Prior to the start of any industrial or commercial real estate projects, it is imperative that an environmental phase I be performed, to determine if certain recognizable environmental conditions exist on a property. Environmental phase I is the gold standard for evaluating environmental liabilities associated with real estate assessments. Environmental phase I is used to identify actual and potential environmental concerns that could drastically affect the value or claim of land.
An environmental audit is used as a platform to implement, upgrade or benchmark environmental management systems. This type of audit is essential for high quality environmental management progress. By identifying the causes of various environmental problems through the auditing process in environmental phase I, other problems can be prevented.
Another key component of environmental phase I is materials testing. As with an environmental key audit, materials testing is also an integral part of environmental phase I. A geotechnical engineer will perform the materials assessment. A geotechnical engineer will work with other earth science professionals to analyze the materials being used on a project to make sure that the most cost effective choices are being made, while at the same time, offering the highest level of stability and performance to the project.
There are many environmental factors to consider with industrial and commercial transactions. Property owners need to consider what environmental problems exist now on the land, as well as what problems could occur. Environmental phase I must take place if property owners want to get the most value for their land and any type of structure that is built on top of it.