COVER STORY, JULY 2007

GREEN WITH CONSTRUCTION
Clients are requesting contractors go green.
Daniel Beaird

Catalfumo's West Palm Beach City Hall and Government Center, in the process of LEED certification, is a $100 million project located in West Palm Beach, Florida.

With the population rising and new developments being built on a daily basis, contractors are not having any trouble finding jobs in the Southeast. But, with the push towards green initiatives in the region and the rise in construction costs, contractors are trying to find ways to build while protecting the environment and reasonably maintaining their costs.

As green development plays a larger role in the construction industry, developers and contractors are working together in a more cohesive fashion.

“The process of design-bid-build has steadily declined during the past 5 years and will continue as owners move towards a more comprehensive approach to managing their construction projects,” says Taras Diakiwski, vice president of the Florida business unit of The Weitz Company. “More owners negotiate their contracts with designers and contractors much earlier in the design process, which provides for a more team friendly environment in which all parties collaborate regularly.”   

 The technology requirements in almost all property types, industrial, office, healthcare, multifamily, senior housing, hospitality, retail and mixed-use, have increased considerably during the past few years. Advances in WiFi technology have made it necessary for the installation of the technological structures to support its usage throughout the property.

“From paperless medical offices, surgery centers and hospitals to the use of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology in industrial warehouses and distribution facilities to the use of wireless alarm systems and WiFi in multifamily projects,” says Scott Hoppa, vice president for the Southeast region of McShane Construction Corporation. “Current technology in today’s projects is paramount to success.”

Hoppa and McShane Construction Corporation have witnessed the introduction and installation of many wireless technology systems during the past few years, including fire alarm systems and the installation of CAT5 wiring throughout multifamily buildings. Technology has also been introduced in common spaces and buildings that include cyber cafes and integrated wireless services.

While these upgrades in technology improve the building, many developers, contractors and clients are concerned about improving the environment with these advancements as well.

 “Today, many owners are looking for ways to consolidate documentation and streamline communication while being sensitive to the environment,” says Taras Diakiwski, vice president of the Florida business unit of The Weitz Company. 

“Clients are beginning to inquire more about the process of design and construction relative to LEED- (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified or green building design,” Hoppa says. “The popularity of building green and preserving natural resources while managing usage in a responsible and economical manner will continue to gain momentum.”

Dan Catalfumo, president and chief executive officer of Catalfumo Construction & Development couldn’t agree more. As a developer and contractor, Catalfumo gets to live with the project on a day-to-day basis for long-term hold. “LEED certification and green building is something we’ve been promoting for years because as a developer, too, I know exactly how much the electric and water bills are,” Catalfumo says. And Catalfumo Construction & Development has found tricks of the trade. For example, implementing soakers around the building as opposed to pop-up sprinkler heads to save money.

McShane is highly proactive in running project sites that maximize recycling and reuse of materials. McShane’s Park View at Coventry Station in Atlanta, a 166-unit rental development built for The Shelter Group, has, to date, recycled more than 616 tons of waste, concrete and gypsum board at the construction site.

Green building affects each property type from multifamily to office to industrial to retail. And as the multifamily market, a market that has recently fueled the construction economy both nationally and in the Southeast, cools, other property types are picking up the slack without a decline in green initiatives.

“The slowdown in the multifamily market has created a more competitive environment for contractors and developers in all markets,” Diakiwski says. “More money is being filtered to the hospitality and senior housing markets.” And these developments are featuring environmentally friendly initiatives too. 

“The green building wave has taken off at a much quicker pace in other areas of the country,” Diakiwski says. To assure that The Weitz Company is meeting the owner’s demands of green building criteria, it provides its employees with various training regimens prior to testing for LEED certification. The Weitz Company employs more than 30 LEED-certified professionals nationally, of which 10 are located in South Florida.

But, with building technology advancing so quickly and green building construction gaining such momentum, hasn’t the rapid rise in land and construction costs hindered a contractor’s ability to do its job? As a contractor and developer, Catalfumo doesn’t think so.

“You have to think outside the box, great planning is not more expensive,” Catalfumo says. And Catalfumo should know. His company has built large green projects in South Florida for years, including the West Palm City Hall and Government Center. Catalfumo is 5 months into construction on the project, which is scheduled to receive LEED certification. It is one of the largest libraries built into a city hall in Florida and is expected to be complete in 2009.

“The city is very adamant about being LEED certified,” Catalfumo says. “Municipalities are very strict to work with and very by the dot, but once you know how to connect the dots, it’s easy.” Those dots have quickly become greener during the past few years.

“Green building will become much more popular as more owners and developers become aware of both the short-term and long-term advantages to the process,” Hoppa says. “For example, we are expecting effective lower cost solutions for solar energy will begin emerging in the next 5 years when building green.”

So, as the Southeast continues to grow and develop, it also tries to catch some other parts of the country in its environmentally friendly processes. “With the warm climate in the Southeast and the population growth, construction technologies and materials will begin to favor improvements that support construction in that region,” Hoppa says. And that includes a heavy dose of green building initiatives.


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