Sustainability 101: Choose by Advantage

Embarking on a construction project involves a myriad of decisions, each with its unique set of challenges. These decisions can be highly technical, making it tempting to rely solely on financial metrics. However, a more comprehensive approach exists: the Choose by Advantage (CBA) method. This approach combines cost considerations with qualitative analysis, ensuring that decisions are rooted in a balanced assessment of benefits and opportunities.

This method, paired with the Target Value Delivery estimating approach, offers a structured way to make decisions through clear, objective comparisons of different building system options. By collaborating with your builder and design team, you can align your business needs with scope, schedule, and budget before the design phase begins, ensuring that all project drivers are understood. 

The CBA method evaluates essential categories such as human health and wellness, sustainability goals, operations and maintenance, and lifecycle cost.

• Human Health and Wellness: How will the building be experienced by its users? Are there community spaces designed for collaboration? Have natural materials and daylight been incorporated? Is the heating and cooling uniform?
• Sustainability Goals: Does the selected equipment help meet long-term sustainability goals? What is the overall energy efficiency of the system?
• Operations and Maintenance: What is the longevity, ease of operations, and maintenance flexibility of each design option? How long will the space serve its intended function?
• Lifecycle Cost: Beyond the initial cost, what are the operating and maintenance expenses?

A Simple Decision-Making Dashboard

Despite its thoroughness, this method may still complicate the decision-making process. To address this, Mortenson has developed a custom tool that synthesizes quantitative and qualitative design opportunities, compares them against project-specific key performance indicators (KPIs), and presents the data in an easy-to-understand, color-coded format. 

This tool simplifies complex decisions, making it an invaluable resource for presenting to executive boards or city councils. It aligns and protects community goals and business impact, ensuring decisions are made with a comprehensive understanding beyond just the initial sticker price.