This bank's gone green

This bank’s gone green

PNC Bank branches have more green in them than what is in the vault. The LEED-certified buildings are less costly to build and cut energy costs by 40 percent.

by Clair D. Urbain

Green commercial building concepts have been around for almost a decade, and are beginning to gain momentum in several areas of the country. Companies such as Target and Starbucks are looking closely at green buildings to address the values laid out by their corporate cultures and, as important, pump money to the bottom line.

However, one of the leaders in putting green buildings to work is regional financial giant, PNC Bank.

PNC has committed to building green branches throughout its service territory along the East Coast and Mid-South. In fact, its corporate headquarters in Pittsburgh is a U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)-certified green building.

The new bank branches are designed to meet the rigorous design standards of the USGBC’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building rating system, says Brad Pease, consultant at Paladino & Co. Inc, a firm that helps develop criteria and ratings for construction projects to meet LEED requirements.

PNC branches: full of “green”
One would expect a bank branch to be full of “green,” but PNC branches that are popping up across the East Coast are quite green from the company’s commitment to energy and environmental conservation. Pease estimates that with green construction methods, PNC saves $100,000 in construction costs and 40 percent in energy costs over the life of the building.

PNC and Paladino, along with Gensler, the architect, engineering firm CJL and Clemens Construction Company Inc. (C3), developed five prototypes of bank branches for PNC that incorporate environment- and energy-friendly features that qualify them for LEED certification.

C3 has already built 22 of the new PNC branches; PNC plans to build a total of 140 branches that meet LEED requirements. C3 project managers Brett Pastorius and Mark Banzinger and project superintendent Mike Kaminski have been involved in the PNC branch LEED certification process from the beginning.

“Building LEED-certified buildings doesn’t require extremely huge increases in time or material costs. Some materials are higher in cost, but I think as more suppliers develop products that meet LEED standards, prices will come down,” says Kaminski.

“The first branches took the most time from a project management standpoint,” says Pastorius. “As we have become more familiar with the process and work with subcontractors that are also familiar with the LEED process, project management time directly related to LEED certification activities is about five percent.”

Part of that time saving results from standardizing on suppliers for certain building components. For example, the buildings are made with finished tilt-up panels that are only assembled onsite.

“The wall panels are made in Pittsburgh and shipped to the site. There are no weather issues, and it really helps reduce waste on the jobsite. All the materials in the panels are selected to gain LEED certification points. They are made of a steel subframe, gypsum backer, a cementitious layer, then a brick veneer. They are built and shipped to the jobsite in order of construction. We can enclose the building in less than one month,” says Kaminski.

The prefabricated window sections come from another supplier in Canada, which designed the triple-glazed panes used throughout the building, says Pastorius. “The building materials must come from within 500 miles of the site, and we need to prove that. The design also requires a certain percentage of the building to use recycled material in its construction.”

Because PNC is building so many branches in four years, it is volume-purchasing many building components directly from suppliers. “PNC does much of the purchasing on these projects, buying in volume. We coordinate the installation. That also means working closely with subcontractors to make sure they understand the processes needed to attain the LEED certification,” say Pastorius.

Get subcontractors on board
As general contractor, C3 is responsible for making sure subcontractors are in compliance with the materials and processes required to meet the LEED certification.

“Mike and I put together a presentation to educate the subcontractors and their foremen about meeting LEED requirements. Sticking to the process and measuring the progress and how it is done is key for LEED-certified buildings. We developed scope sheets for each type of work that the subcontractors must follow. These are based on what was in the original specification.

“As jobsite supervisor, Mike is the enforcer. He teaches the subs how to use the scope sheets. They are used across many branches. The best way to enforce this is from the field by someone who is respected by the subs,” says Pastorius.

“If one person does not follow the scope sheets in the construction process, the building may not qualify for LEED certification,” says Kaminski. “The subs must understand the benefits of following the LEED process. Controlling dust and dirt on the jobsite is at first a pain to them. But before the job is finished, they appreciate the clean jobsite. The subs must use tools the way they were intended – with guards and vacuum attachments. We also seal the ductwork during construction to keep out any dust. Also, contractors must continually clean up after themselves.

“The most common objection we run into is contractors having to cut materials outside. While some may not like this, the other contractors really appreciate it. It makes for a much cleaner work environment. It takes some training on the subcontractors’ part, but they appreciate it,” says Kaminski.

“The subcontractors first see LEED as something that will cost them more in time and materials, but the successful ones find it’s not so. When this is instituted early on a jobsite and contractors have had experience with LEED before, they like it,” says Pastorius.

Waste management requires a change in mindset for all workers on LEED jobsites. Instead of indiscriminately throwing waste materials into a common dumpster, workers must sort the materials for recycling. One recent project yielded 93.77 percent of waste material recycled. That was more than 150,000 lbs. of material that didn’t end up in a landfill.

“We use Construction Waste Management to handle the construction waste on our sites. It brings separate containers to the jobsites and workers sort their waste into the containers. We also have separate trash carts in the building and workers sort their trash that way as well,” says Kaminski.

Sometimes, subcontractors don’t fully understand the importance of sorting waste. “I have been known to get into the trash bin to re-sort waste to make sure it gets put in the right container. When workers and subcontractors see me in there, they begin to take this more seriously and do a better job of sorting,” says Kaminski.

“It is cheaper to recycle than landfill this material, and the waste management firm can provide us with weekly reports about the types and percentages of materials we recycle. We post the results in the job trailer so all subs can see how we are doing,” says Kaminski.

Extensive documentation
To prove that a building is worthy of LEED certification, the general contractor must ride herd on extensive documentation. Pastorius and Kaminski work closely to assure that documentation meets LEED standards set out by Paladino’s consultants. “The LEED process requires lots of documentation. Letters, checklists and photos are used to record all steps in the process. Because it’s very difficult to tell whether some installed building materials, such as caulk, meet the LEED standards, we take pictures of it coming onto the site and being used,” says Pastorius.

Ironically, the reporting and tracking process needed for LEED certification requires an extensive stack of paper-based reports and documents. Although the branches are similar in design and building material content, until recently, each required a complete LEED certification report.

“We are the first to achieve getting the USGBC to change its certification process from a full review to an audit process for the bank branches,” says Kaminski. “This helps reduce LEED certification costs.”

While the first few PNC bank branches have attained Silver Level LEED certification, PNC has eliminated some components to reduce overall costs without dramatically affecting the buildings’ environmental or energy saving characteristics.

“The first few branches were outfitted with photovoltaic cells on the roof to produce up to 10 percent of the power for the branch and offer the opportunity to sell power back to the utility. They were also outfitted with rainwater reclamation systems that provided water for toilet flushing. These are very complicated systems. The red tape to produce online power with photovoltaic cells is daunting. Removing these components helps reduce building cost without dramatically affecting the energy-saving qualities. It’s a matter of finding a balance, and these buildings are still LEED certified,” says Pastorius.

The recent push to green buildings

“Why do companies choose to go green? Because it helps the bottom line,” says Brad Pease, consultant at Paladino & Co. Inc. The firm is a green building consultancy that works with design, engineering and building teams to identify strategies to save money and reduce environmental and social impact of buildings.

“We don’t impose how to do a job, but we communicate what’s required and the processes needed to assure that it’s done to LEED standards. It is up to the contractor and subcontractors to find ways to fit the work in with their processes. We find that once they have identified LEED processes that work for them, they often use them on other non-LEED projects,” he says.

According to USGBC sources, the LEED building rating system is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high performance green buildings. It gives building owners and operators the tools they need to have an immediate and measurable impact on their buildings’ performance. It promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in five key areas: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality.

The building plan and construction is scored on each of these areas. The higher the final score, the higher the LEED ranking, which ranges from certified to platinum levels.

Contractors are most affected and have the greatest influence over the following LEED factors:

► Erosion and sediment control. LEED certification requires that measurements must be in place and site protection methods be documented for the whole project. It must describe the protection plan and be a part of the site drawings.

► Construction waste management. “The goal is to recycle the majority of the waste from the jobsite. In nine out of 10 jobs, this actually helps the contactor make more money. The first time takes some effort to set up, but over the long term, tipping fees drop substantially,” says Pease.

► Indoor air quality management. This takes some work and planning, but pays off for the owner. During construction, ductwork is sealed to prevent contamination from building dust. Building materials that produce minimal off-gassing and other products are chosen based on their low volatile organic compound (VOC) content. Cutting stations are located to minimize indoor air pollution and sweeping compounds are extensively used to keep dust under control.

“Contractors that have been a part of a LEED-certified building have found that dust can be controlled with simple measures on any jobsite,” says Pease.

“The biggest challenge is specifying and documenting that the correct materials are used in the building process. Subcontractors are required to use compounds that are approved by the design team. We work with the general contractor to develop a list of pre-approved products,” Pease says.

The general contractor’s jobsite supervisors must follow up with subcontractors to make sure they are using only approved materials. “The supervisors have a check-in procedure for this,” Pease adds.

► Building commissioning. Here, a third party audits the building to assure the plumbing, electrical and mechanical systems are performing as designed. “This is a quality control procedure to assure the building is operating as designed and as efficiently as possible,” Pease says.

Published in the November/December 2006 issue of Contractor Tools and Supplies magazine.

Materials that make these branches green

The PNC bank branches feature several eco-friendly and energy-stingy features:

► Super-efficient heating and cooling systems that reduce energy costs 43 percent

► Cabinets and countertops made of recycled paper, sustainable wood and wheat straw

► Trusses and sheathing certified by the Forest Stewardship Council

► Low-VOC paints and adhesives used throughout the branches

► Exterior glass systems that are four times more efficient than conventional glass

► Metal roof panels, steel structure, tile, carpet and other fabric made from recycled materials

► Prefabricated building panels

► Carefully placed roof shades and building orientation to take best advantage of sunlight

► Up to 95 percent of construction waste recycled

► Streamlined processes reduces construction time by up to five weeks

► Drought-tolerant landscaping dramatically reduces irrigation needs