Barbara J. Jackson - Construction Management JumpStart

Although some people may lump environmental construction under the heavy civil category, it is unique enough to have its own classification, especially considering the increase in market share that this sector is currently experiencing and probably will for some time to come. Generally, this sector of the industry is comprised of projects that improve the environment, maintain public health, and contribute to a community's quality of life. Think clean water, sanitary sewers, and waste management. And although these projects may not seem very glamorous at first glance, in reality they represent one of the most vital sectors of the industry and one that demands a significant investment in order to sustain our communities.

A property that is abandoned or underused because of historic environmental contamination.

In the United States, we don't give much thought to what happens to the water that we release down the drain after taking a bath or what happens once we flush a toilet. Most people don't even consider where our drinking water comes from, especially with many of us buying a bottle from the local convenience store. And then there's what happens to the plastic bottle that the water we purchased came in. But the fact is that each one of these daily occurrences is directly tied to the environmental construction sector. This sector builds the conveyance systems, treatment plants, and operations facilities necessary to collect, treat, reclaim, and distribute water. It works to build desalination plants, clean up hazardous sites, and handle other ecological endeavors such as managing and restoring watersheds and wetlands. It is also the sector of the industry that deals with landfill remediation and the redevelopment of the brownfield sites left behind. Often these sites become golf courses, parks, or other recreational areas, and the contractors who mitigated the hazards are often the same contractors who get to complete the restoration work as well. Quite rewarding work, wouldn't you say? If you are one of those individuals who is particularly interested in improving the environment and sustaining the planet, then environmental construction may be the perfect opportunity for you to get your feet wet—literally!

There is a great deal of earth moving and site work that usually takes place with any environmental project along with trenching and pipe laying, asphalt removal and installation, tunneling, blasting, and other means of excavation. However, many environmental projects still require a building or structure to house the specialized instrumentation, monitoring equipment, incinerators, and process piping to operate the system. Therefore, the same means and methods associated with typical industrial or commercial construction also come into play in this sector. These facilities still need foundations, exterior cladding, windows, doors, roofing, and finishes, as well as mechanical and electrical systems. These support buildings may not be as fancy as a bank or a museum, but they still need to provide a proper work environment for the people who operate the facilities.

Environmental projects are often comprised of a combination of commercial, industrial, and heavy civil building materials. However, in addition to dirt, gravel, asphalt, concrete, rebar, steel, and piping, we also need specialized materials such as pumps, valves, filters, membranes, and aerators, just to name a few. Special electronic equipment and controls are also part of the mix on these projects, and a vital one at that. Because the facility isn't really of much use unless it can operate and perform as designed, these elements become a critical part of the equation. The construction manager, who often has an engineering background, must be familiar with these items and their operation so they can manage their procurement, delivery, installation, and sometimes even performance after installation.

Because construction managers are often involved with public health issues in environmental construction, you can expect to spend a significant amount of your time dealing with governmental and regulatory agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Center for Disease Control (CDC), not to mention the myriad of state and local authorities. For this reason, individuals involved in this sector of the industry not only need to be familiar with construction means, methods, and management but also need to be familiar with the law, particularly those laws and regulations dealing with public health and the environment. As a matter of fact, many construction management graduates who go on to work in the environmental sector often get graduate degrees in environmental engineering or environmental law.

I once asked the president of an international environmental construction firm why he left the commercial building side of the industry to dedicate his life to building water systems and sewage treatment plants. He told me he got bored with commercial construction. He admitted that it may seem “sexier” to build high-rises, but in reality, when you spend your day building facilities that ensure a clean and fresh water supply, safe and sanitary wastewater treatment, and a healthy environment for communities, then you go home at night knowing you made a difference, whether anyone notices or not.

Furthermore, you will find yourself working with individuals beyond the usual group of construction colleagues. In environmental construction it is not unusual to be collaborating with chemists, biologists, ecologists, and other scientists who deal with the actual quality of the water, soil, and other materials that flow through or interact with the systems that you build. As you can see, there are many opportunities to expand your knowledge and learning beyond construction in this sector of the industry.

Similar to the heavy civil industry, environmental construction projects are usually not a luxury item—they are necessities. And given the current state of our existing municipal water and wastewater systems in the United States (many are 50 or more years old—the entire life expectancy of a typical system), and the fact that most projects are publicly funded, we will see a great deal of work in this area and, therefore, the need for construction managers who have a propensity toward projects that support the environment.

As our brief walk through construction history revealed earlier, the days of the individual master builder are long gone. No longer is it practical to expect one person to design, engineer, and build construction projects. Today's master builder is a collaborative team with diverse skills and expertise. Many, many players are involved, and they all make a valuable contribution to the effort while at the same time adding to the complexity of the process. It is very important to understand the various roles and responsibilities of these many players as they influence the construction management process.

In addition to getting to know the primary players in the game, you need to know the secondary players involved and the various layers of influence and risks associated with their involvement. Understanding the intricacy of these relationships will help you appreciate the management function in construction.

The three principal players in any construction project are the owner, the designers (architects and engineers), and the contractor. Although these three parties are always involved in a project, the alignment and contractual relationships among them will vary depending on the project delivery system utilized to deliver the project. Project delivery will be discussed in Chapter 2, “What Is Construction Management?” Each of these parties provides distinct services and has specific accountabilities necessary to fulfill the building objectives.