According to Chuck Berberich, vice president, design management, central region, for Irving–Texas–based developer JPI, consumers don’t show a lot of interest in sustainable development. Rather, residents are interested in a different kind of green—money—and saving as much of it as they can. With little resident interest, where is sustainability in multifamily development headed? “It’s not headed quickly in the right direction, but every little bit we do helps,” Berberich says.
Some of the ways JPI is seeking to enhance sustainability in its communities is through solar energy and steel framing. The latter reduces on-site waste to virtually nothing while doing the same in the manufacturing plant, where any steel that doesn’t go to the jobsite is recycled and reused.
Sustainability takes other forms, as well, Berberich says. “We have a lot of opportunity for growth with integrated product delivery by using BIM [building information modeling] and by how we have our design teams operate,” Berberich points out. “By integrating with different program providers, general contractors, and subcontractors, the coordination will have great sustainability potential. These groups can use technology to build the project virtually, and know down to how many parts and pieces and screws are going into a project.”
Multi-Family Executive explores the future of green design and construction in multi-family projects.