Sustainability compliance during construction is not a post-construction certification exercise. It's a parallel workflow that runs alongside every phase of the build, demanding real-time documentation, material tracking, and verification of installed systems against both contract requirements and energy code mandates.

This matters for ARE Objective 2.2 because sustainability requirements are contract document requirements. When a project pursues LEED certification, or when the contract specifies energy code compliance, or when the owner requires commissioning, the architect's conformance evaluation responsibility extends to those requirements. A concrete pour that passes strength tests but was batched without recycled content documentation can simultaneously conform to structural requirements and fail sustainability requirements.

Three distinct frameworks typically overlap on a sustainable construction project. LEED (or another rating system) creates a credit-based documentation system requiring evidence that specific practices were followed during construction. Energy codes (ASHRAE 90.1 or equivalent state code) create legal minimum standards that must be verified during construction observation, not just at design. Commissioning creates an independent verification process for mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems, confirming that they are installed correctly and perform as designed before occupancy.

The architect's role differs across these three frameworks. For LEED, the architect coordinates documentation but the contractor generates most of the evidence. For energy code, the architect evaluates conformance as part of standard observation. For commissioning, the architect coordinates the commissioning agent's activities but does not perform the commissioning work directly.

For the ARE, understand the purpose of each framework, where the architect's coordination and evaluation responsibilities lie, and what happens when construction-phase sustainability compliance fails.