P H I L PhiladelphiaGreen
Sustainable Design in the Delaware Valley
A D E L P H I A GREEN
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PhiladelphiaGreen
Table of Contents
7 8 9 10
PhiladelphiaWorks Industry, Economy, & the Office
Introduction List of Tours About the DVGBC Neighborhood Guide
62 Office Environments of the Future The power of the LEED Platinum workplace
PhiladelphiaExplored Innovation, Ecology, & Culture
66
Design for Patients and Planet Healthcare systems at the forefront of sustainability
14
Urban Placemaking Creating a mile of walkways, plazas, and public art
68
Exploring LEED Labs Inside four research facilities in University City
16
Let Freedom Ring Energy independence within sight of the Liberty Bell
70
Insider Knowledge Philly firms lead the way to greener office interiors
20 Reclaiming Green Space Turning the Schuylkill River’s brownfields into greenways
74
On the Rise Green ideals and expertise inspire a sustainable skyline
23
Family, Flora, & Fauna Creating natural connections through interaction, education, and play
78
Reinventing the Navy Yard The intersection of business and green innovation
25
Going Platinum Three projects are the first of their kind to hit LEED’s highest mark
82
Workshop of the World Philadelphia manufacturers take up the green mantle
85
Bringing the Data to Light Smart lighting retrofits offer smarter savings
28
Scaling Up Living Walls Vegetated systems bring two Pennsylvania buildings to life
86
Waste Not, Want Not Creating green jobs through energy, waste, and recycling
33
Walking a World-Class Parkway Sculpting light and gardens for the city’s cultural landmarks
38
Bleeding Green Combining two passions: sports and sustainability
PhiladelphiaReborn Urban Planning & Neighborhood Revitalization 90 Revamping the Row Home Visionary housing design for the 21st century
40 Putting Water to Work Revolutionizing municipal storm-water management
98
Liberty and Justice in Housing Innovative projects target a range of needs
PhiladelphiaFutures Green Schools & Universities
100 Modular’s New Methods Investing in faster build times and superior structures
44 Campus as Curriculum Four schools prove that a campus facility can double as a teaching tool
102 Platinum Urban Planning A model for transit-oriented LEED-ND communities
50
Green Ribbon Schools Bold choices for more sustainable education
54
Majoring in Minimum Impact The University of Pennsylvania educates in and out of class
56
The ABC’s of LEED High-performing schools in urban school districts
58
Map of Places
104 Rethinking Existing Offices Masterful retrofits bring new life to the suburbs 106 Northern Lights Three resilient neighborhoods shine again 108 Green at Any Age Showcasing the spectrum of sustainable homes and lifestyles 112 One Suburb’s Master Plan Eagleview eschews sprawl for connectivity 114 Index 5
Thank You to Our Top Sustaining Partners Living Future Leaders
Platinum Partners
Gold Partners American Standard Brands | Architectural Glass Institute Camden County Improvement Authority | CommonWealth REIT | Cozen O’Connor | Drexel University EwingCole | Forbo Flooring Systems | Gensler | Gilbane Building Co. | Independence Blue Cross Jonathan Rose Companies | Keating: A Tutor Perini Company | Kitchen & Associates | Knoll Manko, Gold, Katcher & Fox, LLP | Philadelphia University | Philip Rosenau, Co. Tozour Energy Systems | Veolia Energy | W.S. Cumby
PhiladelphiaGreen
Introduction Welcome to the Delaware Valley
Milkman
Blakeslee
Welcome to the Delaware Valley, named for our regional watershed and home to Philadelphia, the fifth largest city in the United States. As the local chapter of the US Green Building Council, the Delaware Valley Green Building Council (DVGBC) has been promoting green building practices and sustainable communities for more than ten years. We’re pleased to offer Philadelphia Green: Sustainable Design in the Delaware Valley to visitors from around the world to provide a local perspective of the green-building market in Philadelphia. You will get an inside look at cutting-edge developments in green building around our region. Nearly every sector of our building industry has adopted green-building practices that will ultimately make our region more environmentally and economically sound and improve the quality of life in our neighborhoods. Mayor Michael Nutter has pledged to make Philadelphia the greenest city in America, and addressing new and existing buildings is a large part of making that promise a reality. In this book, you’ll see examples of green schools and universities, hospitals and labs, market-rate and affordable housing, manufacturing facilities, cultural centers, master planned neighborhoods, and more—all of them representative of the great work our members and partners are doing. Please view the buildings in this book as just a sample of the enormous green building portfolio in the Delaware Valley. These examples are featured during the Greenbuild International Conference and Expo in November 2013, but in addition, they exemplify the sustainable spirit of the city and beyond. Pennsylvania and Delaware are home to 841 LEED Buildings and 837 Energy Star Buildings as well as projects that are striving for net-zero, Passivhaus, and Living Building Challenge certifications. Our region is leading in many ways with regards to energy. Benchmarking legislation, effective October 31, 2013, will require all large commercial buildings to benchmark and publically disclose their utility use. Our chapter is also working to ensure that every child in our region is in a green school within a generation. Our inspiration comes from our pride in this region and our communities. Since Philadelphia is a walkable city of neighborhoods that each have their own distinct personality, DVGBC members have made recommendations about local and sustainable bars, coffee shops, and restaurants where you can take some respite as you visit and tour the best that our region has to offer. From our cafés to our cultural institutions and our sports stadiums to our schools, we hope this book illuminates a vibrant region that has something to offer everyone and shows the bright future of sustainable communities. All our best,
ON THE COVER The opening of the LEED Platinumcertified Barnes Foundation was one of the most talked about events of the international art world in 2012. Philadelphia’s Comcast Center stands tall in the background. © 2012 The Barnes Foundation, Tom Crane
Janet Milkman Executive Director
Heather Shayne Blakeslee Deputy Executive Director
Delaware Valley Green Building Council dvgbc.org
7
PhiladelphiaGreen
Masthead
List of Tours
Delaware Valley Green Building Council
Green Building & Design (gb&d)
Executive Director Janet Milkman
Editor-In-Chief Christopher Howe chris@gbdmagazine.com
Deputy Executive Director Heather Shayne Blakeslee Operations Manager Megan Slootmaker Director of Green Schools Lori Braunstein Special Projects & Communications Coordinator Alexandria Yarde Policy & Advocacy Coordinator Holly Shields
Many of the sites mentioned are included on planned tours during the 2013 Greenbuild International Conference & Expo in Philadelphia. Tour locations were selected by volunteers on the DVGBC Greenbuild Host Committee. NOV 18 FULL DAY TM01 Philadelphia: Manufacturing Center for the World
Associate Publisher Laura Heidenreich laura@gbdmagazine.com
NOV 18 HALF DAY TM02 The Navy Yard as a Sustainable Business Campus TM03 Getting to Scale in the Suburbs: Master Plans and Masterful Retrofits
VP of Production Karin Bolliger
TM04 Campus as Curriculum - A Teaching Tool at Any Age:
Managing Editor Timothy A. Schuler
Contributors Heather Shayne Blakeslee Michael Brookshier Linda Dottor Shila Griffith Christine Knapp Gwen McNamara Janet Milkman Chris Moore Jessica Nixon Christopher James Palafox Jonathan Payne Emily Schapira Samantha Wittchen Alexandria Yarde Special thanks to our Greenbuild 2013 Tours Committee and its chairs: Mary Alcaraz from AKF, Bill Fisher from Liberty Property Trust, and Kimberly Smith from Knoll.
The University of Pennsylvania Master Plan
TM06 Reimagining the Rowhome: New Housing Design in a Historic City TM07 Urban Placemaking: A Golden Mile of Walkways, Gardens and
Art Director Aaron G. Lewis
Public Art
TM08 Making it Modular: Innovations in Building Design & Construction TM09 Liberty and Justice for All: Innovative Multifamily Housing
Senior Photo Editor Samantha Simmons
TM10 The Navy Yard as a Smart Energy Innovation Center TM12 Building Connections, Building Community:
Programs & Development Coordinator Lizzy Friesen
College & K-12 Campus Tours
TM05 Majoring in Minimum Impact:
Associate Editor Melanie Loth
LEED ND, Campus Living and Supportive Housing
NOV 22 HALF DAY TF01 Sustainable Urban Living at Any Age
Marketing Specialist Jen Illescas
TF02 Lighting & Garden Design on Philadelphia’s World- Class Parkway TF03 Walking the Talk: Urban LEED for Commercial Interiors Leaders TF04 Sustainable Philadelphia Skyline
Printed by Alcom Printing in Harleysville, Pennsylvania.
TF05 Liberty and Justice for All: Innovative Multifamily Housing TF06 Rebirth of a Neighborhood:
Philadelphia Green is a partnership between the Delaware Valley Green Building Council and Green Building & Design (gb&d). Reprinting of articles is prohibited without permission of the Delaware Valley Green Building Council. Green Building & Design® is a registered trademark of Guerrero Howe, LLC.
Going Green in Northern Liberties and Kensington
TF07 Urban Placemaking: A Golden Mile of Walkways,
Gardens and Public Art
TF08 Let Freedom Ring: Energy Independence within Sight
of the Liberty Bell
TF09 The ABC's of LEED: Achieving High Performance in
Urban School Districts
TF10 State-of-the-Art Research Facilities: University City District Labs TF11 Reclaiming the Schuylkill River with Sustainable Sites NOV 23 FULL DAY TS01 Living Walls and Living Systems: Longwood Gardens
For information on gb&d’s Custom Media Services contact Laura Heidenreich at (312) 447-2394 or laura@gbdmagazine.com.
and the Stroud Water Research Center
TS02 Connecting Families to Nature: Zoos, Arboretums, and Playgrounds NOV 23 HALF DAY TS03 Majoring in Minimum Impact:
The University of Pennsylvania Master Plan
TS04 Putting America Back to Work: Office Environments
for the Jobs of the Future
TS05 Innovations in Healthcare Design: Healthy Hospitals and Bottom-Lines TS06 The Navy Yard as a Sustainable Business Campus & Smart Energy
Innovation Center ( combined tour )
TS07 Waste Not Want Not: Green Jobs Through Green Buildings
SGP
TS09 Revolutionary Civil Engineering:
Municipal Stormwater and Wastewater Leadership
TS10 Win-Win: Sustainable Sports 8
PhiladelphiaGreen
About the DVGBC
OUR MISSION
OUR WORK
The mission of the Delaware Valley Green Building Council (DVGBC) is to inspire, educate, and connect people around green building practices that will transform our communities into healthier, more prosperous places for people to live, work, and learn, and our work is driven by that mission.
Green Schools for all within this generation. The DVGBC Green Schools Campaign works directly with teachers, students, administrators, facilities managers, communities and other organizations to create programs, resources and partnerships that transform schools in our region into healthy learning environments. By promoting the design and construction of green schools, and by greening the operations and maintenance of existing schools, we can make a tremendous impact on student health, school operational costs and the environment. This work helps us reach our goal of bringing green building practices to the next generation of sustainability leaders.
3 4 20 90+ 250+ 600+ 860+ 1200+ Strategic plan initiatives in which our members participate
Branches with volunteer leadership: Bucks-Montgomery, Metro Philadelphia, Lehigh Valley, and the state of Delaware
Volunteer-initiated programs each year that serve the educational and networking needs of our branches
Catalyzing market transformation with smart policy and advocacy. The systemic application of green building policies through codes and legislation will allow many more people to benefit from green building practices. DVGBC members have the expertise and experience to develop and support sound policies at the local, state, and federal levels. We believe in utilizing this powerful resource to advocate for effective and comprehensive green building policy at all levels of government.
Companies, universities, and nonprofit organizations who contribute yearly to our mission-based work
DVGBC volunteers who help us develop and deliver educational programming, work on strategic initiatives, and serve on our Board of Directors
Members whose yearly contribution of member dues helps us fund our programming and achieve our mission
Attendees at our annual Sustainability Symposium
Attendees at DVGBC Branch programs and networking events every year
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Thought leadership and education on cuttingedge practices and support for LEED. DVGBC supports green building practices and rating systems as ways to achieve our mission, from green codes to cutting edge programs like the Living Building Challenge. As a USGBC chapter, we are also the best local source for LEED news, education, training, and credential maintenance. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is an internationally-recognized, voluntary, third-party certification system for green buildings developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). It provides building owners and operator tools to implement green practices that positively impact the building’s performance and bottom line and create healthy indoor environments. Striving for regional impact and national visibility. DVGBC’s active branches span throughout the Delaware Valley in Bucks and Montgomery counties, the Lehigh Valley, the State of Delaware, and the Metro Philadelphia region. These Branches have dynamic committees that address regional issues and offer local educational events. Throughout our region, we have over 600 active members, over 100 sponsor companies and organizations, and many other regional partners. Part of our chapter’s work is to highlight the success of our community locally, regionally, and nationally. We are proud to have served as the host chapter for Greenbuild 2013 in Philadelphia.
PhiladelphiaGreen
Neighborhood Guide Where to eat, drink, learn, and play in Philadelphia
Words Delaware Valley Green Building Council
CENTER CITY Logan Square, Rittenhouse Square, Market East, Washington Square West & Fitler Square As the veritable hub of the city of Philadelphia, Center City neighborhood is bounded by the four quadrants that were a part of the city’s founding in the 18th century: Franklin Square to the northeast, Logan Circle to the northwest, Washington Square to the southeast, and Rittenhouse Square to the southwest. Center City combines world-class shopping and dining while making both locals and visitors feel right at home with cozy bars and relaxing outdoor spaces. Where else in the world can you shop at Urban Outfitters (headquartered in Philly), walk two blocks to Tony Luke Jr.’s to grab an authentic Philadelphia cheesesteak, and then hop across the park to Monk’s Café (named one of the “Top 10 Places in the World to Have a Beer Before You Die” by All About Beer magazine) for a brew?
are very accommodating of vegan and gluten-free diets—than you could visit in a week. Start at the corner of Frankford and Girard and walk north for an amazing array of shops, restaurants and galleries. Live music venues host Philly’s hottest local bands and singer-songwriters every night of the week while serving up microbrews and handcrafted cocktails. Extremely talented young artists and musicians have made their homes and businesses in this area, spurring a thriving arts, food, and culture scene.
Restaurants Amis, 412 S. 13th St. Barbuzzo, 110 S. 13th St. El Vez, 121 S. 13th St. Federal Donuts, 1632 Sansom St. Parc, 227 S. 18th St. Russet, BYOB, 1521 Spruce St. 19102 Steve’s Prince of Steaks, 41 S. 16th St. Talula’s Garden, 210 W. Washington Square The Dandelion, 124 S. 18th St. The Farmer’s Cabinet, 1113 Walnut St. Tinto, 114 S. 20th St. Tony Jr.’s, 118 S. 18th St. Ultimo Coffee, 1900 S. 15th St. Vedge, 1221 Locust St. Vernick, 2031 Walnut St. Vetri, 1312 Spruce St. Bars Franklin Mortgage & Investment Co., 112 S. 18th St. Hotel Palomar, 117 S. 17th St. McGillin’s Olde Ale House, 1310 Drury St. Monk’s Café, 264 S. 16th St. Nodding Head Brewery & Restaurant, 1516 Sansom St. Oyster House, 1516 Sansom St. Pub and Kitchen, 1946 Lombard St. Varga Bar, 941 Spruce St. Shops Garces Trading Company, 1111 Locust St. Metropolitan Bakery, 262 S. 19th St. Sa Va, 1700 Sansom St. Culture, Museums, and Events Art Alliance, 261 S. 18th St. City Hall Tower & Observation Deck, Broad and Market streets Franklin Institute, 222 N. 20th St. Independence Hall, 520 Chestnut St. Mutter Museum, 19 S. 22nd St. Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, 118 N. Broad St. Philadelphia Art Alliance, 261 S. 18th St. Rittenhouse Square, 18th and Walnut Streets Rosenbach Museum & Library, 20082010 Delancey Pl. Sister Cities Park, N. 18th St. Washington Square, 6th and Walnut St.
CHINATOWN Whether it’s Korean barbeque, Vietnamese phô, authentic Chinese dim sum, or a wonderful combination of the three, Chinatown is a must-visit in Philadelphia. At just six city blocks around, (bounded by Vine Street to the north, Race Street to the south, 8th Street to the east, and 11th Street to the west) it’s a manageable and culturally rich section of the city, and it’s adjacent to the Pennsylvania Convention Center. Don’t miss the Chinatown Friendship Gate, located at 10th Street and Arch, an internationally known landmark and a symbol of cultural exchange and friendship between Philadelphia and its sister city, Tianjin, China.
Franklin Pkwy. Boathouse Row, East Bank of Schuylkill River, just North of Art Museum Eastern State Penitentiary, 2027 Fairmount Ave. Fairmount Water Works, 640 Water Works Dr. Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway Rodin Museum, 2154 Benjamin Franklin Pkwy.
EAST PASSYUNK Although one of the more recent additions to Philadelphia’s restaurant and bar scene, East Passyunk has quickly risen to the top of the list for destinations to spend an evening out. Booming with everything from romantic French eateries, to fun-loving Mexican cantinas (where the margaritas flow like water), to corner bars with the best burgers in town, East Passyunk is Philadelphia’s newest neighborhood to see and be seen by young and mature crowds alike. If you’re looking for a gastropub with more than four dozen domestic whiskeys, there’s a spot for you. If you’re looking for an Italian restaurant that butchers its own meats and makes the pasta from scratch every day, you’re in luck. Really, whatever you’re into— boutiques or galleries, sangria or sushi— you’ll find it on East Passyunk.
Restaurants Charles Plaza, 234 N. 10th St. Lee How Fook, BYOB, 219 N. 11th St. Rangoon Burmese, 112 N. 9th St. Sammy Chon’s K-Town BBQ, 911 Race St. Tea Do Coffee & Tea, 132 N. 10th St. Vietnam Restaurant, 221 N. 11th St. Bars Hop Sing Laundromat, 1029 Race St. Prohibition Taproom, 501 N. 13th St. The Trestle Inn, 339 N. 11th St. Shops Ray’s Café and Tea House, 141 N. 9th St. Reading Terminal Market, 51 N. 12th St.
Restaurants Black & Brew Coffee, 1523 E. Passyunk Ave. Fond, 1537 S.11th St. Le Virtù, 1927 E. Passyunk Ave. Marra’s, 1734 E Passyunk Ave. Paradiso, 1627 E. Passyunk Ave. Pat’s King of Steaks, 1237 E. Passyunk Ave. South Philadelphia Tap Room, 1509 Mifflin St. Will, BYOB, 1911 E. Passyunk Ave.
Culture, Museums, and Events Trocadero Theater, 1003 Arch St.
FAIRMOUNT Known as the art museum area for its proximity to the internationally revered institution, Fairmount is home to some of the most beautiful and historic architecture in the city. A great mix of old and new Philadelphia, anyone can appreciate the marriage of 100-year-old brownstones and gorgeous tree-lined streets with cozy Irish pubs and local fare. Start at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and work your way through the neighborhood to Fairmount Avenue, home to the famed Eastern State Penitentiary and plenty of coffee shops and bars serving up craft brews and cocktails.
Bars Devil’s Den, 1148 S. 11th St. Pub on Passyunk East (POPE), 1501 E. Passyunk Ave. Royal Tavern, 937 E. Passyunk Ave. Stateside, 1536 E. Passyunk Ave. Shops Nice Things Hand Made, 1731 E. Passyunk Ave. Occasionette, 1825 E. Passyunk Ave.
Restaurants Alla Spina, 1410 Mt Vernon St. Belgian Café, 2047 Green St. Fare, 2028 Fairmount Ave. Jack’s Firehouse, 2130 Fairmount Ave. Kite & Key, 1836 Callowhill St. Lemon Hill, 747 N. 25th St. Mugshots Coffeehouse, 1925 Fairmount Ave. Rose Tattoo Café, 1847 Callowhill St.
NORTHERN LIBERTIES & FISHTOWN Neighborhoods like Fishtown and Northern Liberties are symbolic of a city made of neighborhoods woven together to make Philadelphia great. Just ten years ago, this area of the city wasn’t a destination for Philadelphians seeking anything more than a few sporadically located dive bars. That all changed, however, and along came a boom that transformed the two neighborhoods. Now the area around the Piazza at Schmidt’s in Northern Liberties is home to some of the hottest bars, restaurants, and live music you’ll find in Philly. Fishtown has more sustainable and local-food-focused restaurants—most
Bars Bishop’s Collar, 2349 Fairmount Ave. Kite & Key, 1836 Callowhill St. St. Stephen’s Green, 1701 Green St. Urban Saloon, 2120 Fairmount Ave. Culture, Museums, and Events Barnes Foundation, 2025 Benjamin
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Map Kyle Newton Sustainable Establishment Philly Cheesesteak Hot Spot
Restaurants Bar Ferdinand, 1030 N. 2nd St. Cedar Point Bar and Kitchen, 2370 E. Norris St. Fette Sau, 1208 Frankford Ave. Honey’s Sit-N-Eat, 800 N. 4th St. Paesano’s, 1017 S. 9th St. Pizza Brain, 2313 Frankford Ave. Pizzeria Beddia, 115 E. Girard Ave. Rocket Cat Café & Coffee, 2001 Frankford Ave. Soup Kitchen, 2146 E. Susquehanna Ave. Bars Barcade, 1114 Frankford Ave. Frankford Hall, 1210 Frankford Ave. Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 Frankford Ave. Kraftwork, 541 E. Girard Ave. Loco Pez, 2401 E. Norris St. Memphis Taproom, 2331 E. Cumberland St. Ortlieb’s, 847 N. 3rd St. Philadelphia Brewing Company, 2440 Frankford Ave. Standard Tap, 901 N. 2nd St. Yards Brewing Company, 901 N. Delaware Ave Shops Art Star, 623 N. 2nd St. The Piazza at Schmidt’s, 1050 N. Hancock St. Two Percent to Glory, 2031 Frankford Ave Culture, Museums, and Events High Wire Gallery, 2040 Frankford Ave. Liberty Lands Park, 913-961 N. 3rd St. The Piazza at Schmidt’s, 1050 N. Hancock St.
UNIVERSITY CITY/ WEST PHILADELPHIA Head westward over any of the Center City bridges, and in a few short minutes you’re transported from Center City to an area of town that’s like another city altogether—West Philadelphia. Directly west of Center City is University City, home to some of the nation’s best and brightest students, those attending the University of Pennsylvania, Drexel University, and the University of the Sciences. Here you can find high quality shopping, dining, and drinking, but with a slightly younger feel. Just west of University City is the heart of West Philadelphia, one of the most culturally rich and ethnically diverse sections of the city. West Philly has coffee shops, Ethiopian restaurants, microbreweries, after-hours clubs, and that’s just on Baltimore Avenue. Although the term “West Philadelphia” encompasses a large
PhiladelphiaGreen
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section of town, you can always find a friendly neighbor vibe and a guaranteed good time. Restaurants Abner’s, 3813 Chestnut St. Distrito, 3945 Chestnut St. Green Line Café & Coffee, 4239 Baltimore Ave. Guacamole, 4612 Woodland Ave. Honest Tom’s Taco Shop, 261 S. 44th St. Lil Pop Shop, 265 S. 44th St. Local 44, 4333 Spruce St. Marigold Kitchen, 501 S. 45th St. Pod, 3636 Sansom St. Rx The Farmacy, 4443 Spruce St. Vietnam Café, 816 S. 47th St. White Dog Café, 3420 Sansom St. Bars City Tap House, 3925 Walnut St. Dock Street, 701 S.50th St. Fiume, 229 S. 45th St., Second Floor Gojjo, 4540 Baltimore Ave. Shops Clark Park Farmer’s Market, 43rd St. and Baltimore Ave. Mariposa Food Coop, 4824 Baltimore Ave. Vix Emporium, 5009 Baltimore Ave. Culture, Museums, and Events University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology & Anthropology, 3260 South St. Baltimore Avenue and Cedar Park neighborhood, Baltimore Ave between 40th and 50th Streets Philadelphia Zoo, 3400 W. Girard Ave. Clark Park, 4398 Chester Ave.
QUEEN VILLAGE HEADHOUSE SQUARE / SOUTH STREET Nestled just between South Philly and Center City, you’d be hard pressed to find a night of the week that there aren’t a million options of something to do on or around South Street. An eclectic mix of shopping, sports bars, gastropubs, and local fare, this area of town spans from the Delaware River all the way to Ninth Street, where you can find the famed and incredibly historic Italian Market. Chat with the salami experts at DiBruno Bros while sampling the aged cheese of the day, then pop next door and watch a third-generation pasta shop owner make your raviolis by hand. If you like being surrounded by a bit more energy, walk down South Street on a Saturday afternoon, grab a cheesesteak if that’s what you’re into, or check out one of the many ethnic restaurants nearby, featuring gyros and Turkish kebabs. At night is when this part of town really comes alive. Whether the sports bar is jam-packed for an Eagles game or you’re catching the show of an up-and-coming comedian, you’ll be surrounded by folks that love a good time. A stroll down 3rd or 4th Streets in Queen Village will be quieter, but you’ll find great local restaurants and plenty of funky shops.
Nomad Pizza, 611 S. 7th St. Ralph’s, 760 S. 9th St. Southwark, 701 S. 4th St. The Saloon, 750 S. 7th St. Bars Bridget Foy’s, 200 South St. Catahoula, 775 S. Front St. Hawthorne’s, 738 S 11th St. Twisted Tail, 509 S. 2nd St. Shops Bario-Neal, 700 S.6th St 19147 Culture, Museums, and Events Fleisher Art Memorial, 719 Catharine St. Headhouse Square Farmer’s Market, Sundays, 122 Lombard St. Magic Garden, 1020 South St 19147 Old Swedes Church, 916 S. Swanson St. Passyunk Market, 1407 E. Passyunk Ave. Riverfront Mummers Museum, 1100 S. 2nd St.
OLD CITY Old City is home to some of Philadelphia’s oldest buildings with the most importance in the nation’s history, all within a few short blocks of each other. It is best known as the site of Independence Hall and the beautiful Independence National Historical Park, Elfreth’s Alley, and the Betsy Ross House. In recent years, the district has also made its mark as the home of some of the best vintage shopping in the city. It’s also the neighborhood where Philly’s First Friday, when galleries open their doors for folks to stroll in and out to admire art and exhibits on the first Friday of the month, originated.
Restaurants Bistro Romano, 120 Lombard St. Bodhi Coffee, 410 S. 2nd St. Ela, 627 S. 3rd St. Jim’s, 400 S. St. John’s Roast Pork, 14 Snyder Ave. Kennett, 848 S. 2nd St.
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Restaurants Amada, 217-219 Chestnut St. Bistrot la Minette, 623 S. 6th St. Continental, 138 Market St. Farmicia, 15 S. 3rd St. Fork, 306 Market St. Han Dynasty, 108 Chestnut St. La Ristorante Panorama, 14 N. Front St. Old City Coffee, 221 Church St. The Franklin Fountain Ice Cream Shop, 116 Market St. Wedge + Fig, BYOB, 160 N. 3rd St. Zahav, 237 St James Pl. Bars Beneluxx, 33 S. 3rd St. Lucy’s, 247 Market St. National Mechanics, 22 S. 3rd St. Plough and the Stars, 123 Chestnut St. Race Street Café, 208 Race St. Sassafras, 163 N. 3rd St. Shops Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction, 116 N. 3rd St. Lost & Found, 133 N. 3rd St. Culture, Museums, and Events Chemical Heritage Foundation, 315 Chestnut St. Constitution Center, 262 S.19th St. Fireman’s Hall Museum, 147 N. 2nd St. Franklin Square Park, 200 N. 6th St. Seaport Museum, 211 S. Christopher Columbus Blvd. The Center of the Art in Wood, 141 N. 3rd St.
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PhiladelphiaExplored
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Innovation, Ecology, & Culture
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Urban Placemaking Creating a mile of walkways, plazas, and public art
Words Heather Shayne Blakeslee
Vine St. 676
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Cathedral Basilica of St. Peter and Paul
Race St. The Academy of Natural Sciences
Pennslyvania Academy of the Fine Arts
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Convention Center Love Park
Cities are full of public spaces, both hidden gems and iconic plazas. Philadelphia’s already humming arts and culture scene continues to grow every year as more and more of the country’s creative class discovers that the quality of life for working artists and entrepreneurs in Philadelphia competes well with New York and San Francisco. Philadelphia is rated among the country’s most pedestrian and bike-friendly cities, especially in its downtown areas, which have top marks from WalkScore. Bike
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City Hall
Rittenhouse Sq. Penn Sq.
LEED Gold expansion—but it’s the public plazas and parkways that are now achieving sustainability goals. Engineers and designers are paying attention to how public spaces, many of which have public art, can help mitigate the effects of storm water and achieve green goals while providing beautiful amenities. Lenfest Plaza, Love Park, Logan Square, Sister Cities Park, and Rittenhouse Square are all on the list of public spaces where you can see long-range planning for public amenities at work. Logan Square in particular was
lane usage has surpassed what planners thought could be achieved in the short period of time since installation. According to the US Census Bureau, bike commuting increased 151 percent from 2000 to 2009, and, per capita, Philadelphia is now the leading city in America when it comes to biking to work. A bikeshare program is also in planning stages to help the city’s biking population and enhance its urban environment. The city is well-known for its green buildings—including a Convention Center with a 14
part of William Penn’s original plans for the city and is still a keystone of the world-class parkway that runs from Love Park to the steps of the iconic Philadelphia Art Museum. And in fall 2013, the Kimmel Center’s rooftop garden is displaying Particle Falls, a public art exhibit that depicts air quality in real time using lighting projection.
TM07 Urban Placemaking A Golden Mile of Walkways, Gardens, and Public Art
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Let Freedom Ring Energy independence within sight of the Liberty Bell
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Words Heather Shayne Blakeslee Images General Services Administration
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Philadelphia is famously home to Independence National Historical Park (NHP), which includes the Liberty Bell. The lesser known but just as important Carpenter’s Hall, which was the site of the first Continental Congress in 1774, is also within Independence NHP but is still owned by the Carpenters’ Company. Carpenter’s Hall also served
dance of historic and existing buildings mean that if the city is serious about its greening goals, then addressing energy consumption in those existing buildings must be a key strategy. Philadelphia mayor Michael Nutter’s Greenworks plan has ambitious energy reduction goals for city operations, and in 2013, the city
as the first meeting place for sustainability advocates who eventually formed the Delaware Valley Green Building Council. Visitors seeking to learn more about the struggle for American independence will see a different battle being waged in contemporary times: the one for energy independence. Philadelphia’s abun-
council unanimously passed energy benchmarking legislation. The law requires that all commercial buildings over 50,000 square feet benchmark and disclose their energy use publicly, so that future buyers or tenants will know how the building rates compare to others. Since measurement is the first step in understanding how much utilities cost, the
THIS PAGE Independence Mall is a threeblock section of the Independence National Historical Park. Some of the historic sites here are Congress Hall, Independence Hall, Old City Hall, and the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. 17
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city believes the new law will spur building owners to cut down on use through encouraging conservation by tenants, paying more attention to the energy efficiency of equipment and the building envelopes during regular maintenance, or possibly doing a full-scale retrofit. Katherine Gajewski, director of sustainability for the City of Philadelphia, says, “Philadelphia’s diverse building stock ranges from sleek new office towers to historic icons dating back to the 18th century. While we continue to push the limits of high-performance technology in new buildings, we’re also focused on measuring the performance of older buildings where there is a tremendous opportunity to save money by reducing energy use. For the first time this year, all large commercial buildings will report energy and water use to the city using EPA’s Portfolio Manager benchmarking tool. The goal is to increase awareness and drive demand for energy efficiency, which in turn benefits citywide building energy performance and ensures the future of the city’s many older buildings.” Government buildings are no exception. A number of federal buildings along Independence Mall are striving to save taxpayer dollars THIS PAGE Constructed in the 1930s, the historic US Customs House was renovated in the 1990s and received upgraded mechanical and lighting systems. When reoccupied, the building’s annual energy costs were reduced by 60%.
Streets, and its Money exhibit is open to the public during business hours. The Independence Visitor Center building, owned by the National Park Service and managed jointly by the Independence National Historical Park and the Independence Visitor Center Corporation, welcomes millions of tourists and locals alike during the year. It houses several displays and educational programs, and also serves as the jumping-off point for dozens of tours. From November 2013 to February 2014, the visitor center is
and create healthy places for visitors from all over the world. The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, which has achieved BOMA 360 Certification, has been aggressive about measuring the results of its efforts. Among many other requirements, the Federal Reserve must benchmark energy use with Energy Star Portfolio Manager, use Energy Star-rated products, and conduct energy audits and commission (and recommission) the building. Water and waste management policies, as well as green cleaning, are also part of the program. The Federal Reserve
“While we continue to push the limits of high-performance technology in new buildings, we’re also focused on measuring the performance of older buildings where there is a tremendous opportunity to save money by reducing energy use.” Katherine Gajewski, City of Philadelphia
considering plans to host a proposed display of sustainability pledges from local organizations and businesses committed to green building and other efforts. The 2013 Challenge Program was sponsored by the Delaware Valley Green Building Council as part of its work while preparing for the Greenbuild International Conference and Expo in Philadelphia in November of 2013. Building operators with Independence National Historical Park and the Independence Visitor Center Corporation have decided to go through the process of LEED-EB certification, which, like the BOMA 360 program, requires that the building use Energy Star Portfolio Manager to benchmark its energy use. “The Independence Visitor Center Corporation strives to enhance the visitor experience while also contributing to the environmental green directives,” says Christine Keates, vice president and general manager of the Independence Visitor Center. “We are participating in Energy Star Portfolio Management,
Bank building also is home to architecture and engineering firm EwingCole whose LEED-CI Gold offices take up an entire floor of the building. The eight-story atrium of the building houses an impressive mobile by artist Alexander Calder—history buffs and architecture students would also be interested to see the Paul Philippe Cret-designed old Federal Reserve Bank on Chestnut Street. The current bank is located on Sixth Street between Arch and Race
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and in the past four years, we have reduced our gas bills by 60 percent, electric bills by 40 percent, and have seen a significant savings in consumables by using hand dryers instead of paper towels. We are now taking the next step in efficiency by installing a Tecogen generation system that will also operate a chiller and provide hot water for our boiler system. The savings realized contributes toward additional upgrades for our guests to enjoy while at the visitor center.” In addition to the visitor center, Independence National Historical Park includes historic structures such as Independence Hall, Congress Hall, and Old City Hall, which are all making sustainability a priority as part of the National Park Service’s Green Parks Plan. “National parks offer unparalleled opportunities to experience the lands and places that make our nation great, and our mission is to preserve these places unimpaired for the enjoyment of this and future generations,” says superintendent Cynthia MacLeod. “In order to succeed in our stewardship responsibilities and preserve parks for future generations, we are focusing on sustainability in every aspect of our operations.” The US Customs House, another federally managed historic building, has already achieved LEED-EB certification. Operators also used the Illustrated Guidelines on Sustainability for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings from the National Park Service in order to renovate Independence Hall, Congress Hall, and Old City Hall. People who have visited these locations can also get another dose of historic green buildings at the Hotel Monaco, a LEED-CI Gold-certified historic retrofit project that falls in line with Kimpton Hotel’s national commitment to sustainability, which further proves that all along Independence Mall, historically significant buildings are creating a greener future. TF08 Let Freedom Ring Energy Independence in Sight of the Liberty Bell
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KidZooU at the Philadelphia Zoo • Morris Arboretum Horticultural Center U.S. DOE Energy Efficient Buildings Hub @ The Navy Yard Stroud Water Research Center Moorhead Environmental Complex 151 S. Warner Road • Connelly House • Wallace Roberts & Todd
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Reclaiming Green Space Turning the Schuylkill River’s brownfields into greenways Words Alexandria Yarde Images Andropogon Associates University of Pennsylvania Communications
BELOW The Schuylkill River runs along Philadelphia’s west side. The riverbanks historically have been a popular place for oil refineries, and many of these sites are now remediated brownfields.
Greening a city’s outdoor spaces is as imperative to citywide sustainability initiatives as the greening of its buildings and infrastructure. Open-air spaces that encourage recreation and alternative transportation, including bike and pedestrian paths, are often overlooked. In Philadelphia’s case, a former industrial site along the Schuylkill River was a veritable no-man’s land. It took serious interest and dedication from the city’s organizations, private developers, and universities to realize its potential. The land along the Schuylkill used to be an industrial site, which then became a brownfield area ripe for redevelopment. Every portion of this area, from Bartram’s Garden to the University of Pennsylvania’s
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Shoemaker Green to the Schuylkill Banks, is a now showcase for the transformative possibilities of well-planned open space in an urban environment. “Our work on the Schuylkill Trail has been very gratifying,” says Joseph Syrnick, president and CEO of the Schuylkill River Development Corporation. “To see the transformation over just a few years is quite rewarding. Turning a brownfield into a greenway benefits everyone. On several occasions people have come up and said something like, ‘I’ve lived here for 30 years, but this trail has changed my life.’ How cool is that?” Up until 2010, the fields surrounding Bartram’s Garden (the historic estate of early American botanist John Bartram) were derelict and underused, and the sur-
PhiladelphiaExplored
rounding neighborhood provided threats instead of opportunities. In collaboration with partners at Bartram’s Garden, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society designed and built a Green Resource Center, which created a place for sustainable education, access to growing and gardening opportunities, and diminished food insecurity in neighborhoods. Visitors can now enjoy the one-year-old Community Farm and Food Resource Center, orchard, greenhouse, and community planting beds. It also permanently houses a sustainable home designed and built by high school students at the award-winning Sustainability Workshop, an alternative public school based in West Philadelphia. The University of Pennsylvania’s support was also crucial to the development. Penn Park transformed 14 acres of urban brownfields into a verdant landscape of mature trees embracing playing fields that are used for a variety of recreational uses in addition to serving University of Pennsylvania sports teams. “The creation of Shoemaker Green on Penn’s campus presented a different kind of challenge: transforming a set of aging tennis courts and campus pathways into a welcoming new public forecourt,” says Dan Garofalo,
environmental sustainability director at the University of Pennsylvania. Shoemaker Green was identified as a Sustainable SITES Initiative pilot project and was then conceived and carried out with ecological sensitivity. Shoemaker Green’s 2.7 acres incorporate high efficiency ‘dark sky’ lighting that doesn’t add to nighttime light pollution, a rainwater cistern system collects 20,000 gallons cistern to filter and reuse storm-water on-site, native grasses and understory plants were chosen because of their drought-resistant qualities, and 103 new native and adapted trees beautify and shade the park area. In less than a decade, the Center City portion of Schuylkill Banks went from virtually no public use to more than 19,000 user trips per week, and the Grays Ferry Crescent greenway is becoming an increasingly popular spot for fishing, dog walking, and picnics. The area surrounding the banks has thrived since the banks’ revitalization, which was an exciting perk outside of the direct effects of the development. Nearby property values have skyrocketed, and private developers have restored their interest in the area, which is sure to see continued commercial and residential development.
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BELOW A site plan shows the University of Pennsylvania’s Penn Park, which has transformed 14 acres of an industrial brownfield site into a usable space for the school and the city at large. BOTTOM Shoemaker Green serves as a gateway to Penn Park and is a pilot project for Sustainable SITES, the ASLA’s landscape-certification program.
TF11 Reclaiming the Schuylkill River with Sustainable Sites
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phone 215.985.4410
www.smparchitects.com
KCAPA
Kensington High School for the Creative and Performing Arts LEED Platinum GB Tour TF06 GB Tour TF09 GB Tour TS11
KIDZOOU
Hamilton Family Children’s Zoo and Faris Family Education Center LEED Silver (target) GB Tour TS02
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Congratulations Philadelphia Zoo and new KidZooU!
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Family, Flora, & Fauna Creating natural connections through interaction, education, and play Connecting kids to nature at a young age can spark a lifelong love and respect for nature, but making that connection in cities can be tricky for children and their families. Several different projects incorporating green building techniques in the Philadelphia region are helping them do exactly that. Three unique sites—the nation’s first zoo, a historic arboretum, and a turn-of-thecentury playground—serve as the backdrop for families to engage with their natural environment through observation, experimentation, and play. At the Philadelphia Zoo, the 1940s-era Paul Cret-designed pachyderm house was repurposed, renovated, and substantially greened to become the Faris Family Education Center. It’s located on the grounds of the new Hamilton Family Children’s Zoo, which has a number of sustainable features and environmental signage telling visitors about those aspects. Inside the education center, extensive exhibits help kids make the connection between sustainability and animal conservation. The historic pachyderm house presented several challenges in the renovation process. All thermal envelope upgrades had to be completed from the inside so that the exterior window profiles, brick façade, and roof materials could remain consistent with
the original design drawings. With green features such as a geothermal HVAC system and replacing skylights with dormers tied to the HVAC system, the project’s architecture team, SMP Architects, designed the building to LEED Silver standards. Outside of the education center, families can see more green-building techniques in action. The shorter outbuildings have vegetated roofs, and the locations of below-ground rainwater harvesting cisterns are demarcated by a circular pattern in the sidewalk. Sustainability Plaza, located next to the restroom building, features an aerial map of the Children’s Zoo that explains sustainable features on the grounds, and the zoo has contextual signage throughout explaining these features in greater depth. Similarly, the LEED Platinum Horticulture Center at Morris Arboretum provides an opportunity to educate families about the importance of protecting our natural resources. Located on the historic Bloomfield Farm in Springfield Township, Pennsylvania, visitors can arrange a tour of the facility while they are visiting the arboretum’s extensive gardens and outdoor exhibits. The Horticulture Center’s beautiful stone exterior is made of Wissahickon schist, which is one of the region’s most prevalent stone materials and was sourced from a nearby
quarry. The airy interior features extensive use of daylighting and operable windows, reducing heating and cooling needed from the geothermal HVAC system. The equipment shed has a green roof that can be easily seen from the ground, and rain chains help connect visitors to the importance of controlling storm-water runoff, a strategy that is served by rainwater collection cisterns that supply water for irrigation and lavatories. Taking the concept of engagement a step further, the 2013 Greenbuild Legacy Project at Smith Playground in Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park encourages children to “build their own adventure” with its new Adventure Playground. The play space is anchored by two stately old trees surrounded by a deck path that connects a series of spaces with free-form building, climbing, leaning, and resting elements that allow kids to experiment with their natural surroundings in a way that’s self-directed and, most importantly, fun. The playground was constructed using a mix of reclaimed materials, including the trunk of a tree that had fallen on Smith’s grounds and other durable, low-impact,
The unique design-build process engaged a wide range of individuals from the greater Philadelphia area, from sustainability newbies to seasoned professionals. 23
Words Samantha Wittchen Image SMP Architects
THIS PAGE The Philadelphia Zoo opened its Hamilton Family Children’s Zoo and Faris Family Education Center in April 2013. The renovated structure has a green roof with rain gardens and geothermal wells beneath the building.
readily available materials. The combination helped minimize cost and construction waste while ensuring the playground would last for generations. The unique design-build process engaged a wide range of individuals from the greater Philadelphia area, from sustainability newbies to seasoned professionals. Children from the surrounding Strawberry Mansion neighborhood came up with the theme, and a team of teenagers and young adults from Public Workshop, the project’s leader, built the playground. Cadres of urban middle-schoolers assisted in construction, and area contractors lent a hand on community workdays. The process has encouraged people to consider the question of how we create structures that harmonize with the natural environment and how we relate to it. TS02 Connecting Families to Nature Zoos, Arboretums and Playgrounds
Visit one of America’s greenest zoos! The Philadelphia Zoo is transforming through integrated design and building green. At our new KidZooU we recreated an existing building, recycled unused materials and sourced sustainably. The exhibit’s beautiful rain gardens and green roofs harvest rain and manage stormwater. Both KidZooU and McNeil Avian Center use geothermal heat exchange and daylighting to save energy. Through improvements we reduced water use by 58% in the last five years. Visit and see how building green and saving energy can help save wildlife at the Philadelphia Zoo!
3400 W. Girard Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19104 www.philadelphiazoo.org
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Going Platinum Three projects are the first of their kind to hit LEED’s highest mark Words Michael Brookshier Images Halkin Mason Photography Tom Crane Photography
PHOTOGRAPH © 2012 THE BARNES FOUNDATION, TOM CRANE
THIS PAGE The Barnes Foundation building (featured on the cover) earned LEED Platinum certification in September 2012. It was the first art and education institution of its size to achieve such a high level in the US.
dation at its new home down the street from the Philadelphia Museum of Art and next door to the Rodin Museum on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. In Vanity Fair, Paul Goldberger called the choice of architects Tod Williams and Billie Tsien inspired. “They think about light, and texture, and proportion, and scale, and materials, and about how all of these things can be put together to create an order and a serenity that make a place meaningful,” he wrote. Goldberger continued that the Cezannes, Renoirs and Matisses “look better in every way” in their new home. Additionally, the building has many green features that helped it achieve LEED Platinum certification, including a green roof, locally
Platinum certification is the highest LEED designation achievable, and a challenge that few are willing or able to take on. Along with the possible increase in construction costs, meeting the Platinum standard sometimes incurs additional fees for the significant engineering analysis required and often pushes the envelope of standard practice for both the design and construction teams. Yet Philadelphia boasts numerous LEED Platinum buildings, from high cost and high-profile projects to those with more down-to-earth budgets—but no less lofty aspirations. A local event that got the attention of the international art world in 2012 was the opening of the Barnes Foun-
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sourced materials, photovoltaic panels, and a remarkable rainwater capture system. It’s always a triumph when a LEED Platinum-certified project is successfully completed—and even more so when the cause is worthy and the budget constrained. Such is the case with the Kensington High School for the Creative and Performing Arts. Sustainability isn’t limited to the building but extends to what’s known as the Big Green Block, a sustainability testing ground. The seven-acre linear site is situated between the gentrifying Fishtown neighborhood and the more traditionally blue-collar, industrial Kensington, so the architects designed the school as a community meeting place. In partnership with local residents, the North Kensington Community Development Corporation coordinated the Philadelphia Water Department, Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, Mayor’s Office of Sustainability, and others to transform a brownfield site into a green infrastructure project surrounding the school that captures 95 percent of the block’s storm-water runoff. The building itself is
PhiladelphiaExplored
The school turned a brownfield site into a green infrastructure project that now captures 95 percent of storm water.
marketing materials, and it is now almost fully leased. Its success has allowed the developer to proceed with plans for a second, 180,000-squarefoot building, also targeting Platinum pre-certification. Speaking to the Philadelphia Business Journal, developer Scott Mazo said, “We made a commitment as a commercial real estate developer to exclusively build Platinum as a statement about who
the first public high school in the nation to achieve LEED Platinum certification. Directly adjacent to the Berks SEPTA station, it features a green roof, geothermal water-source heatpump system, and extensive daylighting. 2.0 University Place is Philadelphia’s first Platinum pre-certified office building. The 97,000-square-foot building’s green features were prominently featured in
RIGHT The Kensington High School for the Creative and Performing Arts was the first LEED Platinum public high school in the country. Inside, it features clerestory windows that bring in ample daylight. BELOW Constructed on a former brownfield site, the school’s grounds today have plentiful vegetation and a green roof to control storm-water runoff.
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we are, our commitment to the environment, and social responsibility.” It’s these people and projects demonstrating that the standard is achievable, and they pose the challenge to future design and construction professionals to exceed that mark. TS11 Philly Goes Platinum
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Scaling Up Living Walls Vegetated systems bring two Pennsylvania buildings to life Words Gwen McNamara Images B. Krist for GPTMC Halkin Mason Photography Longwood Gardens
RIGHT The largest living wall in North America—4,000 square feet of vertical foliage—is located at Longwood Gardens in Chester County, PA, approximately 45 minutes outside Philadelphia. BELOW Complementing its dynamic environs, Longwood has a solar array to create its own energy and a wastewater treatment facility where 100% of the water used on-site is readied for irrigation.
Can the built environment really “become one” with nature? At Longwood Gardens in Chester County, Pennsylvania, and the Stroud Water Research Center in Avondale, Pennsylvania, exciting displays of horticultural achievement and sustainable design are proving that it can. Longwood Gardens—a former Quaker farm and DuPont estate—is known for its 1,000 acres of lush and varied gardens, seasonal displays, native woodlands, and world-renowned conservatory. But what many don’t know is that it also boasts the largest green wall in North America. The 4,000-square-foot living, breathing wall is an ecological system all its own and greets visitors to the new East Conservatory Plaza, which was designed by British landscape architect Kim Wilkie in association with a local landscape architecture firm, Wells Appel. Completed in 2010, the green wall encases 17 individual comfort stations and sets the stage for what visitors can experience inside. The 14-foothigh living wall follows a curving corridor and features 25 different plant species all with
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PhiladelphiaExplored
Longwood Gardens’ 14-foot-high living wall follows a curving corridor and features 25 different plant species all with varying textures, patterns, and growth habits.
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The Moorhead Environmental Complex uses and treats water in a way that is reflective of natural methods, and as a result, it leaves a smaller overall environmental footprint.
THIS PAGE Part of the Stroud Water Research Center, the Moorhead Environmental Complex is designed to be a teaching tool and replicable model. OPPOSITE PAGE The LEED Platinum-certified structure directs water to the ground with a rain chain and then uses its abundant native landscaping to increase infiltration and reduce runoff.
magazine. “When you’ve lived through different cycles and seasons, you gain a lot of knowledge.” Combined with active tours and education sessions, Longwood Gardens is committed to sharing what it has learned from this project and its other sustainable endeavors. Its newly developed Sustainability Index for North American Public Gardens—a compendium of sustainable practices that can be clearly understood and applied by a wide range of public gardens across North America—is another example of how Longwood Gardens is seeking out ways to help others model, demonstrate, and employ techniques to better the natural world. Similarly, the Stroud Water Research Center’s new Moorhead Environmental Complex is a terrific example of integrated building and site design. Designed by Phila-
varying textures, patterns, and growth habits. Beyond its beauty and calming presence, the green wall is estimated to clean more than 15,000 pounds of dust and toxins from the air each year. In collaboration with Drexel University, Longwood Gardens is conducting formal research to understand what material is actually removed from the atmosphere by the plants and associated microbes. As Longwood Gardens’ staff, volunteers, and the team’s design partners have dealt with challenges relating to temperature, lighting, irrigation, fertilization, and maintenance, they’ve also learned how to better care for and construct green wall systems. “You can’t just install these systems and walk away,” said senior project manager Denise Eichmann of interior landscaping firm Ambius in an interview with Architect 31
delphia’s M2 Architecture, this LEED Platinum building was created as a direct and proactive way to support the center’s environmental education and public outreach. The landscape is intended to restore the hydrology to a predevelopment condition and features rain gardens, bioswales, cisterns, and other innovative rainwater-management strategies. It also includes one of the first constructed wetland waste-treatment systems in Pennsylvania. Although it covers just a small portion of the entire site, the building’s innovative design and construction have made all facets of the water cycle more sustainable. The building uses and treats water in a way that is reflective of natural methods, and as a result, it leaves a smaller overall environmental footprint, which helps protect the nearby White Clay Creek and serves as a teaching tool and achievable model for others to emulate. The Stroud Center writes on its website, “Just as our findings have fundamentally contributed to the world’s knowledge of freshwater biodiversity and conservation practices and policy, the Moorhead Environmental Complex will become a critical part of our ability to influence a broader public. As we ‘teach by doing,’ we will influence every individual who experiences our programs. The new environmental education and public outreach center will become a platform from which we can continue leading the way.” TS01 Living Walls and Living Systems Longwood Gardens and the Stroud Research Center
Halkin I Mason Photography
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Walking a World-Class Parkway Sculpting light and gardens for the city’s cultural landmarks
The Benjamin Franklin Parkway is a must-see in Philadelphia and a shining example of what smart lighting and garden design can do to create sustainable, inviting public spaces. The parkway has been called the cultural heart of Philadelphia and runs from City Hall, one of the world’s finest examples of French Second Empire architecture, to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the third largest art museum in the country, host to numerous world-class exhibitions, and home of the famous “Rocky” steps. Designed in 1917 to emulate the Champs-Élysées in Paris, the parkway has evolved as an event hub for Philadelphia’s diverse community, hosting
the nation’s oldest Thanksgiving Parade, Philadelphia’s Fourth of July party, and dozens of other annual events. Some of Philadelphia’s most popular tourist destinations run up and down the parkway. Between the Art Museum and City Hall, you’ll also find the Barnes Foundation, the Franklin Institute, Academy of Natural Sciences, the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, the Free Library of Philadelphia (including its renowned rare books department), and the Rodin Museum. The Center City District and the City of Philadelphia have made community integration, open space, livability, and 33
Words Emily Schapira Images G. Widman for GPTMC OLIN Tom Crane Photography
THIS PAGE The Benjamin Franklin Parkway was modeled after the tree-lined Champs-Élysées in Paris. At night, its numerous cultural institutions glow with thoughtful lighting designs.
PhiladelphiaExplored THIS PAGE The Fairmount Water Works is a local landmark built in the 1800s. In operation as Philadelphia’s municipal water supplier until 1909, the building has become a popular tourist attraction and features a lighting design by The Lighting Practice.
OPPOSITE PAGE The Rodin Museum has a casting of the sculptor’s most famous work, The Thinker. The museum’s garden also features a design by The Lighting Practice that enhances the sculptures.
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PhiladelphiaExplored
“The Rodin Garden is a preamble and a backdrop to the museum sculptures. The lighting expresses the forms and textures of the garden and structures and the powerful energy of Rodin’s artistic vision.” Alfred R. Borden, The Lighting Practice 35
PhiladelphiaExplored
THIS PAGE The historic Fairmount Water Works building has been turned into the Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center, where children and families can learn more about Philadelphia’s watershed and what it does for the city.
sustainability priorities on the parkway and beyond. Lighting as well as garden design play key roles in those efforts. Currently, 20 works of art and the façades of eight landmark buildings along the parkway are lit, and more than 200 pedestrian-scale lights were installed in 2004. Careful attention was paid to lighting design and color temperature to open up visitors’ eyes to the beauty of the historic art and buildings lining the parkway. Two landmarks in particular that employ lighting as a key design element are the Fairmount Water Works building, which was constructed in the early 1800s and provided the city’s first municipal water-delivery system, and the Rodin Museum Garden. “You could say that both designs use lighting to express the natural forms and rhythms of each site,” says Alfred R. Borden, president of The
Lighting Practice, the lighting design firm associated with both projects. “The Water Works was once filled with water and provided this life-giving service to the city. Now it is filled with light and with life again, serving as a center for community and education.” At the Rodin Museum, The Lighting Practice also designed lighting for a number of sculptures in the exterior garden. Several of Rodin’s most famous works are featured at the museum, including The Thinker and The Burghers of Calais, and in a comprehensive renovation, restoration, and reinstallation in recent years, the experience is now similar to what visitors would have seen when the museum first opened in 1929. “The Rodin Garden is a preamble and a backdrop to the museum sculptures,” says Borden. “The lighting expresses the forms and textures of the garden and structures, and the powerful energy of Rodin’s artistic vision.” In addition to the Rodin Garden, a number of parks and gardens along the parkway have also been established or renovated in the past few years. In 2007, Aviator Park, located next to the Franklin Institute’s Moore College of Art and 36
Design, was redesigned to create a family-friendly oasis with new paved walkways, plantings, benches, trash receptacles, and light fixtures. The following year, Cret Park at Sixteenth Street was created and named for the Rodin Museum architect, Paul Philippe Cret. This beautifully landscaped plaza is a great place to relax with friends, enjoy a cup of coffee, or play a game of chess at the built-in tables. Sister Cities Park, located in front of the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, was reopened in 2012 and features a pavilion that incorporates a number of green elements including geothermal technologies and a green roof. A visitor center, an outdoor children’s discovery garden, a boat pond, and an interactive fountain were also included in the renovations. The multitude of cultural institutions, landmarks, and inviting, open green spaces along the Parkway are a testament to the City of Philadelphia’s dedication to sustainability and community integration. The parkway also exemplifies the role that smart lighting and garden design can play in green building. TF02 Lighting & Garden Design On Philadelphia’s World-Class Parkway
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Proudly showcasing our commitment to a sustainable future while preserving our nationʼs historic past. Located in Independence National Historical Park, the Independence Visitor Center is your gateway to Americaʼs Most Historic Square Mile. We provide visitor services and amenities including a multilingual concierge staff fluent in nine languages, on- site ticketing to over 60 area attractions and tours, regional maps and brochures, and more. 6th & Market Streets 800.537.7676
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Bleeding Green Combining two passions: sports and sustainability
Words Alexandria Yarde Images Eric Hughes
THIS PAGE Lincoln Financial Field has achieved a 99% landfill diversion rate that it credits to its holistic recycling plan in coordination with its service partners. OPPOSITE PAGE The home of the Philadelphia Eagles features a crown of wind turbines that create clean energy.
Athletic Center features rainwater harvesting and lighting control. The Philadelphia Eagles integrated sustainability measures into their everyday operations so that Lincoln Financial Field, which had more than 550,000 visitors in 2012, now diverts 99 percent of its waste from landfills. All of these institutions are incredibly iconic in Philadelphia’s culture. The University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University, both situated in West Philadelphia, are two world-class learning institutions that are also sustainability innovators. Each campus has many examples of green building, cutting-edge energy-management systems, and staff dedicated to campus-wide initiatives. By applying their philosophies
Throughout the country, Philadelphians are known as some of the most dedicated sports fans around, and definitely those most likely to push the envelope. Recently, another seemingly unrelated group has challenged the sports enthusiasts’ passion in Philly: the green builders and facility managers interested in sustainable operations. But these two groups aren’t in competition, rather they’re in collaboration, embarking on efforts to green their sports facilities. The University of Pennsylvania renovated its sports facility—an adaptive reuse project since it’s housed in the 120-year-old Franklin Field— to LEED Gold certification. Drexel University has taken measures to ensure that its
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even to their sports programs, they’re showing their students and others the importance of incorporating sustainable practices into every aspect of daily life. “The George A. Weiss Fitness Pavilion on Penn’s campus, built into the undercroft of the Franklin Field stadium seating, is a great example of innovative adaptive reuse of one of Philadelphia’s most recognized historic structures,” says Dan Garofalo, environmental sustainability director for the University of Pennsylvania. For decades, the arches on the north side of Franklin Field were an iconic image for the stadium, but the only practical use of the space was for parking cars for University of Pennsylvania administration. By constructing a LEED Gold fitness facility in that underused area, the university is using space more efficiently and adding to the complex while keeping its historically important features intact. In south Philadelphia, The Philadelphia Eagles have gone for extra LEED points and not only incorporated some highly visible renewable energy components into their stadium, but also developed a robust sustainable operations plan. Lincoln Financial
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Architects Engineers Interior Designers Planners Irvine New York Philadelphia Washington DC ewingcole.com
Wellness Sustainability Drexel University - Daskalakis Athletic Center
Field’s 68,532-seat stadium is wrapped in solar panels and topped by micro wind turbines. Operational changes have been just as dramatic though less visible to the public. As a facility that regularly hosts high-volume events, the facility has a huge opportunity to compost and recycle, of which it takes full advantage. “We made the decision to green our business practices when we asked ourselves two critical questions,” says Leonard Bonacci, vice president of event services and event operations for the Philadelphia Eagles. “First, how does our business impact the environment and second, what changes can we make to minimize our impact on the environment? We just felt as an organization that we had a duty to our fans and to the people of Philadelphia to better our system.” The recycling program
99%
Landfill diversion rate at the Eagles’ Financial Field in 2013
was a success because Bonacci and his team sat down with their service partners and created a strategy that made it easy for fans and staff to recycle. Once that plan was put in place, the stadium’s diversion from landfills went from just 14 percent in 2004 to diverting 99 percent in 2013. All three sports organizations have recognized the obligation they have to future generations, and they’re using their highly visible and influential positions to make sustainability advocates out of dedicated athletes, students, and fans.
PLEASE VISIT EWINGCOLE AT BOOTH #2412 IN THE 500 MILE PAVILION
TS10 Win-Win Sustainable Sports
“We made the decision to green our business practices when we asked ourselves two critical questions: First, how does our business impact the environment, and second, what changes can we make to minimize our impact on the environment?” Leonard Bonacci, Philadelphia Eagles 39
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Putting Water to Work Revolutionizing municipal storm-water management For more than 200 years, the Philadelphia Water Department (PWD) has contributed to the economic growth, health, and vitality of the Greater Philadelphia region by providing integrated water services. PWD has been nationally and internationally recognized for its long-standing commitment to professionalism, engineering innovation, public health protection, and a sustainable urban environment. While these values have helped PWD establish itself as a trailblazer, the utility is not resting on its laurels. Under the leadership of commissioner Howard Neukrug, PWD has prioritized continuous improvements in its core operations and is putting a new focus on today’s challenges— infrastructure, environment, water supply, river protection, economy, customer affordability, climate change, and sustainable growth—all in the effort to remain America’s utility provider of the future. This innovative vision can be seen throughout Philadelphia’s neighborhoods. One specific example is PWD’s expansion of several of its facilities’ functionality to include energy production to reduce long-range costs and contribute to the region’s overall sustainability. At the Northeast Water Pollution Control Plant, PWD will be creating useful biogas, generated from the anaerobic digestion stage of the sewage treatment process. This highly efficient process burns the biogas, converting 38 percent of the energy to electricity and recapturing 44 percent of the waste heat, resulting in the capture of more than 80 percent of the available energy. This plant produces 43 million kilowatt-hours per year, or 85 percent of the current plant’s requirements for heat
and electrical power, which is enough energy to power 3,700 residential Pennsylvania homes for an entire year. In May 2011, PWD put its first solar installation into operation at the Southeast Water Pollution Control Plant. The medium-sized 250-kilowatt photovoltaic system consists of 1,014 solar panels and produces 300,000 kilowatt-hours per year, which is equivalent to the annual electrical energy requirements of approximately 32 average Pennsylvania homes. “Producing solar energy at this city-owned water treatment plant reduces our greenhouse gas emissions, creates new jobs, and lowers our electricity bill,” said Mayor Michael Nutter in a press release about the installation. “This is a smart investment that will help the city reach the goals set in Greenworks Philadelphia.” In February of 2012, PWD put its Sewage Geothermal Installation into operation, which extracts the thermal energy from the sewage arriving at the plant and uses it to heat the plant’s compressor building. It is the first application in the United States of NovaThermal Energy’s unique, patented geothermal process. This geothermal technology provides a sustainable and cost-effective method for facility heating and cooling that is expected to save PWD $11,000 annually. In 2011, Philadelphia became the first city in the country to receive approval from the EPA to manage storm water primarily through the use of green infrastructure. Through the Green City, Clean Waters (GCCW) program, PWD will invest almost $2 billion over 25 years to green 10,000 acres, or about one third of Philadelphia. In addition to managing storm water, GCCW provides
Words Christine Knapp Images Philadelphia Water Department
“The Big Green Block collects runoff from about 11 acres, removing more than 11 million gallons of runoff from our system on a yearly basis.” Jessica Brooks, Philadelphia Water Department
triple-bottom-line benefits by providing green amenities to neighborhoods. One example is the two-acre Liberty Lands Park. Now a community-managed park, garden, and playground located in Philadelphia’s Northern Liberties neighborhood, the site was a former tannery which closed in 1962. EPA’s Superfund Removal Program removed 1,000 drums and chemical containers and other contaminants and eventually donated the site to the Northern Liberties Neighbors Association for use as a park. In partnership with PWD and others, the park now manages storm-water runoff from 8,000 square feet of adjacent streets through a rain garden, filtering it through a stone bed and delivering it to a series of three inground cisterns. An irrigation system pumps water from the cisterns to irrigate trees and grass at the park. The Big Green Block, another signature community greening effort, is a multi40
component sustainability project at and around Shissler Recreation Center and the Kensington High School for the Creative and Performing Arts. Green projects at the site include storm-water tree trenches and two rain gardens that are designed to manage runoff from approximately 1.2 acres. For PWD, the Big Green Block serves as a model for storm-water management for the rest of the city. “The Big Green Block collects runoff from about 11 acres, removing more than 11 million gallons of runoff from our system on a yearly basis,” says Jessica Brooks, a water resources engineer with PWD. The GCCW project will save the city, and taxpayers in turn, an estimated $8 billion, proving that what’s good for the environment is good for residents too. TS09 Revolutionary Civil Engineering Municipal Stormwater and Wastewater Leadership
INTECH Construction is proud to support the
Delaware Valley Green Building Council and
GREENBUILD 2013
3001 Market Street Philadelphia, PA 19104 Phone (215) 243 2000 www.intechconstruction.com
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Green Schools & Universities
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Campus as Curriculum Four schools prove that a campus facility can double as a teaching tool
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Words Gwen McNamara Images Halkin Mason Photography Jeffrey Totaro Michael Albany Photography for Nason Construction
Across the K-12 and higher education landscapes, gleaming sustainable buildings are now visible showpieces of what green design is all about. But while it’s one thing to build green, it’s another to build a curriculum—and to get students to look at the world in a new way—with green buildings and practices as a centerpiece. In Philadelphia and the surrounding region, four schools and universities are showing how it’s done. At the K-12 level is the Germantown Friends School, whose Sustainable Urban Science Center showcases myriad sustainable design elements that are paired with a unique online and on-site building monitoring system. Its dual touch-screen dashboard, located on the first floor of the center, allows students and faculty to monitor, collect, and store data from the building’s systems in real time, including the photovoltaic array, weather station (with rain gauge, wind speed, and external temperature), water use, and electricity generation and consumption. “It was designed to meet our needs as a science facility, but we felt it was important that it also be a teaching tool,” explained Gen Nelson, head of the science department at the school, in an interview with Philadelphia Neighborhoods. Avery Stern, a 12th-grade student at the school said the dual-flush toilets were her favorite, adding, “I love that it’s ‘practice what you preach’ because we are taught to conserve water.” Just a mile from the Germantown school is William Penn Charter School’s LEED Gold Kurtz Performing Arts Center, which includes a 10,000-square-foot green roof paired with a vortex-type water quality unit under the parking lot to reduce particulates in the water. From these features, water flows to a 9,500-squarefoot infiltration bed under the school’s synthetic turf field where it is released back into the ground. In addition, dual-flush toilets reduce water use and open space on-site helps manage storm water. The building boasts high-efficiency heating and ventilation, and its cupolas—a design element that echoes Penn
THIS PAGE The Germantown Friends School features multiple living roofs and water cisterns and a weather station to help teach kids about Philly’s climate.
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THIS SPREAD The LEED Gold Kurtz Center for the Performing Arts at William Penn Charter School has a 10,000-squarefoot green roof planted with sedums above the auditorium.
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ABOVE The Kurtz Center’s acoustical ceiling tiles, window frames, and doors are all made from recycled content. BELOW The Center for Sustainability, Energy Efficiency and Design (SEED) at Philadelphia University reused a 40-year-old building.
Stormwater Partnership—a collaboration of industry and institutional, municipal, and community leadership to advance the evolving field of sustainable storm-water management—is breaking new ground. Founded in 2002 by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and Villanova University’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, the partnership is involving students in real-world exercises while sharing academic insight with the greater community. Through thought-provoking learning seminars, on-theground research, and on- and off-campus projects involving technologies such as porous pavement and green roofs, the partnership is fostering new research on innovative storm-water best-management practices, directed studies, and technology transfer and education. Philadelphia University sets an equally high bar for sustainable achievement, but its bachelor’s degree in environmental sustainability and master’s degree in sustainable design raise it even higher. Both programs elevate sustainable education, inspiring the next generation of architects, builders, designers, and leaders
Charter’s iconic tower—save energy by creating a natural ventilation pattern for both cool and hot air. The building also incorporates wind energy as a power source and makes use of many local materials including schist and slate. Within the realm of higher education, the environmental commitment of Villanova University runs deep. The university has created a culture of sustainability from multiple LEED-certified buildings to sustainable food service operations, but its Villanova Urban
“The SEED Center is an example of how built projects and academic curriculum can come together to support student learning in a very tangible way.” Rob Fleming, Philadelphia University 48
to think differently. With industry partnerships, students build problem-solving skills to develop market-driven innovations and become leaders in economic, environmental, and societal sustainability. The combination of curricular and operational excellence recently earned Philadelphia University the APPA Leadership in Educational Facilities 2013 Sustainability Award making Philadelphia University the fourth university in the US to receive such an honor. For these programs, Philadelphia University constructed the LEED Gold-certified Center for Sustainability, Energy Efficiency and Design (SEED) as a outward extension of its inward mission. Rob Fleming, the director of the master’s degree program in sustainable design at Philadelphia University, says, “The [facility] is our test bed for student design projects, interactive technologies and emerging teaching methodologies. The SEED Center is an example of how built projects and academic curriculum can come together to support student learning in a very tangible way.” TM04 Campus as Curriculum A Teaching Tool at Any Age: College & K-12 Campus Tours
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Mirenda Center, Neumann University - LEED Silver
Founders Hall, Widener University - LEED Silver
Harriton High School
Carpenters Union, Training Center - Pending LEED Silver
KCBA is proud to support the 2013 Greenbuild Conference
Paul J. Sweeney, Public Safety Building - LEED Silver
T E V E B A U G H A S S O C I AT E S
215.368.5806 www.kcba-architects.com
W W W. T E V E B A U G H . C O M
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Green Ribbon Schools Bold choices for more sustainable education Words Gwen McNamara Images Halkin Mason Photography Jeffery Totaro Springfield School District
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What’s better than a gold star or an A+? Try a green ribbon. Through the US Department of Education’s Green Ribbon Schools (GRS) program, schools and districts across the country are being rewarded for their exemplary efforts to reduce environmental impact and utility costs, promote better health, and ensure effective environmental education. In the suburbs of Philadelphia, three noteworthy GRS award recipients and applicants are making a difference for students and the environment. At the Lower Merion School District (LMSD) in Ardmore, Pennsylvania—one of only 14 school districts in the country to receive the first-ever GRS District Sustainability Award in 2013— forward-thinking use of alternative fuels, green cleaning, and a robust K-12 environ-
mental education program sets the district apart. LMSD has been a leader in the use of alternative fuels in transportation since 1995 when it became the first in Pennsylvania to add compressed natural gas to its vehicle fleet. Today, it has the largest fleet of compressed natural gas school buses on the East Coast. At the same time, LMSD’s nationally recognized Green Cleaning Program keeps students safe and healthy. Overall, more than 80 percent of the annual cleaning budget is allocated for the most environmentally friendly or environmentally preferable alternatives improving indoor air quality, reducing exposure to harmful contaminants, reducing particle, chemical and moisture residue from cleaning, and minimizing waste and impact on the environment. “We view sustainability
THIS PAGE With its LEED-NC Gold certification, Harriton High School helped the Lower Merion School District become one of just 14 districts nationwide to receive a Green Ribbon Schools District Sustainability Award.
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PhiladelphiaFutures TOP The Springfield Literacy Center in Springfield, PA, incorporates the environment into teaching with a greenhouse, ecology gardens, and an outdoor green-roof classroom. BOTTOM At Radnor Middle School in Wayne, PA, a long-term watershed study replaces typical seventh-grade curriculum for a group of lucky students.
as a core responsibility of the school system and an essential element of our strategic plan,” says LMSD superintendent Dr. Christopher McGinley in a statement on the district’s website. “As we prepare students for a successful future, we must do all we can to ensure that future includes a clean, healthy, thriving environment.” Radnor Middle School in Wayne, Pennsylvania, also did a LEED Silver remodel that saves thousands of gallons of water each year, and the innovative seventh-grade curriculum centered on the local watershed garnered the school a 2012 GRS award. Recognized both nationally and internationally, the Watershed Program at Radnor began in 1987 and has since replaced the traditional seventh-grade curriculum. Each year students are selected for admission into the Watershed Program through a lottery process. Students take only a few other classes with other students in their grade, and instead spend the bulk of the day together, learning social studies, science, and other subjects through the comprehensive study of a local watershed, including classroom activities and site visits. Students are encouraged to collect, keep, and share firsthand experience and information about watersheds with special emphasis on what it means to live sustainably in the 21st century. With such innovative education happening in a LEED Silver building, the entire school benefits. “[The
“Preparing students for success in the 21st-century economy begins in our schools.”
Green Ribbon Schools] honor is a testament to the commitment of the entire Radnor community to environmentally conscious living,” said Linda Grobman, Radnor Township School District superintendent, in a news release. “Without the community’s support and dedicated work of teachers, students, parents, and administrators, this incredible accomplishment would not have been possible.” But what about our youngest pupils? The Springfield Literacy Center, a LEED Gold school for kindergarten and first grade students in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, is fostering collaborative learning through an environmental experience. From its alphabet walk, greenhouse, and demonstration ecology gardens to its biofiltration area, outdoor green roof classroom, sculpture garden, and recycling station, the school lives and breathes connection with the natural world and sustainable design
Nancy Sutley, White House Council on Environmental Quality
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elements become educational tools. Rain chains transfer storm water from the roof to a bioswale and offer lesson opportunities. A tree house classroom promotes discovery as students experience the tree canopy overlooking a natural gorge. Inside, expansive windows provide transparency and blend interior and exterior educational spaces to reinforce a strong link with the natural environment and allow natural light deep into interior spaces. “Preparing students for success in the 21st-century economy begins in our schools,” said Nancy Sutley, chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, at the 2013 GSR award ceremony. “The schools and districts [we honor] are modeling the best practices in reducing environmental impact and cutting costs, creating a healthier learning environment, and providing students with an education geared toward the jobs of the future.”
CLIMATE ACTION PLAN * LEARNING SUSTAINABILITY * CONSERVING ENERGY * DESIGNING GREEN * MINIMIZING WASTE * REDUCING EMISSIONS * SUSTAINABLE PURCHASING PRACTICES * TREE CAMPUS USA DESIGNATION *EPA GREEN POWER CHALLENGE WINNER * PHILADELPHIA PRESERVATION ALLIANCE AWARD * PRESERVATION PA AWARD * SIERRA CLUB COOL SCHOOLS * SCUP MERIT AWARD IN ARCHITECTURE ADDITION/RENOVATION * CREATING CANOPY TREE GIVEAWAYS * POWER DOWN CHALLENGE * RETHINK YOUR FOOTPRINT WASTE MINIMIZATION CAMPAIGN * GREEN FUND GRANTS * GREEN OFFICE CERTIFICATION * GREEN LABS GUIDELINES * ECO REPS * M.I. (MOVE-IN) GREEN * PENN GREEN PRE-ORIENTATION * GREEN LIVING DORM ROOM CERTIFICATION * INTEGRATING SUSTAINABILITY ACROSS THE CURRICULUM * COMPOST TEA FERTILIZER * MANAGED PRINT INITIATIVE * OZONE WASHING MACHINES * GREEN TO GO DINING * FOOD COMPOSTING * BIG BELLY SOLAR COMPACTORS *GREEN VOTE APP * ENERGY WIDGET * BIKE REPAIR STATIONS * PENNCYCLE BIKE SHARE * BEN’S ATTIC SURPLUS PROPERTY EXCHANGE * PENNMOVES * DIGITAL SHOWER TIMERS *PROPANE FUELING STATIONS * GREEN CLEANING * GREEN ACORN RETAIL CERTIFICATION * OCCUPANCY SENSORS * FARMER’S MARKET * GREEN RENOVATIONS GUIDELINES * STORMWATER MASTERPLAN * GREEN ROOFS * SINGH CENTER FOR NANOTECHNOLOGY * SMILOW CENTER FOR TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH * PERELMAN CENTER FOR ADVANCED MEDICINE * MORRIS ARBORETUM HORTICULTURE CENTER * GOLKIN HALL * MUSIC BUILDING * WEISS PAVILION * SHOEMAKER GREEN * PENN PARK * KANE PLAZA * JOE’S CAFÉ * WHARTON WEST LEED PLATINUM * LEED GOLD * LEED SILVER* LEED CI * SUSTAINABLE SITES INITIATIVE
COLLABORATING FOR A SUSTAINABLE TOMORROW
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Majoring in Minimum Impact The University of Pennsylvania educates in and out of class Words Emily Schapira Images David Lamb Photography University of Pennsyvania Communications
THIS PAGE University of Pennsylvania’s Penn Park transformed 14 acres of an industrial brownfield site into a usable space for the university and other entities. OPPOSITE PAGE Penn developed its own Climate Action Plan in 2009, and its LEED Gold Music Building, opened in 2010, was detailed in the university’s 2011 progress report.
ship as well as the Environmental Sustainability Advisory Committee, the university signed the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment. By signing the pledge, Penn committed to reducing greenhouse emissions associated with its facilities and operations. Penn’s master plan is articulated through Penn Connects 2.0, a land-use and urban design campus plan that informs the development process. The plan recommends creating civic and open space,
The University of Pennsylvania is an Ivy League institution nestled in the University City section of West Philadelphia. Penn is the region’s largest employer, and with more than 24,000 students and a substantial footprint in the city, it has been a leading force in sustainable development. The university is one of the region’s largest users of energy and resources, as well as one of the largest green power purchasers in the country. Since 2006, Penn has formed the Green Campus Partner-
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identifying development zones, and improving physical connections for pedestrians, cars, and bicycles. Penn Connects endorses a sustainable approach to development that includes a long-term plan for carbon reduction, reduction in energy consumption with high-performance buildings, smart land-use planning, increased open space, enhanced transportation, storm-water management solutions, and improved recycling practices. The details of these recommendations are included in Penn’s
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2009 Climate Action Plan. As part of Penn’s sustainability efforts, strategic stewardship has transformed brownfield sites into playing fields, renovated historic structures into state-of-the-art learning centers, and revitalized the surrounding community with safe streets. Across their 302-acre urban campus, Penn has moved the needle on green cleaning, storm-water management, the use of new chilled beam technology, a focus on healthy interiors, and world-class design. “Penn is a leader in sustainable design,”
says Dan Garofalo, Penn’s environmental sustainability director. “The University’s Climate Action Plan has created a blueprint for our faculty, staff, and students to reduce their campus footprint. Similarly, the LEED rating system is an important tool for ensuring that the environmental and energy performance from our facilities meets our high standards.” Of the many sustainable facilities at the University of Pennsylvania, highlights include the LEED Gold Music School renovation, the LEED
Silver-expecting new addition at Wharton’s Steinberg-Dietrich Hall, Penn Park, Shoemaker Green, and the Annenberg Public Policy Center. Previously a surface parking lot owned by the US Postal Service, Penn Park has been transformed into 24 acres of athletic fields, open recreational space, and pedestrian connections south of Walnut Street on the eastern edge of Penn’s campus. The park increased Penn’s green space by 20 percent, and created a new pedestrian gateway that united West Philadelphia and Center City. Penn Park has myriad sustainable features, including landscaping with native and adapted flora and more than 500 trees. The athletic fields are self-irrigating permeable synthetic turf fields, which do not require mowing, fertilizing, or irrigation. The system also lets rainwater drain through into underground cisterns for reuse in an on-site irrigation system. State-of-theart, energy-efficient lighting saves 300,000 watts of energy per hour, and includes shielding to prevent light pollution. Materials uncovered during site preparation have been repurposed on-site as fill, including old cobblestones,
“The LEED rating system is an important tool for ensuring that the environmental and energy performance from our facilities meets our high standards.” Dan Garofalo, University of Pennsylvania
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curbing, and asphalt millings. Shoemaker Green is a pilot project for the Sustainable SITES Initiative (the ASLA’s landscape-certification program) and incorporates numerous sustainable elements within a space once occupied by six paved tennis courts. The site was previously a greyfield and is now planted with a central lawn of drought-tolerant trees. Philadelphia-based landscape architecture design firm, Andropogon Associates, included a rain garden, porous pavers, and a 20,000-gallon cistern for rainwater reuse. Although not a LEED-certified project, the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the university has a number of sustainable features including a double skin wall that acts as an insulating airlock and provides ventilation with outside air. Garofalo says, “Penn’s Platinum, Gold, and Silver-rated buildings are a testament to our commitment to creating healthy, daylit, and energy-efficient spaces in which our community members learn, teach, research, work, and live.” TS03
TM05
Majoring in Minimum Impact The University of Pennsylvania Master Plan
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The ABC’s of LEED High-performing schools in urban school districts
THIS PAGE The playground at Greenfield Elementary School was conceptualized to use as little pavement as possible. Viridian Landscape Group, the project design team, also incorporated student feedback into the layout.
Ask someone to picture a green school, and they will most likely think of a new school. But as more school districts grapple with budget cuts and older buildings, they are finding that a focus on the performance of existing schools is a more obtainable and cost-effective strategy. The dual challenges of tight finances and old buildings have been even more pronounced within urban school districts. So for better or worse, they have been the front-runners in this approach. The School District of Philadelphia’s strategies have included participation in the USGBC LEED-EB pilot program in Oak Lane, a turnkey project to downsize an underperforming high school in Frankford. The district also worked on greening schoolyards in Center City, South Philadelphia, and West Philadelphia. “The School District of Philadelphia is a model for taking scarce resources and transforming schools,” says Chloe Bendistis, sustainability project manager at The Sheward Partnership, an architecture firm based in Philadelphia. The first step is to start with schools where students, parents, teachers, and administrators are already engaged in environmental stewardship and find ways 56
Words Linda Dottor Images Halkin Mason Photography The Sheward Partnership Viridian Landscape Group
to keep them involved. The School District of Philadelphia saw school engagement as a key factor in getting Thurgood Marshall School accepted into the LEED-EB pilot program. “The school had a receptive building engineer and maintenance staff … and a tight community of teachers and parents,” says Bendistis. The community’s commitment to improving the school’s energy performance was instrumental to adjusting operations and maintenance practices and monitoring performance for the program. Next, engage everyone in the design process. Tavis Dockwiller, a principal of Viridian Landscape Studio, included students, parents, teachers, community
“All the adults thought they had the answers, but the kids knew inherently what to do.” Tavis Dockwiller, Viridian Landscape Studio
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leaders, and public agencies in design workshops for Greenfield Elementary School’s new sustainable schoolyard, but the students brought special insights. “A large piece of planning for the site was around the question, ‘How much pavement can we take away?’” Dockwiller says. The students explained how they used the playground and even volunteered to reorient their kickball games, which helped the design team map out the rain garden and other green improvements. “All the adults thought they had the answers, but the kids knew inherently what to do.” The push to green existing school facilities coincided with several new sustainability initiatives in Philadelphia. Existing buildings and campuses were recognized as a resource for meeting the new benchmarks for energy efficiency, storm-water management, and green open space outlined in the city’s Greenworks and Green City, Clean Waters plans. Campus greening projects have been a particularly good fit; many are being funded in part through grants from the Philadelphia Water Department, Philadelphia Parks and Recreation, the Trust for Public Land, the EPA, and the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary. If you do decide to build new, get the biggest bang for your buck. The Kensington High School for the Creative and Performing Arts (KCAPA) is an example of where the School District of Philadelphia chose to invest in sustainable new construction. The district added a high-performance facility while downsizing a large, underperforming high school, redevelop a long-vacant property, provide an anchor for a revitalizing commercial corridor, and bring new learning opportunities to an underserved neighborhood. Sustainable buildings and landscapes introduce a different aesthetic into cities and often require a “cooperative conversation” between schools and the surrounding community. Cook-Wissahickon Elementary School’s recent shift from a “mowing regimen” to a meadow is a good example. Just installed over the summer,
the meadow has received a wary response from some neighbors. “It’s a big change for the neighborhood to have an alternative landscape,” says Dockwiller. As the meadow blossoms, she’s convinced, it will win a new group of advocates for native landscapes in the city. In the long run, the students themselves are the best ambassadors. Tying sustainable projects and practices to the school’s curriculum gives them the necessary tools to bring green living into their homes and neighborhoods. A parent at Thurgood Marshall School reports that an upswing in recycling occurred on his block after students brought their school’s practices home. TF09 The ABC’s of LEED Achieving High Performance in Urban School Districts
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ABOVE LEFT Viridian Landscape Group partnered with SMP Architects, Meliora Environmental Design, and the Greening of Greenfield Committee to create a dynamic schoolyard for the elementary school. ABOVE RIGHT Cook-Wissahickon School installed a meadow in place of its typical mowed lawn in summer 2013. BELOW To reach LEED Platinum, Kensington High School installed a geothermal heating and cooling system and green roofs that cover 45% of the building.
PhiladelphiaGreen
Map of Places Where to to find the projects detailed in this book
PHILADELPHIA REGION 1 Ambler Boiler House, 63 2 Eagleview, 112 707 Eagleview Boulevard, 112 747 Constitution Avenue, 112 Bernard Hankin Building, 112 3 Germantown Friends School, 45 Sustainable Urban Science Center, 45 4 Harriton High School, 51 5 Hazel House, 108 6 Knight Green Jobs Center, 86 7 Knoll Facility, 82 8 Lankenau Medical Center Patient Tower Expansion, 66 9 Longwood Gardens, 28 10 Morris Arboretum, 23 11 Northeast Water Pollution Control Plant, 40 12 Radnor Middle School, 52 13 Revolution Recovery, 86 14 Richard S. Burns & Company Facility, 86 15 Springfield Literacy Center, 52 16 Stroud Water Research Center, 28 Moorhead Environmental Complex, 31 17 Thurgood Marshall School, 56 18 Vertical Screen Offices, 62 19 Villanova University, 48 20 White Clay Creek, 31 21 Philadelphia University, 48 Center for Sustainability, Energy Efficiency and Design, 48 Cook-Wissahickon Elementary School, 57 William Penn Charter School Kurtz Performing Arts Center, 45
Philadelphia comprises 142 square miles, and sustainable efforts aren’t confined to one neighborhood or even the city. These maps, on which you’ll find every project mentioned in this book, show the far-reaching influence of green building in the region. Editor’s Note: Listings in gray are near or adjacent to preceding sites.
DOWNTOWN
309
100
East Greenville
Lake Noxamixon
Noxamixon State Park
Quakertown
22 2.0 University Place, 26 23 801 Market Street, 74 24 Bartram’s Garden, 22 25 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, 25, 33 Barnes Foundation, 25, 33 Rodin Museum, 25, 33 26 Berks Hewson, 92, 106 27 Cira Centre, 70 The Hub, 70 SCA America Offices, 70 28 Connelly House, 99 29 Cooper University Hospital, 66 30 Divine Lorraine Hotel, 108 JBJ Soul Homes, 102
313
476 32
7
202
Dublin 611
413
New Hope
Sellersville 313
32 202
Green Lane 611
Souderton
Doylestown 202
309
611
476 100
413
Chalfont
95 532 31
Schenksville
206 295
Pottstown
Landsdale
422
Yardley Tyler State Park
Warrington 132
422
Bucktown
202
95
32
TRENTON, NJ
33
Morrisville
Warminster
18
Evansburg State Park
Collegeville
Spring City
Newtown
309
North Wales
73
eek ark
1 29
206 1
Hatboro
195
29
Langhorne 532
Eagleville
1
Ambler
Phoenixville
BUS 1
611
476
276
276
100
276
Norristown 276
309
10 76
76
Malvern
30
Sc
19
4
hu
30
ill
Riv
er
21
Narberth
3 1
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31 Drexel University, 31, 38, 68 Academy of Natural Sciences, 33 Papadakis Integrated Sciences Facility, 68 32 Fairmount Park, 23 33 Fairmount Water Works, 36 34 Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, 18, 85 35 Greenfield Elementary School, 57 36 Icehouse Development, 95 37 Independence National Historic Park, 17 Congress Hall, 18 Hotel Monaco, 18 Independence Hall, 18 Independence Visitor Center, 20 Liberty Bell, 17 Old City Hall, 18 38 Kensington High School for the Creative and Performing Arts, 25, 40, 57, 106 39 Liberty Lands Park, 40 40 Lincoln Financial Field, 38 41 Lenfest Plaza, 14 42 Logan Square, 14 Free Library of Philadelphia, 33 Franklin Institute, 33 Aviator Park, 36 43 Love Park / JFK Plaza, 14
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Friends Center, 95 74 Comcast Center, 74 Jones Lang LaSalle Offices, 70 Cret Park, 36 44 Modules at Temple Town, 101 45 Moore College of Art and Design, 36 46 Paseo Verde, 102 47 PECO Building, 75 48 Penn Park, 21, 55 49 Pennsylvania Convention Center, 14 50 Pennsylvania Hospital, 66 51 Philadelphia City Hall, 33 Avenue of the Arts, 99
52 Philadelphia Museum of Art, 14, 25, 33 53 Philadelphia Navy Yard, 78, 82 151 Warner Road, 104 Building 661, 78 Energy Efficient Buildings Hub, 78, 85 GridSTAR Center, 79 Tasty Baking Company Facility, 82 54 Philadelphia Zoo, 23 Faris Family Education Center, 23 Hamilton Family Children’s Zoo, 23 55 Rag Flats, 90, 106 56 Rittenhouse Square, 14, 98 Curtis Institute of Music, 99
Lenfest Hall, 99 57 Shissler Recreation Center, 40, 107 58 Sister Cities Park, 14, 36 Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter & Paul, 33 59 Southeast Water Pollution Control Plant, 40 60 Stable Flats, 95, 100 61 Temple University, 102 Morgan Residence Hall, 102 62 Thin Flats, 92, 106 63 University City Science Center, 68 64 University of Pennsylvania, 20, 38, 54, 68 Annenberg Public Policy Center, 55 Franklin Field, 38
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George A. Weiss Fitness Pavilion, 38 Penn Medicine Washington Square, 66 Richards Medical Research Laboratories, 68 Shoemaker Green, 20, 55 Steinberg-Dietrich Hall, 55 Translational Research Lab, 68 65 US Customs House, 18 Carpenter’s Hall, 17 66 Weccacoe Flats, 101 67 Yards Brewing Co. Tasting Room, 107
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Office Environments of the Future The power of the LEED Platinum workplace
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Words Gwen McNamara Images Don Pearse Photographers Anthony D’Orazio, Vertical Screen
Each year, the average American spends more than 2,200 hours at work, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports. For employees lucky enough to work in two LEED Platinum office buildings outside Philadelphia, innovative and sustainable design strategies are making all that time a lot more pleasant. In Ambler, Pennsylvania, what was a vacant, deteriorating industrial building has become a vibrant example of adaptive reuse and sustainable design. Built in 1897, the Ambler Boiler House served as a plant for asbestos-manufacturer Keasbey & Mattison until the company suffered the effects of the Great Depression. Left vacant in the 1970s, the 48,000-square-foot building was eventually declared a brownfield and mandated for remediation by the EPA. Today the facility has been completely revitalized, earning LEED Platinum certification in its new life as a multitenant office building that sits adjacent to Ambler’s regional rail station. Ten years in the making, the transformation of the iconic building hit several setbacks and false starts, but in 2011, Summit Realty Advisors found the final piece of financing
needed to complete the $16 million project in the form of a $2.5 million EnergyWorks grant. The project is now a model of how adaptive reuse can be paired with smart, modern office design. The project has all the hallmarks of a LEED Platinum building: preservation and reuse of the masonry shell and roof truss system, a geothermal heat pump with 53 wells, low-VOC interior finishes, bike racks and changing rooms, and a greywater system. But what drives the success of the project is how all these features come together to revive what was a blighted, environmentally degraded eyesore. “Perhaps the more interesting sustainable aspect of this project is its very nature,” said Matt Heckendorn, a principal at Heckendorn Shiles Architects, in a recent interview with Hidden City Philadelphia. “The design objective, and challenge, was the marriage of this remarkable vestige of Ambler’s industrial past with the needs of a Class A office space. We redeveloped a deteriorating and graffiti-strewn brownfield, adaptively reused a beautiful and historic industrial shell, and provided a
LEFT The now LEED Platinum-certified Ambler Boiler House was once an old asbestos manufacturing facility. Today its offices are full of healthful interior finishes.
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ABOVE Heckedorn Shiles Architects kept the iconic 140-foot smokestack at the old boiler house, but also made many modern changes, including installing a 54-well geothermal heating and cooling system.
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THIS PAGE The Westminster, PA, campus of Vertical Screen, an applicant screening firm, has a 900-panel photovoltaic array on its roof that produces 163 kilowatts per year, fulfilling about 20% of the building’s energy needs.
new workplace within a two-minute walk of the SEPTA train station.” Just ten miles away, in Warminster, Pennsylvania, a completely different LEED Platinum office project demonstrates how new construction can honor the past while aiming toward the future. The aerodynamic Vertical Screen building fits the forward-thinking attitude of its tenant, one of the world’s leading applicant screening firms. “We worked to shape Tony D’Orazio’s vision to create a new corporate paradigm focused on both corporate and personal commitments to sustainability,” says Scott Erdy, a principal at Erdy McHenry Architecture. “As a new take on the ‘corporate cathedral,’ here the employees have the best views and are immersed in a healthy, ecologically minded environment: employee workstations are placed in a singular high-bay volume that is filled with clean air, light, and views to the surrounding landscape.” A knockout in both form and function, the building is located on a former airfield. Its hangar shape is an intentional reference to the site’s aeronautical past, but that’s where the historic reflection ends. Inside, an open office plan gives Vertical Screen ultimate flexibility. The interior’s vast scale is tempered with interior greenroofed conference rooms mixed among 64
workstations. A single vertical tower near the all-glass north wall is covered in vines, providing a constant supply of fresh air. Given permission to “go all-out” by D’Orazio, Erdy and his team gave the company the greenest possible office building with geothermal wells, a white reflective roof topped with solar panels, heat-deflecting glass, automatic daylighting controls, and under-floor, user-controlled air-conditioning. Overall, the building is expected to use about half the energy of a conventional office. To reduce waste, D’Orazio provides employees with aluminum water bottles and is planning to compost the food leftovers from the cafeteria. A company garden is in place as well. Such strategies have paid off; the project achieved the ninth highest LEEDNC rating in the world. As office design continues to evolve, the Ambler Boiler House and the Vertical Screen buildings are examples of the success possible when energy-saving measures and green technologies aren’t just afterthoughts but actually woven into the fabric of a project’s design.
TS04 Putting America Back to Work Office Environments for the Jobs of the Future
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Design for Patients and Planet Healthcare systems at the forefront of sustainability
Good health has always been a goal of green building. One reason we take care of the planet is so that it can better support living things, so it might seem surprising that healthcare projects were somewhat late adopters of sustainability principles. There are many factors that contributed to this slow adoption including the fact that healthcare design and construction is highly regulated, and many medical facilities require 24/7/365 operation. In addition, they are equipment intensive, highly technical, and expensive to construct and operate, resulting in an energy load nearly twice the size of non-medical 24-hour facilities. Fortunately, the healthcare design and construction community has risen to the challenge. In 2002, the Green Guide for Healthcare was published, defining best practices that had been incorporated into projects by the design community informally over the years. More recently, LEED for Healthcare made use of many of the tenets initially identified in the Green Guide. Healthcare administrators began calling for sustainable design when research indicated that patients with access to daylight, views of nature, and fresh air heal faster and experience shorter hospital stays and fewer return visits. “We have made a commitment to ourselves and the community that we will do everything within our power to build sustainable buildings and incorporate as many LEED elements as possible,” says JoAnn Magnatta, senior vice president of facilities design and construction at Main Line Health, a Philadelphia-area hospital network. Simultaneously, the cost premium for green design has fallen over time. A Perkins+Will team found last November that of 15 LEED-certified hospitals completed between 2010 and 2012, those more than 100,000 square feet in area reported a “green premium” of less than one percent. For hospitals smaller in size, the premium was still low, at 2.1 percent. This is down from an average premium of 2.4 percent from a similar sample taken five years earlier. Medical centers in the Greater Philadelphia Region are among those leading the way for sustainable healthcare design
and construction. Main Line Health incorporates sustainable design solutions into all of its campus renovation and construction projects. Its new Lankenau Medical Center Patient Tower Expansion is targeting LEED Silver certification and will be a state-of-the-art facility that incorporates green technologies and evidence-based design. The building’s green features will include a 16,000-square-foot green roof, a green cleaning program, and local products and materials. It is designed to use 20 percent less energy and 25 percent less water than a comparable building. At Cooper University Hospital, the relationship between providing healing environments and designing sustainable buildings have been interwoven in its new cancer center, featuring a sustainable facility and a healing garden for patients. Cooper University Hospital is a Planetree hospital focused on putting patients first, and the healing garden, which features a water-wall fountain, evergreen trees, sculptures, and a variety of flowers, exemplifies this commitment. University of Pennsylvania Health System’s medical office building, Penn Medicine Washington Square (PMWS), located at Eighth and Walnut streets, 66
Words Michael Brookshier Images RTKL.com
THIS PAGE The new patient tower at Lankenau Medical Center, a part of the Main Line Health group, will use 20% less energy, 25% less building water, and 65% less irrigation water than a comparable building of its size.
has embraced LEED not only for energy savings, but also for the health of its patients. PMWS is a build-to-suit project that acknowledges the needs of the current medical user while allowing adaptive flexibility for future tenants. Healthcare in Philadelphia has a long history and a big impact. Pennsylvania Hospital celebrated its 262nd anniversary this May, and four of the seven largest employers in Philadelphia are hospitals. Recognizing the intrinsic benefits of green design, the Philadelphia healthcare design and construction community has worked in cooperation with medical professionals and hospital administrators to create buildings that support the healing process. TS05 Innovations in Healthcare Design Healthy Hospitals and Bottom-Lines
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Exploring LEED Labs Inside four research facilities in University City The Philadelphia region is home to innumerable worldclass research facilities, but the fresh-air requirements of many research buildings provide substantial challenges when it comes to incorporating sustainability practices— particularly energy efficiency. The University City neighborhood, however, is home to Drexel University, the University of Pennsylvania, and four particularly strong examples of sustainable research facilities that represent diverse institutional approaches to LEED design for labs. The University of Pennsylvania’s Translational Research Lab, designed by Rafael Viñoly Architects and certified LEED-NC Silver, serves as an example of a sustainably repurposed building. Programming includes biomedical laboratories, research facilities, offices, and spaces dedicated to imaging. The Translational Research Lab showcases site planning, design, materials selection, daylighting strategies, healthy ABOVE and OPPOSITE Translational Research Lab at the University of Pennsylvania BELOW LEFT Papadakis Integrated Sciences Facility at Drexel University BELOW RIGHT University City Science Center
building initiatives, and best practices for its successful repurposing of a building on an urban university campus. The 14-story extension puts both research and clinical functions in one building, which encourages connectivity between scientific investigation and patient care. The design of this building features louvered windows in the vivarium levels, which bring natural daylight into the spaces. To accommodate changing research assignments, lab modules were used to provide a high level of adaptability. This allows the building to remain sufficient for different uses for a longer period of time, hopefully giving the center a longer lifespan. Nearby, on Penn’s leafy campus is the Richards Medical Research Laboratories building, designed by world-famous architect Louis Kahn. This National Historic Landmark was recently renovated and achieved LEED-CI. Originally built in the early 1960s, the project is a significant example of adaptive reuse of an iconic modern structure that was no longer well-suited for its original purpose. Drexel University’s nearby campus is home to the LEED Gold Papadakis Integrated Sciences Facility. It is the school’s first LEED-certified
building and features the country’s first living wall in an academic institution. Designed by Nedlaw Living Walls, the feature naturally cools the interior space during the warmer months by using the plants’ respiratory characteristics and in the winter acts much like a humidifier. Spanning five stories in an atrium adjacent to a curved staircase, the installation improves indoor air quality and beautifies the space. The building façades offer wellplaced fenestrations that flood the spaces with natural light, promoting a healthy work environment while also encouraging less dependence on electricity to brighten interior spaces. Nearby is the University City Science Center’s LEED
Words Shila Griffith and Janet Milkman Images Bruce Damonte, Courtesy of Rafael Viñoly Architects Conrad Erb, Courtesy of the University City Science Center Drexel University
Gold research facility at 3711 Market Street. A high-performance building envelope is complemented by a 35,000-square-foot vegetative roof, which provides another layer of insulation while also managing storm water, an important feature. Efforts were made to increase daylighting for all tenants, and many of the materials have high recycled content and are low-VOC to improve indoor air quality. The 10-story building opened in 2008 and is full of wet labs, workspaces, and offices for companies in the life sciences and technology markets. As the nation’s oldest urban research park, the Science Center has launched nearly 350 tech-oriented companies including SEI, Centocor, Bentley Systems, 3-D Pharmaceuticals, and Morphotek. Drexel and Penn continue to take research and innovation—and their necessary facilities—to a new level, incorporating sustainability measures in construction and renovation projects that significantly lower both environmental and human health impacts and provide for productive working environments. TF10 State-of-the-Art Research Facilities University City District Labs
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THIS PAGE The labs within the Translational Research Center at the University of Pennsylvania host both research and clinical functions in one building to encourage connectivity. The building also features ample natural light and indoor bike racks.
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Insider Knowledge Philly firms lead the way to greener office interiors Words Jessica Nixon Images Christopher Barrett Don Pearse Photographers WRT Design
THIS PAGE The Philadelphia offices of Jones Lang LaSalle received LEED-CI Platinum certification, which was the company’s first Platinum certification in the Americas.
When pursuing LEED for Commercial Interiors, companies can show their dedication to sustainability by incorporating it into their everyday office environments. For a number of firms in Philadelphia, this certification has been a natural choice given the nature of their work, their clientele, and the image they want to project to the public. Firms such as WRT Design, Jones Lang LaSalle, SCA America, and The Hub at Cira Centre all have prioritized LEED-CI spaces, which in turn demonstrates the impact that green building practices can have on an organization, its employees, and the environment. WRT Design is a national collaborative practice of city and regional planners, urban designers, landscape architects, and architects. It has strong
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roots in sustainability and its members believe people “can learn planning and design principles from natural processes.” This belief originated from founder Ian McHarg’s seminal book, Design with Nature, which has influenced a generation of environmental planners and designers as well as the public at large. Not surprisingly, WRT’s headquarters was the first LEED-CI certified office in Philadelphia. In true integrated fashion, not a detail was overlooked—even the waste bins are made from recycled carpet tiles. Another Philadelphia first was achieved by Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL), a leading financial and professional services firm specializing in real estate. “Jones Lang LaSalle has long been a leader in delivering the most innovative green services for our clients and advising on
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ABOVE LEFT The headquarters for SCA Americas, a hygiene and paper products company, received its LEED-CI Gold certification in 2006. ABOVE RIGHT The dynamic staircase in SCA’s offices may steal the show, but EwingCole’s design also features daylighting, materials recycling, and water-reduction strategies. BELOW The offices of landscape architecture firm WRT (Wallace, Roberts & Todd) were the first in Philadelphia to receive LEED-CI certification.
ways to maximize their investments in sustainability, and our office’s LEED certification is clear testament to the fact that we practice what we preach,” says Michael McCurdy, market director of JLL Philadelphia. “We’re delighted and proud to be the leading firm in Center City to achieve Platinum certification for LEEDCI in our own office and look forward to partnering with clients to ensure they realize the environmental impact, energy, and cost reductions of a robust sustainability program.” SCA America, headquartered at the Cira Centre, has more than 78,000 square feet of LEED-CI Gold-certified space. In 2008, it was honored with a Livable Building Award from the University of California–Berkeley’s Center for the Built Environment for being one of the first
projects in the country to achieve LEED Gold for Commercial Interiors. For SCA, its commitment to sustainability is people-centric, something that was evident from its award survey results, which focused on employee satisfaction with indoor environmental quality. Employee satisfaction ranked above 90 percent in all categories. SCA wrote in its submittal for the UC-Berkeley award that employees are proud to work in the new office space and routinely bring friends in to visit, and that the program simply sounded like the right thing for the comapny to do as a business. The Hub is a leader in the meetings and events industry and is the only privately held, LEED-certified meeting facility in the United States. A neighbor of SCA in the Cira Centre and boasting LEED-CI Silver certification, the Hub provides unique meeting and events facilities throughout the city. Through the practice of green meetings, or what they like to call the “Guilt-Free Meetings,” the Hub has focused on making a difference in the hospitality industry, recognizing that people are both consumers and generators of waste. The company helps guide its customers toward sustainable choices when using locally sourced catering, discontinuing the use of plastic water bottles, and ensuring that all conference materials are recyclable. Each of these projects demonstrates the significant impact that sustainable practices and high-performing buildings can have on employees, clients, the public, and the environment. TF03 Walking the Talk Urban LEED for Commercial Interiors Leaders
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On the Rise Green ideals and expertise inspire a sustainable skyline Considering recent green achievements by Philadelphia visionaries, it’s not surprising to see that the passion residents display for their history and sports teams also percolates into projects rooted in sustainable principles. On occasion, interests intersect and projects pursue sustainability while preserving a building’s historical character. Other times, new boundaries are set for the way in which projects incorporate sustainable elements. Either way, an underlying passion continues to lead to extraordinary outcomes. The Friends Center in Center City represents a perfect example of this passion for preserving history and simultaneously pursuing sustainability. Composed of three buildings, it has served as a locus for Quaker worship and work as well as social justice since the meetinghouse was constructed in 1856. Immensely important to the nation’s early history, the meetinghouse was deemed a National Historic Landmark in 1993 for its role in the women’s rights movement. In line with the goal to preserve its historic past and shape a path of distinction for the future, the Friends Center renovated the meetinghouse and an office building in 2009. Decisions regarding upgrades were made with a concern for one of the 21st century’s most pressing issues: environmental degradation and the role the built environment has played. This awareness motivated the Friends Center not only to go green, but also to create a showcase for green building. Symbolizing this success, the office building received LEED Platinum certification in 2010. “We were greatly pleased to be able to extend our historical witness for peace and justice
by expanding awareness of the potential benefits of green building,” says Patricia McBee, executive director of the Friends Center. Philadelphia’s 801 Market Street offers another example of the possibilities afforded by the intersection of environmental design and historical preservation. The building was originally constructed as two adjoining buildings in 1902 and 1928. Owned and operated by Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust (PREIT), it received LEED Gold certification in 2010 following a renovation in which great care was demonstrated to save the wood and plaster work. With energy-efficiency improvements resulting from the installation of a new white roof, a lighting retrofit, and upgraded HVAC systems, the building received Energy Star certification in January 2012. “PREIT was focused on utilizing environmentally friendly concepts and materials while preserving the building’s historic character,” says PREIT vice president Chris Mrozinski. “In addition to achieving the LEED Gold certification, we obtained federal historic tax credits for the rehabilitation project. Only a handful of buildings in Pennsylvania can cite these accomplishments.” In some cases, the story is not so much about preserving history as it is about making history. In 2009, Liberty Property Trust, a real estate investment firm, received LEED Gold certification for Comcast Center. The building, totaling 58 floors and 1.2 million square feet, is the tallest LEED-certified building in Pennsylvania and the tallest, most recognizable building in the Philadelphia skyline. At the time the certification was awarded, it was the tallest
Words Jonathan Payne Image Paul S. Bartholomew Photography
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THIS SPREAD The iconic Comcast Center, viewed from the green roof of the Friends Center, is clad in a high-performance glass curtainwall that reduces solar heat gain by 60% but still lets in daylight.
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“Comcast Center’s size amplified the importance of adhering to sustainable principles.” Bill Hankowsky, Liberty Property Trust
LEED-certified building in the nation. “Comcast Center’s size amplified the importance of adhering to sustainable principles,” says Bill Hankowsky, CEO of Liberty Property Trust. “Liberty and Comcast embraced this opportunity and sought to increase energy and water efficiency throughout development. Storm-water-recapture systems, low-flow fixtures, shading to reduce heat island effect, and low-E coating on the curtainwall glass are some of the conservation measures used to
storm-water runoff by 60–70 percent, and cooling costs are curtailed by reducing peak roof temperature by six to eight degrees. “The installation of our green roof and upgrade of our Crown Lights message system is part of PECO’s ongoing environmental efforts as we work to secure LEED certification of 11 of our buildings, including our main office building,” says PECO president and CEO Craig Adams. “Locally our work contributes to and supports Exelon 2020: A Low-Carbon Roadmap, the
reduce the building’s environmental impact.” Sharing the skyline with Comcast Center, the PECO Building displays public service announcements on the building’s energy-efficient LED Crown Lights message system. The company’s Philadelphia headquarters also features a 45,000-square-foot green roof, which is the largest green roof ever installed on an existing building in an urban area in Pennsylvania. The green roof ’s benefit is two-fold: the roof reduces 75
comprehensive environmental plan of Exelon, our parent company, which is designed to offset Exelon’s carbon footprint by the year 2020.” With more LEED-certified and environmentally friendly projects popping up throughout the city, Philadelphia not only is embracing sustainability, but also is thinking strategically about the way in which green building practices can be integrated into projects. TF04 Sustainable Philadelphia Skyline
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In Posse is proud to sponsor the Delaware Valley Green Building Council and the Greenbuild Tour “Sustainable Skylines” Friends Center, Philadelphia PA LEED Platinum
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Reinventing the Navy Yard The intersection of business and green innovation The Philadelphia Navy Yard was the country’s first naval shipyard, and it has reemerged as one of the most dynamic, innovative, and sustainable business environments in the nation. Today the 1,200-acre hub is home to more than 130 companies occupying 6.5 million square feet of office, manufacturing, and research-and-development space. When the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard and Naval Base closed in 1996, its future was unclear. Spurred by subsequent investments of $130 million in publicly funded infrastructure improvements, the Navy Yard has attracted more than $700 million in private investment and more than 10,000 jobs. As the Navy Yard’s master developer, the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC) spearheads the redevelopment and approaches the project with an uncompromising commitment to sustainability. With environmental consciousness as a key consideration informing a 2004 master plan, PIDC partnered with Liberty Property Trust and Synterra Partners to develop sustainable, high-performance buildings in the Navy Yard. To date, 12 Liberty/Synterra projects have been completed or are under construction, representing 1.2 million square feet of office, industrial, flex, and hotel space. Six of those projects received LEED certification, some reaching as high as LEED Platinum. “As a hub for forward-thinking companies and high-performance work environments, the Navy Yard in Philadelphia is one of the most sustainable workplaces in the nation,” says John Gattuso, Liberty’s senior vice president and regional director of urban and national
development. New development makes up only part of the story at the Navy Yard. Another remarkable facet of the property’s revitalization stems from the renovation of existing buildings. Beginning in 2004, companies such as Urban Outfitters settled into the Navy Yard’s historic core and converted former warehouses into fresh, attractive office spaces that encourage employees to think creatively about their work product. Building 661, a former
gymnasium constructed in 1942, illustrates yet another successful chapter in the Navy Yard’s revival. Unoccupied for nearly two decades, the building is undergoing a full-spectrum retrofit; when complete it will serve as the headquarters for the Energy Efficient Buildings Hub (EEB Hub), an energy-efficiency innovation center led by Penn State University. The space will produce recommendations for energy-efficiency technologies that are scalable, repeatable, and cost-effective for commercial 78
Words Jonathan Payne Images Halkin Mason Photography Neoscape for Robert A.M. Stern Architects
ABOVE In its new life as sustainable business campus, the Philadelphia Navy Yard has attracted more than $700 million in private investment and created more than 10,000 jobs. OPPOSITE PAGE The Navy Yard’s 150 Rouse Boulevard houses Iroko Pharmaceuticals, which moved to its stunning and highly efficient new home to expand its workforce.
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building owners throughout the United States. Related to the EEB Hub, one of the newest projects at the Navy Yard is the GridSTAR Center, part of a government program designed to modernize the nation’s electrical grid and implement smart-grid technologies in communities across the country. The GridSTAR (short for Grid Smart Training and Application Resource) Center was created to develop and deliver professional and skilled-workforce educational
provided the microgrid infrastructure and managerial collaboration in partnership with the GridSTAR Center, and companies involved in the project include CertainTeed Corporation, Lutron Electronics, Eaton Corporation, Simplex Industries, and Solar Grid Storage. “The GridSTAR Net Zero Energy Demonstration [Project] will create a live, interactive demonstration of electrical systems technologies, serve as a hub for hands-on education and training, and provide a rich infrastructure for data and research,” says David Riley, who leads the project and serves as an asso-
programming that is aligned with emerging smart-grid investments and markets. A key component of the GridSTAR Center is the Net Zero Energy Demonstration Project. This 3,000-squarefoot residential structure, designed in a colonial style but built with modular systems, contains innovative technologies in energy efficiency, solar energy, and energy-storage systems from Pennsylvania-based businesses that can be applied to improve the building envelope. PIDC 79
ciate professor of architectural engineering at Penn State. By engaging all the Navy Yard’s assets—people, infrastructure, and buildings—this “smart energy campus” is developing and deploying next-generation solutions in energy efficiency, smart grids, and other related engineering and IT fields. Viewed holistically, the Navy Yard offers an exceptional story demonstrating the revitalization that is possible through creative and innovative leadership.
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The Navy Yard as a Sustainable Business Campus
The Energy Efficient Buildings (EEB) Hub is one of five Department of Energy Innovation Hubs in the country, located at The Navy Yard in Philadelphia. The EEB Hub’s mission is to transform the energy efficiency market for existing smalland medium-sized commercial buildings. Our vision is to be recognized as the leader in creating vibrant ecosystems to identify and apply integrative technologies and innovative practices in existing buildings. For more information about the EEB Hub, including current news, research updates, and information about upcoming events, please visit us online at www.eebhub.org.
INNOVATION HUB
www.eebhub.org @eebhub
Coming Soon in 2014 image courtesy of KieranTimberlake
The Center for Building Energy Science, located at The Navy Yard in Philadelphia, is the future headquarters of the Energy Efficient Buildings Hub. As an advanced energy retrofit featuring many energy efficiency technologies, the Center will function as a living laboratory and a national center of excellence. For more information about the EEB Hub and advanced energy retrofits, please visit us online at www.eebhub.org.
INNOVATION HUB
www.eebhub.org @eebhub
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The Workshop of the World Philadelphia manufacturers take up the green mantle After the Civil War and for several decades into the 20th century, Philadelphia’s boosters proclaimed it the “Workshop of the World.” Venerable manufacturers like Stetson, Baldwin Locomotive, Schmidt’s, DuPont, and the US Mint all called Philadelphia home. The city churned out numerous products in nearly every manufacturing category, from specialty textiles and high-quality machine parts to seaworthy ships and even beer. Today, Philadelphia is building on that legacy and remaking itself into the “Sustainable Workshop of the World” by marrying LEED-certified industrial facilities with efficient manufacturing processes run by the region’s highly skilled workforce. It’s a winning combination that’s helping to establish Philadelphia as a leader in the new reality of manufacturing in the United States—a reality where sustainability is helping businesses achieve a competitive advantage by controlling costs, improving quality, and mitigating environmental risks. Chief among these sustainability-minded manufacturers is Tasty Baking Company, makers of the region’s favorite individually packaged baked goods, Tastykakes. With the company’s move to a 345,000-square-foot LEED Silver facility in Philadelphia’s Navy Yard in 2010, the operation became the world’s largest LEED-certified bakery. The new structure replaced Tasty
Baking Company’s 88-yearold plant in the Hunting Park neighborhood of Philadelphia, and the new building boasts a reflective roof, drought-resistant grass, solar panels, and energy-efficient HVAC systems. Inside the facility, automated baking equipment and a direct flow of goods has allowed the company to become more efficient in producing its popular treats. Further enhancing its green credentials, Tasty Baking Company’s new facility was built on an abandoned industrial site and makes use of existing buildings, a sustainability strategy it shares with another local manufacturer. Morphotek, a life sciences company located outside Philadelphia in Exton, Pennsylvania, built its 60,000-square-foot LEED-certified facility on a brownfield and utilized much of the infrastructure located on the site. As a result, it was able to divert 92 percent of construction waste from landfill. Morphotek is rapidly establishing itself as a sustainability leader in the pharmaceutical industry; in 2013, the International Society of Pharmaceutical Engineering named its new plant Facility of the Year. A common thread among the region’s leading sustainable manufacturers is the use of daylight harvesting in their new buildings. Both Tasty Baking Company and Morphotek used this strategy in their facilities, and daylighting is a key feature of
the 57,000-square-foot, LEED Silver US Airways Ground Service Equipment (GSE) Maintenance Facility, the first project at the Philadelphia International Airport to achieve LEED status. It’s a strategy that not only conserves energy but also improves safety. One of US Airways’ previous maintenance sites was very dark during the late afternoon and midnight shifts, which caused mechanics to use drop lights and the attendant extension cords that accompanied them. Daylighting in the new facility has helped eliminate the need for those drop lights and has improved lighting overall. Although these projects were completed within the past five years, the region’s manufacturers have been reinventing themselves as sustainability leaders for much longer than that. Knoll, an international furniture manufacturing company located in East Greenville, Pennsylvania, has worked to make its business more environmentally responsible since the mid-1970s. Throughout the following two decades—and often before it was en vogue— it implemented manufacturing processes that reduced the use of harmful chemicals; incorporated reclaimed, recycled, and sustainable raw materials into
Philadelphia may no longer be home to some of the industrial titans of yesteryear, but it is clear that a new generation of manufacturers is reshaping the region’s industrial landscape. 82
Words Samantha Wittchen Images Jeffrey Totaro
T HIS PAGE The Tasty Baking Company, maker of the popular Tastykakes, moved into a LEED Silver baking facility in 2010, making it the first LEED-certified bakery in the world. Its new building is located on a former industrial site and reused existing structures.
products; and nearly eliminated the use of VOCs. It’s hard to overstate Knoll’s commitment to sustainability. In 2002, its facility was awarded LEED Gold certification through the LEED-Existing Building pilot program, and it continues to be a leader in advancing sustainability in the contract furniture industry through its involvement with organizations like the Chicago Climate Exchange, Carbon Disclosure Project, and Clinton Global Climate Initiative. Philadelphia may no longer be home to some of the industrial titans of yesteryear, but it is clear that a new generation of manufacturers is reshaping the region’s industrial landscape. With the environment as its centerpiece, it won’t be long before the region’s champions can bestow upon Philadelphia its new moniker, “Sustainable Workshop of the World.” TM01 Philadelphia Manufacturing Center for the World
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Bringing the Data to Light Smart lighting retrofits offer smarter savings
Words Christopher James Palafox Images Sean Allgood, Aelux
“With the growth of new technologies, specifically LEDs and advanced controls, Philadelphia should continue to grow as a lighting manufacturing center.” Skip Pasternak, Aelux
THIS PAGE After a comprehensive lighting retrofit, the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia saw an 82% decrease in energy costs. Outdoor spaces are now better lit yet consume less energy.
Retrofits are in, but it hasn’t always been so. In many ways lighting retrofits have been low-hanging fruit, which has resulted in lackluster retrofits. Philadelphia native Skip Pasternak saw the opportunity to capitalize on the marketplace by shifting gears past merely competent and instead creating a professional, highly specialized company that understood the nuances of a great lighting retrofit. Having done long-term power pricing models for new-energy generation for Exelon, Pasternak knew the importance of energy conservation. In 2005, he founded Aelux. Lighting retrofits not only reduce energy but with proper design can dramatically increase both productivity and increase safety. Yet until Aelux, there were few retrofitters that also were lighting experts across the spectrum, from knowledge of the latest technology specification to expertise in understanding energy consumption and labor optimization. Historically, Philadelphia was the center of manufacturing for residential lighting fixtures. Aelux prides itself on being tied to no single brand in order to provide products best suited for the project and not just what is available in one manufacturer’s product line. This philosophy has led a shift back towards local lighting solutions. “There have always been a few highly respected commercial lighting manufactures in the Philadelphia region,” Pasternak says. “Happily, some of them continue to thrive while a few new entrants have appeared. With the growth of new technologies, specifically LEDs and advanced controls, Philadelphia should continue to grow as a lighting manufacturing center.” The Delaware Valley has a large base of existing buildings rife with retrofitting possibilities. Philadelphia’s commercial buildings’ energy expenditure is 29 percent above the national average, and in most, up to 40 percent of energy costs comes from lighting. Improving these numbers is imperative to the area’s longterm health, and according to research done by the Energy Efficient Buildings Hub, retrofits are projected to leap to $618 million in the local market. What’s more, retrofitting sooner rather than later is both environmentally impactful and lucrative. Waiting is seen as costly 85
because the payback’s impact often is softened. Additionally, by folding in the substantial incentives introduced by the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPACT) businesses are able to make even more energy improvements, by allowing for an accelerated tax depreciation of new, energy efficient equipment. EPACT often helps Aelux speed up the payback on lighting projects, making upgrades even more appealing. The impact of a simple lighting retrofit can be seen in the Jordache Enterprises project. Jordache was using inefficient metal halide fixtures until a simple solution was identified: installing T5 fluorescents that when combined with a large utility rebate covered 43 percent of the project cost. Overall, the project had an 11-month payback and reduced the company’s lighting costs by 64 percent. Although the design wasn’t terribly complex, the economic benefits resulted in clearly visible savings. Perhaps even more impressive is Aelux’s work at the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. After performing a comprehensive lighting audit, Aelux again found metal halide fixtures, plus an entryway that was severely underlit. By retrofitting the bank’s outdoor lighting with a high-efficiency LED alternative and introducing six new fixtures, the Federal Reserve saw a 82 percent reduction in energy costs. Because of the new lights, maintenance costs were reduced by roughly $950, bringing total lighting-related savings to 93 percent total. The company’s work at times involves a number of smaller facilities across the region such as a variety of Service Truck and Tire Centers (STTC). Aelux’s work resulted in a lowering of STTC’s annual energy expenditure by 60 percent while also increasing safety and making spaces more aesthetically pleasing. Aelux also helps companies assess portfolios of sometimes hundreds of facilities to prioritize which facilities have the greatest opportunities for savings and which local utilities are providing competitive rebates and then provide either auditing, specification, rebate management and procurement, or a complete turnkey service that also includes project management and installation.
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Waste Not, Want Not Creating green jobs through energy, waste, and recycling
Words Heather Shayne Blakeslee Images Waste Management
THIS PAGE Waste Management’s recycling facility in north Philadelphia can process approximately 240,000 tons of glass, paper, metals, and plastics each year. OPPOSITE PAGE A LEED Silver-certified recycling facility in North Philadelphia created 70 new jobs for the area and has reduced the city’s waste disposal costs by $10 million per year.
Although the economic downturn in 2008 hit the US building industry hard, losses in manufacturing jobs were already on a steady decline, particularly in former manufacturing centers such as Philadelphia. Like many other American cities dependent on manufacturing jobs, Philadelphia lost 85 to 90 percent of those jobs between 1970 and today. Losses have slowed, but they haven’t completely stopped. Yet smaller local companies working in new sustainable sectors as well as larger international firms with connections to green building are one reason that the city is beginning to see gains again in both population and in job creation. Two new regional markets—energy-efficient buildings and construction-waste recycling—have spurred new businesses and jobs, and companies in these fields are locating to former industrial sites, repurposing former manufacturing sites for future-oriented industry. The LEED Gold Knight Green Jobs Center is a renovated factory building that features classrooms and lab space to train students how to implement sustainable technologies. The center serves as a living laboratory with
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a rainwater-harvesting system, recycled materials, solar water heating, and a sprayfoam roof. More than 1,500 men and women have been trained in weatherization skills to help Philadelphia residents reduce their utility bills by 20 to 30 percent. Handling municipal and construction waste for the region has contributed to job growth. “In addition to environmental benefits, construction- and demolition-waste recycling provides an opportunity to stimulate the regional economy,” says Fern Gookin of Revolution Recovery, a regional recycler. “In less than ten years, we have been able to create more than 70 new jobs, increase post-consumer content in several local manufacturing markets, give back to nonprofits and community groups, steadily grow our business, and deliver cost savings to our customers.” Founders Avi Golen and Jon Wybar opened the company in 2004 and have not only expanded their first facility, but also opened another facility in Delaware. The Philadelphia plant processes 250 tons of materials a day. “Recycling keeps our resources in use for as long as possible,” Gookin says. “Preserving the embodied energy of building materials reduces the need to mine, harvest, and process raw materials from the Earth.” In addition to helping Revolution Recovery keep construction waste out of landfills, Gookin also founded Recycled Artist in Residency, or RAIR, a nonprofit organization that helps artists work on a large scale using recovered materials. Its mission is to create awareness about sustainability issues through art and design. At the recycling facility operated by Richard S. Burns & Company in Northeast Philadelphia, recycling is a family affair. The company website proudly announces that the family was part of the green economy before there was such a term. Richard Burns started as a one-man operation in the 1960s but now employs more than 60 employees on a 10-acre site that is capable of processing 1,500 tons of waste daily. The innovative waste-recovery facility also features a green roof, and the company employs two LEED APs to help fulfill LEED requirements for materials recovery as contracts come in. According to David Steiner, CEO of Waste Management—North Ameri-
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ca’s largest recycler and operator of an “eco-complex” in North Philadelphia—his company is moving the American culture from one that thinks of waste as waste, to one that recognizes waste as a commodity. The company’s 80-page 2012 sustainability report cites efforts not only in recycling but in green energy, habitat conservation, and fleet efficiency. The comprehensive philosophy has helped Waste Management achieve environmental goals while growing the company year after year—to the tune of more than $13.4 billion in revenues in 2011, a year in which green services outstripped the company’s traditional lines of business in landfills and rubbish collection. Waste Management now has the contract to handle the City of Philadelphia’s residential waste and recyclables, the latter of which will be sorted and processed at Waste Management’s Materials Recycling Facility, a LEED Silver-certified plant in North Philadelphia, which provides more than 70 local jobs. The plant is capable of processing 240,000 tons of glass, metals, plastics, and paper each year and has helped reduce the city’s waste-disposal costs by $10 million a year. Adjacent to Waste Management’s recycling facility is its new $22 million processed engineered fuel (PEF) plant. “When in full operation, the plant will receive 1,000 tons of waste a day and—at the end of a process that sorts and shreds incoming material—will produce 500 tons
“Preserving the embodied energy of building materials reduces the need to mine, harvest, and process raw materials from the Earth.” Fern Gookin, Revolution Recovery
of an engineered fuel pellet that can be used in industrial boilers,” explains Waste Management’s John Ambrose. “The pellets will have energy value comparable to coal but will burn more cleanly. And a portion of the materials sorted out by our process, primarily metals and heavy plastics, will be recycled.” Twenty-five permanent jobs will be created at the PEF plant, and it will increase city tax revenues at the complex from $1.5 million a year to $2.7 million. Waste Management hopes to begin operation by the end of this year. TS07 Waste Not Want Not Green Jobs Through Green Buildings
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Revamping the Row Home Visionary housing design for the 21st century
THIS PAGE Rag Flats gets its name from the existing buildings’ previous life as an industrial rag factory. Built in 2006 in Fishtown, the project includes a storm-water system so innovative that city permitting processes had to be amended. 90
Words Samantha Wittchen Images Raimond Koch Onion Flats Sam Oberter
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Ask a Philadelphian about the city’s residential architecture, and he’ll likely conjure images of masonry row homes organized in uniform succession on blocks that look like the neatly stacked soup cans on a neighborhood grocer’s shelves. The row home has been the predominant residential architectural typology for centuries, but a new class of architects and developers are taking that quintessential housing style and reimagining it for modern living. Over the past decade, sustainable architecture and development firm Onion Flats has been raising the bar for architectural innovation in Philadelphia. Rag Flats, which it completed in 2006 in Philadelphia’s Fishtown neighborhood, was conceived as an experiment in sustainable urban living, building upon the prototypical Philadelphia dwelling types of the row home, trinity, loft, and pavilion to repurpose an industrial rag factory into a residential garden community. It’s a modern twist on the history of Philadelphia’s row home neighborhoods, which were often organized as “company housing” around a central mill or factory, creating a community of residents who shared both work and daily life. The development combines old and new, making use of parts of the original rag factory while incorporating sustainable technologies such as green roofs, radiant heat, solar panels, and permeable parking surfaces. Some sustainable elements, like the rainwater collection system, which uses cisterns located under the parking area to feed irrigation systems, were so innovative that the Philadelphia Water Department had to amend its permitting process to accommodate the new technique. Although the project is quite modern, it still retains the
uniquely Philadelphian charm of compact buildings and picturesque paths connecting the community’s residents. Rag Flats was Onion Flats’ entrée into the world of sustainable development, and it motivated the team to build more environmentally friendly projects. Next up: the Berks Hewson project, a simple set of infill row homes that are connected front to back—instead of side by side—through the full width of the block. The project was the first in Philadelphia to achieve Gold status through LEED for Homes, and the houses include sustainable features such as intensive green roofs, rainwater-collection tanks, plentiful natural light, and
THIS PAGE Berks Hewson by Onion Flats reimagines the idea that row homes should be next to each other by connecting them at the back. This creates two separate façades on opposite sides of the street.
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solar thermal hot water. As a green bonus, each house comes with a Neighborhood Electric Vehicle, a small electric vehicle legally limited to roads with speed limits of 45 mph or less, and reserved electric-vehicle street parking. Not content with LEED Gold, Onion Flats’ next project, Thin Flats, became the first Platinum LEED for Homes multifamily residence in Pennsylvania. It took the concept of the row home and explored vertical rhythm through its unique façade. Thin faces and alternating glazing and cladding make it difficult to discern where one unit ends and the next begins, creating a sense of communal living while still maintaining
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A new class of architects and developers are taking Philadelphia’s quintessential housing style and reimagining it for modern living.
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OPPOSITE PAGE Thin Flats is the first Platinum LEED for Homes multifamily residence in Pennsylvania. Thin faces and alternating glazing and cladding create a sense of communal living, while the rear façade is animated by jutting balconies. THIS PAGE Thin Flats’ roof features fire pits and elevated planters, providing an amenity to residents and a number of benefits to the building and city.
larger group of people like politicians and other builders that this makes sense as a way to build.” Onion Flats isn’t the only one taking the concept of the row home and adapting it to modern needs. The Envision Group’s Icehouse development has created a community of homes on the former site of Dooley’s Icehouse in Fishtown. The original building was deconstructed by hand, and bricks and wood beams were used in the construction of the new Icehouse complex, which is a mixture of rehab units and new construction that achieved LEED Gold and LEED Platinum certification, respectively. Similar to the
individual spaces. The result is an interesting exploration into the shared experience of row home life in Philadelphia. More recently, Onion Flats has been exploring Passive House standards, which specify high insulation values and aggressive air-sealing techniques to reduce heating and cooling loads by 90 percent more than a typical building. The firm’s first block of nine passive-house homes, called Stable Flats, is slated for Passive House certification when completed at the end of 2013. Tim McDonald, a partner at Onion Flats, says, “Not only are we hoping to design beautiful places to live, but we’re trying to demonstrate to a
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Rag Flats, the development provides all of the amenities of modern living while creating a community for residents with shared spaces and sustainable features. When William Penn planned his “Greene Countrie Towne,” he may not been thinking about sustainability, but as the row home is reimagined by sustainable developers throughout the city, Philadelphia moves closer and closer to becoming that green city Penn envisioned.
TM06 Reimagining the Rowhome New Housing Design in a Historic City
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Liberty and Justice in Housing Innovative projects target a range of needs
Words Linda Dottor Images Don Pearse Photographers Tom Crane Photography
THIS PAGE 777 South Broad offers sustainable, car-free living in Philadelphia’s Center City with close proximity to mass transit, car-sharing programs, and bike storage. OPPOSITE PAGE Lenfest Hall at the Curtis Institute of Music has a residential tower with a green roof terrace. Recycled, local, and low-VOC materials were used in its construction.
In the postwar years, planning director Ed Bacon renewed interest in urban living among middle and upper-middle class families, particularly in Society Hill and Rittenhouse Square. Philadelphia stayed ahead of the back-to-the-city curve with a late-1990s zoning ordinance that gave 10-year tax rebates to buyers of units in converted “Class B” office buildings. In the past decade, Center City’s boundaries expanded to include the ring of neighborhoods surrounding the Central Business District. Development opportunities for multifamily housing also
Philadelphia has long been one of the few American cities with a livable central business district populated by permanent residents. Fortunately, recent innovative multifamily housing developments in Center City Philadelphia continue to reinforce the value of a walkable, compact urban core and offer sustainable housing to diverse markets. With options ranging from grand three-story townhouses to snug trinities—three-story homes with one room per floor—homeownership in Center City has historically been within reach of households of many income levels. 98
expanded to include vacant boulevard frontage on Broad Street, vacant schools and workshops in Queen Villages, and lofts in Callowhill. The Center City District, the nonprofit organization that plans, manages, and tracks the performance of the Center City Special Services District, reports that more than 16,000 new residents have moved into Center City in the past twenty years. Most newcomers are young professionals and graying boomers. Not surprisingly, the lion’s share of new housing construction in Center City is market-rate housing. Yet
PhiladelphiaReborn
Innovative multifamily housing is reaching distinct segments of Center City—students, first-time renters, the LGBT community, and the formerly homeless.
several innovative multifamily housing developments, some built with subsidies, are reaching distinct segments of the Center City housing market—students, first-time renters, the LGBT community, and formerly homeless men and women.
behind the Center City boom, with a mix of retail and apartments that complements the single-family row houses that are the mainstay of reviving neighborhoods nearby. Connelly House, meanwhile, is a joint venture between Project HOME, Bethesda Project, and The Archdiocese of Philadelphia that offers 24 single-room-occupancy units and 55 studios to meet a critical need for supported housing within a high-rent neighborhood. Finally, the John C. Anderson Apartments provide an LGBT-friendly, affordable housing alternative for
Lenfest Hall is a multiuse music education and a student residence for the Curtis Institute of Music that blends a complex building into a historic block in Rittenhouse Square while 777 South Broad Street anchors a portion of the Avenue of the Arts that lagged 99
seniors, many of whom were part of a pioneering LGBT community in Center City. These four projects demonstrate the leverage afforded such developments by a Central Business District location and the emerging markets for sustainable urban housing, as well as the steep challenges of developing sustainable housing in the city, including small footprints, historic contexts, adaptive-reuse requirements, and transitioning neighborhoods. TM09
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Liberty and Justice for All Innovative Multifamily Housing
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Modular’s New Methods Investing in faster build times and superior structures Words Shila Griffith and Heather Shayne Blakeslee Images Onion Flats Re:Vision Architecture
THIS PAGE Weccacoe Flats, designed by Re:Vision Architecture and developed by Bancroft Green, used modular construction to create a 30-foot-wide façade. The size is unusal for modular design, which is typically viewed as being used only in narrow and small projects.
Building in Philadelphia isn’t always easy. The city has the fourth highest construction cost in the nation and the third lowest sales price for homes. Exacerbating this situation is the fact that in dense urban areas, construction gets extremely disruptive, clogging narrow streets and creating noise and potential safety hazards for neighbors. Plus, sites can be difficult to secure. Add in weather delays, and community members’ precious parking spots may be taken up by piles of bricks for months on end. All told, traditional stick-built homes are notoriously difficult for builders to make a profit on. Some forward-thinking builders, however, are using modular construction to completely upend the traditional model, solve many of the aforementioned problems, and increase the performance of the buildings.
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If you walked by modular building on the street, you probably wouldn’t realize that it was built in a completely different way than the building next door. Adaptable to virtually any kind of architecture on a small or large scale, the difference in making a modular building comes down to where the bulk of the construction happens. Tim McDonald, a principal at Onion Flats and a proponent of modular construction, says it comes down to control. “If you want to change the standard by which people design and build urban buildings,” he explains, “you have to remain in control of the structure.” By moving a large portion—up to 90 percent—of the construction process to a tightly controlled factory setting, where materials aren’t subjected to moisture and temperature changes and waste can be recycled more easily, the quality of the construction goes up while environmental impact goes down. Labor costs also are potentially reduced because multiple floors can be worked on simultaneously while the foundation is being poured at the site, resulting in faster construction. (Modular housing can be assembled in as little as a week in some cases.) Building pieces are fitted together on site, typically saving 30–50 percent on a traditional construction schedule, which helps further drive down cost. The modules include everything needed for the structure except site work and some finishes. McDonald believes so strongly in modular architecture that he and his partners formed BLOX, a joint venture between Onion Flats and Landmark Building Systems, a steel and concrete modular-building manufacturer in Pottstown, Pennsylvania. The joint venture’s stated goal is “to deliver cutting-edge, LEED-certified buildings with twice the energy efficiency, in half the time, for costs similar to or the same as non-sustainable, traditional construction.” Their modular process at Stable Flats actually has gone beyond LEED. The building boasts such an airtight envelope that it has reached performance testing requirements set forth by Passive House International. The 70-unit residential project features an air-sourced heat-pump system in addition to on-site renewable energy generation. Storm-water management was addressed through a vegetative
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roof, and a 12,000-square-foot community garden helps create connectivity among tenants. One misconception about modular construction is the presumption that modular architecture generally results in narrow quarters, as is the case with the typical row home. Weccacoe Flats, developed by Bancroft Green’s G.C. Seibert and Scott Seibert, has proved otherwise. Three stacked residences boast a 30-footwide, street-facing façade, creating a space typically available only in condos and single-family suburban homes. Natural daylighting floods the space through operable windows and interior transoms. Re:Vision Architecture also included highly efficient LED lighting, Energy Star appliances, a Mitsubishi split system that uses an air-toair heat pump for heating and cooling, and a dedicated outdoor space for each of the three homes. In addition, much of the exterior is clad in locally reclaimed brick. “All the units were sold before a shovel even hit the ground,” Scott Seibert says of Weccacoe Flats, which is pursuing a LEED for Homes Platinum rating. At the Modules at Temple Town, the heating and cooling system is what makes the 72-unit residential development stand out. Designed by Interface Studio Architects, each unit features a boiler-chiller loop with an individual heat pump. This system adds convenience and reduces energy consumption since tenants can adjust the temperature to their individual needs. Using a central system is a forward-thinking approach and critical to the project’s achievement of nearly 20 percent savings above a baseline building without relying on solar power generation. The homes have obtained LEED Gold certification. A common element of these structures is careful attention to the design and construction of the building envelope, which greatly impacts a structure’s energy performance. Jon Jensen of MaGrann Associates, the LEED for Homes consultant at both the Weccacoe and Temple projects, asks, “In 30 years, would you rather swap out the envelope of the building or the HVAC systems?” If the envelope of a building is subpar, the systems, no matter how innovative or technologically, will need to work harder to compensate. Conversely, if the envelope is well sealed with high-quality insulation, efficient windows and doors, and enough daylighting to provide solar gain in the winter, then there will be less dependence on active systems.
“In 30 years, would you rather swap out the envelope of the building or the HVAC systems?” Jon Jensen, MaGrann Associates
The Building Industry Association of Philadelphia and Fix It Philly however offer a warning on relying too heavily on modular construction as a cure-all. The 2010 report Going Mod: Reducing Housing Costs in Philadelphia with Modular Construction confirmed that modular construction was an extremely favorable option for building homes, but cautioned that using contractors without experience in modular construction techniques could reduce some cost savings, an issue that for many years was true of LEED buildings as well. The mentioned projects are models for sustainability, but “modular architecture by itself is not sustainable,” says Scott Kelly, a principal at Re:Vision. Sustainability is a holistic endeavor, and modular architecture can help to provide the potential for sustainability. Re:Vision’s Justin Weisser, the project manager on Weccacoe Flats, adds that although architects can design highly efficient buildings, “operational efficiency of a building is still largely impacted by the occupants,” he says. “Occupant education about building operation is critical.” TM08 Making it Modular Innovations in Building Design & Construction 101
TOP Onion Flats assembled its Passive House-certified apartments one unit at a time. Modular construction reduced waste and increased energy efficiency on the project. BOTTOM Onion Flats’ next project, the Stables, was constructed using the same methods. The company has formed a joint venture with Landmark Building Systems to focus exclusively on modular buildings.
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Platinum Urban Planning A model for transit-oriented LEED-ND communities Philadelphia is a city of neighborhoods, many of which are seeing major investments and revitalization. A keystone project and example of expected future development is the Paseo Verde project near Temple University in north Philadelphia. This LEED-ND Platinum project features a mixed-use and transit-oriented approach that includes affordable housing and involved the local community from the project’s inception. “They thought it was ‘pie in the sky,’” says Rose Gray of Asociación Puertorriqueños en Marcha (APM), the community development corporation organizing community input, among other roles. “We were at the original design charrette at Greenbuild years ago, and all of these experts on LEED-ND weren’t sure we could do it.” “You can’t lose sight of how ambitious this project is,” says Alex Dews, programs and policy manager for the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability. “It’s helping to change the character of the neighborhood in a way that respects what’s here already and provides additional amenities that it deserves, all while achieving the very highest levels of environmental sustainability and performance. It’s a crowning achievement for Philadelphia. It sets an example of how you can do LEED-ND in an urban context.” And not just any urban context. Gray characterized the neighborhood as low-to-moderate income; others might call it distressed. The project was created in part as affordable housing for the many residents who live below the poverty line, and the community has whole-heartedly embraced the project and taken ownership of its success. “It’s the community’s vision and acceptance of these practices and standards
“It’s the community’s vision and acceptance of these practices and standards that make the project special.” ose Gray, Asociación R Puertorriqueños en Marcha
that make the project special,” Gray says. “They’ve been involved from the very beginning, learning about recycling, storm water, and their role in community and environmental stewardship. There is a palpable pride of place here, of ownership over the success of the neighborhood—and this project has helped it to grow.” Development partners at Jonathan Rose Companies have long believed in the power of community-centered design and green building, and the award-winning design team at WRT is equally committed to sustainability. The USGBC helped Paseo Verde at the beginning with an Affordable Green Neighborhoods Grant in 2010, given in partnership with the Bank of America Foundation, and LISC invested $10 million of its first New Markets Tax Credits allocation, providing more than $1.3 million in grants and loans to the project. It’s the first LEED-ND project in the city, and Gray and Dews are adamant that it won’t be the last. “If we can do this project in this neighborhood, there is no reason why other developers shouldn’t be following suit,” Gray says. 102
Words Heather Shayne Blakeslee Images Johnathan Rose Companies
Just down the street, Temple North demonstrates how to incorporate energy efficiency and healthy living into any project that repurposes historic buildings for low-income housing. Also nearby are the Morgan Residence Hall at Temple University, which is redefining the skyline of North Broad Street, and the JBJ Soul Homes project, which is funded in part by local Jon Bon Jovi. The 55-unit complex designed to be LEED Silver provides affordable housing and a supportive-services complex to formerly homeless individuals. Although the perception in many circles is that green building is only for those who are willing to pay more for housing and other kinds of projects, Philadelphia is leading the way on affordable green housing and community-centered design. The City of Philadelphia itself is adopting green affordable housing standards for all city projects beginning in 2014. TM12 Building Connections, Building Community LEED-ND, Campus Living and Supportive Housing
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Rethinking Existing Offices Masterful retrofits bring new life to the suburbs
Words Jessica Nixon Images Don Pearse Photographers
The suburbs of Philadelphia have been well established ever since the 18th century, and with that comes decades of existing building infrastructure. According to data collected by the US Energy Information Administration, 77 percent of the Philadelphia’s commercial building stock was constructed prior to 1990. This amounts to 6,962 properties totaling 304 million square feet that are more than 20 years old. With these numbers in mind, owners and developers have been breathing new life into some of these existing structures and taking old, Class B commercial office buildings and up104
grading them to Class A LEED-certified properties. Examples of such work can be found in the western suburbs of Philadelphia where projects like 151 Warner Road have used the collaborative design process to rethink existing structures. “It’s no longer acceptable for projects to just be new boxes; buildings need to be designed to incorporate more open spaces and daylight for tenants,” says architect George Wilson, a principal at Meyer Design. The collaboration among consultants, contractors, and Liberty Property Trust at 151 Warner Road considered reuse and incorporation
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“It’s no longer acceptable for projects to just be new boxes; buildings need to be designed to incorporate more open spaces and daylight for tenants.” George Wilson, Meyer Design of sustainable design principles, and energy efficiency and daylighting for tenant office spaces became a mantra for the 20-year-old retrofit project. As a result, the team was able to reuse 50 percent of the original building, including structural steel and floor plates, and by diverting demolition waste, reuse 20 percent of the recycled content to expand the property by 6,000 square feet. Other retrofits include the headquarters for UGI, which, after a fire that forced the company out of the building for more than a year, was able to reuse the existing structure and reimagine it as a sustainable office building. “It was an opportunity that we would have never taken advantage of had the fire not occurred,” says Marcia Vogt, facilities manager for UGI. It is now experiencing the benefits of significantly reduced energy consumption and greater indoor environmental quality that did not exist prior to the renovation.
One of the latest renovations is the 272,000-square-foot Cross Point at Valley Forge, which combined two ideally located but outdated office buildings into one contiguous corporate center. The collaboration between Boston’s Davis Companies and MIM-Hayden Real Estate Funds of Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, is repositioning the property to become a Trophy Class asset. The team plans to incorporate features to bring as much light into the structure as possible, including adding a two-story lobby with glass elevators. The focus on development of sustainable solutions for existing building stock in the suburbs has proved to not only work well for tenant attraction but is also working to extend the overall life cycle of these buildings for as many as 20 more years. TM03 Getting to Scale in the Suburbs Masterful Plans and Masterful Retrofits 105
THIS PAGE Originally constructed in 1983, 151 Warner Road was renovated in 2008 to LEED-CS Silver certification. OPPOSITE PAGE Meyer Design employed water-saving measures such as low-flow fixtures and motion-sensor faucets at 151 Warner. The building also has a highly reflective white roof that mitigates urban heat island effect.
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Northern Lights Three resilient neighborhoods shine again
Words Alex Yarde Images Halkin Mason Photography Onion Flats Yards Brewing Company
THIS PAGE Thin Flats is a revolutionary housing project on Laurel Street in Philadelphia’s Northern Liberties neighborhood. The working-class community has become a center for smart design and sustainable ideals.
Philadelphia’s working-class roots are deep. Neighborhoods like Fishtown, Kensington, and Northern Liberties are emblematic of a city made of neighborhoods, knitted together block by block, neighbor by neighbor. But decades of difficult economic circumstances have taken their toll, leaving abandoned homes and ghost storefronts, vacant lots, rundown schools, and an accompanying uptick in crime. But possibility also pervades these neighborhoods, and with the support of the community and smart development partners, investments are beginning to pay off. Made up almost exclusively of block after block of tall, thin row homes, these neighborhoods are also ready-made
sustainability havens: efficient infrastructure, ample public transportation, walkable neighborhoods, and tenacious residents make for enormous potential. Row homes make sense for densely populated communities; they maximize available space, accommodating more families per square foot than single-family homes. “The interesting thing about a row house is that it’s sustainable in and of itself,” says Tim McDonald, a partner at progressive develop/design/build company Onion Flats. “We just take it to the next level.” Onion Flats is the mastermind behind a revolutionary collection of new smart row homes in Fishtown and has been responsible for Thin
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Flats, Rag Flats, and Berks Hewson, among others, which are all innovative styles of row homes. These homes are built to be completely energy efficient, often using the LEED rating system. As a firm, Onion Flats is changing the landscape of these neighborhoods and the way that occupants view the row home—and the community as a whole. Schools often are anchors of a community, and one newly built school in Kensington shows that high-performance buildings also produce high-performing kids. SMP Architects is the design/build team behind the revitalization of Kensington High School for the Creative and Performing Arts Academy. “Ten years ago, the Front Street property
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“It’s exciting. There’s a contemporary understanding of the historical context and what responding to it means.” Tim McDonald, Onion Flats
south of the Berks [SEPTA] stop was an urban wasteland,” says SMP Architects’ Jane Rath, the principal in charge of the Kensington school project. “A former rail depot, the contaminated site was overgrown, filled with trash and home to stray dogs, homeless, and drug dealers. Neighbors avoided the stop—the site of a homicide and several muggings—and were even afraid to walk by the property. The construction of the Kensington school has transformed the block, providing a stimulating and safe environment for neighborhood children with far-reaching effects.” “The school has knit Fishtown and Kensington back together,” Rath continues, “providing a safe passage to the El stop—which is once again heavily used—and inspiring numerous regenerative projects in the immediate vicinity: the greening of both Shissler Recreation Center and Frankford Avenue, two Mural Arts Program projects and on the Kensington school site, a Mural Arts project and an organic vegetable garden. Many abandoned properties across Front Street opposite the school have been renovated, and housing projects in both Fishtown and Kensington are under way.” Kensington school’s students, principal, and teachers made “adequate yearly progress,” as determined by the US Department of Education, for the first time in the school’s history after just one year in the new building. Yards Brewing Co., a staple of Philadelphia’s nationally recognized beer scene, also has been instrumental in the greening and rebirth of this strip of neighborhoods. With the financial help of the
Merchant’s Fund, a charity that targets the redevelopment of commercial corridors, brewery owner Tom Kehoe was able to transform an old warehouse building into a humming beer-production facility. The Yards Tasting Room, where residents can sample all of Yards’ beers (including ones brewed from Revolutionary-era recipes from founding fathers), is now a steady employer, a gathering space for the neighborhood, and an anchor for future development. And the renovation took the environment into consideration. Polished concrete floors, a bar made from reclaimed bowling alley floor, reused furniture, and sustainable paints complement the brewery’s operations, which include practices such as sending spent grain back to farmers and purchasing wind power. “[At Yards], we think that for businesses in general, green is not an option anymore,” says Zachary Artz, events manager at Yards Brewing Company. “It’s the way business practice should be done—people come in, and they get to experience a piece of sustainable business practices themselves.” Residents of these communities have been brought together by these healthier, more sustainable environments and have enjoyed rising property values along with a better quality of life. McDonald not only works in the neighborhood but lives there as well and sees the fruits of his labor firsthand. “I see the sense of community that’s being created, at the large and small scale,” he says. “Large-scale development in Northern Liberties, and at the smaller scale, block by block,
people are designing dwellings to be related to the street and neighbors. Those communities are also demonstrating a different understanding of what respect for context is all about. What Northern Liberties and Fishtown and Kensington are beginning to demonstrate to people is that the city is a diverse place, neighborhoods are diverse, and they’re the nature of an urban environment. It’s exciting. There’s a contemporary understanding of the historical context and what responding to it means, and these are experimental in the sense that they’re trying to bring old and new together.” TF06 Rebirth of a Neighborhood Going Green in Northern Liberties and Kensington
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TOP Kensington High School is sited in an historically tough neighborhood next to public transportation. The school has helped revitalize the site and the entire neighborhood. ABOVE The Yards Brewing Company renovated an industrial warehouse in the Northern Liberties neighborhood. The rehab included concrete floors, wood reclaimed from an old bowling alley, and sustainable paints.
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Green at Any Age Showcasing the spectrum of sustainable homes and lifestyles
Sustainable architecture is not reserved for ultra-contemporary design because modern innovations and efficiencies can be integrated into a home of any age or style. Philadelphia offers several great examples of homes that, though they range in age from more than two centuries old to completed just a year ago, demonstrate noteworthy green features. Four case studies prove that sustainability can be integrated into the city’s housing, regardless of age or style. Hazel House is a LEED Platinum-certified residence completed in 2011. Typically, in row homes, the stairs run along the long side of the house; in this case the stairs run crosswise, creating a division in the house and therefore more privacy. This central staircase also creates a chimney effect that enables natural ventilation and cooling. A roof monitor operates automated windows that allow heat to escape the three-story residence. The structure was built from the ground up and features a highly efficient envelope with spray-foam insulation. This passive system is complemented by geothermal heating and cooling, Energy Star-rated
appliances, significant natural daylighting, LED lighting, and water-conserving fixtures. Structural accommodations also have been made for future solar panels or a green roof. Flooring was salvaged from the historic Divine Lorraine Hotel in Philadelphia, and many of the materials are lowVOC to foster a healthy indoor environment. An addition to the McBee-Sheeks Residence, designed by Laura Blau and Paul Thompson of BluPath Design, also provides for occupants of varying age and ability. The owners wanted a house to grow old in while keeping it as sustainable as possible. The well-planned, 300-square-foot addition makes great use of the constrained site; the Powelton Village home now features a wheelchair-accessible bathroom and bedroom/study that connects to the kitchen. Quaker values drove many of the decisions for the intent of the McBee-Sheeks home, which resulted in significant improvements in functionality. Passive solar design was used as well as other energy-efficient solutions, including the integration of structural insulated panels. An innovative retrofit, the LEED Platinum-certified Pine Street Residence near Fitler
Words Shila Griffith Images Halkin Mason Photography Sam Oberter
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THIS PAGE The Pine Street residence is a retrofit of a 180-year-old building near Fitler Square. The house now is LEED Platinum certified, but the façade remains true to the historic district. OPPOSITE PAGE With 10 solar panels on its roof, the Pine Street residence is the home of Janet Milkman, who serves as the executive director of the DVGBC.
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ABOVE The Todd Residence in Philadelphia was constructed in 1774 and became the first historic house to add solar panels. RIGHT A rear addition was constructed for the Todd Residence between 1790 and 1811, and a second addition was completed in the 1960s. BELOW The McBee Sheeks Residence received a 300-square-foot addition that incorporated passive solar strategies.
Square is unique in that the subject of the 2012 retrofit was a 180-year-old building on a certified historic block of Philadelphia. Currently only the façade is original to the structure, which contrasts with an ultra-modern interior where a high-efficiency boiler and spray-foam insulation have meant extremely low heating and cooling bills for the owner. The home’s 10 solar panels also reduce the amount of electricity pulled from the grid, and abundant daylighting encourages less energy consumption during the day while shades help control solar heat gain. The outdoor space includes native plantings and a drip-irrigation system to save water. A green roof shelters a small bike shed, which encourages alternative transportation in this highly walkable neighborhood. The Todd Residence, originally built almost 250 years ago in 1774, is the oldest of the four and features the first solar array approved for a certified historic house in Philadelphia. A three-story rear addition was built between 1790 and 1811; another addition was completed in the 1960s 110
along with a brick wall that surrounds the garden. Now, this outdoor space features a rainwater-reclamation system following a renovation and restoration that was completed in 2011. Efforts were made to preserve the historic interior of the Todd Residence throughout the design and construction process. The envelope of the building received increased insulation, and an inverted cornice allowed original plaster details to be preserved. The radiator and high-performance system selections were influenced by sizing considerations so there would be minimal disturbance to the interior. TF01 Sustainable Urban Living at Any Age
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Welcomes
Greenbuild
www.magrann.com info@magrann.com 1-800-MAGRANN LEED for Homes and ENERGY STAR Homes Provider
SolarDock is proud to play a part in the “greening” the Delaware Valley, with more than 11 MW of solar installed in the Philadelphia Area. SolarDock’s TUV tested and certified mounting system saves money and produces more power. Visit us online at: solardock.com solardock.tumblr.com
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One Suburb’s Master Plan Eagleview eschews sprawl for connectivity
Situated between the rustic farms and woodlands of Chester County, Eagleview, Pennsylvania, and its master plan aim to bring sustainable living and working to the suburbs. The concept for the community is based on a walkable lifestyle that prioritizes sidewalks, jogging paths, and greenways integrating homes, retail, and workplaces. “Eagleview was planned to reverse the modern trends of suburban sprawl and lengthy commutes while still
ly planned as a corporate office park. The acquisition of additional land zoned for residential use has allowed the incorporation of multiple uses to complete the community. The project includes a mix of housing types at various prices—single-family homes, luxury apartments, affordable senior housing. The individual homes are built on small lots, with rear alleys for garages and waste containers, leaving the front sidewalks free from
providing quality, affordability, and aesthetic beauty,” says Hankin Group on its website. At a time when most developers were building single-use, car-dependent residential developments, Hankin Group used the Traditional Neighborhood Development model to build a mixed-use community, which over time has really come to life. The mixed-use development spans more than 800 acres and was original-
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Words Jessica Nixon Images The Hankin Group
THIS PAGE The Hankin Group is creating a sustainable live-work complex with Eagleview that spans more than 800 acres and incorporates housing, commercial, and retail development. OPPOSITE PAGE Topped with a rooftop solar array, the 150,000-square-foot office building at 505 Eagleview Blvd. received LEED Gold certification in 2008.
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driveway cuts and safe for walking and biking. Eagleview offers retail stores and restaurants, Class A office buildings, a small luxury hotel with a restaurant and conference center, a medical office building, several apartments including senior housing, and a YMCA. The heart of the development is a two-acre landscaped park which hosts community events and outdoor summer concerts. All amenities are accessible by the extensive footpaths found throughout the property that tie into a countywide trail system. In an area where suburban sprawl is prevalent, the Eagleview solution has successfully incorporated the natural beauty of the area with the accessibility of a community within walking distance from the front door. Along with community connectivity, there is a sharp focus on sustainability within the buildings. Under LEED for Homes v2008, the new Bernard Hankin Building is
Along with community connectivity, there is a sharp focus on sustainability within these buildings.
the highest-scoring LEED Platinum project in Pennsylvania. LEED buildings allow residents to have a more comfortable, sustainable, and healthful home. The 50,857-square-foot building features a highly efficient geothermal water-source heat-pump system and a large photovoltaic array that offsets the building’s common area utility cost. Hankin Group is pursuing LEED certification for two other projects. A luxury condo project, Claremont on the Square, features Energy Star windows and appliances, recyclable carpet, increased insulation, non-smoking buildings, and energy-efficient lighting. A new Hilton Garden Inn will soon open in the Town Center and feature solar hot water, among other green systems. On the commercial side, offices at 747 Constitution Avenue is LEED certified; the XL Insurance building at 505 Eagleview Boulevard achieved LEED Gold certification in
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2007 as well as LEED-CI Silver. Hankin Group itself is headquartered at 707 Eagleview Boulevard in a building that is Energy Star certified and pursuing LEED-EB status. Complementing Hankin Group’s sustainability efforts in its buildings and grounds has been the firm’s implementation of various solar projects. The Bernard Hankin Building, 505 Eagleview Boulevard, and 707 Eagleview Boulevard feature rooftop photovoltaic arrays (the last’s being used to support the building’s LEED-EB goal), and the firm has two rooftop solar installations outside Eagleview and a ground-mounted two-megawatt array in nearby Morgantown. Hankin Group’s ongoing efforts include comprehensive lighting and mechanical systems upgrades, drought-resistant landscaping, porous paving, building with recyclable materials, construction recycling, and much more.
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Index People, Places, and Companies
151 Warner Road, 104 2.0 University Place, 26 2013 Challenge, 18 3-D Pharmaceuticals, 68 707 Eagleview Boulevard, 113 747 Constitution Avenue, 113 801 Market Street, 74 Academy of Natural Sciences, 33 Adams, Craig, 75 Adventure Playground, 23 Aelux, 85 Affordable Green Neighborhoods Grant, 102 Ambius, 31 Ambler Boiler House, 63 Ambrose, John, 87 American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment, 54 Anderson House, 99 Andropogon Associates, 55 Annenberg Public Policy Center, 55 Artz, Zachary, 107 ASLA, 55 Asociación Puertorriqueños en Marcha, 102 Avenue of the Arts, 99 Aviator Park, 36 B Bacon, Ed, 98 Bancroft Green, 101 Bank of America Foundation, 102 Barnes Foundation, 25, 33 Bartram’s Garden, 20 Bendistis, Chloe, 56 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, 25, 33 Bentley Systems, 68 Berks Hewson, 92, 106 Bernard Hankin Building, 113 Bethesda Project, 99 Big Green Block, 25, 40 Blau, Laura, 108 Bloomfield Farm, 23 BLOX, 100 BluPath Design, 108 Bon Jovi, Jon, 102 Bonacci, Leonard, 39 Borden, Alfred R., 36 Brooks, Jessica, 40 Building 661, 78 Building Industry Association of Philadelphia, 101 Bureau of Labor Statistics, 63 C Carbon Disclosure Project, 82 Carpenter’s Hall, 17 Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, 33 Center City District, 33, 98 Center City Special Services District, 98 Center for Sustainability, Energy Efficiency and Design, 48 Centocor, 68 CertainTeed Corporation, 79 Chicago Climate Exchange, 82 Cira Centre, 70 City Hall, 33 Comcast Center, 74 Community Farm and Food Resource Center, 21 Clinton Global Climate Initiative, 82 Congress Hall, 18 Connelly House, 99 # A
D E F G H I
Cook-Wissahickon Elementary School, 57 Cooper University Hospital, 66 Cret Park, 36 Crown Lights, 75 Curtis Institute of Music, 99 D’Orazio, Tony, 64 Davis Companies, 105 Delaware Valley Green Building Council, 17 Dews, Alex, 102 Divine Lorraine Hotel, 108 Dockwiller, Tavis, 56 Drexel University, 31, 38, 68 Eagleview, 112 Eaton Corporation, 78 Eichmann, Denise, 31 Energy Efficient Buildings Hub, 78, 85 EnergyWorks, 63 Environmental Sustainability Advisory Committee, 54 Envision Group, 95 Erdy McHenry Architecture, 64 Erdy, Scott, 64 Exelon, 75, 85 Fairmount Park, 23 Fairmount Water Works, 36 Faris Family Education Center, 23 Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, 18, 85 Fix It Philly, 101 Fleming, Rob, 48 Franklin Field, 38 Franklin Institute, 33 Free Library of Philadelphia, 33 Friends Center, 74 Gajewski, Katherine, 18 Garofalo, Dan, 21, 38, 55 Gattuso, John, 78 George A. Weiss Fitness Pavilion, 38 Germantown Friends School, 45 Goldberger, Paul, 25 Golen, Avi, 86 Gookin, Fern, 86 Gray, Rose, 102 Grays Ferry Crescent, 21 Green Campus Partnership, 54 Green City, Clean Waters, 40, 57 Green Guide for Healthcare, 66 Green Parks Plan, 18 Green Resource Center, 21 Green Ribbon Schools, 51 Greenbuild Legacy Project, 23 Greenfield Elementary School, 57 Greenworks, 17, 40, 57 GridSTAR Center, 79 Grobman, Linda, 52 Hamilton Family Children’s Zoo, 23 Hankin Group, 112 Hankowsky, Bill, 75 Harriton High School, 51 Hazel House, 108 Heckendorn Shiles Architects, 63 Heckendorn, Matt, 63 Hidden City Philadelphia, 63 Hilton Garden Inn, 113 Hotel Monaco, 18 Icehouse Development, 95 Independence Hall, 18 Independence National Historical Park, 17
J K L M N
Independence Visitor Center, 18 Independence Visitor Center Corporation, 18 Interface Studio Architects, 101 International Society of Pharmaceutical Engineering, 82 JBJ Soul Homes, 102 Jensen, Jon, 101 Johnathan Rose Companies, 102 Jones Lang LaSalle, 70 Jordache Enterprises, 85 Kahn, Louis, 68 Keasbey & Mattison, 63 Keates, Christine, 18 Kehoe, Tom, 107 Kensington High School for the Creative and Performing Arts, 25, 40, 57, 106 Knight Green Jobs Center, 86 Knoll, 82 Kurtz Performing Arts Center, 45 Landmark Building Systems, 100 Lankenau Medical Center Patient Tower Expansion, 66 Lenfest Hall, 99 Lenfest Plaza, 14 Liberty Bell, 17 Liberty Lands Park, 40 Liberty Property Trust, 74, 78, 104 Lincoln Financial Field, 38 Logan Square, 14 Longwood Gardens, 28 Love Park, 14 Lower Merion School District, 51 Lutron Electronics, 79 M2 Architecture, 31 Macleod, Cynthia, 18 Magnatta, JoAnn, 66 MaGrann Associates, 101 Main Line Health, 66 Materials Recycling Facility, 87 Mayor’s Office of Sustainability, 25, 102 Mazo, Scott, 26 McBee-Sheeks Residence, 108 McBee, Patricia, 74 McCurdy, Michael, 72 McDonald, Tim, 95, 100, 106 McGinley, Christopher, 52 Merchant’s Fund, 107 Meyer Design, 104 MIM-Hayden Real Estate Funds, 105 Mitsubishi, 101 Modules at Temple Town, 101 Moore College of Art and Design, 36 Moorhead Environmental Complex, 31 Morgan Residence Hall, 102 Morphotek, 68, 82 Morris Arboretum, 23 Mrozinski, Chris, 74 Mural Arts Program, 107 National Historic Landmark, 68, 74 National Park Service, 18 Nedlaw Living Walls, 68 Nelson, Gen, 45 Net Zero Energy Demonstration Project, 79 Neukrug, Howard, 40 North Kensington Community Development Corporation, 25 Northeast Water Pollution Control Plant, 40
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O P R S
Northern Liberties Neighbors Association, 40 NovaThermal Energy, 40 Nutter, Michael, 17, 40 Oak Lane, 56 Old City Hall, 18 Onion Flats, 92, 100, 106 Papadakis Integrated Sciences Facility, 68 Partnership for the Delaware Estuary, 57 Paseo Verde, 102 Passive House International, 100 Pasternak, Skip, 85 PECO Building, 75 Penn Connects 2.0, 54 Penn Medicine Washington Square, 66 Penn Park, 21, 55 Penn State University, 78 Pennsylvania Convention Center, 14 Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, 48 Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, 21, 25 Pennsylvania Hospital, 66 Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust, 74 Perkins+Will, 66 Philadelphia Business Journal, 26 Philadelphia City Hall, 33 Philadelphia Eagles, 38 Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation, 78 Philadelphia Museum of Art, 14, 25, 33 Philadelphia Naval Shipyard and Naval Base, 78 Philadelphia Navy Yard, 78, 82 Philadelphia Neighborhoods, 45 Philadelphia Parks and Recreation, 57 Philadelphia University, 48 Philadelphia Water Department, 25, 40, 57, 92 Philadelphia Zoo, 23 Pine Street Residence, 108 Project HOME, 99 Public Workshop, 23 Radnor Middle School, 52 Radnor Township School District, 52 Rag Flats, 92, 106 Rath, Jane, 107 Re:Vision Architecture, 101 Recycled Artist in Residency, 86 Revolution Recovery, 86 Richard S. Burns & Company, 86 Richards Medical Research Laboratories, 68 Riley, David, 79 Rittenhouse Square, 14, 98 Rodin Museum Garden, 36 Rodin Museum, 25, 33 SCA America, 70 School District of Philadelphia, 56 Schuylkill River Development Corporation, 20 Schuylkill River, 20 SEI, 68 Seibert, G.C., 101 Seibert, Scott, 101 Service Truck and Tire Centers, 85 Shissler Recreation Center, 40, 107 Shoemaker Green, 20, 55
T U V W X Y
Simplex Industries, 79 Sister Cities Park, 14, 36 Smith Playgound, 23 SMP Architects, 23, 106 Solar Grid Storage, 79 Southeast Water Pollution Control Plant, 40 Springfield Literacy Center, 52 Stable Flats, 95, 100 Steinberg-Dietrich Hall, 55 Steiner, David, 86 Stern, Avery, 45 Stroud Water Research Center, 28 Summit Realty Advisors, 63 Sustainable SITES Initiative, 21, 55 Sustainable Urban Science Center, 45 Sutley, Nancy, 52 Synterra Partners, 78 Syrnick, Joseph, 20 Tasty Baking Company, 82 Tastykakes, 82 Temple University, 102 The Archdiocese of Philadelphia, 99 The Hub, 70 The Lighting Practice, 36 Thin Flats, 92, 106 Thompson, Paul, 108 Thurgood Marshall School, 56 Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects, 25 Todd Residence, 110 Translational Research Lab, 68 Trust for Public Land, 57 UGI, 105 University City Science Center, 68 University of Pennsylvania Health System, 66 University of Pennsylvania, 20, 38, 54, 68 Urban Outfitters, 78 US Airways, 82 US Customs House, 18 Vertical Screen, 64 Villanova University Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 48 Villanova University, 48 Villanova Urban Stormwater Partnership, 48 Viñoly, Rafael, 68 Viridian Landscape Studio, 56 Vogt, Marcia, 105 Waste Management, 86 Weccacoe Flats, 101 Wells Appel, 28 White Clay Creek, 31 White House Council on Environmental Quality, 52 Wilkie, Kim, 28 William Penn Charter School, 45 Wilson, George, 104 WRT Design, 70 Wybar, Jon, 86 XL Insurance, 113 Yards Brewing Co., 107 Yards Tasting Room, 107
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