As a construction company we value green building and sustainable practices. This ties into Avant’s values as we focus on historic restoration and adaptive reuse. The use of certain materials allows us to use sustainable materials in projects to highlight and preserve historic significance while also incorporating new technologies. Some examples of these materials are fly ash concrete, insulation made from recycled rock fibers, and other recycled materials from the building itself. Other than sustainable materials, keeping job sites clean and environmentally friendly is a top priority. Avant achieves this by being proactive in early design collaboration, planning and utilizing best practices.
Diving deeper into assessing the environmental impact of a project, this happens before construction has begun. Determining the impact of the environment for what the project plans are ensures that the site can undergo the changes. In Florida, it is extremely important that we identify wetlands, local historical sites, and other places that can be registered with the National Park Service. Places like these are protected to preserve the environment and history. It takes collaborative efforts to ensure compliance when starting a project. We meet with historical consultants and agencies to help us comply with building codes and historical preservation efforts simultaneously.
When it comes to using materials that benefit sustainable efforts, each project is different and unique. Because of this, no two projects require the same use of materials as another might. Each project’s needs are specific to what is required to make that building tighter, cleaner, and healthier while still being able to comply with a client’s budget, timeline, and vision. Balancing these factors is key to ensuring project satisfaction and completion.
Efforts to minimize construction waste are also an important part of project planning. As previously mentioned, getting involved in the project planning process as early as we can is always a priority. Planning processes involve architects and owners where discussion revolves around what needs to remain in place, needs to be redone, or recreated. This is where we can bring our construction expertise to the table to find not only the most waste- minimizing way but also the most cost-friendly way too. Some of the materials we have reused in the past have been older light fixtures where we just replace the bulb or ballast to maintain historical charm. Another way of maintaining charm is by exposing brick walls. Brick can get easily covered up by framing and drywall, so any opportunity we have to keep the brick of a structure showing is a great way to provide charm and warmth to a historic property.
The underlying importance of maintaining a balance of priorities from the start of a project to the end of the project is the most effective way that Avant utilizes green building and other sustainable practices.