The Envelope, Please
All the green reports coming out now continue to validate the value of the building envelope. That makes it a good time to stop and think about the work to be done at the ground level.
The just-released McKinsey Report, “Unlocking Energy Efficiency in the US Economy,” talks about addressing energy efficiency through the building envelope.
The Pew Center on Global Climate Change, in its Climate TechBook, sees the building envelope as serving “an important role in determining the amount of energy necessary to maintain a comfortable indoor environment.”
That means anyone getting into green work (and who isn’t?) can start by looking at a low cost, high performing element. Let’s make an aesthetic decision perform as an energy component, and we’ve got the whole thing licked.
We think that’s huge. Another nice thing is, we know how to do it, too.
No commentsCMs Look for the Green Label
Practitioners of sustainable design and construction have enough to figure out without wondering if their subcontractors are ready, too. Now, with the nation’s first sustainable certification program for masonry contractors, they don’t have to worry.
IMI launched the Sustainable Masonry Certification Program this year to make sure that union masonry contractors learn the nuts and bolts of sustainability, and really grasp the role they play in the LEED certification process.
For subcontractors, that process can be “a frustrating mystery,” says Rita Craig from Allegheny Installations Company, Inc. in Pittsburgh. Craig attended the first SMC class in June, and says “it was more than worth the time invested.”
Pennsylvania was a logical launch pad, given the state’s top ranking in the LEED movement. Using masonry to meet the goals of energy efficiency, air quality, durability and waste minimization “is something we have been pushing for years,” says Tom Swidzinski of T Swidzinksi Masonry, Inc.
The contractors appreciated how the course walked them through the entire construction process, from estimating and bid documentation through contractual requirements. Green-specific topics like site use, material storage and construction waste management are also covered.
“I definitely feel the IMI Certification program gave me that extra knowledge,” says Craig.
Not surprisingly, construction managers like having knowledgeable subcontractors to help them meet their LEED mandates, and many predict that it will soon make the difference in who gets hired.
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