Environmental
On a complex lobby renovation project at 10 and 120 S. Riverside Street in downtown Chicago, our team is taking meaningful steps to reduce embodied carbon by implementing innovative sustainable practices. The project team tracks and reports embodied and operational carbon through Procore, which integrates with the Embodied Carbon in Construction Calculator (EC3). This open-access tool allows for benchmarking, assessment, and reductions in embodied carbon and focuses on the upfront supply chain emissions of construction materials. In addition, Gilbane is partnering with CarbonCure to incorporate carbon removal technologies within the concrete scope of work. This technology allows the team to capture CO2 emissions permanently within the footprint of both buildings, thus reducing our carbon footprint.
Social
Our commitment to social and community impact is at the heart of our ESG strategy. Gilbane’s Rising Contractor Program furthers our ability to support the growth of smaller, diverse contractors. Through this program, Gilbane partnered with JLDC Construction (JLDC), a Chicago-based subcontractor that provides a full range of carpentry services, focused on the interiors market. Gilbane and JLDC recently collaborated on a successful office build-out project. This partnership has strengthened JLDC’s ability to compete for more significant assignments to support its growth.
“What I liked from the Rising Contractor Program is that we were set up with a mentor that would help us by answering our questions in regards to anything construction matter in order to get work with Gilbane or other GC’s,” said Juan Curiel, Office Manager with JLDC Construction. “Also, I liked that you got to see other contractors from all over the US going through the same issues as your company. That made me feel like we were not the only ones going through the certain topics that were discussed.”
Governance
We are committed to conducting business honestly and fairly, in compliance with laws and regulations applicable to our business, while also understanding what drives and motivates our clients. It starts with aligning core values and finding a shared purpose to ultimately create an impact throughout the life of the project and beyond.
Gilbane is currently partnered with Hines and Ivanhoe Cambridge on an interiors project where we have a shared vision to effectively implement ESG strategies to attract new tenants into their office building. From the onset of this project, Gilbane and our client have put ESG at the forefront and have strengthened subcontractors’ knowledge of how to effectively support this strategy in compliance with all regulations.
Key Takeaways
To implement an ESG strategy on small-scale projects, here are six key takeaways to multiply your impact:
- Seek out Clients with a Shared Vision – Implementing a successful ESG strategy starts with aligning core values and finding a shared purpose to ultimately create an impact throughout the life of the project and beyond.
- Enhance Carbon Reduction – Partner with your design team early in preconstruction to identify opportunities to refine the design or simplify over-engineered areas to enhance carbon reduction.
- Reduce Embodied Carbon – Explore opportunities to implement innovative third-party technologies like CarbonCure that effectively reduce embodied carbon on the project site.
- Implement Creative Bid Package Strategies – With planning, strategy, and a mindset that embraces mentorship and engagement, project teams can break down bid packages (i.e., electrical into power and lighting) to provide more opportunities for smaller diverse firms.
- Create Mentorship Opportunities – Consider formal partnerships or teaming arrangements with smaller diverse firms to allow for a more significant stake in the project outcomes and mentorship opportunities. This approach allows diverse firms to compete for larger assignments in the future and fuels long-term growth and sustainability.
- Partner with Trades to Deliver Results – Ensure ESG goals are incorporated into all scope documents during the bidding process to generate buy-in from the trades. Exposing trade contractors to our ESG goals during the prequalification process ensures they understand the project’s ESG goals so the entire team can achieve positive results and move the needle forward.
