In front of an industry audience of approximately 300 attendees, Leppert cited the results of Turner's recent Green Building Survey and highlighted Turner's plan to adopt sustainable construction and business practices throughout the Turner organization. Leppert asserted that Turner's plan to be "the" responsible builder is good for the environment, and also for building owners, developers and occupants. Equally important, these practices are good for the bottom line and serve as an example to the entire construction industry, he said.
"The Turner Green Survey clearly shows that increased exposure to, and experience with, Green Buildings leads to greater efficiencies in their planning, construction and management," said Leppert. "As our experience in Green Building has grown, we've learned that costs, contrary to common belief, can be contained to a level comparable to traditional, non-sustainable buildings and generate additional, important benefits for our clients and our local communities. Turner plans to leverage this experience and increase its already-broad involvement with Green practices for the advantage of our employees, our clients and the environment."
Turner is raising awareness of the importance of sustainable construction by outlining goals to expand its already broad-based capabilities and to address additional market needs. The proposed Turner Green program consists of:
* Construction site recycling on all Turner projects, not just Green
projects. Recycling efforts will be phased in until Turner reaches
100%.
* Ensuring that over time all Turner field offices will be Green-
friendly. Turner will incorporate field waste recycling
programs, energy-efficient lighting on timers, operable windows for
natural ventilation and water efficient fixtures.
* Implementing a collaborative sponsorship with the United States Green
Building Council (USGBC) of the Emerging Builders Program to help
improve sustainable building curriculums at colleges and to recognize
those students who will continue to promote future of Green building
growth.
* Instituting a major Green training program for Turner employees.
Turner's sophisticated online tool, Turner Knowledge Network, will help
employees learn about Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
(LEED), a voluntary standard that is a recognized level of Green
achievement by the USGBC and add to their knowledge of Green field
operations guidelines.
* Doubling the number of Turner's LEED-accredited building professionals
from 42 to 84 within the next 12 months.
* Creating an advisory council of outside industry experts to provide
objective advice on Green best practices and to drive their adoption.
* Naming Turner Green Guru and Senior Vice President Rod Wille to lead
Turner's Center of Excellence to link Turner's local and national Green
information and provide Turner clients with the competitive edge they
deserve.
"From now on, whenever businesses consider undertaking a new building project they should first think Green, and then think of Turner because we have the resources, the experience and the knowledge to do Green right," Leppert said.
Turner's Green Survey, conducted online in July 2004, with 719 respondents drawn from building owners, developers, architects, engineers and consultants on Green Building issues, provided insights into the future of Green Buildings. The survey reported that 88 percent of executives currently involved with Green buildings have seen their activities increase during the last three years; nearly 40 percebnt have seen Green activity increase substantially during that time period. In the coming three years, 51 percent of these same executives anticipate substantial increases in their Green building activities while another 42 percent expect activities to increase somewhat. Even among executives lacking Green experience, 30 percent thought it was extremely likely that their organization would work on a Green project in the next three years.
"The survey confirmed our belief that executives at firms involved with more Green Buildings were far more likely than those who were not to report that ongoing operating costs of such facilities were much lower. Of those executives most actively involved with Green Buildings, 37 percent said that 10-year costs are much lower. In comparison, 18 percent of executives involved with only one or two Green Buildings said 10-year costs are much lower. Executives most actively involved with Green Buildings were also significantly more likely to recognize the improvements in worker productivity, health and well-being than those without green experience," Leppert continued.
Since 1995, Turner Construction has completed, or currently has under contract, more than 85 Green projects with a construction value of $7.6 billion. Turner's portfolio of Green projects extends over many market segments including: commercial, educational, research, multi-family residential, healthcare, retail and airports. This experience led to the development of a Turner databank of Green cost information and an integrated approach that assists designers and clients when selecting cost-effective Green materials and processes.
One of the projects Turner completed in 2003, The Genzyme Center in Cambridge, Mass., is the first commercial office building to earn LEED(TM) Platinum certification. Within Genzyme's budget, Turner was able to incorporate innovative features including sun-tracking mirrors to direct daylight into the building, natural ventilation using the atrium and a double-skin exterior wall and extensive indoor gardens for the enjoyment of occupants and to improve indoor air quality. During procurement, Turner helped Genzyme, the architect and consultants, to ensure that the contract documents incorporated the Green elements desired by Genzyme and that bidders used cost effective products and methods to economically achieve the LEED(TM) Platinum rating.
Also in 2003, through the application of Turner's tools and knowledge, Turner was able to partner with Toyota to develop a Green, LEED(TM) Gold Certified, building in Torrance, Calif., that cost no more than a traditionally constructed building. The Toyota Motor Sales -- South Campus building, completed last year, is 636,000 square feet on a 38-acre site. For use as administrative offices, it features 53,000 square feet of rooftop photovoltaic panels that can generate 550 kilowatts of electricity-or about 20 percent of its total energy usage. Its first cost was competitive with the cost of other local, non-sustainable office buildings.
"The expected increase in Green building benefits us all, especially Turner clients," Leppert said. "It streamlines processes and controls upfront costs for construction while ensuring that sustainable methods will be used whenever possible."
Turner is a leading general builder in the United States, ranking first or second in the major segments of the building construction field. During 2003, Turner completed $6.1 billion of construction. Turner is the only builder offering clients a network of 46 offices across the United States. Founded in 1902, the firm was acquired in 1999 by HOCHTIEF, one of the world's leading international construction companies. For more information, visit Turner's Web site at http://www.turnerconstruction.com.