RENO CONTRACTING LEED'S THE WAY IN BUILDING GREEN

“Going green” may be a buzzword today, but at Reno Contracting, it’s not just a slogan—it signifies Reno’s commitment to building structures that are environmentally sound by following the LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification system. Early on, Reno took on a leadership role in sustainable building projects by using LEED’s guidelines, outlined by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). Reno is presently ranked 33rd in the United States by Engineering News-Record by virtue of Reno’s volume of work in a registered green building program and its commitment to having training project managers and staff as LEED-accredited experts. Additionally, green building policies will be included as part of proposals Reno prepared for clients.

Going Green is Good For Business

By creating building projects that use sustainable materials, the recycling of construction debris that normally would be trucked to landfills and using a “whole-building” approach to sustainability and environmental quality, Reno will continue to be a leader in the construction of environmentally sound projects. LEED emphasizes state-of-the-art strategies for sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality. With their comprehensive system that offers project certification, professional accreditation, training and practical resources, it makes good business sense for Reno to incorporate LEED’s standards in their daily construction processes.
“We would like all our projects to be LEED certified,” says Eric Graydyan, Project Manager at Reno Contracting, who, along with Reno’s President Walt Fegley, initiated the green movement within Reno. “Not all of our clients will want to “go green” at first, but as everyone learns more about what it can mean, through lower operational costs, healthier employees and increased occupancy rates all benefiting their bottom line, we expect to see more architects and developers getting onboard.”

That’s the green goal, and to ingrain the ethic in its employees, Reno began right in their own offices through a recycling program. Graydyan noted that every employee has enthusiastically joined in taking on the Green Building Program recycling initiative. Currently, six LEED-accredited professionals are on the Reno staff, with two-thirds of the employees currently being trained for LEED certification.

High-Performance Green Buildings Built by Reno

At the moment, Reno Contracting has three LEED registered projects currently under way. The Kilroy Sabre Springs office campus is pre-certified—meaning the project has met the U.S. Green Building Council’s rating system for its environmental design and use of sustainable materials. Once completed, the Sabre Springs project will go through a rigorous review process from the USGBC that will result in a silver, gold or platinum rating.

Two additional Reno projects have been registered for LEED certification: the ViaSat Six building in Carlsbad, where Reno will be in charge of tenant improvements, and the BioMed Realty building that will house the biomedical firm Illumina as its sole tenant.

What are the obvious benefits of a green building? Studies have shown that tenants who work within a green interior are up to 18% more productive. Employees in environmentally efficient factories and office buildings have less absenteeism, improved production and morale. Recruitment of employees to work in green environments is higher. Add to that a 30- to 70% energy savings, reduced liability and improved risk management—plus increased valuation of the building—and you have the ideal case for building green.

By getting tenants on board in the initial development phase, green projects can be built to meet the tenant’s individual goals and environmental values. Not only does it make sense economically, but also, according to Eric Graydyan, “Building green is the right thing to do—and it’s good for business.”