Turner Construction has built head-turning projects around the country for more than 100 years, but particularly in San Diego, the projects are turning green.
Founded by Henry C. Turner in 1902 in New York, Turner ranks at the top in major segments of the construction industry. The worldwide company had construction volume of $7.4 billion in 2005.
Green building -- the practice of increasing the energy, water and materials efficiency of buildings and building sites to reduce the impact on human health and environment -- is no longer a radical concept.
The U.S. Green Building Council has developed a widely used system called Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) to rate buildings according to their green features. The more environmentally friendly elements a building incorporates, the higher the LEED point rating. A long certification process for a building is typical, as the U.S. Green Building Council examines landscaping, water savings, energy use and indoor air quality. To get points, buildings must follow a number of steps, such as reducing water use, reusing materials and meeting minimum energy-efficiency standards.
An increasing awareness of global warming has pushed green building into the mainstream. Turner Construction has identified it as a top priority in recent years.
The company is the construction manager and general contractor for the new 495,900-square-foot, nine-story main library located in downtown San Diego. Special features will include an outdoor plaza and café, 350-seat auditorium, three-story domed reading room, 400-seat multipurpose room, a teen center, 10,200-square-foot children's library, a technology center and two levels of underground parking. The library is designed to be a LEED-certified building.
Ron Rudolph  |
"The commitment Turner has to green building reaffirms that it's the right thing to do," said Ron Rudolph, vice president and director of operations for the San Diego office of Turner. "By adhering to the codes of LEED, we are conserving energy and natural resources."
Rudolph was the project executive on the San Diego Convention Center Expansion, which doubled the existing convention center's space to more than 1.3 million square feet. His other projects include the Biogen Idec Research and Corporate Campus, CRES Laboratories at the San Diego Wild Animal Park, Viejas Springs Village and the Del Mar Grandstand Replacement.
The trend toward green-building construction should only pick up, said Rudolph.
"The green-building movement is starting to make serious progress," he said, "and Turner takes LEED very seriously. We make sure that about 50 percent of the materials used to construct our projects are recycled.
Today, 5 percent of new commercial construction in the United States meets standards set by LEED. At the current rate green building is penetrating the market, it will be many years before emissions are cut by the 70 percent thought necessary to stabilize global climate.
"The new green-building movement I think comes from the realization that we can't go on living as we have in the past," Rudolph said. "The construction industry has a responsibility to future generations."
Many of the Turner projects in San Diego are equipped with energy-efficient lighting on timers, operable windows for natural ventilation and water-efficient fixtures and other techniques such as "daylighting" -- taking advantage of natural light instead of relying on artificial lights.
Turner has also created an advisory council of outside industry experts to provide objective advice on best green practices and to drive their adoption.
Since 1995, Turner Construction has completed or currently has under contract more than 90 green projects that extend over many market segments including: commercial, educational, research, multifamily residential, health care, retail and airports. In San Diego, Turner Construction has completed 34 LEED-certified projects, with an additional 58 LEED-registered projects completed or in progress across the nation.
In 2004, Turner completed the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center for Reproduction of Endangered Species (CRES), located at the San Diego Wild Animal Park in Escondido. The 50,369-square-foot, two-story laboratory research included the installation of a 30kW grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) system. The PV system is connected directly to the utility electric grid of the new building to support the electrical needs and distinguishes CRES as a LEED project.
"Sustainable (green) design helps make buildings more successful and rewarding for everyone," said Rachel Poole, spokeswoman for the U.S. Green Building Council. "It produces better-performing and healthier employees and students, lowers utility costs and reduces impact on the environment. Turner Construction has helped to instill a mindset of sustainability that is taken to other aspects of everyday life."
Rudolph said Turner takes LEED earnestly, and plans to add more LEED Accredited professionals to its growing commitment to sustainable building practices.
"Turner Construction doesn't just talk the talk about green design," he said. "We walk the walk."
Reed is a San Diego-based freelance writer.
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