For the past ten years, sustainable construction continues to experience significant growth. Green development is now promoted by prominent politicians and known personalities, raising awareness for the public. Famous people highlight natural resource consumption and the built environment’s impact on greenhouse gas emissions. Some other factors include an increase in higher energy prices, costs of building materials, and regular incentives that move forward the green building market to expand. Unfortunately, there are still barriers to green buildings that continue to exist. This is where construction management comes in.
What exactly is construction management for sustainability, then? Best Access Doors is here to provide you with an idea about sustainable construction management. If you’re a project manager who wants to deliver durable construction according to the client’s cost expectations, this article is fit for your reading.
Sustainable Construction
Before delving into construction management, it is better to start with sustainable construction first. When we talk about construction management, it pertains to the combination of construction practices and building materials to reduce environmental waste and impact. Because there are plenty of construction and demolition materials such as concrete, asphalt, and wood piling up quicker than when cleared, the construction industry faces mounting pressure to repurpose and recycle waste. In a piece of information from Construction & Demolition Recycling, their prediction states that by 2025, the volume of construction waste each year is expected to reach 2.2. Billion tons. To avoid achieving such a number, following sustainable construction management methods is vital. As a contractor or project manager who wants to make the next project more sustainable, follow these four steps to achieve more sustainable construction management to avoid generating plenty of waste.
- Consider substitutes for sustainable construction materials.
A quick solution to reducing waste in construction is using another type of material rather than using traditional concrete. Other green building materials such as recycled plastic, bamboo, frock, and even hempcrete, also known as hemp-lime, can substitute concrete while also acting as sustainable construction materials for your future projects. Keep in mind that selecting building materials should happen at the beginning of each construction project. Although incorporating one sustainable construction material into a building does not contribute to making the world’s greenest project, it still helps reduce the environmental impacts that construction causes. Using 100 percent recycled plastic on construction projects is worth the investment since this sustainable material can last more than 50 years, 20 years more than traditional structures using wood or concrete.
- For more sustainable construction projects, adopt a Just-In-Time production practice.
The prime contributor to construction waste is concrete. There can be sustainable construction material management and demolition with the help of Just-In-Time (JIT) production. As the name states, JIT production is a practice promoting sustainable construction management. It calls for creating what the client wants when they need it and in the exact quantities requested. It helps in the prevention of ordering large stocks and limiting the order to the precise amount required. It also ensures all stored excess materials kept are at a minimum, and free storage room can be maximized onsite now that lesser materials are dumped after the job ends.
- Employ other sustainable methods of construction in your project.
Aside from JIT production, prefabricated construction materials and methods can also improve sustainability. Also referred to as offsite construction, prefabricated construction refers to assembling structural parts in a manufacturing site and then transporting them to another location. It is a construction technique that is more sustainable and efficient than other traditional methods.
- Ensure a wise material selection.
Another aspect of sustainability is achieving Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. It applies to all building types– residential, commercial, and industrial, and it works throughout the entire life cycle of the building. There is a point system for scoring green building design and construction in LEED, and structures are awarded the points according to the extent to achieve various sustainable strategies. The selection of materials manufactured from recycled products and local sources helps architects and clients seeking LEED. It can be anything from renewable products like bamboo for floors to wood and other high-quality materials for LEED access doors and panels.
The Takeaway
While buildings become greener, construction sites must also evolve. The construction of buildings, albeit slowly, is now fundamentally transforming with the help of improved onsite maintenance, off-site fabrication, lean practices, landfill avoidance, and green materials. It not only helps improve the overall energy efficiency of a building but also saves our planet Earth from destruction.
Achieve sustainability by partnering with suppliers that can provide you with sustainable materials. Install LEED access doors from Best Access Doors and have your building LEED-certified.