Sustainability Starts on Site
Why Construction?
Construction plays a critical role in achieving sustainable building outcomes by translating design intent into reality through material selection, construction practices, quality control, and waste management. Contractors and construction teams help ensure that buildings perform as intended while minimizing environmental impacts throughout the construction process.
Actions
Utilze off-site, prefabricated building assemblies such as exterior wall panel systems, structural bay framed assemblies, and façade systems to minimiaze excess construction waste.
Solicit carbon intensity metrics and documentation from steel, concrete, and light gauge metal vendors to determine construction material impact.
Develop an on-site plan waste reduction and diversion plan:
Before construction begins, outline strategies for on-site collection, reduction, separation, reuse, recycling, and disposal with contstruction-demolition-landfill processing resources.
Avoid over purchase of materials and limit cardboard and plastic materials on job sites.
Empower workers to spot waste and make suggestions for better efficiency.
Return surplus materials instead of discarding them.
Monitor and track waste diversion activities.
Use low-emitting materials on the construction site (paints, sealants, etc.).
Maintain a clean, healthy work environment during construction – do not allow smoking or food within building areas.
Stand Out Strategies
Reuse concrete washout materials:
Collect wash water and filter it to reuse to wash down equipment at the construction site or as an ingredient for additional concrete.
Collect aggregate materials to be reused at the construction site or returned to the mix plant.
Crush hardened concrete to reuse onsite.
Include these requirements in contracts with concrete delivery companies.
Implement and monitor sustainable tracking metrics when projects are under construction.
Check out our other Calls to Action.
