In the picture Rafał Schurma MArch, MSc., LEED AP BD+C, ID+C, DGNB Auditor, BREEAM Assessor principal of visio | architects and consultants
Comprehensive building certification services and a high standard of service are becoming crucial differentiators for visio‘s clients in the CEE market.
The company provides consulting services not only directly to the investor and architect but also the GC. On selected projects, a visio representative is also present at the construction site (on-site) to support the GC in his LEED certification obligations and go through all stages of construction with him. Among the supervised investments are the Phillips Medisize facilities in Siemianowice Slaskie, and recently visio architects and consultants have partnered with a General Contractor (Mercury) on the MICROSOFT investment near Warsaw. Such a solution is particularly advantageous for General Contractors, who operating under considerable time pressure, often don’t have the opportunity to respond on their own to all the responsibilities and tasks arising from the LEED certification process.
ESC- Erosion and Sedimentation Control Plan
And there is no shortage of these. Specialists at visio architects and consultants create an erosion and sedimentation control plan (ESC) for the GC with a corresponding site drawing and daily ensure that the incorporated protections correspond to those implemented at the site. In the form of co-weekly reports, the specialist checks that the proposed recommendations are being implemented and maintained on an ongoing basis.
CDWM- Construction and Demolition Waste Management Plan
Also important, from the LEED certification point of view, is proper waste management. One of the certification credits is the minimalization of the total amount of waste generated during the construction process. All waste must be controlled, and this is also where visio consultants come to the rescue, creating a customized construction and demolition waste management plan for (CDWM). The specialist, who is present at the construction site, ensures that waste is properly segregated at the site and monitors and documents all pickups and disposals.
Selection of the building materials
One of the most difficult LEED certification credits to fulfill is related to the selection of appropriate building materials. Adequate emissivity parameters, VOC content, proper testing, approvals, environmental certifications, or information on recycled content, for example, are just some of the requirements they must meet. A representative from visio architects and consultants works in parallel with the other participants in the process of material approval reviews the applications provided by the manufacturers, seeks to complete the necessary documents or testing, and, if necessary, searches for an alternative material proposals. Thanks to such a solution, GC is able not only to significantly reduce the hard costs associated with the use of substitute solutions but also visio’s more than a dozen years of experience helps to quickly identify those proven, inexpensive, local, and environmentally friendly, speeding up the search and often reducing costs.
CIAQM-Construction Indor Air Quality Management Plan
Another element is the development, implementation, and control of measures, to eliminate or reduce negative indoor air pollutants during construction. The other GC‘s credit in its conception focuses on pollutants generated through construction processes, the used materials, the way construction is carried out and the measures applied after completion but before the building is put into use. To this end, a visio representative present at the construction site creates a CIAQM-Construction Indoor Air Quality Management Plan for the General Contractor and, just like with the ESC plan, oversees its proper enforcement and documentation.
Appropriate measures for meeting LEED certification requirements must be implemented on an ongoing basis from the beginning of the design phase, initial construction work through to acceptance procedures, and commissioning of the building. Revisiting them for later additions is often not possible, and when certain key decisions are made, for example about LEED‘s critical requirements, not only the desired level, but the entire certification may be in jeopardy. It is therefore crucial to involve a person who, focused on meeting LEED credits, will keep an eye on them on an ongoing basis. Such a person is a representative of visio architects and consultants present at the construction site, who has access to all information and can react momentarily in case of emergencies or crises. That is a relatively new service for contractors or investors who, despite less experience, decide to pursue the ambitious goal of often high levels of LEED Gold or LEED Platinum certification.
Written by MArch Marlena Michalska, sustainability consultant at visio architects and consultants
This article was also published on the Polish Green Building Council PLGBC website
