Turner's Commitment to Green Buildings Results in Achieving LEED Certification of 200th Project

NEW YORK, July 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Turner Construction Company announced that the Yale University Health Center in New Haven, Connecticut is the 200th Turner project to have achieved LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification from the Green Buildings Certification Institute.

The LEED Gold certified Yale University Health Center is a 140,000 square foot medical facility that is representative of Yale's multifaceted approach to sustainability that incorporates building construction, waste management, energy production, procurement, research and classroom instruction.

Rusty Hirst, Vice President and General Manager of Turner's Connecticut operations, commented on Turner's partnership with Yale on the Health Center project, "As a leader in the construction of green buildings, we are proud assist Yale in their efforts to create a culture of sustainability."  

Among the Yale Health Center's environmental features are high-efficiency lighting fixtures and controls that contribute to energy savings; tinted windows that maximize natural daylight in the building while providing privacy and reducing excess sunlight in the interior; low-flow toilets that reduce the use of water; a green rooftop meditation garden with self-sustaining plants; and the use of sustainable building materials such as bamboo and other elements that result in improved indoor air quality.

Michael Deane, Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer of Turner said, "This project represents a significant milestone in Turner's ongoing journey to deliver sustainable buildings that improve the quality of the built environment."

Since Turner announced its formal commitments to building green in 2004, the company has completed 200 LEED certified projects and has an additional 230 LEED registered projects in progress. Together, these projects represent approximately 100 million square feet of space and have a construction value in excess of $27 billion. Green building projects comprise approximately 50 percent of Turner's backlog of construction activity. In 2010 alone, Turner completed $4.2 billion of green buildings, up from $3.6 billion in 2009. Over the course of the past year, Turner completed an average of one LEED certified project each week. Leading the delivery of this work are the Company's 1,200 LEED Accredited Professionals, more than any other organization.

Turner has also taken a number of steps to fulfill its commitment to reduce its environmental footprint. These steps include new or renovated offices achieving LEED certification, improving the fuel efficiency of its vehicles and a far reaching construction waste management program. To help achieve its goals, the Company recently issued the second edition of its Turner Green Project Operations Manual. The Manual assists staff managing projects seeking LEED certification. In addition, the Manual has several features including a jobsite orientation program called "Safe and Sustainable" that makes sustainable jobsite best practices standard for every Turner project.

According to Deane, "A large part of the reason Turner has been so successful in increasing its portfolio of green projects is that our clients want to work with a company that shares their commitment to sustainability and has the resources and experience to deliver."

About Turner

Turner is the leading general builder in the U.S., ranking first or second in the major segments of the building construction field.  Turner annually completes $8 billion of construction. Turner is the only builder offering clients a nationwide network of offices across the U.S. Founded in 1902, the firm is a subsidiary of HOCHTIEF, a publicly traded company and one of the world's leading international construction service providers. For more information, visit Turner's website at www.turnerconstruction.com.

About HOCHTIEF

HOCHTIEF is one of the leading international providers of construction-related services. With more than 70,000 employees and a sales volume of EUR 20.16 billion in FY 2010, the company is represented in all the world's major markets. The Group's service offering in the fields of development, construction, services, concessions and operation covers the entire life cycle of infrastructure projects, real estate and facilities. In the USA, the biggest construction market in the world, HOCHTIEF is the No. 1 general builder via its subsidiary Turner and, with Group company Flatiron, ranks among the most important players in the field of transportation infrastructure construction. With its subsidiary Leighton (HOCHTIEF share around 53 percent), the Group is market leader in Australia. Because of its engagement for sustainability, HOCHTIEF has been listed in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes since 2006. Further information is available at www.hochtief.com/press.

SOURCE Turner Construction Company