goal of construction educators has long been to teach current technologies in the classroom setting to facilitate their incorporation into everyday construction practices. For instance, the use of the personal computer in increasing the efficiencies of the day to day operations of a construction company were taught in the academic setting long before the average contractor was willing or able to incorporate this technology into their company. Additionally, industry has historically looked to new graduates and their knowledge of new technologies, to introduce and help infuse emerging technologies into their company. However, as the construction industry continues to evolve at an increasing pace, academia is not always able to keep pace; leaving construction education in a position of trying to “catch up” with current practices. Barbara Jackson (2003) recently documented this lag between industry practices and the education model for design-build projects. Jackson showed that the design-build method of project delivery is being utilized on an increasing number of projects and that this method of project delivery has significant advantages over low-bid. However, Jackson also found that only a small percentage of Construction Management programs were incorporating this delivery method into their curriculum. It is a similar scenario that has recently developed with respect to sustainability.

Research Problem 

Purpose 

The purpose of this paper is to explore significant trends in sustainability which are changing the face of construction practice and education. 

 Delimitations

This study will not address the history of sustainability and green building, nor will it cover the LEED certification process in detail. Neither will this study address the appropriateness of using sustainable practices or the benefits of such practices. While these are valuable topics, they have been covered in other recent research and are not within the scope of this paper. Instead, this study will focus on the visible trends that are documented within the construction industry and will seek to interpret how these trends are changing the construction industry.  

Methodology 

This study will be based on secondary data of professional construction organizations and within the USGBC. The methodology that will be used for this paper is trend analysis. Many of the trends are developed from time series data obtained from the USGBC Information Office and the USGBC Membership Office. Graphs are developed from this data and fitted with curves to reflect trend directionality and magnitude.  

Results

Professional Construction Organizations 

Three organizations were identified as representative organizations in the construction industry, and especially construction education. These consisted of:

·         National Association of Home Builders (NAHB),

·         Association of General Contractors (AGC), and

·         Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC).

The website for each organization was surveyed to determine if the organization was a supporter of green construction. All three organizations had an area of their websites that were dedicated to green construction or sustainable construction. Additionally, two of the organizations provided access to educational materials for their members about green construction.  

According to the NAHB website, NAHB membership has reached 215,000; one third of which are homebuilders and/or remodelers. “NAHB membership as a whole represents approximately 8% of the U.S. annual Gross Domestic Product.” (NAHB website, retrieved 1/2/2004). NAHB sponsors a yearly conference focused on Green Construction (NAHB website, retrieved 1/2/2004); the organization also publishes several documents addressing green construction. One in particular is a 24 page document to educate residential constructors about the importance of building environmentally sensitive houses: “Building Green, Building Better: The Quite Revolution” published in October 2002. 

Within the AGC website, there is a section on environmental issues that includes links to various pages within the AGC website that deal with green/sustainable construction. Among these sub topics are: Green Construction, Advocacy and Outreach, Environmental Seminars, Environmental Publications, and their Environmental Resource Committee (AGC website, retrieved 1/2/2004). The AGC also promotes Environmental Management Systems (EMSs) to its members, the purpose of which is to “provide an effective management of environmental obligations, including compliance with laws and regulations. EMSs also move companies beyond compliance, improving their efficiency and competitiveness.” (AGC website, retrieved 1/2/2004). The AGC website offers educational materials to its members on EMSs and green building. AGC also conducts local educational workshops for its membership addressing issues of sustainability. These workshops are offered all through the year in various locations throughout the U.S. The AGC is also a member of the EPA’s National Environmental Performance Track, which “is a voluntary partnership program that recognizes and rewards private and public facilities that demonstrate strong environmental performance beyond current requirements (EPA Website)”.  

The ABC has dedicated a portion of its website to Environmental Reform. This section deals with governmental policies. Topics covered in this site are: Energy, the Clean Water Act, the Endangered Species Act, Superfunds/Brownfields and Toxic Mold (ABC website, retrieved 1/2/2004). Both the ABC and AGC are participating in the EPA’s effort to development “Effluent Limitation Guidelines (ELG) for the Construction Industry” to limit discharge from construction sites, both during and after construction (AGC Website retrieved 1/2/2004; ABC website, retrieved 1/2/04). These guidelines are scheduled for completion in March 2004 and are expected to have a significant impact on the construction industry (ABC Website, retrieved 1/2/2004).  

U.S. Green Building Council 

The USGBC is considered the leader in green/sustainable construction in the United States. This organization was developed in 1993 to address the negative impact the built environment was having on the environment. Initially, there were only four members. That number has grown to 3,761 members in 2003. Exhibit 1 below shows how membership in the USGBC has grown since the organization was established in 1993. In the last year, membership in the USGBC has grown by 57%. In the last two years, membership has grown by 230%. 

Exhibit 1. Increase in USGBC membership.

 Information about membership, registered projects, certified projects (count and square footage), and LEED Accredited Professionals was obtained from the USGBC information and membership offices. Table 1 shows a summary of the information obtained (USGBC membership is not included in this table since it has already been covered above.) 

Table 1: Growth in LEED implementation.

 In the last three years, the number of LEED Accredited Professionals has increase from 527 in 2001, to 2,987 in 2003; this is a 467% increase in two years (at year 2001 t=0). These individuals come from all areas of the built environment including construction management. However, from the information provided, it was not possible to determine what percentage are employed with construction management firms and what percentage are employed with design firms. 

Exhibit 2. Increase in LEED accredited professionals.

 There has also been an increase in projects that have been registered with the USGBC. By registering a project with the USGBC, the owner is formalizing their intent to have their building LEED certified upon completion. Exhibit 3 below shows that the total number of registered projects has increased significantly since 2001. This data is for those projects seeking LEED Certification under LEED 2.0, which was released in March of 2000. In two years, the number of registered projects has increased 77%. 

Exhibit 3. Increase in LEED registered projects.

 Exhibit 4 shows the growth in the number of projects that have attained LEED Certification. In 2001, there were only 5 projects that were LEED Certified; in 2003, there were 51 projects. Exhibit 5 shows the total amount of square footage for certified projects by year. In relation to square footage, there has been an increase of 161% in the last two years (using 2001 as t=0). 

Exhibit 4. Increase in LEED certified projects.

 Exhibit 5. LEED certified projects: Cummalative square footage.

Conclusion 

This paper has identified significant trends associated with sustainable buildings, both within professional construction organizations and the USGBC, that are changing how buildings are designed and constructed. The trends identified in this paper are tangible evidence of the emerging presence of green construction and the implication that construction companies need to understand sustainable building practices. Additionally, as the contracting process shifts more from hard bid to design-build contracts, it will be to the owner’s advantage to seek out contractors who have a fundamental knowledge of sustainable construction practices. As educators of future professionals in this industry, it is the responsibility of academia to ensure that future construction managers are knowledgeable about current and significant future trends within the industry. This paper has shown that the trend in sustainability is one such trend. For academia to be prepared to teach, we need to be leaders in research on the impact sustainable construction has (and will continue to have) on the construction management process. It warrants further research into the role this trend will play in curriculum development and construction education.  

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