Follow The Sustainable Project Road Map

JULY 7, 2020

Green construction may be a fad to some, but it is a way of life for others. It also is a growing construction segment as many municipalities mandate sustainable materials and practices for new and retrofit projects. Working your way through a sustainable project can be challenging if everyone is not on the same page. In May, AIA released C204-2020, Sustainability Consultant Scope of Services, along with an updated D503-2020, Guide for Sustainable Projects. The documents are drafted for a sustainable consultant working with a building owner. This relationship and process is important to every player in a project—even framing contractors and manufacturers.

C204 streamlines the process for identifying, developing and assigning responsibility for a project’s sustainable design and construction elements. C204 must be attached to an owner-consultant agreement, like C103-2015, Standard Form of Agreement Between Owner and Consultant without a Predefined Scope of Consultant’s Services. C204 works in conjunction with E204-2017, Sustainable Projects Exhibit among the owner, architect and contractor. When both are used on a project, the owner must edit E204 to address the consultant’s role as described in C204 and eliminate overlap with the architect’s role. C204 can be used on LEED projects or on those that have sustainable objectives without third-party certification. A sustainability workshop is a requirement of this process for owners and architects to create a plan laying out how the sustainable objective will be achieved. The sustainability plan is specifically identified as a contract document, and each party is responsible for performing the sustainable measures assigned to them according to the plan. 

The updated D503 addresses current topics that provide commentary on E204 provisions. The guide explains the roles of the owner, architect and contractors on a sustainable project with guidance on materials transparency, resilience, environmental product labels and certification systems, as well as jurisdictional requirements relevant to sustainable projects.

Flex-Ability Concepts recognizes the importance of green construction and LEED, and we take pride in our products adding to a building’s sustainability. For recycled content, light-gauge steel framing is recognized as a recycled content product with the LEED Green Building Rating System. Flex-Ability Concepts products contain a high content of recycled steel.

Our products can contribute toward achieving LEED credits in the Materials and Resources area with: 

• Material Credit #4.1 – Recycled Content (5%). Flex-Ability Concepts’ products exceed this criteria.

• Material Credit #4.2 – Recycled Content (10%). Flex-Ability Concepts’ products exceed this criteria.

In 2006, there were 296 LEED-certified projects. By 2018, that number hit 67,200. Sustainability matters in the built environment and is a priority for municipalities and customers. While you may not be directly involved in the C204 process, it never hurts to know the requirements of a project and your role. Visit www.aiacontracts.org for more information about these documents and guidelines. Contact us to talk about your wall and ceiling framing needs and light-gauge steel framing sustainability questions.