Culture change in an organization can be actuated through multitude of business strategies- redesigning the organization chart, articulating a renewed mission or revamping the human resource practices. But Alberici Corportaion chose to define and communicate its values through what it does best- constructing buildings. By designing a building that is a manifestation of the company’s message of environmental sensitivity, the organization has not only contributed to a greener planet but has accumulated savings for itself and created a productive, healthy and motivated workforce.
Innovation
Alberici Corporation is the parent and holding company of all Alberici Enterprises. It is headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri with revenue exceeding $1 billion. It comprises of 18 enterprises around the world including the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina and Germany. Several of these businesses manage large and small construction projects in a variety of markets such as industrial, power, automotive, water/wastewater, building, mining, healthcare, food, beverage and transportation. Alberici Corporation enterprises also include a steel fabrication facility, a heavy equipment fleet, building materials, pre-construction services, design-build and equipment rigging capabilities.
When it was time for the company to build its headquarters, it made a strategic decision to create a prototype of the two basic tenets of sustainability that flow through all of Alberici’s practices; conservation of resources and enhancement of work life quality.
The company’s leader had the vision and commitment to construct the headquarters echoing the highest platinum certification standards of US Green Building Council’s (USGBC) ‘Leadership in Energy and Environment Design’ (LEED). Alberici construction hence converted a 50 year old manufacturing facility into a class-A office space which is a model of sustainable design and construction, locally as well as internationally.
In addition to the cost savings engendered by sustainable construction practices, the decision to construct a green building with highest standards was also fueled by the organization’s hope to attract employees who share similar values of environmental conscienceness. The building thus stands as a symbol of organization’s philosophy of reducing its carbon footprint as well as initiating a culture change within the organization where responsible business practices become a part of life.
The property for the headquarters contained a three-story brick office building and a large metal fabrication facility. Alberici deconstructed and recycled the 60,000 square feet office building, diverting 97 percent of the material from the landfill. One side of the building was converted to a two-story, 110,000 square feet mezzanine-style office space. Operable glass windows and a clerestory glazing system produce open, sun-lit office space. Two retention ponds on the property eliminate storm water run off. Extensive use of native plantings in the landscape has obliterated the need for an irrigation system. Walking trails and an interpretive wetlands boardwalk gives employees and visitors the opportunity to learn about nature during lunch or at break times. A catchment system collects rainwater from 60 percent of the garage roof area. The rainwater is stored in a 38,000-gallon cistern, treated, and then used for sewage conveyance, saving nearly 150,000 gallons of water per year. The building’s HVAC system uses a mix of under floor air distribution and natural ventilation through operable windows. The raised floor system used throughout the building enables employees to individually control air flow and temperature through floor vents.
The building is 60% more energy efficient than a conventional building as validated using the Department of Energy’s model. Renewable energy sources include a 65 kw wind turbine that generates 20% of the facility’s energy needs and a solar system that provides all of the hot water needs. Bamboo-derived plywood has been used for the building’s feature walls and baseboards. Fly ash and waste produced from burning coal have been used as replacement of cement in the concrete.
Impact
Alberici’s new headquarters has been added to the list of the handful of nation’s “greenest” buildings by being awarded LEED® Platinum certification, the highest level awarded by the USGBC. The appreciation from stakeholders is also evident in the multitude of awards bestowed on the building.
From a financial perspective, the modeling software showed a $78,000 savings per year based on the cost of energy in 2004, compared to a building built to minimum ASHRAE standards. During construction of the building, 93% of construction and demolition waste was diverted from landfills which saved 93% of the dumping budget during the construction of the building and about 50% of trucking costs associated with hauling to the dump. In addition to all the positive environmental impacts, quality of life is enhanced for the employees who work there – the air quality is better than most residential homes.
The building is having more than the obvious impact. Alberici Corporation does a lot of education to the general public about sustainable buildings. On an average 1000 people tour the headquarters each month. Almost out of every tour, someone submits an application because of the alignment of values and hence a desire to work there.
The building has also generated new accounts for the organization since the prospective clients can experience a living manifestation of Alberici’s claim of being an innovative, forward thinking and responsible organization.
The experience and benefits of creating a platinum certified building resulted in the organization creating a whole new business of green buildings called ‘Vertegy’. The project engineers seeking to move up the hierarchy to become project managers now need to be LEED certified.
The organization’s belief in acting responsibly toward the environment has percolated the surroundings by inspiring other buildings around it to follow similar practices of construction.
Inspiration
The responsibility and potential of each business to do good for the environment and the society is the impetus behind the green building that the company has erected. The leaders of the organization realize that the characteristic of their business makes it inevitable for them to interfere with the work of nature. Hence their obligation to reduce the damage to the environment is all the more warranted. The building is a manifestation of the organization’s realization of its responsibilities. It is also an emblem of hope that a decade from now because of the financial, environmental and health benefits this would be the way construction will be done. More than good engineering and cost savings, this building represents a choice to take the leadership in the industry charting the ‘green’ path for others to follow.
The World Inquiry editorial team edited this profile from the original submission of the interviewer or other source. The views expressed do not necessarily represent Case Western Reserve University, the Weatherhead School of Management or the Center for Business as an Agent of World Benefit. More >>
