March 19, 2010

FEATURE | General & trades contracting

Green building adding to administrative burden for contractors

JESSICA KRIPPENDORF

correspondent 

A slow economy and steep learning curves are making green moves burdensome for some trades people. The extra work of sourcing materials’ recycled content, manufacturing proximity to job site, transportation details and other factors is adding up for contractors who barely have enough on the books to keep their crews working.

Brian Poletz is a LEED consultant with Advicas Group in Victoria. He acts as a LEED liaison with general and trade contractors, and offers support during construction.

The greener the project, the more involvement is expected from the construction side of things, he said.

Materials composition, extraction and manufacturing must be documented and submitted.

Generals and trades are also responsible for controlling their potential effect on indoor air quality and site erosion, including adhering to guidelines around off-gassing materials based on grams per litre of volatile organic compounds (VOC). 

“A lot of the time those control systems are in place already, but it is a matter of documenting them appropriately,” said Poletz.

“The team also comes up with a waste management plan and the thrust is to divert as much as possible from the landfill. All trades have to participate or it just won’t work.”

Because LEED projects require a level of integration not present in traditional procurement, generals are often brought in to the integrated design process from the beginning.

“The extra integration of construction teams, manufacturers and suppliers can be challenging, but having the continuity from the beginning solves a lot of problems ahead of time,” he said.

Kirlen Construction, based in Kitchener, Ont. recently completed drywall, T-bar ceilings, steel studs and insulation on the new headquarters for environmental engineering company, Enermodal.

The building’s LEED Platinum status didn’t affect installation, but required greater care in ordering, disposal and recycling of materials, said estimator and project manager for Kirlen, Stephen Harris. 

“The most challenging issue is the whole concept of meeting the LEED specifications, making sure we carry the proper products and making sure all the materials are disposed of and recycled properly,” he said.

“The tracking of everything is intense.”

All materials were chosen by the building owners, and Kirlen took the initiative in ordering to minimize waste.

“The steel studs, for instance, we ordered pre-cut to minimize on-site waste,” said Harris.

“The problem with pre-cutting drywall is that if the floor height fluctuates an inch, you can’t use the pre-cut sheet. We’re better off to cut it ourselves and use the scrap where we can.”

Without a clear understanding of the paperwork and tracking that go into a project with high LEED designation, it can be hard for tradespeople to grasp what they are getting into when they prepare a bid.

“A lot of trades bid the job and then don’t really have the resources to do it properly,” said Harris.

“We’ve done a lot of in-house training and research to make sure we understand the process and to make sure we are clear on the bid amounts.”

Prior to beginning the project, Kirlen had to submit the weights of the required materials and estimated scrap.

The actual amounts entering and leaving the site were recorded during construction.

“It’s not just a regular building where everyone just shows up and does their job,” said Harris.

“Even your lunch garbage has to be separated. A lot of guys think disposable coffee cups are recyclable, but they aren’t and just one of them in the wrong bin can contaminate the whole load.”

In a slow economy, the extra work of sourcing material information is hard to swallow, said Ken Turner, principal with Vancouver-based wall and ceiling contractors, Turner Brothers.

“It’s too time consuming, trying to put together everything about recycled content, where the material comes from, where it was manufactured... We are the end-user. All the technical information is online. I don’t know why they are coming to us.”

The company is also responsible for providing disposal receipts and recording the details of transporting each item on a LEED project.

Turner said tracking down the information, which often isn’t available for new products, could be a full-time job itself.

Without administrative support or a change in the state of the economy, green building regulations will keep making it harder to do business, he added.

“If all buildings were going to be (LEED certified) that would be one thing, but when only half the players are playing and we are trying to fight for information, with no extra money to administer it, it’s harder. Jobs are so cheap right now, the extra work just comes right off the bottom line,” Turner said.

“It would be a lot easier if we could just give our suppliers a list of our materials and they could provide the information.”

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