Sustainable Innovation in Construction: PCL Construction Report Highlights Impact of Emerging Trends in Green Building

The contractor's annual Corporate Social Responsibility Report  outlines effective strategies for carbon-neutral construction

DENVER, Sept. 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - PCL Construction, a longtime sustainability leader, released its 2021 Corporate Social Responsibility Report today, highlighting the company's achievements in environmental stewardship.

The report provides an update on the company's multiyear sustainability road map, which includes reducing construction-related carbon emissions, building infrastructure to power communities with clean energy and leveraging renewable materials when possible. 

To date, the company had made remarkable progress toward achieving these goals, including completing the following:

1. 248 LEED-certified projects with a value of more than $18 billion.
2. Water and wastewater facilities that provide more than 20 billion gallons of treated water per day.
3. More than $3 billion worth of renewable energy projects.
4. More than $500 million worth of biofuel and biogas projects.
5. More than 3.2 gigawatts of solar projects, enough to power more than 2 million homes.

The report shares several case studies of how PCL has applied the latest in green building strategies and materials to construct award-winning facilities, including the recently completed University of San Diego Center for Coastal Studies. The LEED Gold-certified building was constructed following strict California Coastal Commission requirements. By reusing the existing concrete structure and leaving portions of the interior structure exposed, the team was able to significantly reduce the amount of new material required – thereby lowering the project's carbon footprint.

The new facility also takes advantage of the region's natural climate by using passive systems. It leverages natural ventilation for cooling and is designed to maximize access to natural light. Its LEED Gold certification is the result of PCL's careful planning and strategic approach.

"Through the materials we use and the infrastructure we build, PCL Construction is building a more sustainable world from the ground up," says Scott Beckman, director of sustainability at PCL Construction. "Environmental stewardship means looking at how our decisions at all steps in the construction process will impact the community in the future and ensuring our projects leave a positive legacy for generations to come."

PCL Construction's complete Corporate Social Responsibility Report can be accessed here.

PCL is a group of independent construction companies that carries out work across the United States, Canada, the Caribbean and in Australia. These diverse operations in the civil infrastructure, heavy industrial, and buildings markets are supported by a strategic presence in more than 30 major centers. Together, these companies have an annual construction volume of more than $6 billion USD, making PCL one of the largest contracting organizations in North America. Watch us build at PCL.com.

SOURCE PCL Construction