"There's no denying that the use of green (building) materials is on the rise. According to an October report from Research and Markets, the world's sustainable construction materials market for the commercial buildings sector will reach $187 billion by 2026."
(Construction Dive News Brief, November 16, 2017)

Back from the Greenbuild17 Expo in Boston, where BarkerBlue teamed with PlanGrid, our BarkerBlue Construction Information Managers shared news from the Expo. Tim Davey, BarkerBlue Key Accounts Manager, and Magda Keratishvili, Business Development Manager, saw these 5 encouraging signs that “green” is growing:

1.  From Exception to Norm  Builders used to employ "green" considerations in their projects only for prestige, but now it is practically the norm, rather than the exception.
2. Greening of the Full Project
   The expo made it clear: the construction industry is really embracing green initiatives in all facets of a project – design, build, and facility management.
3. Everyone’s Joining the Green Path   Seeing the vast array of exhibitors and attendees ranging from architects, to engineers, to developers, to builders, to students--all wanting to learn—showed just about everyone in now on the “green” path. This is encouraging news for sustainability's future.
4. Exchanges Span Across the US & the World  Information at the GreenBuild17 Expo was constantly shared between attendees and exhibitors across different areas of the U.S., and even the world, generating a buzz of exciting exchanges.
5. Education Sessions Thrive, Providing Hope for the Future   The educational sessions and personal conversations throughout the conference were extremely thought-provoking and nobody walked away without hope for the future.

GreenBuild17 reflects “green” progress which often originates from the West Coast and California specifically.  A recent example of how the West and CA lead the way with green progress is the current CA Buy Clean Act proposal.   According again to Construction Dive’s November 16, 2017 “Dive Brief”:

• A proposed California law would require contractors working on state projects to buy lower carbon construction materials from low-carbon producers, according to Building Design + Construction.
• Contractors bidding on state construction projects would have to provide proof via Environmental Product Declarations that the materials they're using are at or below average GHG (Green House Gas) emissions.

BarkerBlue, a proactive CA-based company practicing sustainability and green policies, has kept pace with the state’s progress.   One last GreenBuild17 observation from BarkerBlue’s Davey:

“Most expo attendees recognize the building products and design techniques that were environmentally conscious, but many don’t consider how using digital-collaboration software such as PlanGrid removes unnecessary paper prints from a project, and partnering with BarkerBlue cuts down on environmental strain by having leaner teams”. 

BarkerBlue’s Business Development Manager, Magda Keratishvili adds: “Architects and Engineers at GreenBuild17 said BarkerBlue is shaping the wave of the building and construction industry.  General Contractors mentioned they’re struggling to solve the problem of their overworked engineers at the same time as keeping pace with green practices.  Feedback from everyone at the Expo is that BarkerBlue’s Construction Information Management solution is a progressive answer that addresses both concerns.”

Learn more on how BarkerBlue can manage your construction information while reducing your environmental impact.  See www.barkerbluebuild.com  or contact us at build@barkerblue.com

BarkerBlue at GreenBuild17 with PlanGrid