What do you do if you're a project manager choosing sustainable materials and technologies for your projects?

Besides gauging the clients interest, you have to evaluate what sustainable materials are available in the area of the project. You might not limit yourself to these products but you definitely want to consider them.

The crucial point is to be sustainable, but considering and choosing sustainable materials means the taking into account the logistic as well, possibility to choose indigenous materials. Additionally, concerning all three main pillar of sustainability and circularity must be considered. The quality of chosen materials is important as well. high quality products that enable 4R concerns.

A sustainable material in one place may not be sustainable in another. Studying the location and building needs is considered the 1st step to identifying the sustainable material approach. One of the sustainable material requirements is locally sourced material, so even studying the surrounding source of materials and depending on it in selecting the building techniques is highly recommended. This process needs to be considered from the early design stage; this will affect many of the design decisions, Involving all building stakeholders in sharing their thoughts and ideas is also highly recommended.

Compare and ensure the benefits and advantages in terms of time, costs and risks. If these 3 things are more effective and efficient then the decision to use sustainable materials and the latest technology can be made

In addition to the climate or location of the building, you must understand the project requirements. That is, what we need from the building, if it needs any special air conditioning requirements, such as when it comes to product storage or cold rooms, or a special request for indoor climate, as a hospital facility or simply as an office or residential building.

It's always about the market availability.! Many sustainable parameters are well known. However, it is not easy to implement in material fabrication. Also, many times, the material sustainability requirements are against the quality. For example, recycled content, many clients insist on using fine and luxury raw materials instead of recycled materials. I believe that governments need to study their abilities and available resources and assign a minimal quantity of raw materials (based on the development needs); this will push the developers to find a way to use recycled materials. This will push even the material fabricators to find new technologies to achieve the required durability from recycled resources

It is important to have a list of contractors who work near or in a safe area around the project. This is because the closer the contractor is to the project site, the less time will be wasted on transportation and carbon emissions, which also helps increase the local economy.

One of the power evaluations of material is LCA; It enables us to understand the material life cycle from the early stage to the latest stage (cradle to grave). The impact came from many topics like raw materials, transportation, fabrication process, packaging, etc. We cannot also prefer one parameter and forget about the others.! For example, regional materials are not always preferred as a sustainable parameter; it is preferred since they will save a lot of transportation costs, time and will reduce carbon emissions, But what if the regional material needs a more demanding fabrication process? Might the fabrication process significantly impact cost, time, and carbon emissions more than the transportation.! Think about this.!

It is also a very good practice to understand the environmental impact of our choices, since sustainability is more like making use of replenishable, recyclable materials and also waste reduction. Bring these into consideration early in the project is very important, understanding the nature and supply of materials being used in making the building elements is very important. Questions like, how fast can the raw materials replenish or regenerate itself? At the end of it life, can it be recycled for another use? Can the construction waste be reduced by 90% by any method of construction. The Design/Project manager should have a mindset of cradle to cradle and not cradle to grave LCA.

An example that I was involved with was the Burbank Water & Power campus, constructed in the 1940’s requiring a plan for improvement & modernization. Sustained teamwork between the City, BWP staff, Leo A Daly (me as Sr PA/PM), design engineers & contractor, transformed the 100yr old industrial site into a model sustainable site including designed solar array structures & construction of a new 22,200sf service center & 16,700sf warehouse. The 2-story bldgs includes crew & shop spaces, locker room, office space & equipment/materials storage for line crew; becoming California’s 1st & only LEED (Platinum) warehouse. Submitted by Keith K Kaneko, AIA Architect(Ret), AIA Emeritus

It is quite challenging to convince stakeholders using limited local implementations. Therefore it is also difficult to acquire hands on experience.

In as much as it's very hard to so stakeholders (clients/investors) to buy into the sustainable construction because of the initial cost associated to choosing it as the first option, but good communication of the long term benefits of the finished product and human comfort that will be derived by the occupiers or endusers will put the building in the highest end of the market. With managing stakeholders, other stakeholders involved in the project managing and being in close and constant communication with, to make that the client's requirements are met in the design and that what is designed is implemented. Maintaining a RACI matrix will help a lot.

Understand the science and manufacturing process (type of energy used) and lifecycle of the material. eg: recycled plastic bricks and decking will probably be made with non renewable energy and transport, and at the end of life will probably degrade shedding micro plastics into the surrounding environment and doing damage to the natural biota that will last for many decades as well as releasing the GHGs inside its molecular structure.

Careful planning is key to successful sustainable implementation "Sustainable design requires sustainable solutions"... Means alignment between the design process and the solution implemented as follows: 1. Environmental Impact Assessment: Sustainable design must minimize negative impact throughout the lifecycle of materials and building systems. energy-efficient technologies, to reduce consumption and waste generation. 2. Long-Term Viability: Sustainable solutions are designed to be durable and resilient, ensuring longevity and minimizing the need for frequent maintenance or replacement. In summary, sustainable design value rely on integrating sustainable principles and practices into every aspect of the design process.

Urban and structural Planning thoughtfully and taking in mind the effects of climate change and its consequences in different areas is crucial. It is vital to anticipate possible risks and how they can affect infrastructure. Predictions from accessible sources such as the Copernicus website allow for a more comprehensive approach to these issues.

We must also consider: 1. Social Responsibility: Sustainable design considers the social implementation of the solutions, including the health, safety and equality....Thus, the well-being of communities, workers, staffer and users during the life of the building. 2. Economic Feasibility: Sustainable solutions must be economically viable, balancing upfront costs with long-term savings and benefits, life-cycle cost and returns on investment over time. 3. Conservation, adaptation and innovation: Sustainable design must address evolution in environmental changes and social challenges...Therefore, sustainable solutions should be flexible and adaptable, by integrating new technology practices to improve performance and resiliency.

Considering the community's well-being as well as the degree of social readiness, social networking and collaboration has to be given top priority while implementing projects. It is essential that all projects incorporate the principles of Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), Natural Hazards, and Social Well-Being (DNSH). In addition, all relevant laws, risks urban planning approaches, and climate change must be taken into account as externalities that may affect the projects.

An aftercare care service is very important when the building is in use. A post-occupancy evaluation is required to know/understand if the anticipated efficiency with regards to performance during design is achieved and the building will continue to perform over a certain period of time. All these information that will be gathered during these pre-construction and post-constuction stage, will be kept for future reference.