Thomas Taylor, General Manager of St. Louis-based Vertegy, recently authored a book entitled, Guide to LEED® 202009: Estimating and Preconstruction Strategies. Taylor was recruited by the AGC to write the book, which is now complete and available for pre-order.

Recognized in the sustainable design and construction arena as a leading expert on green building and well-versed on the U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC) LEED certification programs, Thomas Taylor, General Manager of St. Louis-based Vertegy, recently authored a book entitled, Guide to LEED® 2009: Estimating and Preconstruction Strategies. Taylor was recruited by the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) to write the book, which is now complete and available for pre-order. Guide to LEED® 2009: Estimating and Preconstruction Strategies discusses the basics of preparing project execution plans, estimates and schedules for LEED® 2009 for New Construction projects, while at the same time proving green facilities can be built in a cost-effective and timely manner.

"There is a belief among many in the construction industry that building a green facility costs more and takes longer to complete than if the facility was built conventionally," noted Taylor. "The steps outlined in Guide to LEED® 2009: Estimating and Preconstruction Strategies discredit this myth and help the reader understand the real costs and implications associated with sustainable building."

Taylor has more than 20 years of sustainable design and construction experience on more than 80 LEED registered or certified projects. In the book, he walks through the LEED 2009 for New Construction process, offering advanced techniques for estimating the actual costs for building green. The guide provides price-assessment and preconstruction management strategies for developers and owners of high-performance commercial and institutional projects, including office buildings, high-rise residential buildings, government buildings, recreational facilities, manufacturing plants and laboratories.

A long-time member of AGC's St. Louis Chapter, Taylor was previously recruited by the organization to edit and write the foreword for Thomas E. Glavinich's book entitled Contractor's Guide to Green Building Construction: Management, Project Delivery, Documentation, and Risk Reduction. Vertegy also collaborated with the AGC to develop a course geared toward contractors working on LEED-NC projects and previously earned recognition as a USGBC Education Provider, developing two LEED 2009 for New Construction 300-level courses geared toward professionals working in the green building industries.

To learn more or to pre-order the book, visit http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-0470533714,descCd-buy.html.

Founded in February 2005, Vertegy provides clients with design, procurement and construction consulting services for green and sustainable facilities. One of the key ways Vertegy serves clients is by helping them gain certification for their projects from various nationally and internationally recognized certification bodies, such as the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), which provides LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) certification. Vertegy - which is derived from combining the Latin root for green and strategy - is based in St. Louis at the LEED Platinum Alberici headquarters. For more information, call 314.733.2666 or visit www.vertegyconsultants.com.