Green Building & Design (gb&d), #17

gb&d

A I R P O R T S 81 B L A I N E B R O W N E L L 19 B E S T B U Y ’ S E X T R A V O L U M E 31 INSIDE THE HEALTHCARE F A C I L I T I E S S Y M P O S I U M 20

GREEN TYPOLOGIES GUEST EDITOR

G R E E N B U I L D I N G & D E S I G N J U LY+ A U G + S E P T 2 0 12

AT PLAY ISSUE 20+ CASE STUDIES ON RECREATIONAL DESIGN

GREEN GRAND SLAM The Mariners, Twins, & Padres prove the value of sustainability 75

APOGEE, KING OF STADIUMS Inside the nation’s only LEED Platinum football stadium 132

ZAHA HADID’S SHRINK-TO-FIT AQUATICS CENTER FOR LONDON 2012 118

GREEN BUILDING & DESIGN

In This Issue COVER STORY How the London Aquatics Center will morph into a more sustainable version of

the AT PL AY ISSUE

itself after the Olympics, p. 118

Can soccer help kids learn? What about architecture? A Chicago

photos clockwise from top: Hufton + CrowE; BRUCE DAMONTE; Frederic Larson; SEATTLE MARINERS; TOM ROSSITER

charter school is trying both, p. 126

Can Gensler put the fun into flying again? SFO’s Terminal 2 is an answer in the affirmative, p. 89

Treehuggers in the outfield!

The Mariners, Padres, and

Twins ramp up sustainability efforts for big savings and healthier fans, p. 75

A little pool-side relaxation is in order: West Village at UC-Davis is a net-zero paradise, p. 206

gbdmagazine.com

july–september 2012

3

GREEN BUILDING & DESIGN

Table of Contents Up Front Approach Trendsetters Green Typologies Inner Workings Features Spaces Tough Builds Punch List p11

p29

p57

p81

p99

p117

p139

p205

p217

4

july–september 2012

gb&d

GREEN BUILDING & DESIGN

12 Editor’s Picks 14 Defined Design Remote Homes 19 Guest Editor Blaine Brownell 20 Scene Healthcare Facilities

Symposium & Expo 23 Launch Pad Ecotech Institute 25 Notebook Alan Oakes

31 32 34 36 38

Best Buy FIS Global Hertz WESCO U.S. Bank Real Estate & Development

40 41 43

45 46 48

Sampson Morris Group Integral On Top of the World Communities Gallina Development Baystone Development W.W. Reynolds Companies

Building & Design

50 Sauder Woodworking 53 Earth Systems 54 Energy Edge Technologies Corp.

Jim Weiner Sandra Leibowitz Miami University Brookdale Senior Living Michael Frerking Trammell Crow Crescent Resources Seattle Mariners Minnesota Twins San Diego Padres

Airports

82 86 89 92

Brooklyn Navy Yard Grand Canyon University Rec Center Salem Kroc Center UConn Social Sciences & Humanities Buildings Staten Island Children’s Museum Crissy Field Center

Energy Management

58 60 62 65 69 71 74 75 76 78

100 104

107 110

113 115

O’Hare Modernization Program Edmonton Terminal Expansion San Francisco Terminal 2 Nashville Consolidated-Rental-Car Facility

gbdmagazine.com

118 126 132 138

London Aquatics Center UNO Soccer Academy Apogee Stadium Discussion Board

Play

140 144 145 147 150 151

DePaul Art Museum Grand Canyon University Arena FAU Dining & Banquet Hall NASCAR Hall of Fame Nicola Formichetti Pop-Up Store Rivers Casino

206 Net Zero UC-Davis West Village 209 Remote Locations Namibia Container

Clinics 210 Off the Grid Blacktail Residence 212 Harsh Climates Rosa Gardens

218 220 222 224 226

Material World Emeco Architects to Watch W.PA Solution Western Wind Energy Game Plan RMT Inc. Show & Tell Brodie Stephens

Plus Editor’s note At play Contributors Index People & Companies VERBATIM Kris Lengieza VERBATIM Lori Bork Newcomer VERBATIM Patricia Griffin VERBATIM Alan Heikkinen VERBATIM Thomas Sykes Index Advertisers

7 9 10 26 55 96 203 215 225

Heal

156 162 164 165

Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago South Beach Dental Offices La Source Massage Therapy Pavilion Humane Society Silicon Valley

Learn

168

172 174 176 178 181

Anacostia and Tenley-Friendship Libraries Academic West Jorgensen Lab Inspiration Kitchens Euler Science Complex Rawls College of Business

Live

183 185 186 188 190 193

Bricault Residence Newcomer Residence Crescent Park 845 N. Michigan Fields & Schoenfeldt Halls Sustainable Fellwood Phase III

Work

195 198 200 202

LivePerson New York World Resources Company Building Wolf Trap Fire Station Tower at PNC Plaza july–september 2012

5

Providing Comprehensive Geoprofessional Services Since 1969 ͻ ͻ ͻ ͻ ͻ ͻ ͻ

'ĞŽƚĞĐŚŶŝĐĂů ŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ 'ĞŽůŽŐLJ ,LJĚƌŽŐĞŽůŽŐLJ 'ĞŽƉŚLJƐŝĐƐ ŶǀŝƌŽŶŵĞŶƚĂů ŽŶƐƵůƚŝŶŐ DĂƚĞƌŝĂůƐ dĞƐƚŝŶŐͬ/ŶƐƉĞĐƚŝŽŶ >ĂďŽƌĂƚŽƌ LJ dĞƐƚŝŶŐ ŽĨ ƵŝůĚŝŶŐ DĂƚĞƌŝĂůƐ ͻ >ŽĂĚ dĞƐƚŝŶŐ ŽĨ >ŝŐŚƚůLJ >ŽĂĚĞĚ WŝůĞƐ

Earth Systems group of companies tŝƚŚ ŽǀĞƌ ϰϬ LJĞĂƌƐ ŽĨ ŽƉĞƌĂƚŝŽŶƐ͕ ǁĞ ŽĨĨĞƌ Ă ǁĞĂůƚŚ ŽĨ ŬŶŽǁůĞĚŐĞ ĂŶĚ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ŐĞŽƉƌŽĨĞƐƐŝŽŶĂů ĨŝĞůĚ͘ LJ ƉƌŽǀŝĚŝŶŐ ŝŶŶŽǀĂƚŝǀĞ ĂƉƉƌŽĂĐŚĞƐ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ ĐŚĂůůĞŶŐĞ ŽĨ ƐƵƐƚĂŝŶĂďůĞ ĚĞǀĞůŽƉŵĞŶƚ ƚŽĚĂLJ͕ ǁĞ ĂƌĞ ŚĞůƉŝŶŐ ƚŽ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌ Ă ŵŽƌĞ ƉƌŽŵŝƐŝŶŐ ĨƵƚƵƌĞ͘

Toll Free (866) 781- 0112 www.earthsystems.com

GREEN BUILDING & DESIGN

Editor’s Note At Play

photo: samantha simmons

Last October I read architecture critic Blair Kamin’s report on the “park deserts” throughout Chicago. Like food deserts, these areas are deprived of green space. Though the city did add 1,300 acres of open space between 1998 and 2010, according to the Chicago Tribune, some neighborhoods still function as concrete jungles, with no room to breathe or space to play.

Playing is important. It’s how ideas are generated. You have to mess around, let different thoughts run into each other. But recreation isn’t just about fueling creativity. It’s a part of life. We need to play, run, be outdoors, compete for an honor, whether it’s a gold medal or just bragging rights.

That’s why I care about Chicago’s green space, and why I’m glad that Mayor Rahm Emmanuel is pledging $290 million to increase access to public parks throughout the city. Some of that money is going to the Bloomingdale Trail, a derelict stretch of elevated-train track that will become a landscaped— but hopefully still somewhat wild—pedestrian and bike trail, Chicago’s answer to New York’s High Line.

Architects, builders, and developers, as well as financiers, foundations, and passionate citizens play a huge role in providing spaces to play for the general population. And it’s their efforts we celebrate in this issue of gb&d.

The most prestigious example is Zaha Hadid’s London Aquatics Center, the swimming and diving venue for the 2012 Olympic Games, held this month.

Every designer tapped for the Olympics wants to make a splash, but Hadid and project architect Sara Klomps decided they would create a world-class structure that could shrink, shedding its wings and 15,000 of its seats in order to better fit the neighborhood it will serve post-Games. What’ll happen to the extra stuff? It’ll be recycled or sold. And that’s not all—check out the building’s additional sustainable elements on p. 118.

By the time the Olympics draw to a close, it’ll be nearly time for football season, and we’ll remember gbdmagazine.com

how much we love high-octane contact sports. Fortunately, HKS is changing the game. Not the rules per se, but the playbook by which stadiums are built. Apogee Stadium, at the University of North Texas, is the meanest, greenest football stadium in the country and the first to achieve LEED Platinum certification. At first glance it looks like any other field. But zoom out. You’ll see the wind turbines that provide clean, renewable energy. You’ll see the bioswales that treat storm water. And you’ll see that the structure was built into an existing slope specifically to limit excavation and preserve existing trees.

Check it out on p. 132.

Back in Chicago, parks aren’t the only green things we’re building. The United Neighborhood Organization teamed up with JGMA and Ghafari Associates to design and build its newest charter school, the UNO Soccer Academy (p. 126). A soccer pitch glows green at the base of the school, but that’s not the only reason for the name. Soccer is integral to the curriculum, and classrooms are named for countries that have hosted the World Cup, all in hopes that students will connect their love of the sport to a love for academics. Thus far, it’s working.

The Soccer Academy’s attendance rate is 98 percent, higher than any other UNO school.

I’m not even scratching the surface. Flip through, and you’ll see what I mean. The Seattle Mariners are turning peanut shells into topsoil (p. 75). Architekton is reimagining the college rec center (p. 104). The folks at One Lux Studio even got excited about NASCAR when they designed the lighting for the Hall of Fame in Charlotte, North Carolina (p. 147). Plus, we introduce our first installment of Green Typologies, examining airports and how they’re eking their way toward sustainability (p. 57).

It’ll be a long flight, but at least we’re in the air.

Oh, and I almost forgot. We redesigned the magazine. Big time. Our creative director, Karin Bolliger, and senior designer Aaron Lewis really hit a home run. That’s my opinion, but I have the feeling you’ll agree.

Cheers,

Timothy A. Schuler Features Editor tschuler@gbdmagazine.com july–september 2012

7

GREEN BUILDING & DESIGN

Masthead gb&d ®

Green Building & Design®

Media Inquiries

gbdmagazine.com EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Christopher Howe, chris@gbdmagazine.com CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Karin Bolliger ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER

Laura Heidenreich, laura@gbdmagazine.com FEATURES EDITOR

Timothy A. Schuler, tschuler@gbdmagazine.com SENIOR DESIGNER

Aaron G. Lewis MANAGING EDITOR

Kathy Kantorski, kathy@guerrerohowe.com

guerrerohowe.com ALL EDITORIAL INQUIRIES

Timothy A. Schuler, Featues Editor tschuler@gbdmagazine.com, 312.256.8487 to order REPRINTS

Stacy Kraft, Reprint Manager reprints@guerrerohowe.com, 312.256.0460 FREE SUBSCRIPTIONS

CEO/PUBLISHER

Christopher Howe PRESIDENT

Pedro Guerrero DIRECTOR OF SALES

Titus Dawson, titus@guerrerohowe.com

For a free subscription, please visit gbdmagazine.com/sub

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF SALES

ALL MAILINGS

Director of Strategic Partnerships

Green Building & Design Magazine 205 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 3200, Chicago, IL 60601

George Bozonelos

CORRESPONDENTS

Matt Alderton, Chris Allsop, Blaine Brownell, Laura M. Browning, Thalia A-M Bruehl, Peter Fretty, Jeff Hampton, Scott Heskes, Jennifer Hogeland, Ashley Kjos, Russ Klettke, Julie Knudson, Kelli Lawrence, Kelli McElhinny, Annie Monjar, Jennifer Nunez, Alan Oakes, Lindsey Howald Patton, Mark Pechenik, Zipporah Porton, Seth Putnam, Julie Schaeffer, Brodie Stephens, Tina Vasquez, Lynn Russo Whylly, Laura Williams-Tracy

Guerrero Howe Custom Media

Krista Lane Williams

Editorial Research Manager

Anthony D’Amico Editorial Research Coordinator

Sales Inquiries

Adam Castillo

associate publisher

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT/REPRINT MANAGER

Laura Heidenreich, laura@gbdmagazine.com, 312.447.2394

Stacy Kraft SALES REPRESENTATIVES

Samantha Simmons, Sheila Barabad

James R. Ainscough, Emily Boyd, Maggie Coleman, Logan Distefano, Benjamin Fongers, Matthew Hardy, Michelle Harris, Brendan Healy, Jessica Holmes, Gianna Isaia, Justin Joseph, Rebekah Mayer, Agnes Pulawski, Chelsie Rowe, Bobby Stone, Jennifer Ublasi

Researchers

DIRECTOR OF ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT

Eric Crabb, Shaan Haque, Tom Joiner, Ashley Kjos, Thomas Lesser, Michelle Ruiz, Mike Schulte, Jessica Smith, Ashley Wilson

ACCOUNT MANAGERS

PHOTO EDITORS

Printed in South Korea. Reprinting of articles is prohibited without permission of Guerrero Howe, LLC. Green Building & Design® is a registered trademark of Guerrero Howe, LLC.

Cheyenne Eiswald Lindsay Craig, Amy Lara, William Winter, Ashley Zorrilla ACCOUNTING ASSISTANT

Mokena Trigueros HR GENERALIST

Diana Schnekenburger EXECUTIVE ASSISTANTS

Ashley Bigg, LeeAnne Hawley RECEPTIONIST

Samantha Childs

8

july–september 2012

gb&d

GREEN BUILDING & DESIGN

Contributors And now for something completely different…

Haiku™ looks different because it is different. The sleek

Lynn Russo Whylly is a professional business writer who covers a wide variety of subjects, including digital media, customerrelationship management, and sustainability. For this issue, she penned the cover story on Zaha Hadid’s London Aquatics Center, which will house swimming and diving at the 2012 Summer Olympics. In addition to gb&d, Lynn’s work has appeared in Adweek, OMMA, and PROMO magazine.

Blaine Brownell is an architect, author, and former Fulbright scholar with a research focus on emergent materials. He is a principal at Transstudio and co-director of the masters program in Sustainable Design at the University of Minnesota School of Architecture.

His latest book is Material Strategies: Innovative Applications in Architecture.

For this issue of gb&d, Blaine served as the guest editor. Reach him at info@transstudio.com.

Lindsey Howald Patton writes primarily about fine arts, travel, and design; she also has a penchant for character-driven profiles, fiction, and far-flung topics like English cider, IPOs, and carpet. For her first gb&d feature, Lindsey drove to Chicago’s southwest side with architect Juan Moreno for an up-close look at the UNO Soccer Academy.

Chris Allsop is a freelance writer based in Long Beach, California.

When not hanging ten and avoiding a strictly vegan diet, he specializes in writing b2b, film, and lifestyle journalism. For this issue, Chris interviewed leading architecture firm HKS about creating the first LEED Platinum stadium in the country. gbdmagazine.com

profi le conceals Sensorless Drive Technology™ that delivers an 80% improvement in efficiency over conventional ceiling fan motors. Confirmed by ENERGY STAR® as the most efficient small ceiling fan*, Haiku also won the prestigious international LiveEDGE award acknowledging excellence in electronic design for the global environment, as well as the red dot award, a prominent seal indicating quality design.

Haiku makes a bold statement about sustainable design, with airfoils made of Moso bamboo, a fast-renewing resource with the tensile strength of steel. Aerodynamic patent-pending Thin Sheet™ airfoils deliver smooth, silent airflow at all speeds (in fact, it’s also the quietest fan in the world). Haiku’s sophisticated control features include the exclusive Whoosh™ mode to simulate the variations of natural airflow, increasing perceived cooling by 40%*.

After a decade of engineering innovative air-movement solutions for large rooms, we heard your request: to make a small fan worthy of being called a Big Ass Fan®. Here it is. And it’s the most efficient. The quietest. The most sustainable.

Bring big innovation to your project’s smaller spaces.

(877) BIG-FANS | www.bigassfans.com/haiku

*As of 4/1/2012 | * Indoor Air, Dec. 2000; Effects of turbulent air on human thermal sensations in a warm isothermal environment; Xia Y.Z., Niu J.L., Zhao R.Y., Burnett J. May be covered by one or more of the following U.S. Patents: 6,244,821; 6,589,016; 6,817,835; 6,939,108; 7,252,478; 7,284,960; D587,799; D607,988, D612,476; D614,757, and other patents pending. ©2012 Delta T Corporation dba the Big Ass Fan Company.

All rights reserved.

An ISO 9001:2008 certified company

july–september 2012

9

GREEN BUILDING & DESIGN

Index People & Companies # 360 Architecture, 105, 144 3G, 148 A Acro Energy Technologies, 184 Airstream Company, 159 Alisal Builders, 183-184 Alliance Energy Corporation, 224 Allied Waterproofing, 184 American Airlines, 89 American Planning Association, 47 Anderson Mikos Architects, 159 Andolino, Rosemarie, 83-84 Antunovich Associates, 141-143 Antunovich, Joe, 141-143 Aramark, 75 Arcadia, 105 Archaeo Architects, 17 Archer, Rick, 25 Architekton, 104-106, 144 Arquitectos, 129 Art Institute of Chicago, 159 Atlanta Housing Authority, 41 B Bailey, Jack, 148-149 Ballard, David, 137 Barker Rinker Seacat Architecture, 107-109 Bautz, Ayse, 130 Baystone Development, 46-47 Bergen, Jessica, 48 Berman, Matthew, 101-102 Best Buy, 31-32 Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners, 101 Bien Hecho, 102 Biermann, Mark, 179 Birdair, Inc., 113-114 Blackburn, Steve, 107-109 Blouin Tardif Architecture, 164 BN Builders, 76 Bon Appétit, 192 Bonneville Environmental Foundation, 76 Bork Architectural Design, 55-56, 185 Bork Newcomer, Lori, 55-56, 185 Boyd, Mike, 222-223 Branagh, Inc., 203-204 Brand, Mark, 162-163 Brice, Colin, 195-197 Brookdale Senior Living, 65-67 Brooks + Scarpa, 212-214 Brownell, Blaine, 19 Buchbinder, Gregg, 218 Bucknell University, 172-173 Burger, Rian, 86-88 Buster Biofuels, 78 C California Institute of Technology, 174-175 Caplan, Myrrh, 110, 112 Capsys, 102 Carmel Properties, 206-208 Cascade Renewable Energy, 134-135 CBRE, 36 Cedar Grove Composting, 75 Century Link Field, 76 Chicago Department of Aviation, 83-85 Children’s Memorial Hospital, 157 City of Chicago, 159 City of Richmond, 186 City of Salem, 107 City of San Diego, 78 Clarion Industries, 52 Coachella Valley Housing Coalition, 213 Coca-Cola, 12, 218-219 Colen, Kenneth, 45 Collaborative Project Consulting, 58 Concord Iron Works, 204 Containers 2 Clinics, 209 Cooper Joseph Studio, 14, 15 Cooper Lighting, 88 CoreSlab, 144 County of Fairfax, 200 Cox, Brad, 71-73 Crescent Resources, 74 Cronin, Hugh, 182 Cunningham Engineering, 207 Cushman & Wakefield/NorthMarq, 38

10

july–september 2012

D D.E.I. Food Service Equipment & Design, 146 D.I.R.T., 103 D&D Cabinets, 207 Danielson, Dan, 191-192 Demattei Wong Architecture, 92-93 DePaul University, 141, 143 Design Ecology, 204 Design Glazing Concepts, 201 Designing Concrete, 189 Desmone & Associates Architects, 41 Development Management Associates, 138, 151-153 Dick, Jon, 17 Dunham, 31 Dyson, 90 E EAH Housing, 186-187 Earth Systems, 53 Eaton, 36 Echelman, Janet, 90-91 ECI Wind and Solar, 43, 179 ECM, 43 EcoClad, 116 Ecogate, 52 Edmonton International Airport, 86, 88 Education Corporation of America, 23-24 Edwards, Valerie, 43 Egan, Dave, 186 EH Price, 88 Eiserman & Associates, 188 El-Mogazi, Dina, 172-173 Elevated Landscape Technologies, 183 Elliott, Tani, 208 Emeco, 12, 218-219 Endurance Wind Power, 179 Energy Edge Technologies Corporation, 54 Engel, John, 36 ESa, 66 F FedEx, 72, 83 Ferguson, Jenabeth, 20, 21 Ferra Designs, 101 FIS Global, 32, 34 Fisher Development, 115-116 Fisher, Alex, 115-116 Florida Atlantic University, 145 Formichetti, Nicola, 150 Frerking, Michael, 69-70 Friedman, John, 175 Friedman, Thomas, 22 Fujifilm, 19 G Gaffney, Chaser, 216 Gage/Clemenceau Architects, 150 Gallina Development, 45-46 Gallina, Andy, 45-46 Gallo Herbert Lebolo Architects, 145-146 Gallo, William, 145 Geheber Lewis Associates, 43 Gensler, 89-90, 202 Ghafari Associates, 126, 128, 130 Gimpel, James S., 159 Global Green, 214 Goetz, Eric, 114 Gorham, Paul, 38 Grand Canyon University, 104-106, 144 Grayson, Billy, 38 Green Building Certification Institute, 58, 60 Green Fern Events, 25 “Green” Hotels Associations, 96 Green Roof Solutions, 130 Green Sports Alliance, 75-76, 78 Griffin, Patricia, 96-97 Guglielmo, Mark, 78 Guido-Clark, Laura, 219 H Haakon, 88 Hadid, Zaha, 118-120, 123, 125 Halquist Stone Company, 189 HarenLaughlin Construction, 67 Hawley, Dennis, 172-173 Hazaveh, Nory, 215 HBT Architects, 45 Healthcare Facilities Symposium & Expo, 20, 21

Heaton, Joan, 18 Heikkinen, Alan, 203-204 Hennepin Energy Recovery Center, 78 Herbert, Brian, 145-146 Herbert, Diana, 145 Hertz Corporation, 34, 36 Hetrick, Kathy, 200-201 Hill, Craig, 53 HKS, 133-136 Hodge, David, 62 Holbert, John, 188 Holdsworth, Rob, 54 Holloway, Gregg, 179 Hooper Corporation, 224 Horton Lees Brogden Lighting Design, 168-171 Hoss, Allen, 193-194 I IceStone, 102 Innovative Collaborations Inc., 209 Inovia Consulting Group, 146 Inspiration Kitchens, 176 Integral Development, 41, 43 Integral Group, 41, 43 InterfaceFlor, 116 Irvine Company, 72 J Jenkins, Scott, 75, 138 JGMA, 126, 128-130, 138 Joan Heaton Architects, 18 Joffrey Ballet, 159 John Friedman Alice Kimm Architects, 175 Johnson, Claudia “Ladybird,” 25 Johnson, Sheryl, 43, 45 Jones, Sam, 179 K Kahn, Emily, 25 Kane, John, 105-106 Kaufman, Tony, 32, 34 Keegotech, 19 Kelly & Stone Architects, 210-211 Kelly, Keith, 211 Kenny, Tom, 188 Keopf, Jay, 65-67 Key Food Supermarkets, 54 Kimball, Andrew, 101 Klomps, Sara, 120, 124-125 Komiske, Bruce, 20, 157-159 KPFF Consulting Engineers, 94 Kurt Salmon, 157 Kurt Versen, 148 L La Source, 164 Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center, 25 Lake State Industries, 166 Lambright Woodworking, 189 Lare, Dan, 105 Lashober & Sovich, 214 Lebolo, Emilio, 145 Leibowitz, Sandra, 60-61, 138 Lengieza, Kris, 26-27, 138 Leo J. Roth Corporation, 45 Leon, Martin, 183-184 Levin, Michael, 151 Lighthouse Utility Solutions, 20 LivePerson, 195-197 Living Systems, 69-70 Louie, Tak, 141 LSI, 143 Lundy Wilbon, Vicki, 41, 43 Lurie, Ann, 159 Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, 20, 157-159 Lutron, 36 Luty, Paul, 191-192 M MacDowell, Todd, 46 MAGNET, 50 Malick, Amy, 83 Mapos, 195-197 Mark Brand Architecture, 162-163 Mark Lighting, 148 Marpillero Pollak Architects, 113-114 Marpillero, Sandro, 113-114 Martifer Solar, 36 McKay, Hayden, 169-171 McMillan, Elizabeth, 74 Miami University, 62-63 Miers, George, 165-166 Milestone Construction, 200-201

Silver Maple Construction, 18 Simpson, Scott, 188-189 Skanska, 110-112 Sky Factory, 21 SLS Partnership, 182 Smargiassi, Martin, 209 Smith Seckman Reid, 137 Smith, Kevin, 78 Soderstrom Architects, 191-192 Solomon Cordwell Buenz, 159 SOSH Architects, 215-216 South Beach Dental, 162-163 Southern Logistics International, 209 Miller Mechanical, 43 Spatz, Martha, 151 Milton C. Beebe and Sons, Inc., 111 Spray Masters Technology, 166 Minnesota Twins, 76, 78 Stantec, 86-88 Miramar Greenery, 78 State of Colorado, 24 Mitchell, August, 130 State of Florida, 146 Mizell, Melissa, 89-90 Staten Island Children’s Museum, Moby, 13 113-114 Modular Arts, 163 SteelMaster Buildings, 198-199 Molina, Michael, 181-182 Stephens, Brodie, 226 Montgomery, Charles, 22 Stone, Tim, 211 Moreno, Juan, 128-130, 138 Strickland, Carrie, 220-221 Morris, Michael, 40-41 Studio E, 207 Mosa, 163 SunPower, 48, 53 Mulvena, Caleb, 195 Superior Products, 209 Mundell, Chris, 134, 136 Sustainable Design Consulting, 61, 138 Murphy, Richard, 110, 112 SWA Group, 207 Museum of Science and Industry, 159 Swafford, William, 198-199 MVE Institutional, 207 Swatt Miers Architects, 165-167 N Nashville International Airport, 92-94 Sykes, Thomas, 215-216 Natwick, Brian, 74 T Tallman, Danielle, 31-32 Neburka, Bill, 220-221 Target Field, 76, 78 Nest, 12 Taylor University, 178-179 Nova Southeastern University, 146 TECO Peoples Gas, 45 Nucor Building Systems, 106 Terry Guen Design Associations, 130 O O’Connor, Thomas, 215 Teske, Kirk, 134-137 O’Hare International Airport, 83 Texas Tech University System, 21, Oakes, Alan, 25 181-182 On Top of the World Communities, The Freelon Group, 169 43, 45 The Great Outdoors Landscape Design Onderdonk, John, 175 & Construction, 184 One Lux Studio, 147-149 The Salvation Army, 107-108 One World Sustainable, 193 The Weitz Company, 26-27, 138 Overland Partners, 25 ThinkGlass, 13 Oy Windside Production, 114 Thompson, Julie, 189 P PaperStone, 189 Thorne, Greg, 40 PCA Architecture, 38 Todd Construction, 191 PEG Office of Landscape + Architecture, Tolosa Winery, 53 214 Toppan Interamerica, 40 Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, 148 Trammell Crow Company, 71-73 Pelli Clarke Pelli, 55 Trane, 137 Pelli, Cesar, 55 Transstudio, 19 Perini Building Company, 144 Trek, 19 Perkins+Will, 226 Triad Mechanical, 43 Perry, Egbert, 41 Trojanowski, Mark, 175 Petco Park, 78 Troyer Group, 179 Philips, 36, 147-149 Trubey, Bryan, 134, 136 Tomlinson, Phillip, 66-67 U U.S. Bank, 38, 40 Pierce Manufacturing, 159 Unisource, 223 Pimsler Hoss Architects, 193-194 United Neighborhood Organization, Pinera, Sue, 34, 36 126, 128-129 PNC Financial Services Group, 202 University of California at Davis, Poellnitz, Rob, 199 206-207 Porter, Charles, 151, 152 University of Connecticut, 110-111 Poste, Todd, 34 University of North Texas, 133-135, 137 Price, 90 University of Portland, 190-192 Procter and Gamble, 97 Urban Evolutions, 189 Project Frog, 115 Urban Realty, 41 Q Questions & Solutions Engineering, 78 Urban Villages, 207 R R. McGhee & Associates, 169 V Vick, Alfie, 56 Radiance Solar, 43 Viracon, 148 Rangel, Juan, 128-129 Virgin Airlines, 89 Raudys, Leo, 32 W W.W. Reynolds Companies, 48 Reflection Windows, 131 Wagner, Claire, 62-63 Renewable Choice Energy, 78 Water Technology Inc., 108 Reynolds, Bill, 48 Weiner, Jim, 58-61 RMT Inc., 224 WESCO Distribution, 36 Rob Walker Architects, 23 Western Wind Energy, 222-223 Rush Street Gaming, 152 Westridge Builders, 162 S Safeco Field, 75-76, 78 Westrope, Jason, 138, 152-153 Salerno, William, 215 Wheeler Kearns Architects, 176 Sampson Morris Group, 40-41 Williams, Trey, 43 Sampson, Ben, 40 Wilson, Glenn, 23, 24 San Diego Padres, 78 Witherspoon, Bill, 21 San Francisco International Airport, Witte, Randall, 20 89-90 Wong, Wesley, 92-94 Sauder Woodworking, 50, 52-53 Works Partnership Architecture, Sauder, Dan, 50, 52-53 220-221 Scarpa, Lawrence, 213-214 Workshop/apd, 100-102 Schafer, Brent, 191 World Resources Company, 198 Seattle City Light, 76 X Xcel Energy, 48 Seattle Mariners, 75, 138 Z Zaha Hadid Architects, 118-125 Seattle Public Utilities, 76 Zail, Nolan, 208 Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Zieff, Steven, 46-47 94 Zimmer Gunsul Frasca, 157 Shaw, 65 Zimmerman, Richard, 224 Shedd Aquarium, 158-159

gb&d

UP GREEN BUILDING & DESIGN

Up Front Approach Trendsetters Green Typologies Inner Workings Features Spaces Tough Builds Punch List

12 Editor’s Picks 14 Defined Design Remote Homes 19 Guest Editor Blaine Brownell 20 Scene Healthcare Facilities

Symposium & Expo 23 Launch Pad Ecotech Institute 25 Notebook Alan Oakes

gbdmagazine.com

july–september 2012

11

UP FRONt

Editor’s Picks

111 Navy Chair Emeco style plus Coca-Cola plastic equals the 111 Navy Chair, so named for the number of bottles it takes to create each one. Made from a recycled plastic mix—65% rPET and 35% glass fiber and pigments—the chair is as durable as its aluminum counterpart and comes with a five-year warranty. In addition to red, it comes in Snow, Flint Gray, Grass Green, Persimmon, and Charcoal. emecowithcoke.com

Nest Nest, the “learning thermostat,” may be smarter than you. Not only does it learn your behaviors in order to conserve energy while you’re away, but also recommends better temperatures than the ones you suggest—temperatures that will help you conserve energy. Nest is more than just eco-friendly—it connects to your laptop or mobile phone and doesn’t skimp on design. Visit the website for availability. nest.com

Living Architecture: How Synthetic Biology Can Remake Our Cities and Reshape Our Lives, by Rachel Armstrong Known for its filmed lecture series, TED now runs a publishing imprint, offering e-books that explore a single idea. Following her TED Talk on “growing” a new foundation for Venice, Italy, architect Rachel Armstrong offers Living Architecture. If it’s not the first time someone’s discussed the idea, it might be the most clearly articulated—a groundbreaking (or ground-creating, perhaps) idea packaged in a potentially revolutionary form. ted.com

w the See ho made! chair is p. 218

12

july–september 2012

gb&d

UP FRONT

“underneath the grim surface of hollywood is some of the most interesting and odd and baffling urban architecture on the planet.”

Moby

ThinkGlass If building materials were a high-school class, glass would be the cool kid. It’s beautiful, versatile, and increasingly sustainable. It lets light in while simultaneously reflecting solar gain. But though it’s already popular, ThinkGlass wants to crown it king. The glassmaker, based in Boisbriand, Quebec, uses a unique process and state-of-the-art custom ovens to create architectural glass whose options seem to be nearing infinity. Countertops, bars, flooring, and art installations barely scratch the surface. thinkglass.com

gbdmagazine.com

Moby Los Angeles Architecture If you want an eclectic, personal (and, for some reason, lowercase) account of SoCal architectural design, search no further than Moby Los Angeles Architecture, the blog Moby began in early 2012. The electronic musician muses about the Works Progress Administration, cement plants, and Buckminster Fuller. He’s an amusing celebrity observer, unlike some, and his photography—all rendered in black and white—is surprisingly worthwhile. Architects, Angelenos, and music fans all should find something to enjoy. mobylosangelesarchitecture.com

Morpholio The Morpholio app is kind of like project-management software meets a monograph meets Facebook. The app allows architects, designers, and others to share images, provide access to collaborators, and get feedback from viewers, and its Eye Time function allows users to see how long viewers spend on each image. Morpholio was created by Mark Collins, Toru Hasegawa, Anna Kenoff, and Jeffrey Kenoff, and is available for iPhone and iPad. Download it free. mymorpholio.com

july–september 2012

13

UP FRONt

Defined Design Sonoma Residence

Cooper Joseph Studio replaced the home’s outdated redwood porch with one made from sustainably sourced ipe, the same wood used for this screen, which offers the homeowners shade.

14

july–september 2012

gb&d

UP FRONT

Details Location Sonoma County, CA Size 2,200 ft2 Completed 2010 Architect Cooper Joseph Studio Associate Architect Richardson Architects Landscape Supplier Peter Jacobsen Contractor Red Horse Constructors Energy 100% solar powered Materials Salvaged wood from existing porch Roof White reflective roof

A harsh climate doesn’t come to mind when one imagines Sonoma, California, but droughts, floods, soaring temperatures, and killing frosts are common, making an off-the-grid home a challenge. But Cooper Joseph Studio’s renovation of the Sonoma Residence, the home of two “locavore farmers,” is executed brilliantly.

The 2,200-square-foot house features a new glass-and-steel curtain wall and warm ipe screen that replaces the existing porch, the original redwood of which was used to build an agricultural shed on the property. Near the shed, a solar array provides all of the home’s electricity. Plant choice was important for the 25-acre site. Cooper Joseph Studio used a xeriscape planting technique to conserve water during drought months and also planted lavender fields around the house to provide food for the owners’ bees.

Inside, oak is used for the floors, kitchen cabinetry, and wall panels, and the kitchen and fireplace area feature white silestone. Though the architects retained the majority of the original framing and roof structure, they extricated the upstairs living room in order to open the lower-level den to the full height of the home. —Julie Schaeffer

A new glass curtain wall defines the renovation, doubling its effectiveness once the lower-level den was exposed to the full height of the home.

gbdmagazine.com

july–september 2012

15

UP FRONt

Defined Design Van Drimmelen/ Gore Residence

The extensive skylights in this desert home allow it to respond to changes throughout the day and seasons. Passive solar strategies help heat and cool the home.

16

july–september 2012

gb&d

UP FRONT

Details location Sante Fe, NM Size 4,160 ft2 Completed 2010 Architect Archaeo Architects Landscape Architect San Isidro Permaculture General Contractor Gianardi Construction Solar Passive solar design Light Extensive natural light via skylights Water Rainwater capture, erosion control, xeriscaping

The overall goal for the Van Drimmelen/Gore Residence, designed and built for owners moving to New Mexico from Amsterdam, was to create a secluded retreat.

“The focus was on allowing the natural character of the site to be retained, while the architecture recedes back to frame views within the site and beyond to the panoramic western horizon,” says Jon Dick, founder of Archaeo Architects.

The three-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bath home has an office, a two-car garage, and a meditation area, and the primary spaces have covered terraces with a view of the Jemez Mountains. Natural light was key. “By using natural light as a form-defining element, the architecture responds to the evolving day as well as the seasons of the year, allowing the house to have a dialogue with the cycles of nature,” Dick says, who also paid close attention to the topography of the lot.

Other sustainable features include passive solar design, rainwater capture for landscape irrigation, erosion control, and xeriscape landscaping. The home has been honored with the Grand Hacienda Award in the Santa Fe 2011 Parade of Homes, as well as awards for Best Overall Design and Best Kitchen. —Zipporah Porton

photos: Robert Reck

This secluded mountain retreat near Santa Fe, NM, was built in a way that was sensitive to the site while still affording the owners views of the Jemez Mountains.

gbdmagazine.com

july–september 2012

17

UP FRONt

Defined Design Remote Cabin

Details Location South Lincoln, VT Size 956 ft2 Completed 2010 Architect Joan Heaton Architects Builder Silver Maple Construction Materials Local and salvaged wood Salvaged Furniture Claw-foot tub, bathroom vanity, and spiral staircase Insulation Dense-pack cellulose Structure Structural insulated panels

The site of the Remote Cabin was originally inaccessible—a quarter mile from any road and on the other side of the New Haven River, explains Joan Heaton, principal of Joan Heaton Architects.

“The … walk from the edge of the road to the building site shaped the whole project,” she says, explaining that the lack of access helped determine everything from the size and shape of the cabin to materials and construction methods.

A 75-foot pedestrian bridge was eventually built to span the river, but a poured-concrete foundation was impossible without vehicle access. So Heaton designed a system of 20 piers to replace the foundation. Silver Maple Construction transformed a nearby field into a staging site and preassembled features such as the roof’s hemlock trusses.

Much of the cabin came from the site itself, such as the timber-framed porch, which was built with wood from cleared trees. The shutters, siding, and ceiling are local pine, and the cabin’s claw-foot tub, bathroom vanity, and spiral staircase are all salvaged. Additional green features include dense-pack cellulose insulation, structural insulated panels, and the option of future solar panels. —Matt Alderton

18

july–september 2012

photos: Susan Teare

Nearly everything in the Remote Cabin was salvaged, either from the site—to make the timber-framed porch—or from nearby. Local pine makes up the majority of the interior wood, while a pedestrian bridge is the only access to the aptly named retreat.

gb&d

UP FRONT

Guest Editor Blaine Brownell

portrait: Gudmundur Brynjarsson

Fujifilm X10 When it comes to selecting a digital camera, size is often directly proportional to quality, with heavy, cumbersome DSLR cameras offering the best images. Fujifilm’s X10 is an attempt to lighten the photographer’s load and is a versatile and compact travel camera that outperforms most point-and-shoots.

Trek 7.3 FX I made a commitment to lowering my carbon footprint by commuting year-round by bicycle here in Minnesota and needed a bike that could perform in all seasons. I selected a model from Trek’s FX series and got disc brakes without breaking the bank. So far, my Trek 7.3 FX has been a joy to ride in even the crummiest weather conditions.

MudWatt I learned about Keegotech’s MudWatt from architects Sheila Kennedy and Frano Violich in the context of “Third Nature,” a studio we co-taught at the University of Minnesota College of Design.

MudWatt is a microbial fuel cell that harnesses power from the microbes populating common topsoil. The kit comes with customizable components like hacker boards, which allow you to determine how to channel the microbial-generated electricity.

Project Japan: Metabolism Talks, by Rem Koolhaas and Hans Ulrich Obrist Japanese architecture never ceases to fascinate, and a resurgence of interest in the Japan-born Metabolist movement has inspired several new books and a major exhibition. Koolhaas’s and Obrist’s exhaustive and highly accessible study of what they claim to be the first non-Western avantgarde movement in architecture sheds new light on today’s visions of technology-imbued eco-utopias.

Concrete Planet: The Strange and Fascinating Story of the World’s Most Common Man-Made Material, by Robert Courland In Concrete Planet, Courland takes one of the most physically present substances and reveals just how little we know about its history or physical properties. Surprising revelations include concrete’s importance in the early stages of civilization, as well as the inferiority of modern concrete when compared with its Roman counterpart.

Biography Blaine Brownell is an architect, author, and former Fulbright scholar with a research focus on emergent materials. He is a principal at Transstudio and codirector of the masters program in Sustainable Design at the University of Minnesota School of Architecture. His books include the Transmaterial series, Matter in the Floating World, and Material Strategies (Princeton Architectural Press). Reach him at info@transstudio.com. gbdmagazine.com

july–september 2012

19

UP FRONt

Scene Inside the 2012 Healthcare Facilities Symposium & Expo The Building is the Medicine

It’s no wonder that some of the hallmark American television dramas are centered on hospitals. These are the places where life begins, ends, and joyfully extends, a tangle of rooms and hallways and high-tech equipment employed by a true cross-section of humanity who make up patients and caregivers.

Essential to all of this are the people who design and build what are in many cases magnificent structures (Rush University Medical Center being one shining example). And those people—architects, engineers, contractors, interior designers, and owners—converge every October to share ideas and push the industry farther into an environmentally and physically sustainable future.

Their ability to gather is in large part thanks to the work of Jenabeth Ferguson, event director and program manager of the Healthcare Facilities Symposium & Expo, a gathering of 3,000 professionals and 200 exhibitors in Chi-

The Word What People Are Saying Bruce Komiske, chief of new hospital design and construction for Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago, has high regard for the Healthcare Facilities Symposium & Expo.

20

july–september 2012

“There is no better value when planning to build a hospital than this conference,” he says. “It’s a chance to transfer lessons learned among participants.”

Similarly, Randall Witte, CEO of Lighthouse Utility Solutions, speaks about his company’s pe-

Rush University Medical Center Chicago, IL

cago. Ferguson shares what she’s learned about hospitals—going green for a while, it turns out—since she began working on the show in 1998.

How big is this industry?

Jenabeth Ferguson: In the US alone, healthcare construction spending for 2012 is expected to total $43 billion, according to Associated Builders and Contractors. We have some international Symposium attendees as well.

Who goes to this show and why?

Ferguson: This is the event for everyone involved in the construction and renovation of healthcare facilities. It’s the first place for people who oversee how the physical environment affects healthcare delivery. Importantly, it’s cross-functional. Architects really learn from those who manage or work in a facility and vice versa. rennial involvement. “It’s an opportunity to meet key players—those highly placed and their support people—in the healthcare buildings industry,” he says. Lighthouse helps healthcare organizations reduce costs and achieve green standards in energy and water use.

Last year’s Healthcare Facilties Symposium attendees, who got a hard-hat tour of the Lurie Children’s Hospital, can return to see the completed structure this year.

Not attending the event?

Treat yourself to a sneak peek of the newly opened hospital on p. 156.

Lurie Children’s Hospital Chicago, IL

gb&d

Photos from top: James Steinkamp Photography; Nick Merrick, Hedrich Blessing Photography

LEED-certified primary healthcare facilities—aka green hospitals—are projected to grow at a steady clip for the foreseeable future. Architects, contractors, and others gather every year in Chicago for a healthy exchange of ideas. Event director Jenabeth Ferguson talks to gb&d.

UP FRONT

“Without a doubt these are the most passionate and dedicated professionals in their field. They are truly impacting peoples’ lives. It’s much more than just bricks and mortar.”

Queen of the Valley Cancer Center, Napa, CA (left), Benson Radiology, Australia

Jenabeth Ferguson, Event Director and Program Manager

How would you describe the speakers at this conference?

Ferguson: It’s a broad range of people who can educate each other. We had to select between 250 speaker and panel submissions for 70 session slots. The best sessions are those that have multiple disciplines present.

Are there defining characteristics with healthcare designers and builders?

Ferguson: Without a doubt these are the most passionate and dedicated professionals in their field. They are truly impacting peoples’ lives. It’s much more than just bricks and mortar.

The 2011 show had a healing garden exhibit.

How much do biophilic elements play a role in healing?

Ferguson: We’ve had special green exhibits since 2007, where 12 to 15 vendors provide components of something that illustrates a green patient experience. A healing garden is for patients, family, and staff to experience a tranquil space.

How much does sustainability play into design in hospitals and other types of healthcare facilities?

Ferguson: These are big buildings that are open and working 24/7, with equipment that requires a lot of power. Because they are big consumers of energy, healthcare has been working on green and sustainable practices for a long time. Conferences annually have between eight and twelve proposals on energy. In existing structures, renovations and retrofitting of lighting are the low-hanging fruit.

Waste disposal has and remains a big topic in Symposium sessions and with exhibitors. —Russ Klettke

photos: Mark Paul Petrick

Healthcare Facilities Symposium & Expo October 2–4, 2012, Chicago’s Navy Pier defining event for the design, construction, and facilities A management teams in healthcare. The conference is marking its 25th year and operates independently of professional and trade associations and publications, which enables it to attract a broad spectrum of attendees and foster a healthy cross-fertilization of ideas.

Speakers and programs are overseen by an advisory board of 37 industry leaders. Produced by JD Events, Trumbull, CT.

gbdmagazine.com

A Window into Healthcare The Sky Factory, an innovative addition to the healthcare industry, wants to bring the great outdoors to patients in need of nature’s healing powers The mission of The Sky Factory, a Fairfield, Iowa-based company, is to bring an illusion of nature to where patient care is administered: in waiting rooms, patient rooms, corridors, and radiation-treatment facilities. The Sky Factory’s illusory images, essentially, are virtual skylights and windows.

They use actual photos of nature—both static and kinetic—to fully promote the concept of biophilia, a hypothesis promoted by writers Edward O. Wilson and Stephen R. Kellert that says a biologically rooted association with nature contributes to human health.

Importantly, photography is not an aesthetic choice but instead based in science: authentic images generate a response that is identical to the real thing. The firm currently funds functional magnetic-resonance-imagining research through Texas Tech University’s Department of Neurology, probing the specific mechanics of biophilia and the company’s products.

“The disposition of our genetics is a tendency to connect with nature,” explains Bill Witherspoon, president and founder of The Sky Factory, whose products counteract the abundance of stress and technology inherent to healthcare. “The consequence is health and healing.” These same products are also used to similar effect in hospitality, residential, retail and even corrections facilities.

The Sky Factory is among the exhibitors at the Healthcare Facilities Symposium & Expo in Chicago in October. The company also provides one-hour, AIA-accredited webinars to architects on an ongoing basis. And the company practices what it preaches about sustainability. Its 35 employees design and create products in a 12,000-square-foot facility that collects 104 percent of its energy needs (for manufacturing as well as administrative functions) from two 100-foot rows of solar collectors.

Almost 80 percent of its five-acre property is dedicated to organic gardens and a greenhouse, while all employees participate in profit sharing in the flat-management (minimal hierarchy) organization. Witherspoon describes The Sky Factory as a transparent, socially sustainable company, engendering, perhaps, a spirit of working that is wholly consistent with the end-use of its products. —Russ Klettke july–september 2012

21

UP FRONT

Scene Highlights Enliven Biophilia

Charles Montgomery, Keynote, ASLA 2011 Annual Meeting

™

the vastness of the sky ... inside

SkyFactoryBiophilia.com HFSE Booth 620 800.984.1464

Thomas Friedman, Keynote, Greenbuild 2011

ROB WALKER A R C H I T E C T S, L L C

SUITE 110 2229 1ST AVENUE SOUTH • BIRMINGHAM, AL 35233

Acuity Brands, LFI Innovation Award winner, LIGHTFAIR 2011

205.254.3212 22

july–september 2012

gb&d

UP FRONT

Launch Pad Ecotech Institute Who Education Corporation of America What Ecotech Institute When 2010 Where Aurora, CO Why No other college was solely dedicated to clean energy and green building education

By Kelli Lawrence

WHO

Education Corporation of America (ECA) got its idea for Ecotech Institute after having conversations with employers nationwide. “We were told of great growth in the clean energy sector but not enough technicians to operate and maintain some pretty sophisticated equipment,” says academic dean Glenn Wilson. So it created a college that is wholly focused on preparing graduates for careers in renewable energy, energy efficiency, and sustainable design. To date, it is the only such institution.

LAUNCHED

2010

WHAT

WHEN

Ecotech Institute offers what oftentimes isn’t often available from traditional colleges and universities. “Employers need people who can understand current communication systems, programmable controllers, and instrumentation,” Wilson says. “It has created a gap in our educational system. But we are confident Ecotech Institute is … closing that gap.” And it is doing so in a building as forwardthinking as its curriculum: Rob Walker Architects converted a warehouse—one that’s served numerous uses since being built in 1986—into a $5.8 million, LEED Goldcertified facility.

Classes began at a temporary facility in April 2010, with the school moving into its permanent location in January 2011. Though only 50 students enrolled in the institute initially, that number had swelled to 400 by the end of 2011, and Ecotech Institute’s inaugural class graduated in June 2012. Wilson is excited to see those first graduates released into the working world. “We’re very optimistic about how successful we will be in placing students in jobs, based on the response we’ve had from quite a few companies already,” he says.

Ecotech Institute’s building, which opened in 2011, uses rapidly renewable resources such as bamboo flooring.

gbdmagazine.com

july–september 2012

23

UP FRONt

“We’re very optimistic about how successful we will be in placing students in jobs, based on the response we’ve had from quite a few companies already.”

A portion of Ecotech Institute’s electricity comes from onsite wind and solar sources such as these rooftop wind turbines.

Glenn Wilson, Academic Dean, Ecotech Institute

WHERE

The materials used to build Ecotech’s library contain recycled content, while computers are designed to conserve energy.

The Building Breakdown B Renewable Energy

WHY Ecotech Institute is a crucial piece in the puzzle of cleantech education. “It’s the labs and the hands-on [opportunities] that really separate us from other schools,” Wilson says, “and that’s what excites companies when they come and look at our facilities.” The State of Colorado is equally pleased to host Ecotech Institute, he adds. “When companies consider relocating, economic development is a critical parameter they consider,” he says. “So they’re using our school as a sort of showcase for the type of graduates and skills the state can produce. And that’s very attractive when trying to get manufacturing businesses to locate to this region.”

More than 65,000 kilowatt-hours are generated annually at Ecotech Institute. The former warehouse now features building-integrated photovoltaics, Kestral e150 building-mounted wind turbines and an Urban Green Energy vertical-axis turbine (provided by Solvento), two Envision Solar solar trees, and a solar canopy, courtesy of Integrated Solar Design.

B Energy and Water The school uses demand-control ventilation, highefficiency air-conditioning and lighting, a zoned temperature-control system, and real-time monitoring of power, gas, water consumption, and renewableenergy production. WaterSense low-flow fixtures are used to reduce water use by 41 percent.

B Materials and Resources Carpet, insulation, and millwork are among the building’s many elements that contain recycled content.

Ecotech Institute also features bamboo flooring, certified wood, and a recycling center that can accommodate a volume of approximately 150 pounds of waste per day.

B Indoor Environmental Air Quality The institute uses GreenGuard Indoor Air Quality Certified furniture throughout the facility, as well as low- or zero-VOC paint and tile. Pollutant-sourcecontrol entryways also help improve indoor air quality.

B Computers and Technology A zero-client computing system eliminates the need for desktop maintenance and additional air-conditioning (zero-client systems produce minimal heat), allowing each computer to use a fraction of the energy a typical workstation would consume.

gb&d

photos: Teri Fotheringham

Ecotech Institute’s location in Aurora, Colorado—a suburb of Denver—is the result of careful and thoughtful consideration. “Denver had a confluence of quite a few critical factors,” Wilson says.

“The weather is perfect for wind and solar, there are lot of great projects going on in the state, and [as a] legislative leader [there] is a really good environment for working in this state.” Other factors weighing in Denver’s favor included an abundance of high quality schools, great businesses already in the area, and a premier clean energy cluster.

UP FRONT

Notebook Alan Oakes Considers the Green Wedding

D

amn, it’s hot. The high-pressure system that’s wrought wildfires throughout Texas won’t leave us alone.

Thankfully, the sun begins its descent as I join the other guests heading to the arched stone entrance of the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center. Situated on nearly 300 acres south of downtown, the Wildflower Center is one of the most iconic architectural monuments in Austin, Texas. Its patron was former First Lady Claudia “Ladybird” Johnson, an outspoken environmentalist who devoted her public life to the preservation of native landscapes and sustainable development. When I talk to Rick Archer of Overland Partners, the building’s architect, he recalls Johnson’s simple mandate for the facility: “I just want it to look like God put it there.”

Over the years, the destination has become an educational facility as well as Austin’s de facto living room, playing host to a variety of events. Tonight, we’re gathered for a wedding.

We’re dressed for the heat: ladies in soft summer-print dresses and men in cotton shirts with linen trousers, a few brave enough to sport summer suits, jackets already cast over their shoulders. Six weeks prior to the celebration, we’d received invitations explaining that the wedding was going to be green. Every effort would be made to do as little harm to the environment as possible.

After I got the invitation, I wanted to learn more about green weddings, so I spoke to Emily Kahn, founder of Green Fern Events, a sustainable-event-production company. “The Wildflower Center is one of our preferred venues,” Kahn told me. “The meeting and event industry represents the second most wasteful industry in the US, trailing right behind the construction industry.” A new generation of brides and grooms are choosing to make an environmental statement when they exchange vows. “Green weddings are no longer just a trend,” Kahn said. “Many couples are seeking new ways to express their Earth-friendly values as they express their love. From green registry items to wedding attire, there are thousands of sustainable options to choose from.” When Kahn meets with a couple for the first time, she directs them to a website devoted to this topic: greenbrideguide.com. “The Green Bride Guide is a great resource for getting started,” she said.

Tonight, passing through the entrance archway and strolling alongside a native stone colonnade supporting an aqueduct, I feel as if I’m entering a centuries-old ruin crafted by Franciscan monks, not a state-of-the-art event space. Archer remembers when Overland Partners designed the Center in the early 1980s.

At that time, there were no LEED guidelines. “The Wildflower Center predates the mainstream environmental movement that has become so prevalent today,” he said. “It was a precursor to

the LEED rating system and is widely regarded as one of the first sustainable public buildings in the US.” We’re led down a path amid the complex of buildings that make up the Wildflower Center. Some, like the observation tower that holds a 70,000-gallon cistern, look as ancient as the entrance aqueduct. Others clearly are contemporary, though they too recall the efficiencies and economics of early settlers’ barn-like forms. We arrive at an expansive meadow of wildflowers. In a clearing, chairs are arranged in rows with a center aisle leading to an area beneath a massive oak tree. We take our seats.

Cheerful chatter subsides as a string quartet begins to play Pachelbel’s Canon. Members of the wedding process through the meadow to the area under the hundred-year-old oak tree, the setting sun creating a dramatic backlight to the native grasses and wildflowers. As the bride and groom exchange their vows, they’re bathed in a golden light, and I’m struck by how simple and transcendent this ceremony is.

Once the vows are exchanged, we’re led back to the open air of the Wildflower Center’s central courtyard. Tables set with natural-fiber cloths, decked with wildflowers, and lit by beeswax candles have been arranged around the pool of a simulated spring. There’s a friendly, festive buzz amongst the guests as servers bring out organic food and local wine. If I didn’t know the wedding was green, I’m not sure I would notice anything different. Kahn says this is normal. “A green wedding might not look different from other traditional-style weddings,” she says, “but making your guests aware will result in conscientious efforts towards gift purchasing and … carpooling or taking a shuttle bus.”

When dinner is over and the cake is cut, when the children have tired of playing hide-and-seek in the display gardens and several pairs of lovers, young and old, have returned from the garden’s secluded alcoves, it is finally cool. The night air is a refreshing finale. And as I give the newlyweds my best wishes and make way to the exit, I can’t help but think how beautiful it all was: the couple, the Wildflower Center, the ceremony, the entire green presentation. Rick Archer said to me, “Sustainability connects us to something deeper. It connects us to the Earth and, by extension, to our own sense of being. It speaks of authenticity and living in harmony with all creation. And isn’t this what true beauty really is?” I couldn’t agree more.

“There’s a friendly, festive buzz as servers bring out organic food and local wine.”

gbdmagazine.com

Alan Oakes is an architectural historian, writer, documentarian, and regular contributor to gb&d.

Reach him at alanoakes@gbdmagazine.com. july–september 2012

25

Whiz kid Kris Lengieza talks about BIM, his job as a golf caddy, and the surprising outcome of his first LEED project

As told to Tina Vasquez

I’m always the guy with the new toys. When I initially heard about 3-D modeling, I brought it up to [The Weitz Company], but we weren’t ready for it then. In 2008, Weitz began to realize the potential for BIM, and I jumped at the opportunity to be involved in what I knew would be a game changer. It was a very important and somewhat challenging system to implement.

There is a lot of hardware and software to learn and implement, and it’s an all-new way of doing things. It was difficult for some to get on board.

I explained it by saying people might have used a hammer and nails in the 1800s, but now you’d never think of framing a roof without a nail gun.

It’s the same thing—it’s just a more modern way of doing things that makes your job easier and more efficient.

This technology allows you to push the envelope in a lot of ways. It’s especially helpful when it comes to sustainability. It enables you to pre-plan and pre-fabricate a worksite. We can show our clients their buildings before they’re completed, and we can identify problems before

26

july–september 2012

Up Close and Personal What was your first job?

I was a caddy at a golf course. It’s where I developed my love of the game, and I still play today.

If you weren’t in construction, what would you do? I would have majored in business. It was my goal to start my own business by the age of 30.

I’m not sure if it’s going to happen, but I’m not giving up on the dream.

What inspires you? The ability to affect and better other people’s lives.

Describe yourself in three words. Getting things done.

What is your hidden talent?

Competing in triathlons.

gb&d

photo: Jason Myers Photography

Colleagues at The Weitz Company teasingly refer to Kris Lengieza as “Top 40.” At just 29-years-old, the Massachusetts native became a recognizable name in the industry following his designation as one of Building Design + Construction’s Top 40 Under 40.

The distinction is a result of his technological acumen—he brought BIM to the forefront at The Weitz Company, augmenting the software with laser scanning, model-based layout, and field integration. Here, Lengieza talks about his office’s first BIM project and how the technology is a boon for green building.

VERBATIM

The Wellington Municipal Complex, certified LEED Gold, was made more efficient through The Weitz Company’s use of BIM.

photo: CJ Walker Photography Inc.

we even get into the field. It reduces waste and increases productivity, allowing us to do more work in a shorter amount of time. You can also include more systems in less space, which reduces energy. On a condo in Colorado we cut so much systems-related space that we were able to add another floor to the building.

The Wellington Municipal Complex was our first big LEED project. To be honest, we were a little unsure of our footing. There were some growing pains, but we put together a good team. We were aiming for LEED Silver but got LEED Gold, and much of it was owed to some green initiatives that had nothing to do with the actual building of the project. A big score-getter came from the town’s promise to use Green Seal-certified cleaning products like Wausau Paper products and Diversey cleaners and maintain an electric bus route around the town. In the end, the city got a highly efficient complex, and we got our first big LEED project under our belt, so it was a win-win for everyone. gb&d gbdmagazine.com

An energy model of the Wellington Municipal Complex entryway. BIM is now recognized as a boon for green building.

july–september 2012

27

Sustainability is essential, and gb&d is essential to sustainability.

Bradford Electric is a full service electrical contractor serving all of Florida. We have become increasingly well known for our expertise in providing electrical construction in the highly challenging health care industry, an industry that has its own special codes and monitoring organization.

Bradford Electric is a company that can handle your most challenging and demanding requirements. We offer design-build and value-engineering services to meet all your electrical needs. A systems oriented contractor, well versed in fire alarm and energy management controls.

Call us today for all your electrical needs Tel: (561) 747-0656 Fax: (561) 747-0677 3125 Jupiter Park Circle, Suite #3, Jupiter, Florida 33458

gb&d N D E S I G I N G & B U I L D G R E E N T 2 012 UG+SEP J U LY+ A

81 AIRPORTS L 19 BROWNEL V O L U M E 31 ’S EXTRA Y U RE B A T C S H E T B E HEAL INSIDE TH I U M 20 S SYMPOS FACILITIE

GIES TYPOLO GREEN BLAINE EDITOR

GUEST

SUE AT P L AYRECRIS N EATIONAL DESIG DIES ON

20+ CASE STU

GREEN GR

AND SLAM

APOGEE,

The Mar

prove th s, & Padres iners, Twin

ide the ADIUMS Ins KING OF ST

ZAHA HA

DID’S

nation’s on

-FIT AQ SHRINK-TO

e value of

tinum footb ly LEED Pla

Now fully redesigned!

Find us in the App Store or at gbdmagazine.com

july–september 2012

all stadium

LONDON NTER FOR UATICS CE

PRINT & DIGITAL EDITIONS

28

sustainabili

gb&d

ty 75

132

2012 118

GREEN BUILDING & DESIGN

Up Front Approach Trendsetters Green Typologies Inner Workings Features Spaces Tough Builds Punch List

31 32 34 36 38

Energy Management

Real Estate & Development

40 41 43

45 46 48

Sampson Morris Group Integral On Top of the World Communities Gallina Development Baystone Development W.W. Reynolds Companies

Best Buy FIS Global Hertz WESCO U.S. Bank

Building & Design 50 Sauder Woodworking 53 Earth Systems 54 Energy Edge Technologies Corp.

gbdmagazine.com

july–september 2012

29

At TOPPAN we are defining surfaces.

TOPPAN offers solutions to your surfacing needs. Wide arrays of wood species and natural stone from around the globe are offered in the highest quality printed surfaces. From the timeless to the exotic, we offer something unique for every style.

www.tia.toppan.com info@tia.toppan.com 30

july–september 2012

gb&d

A pproach Energy Management

This store in Orlando, FL, received 32 LEED points (enough for Gold certification) earning the most for indoor air quality.

The Best Buy? A LEED Prototype Almost 50 Best Buy stores have been certified through the LEED Volume Program Remote control is in: A high-tech energy-management system means 15% energy savings

Best Buy may be best known for its retail stores, packed full of fun electronic toys, but the company also is one of the nation’s most environmentally conscious retail chains. Since 2009, it’s been working toward the aggressive goal of reducing its North American carbon footprint 20 percent by 2020, primarily by reducing energy use in its 1,000 stores.

LEED certification is one element of Best Buy’s broad energy-saving strategy, but it presents a unique challenge: the company, like many big-box retailers, is faced with the task of getting not one, but hundreds, of stores certified. And that’s where Danielle Tallman, prototype and sustainability manager, focuses her efforts.

“In 2007, the USGBC began conversations with Best Buy about the idea of … getting a prototype pre-certified, then building additional stores based on that prototype,” Tallman says. “That was a great opportunity for retailers like us, gbdmagazine.com

so we worked with the USGBC to get our prototype pre-certified, then got subsequent stores certified through the organization’s volume-certification program.”

Best Buy develops specifications for architects, engineers, and developers building a new store. “You essentially incorporate as many points as possible into the prototype set of drawings,” Tallman says. “Then there’s an extensive documentation review, just as you would have with a typical LEED project, but you also have to develop an education-andquality-control plan to show how you’re going to take this set of elements and make sure they’re performed in the same consistent manner no matter where you build a store.”

When building stores based on the approved prototype, Best Buy still has to verify that all of the elements it claimed would be included are incorporated. To do so, the retail chain assembles documentation for multiple stores and pro-

GOLD STANDARD HEADQUARTERS With a 57% reduction in energy use and an Energy Star rating of 97, Best Buy’s Richfield, MN, headquarters is the largest US corporate campus to achieve LEED Gold certification under the EBOM rating, thanks in part to Dunham’s energy expertise.

july–september 2012

31

The darker the shade, the more electronics have been recycled at Best Buy stores (in thousands of pounds).

APPROACH ENERGY MANAGEMENT

ME

WA

205

490 ND

MT

128

OR

MN

143

VT

3,281

64 1,644

SD

ID

120

103

WY

647

NE

NV

UT

287

MI

PA

IA

398

345

1,704

1,173

24

IN

IL

1,084

CA

1,365 KY

919

VA

124 1,269

275

3,450

NC

741

TN

OK

AZ

592

304

NM

166

432

AR

114

RI

69 CT

415

MD

419 DC

49

250 MS

TX

46.2

SC

215 147

2,653

MA

1,559 NJ

DE

WV

MO

KS

499

1,853

OH

790

2,292 CO

NH

419

NY

WI

231

GA

AL

305

838

LA

368 FL

AK

1,656

118

HI

106

ELECTRONICS RECYCLING IN ACTION ince 2009, Best Buy has collected more than 300 million pounds of consumer electronics for recycling, S and aims to reach 1 billion pounds by 2020. The map above shows the average breakdown of how much e-waste Best Buy had collected in each state as of 2011 (in thousands of pounds).

vides it to the USGBC, which then audits a certain portion of the submissions.

This method, Tallman says, creates a much lighter workload. “Because a good chunk of the documentation is approved ahead of time, when you build an actual store, you collect a slimmed-down set of information than a typical one-off project would collect,” she says. “You also pay reduced fees, with LEED certificationspecific fees for each project coming in at around half a percent of the project cost.”

To date, Best Buy has certified 42 stores (with two Gold and four Silver) through the LEED for Retail Commercial Interiors and LEED Volume programs.

But Tallman is quick to point out that sustainability, for Best Buy, is about more than gathering points: it’s an ongoing effort that centers around sustainable solutions, product stewardship, access to technology, and an inspired workplace.

“We look at all components of a sustainability program when it comes to our buildings,” she says. For example, Best Buy has a goal of recycling one billion pounds of consumer goods by 2014, and to that end offers in-store recycling “all day, every day, as long as the store is open,” explains Leo Raudys, Best Buy’s senior director of environmental sustainability. The company is one third of the way to its goal.

The retail chain is also rolling out an enhanced enterprise energy management system (EMS) that will provide even more information and control.

That cutting-edge EMS, which Best Buy

32

july–september 2012

developed in cooperation with a technology partner, will take many energymanagement decisions (such as turning off lights and managing temperatures) out of the hands of stores to be handled remotely. “We think we’ll achieve 15-percent savings on top of the $35 billion in savings we’ve already achieved over the past three years,” Raudys says. “And those savings keep compounding, reflecting in future budgets.” gb&d —Julie Schaeffer A Message from DUNHAM Dunham is proud to partner with Best Buy to help guide and achieve their sustainable building goals including LEED certification on new and existing buildings. As Best Buy leads in retail sustainability, Dunham leads in sustainable engineering services including energy modeling, mechanical and electrical design, as well as building commissioning. Established in 1960, Dunham provides innovative engineering solutions for aviation, commercial, education, healthcare, high-tech, hospitality, mission critical, and retail clients throughout the country.

FIS Global Banks on Smart Decisions An eye for detail wins the tech company a 2011 USGBC Commercial Interior Award Even tech companies can save on energy: new software yields $250,000 in savings At FIS Global, the world’s largest provider of banking and payments technology, being a green company isn’t about chasing LEED certifications or about constructing the latest ultra-energyefficient office complex. It’s a simple philosophy about doing the right thing in the day-to-day. It’s about recognizing even the smallest opportunities for sustainable practices and making decisions that benefit the environment and the company.

Tony Kaufman is the vice president of real estate and facility operations with FIS, the fast-growing, Florida-based, financial-services-technology company that operates 138 facilities worldwide, serves 14,000 institutions, and recently placed 426 on the Fortune 500 list. He says that a huge part of FIS’s success with sustainability has been the company’s ability to build on small yet smart decisions about its energy policy.

“When you start thinking about being green, or about sustainability, the decision to make the right choice is simple,” he says. “You just have to be paying attention.”

As it prepared to move into its new facility in Orlando, Florida, two years ago, FIS made sure that its commitment to sustainability would be reflected in small ways.

The new space—200,000 square feet in total—has energy-efficient airconditioning units. Its landscape and interior plumbing uses little water. And its lighting system relies on reflectors to illuminate spaces, rather than more energy-sucking bulbs. Its eye for detail won FIS the 2011 USGBC Commercial Interior Award for the new space, as well as 38 LEED points, enough to earn it a Gold certification.

But the Orlando facility, Kaufman points out, was the culmination of years gb&d

Miller electric coMpany:

GIVING YOU

POWER

THE

TO

SUCCEED! Miller Electric Company understands the importance of sustainable construction, which is why we are a proud member of the U.S. Green Building Council, and encourage all of our project managers to pursue LEED accreditation.

Additionally, as a partner with our customers, and as good corporate citizens, we are committed to working with our customers in implementing ideas for sustainability in new and existing facilities, such as reduced power consumption through use of integrated building systems, or new lighting technology. We have several project managers and technicians trained in energy auditing to help our customers reduce their power consumption.

To learn more about how Miller Electric can help you go green, contact: Donnie Smith, Sr. Project Manager dsmith@mecojax.com (904) 388-8000

Miller electric coMpany “Quality Service Since 1928”

904.388.8000 • www.mecojax.com CoMMeRCIAL • DATA CeNTeRs • hosPITALITy • heALThCARe • INDusTRIAL • INsTITuTIoNAL • INTeGRATeD sysTeMs • CRITICAL PoWeR • INTeLLIGeNT TRANsPoRTATIoN • ReNeWABLe eNeRGy

Birmingham, AL • Little Rock, AR • Phoenix, AZ • Jacksonville, FL • Miami, FL • Tampa, FL • Atlanta, GA • Charlotte, NC • Irving, TX • Richmond, VA • Washington, DC • Milwaukee, WI

APPROACH ENERGY MANAGEMENT

Hertz Puts the Pedal to the Metal

The USGBC’s Central Florida chapter named the FIS building in Maitland its 2010 Project of the Year for its ample green features.

After a year of data collection, the car-rental company has energy efficiency in the driver’s seat A partnership with Martifer Solar is just the beginning of a massive renewable-energy initiative

“When you start thinking about being green, or about sustainability, the decision to make the right choice is simple.

You just have to be paying attention.”

Tony Kaufman, FIS Global

of intelligent energy decisions at FIS. Its environmental emphasis began early, as FIS outfitted its data centers with the most efficient equipment and machinery possible, choosing servers that wouldn’t require more energy than necessary for the applications they were running.

It continued as the company made automated lighting, heating, and airconditioning standard at all of its facilities. Styrofoam coffee cups were replaced with mugs. Kaufman’s division oversees all these practices, but he says success is dependent on facility managers and about 32,000 employees bearing day-today responsibility for maintaining high sustainability standards.

“They make sure that we’re constantly checking ourselves, and that we are effectively using equipment and facilities in the right ways,” Kaufman says.

Even with these great strides behind it, FIS hasn’t stopped looking for ways to streamline its energy consumption. It recently replaced facility vehicles with energy-efficient golf carts, and it is revamping its computer systems. “We recently started implementing a new software product … [that] tells the computers that if they’re outside typical office hours and

34

july–september 2012

they’ve been idle for a while, to shut off,” Kaufman says excitedly. Initial analyses have shown that this software might save FIS $250,000 a year in the United States alone.

Those savings add up. The company occupies 4.5 million square feet of space globally, meaning that companywide green practices impact hundreds of communities. Kaufman says FIS increasingly is globally conscious, and that its commitment to its employees and the environment is part of its overall culture.

“It’s one thing to work for a great company,” he says, “but it also means a lot to work for a company that walks the talk.” gb&d —Annie Monjar A MESSAGE FROM MILLER ELECTRIC CO. iller Electric Company values the longtime partnership we have M developed with Fidelity Information Service. “Our partnership and team approach toward green initiatives in our facilities provides both companies with an excellent ROI as well as preserving resources,” said senior project manager Donnie Smith.

The impetus for change is preceded by the realization that change is necessary.

The Hertz Corporation, the international vehicle- and equipment-renting organization, made such a determination at the beginning of 2011. Environmental responsibility has been one of Hertz’s core values for years, but early last year, the need for a more centralized and comprehensive plan was realized.

“We made the commitment a year ago to take our initiatives to the next level— expand upon what we were doing and formulate a sustainability plan that can be endorsed by the CEO and senior management—and we have done just that,” says Sue Pinera, the director of environmental programs at Hertz.

One of the central issues that needed attention and examination was widescale energy management across Hertz’s nationwide portfolio. But the requisite first step was data collection.

“In order to be successful here, the baseline data has to be measured so we can understand our success factor,” says Todd Poste, Hertz’s vice president of procurement.

The initial assessment of more than 30 locations included an examination of all quantitative energy use. Benchmarking and comparative analysis were necessary due to the different classes of Hertz facilities. “What the analysis allows us to do is prioritize where the opportunities are on a very macro level,” Poste says.

Once the priorities were set, Hertz was able to drill down into the operations of each property and approach energy management much more strategically. The company looked at lighting, gb&d

Green. It’s the color we’ve come to associate with environmental design and efficient building performance.

It’s also becoming a way of life in the commercial real estate world. One that CBRE knows well. A color we see clearly when it comes to understanding the needs of our clients and the goals they intend to achieve. So when you’re ready to burnish your green building credentials, turn to the recognized leader in commercial real estate services. We know the importance of sustainability in a rapidly changing real estate market. And that the bottom line for any business is green.

CBRE is committed to providing Hertz with green building solutions.

cbre.com/green

#1 IN REAL ESTATE SERVICES WORLDWIDE

We Provide Solutions. Need One?

See how we help solve our clients’ toughest problems: www.MartiferSolarUSA.com/Solutions 1.877.765.2752 gbdmagazine.com

july–september 2012

35

APPROACH ENERGY MANAGEMENT

Leases Provide Leverage for a Greener WESCO

HVAC systems, and behavioral measures.

It also will be adding photovoltaic solar panels to 15 locations this year thanks to a partnership with Martifer Solar, whose 2.48-megawatt arrays generate enough electricity to power 300 homes in a year. Aiding in the implementation of green policies is CBRE, Hertz’s outsourced provider of facilities management and also the company’s project management team.

Another important partner has been the USGBC, specifically the New Jersey and Washington, DC, chapters, which have helped Hertz navigate the potential opportunities within the LEED Volume Program. In preparation for submitting a prototype location, Hertz is going through the LEED process with its new service center in Albany, New York, a facility used for cleaning and maintenance. The goal is LEED Silver, and going through the initial checklist, Hertz has identified 52 possible points for things like alternative transportation options for employees, storm-water management, reduced heat island effect,

The Hertz Rent-a-Car facility at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is LEED certified as part of the consolidated rental facility, a green trend that’s sweeping the country.

36

july–september 2012

Hertz On Demand At the center of Hertz’s business is vehicle rental, which puts it in a great position to positively affect the environment through automotive efficiency. In addition to 60% of its fleet averaging 32 mpg or better, the company has introduced Hertz On Demand, a car-sharing program that offers electric cars, hybrids, and high-fuel-efficiency vehicles like the Nissan Leaf (left). The program has more than 500 locations worldwide, corporate client locations, and has been integrated onto 56 university campuses nationwide.

optimal energy performance, reduced water use, waste management, regional materials, and indoor air quality.

If 2011 was about analysis and preparation, 2012 will be all about implementation. “[This year] is going to be really exciting for us on the sustainability side,” Pinera says. “[Last year] was focused on getting the framework … and people in place, and now we can implement our programs.” Further evidence of the new commitment can be seen at Hertz’s new sustainability website, hertzlivingjourney.com, introduced in January. gb&d —Ashley Kjos

Peddling eco-products: systems like the carbon-reducing MaxCell Innerduct are pushed WESCO Distribution, the publicly traded, Fortune 500 distributor of electrical, data communications, and industrial products first entered the sustainability arena by promoting the green products of its suppliers. The Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based company became a fixture at green trade shows, and there encounters with customers made it clear that the company should also begin focusing on strategies to minimize its own environmental impact.

After a comprehensive environmental inventory in 2009, WESCO developed a program to reduce its energy use, fuel use, and waste. The first step in this program was to focus on greening more than 350 WESCO facilities across the country.

“Sustainability is a core responsibility and strategic priority at WESCO,” says John Engel, president and CEO. “We are taking a leadership role in our industry by working with our suppliers in providing cost-effective, environmentally friendly products and solutions to our customers.”

Energy efficiency has emerged at the forefront. Through retrofits at just 50 of WESCO’s owned properties, the company will reduce its carbon footprint by nearly five percent and save nearly $500,000 in annual energy costs in 2012.

The company is leveraging relationships with vendors like Cooper, Eaton, Philips, and Lutron to incorporate energy-efficient products in its facilities and showcase the effectiveness of those products.

Because WESCO leases around 75 percent of its facilities, the organization also has developed a policy for building energy efficiency into those leases. “We have an industry-leading green lease gb&d

Photo: Dana Hoff; ENGEL PORTRAIT: Joshua Franzos

Following a year of data collection, Hertz is ready for action. It’s now partnering with Martifer Solar to add solar panels to rental locations like this one in Paramus, NJ.

“Industry-leading green lease policy” prompts landlords to prioritize energy efficiency

Lutron — Energi TriPak family ®

TM

Add energy-saving functionality to your space with Energi TriPak, a new wireless control system that is affordable, easy to install, program and use – ideal for retrofit applications.

This family of sensors, personal controls, and PowPak modules can save over 60%* of lighting energy—can can pay for itself in less than two years.

•

NEW smaller design and recessed-mount option

•

Automatically turn lights off when a room is unoccupied

85Price

Wireless ireless communication for easy retrofit—no wires

PowPakTM dimming module with EcoSystem®

$

•

st Li

Radio Powr SavrTM ceiling-mount occupancy/ vacancy sensor

•

Receives RF commands from sensors and controls

•

PowPak modules available for EcoSystem dimming ballasts and LED drivers, general purpose switching, and third-party integration

•

Simple button press programming and wireless technology means low installed cost

sensors

occupied: on

vacant: off

Pico control

Pico® wireless control

PowPak module

EcoSystem ballast

EcoSystem H-Series digital ballast

•

Provides personal control with no wires

•

Reliable fluorescent dimming down to 1%

•

Functions as a hand-held control, pedestalmounted, or a wall-mounted control within a Lutron Claro® faceplate (no backbox required)

•

•

Multiple button configurations for any application

Digitally addressable ballasts allow for simple lighting reconfiguration with no changes to wiring—means reduced operating costs due to space churn

•

$60 suggested contractor price makes EcoSystem H-Series the perfect ballast for any space

OR hand-held

OR pedestal-mounted

wall-mounted

Visit your local WESCO branch for more information, or visit www.lutron.com/EnergiTriPak.

©2012 Lutron Electronics Co., Inc. | P/N 368-2239 REV C * IESNA 2000 Proceedings, Paper #34: Occupant Use of Manual Lighting Controls in Private Offices. Savings from occupancy sensor auto-off plus manual override and dimming compared to lights left on during operating hours.

APPROACH ENERGY MANAGEMENT

Studying a Bank’s Green Blueprints

policy,” says Billy Grayson, director of corporate sustainability, explaining that landlords must be able to demonstrate certain efficiency levels and meet minimum HVAC, lighting, and buildingcontrols performance standards.

Case in point: WESCO worked with the landlord of a facility in Charlotte, North Carolina, to secure LEED-NC Gold status, making it the first such designated warehouse building in the city. Ninety percent of the Charlotte facility’s equipment is designated for high efficiency

by Energy Star. Motion sensors turn off lights when they’re not needed.

And more projects of this sort WESCO’s Phoenix location are in store for WESCO. features a solar car port, which “As we continue to renovate, “We’re helping uses solar power to both charge we continue to identify new customers find electric vehicles and send opportunities for LEED certifiproduct solutions energy back to the grid. cation,” Grayson says, noting to reduce their that the company also pursues environmental Energy Star status in its facilities. The impact,” Grayson says. One such product renovation of WESCO’s Pittsburgh headis the MaxCell Innerduct, a pathway for quarters, for instance, is working to earn fiber-optic cables that reduces lifecycle points towards LEED certification under carbon emissions by more than 85 perthe Commercial Interiors rating. cent over its closest competitor by using Plans for that effort include upgradfewer materials, less fuel for shipping, ing lighting from T-12 to T-8 fluorescents and less energy for installation. and installing motion sensors in conferIt seems that WESCO now can point ence rooms, break rooms, private offices, to several case studies, both internal and and bathrooms. WESCO has increased external, as evidence of practicing the the amount of natural light available sustainability that it preaches. gb&d —Kelli McElhinny to employees in interior spaces, which dovetails with the company’s employeewellness initiatives.

WESCO’s heterogeneous portfolio allows it to pursue unique and innovative eco-friendly solutions suitable to each specific property. In Phoenix, WESCO installed a solar-powered electric-carcharging station, a reflection of the organization’s increasing attention to renewable energy resources. WESCO also has given some attention to improving the performance of its own 550-vehicle fleet, which handles about half of the company’s shipping, through the use of speed governors.

Of course, WESCO continues to develIncreasing natural light gets WESCO op green products for its customers too.

LEED points but also serves its

38

july–september 2012

wellness goals.

U.S. Bank was one of only three banks included in the top 100 of Newsweek’s “Greenest Companies” list Empirical evidence: lighting retrofits at 93 California locations save 1.3 million kWh each year Banks are rarely lumped together with smokestack industries in conversations about sustainability. But financial-sector buildings and operations can consume considerable resources—including at the retail end. The USGBC recognized this fact when it rolled out the LEED for Retail program in 2010. But U.S. Bank, a full-service financial-services firm based in Minneapolis, was already on the case, ranked by Bank Technology News in 2011 as among “America’s Greenest Banks” and one of only three banks in the top 100 of Newsweek’s “Greenest Companies” ranking.

Each freestanding retail location built since 2008—13 in total—has achieved LEED certification while sustainability practices are being rolled out in offices throughout the enterprise. Stand-alone retail structures are largely in U.S. Bank’s control, and its new buildings incorporate Energy Star mechanical systems, natural daylighting, reflective roofs, and recycled materials, among other elements. PCA Architecture designed many of its LEED branches, with project management coordinated by Cushman & Wakefield/NorthMarq.

“We’ve received a lot of positive feedback from our employees and customers about the green changes that have been made,” says Paul Gorham, U.S. Bank’s retail development director, corporate real estate.

A quarter of the bank’s retail operations are in non-traditional locations— grocery stores, hospitals, and airports—so heating and cooling are not in the bank’s control there, but environmentally friendly finishes, automation, and ergonomic furnishings have been phased in. In 2007, U.S. Bank formed an environgb&d

grayson portrait: Jim Judkis

WESCO’s Charlotte location is LEED Gold certified.

A real estate partnership that connects more clients with more solutions As the largest commercial real estate services firm in the Upper Midwest, Cushman & Wakefield/ NorthMarq offers the deepest expertise in the region with integrated connections to services available globally.

Call or visit our website to learn more...and get connected to the right real estate solutions for your business.

952.831.1000 • cushwakenm.com

PLANNING | ARCHITECTURE | INTERIOR DESIGN Desmone & Associates Architects is a third generation family-owned architecture and interior design firm with a philosophy deeply rooted in design excellence and superior client service.

DESMONE & ASSOCIATES ARCHITECTS www.desmone.com gbdmagazine.com

One Doughboy Square 3400 Butler Street Pittsburgh, PA 15201

Est. 1989 287 Almar drive, Verona, PA 15147

Ph. 412.795.7606 E. abbiegg@aol.com

ph 412.683.3230 fx 412.683.3563

july–september 2012

39

APPROACH ENERGY MANAGEMENT

mental stewardship council to assess where it was—and where it could go. “The council developed a comprehensive plan. We considered energy use, products, lending and investments, and employee-engagement policies,” says Greg Thorne, environmental manager, corporate real estate. Existing locations were upgraded “where most beneficial,” he says. “We looked at where energy use was highest, where costs were the greatest, and where the best incentives could be found.”

It’s a situation ripe with opportunity. Consider U.S. Bank’s 3,085 retail locations handling financial functions for businesses, individuals, and municipalities. Its more than 63,000 employees using computers and peripherals. Add in lighting for tasks, ambiance, and outdoor signage, and it’s easy to see how electricity usage adds up quickly. So the bank phased out old office automation and replaced it with all-in-one printerscanner-photocopiers. It replaced old CRT screens with energy-efficient monitors, which resulted in notable energy

U.S. Bank operates 3,085 locations. Since 2008, each new location has included green features like Energy Star mechanical systems, low-VOC paints, daylighting, reflective roofs, and recycled materials.

savings. And it recently installed energy-efficient light fixtures and motion sensors in nearly 100 of its California locations, reducing power consumption at those sites by 1.3 million kilowatt-hours annually. Just this year, a recycling pick-up program was devised for smaller branches.

Retail customers also are engaged in conservation. Auto loans for EPA-certified “Smart Way” vehicles are offered at a half-percent rate reduction, and both loan and deposit customers are encouraged to use online banking and electronic statements.

The program is achieving its goals. In just two years—from 2008 to 2010—the bank reduced relative year-over-year energy use by four percent. Most industrial smokestacks now have scrubbers—at U.S. Bank, sustainability is more complex. But with an enterprise-wide plan designed to be adaptable throughout widely distributed locations, measurable results were delivered in just a few short years. gb&d —Russ Klettke

A MESSAGE FROM CUSHMAN & WAKEFIELD/NORTHMARQ Cushman & Wakefield/NorthMarq manages more than 50 million square feet of retail, industrial, and office assets, completes more than $1 billion in transactions annually, and employs more than 500 professionals. Through its partnership with Cushman & Wakefield, the company provides innovative solutions to its occupier and investor clients within the Minneapolis/St. Paul region and around the world, offering Transaction Services, Capital Markets Services, Occupier and Investor Services, and Real Estate Advisory. A recognized leader in real estate research, the firm publishes a broad array of proprietary reports available at www.cushwakenm.com.

Approach Real Estate & Development

Adaptive reuse in the Pittsburgh area takes time—but redevelopment is a win-win Active listening: as the market moves, so does the vision for a building’s end use After the collapse of the steel industry, the Pittsburgh region was left dotted with obsolete buildings. It’s in these buildings that Sampson Morris Group sees promise.

The real estate developer, based in nearby Monroeville, Pennsylvania, grew out of a pre-World War II development company started by principal Ben Sampson’s father. Michael Morris joined Sampson in 1992. Five years later the two became partners and began buying properties they could renovate and give new life.

40

july–september 2012

Because the steel industry crumbled, Sampson and Morris have their choice of vacant properties, and they chose not to limit themselves to one type of product.

Instead, the limit is geographical. They concentrate on one particular region: western Pennsylvania.

The pair’s portfolio includes apartments, industrial buildings, entire lots, self-storage facilities, and research-anddevelopment flex structures, among others. But Sampson Morris Group primarily purchases suburban Pittsburgh properties and creates value by applying adap-

tive-reuse strategies. And it’s an adept listener: changes in the economy or market needs often alter the company’s vision for a particular property. “Before we acquire something, we get a pro forma based on a specific plan,” Morris says. “That gives us the confidence to acquire it. Then we listen to what the market place tells us.

Sometimes it changes our opinion.”

Sampson and Morris spend a great deal of time digesting what can be done with a property before doing anything.

One of their latest projects, 1501 Penn Ave., was acquired under the assumption gb&d

FROM TOP: Shannon Fujimur - US Bank, MLG Photography

Sampson Morris Repurposes the Rust Belt

REAL ESTATE & DEVELOPMENT APPROACH

turning them into flexible structures for multi-tenancy. Morris says that Pittsburgh’s demand for flexible office space created the need. “I would say we are slaves to demand,” he says. “Wherever the demand is, we want to offer the supply. This just happens to be a great way to do it.” gb&d —Jennifer Hogeland

The windowless concrete shell of 1501 Penn Ave. doesn’t look like ideal work space, but Sampson Morris Group and Desmone & Associates Architects plan to carve a bright, modern office space from the once-dark building.

the possibilities of 1501 Penn Ave. becoming a warehouse, a parking garage, a residence, or an office building. There were certain challenges no matter what they decided.

According to Morris, the property on Penn Avenue has

columns every 20 feet—like Michael Morris, CEO, Sampson Morris Group many industrial buildings— but buyers want column spacing every 40–50 feet. And that they’d turn the former cold-storage it has two walls: a normal exterior wall facility into lofts. But, when the endand then a 12-inch gap between that user financing for the lofts fell through, exterior and the interior wall. “It’s a masSampson Morris Group held off on consive structure,” Morris says. “It is going struction. “We thought 127 lofts would to take extensive renovation to get the be a hard sell on the end-user side,” Morwindows in, but we’ve done that before.” ris says. “Since then we started looking In the end, what they had originally at all the other options we have. In this assumed would be a loft project will likeparticular case the marketplace told us ly end as office space, based on current not to [move forward].” interest in the property. Morris is explorThey began asking questions of their ing the opportunity to do a living wall, architects, Desmone & Associates living roof, and vertical solar panels.

Architects, searching for the best future Another challenging project was use for 1501 Penn Ave. “We are constantly Robinson Self-Storage. The former Calgon asking questions,” Morris says. “‘Can we Carbon Corporation property was a narremove columns? Can we put parking in row building built on a hillside. It had there? Is it possible to build on top of the small windows with numerous interior structure?’ We’ve probably done more walls, making it structurally obsolete for extensive research on the 1501 Penn an office or lab building. Sampson MorAve. property than anything we’ve ever ris Group concluded the best use of the looked at.” What Sampson and Morris building was a climate-controlled storage found was that the building is an incredfacility. “We were developing the entire ibly flexible structure—they investigated 27-acre site with retail, a fitness center, offices, and this was the last piece,” Morris says. “It took us years to figure A MESSAGE FROM CIVIL & ENVIRONMENTAL out what to do with the facility, but we CONSULTANTS, INC. finally let the market tell us. No other Civil & Environmental Consultants, Inc. (CEC) has enjoyed a great self-storage structures were in this area.” relationship with Sampson Morris Group and is proud to have been Sampson Morris Group does its a part of their projects. CEC is excited to continue our partnership in part to be sensible developers, taking the years to come. Congratulations Michael on being recognized for your commitment to this region. unwanted, single-user buildings and

From Top: Michael Murphy; Desmone & Associates Architects

“We are slaves to demand.

Wherever the demand is, we want to offer the supply. This just happens to be a great way to do it.”

gbdmagazine.com

Integral: It’s All in the Name Atlanta-based group of companies folds green systems into its redevelopment projects Hearkening back: integrated neighborhoods have a lot to teach the sustainability movement When most people visit Manhattan, they see the glitz and glamour. Egbert Perry saw the communities that had none of that. “He was struck by the disparity between the wealthy neighborhoods and the contiguous blighted areas,” says Vicki Lundy Wilbon, an executive vice president of The Integral Group, the company Perry founded in 1993. “[He] began to think about how he could transform their relationship.”

Originally a real-estate-development company, The Integral Group has since grown into a multidisciplinary operation that constructs and manages diverse infrastructure and building-related programs in the United States and abroad.

All of which is in service to Perry’s vision to assist communities in need. “Developing and managing properties, managing programs, building infrastructure—all of these play a part in transforming communities,” says Lundy Wilbon, who also serves as president and COO of Integral Development LLC, an operating division of the company.

An example of transformation is the four-phase development at Ashley Auburn Point in Atlanta. In a public-private partnership with the Atlanta Housing Authority and Atlanta-based Urban Realty, The Integral Group and architect july–september 2012

41

Bruce Construction, LLC is pleased to congratulate the Sampson Morris Group on their much deserved success! Their integrity and commitment to quality are why we are proud to call them a trusted partner.

INTELLIGENT

AND

RESPONSIBLE CONSTRUCTION SINCE 1999

ONE-STOP DESIGN SHOP For 24 years GLA has made its design mark not only in Atlanta, but across the country as well. A full service, award winning architectural firm, GLA has successfully demonstrated outstanding experience and design in multi-family Forclubhouses, 24 years GLAmixed has made housing, used,its design onlyhousing in Atlanta, across the studentmark and not senior andbut retail country well. A full service, award from Boston to as Denver winning architectural firm, GLA has successfully 643 11th Street demonstrated outstanding experience and design in multi-family Atlanta, Georgia 30318 housing, clubhouses, mixed used, 404-228-1958 student and senior housing and retail www.glaatl.com from Boston to Denver

ONE-STOP DESIGN SHOP

643 11th Street Atlanta, Georgia 30318 404-228-1958 www.glaatl.com

795 Pine Valley Drive | Suite 20 - Plum, PA 15239 | P 724-327-0001 | F 724-327-0076

bruceconstructionllc.com

42

july–september 2012

gb&d

REAL ESTATE & DEVELOPMENT APPROACH

Greening our Golden Years

This former public housing site is now a vibrant neighborhood spurring economic development in the surrounding communities. “Ashley Auburn Point energized the area and is bringing tax revenues back to the city,” says Integral’s Vicki Lundy Wilbon.

On Top of the World Communities devotes itself to the next generation of retirement living

PHoTO: Aerial Photography, Inc.; EDWARDS PORTRAIT: Enisha Dickerson for Moody Monkey LLC

On the boards: An entirely solar community is the next frontier in Florida

Geheber Lewis Associates transformed an area that was formerly a public housing site into a vibrant neighborhood that is spurring economic development in the surrounding areas. “Ashley Auburn Point energized the area and is bringing tax revenues back to the city,” Lundy Wilbon says.

The first phase, Veranda I, brought 124 units of independent senior living to the area in 2008. The second phase, Ashley Auburn Point I, was an $18.5 million, 154-unit, multifamily rental community completed in 2010. Phase III brought more senior living in 2011, and the fourth phase completed the project in October 2011.

Each residential building is certified by EarthCraft, the regional sustainability program, and the development’s leasing center is certified LEED Silver.

“Sustainability is becoming more important across all spectrums of real estate, and affordable housing has embraced that,” says Trey Williams, development director for The Integral Group.

“I think we’re on the forefront of finding innovative ways to bring sustainability into our communities.”

The project’s green team, so to speak, was vast. It included Radiance Solar, which recommended Sunpower 230 photovoltaic panels for the buildings; Clearspan Components’s engineered wall panels, beams, floor trusses, and roof trusses; Miller Mechanical, which installed Pioneer low-flow faucets; ECM, an Atlanta-based electrician that installed Energy Star light fixtures in units and common areas; and Triad Mechanical, which installed 14-SEER-rated gbdmagazine.com

“We wanted our developments to hearken back to neighborhoods of old, where people of means lived with people of less means, old people with young people, blacks lived with whites.”

Valerie Edwards, Executive Vice President, The Integral Group

equipment in the rental units.

In addition, an Amana geothermal HVAC system was used for the leasing office.

The HVAC systems led to significant energy savings: The $20,000 cost of the installed 14-SEER-rated systems was offset by an annual $20,000 energy savings, and the $75,000 cost of the geothermal system brought energy savings of 30–40 percent.

“Integral has always believed that sustainability starts with neighborhoods,” says Valerie Edwards, an executive vice president at The Integral Group. “We wanted our developments to hearken back to neighborhoods of old, where people of means lived with people of less means, old people with young people, blacks lived with whites.

A mixed neighborhood that has the services you’d find in larger suburban neighborhoods is by its nature sustainable.” gb&d —Julie Schaeffer

On Top of the World Communities (OTOW) hopes to one day offer a fully solar-powered community. It’s always been at the forefront of environmentally friendly retirement living. Its 15 neighborhoods in Ocala, Florida, have offered active retirees Energy Starcertified homes since that program was introduced in 2000. (OTOW is one of the only Ocala builders to participate in the program.)

Currently, OTOW’s portfolio includes 10 solar homes averaging 34 panels for the eight-kilowatt systems designed by ECI Solar. Another five houses are solar ready. The OTOW model solar home has a HERS rating of 18 and hasn’t generated an electric bill in three-and-a-half years.

In the proposed neighborhood, a collection of solar panels would be housed in a common space—an area dedicated to green space or drainage, for example—to help defray the upfront costs associated with solar energy generation. Homeowners could then tap in to that resource to meet the power needs of their homes, day and night.

The main obstacle to this dream is the lack of economical systems for storing that electricity for use at nonsunny times. “Once that gets more cost-effective, [solar power] is definitely something that we’re going to pursue,” explains Sheryl Johnson, director of construction for OTOW.

july–september 2012

43

Architecture | Design | Planning

HBT Architects is proud to support Gallina Development in their sustainability efforts.

Natural Gas. Clean and Green.

How can you increase the energy – efficiency of your homes without compromising comfort?

Natural Gas. The direct use of natural gas is up to 70% more efficient and can help reduce certain greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 50%.

Peoples Gas is Florida’s largest natural gas provider. We’re working for your communities, our world and your budget.

16 S. Main Street | Pittsford, NY 14534 | 585.586.0490 ph. | 585.586.1299 fax | hbtarchitects.com

Realizing the Full Potential of Urban Living

Urban Mixed-Use Communities

Urban Town Home Communities

Since 1993 Creating value in cities by (re)building the fabric of communities

Nearly two million Floridians enjoy natural gas.

Find out more at peoplesgas.com/builder.

Builder rebates are available of up to $1,300 per home.

Urban Mixed-Use Buildings

Urban Senior Living Communities

Over $1.5 Billion in Real Estate Development • Investment Management • Program Management Construction • Property Management • Human Development 60 Piedmont Avenue, NE • Atlanta, Georgia 30303 • 404.224.1860 www.integral-online.com

44

july–september 2012

gb&d

REAL ESTATE & DEVELOPMENT APPROACH

The homes achieve this distinction through several strategies: They are equipped with right-sized Goodman air-conditioning and heating units with SEER ratings of 15 (higher than the Energy Star requirement). Low-E double-pane argon gas-filled windows from MI Doors and Windows and a Thermostat radiant barrier sheathing by Georgia Pacific help to regulate internal temperatures, reducing the need for air-conditioning.

Gas appliances boost energy efficiency, and a rebate program offered by TECO Peoples Gas provides apOTOW’s 8-kW solar arrays, designed proximately $800 for each home that

by ECI Solar, are featured on ten is fully equipped with gas appliances of the developer’s homes. The and heating systems. company hopes to offer a fully solar In addition to energy efficiency, community in the near future.

OTOW also has provided leadership in efforts to reduce water usage. One of the development’s communities, Renaissance, was the first in the state to be Florida Water Star certified. “We were the testing ground for that new system,” Johnson says. Hunter irrigation controls use sensors to monitor moisture levels, restricting and activating the system as needed, and the community features Florida-friendly landscapes populated with specially engineered grasses that are drought- and pest-resistant.

Kenneth Colen, president of OTOW, accepts the Florida Water Star Award from the Southwest Florida Water Management District.

The solar community would represent the next step for an organization that has already demonstrated its dedication to sustainability, largely due to the commitment of its president, Kenneth Colen. “All building is designed and created with a focus on the environment, with conservation and sustainability in mind,” Johnson explains. The Energy Star initiative provided OTOW with an opportunity to put Colen’s interest in conservation into practice. Now, 975 of the development’s 5,000 homes, or nearly 20 percent, are Energy Star certified.

“All building is designed and created with a focus on the environment, with conservation and sustainability in mind.”

Sheryl Johnson, On Top of the World Communities gbdmagazine.com

975

Number of OTOW homes that are Energy Star certified. In 2000, when the Energy Star program was unveiled, OTOW was one of the only Florida developers to participate.

In addition to its initiatives to conserve resources, OTOW draws in new residents by offering a plethora of amenities, including 30,000 square feet devoted to fitness. Lifelong-learning activities range from archaeological digs to art appreciation, and residents also can make use of softball fields, a miniature golf course, and Olympic-sized swimming pools. “Anything you want to do as a recreational activity—it’s here,” Johnson says. gb&d —Kelli McElhinny A MESSAGE FROM TECO PEOPLE’S GAS TECO Peoples Gas has been serving Florida with safe, domestic, energy-efficient natural gas since 1895. Natural gas provides homebuilders and buyers with an efficient fuel choice—from right here in the US—that helps to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions.

Build efficiency, comfort, and style into your next home. Build with TECO Peoples Gas.

Deep Wells, Deep Impact Gallina Development finds that geothermal systems are affordable with federal tax credits Looking ahead: the company hopes to bring more eco-minded tenants to the region It takes a village to build green, particularly where it comes to commercial real estate. That village needs tenants who value energy efficiency and the intangibles of working in “green space.”

It helps to have tax incentives to make eco-friendly buildings feasible. And perhaps most importantly, the village needs developers with vision to put the pieces together and build something that is both environmentally and commercially sustainable.

One such new, green village is near Rochester, New York, a 70,000-square-foot office park addition called Cambridge Place, designed by HBT Architects to accommodate commercial and medical enterprises as well as Gallina Development, the property developer and owner. Andy Gallina, president of the development company, says the project is something of an experiment.

“We are dipping our toes into the water of LEED-certified building,” he says.

“We are interested to see if environmentally conscious tenants will be attracted to LEED buildings with geothermal systems.”

Though very much a university town and technology hub—among the top ten employers in the region are the Rochester Institute of Technology and companies such as Kodak and Xerox—LEED-certified commercial building has lagged.

Gallina had proposed a LEED program to a build-to-suit client on another project a few years ago. “They showed initial interest,” Gallina says, “but decided against it due to net construction costs.”

Which brings us back to other aspects of the village. Federal tax credits currently (through 2016) provide building owners with incentives to incorporate geothermal heating and cooling systems, installed by Leo J. Roth Corporation.

By investing in geothermal for Cambridge Place, Gallina will be able to july–september 2012

45

APPROACH REAL ESTATE & DEVELOPMENT

Cambridge Place, near Rochester, New York, is something of an experiment. Harnessing federal tax credits, Gallina Development is testing out the cost-effectiveness of geothermal energy, hoping green building will attract more progressive tenants to the region.

take a one-time federal tax credit of 30 percent on Vacancy rate of that total cost of Rochester commercial the geothermal real estate market, system, which was putting it 56th out of about $2.1 million.

132 US markets That will amount to $628,000 saved, bringing the net Net cost of the cost of the heating geothermal system and cooling sysat Cambridge Place. tem to about $1.4 Without the 30% tax million. Which credit, the price tag was doable, Galwould’ve been close to lina says. “I don’t $2.1 million. know if we could do this project without the tax Amount Gallina incentive,” he Development saved explains. with federal incentives Another part of testing the waters will come Depth of some of in the marketCambridge Place’s 64 ing of Cambridge geothermal wells Place. “We will have a competitive advantage on rental rates due to reduced energy costs,” Gallina says. “It will give us more to say in the marketing story.”

Which should matter: at the end of 2011, Rochester’s commercial vacancy rate was about 17.4 percent, ranking it number 56 out of 132 US markets.

The geothermal system comprises 64 wells with vertical loops reaching depths of 400 feet. Leo J. Roth Corporation is an HVAC contractor that has constructed at least 14 commercial-scale geothermal systems in the past couple of years, mostly for colleges and universities in central New York. Architecturally, Cambridge Place is the work of Pittsford, New Yorkbased HBT Architects, which designed the twin buildings to achieve Silver or possibly Gold certification when completed in 2012. gb&d —Russ Klettke Facts & Figures

17.4%

$1.4 million

$628,000 400 feet

46

july–september 2012

Developers: Embrace Reuse Baystone Development proves to its peers the immense value in adaptive reuse Research and development: the company conducts studies with ULI and Harvard University At a time when real estate developers race to plant their flag in the next new market just over the horizon, Baystone Development brings new life to familiar surroundings, focusing exclusively on adaptive reuse. “We’re social scientists that put our money where our mouth is.

We create new value and uses in an area that has been overlooked, outmoded, or abandoned,” says Steven Zieff, director of project management and business development. “We’re interested in projects that lead to our own level of satisfaction and that play better in the world. That’s our legacy.”

Baystone has pursued that legacy in the Greater Boston Area for 40 years.

Zieff says adaptive reuse is attractive because there already are patterns of use and indicators of the value of an area.

“When out in the undeveloped areas, the margins are low because it’s easier to enter the marketplace, but the ability to create a market is uncertain,” Zieff says. “With adaptive reuse, it’s easier to convey a value to appraisers, lenders, and marketers.”

Many developers stay away from older, existing properties because they fear the uncertainties and hidden pitfalls from previous uses: underground structures,

Cronin’s Landing

contaminated soil, asbestos, etc. Not Baystone. “Pre-existing environmental issues are determinable by good due diligence,” Zieff says. “We know the questions to ask about soil conditions and other concerns, and we understand where the value is.”

Even with an experienced team, not every old building or site is a slam-dunk deal. “Sometimes we have discussions on whether or not it is worth it—whether we have the stomach, the pocketbook, and the willingness to pursue it,” Zieff says.

“We’re sort of old-fashioned. We’re not pulling the trigger on a project until we understand it.”

When that scrutiny leads to a viable vision, Baystone works to bring others along. That was the case with Cronin’s Landing, the redevelopment of the 507,000-square-foot Grover Cronin Department Store on the Charles River in Waltham, Massachusetts.

“As a result of the closed store and a lack of activity, the area was blighted. When we took bankers out there to see it, some of them looked at it askance,” Zieff says. “But, it was close to Boston, close to public transit, and for those that did get it, it gave rise to the gentrification of Waltham, Newton, and beyond.”

Todd MacDowell, the firm’s LEED expert, adds that Baystone looks beyond property lines. “We typically look outside the realm of our borders,” he says. “We address our own needs, but also those of the town and the region. That is part of the obligation.” gb&d

REAL ESTATE & DEVELOPMENT APPROACH

The company also is a leading industry voice and is actively involved in conferences with the Urban Land Institute, the American Planning Association, and in case studies at the Harvard Graduate School of Design.

“We’re strong advocates of advancing the art [of real estate development],” Zieff says. “We don’t treat our position lightly. We realize the way we do development doesn’t fit everyone, but it resonates with many people how this process is community and entitlement friendly.” gb&d —Jeff Hampton

ADD Inc

Green Space from Blight Legacy Farms, a current Baystone project, encompasses more than 700 acres in Hopkinton, MA, that, according to Steven Zieff, “had been fairly beat up over the years.” Predevelopment work on 225 acres of residential, retail, and office space began in 2007, and by the end, more than 500 acres will be restored as open green space. The project team includes Vanasse Hangen Brustlin (planning), Tata & Howard (wastewater consulting), and Haley & Aldrich (environmental consulting). legacyfarms.com

Architecture + Design

Summit Lighting has been helping companies like WW Reynolds realize cost savings since 1992.

We specialize in energy efficeint lighting programs for office, garage, and exterior projects.

Call today for a free "Green Lighting Program Evaluation"

CarMax I Richmond, VA

gbdmagazine.com

303-464-1000 • sales@summit-lighting.com www.summit-lighting.com

july–september 2012

47

APPROACH REAL ESTATE & DEVELOPMENT

Upping the EcoAnte in Colorado

Further invigorating the already eco-conscious Boulder, CO, W.W. Reynolds employed xeriscaping techniques for its mixeduse building at 1155 Canyon. Generous plantings require little water and also minimize heat island effect.

W.W. Reynolds Companies is greening nearly four million square feet of commercial space Its tactic: leverage resources regular tenants don’t have In a progressive town such as Boulder, Colorado, it’s a fair bet that most commercial tenants want their workplaces to be as sustainable as possible. The process of reducing energy use, however, is prohibitive for individual lessees because few have the wherewithal to install energy-efficient lighting technology that qualifies for rebates. Which is why commercial landlord W.W. Reynolds Companies does the work for them.

W.W. Reynolds, founded in 1966, rents space on a triple-net lease basis, meaning Reynolds’ tenants bear their own utility costs. Even so, the firm spent $27,000 on new light fixtures—replacing 700 T12 fluorescent lights with T8s—in its building on Pearl East Circle. Why? “We knew which electrical upgrades would save money, and we had the expertise to apply for and receive the rebates,” says Jessica Bergen, a property manager for the company, which has a total of 3.75 millionsquare-feet of commercial space in about 80 buildings. “Not all tenants have these resources readily available.”

Because the real estate firm was familiar with a rebate program from local utility Xcel Energy, it was able to recoup $17,000 of that investment in rebates.

In the real estate downturn of the past several years, W.W. Reynolds has focused primarily on upgrading existing properties in place of building new.

One property it did build is a four-story, 92,800-square-foot mixed-use building that achieved Silver certification under

48

july–september 2012

LEED’s Core and Shell rating. The distinction was due in part to the application of a 44-kilowatt-hour SunPower photovoltaic solar collector that takes advantage of the area’s 300 days of sunshine per year and powers common-area lighting and systems. A separate solar-thermal system heats water for the entire building, 90 percent of which is used by the residential occupants.

To reinforce its environmental consciousness, W.W. Reynolds revisited its landscaping, building maintenance, and water management methods. Sustainable plantings are important in the relatively arid climate, and the company prioritizes natural fertilizers made of bat guano, fishmeal, kelp meal, and com-

post tea. “Maintenance staff use mostly hand tools—not such things as leaf blowers,” Bergen says.

Unlike the concrete jungles of major cities, Boulder prohibits water retention on private property, and building owners are urged to minimize water use wherever possible.

“We [installed] almost 100 lowflow urinals, toilets, faucets, and showerheads at one property alone,” Bergen says. “This reduced water consumption by 75,000 gallons per year at that location.” Janitorial services keep the interiors clean and green at the same time.

Staff are trained in the proper use and disposal of cleaning materials, including appropriate dilution systems, use of sustainable cleaning-care products (many of which meet LEED criteria), and low-impact pest-control practices.

The tangible results of these efforts point back to W.W. Reynolds’s eco-conscious culture, which begins right at the top: founder Bill Reynolds himself bikes about 8,000 miles per year. So as Boulder continues its constant evolution toward a greener future, W.W. Reynolds will be doing the same. gb&d —Russ Klettke

4840 Pearl East Circle, one of eleven buildings in a business park, recently received energysaving lighting upgrades, thanks to W.W. Reynolds. Landscaping tops many tenants’ lists regarding their favorite aspect of the property.

gb&d

Key Product Innovations:Layout 1

3/5/12

12:01 PM

Page 1

If you think all of the key product innovations have been done...

Think again.

Today’s manufacturers succeed with innovative new products that help to redefine their industry and lead to growth and profitability.

MAGNET, The Manufacturing Advocacy & Growth Network, has a long history in helping small and large manufacturers design and develop new products and compete more effectively in the global marketplace.

If you’re a manufacturer needing help in conceptualizing, developing, designing and bringing a new product to market, visit www.magnetpdd.org to learn how we can we can assist you from ideation through production.

For more information, contact Linda Barita at linda.barita@magnetwork.org or 1.877.476.9634.

www.magnetpdd.org

A pproach Building & Design

Sauder Woodworking Fabricates the Future Its new WoodTrac ceiling system is eco- and budget-conscious Recycling counts: the company generates one third of its electricity from its own wood waste

A lustrous wood ceiling that’s environmentally friendly and inexpensive?

Unlikely. But despite skepticism, there is some evidence: Sauder Woodworking’s attempts to bringing that pipe dream to life, through its new WoodTrac ceiling products. Available in oak and alder,

50

july–september 2012

WoodTrac is designed to offer warmth and richness without the expensive bite.

After producing furniture for years, Dan Sauder, vice president of engineering and new markets, says the company wanted to branch out. “We did a brainstorming event,” he says, “and out of that

came the idea for a wood-look replacement for suspended ceilings.” Sauder partnered on an “ideation” event with the consulting team at MAGNET, an organization that works with Ohio-area businesses to identify and implement productivity improvements and product innovations. The WoodTrac concept “really fits one of our core capabilities,” Sauder says.

Most ceilings already on the market “were plywood or solid wood,” Sauder says. His team didn’t see anyone doing laminate in a suspended ceiling, and Sauder says they realized they could produce a truly beautiful product at a much better price point than the nearest competitor. The detailing and realism of WoodTrac’s look is helped by highfidelity paper laminates from Toppan Interamerica, which works on producing sharper and more pleasing grains and colors for Sauder Woodworking to glue on to its medium-density fiberboard (MDF).

Installation is a breeze, Sauder says, with moldings that snap into clips. gb&d

PHOTO: Kreber

Want warmth without the pricetag?

WoodTrac is a rich replacement for drop ceilings. And it’s sustainable to boot.

Attention to detail is the difference between good products and great products.

HIGHEST QUALITY HDF AND MDF MADE IN ONE UNMATCHED FACILITY LOCATED IN THE HEART OF PENNSYLVANIA.

Get the details right.

Call Clarion Industries today at 1-800-373-4383 www.clarionindustries.com/boards

APPROACH BUILDING & DESIGN

Assuming there’s already a suspended ceiling place, WoodTrac can be installed without a single screw. Sauder believes the low cost and ease of installation add up to a win for customers. “You end up with a great-looking three-dimensional wood ceiling that looks a lot richer than the white ceilings, for a lot lower cost than any other wood ceiling.”

But is it good for the environment?

Actually yes. Obtained largely from Clarion Industries in nearby Pennsylvania, 95 percent of the MDF used in WoodTrac comes from pre-consumer recycled wood waste, so no trees were cut down to make the boards. And Clarion’s A MESSAGE FROM ECOGATE Companies today are motivated to improve sustainability for sound business reasons. What is your biggest green opportunity?

Your industrial ventilation system probably wastes more electricity than anything else in your factory. Sauder Woodworking recognized this opportunity and took action. Ecogate will reduce the electric bill for their entire factory by 18%. This On-Demand Technology automatically provides vacuum when, where, and in the amount needed. Ecogate is saving money today in applications around the world including woodworking, paper trim, food processing, pharmaceuticals, and more. Ecogate slashes operating costs for dust-, trim-, or fume-collection systems by 50–85%. Ecogate — Intelligent Ventilation.

proximity to Sauder’s manufacturing operations helps minimize the environmental impact of shipping. “They’re the closest supplier to us for MDF,” Sauder says, “and that’s very appealing to us.”

Sustainability is nothing new to this nearly 80-year-old company. “We have our own power plant,” Sauder says, “and we make electricity out of our waste. We haven’t had to landfill any wood waste for almost 10 years.” That power plant meets about a third of the company’s electrical needs, while other efforts—the recent installation of an Ecogate dustcollection system and the replacement of more than 6,000 lights throughout the factory and warehouse—also contribute to lower energy costs.

Recycling and the more efficient use of materials are also priorities, and the total result is astounding. “We end up recycling 96 percent of solid waste in one way or another,” Sauder says, noting that over the past several years, the company also has been monitoring its carbon footprint. “In 2008–2010, we reduced our carbon footprint by 32 percent. That’s through more recycling, our dust-collection improvements, the lighting project, and our other efforts.”

Years Sauder Woodworking has gone without sending a single wood scrap to a landfill

Sauder also is committed to reducing waste in the manufacturing process itself. “We’re doing another milliondollar project to change how we cut our boards,” Sauder says. By using raw materials more efficiently and improving the yield by just several percent, the investment pays for itself. “Those are the kind of things you can do to be environmentally friendly and almost always get a return at the same time,” he says.

The furniture industry has become much more conscious of the environment in the time his family’s company has been around, Sauder explains. Processes and materials have evolved, and Sauder points to reduced use of formaldehyde as an example. “It’s a dramatic change from 20 years ago,” he says; the stink that used to permeate the ware-

Wells Fargo Insurance Services

HOW MUCH INDUSTRIAL VENTILATION DO YOU NEED? What you buy without Ecogate

WHAT YOU NEED

Average Savings =

70%

YOUR POWER USAGE

Intelligent Ventilation

by Ecogate www.ECOGATE.com 52

Targeted solutions to meet your employee benefits needs For more than 20 years, Wells Fargo Insurance Services has valued our partnership as Earth Systems’ employee benefits consultant. Our team can help you solve your most challenging benefits issues and create a strategy for your organization that controls costs while creating or maintaining a healthy, engaged workforce.

Team up with us today.

Wells Fargo Insurance Services USA, Inc. Ken Juricic Senior Vice President/Team Leader 959 Skyway Road, Suite 200 | San Carlos, CA 94070 650-413-4265 | kenneth.juricic@wellsfargo.com wellsfargo.com/wfis

Insurance products are offered through non-bank insurance agency affiliates of Wells Fargo & Company and are underwritten by unaffiliated insurance companies, with the exception of crop and flood insurance. Crop and flood insurance may be underwritten by Wells Fargo Insurance Services’ affiliate, Rural Community Insurance Company. © 2012 Wells Fargo Insurance Services. All rights reserved.

gb&d

july–september 2012 022112AMa_Earth_Sys_ad.indd 1

2/23/2012 12:16:40 PM

BUILDING & DESIGN APPROACH

house—and homes, as new materials off-gassed—is gone.

“It’s taken time to get there, because taking the formaldehyde out makes it harder to produce the MDF while still getting the material to hold its physical properties,” Sauder says. Through innovation and determination, however, Sauder says the industry has made tremendous strides. “We’re down very close to ambient formaldehyde levels,” he adds.

What’s possible in the future as companies like Sauder Woodworking continue to innovate is hard to say. But it’s sure to be better for the environment, just like WoodTrac. gb&d —Julie Knudson

Ground Conditions: Sustainable Earth Systems uses geologic testing to maximize the lifespan of renewable-energy equipment Case in point: Tolosa Winery’s solar array should last 30 years—and displace 32 million pounds of CO2 There’s nothing new about Earth Systems performing environmental site assessments and non-destructive geophysical investigations; it’s been doing so for more than 40 years. What is relatively new, though, is its work for Tolosa Winery in San Luis Obispo, a place Earth Systems also calls home.

The vineyard had embarked upon a path toward sustainability, and the own-

ers were keen to make use of California’s yearlong summery weather with the installation of a nearly 34,000-square-foot solar field to handle all of its electrical demands.

“The intent was for the installed system to provide the winery’s electrical energy for the next 25 years,” explains Craig Hill, president and CEO of Earth Systems. “They estimated that over the next 30 years the installed system would displace more than 32 million pounds of carbon dioxide—the equivalent of removing 2,600 cars from the road.”

Earth Systems, working in tandem with civil engineers hired by the vineyard, brought its understanding of the geological constraints of the local geography to bear upon the project.

“We understand what’s below the ground,” Hill says, “and we can identify what constraints there will be because of what’s down there. That allows us to make recommendations so that they can create a field that is going to be sustainable over the design life of the project.”

The team’s recommendations guided the placement of the field’s foundations and helped mitigate concerns about the local soil, which can be corrosive when in contact with certain metals.

“When you’re talking about a project that’s going to be sustainable over 25 years, you need to make sure that these external forces are brought under control so that it can survive,” Hill says.

The soil concerns brought about various changes to the plans.

Since August 2009, Tolosa Winery has had SunPower’s 539-killowatt groundmounted sun-tracking system in place.

The trackers upon which the photovoltaic panels move use a GPS system to follow the path of the sun during the day, a functionality that can increase

“Over the next 30 years the installed system would displace more than 32 million pounds of carbon dioxide— the equivalent of removing 2,600 cars from the road.”

Craig Hill, President & CEO, Earth Systems

efficiency over a fixed collector by 20–30 percent.

In addition to the inevitable bout of wine-tasting upon completion of their role, Hill says the project and others like it interest Earth Systems as it undergoes its own program of improving its corporate sustainability.

“We’re intrigued by how we’re seeing the entire world change, which is a necessary change because as time goes on a lot of our natural resources are going to be impacted,” Hill says. “We’re excited to be a part of that and to contribute in any way that we can to the preservation of our global resources. We have to change as a company, but it’s not a bitter pill to make that change—it’s exciting, and there’s a ‘feel-good’ element … to being a part of the bigger picture of preservation.” gb&d —Chris Allsop

34,000

PHOTOS: Jon Jaeger

Square footage of the SunPower solar installation at Tolosa Winery

gbdmagazine.com

july–september 2012

53

APPROACH BUILDING & DESIGN

Ensuring Efficiency by Insuring the Plan

Hiring an expert pays off: Key Food Supermarkets may not have realized the benefits of Intellidyne refrigeration controls without Energy Edge.

Energy Edge guarantees ROI with a weighty warranty Green goes big time: turnkey retrofits help major corporations save

Business is brisk for Energy Edge Technologies Corporation. Founded in 2004 in Bridgewater, New Jersey, and publicly traded as EEDG, the company has seen a significant uptick in companies finding a path to their door, and it’s not hard to understand why.

“If your company is paying $15,000 or more per month in utility costs, we will provide a free assessment of your facility on how to reduce your energy bill by 8 percent to 30 percent or more,” founder and president Rob Holdsworth says.

On top of that, if you hire Energy Edge to do the job they will back up their guarantee to deliver those savings with an insurance policy that pays if there is a shortfall. “If we tell you we will save $100,000 and we only save $90,000, we will write you a check for the $10,000,” Holdsworth says.

It doesn’t matter the kind of facility; some of Energy Edge’s clients have included Pepperidge Farm, Lockheed Martin, Yuengling Brewing, AGFA, Key Food Supermarkets, Integra, among many others. “What we bring to our customers is a whole-facility approach to energy-cost reduction,” Holdsworth says. “The core of our business is Rob Holdsworth, Energy Edge to provide a multitude of engineering approaches in combination with stateof-the-art technologies and best-in-class up the entire cost with financing for the energy-conservation practices.” project. Clients don’t have to come out Energy Edge might hit a home run of pocket for any of the initial costs. with a new lighting or mechanical sysTypically Energy Edge aims for a tem, but most of the time the highest rereturn on investment of two years or turn comes from an aggregate of several less but does nothing more than 36 moderate measures put together. After months. Backed by an insurance policy an initial assessment of the facility, the from an A+-rated insurance company, firm can offer third-party procurement the Energy Edge team guarantees services to ensure the best price for their performance. “We take all of the utilities, including options for available financial risk out of the buying decision renewable sources. In addition, Energy for our customers,” Holdsworth says.

Edge will calculate the return on invest“We haven’t missed our numbers yet ment for each enerin all our years in gy-cost-reduction business.” gb&d The before-and-after of this Pepperidge Farm —Scott Heskes measure and wrap production facility shows the power of the

“If we tell you we will save $100,000, and we only save $90,000, we will write you a check for the $10,000.”

portrait: William Brokaw

small change: a simple lighting retrofit improves the quality of the work space, reduces energy use, and saves money.

54

july–september 2012

gb&d

VERBATIM

Architect Lori Bork Newcomer on her new LEED Platinum home, Georgia’s unique climate, and why sustainability is every designer’s responsibility

Up Close and Personal What was your first job?

I worked in the produce department at a local grocery store.

Though the architectural practice of Lori Bork Newcomer has become synonymous with environmental consciousness, the sustainability seed was originally planted in Newcomer by her husband, who holds a doctorate in environmental management from Yale University. The principal of Bork Architectural Design worked with former Yale architecture dean Cesar Pelli before starting her own firm when she headed south to the Athens, Georgia—a move that has allowed her to diversify her practice. Newcomer spoke to gb&d about her own LEED Platinum residence— the first in Athens—and how it was her small decisions that earned it its green title.

As told to Kelli McElhinny

I relocated to Athens when my husband accepted a faculty position at the University of Georgia, and I saw the move as an opportunity to expand my horizons. Although I had focused primarily on commercial work until that point, I wanted to explore the residential realm when I started my own firm.

One disadvantage of a solo practice is that you lose the team environment. You have fewer people to exchange ideas with. Fortunately, LEED construction requires a certain level of collaboration that helps to fulfill that need when you don’t have traditional coworkers. I had been exposed to some LEED projects while working with Pelli Clarke Pelli, but my husband probably was the biggest influence on my interest in sustainable design. He has helped me become much more aware of the severity of the climate crisis.

If you weren’t an architect, what would you be? When I was a child, I wanted to be a Disney animator or a watercolor artist.

What inspires you? Being involved in academia and teaching. I find that environment to be very stimulating. It’s one of the things I love about being in a college town.

Describe yourself in three words. Inquisitive. Creative.

Mediator.

What is your hidden talent? I play competitive ultimate frisbee, traveling the country to participate in tournaments. Although having just had a baby this year, I’m working to get myself back into shape.

Sustainable construction is more than an option—it’s my responsibility as a designer.

Certain design decisions are based on our climate. gbdmagazine.com

july–september 2012

55

COMMERCIAL

RESIDENTIAL

SOLAR

VERBATIM Lori Bork Newcomer

Lori Bork Newcomer’s LEED Platinum home—the first in Athens, GA—serves as a showpiece of her design work and a testament to the sustainability of simplicity. (Go inside the home on p. 185)

Serving Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Alabama Drew Bowen Electric is a full service electrical company specializing in commercial, historic renovations, and solar. we have completed over 80 solar installations including Southface Energy Institute, Fernbank Science Center, and the EPA building in Athens. We have also have renovated Terrapin Beer Co.'s Athens, GA Brewery, Farm 255, DePalmas, and numerous other restaurants. We have also remodeled over 20 historic homes.

706-372-5532

Email: drewbowenelectric@gmail.com • www.drewbowenelectric.com

WATKINSVILLE, GA

Turnsol Energy

Solar Design, Installation & Energy Efficiency

Now is a great time to go solar!

Give us a call today: 706-372-5532 Serving all of Georgia including: Athens, Atlanta, and Macon.

It will help you save money and lessen greenhouse gas emissions! Browse our website to learn more about Solar Photovoltaics & Solar Water Heating.

www.turnsolenergy.com

56

july–september 2012

Passive solar design and natural ventilation are particularly important in our region to keep homes from overheating. Heat gain during the summer months is a major concern. LEED also forces you to consider durability. In Georgia, we have to worry about heat and humidity, along with air infiltration. Guarding against climate factors isn’t just sustainable—it’s ... good construction.

Other programs can also supplement LEED and make green design more accessible. EarthCraft is a regional program that is similar to LEED in its goals, but it comes with lower costs and slightly less paperwork. I introduce the idea of LEED and EarthCraft certifications to my clients in most cases. I do encourage people to take advantage of it, if only for the value of inspections, to be sure that all of the systems are functioning as expected.

Designing the first LEED Platinum home in Athens—my own—gave me an opportunity to demonstrate how that goal can be achieved.

My practice is based in my home studio, so it also serves as a marketing and demonstration tool for me. Most LEED Platinum construction seems to use geothermal or solar, but our house has neither. Solar hot water was the only renewable option we could afford. Although renewable energy systems give a big boost to the LEED scorecard, our project is an example that you can focus on a lot of little things and still reach the Platinum level. (Read more on p. 185) Being in a university town offers a lot of resources and opportunities. Between [University of] Georgia students and faculty and practitioners in the area, we had sufficient interest to establish a local chapter of the USGBC. Alfie Vick, a UGA College of Environmental Design faculty member, spearheaded that effort, and a handful of us helped to get things started.

Now we’re able to hold events and continuing- education courses and don’t have to travel to Atlanta to participate. gb&d gb&d

GREEN BUILDING & DESIGN

Up Front Approach Trendsetters Green Typologies Inner Workings Features Spaces Tough Builds Punch List 58 60 62 65 69 71 74 75 76 78

gbdmagazine.com

Jim Weiner Sandra Leibowitz Miami University Brookdale Senior Living Michael Frerking Trammell Crow Crescent Resources Seattle Mariners Minnesota Twins San Diego Padres

july–september 2012

57

TRENDSETTERS

In 2011, the Green Building Certification Institute bestowed upon 34 individuals its newest and most prestigious distinction: LEED Fellow. We talked to two of the honorees, Jim Weiner and Sandra Leibowitz, about the title and the future of the industry.

By Seth Putnam

The Inaugural LEED Fellows in alphabetical order by first name B Alan Scott, Green Building Services B Alicia Ravetto, Alicia Ravetto Architect B Anthony Bernheim, AECOM B Chris Schaffner, The Green Engineer, LLP B Christopher J. Webb, Chris Webb & Associates, Inc.

Jim Weiner B Founder, Collaborative Project Consulting B President of the Board, Architectural Foundation of Los Angeles As far back as he can remember, Jim Weiner has had sustainability on the brain. “I’ve been sensitive to the environmental issues since I was a kid,” Weiner says. “In high school I was very interested in physics, water, the sun—anything to do with the Earth.”

Now, on the other side of a decadeslong career that’s still going strong, Weiner has been recognized alongside 33 other trailblazers as a member of the Green Building Certification Institute’s inaugural class of LEED Fellows.

Announced in 2011 at the Greenbuild conference in Toronto, this new designation is the GCBI’s latest—and most prestigious—professional title. After a rigorous portfolio review by their peers, these 34 Fellows have not only been recognized but also given a higher-profile platform from which to continue their work.

“I’m in way over my head with this crowd,” Weiner says with a laugh. “These are the usual suspects: the godfathers and godmothers of the movement.”

Don’t let Weiner’s modesty fool you.

His own commitment to sustainability far predates the establishment of LEED criteria. In college, his academic pursuits were a collage of environmental studies, economic theory, and fine art. “I was interested in all of it,” he says. “So I tried to merge those and figure [out] how we navigate the interplay between values and actions.”

58

july–september 2012

It’s that unlikely combination of interests that informed Weiner’s big ideas. Success, he says, lies in seamless integration. “Everything is connected,” he explains. “That mentality is a strong foundation for everything that feeds into the idea of sustainable design.”

Though we now have the LEED rating system, which Weiner says “overlays very nicely to the price system and the way we allocate our resources,” sustainability is not a case of checking boxes and jumping through hoops. Implemented correctly, the LEED system should represent a holistic approach, a pervasive commitment to environmentally responsible building practices.

Throughout the 30 years after college, Weiner racked up experience. He is the outgoing president of the board of the Architectural Foundation of Los Angeles.

He is the founding co-chair for the Los Angeles chapter of the USGBC. And he’s a former vice-chair of the USGBC’s Professional Education Committee.

It was in 2005 that Weiner noticed a gap in Southern California’s pool of LEED experts. In response, he founded Collaborative Project Consulting, hoping to “facilitate meaningful designs, efficient project management, lower energy costs, and higher LEED certifications.” Offering this wealth of expertise to the Los Angeles construction market was a natural progression of Weiner’s

B Dagmar B. Epsten, The Epsten Group, Inc. B Dan Nall, WSP Flack + Kurtz B Dan Young Dixon, Opus AE Group, Inc. B Gail Vittori, Center for Maximum Potential Building Systems B Helen J. Kessler, HJKessler Associates B Jerry Yudelson, Yudelson Associates B Jim Ogden, 3QC Inc. B Jim Weiner, Collaborative Project Consulting B John Boecker, 7group B Kath Williams, Kath Williams + Associates B Kathleen Smith, Davis Langdon B Ken Wilson, Envision B Kim Shinn, TLC Engineering for Architecture B Kris Callori, Environmental Dynamics, Inc. B Lidia Berger, HDR Architecture, Inc. B Lois Vitt Sale, Wight & Co. B Malcolm Lewis, CTG Energetics, Inc. B Marcus B. Sheffer, 7group B Mario Seneviratne, Green Technologies B Michaella Wittmann, HDR Architecture, Inc. B Michelle Halle Stern, Perkins+Will B Nellie Reid, Gensler B Paul Marmion, Stantec B Prasad Vaidya, The Weidt Group B Rick Carter, LHB, Inc. B Rob Bolin, Syska Hennessy Group B Sandra Leibowitz, Sustainable Design Consulting, LLC B Stephen Carpenter, Enermodal Engineering B Tom Liebel, Marks, Thomas Architects

own efforts to make ecologically sensible choices as an architect. “Throughout my career, I sort of charged [us] with building green,” he says. “Prior to the 1980s and ’90s, clients didn’t care about it. It wasn’t formalized into the marketplace.

But it made our work more efficient.” gb&d

TRENDSETTERS

“There’s a titanic shift in how cultures are expressing value. Take the Occupy movement. It’s all about that shift.”

J im W einer

gbdmagazine.com

july–september 2012

59

TRENDSETTERS Jim Weiner & Sandra Leibowitz

To Weiner, the idea of integrated design always made sense, but it took a particular project to make the building community take note of his expertise: the Lake View Terrace branch of the Los Angeles Public Library.

“It was a sensitive site,” he says, and not just ecologically, but socially: it was extremely close to the location of the notorious beating of Rodney King. “So there was an immense cultural impact that required a careful approach. We also wanted to use it as an opportunity to promote environmental responsibility.”

What resulted was a 10,700-squarefoot structure that took an unprecedented approach to handling natural light and the surrounding watershed. Weiner spearheaded the careful consideration of a plethora of issues, including energy usage and ventilation—factors that ultimately helped the building beat the city’s efficiency requirements by more than 40 percent.

It’s this kind of holistic approach that’s made others pay attention to Weiner. But to hear him tell it, there’s still much that needs to be done, and the creation of a class of LEED Fellows is a step along the way.

“Some countries have traditions and cultures that put them way ahead of us,” he says with a smile. “But one thing leads to another. LEED is simply a set of benchmarks that guides the conversation. And the creation of this Fellowship enables our projects to be beacons on the hill.”

Sandra Leibowitz B Founder, Sustainable Design Consulting B Member, EarthCraft Virginia Board of Directors She never could have known it at the time, but Sandra Leibowitz was calling all the right plays. A self-proclaimed environmentalist even before it was in the mainstream consciousness, she set out as a young student to bring a more responsible approach to the way governments and communities treat the Earth.

Now, after more than 18 years of toil, Leibowitz has joined Jim Weiner and 32 other sustainability advocates as part of the GCBI’s inaugural class of LEED Fellows.

“When I was starting out, there was no mention of architecture and the environment in the same breath,” Leibowitz says. “I had always thought of myself as an environmentalist. My parents never would have thought of themselves that way, but in my family we saved even our wrapping paper around the holidays.”

This wasn’t out of necessity, but because of her immigrant parents’ life experience. “They grew up during the Depression, and in those days the ethic was that of course you didn’t waste,” she says.

Many of Leibowitz’s peers were growing up with a more American ethic of consumerism. “I certainly didn’t pioneer it, but I was among the lucky first few to make sustainability a legitimate, wellrounded career choice,” she says.

Though she may not have had a destination in mind, Leibowitz was on the right path, one that would ultimately qualify her as one of the world’s foremost experts on sustainability. Take, for example, her work with Takoma Village Cohousing in Washington, DC. The “collaborative housing” development, completed in 2001, emphasizes communal living and empowers residents to take control of design choices. Not only did Leibowitz live in the complex, she also spent a year and a half working with the architect to drive the use of green materials such as sustainably harvested lumber, tubular skylights to bring in natural light, low-VOC adhesives and sealants,

The State of Green What’s the biggest challenge facing the green movement right now?

Sandra Leibowitz: In America we have a different understanding of what is acceptable as far as waste, and we don’t notice a problem until it’s really, really big. I get concerned about the growing opportunities for greenwashing. LEED was created to limit that because you have to have third-party verification. I think the recession did a little bit of backtracking with that, where everybody and their brother-in-law was suddenly a green “expert”

60

july–september 2012

because they wanted that market distinction. It’s really important that the professionals remain serious.

Jim Weiner: I think in order to broker successful solutions, you have to appreciate a community’s essential values. You have to find diverse participants, even the people who don’t realize they’re stakeholders. Their values are going to be an activating force.

There are two kinds of forces: restraining forces and activating forces. Compromise is an example

of the first, and reconciliation is an example of the second.

Compromising is losing. What you’re always striving for is a sense of the win-win. But in order to get your rudder in the water, you have to be able to articulate those values. hat seems easy to say, hard to do.

T Weiner: Oh, of course. There’s a titanic shift in how cultures are expressing value. Take the Occupy movement. It’s all about that shift.

What do we value? And how do we

allocate our resources? There’s a lot of fear that has to be shed in order for decisions to be made. Right now that fear is about our financial sector—and that often results in poor short-term decisions about what’s of value. hat’s going on in the industry that W excites you?

Weiner: For me it’s the harmonization of building codes internationally. We’re having an open dialogue about how efficiency is accomplished cross culturally. This way,

gb&d

TRENDSETTERS

“My parents never would have thought of themselves [as environmentalists], but in my family we saved even our wrapping paper around the holidays.”

S andra L eibowitz

natural linoleum and cork flooring, and recycled cellulose insulation.

Leibowitz’s journey eventually led her to create an environmentally focused firm she named Sustainable Design Consulting, in Richmond, Virginia. The company’s staff members each are LEED APs with various specializations, and with a wealth of expertise from their careers as architects, these consultants advise organizations in both the public and private sectors on how to gain community standing and exceed government-mandated requirements—all while saving money.

Since the firm’s founding in 2002, it has completed more than 400 commercial-scale projects and given counsel in numerous situations to further the creation of a more environmentally responsible world. More than 100 of its completed building-related projects are LEED certified. Many would agree that, as a newly designated LEED Fellow, Leibowitz is getting much-deserved credit.

She agrees that it’s certainly an honor.

“It’s an affirmation of our efforts—the blood, sweat, and tears,” she says. Yet like a true leader, she’s quick to shift the spotlight to others. “It’s a movement that has gotten here on the backs of a lot of volunteer labor.” gb&d

we have the benefit of looking over intelligence from different cultures.

For example, in Copenhagen, we find it’s a walkable city; they use bicycles; all of the buildings are related—it’s a livable place for everybody. It’s not just about the efficiency—it’s about how the systems integrate with each other. here’s the industry headed?

W Leibowitz: There’s a lot of interest in net-zero buildings. There are programs in Europe that are really pushing the envelope. It’s more

gbdmagazine.com

fun to solve problems in innovative ways, and I think seeing how little energy you can use and making it almost a competitive thing would be a good step. We do very well with competition in this country, and for homeowners to be going headto-head with each other could be very interesting. In the future, there could be “energy teams” in different neighborhoods that compete month to month. Basically, there are ways to motivate people to change their behaviors and, ultimately, the building industry itself.

Sandra – Congratulations from your friends at EDG Architects and EcoHousing.

EDG Architects and EcoHousing are dedicated to designing and developing sustainable communities. It has been our good fortune to collaborate with and learn from Sandra over the years.

We will continue to follow your LEED.

Environmental Design Group 3 Bethesda Metro Center,110 Bethesda, MD 20814 Edgarchitects.net

Developer of Sustainable Communities ecohousing.net

7 World Trade Center

Congratulations to our longtime friend, Sandra Leibowitz, on her LEED Fellow designation.

• High Performance Buildings & Sustainable Design Solutions • Whole Building Commissioning • Retro and Forensic Commissioning • Utility Rebate Consulting • Measurement & Verification • Performance Monitoring & Energy Audits

p: 1-888-999-2397 e: info@abpcx.com www.abpcx.com WA S H I N G T O N , D C

(photo courtesy of wikipedia)

|

BALTIMORE

|

BOSTON

july–september 2012

61

TRENDSETTERS

The makeover happening at Ohio’s historic MIAMI UNIVERSIT Y may not be flashy, but it is a worthy model for achieving campus-wide sustainability. Claire Wagner explains why.

If a person ever reached 200 years old, they would probably be a good candidate for a professional makeover. Buildings are no different.

The Miami University campus, in Oxford, Ohio, has celebrated its bicentennial, and though only a few residence halls date back to the 1800s, the entire campus is receiving the green treatment through what’s become known as the Miami Makeover. Claire Wagner, the university’s news and public information director, explains in her own words how preserving its modified Georgian architecture is saving the school millions.

As told to Jennifer Hogeland

40 $30 construction projects

are underway at Miami University

million was saved by reusing building shells for the new student center

62

july–september 2012

Stay Current. For any university, every few years you need to update your facilities for the safety and comfort of your students. We have a long-range housing and dining master plan, but in 2011 we had so many projects that demanded attention … we decided to combine the projects into one large campaign, known as the Miami Makeover. Of the 40 construction projects happening on campus at the same time, many incorporated some aspect of sustainability. Upgrades to our two oldest residence halls, Elliott and Stoddard, included geothermal heating and cooling and heat-recovery systems.

Respond to Demands. Interest in campus sustainability has skyrocketed in recent years. We rely on coal to heat the campus, but over the years we’ve worked to improve efficiencies. Our students weren’t satisfied, pushing for a coal commitment. In response to the plea, in April 2011, our president, Dr. David Hodge, unveiled the university’s first statement on sustainability. Topics such as clean energy, classroom engagement, campus culture, landscaping and planning, and purchasing were included in our sustainable goals.

The student government had been asking for a new student center for the last 10 years. They wanted more space to be together, whether informally or in meeting rooms. Because the students asked for it, and they took a vote, it was determined when the Armstrong Student Center opens in spring 2014, they will accept a student fee to help pay off the debt.

Preserve Where Possible. Our architectural style is known as “modified Georgian;” the majority of our buildings are red brick with cream-colored trim around the windows. One thing we’ve been doing for the last six or seven years is instead of demolishing a building that needs to come down, we deconstruct it.

As we began the planning process for our new Armstrong Student Center, we considered tearing down the three buildings on the site and construct a new building in their place. But the project bids were too high. Architects redrew the plans to make use of the existing structures, bringing the project cost down over $30 million. Using the buildings’ shells was our first step toward sustainability.

[We also are] hoping to use 35 percent less energy per square foot to heat and cool the student center. The building’s fixtures will use less water. Motion and CO2 sensors will conserve energy. Rainwater collected will irrigate the landscaping. All these systems will contribute points as we pursue LEED certification.

Prepare for the Future. We wanted to incorporate sustainability in our academic offerings. We’ve long had an Institute for Environmental Sciences, but A MESSAGE FROM Champlin Architecture The dedicated and creative teams at Champlin Architecture, comprised of architects, planners, interior designers, and structural engineers, have the specialized design experience to create spaces that intersect many aspects of life. Champlin’s forward-thinking, sustainable designs meet the changing demands of the consumer, technology, and the economic environment. Our firm has a passion for design in our built environment and a commitment to quality in all our projects.

gb&d

TRENDSETTERS

Think. Create. Realize.

Simply by reusing existing building shells, the architects designing Miami University’s Armstrong Student Center saved more than $30 million.

Champlin Architecture is pleased to be part of the sustainable design team for Miami University.

How can we help turn your next project green?

higher education | healthcare | corporate | religious | civic 424 East Fourth Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202 phone: 800.925.4424

thinkchamplin.com

“Interest in campus sustainability has skyrocketed in recent years.”

Claire Wagner ,

PORTRAIT: Jeff Sabo

Miami U nivers it y

in 2011 we offered students the ability to co-major in sustainability. They need to declare a major, and sustainability can be a secondary major, studying concepts and applications. The university took input from more than 15 departments that contribute classes to the major. The program includes a broad perspective on social, economic, and design as well as the environmental aspects of sustainability. gb&d gbdmagazine.com

Environmental Contracting Corporation is one of the leading contractors of tenant improvement interiors and renovation in Southern California.

SERVICES:

Environmental has built its reputation on the commitment to deliver a product of the highest quality at any budget, on schedule, and with meticulous attention to detail. We share the vision to produce an exceptional project with the architect and client and become the conduit to make it a reality.

• Preliminary Pricing

• Tenant Improvement • Structural Rehab • Core & Shell Construction • LEED Projects

• Pre-Construction Services • Construction Services • General Construction • Project Management • Construction Management • Design/Build • Constructability & Site Evaluation

880 East 1st Street Los Angeles, California 90012 T (213) 620-8008 • F (213) 620-8778 www.eccla.com

• Design Assist • Value Engineering • Project Evaluation • Post Construction

july–september 2012

63

A proud construction partner with Brookdale Senior Living.

At HarenLaughlin Construction, we specialize in building senior living communities, multifamily developments, facility renovations and sustainable projects with professionalism, value and craftsmanship. Serving regional and national clients since 1932.

Congratulations on your continued success.

8035 Nieman Road

•

Lenexa, Kansas 66214

•

913.495.9558

•

w w w. h a r e n l a u g h l i n . c o m / h o m e

TRENDSETTERS

BROOKDALE SENIOR LIVING We recycle cardboard, plastic, and glass. Why not entire buildings? Jay Keopf explains why Brookdale is doing just that—and creating healthier homes in the process.

“Many of the buildings are 15 to 25 years old.

Rather than turn to new construction, we reposition the communities, retroactively making them more purpose-built.”

Jay Keopf, Brookdale Senior Living

PHOTO: Larry Kirk

By Russ Klettke

It’s not easy to design a senior living facility. Regulatory agencies, economics, and the mission of resident care, comfort, and vitality make it a complicated business. Layering sustainability on top might seem an added burden. But the nation’s largest operator of such facilities, Brookdale Senior Living—owner of 645 retirement communities with 60,000 residents—is getting greener, one development at a time. Though no facility has yet applied for a LEED certification, significant sustainability measures being implemented incrementally actually help achieve a community’s other dictates.

“We’ve acquired many existing communities in recent years,” says architect Jay Keopf, Brookdale’s senior director of development. “Many of the buildings are 15 to 25 years old and ready for significant renovation. Rather than turn to new construction, we re-position the communities, retroactively making them more purpose-built. We recycle the gbdmagazine.com

whole building.” By ensuring buildings remain acceptable to the market—which includes independent living, assisted living, skilled nursing, and “memory care” communities—the waste involved with new development is avoided.

The matter of indoor air quality and temperature is highly important in senior living facilities because older, sedentary individuals are exceptionally sensitive to cool drafts. So perhaps the most significant recent change in HVAC systems for senior residences is the shift from PTAC (through the wall-style) heating and cooling units, which are largely inefficient, to centralized HVAC systems using enthalpy economizers. Independent and assisted-living residents still maintain control of their thermostat, but the building’s net use of energy is far less and indoor air quality much improved.

Other mechanical-system improvements in these building projects include

Senior living is getting the green treatment with centralized HVAC systems, demandcontrol ventilation, and an ever vital focus on daylight.

demand-control ventilation and lighting in bathrooms and multipurpose areas, condensing-type water heaters that use ambient air temperature to warm incoming water, and high-efficiency condensing furnaces. All buildings have been retrofitted with CFL and LED lights to replace incandescent lamps where possible, and as carpeting is replaced, the company works with companies such as Shaw, which offers Cradle to Cradlecertified products. july–september 2012

65

TRENDSETTERS Brookdale Senior Living

Interior Design And Procurement For Senior Living Communities Warner Design Associates, has an established reputation for designing environments that allow the residents dignity, and an active lifestyle. Our designs

promote

health

and

wellness by incorporating fitness and aquatic centers.

Warner Design Associates 805 Veterans Blvd. • Suite 208 Redwood City, California 94063 Ph 650.364-6100 • Fx 650.364.6565 www.warnerdesignassociates.com

ABOVE Following the principles of evidencebased design, ESa uses as much natural light as possible for Brookdale’s senior residences.

Windows are a huge part of sustainable senior living, both literally and figuratively. Most states have specific requirements about fenestration: first, that every resident be offered opportunities for natural light, and second, that those windows pose no threat to their safety. As Brookdale facilities are updated, windows with specialized glazing to minimize heat transfer are used to improve energy efficiency and resident comfort.

However, it’s access to the outdoors— through views and through physically leaving the building—that matters most.

Phillip Tomlinson is a project manager with ESa, a Nashville, Tennessee, architecture firm that designs many Brookdale properties. He explains the broader need to provide residents with opportunities to see and be outdoors. “We operate off the principles of evidence-based design, which is part of the patientcentered movement,” he says, citing the work of Planetree, an organization promoting ways that design can humanize the healthcare experience as a means to better health outcomes.

“Evidence-based design in healthcare looks at the resident experience when trying to improve a facility. It’s about artwork, music, beautiful natural light, and bringing back happy memories.” In practical terms, that includes exterior courtyards, with minimal stairs and low-sloping rises on paver bricks that won’t trip shuffling feet. It’s “little porches, garden benches, sunrooms, and dining rooms that continue outside,” Tomlinson says.

Most state regulations already require a certain amount of outdoor access, and the USGBC includes “connection to the natural world / places of respite” in the

a message from HarenLaughlin Construction HarenLaughlin Construction is proud to partner with Brookdale Senior Living, building and renovating award winning senior living communities throughout the Midwest. As a locally owned third generation general contracting firm, we at HarenLaughlin Construction value Brookdale’s commitment to our community and appreciate the level of professionalism, care and service provided at a Brookdale senior living community. Congratulations to Brookdale Senior Living on the landmark projects they contribute to the Midwest and communities throughout the country.

66

july–september 2012

gb&d

PHOTO: Larry Kirk

choice, while optimizing privacy,

TRENDSETTERS

“Evidence-based design in healthcare looks at the resident experience when trying to improve a facility. It’s about artwork, music, beautiful natural light, and bringing back happy memories.”

WWW.AMERICANCONSTRUCTORS.US

Phillip Tomlinson, ESa

Proud With ProudOf OfOur OurRelationship RelationshipProud With Of Our Brookdale Senior Living Brookdale Senior Living Brookdale

LEED standards for healthcare facilities.

Even the medical establishment backs up the idea. In recent years, the value of vitamin D, the “sunshine vitamin,” has become regarded as an important factor in senior health.

In Brookdale’s case, sometimes thinking green brings benefits for everyone, even neighbors. For a recent renovation, general contractor HarenLaughlin graded hilly terrain for The Sweet Life at Grand Court, a Brookdale community in Overland Park, Kansas. Numerous truckloads of soil had to be removed from the property. The company decided to donate the dirt to a high school adjacent to the development, in order to build a well-drained football field. It was a sweet solution for The Sweet Life facility and another example of how green thinking solves multiple problems. gb&d gbdmagazine.com

Westlake Village Westlake Village Westlake Village Westlake, Ohio Westlake, Ohio Westlake, Ohio

We W

31269 Bradley Road, North Olmsted, OH 44070 31269 31269Bradley BradleyRoad, Road,North NorthOlmsted, Olmsted,OH OH44070 44070 31269 Bradley Road and and and

5000 Birch Street, Ste. 3000, Newport Beach, CA 92660 5000 Beach, CA 5000Birch BirchStreet, Street,Ste. Ste.3000, 3000,Newport Newport5000 Beach, CA92660 92660 Ste. 30 Birch Street,

440-716-4000 www.fortneyweygandt.com 440-716-4000 440-716-4000•• • www.fortneyweygandt.com www.fortneyweygandt.com 440-716-4000 • w

july–september 2012

67

Congratulations Brookdale Living!

AD ASTRA

DEVELOPMENT, LLC

1600 Genessee, Suite 400, Kansas City, MO 64102 p. 816.221.2234 • f. 816.221.2644 www.adastradev.com

www.landplan-pa.com

Ad Astra: Creativity Knows No Boundaries:

After Brookdale Place, Overland Park, Kansas

• Large or Small • Budget Constrained • Environmentally Conscious

Before

• Elevating Safety & Design Standards • Upgrade Aesthetics to Market Demands • Build Community Let us help you with your remodel or renovation.

What was old is new again!

Before

After Brookdale Place, Overland Park, Kansas

• SERVING CLIENTS THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES •

ARCHITECTURAL • INTERIORS • REMODEL • CONSTRUCTION • ENGINEERING • PLANNING

TRENDSETTERS

Michael Frerking The Arizona architect and builder discusses his super-sustainable method for repurposing site soils, his blue-collar background, and what he learned from Steve Jobs

By Scott Heskes

“I have built poured walls with magnesium oxide, and it is dream replacement for portland cement. It sequesters more CO2 than is required to make it, and it’s being made from sea water.”

Michael Frerking, Living Systems

Talking with leading-edge architect and builder Michael Frerking conjures up a scene from the 1985 classic film Back to the Future: An eccentric gentleman with a crop of white hair is working in his garage laboratory.

Marty McFly: “Whoa, this is heavy.”

Dr. Emmett Brown: “Weight has nothing to do with it.”

Except in this case we’re in Prescott, Arizona—not the imaginary Hill Valley, USA. And weight actually has a lot to do with it—“it” being not a time machine but the refinement of an age-old practice of mixing earth, sand, lime, fly ash, and water to make a building material.

“I feel this is about Back to the Future,” says Frerking, founder of design-build firm Living Systems and active proponent of a material known as “poured earth.” “The baby has been thrown out with the bathwater. Many family, personal, and business traditions that were worthwhile have been lost in corporate America’s pursuit for short-term profits.

Poured earth reintroduces craft, art, and pride back into the construction process.

Poured earth can take up 56 days to firm up, but once set, the structure is superior to conventional concrete and can last more than a century.

gbdmagazine.com

On ‘poured earth day’ everyone from the ready-mix driver to the boom-truck operator knows that their best work is required to create an art and technology that we will all be proud of and will last hundreds of years.”

Getting the Mix Right Frerking admits that for 25 years he bought into the idea that poured earth wasn’t really a viable option. But wellversed in adobe and rammed earth, he developed a keen eye for soil. “I could look at the soil and tell you [whether] I could use it or not,” Frerking says. Setting up a garage lab, he was determined to prove one way or another the potential of using native soil to make poured earth.

“There are many similarities between poured earth and rammed earth and adobe,” he explains, “[but] getting the right mix takes time. I do small-scale tests for shrinkage and compression until I come up with the right design.” It turned out that persistence was the key. He now performs these tests routinely for his projects. “It takes about a month and a

half to get it right,” he says, adding that once he is satisfied with the outcome, he has a geotechnical engineer certify his mix design. “My primary achievement with the poured-earth binders has been to substitute up to 70 percent of the portland cement with synthetic ‘Type F’ fly ash. Type F is considered zero embodied energy as it is a waste-stream product from coal-fired power plants.”

Frerking believes that portland cement, which contributes between five and seven percent of greenhouse-gas emissions, is the real elephant in the room with concrete. “I have built poured walls with magnesium oxide, and it is dream replacement for portland cement.

It sequesters more CO2 than is required to make it, and it’s being made from sea water.”

From Architect to Builder to Craftsman Frerking grew up on a small farm in Pleasant Hill, California, with a strong connection to the land. As a child he watched his Bay Area community get “bladed and graded” into large housing developments. At the age of 12, after discovering the work of Frank Lloyd Wright, Frerking decided to be an architect and do something about suburban sprawl and destruction to the environment. Attending Arizona State University in Tempe, Frerking found himself caught between two worlds. “There were people who were theorists, planning cities of the future, and others with a more practical approach,” Frerking says. “Where july–september 2012

69

TRENDSETTERS Michael Frerking FROM THE SITE The raw material for pouredearth walls is sourced from and mixed right on the project site.

Inside a poured earth wall: 6” poured earth 4” insulation 6” poured earth

PRIMER

Poured Earth 16” WIDE

the two intersected was where the action was—and where I wanted to be.”

After earning a degree in architecture, Frerking was discomfited by a local design community that he saw as unconcerned with the environment. He traveled and wound up in Prescott, where he found work with a construction crew building homes. “I come from a blue-collar home so it was easy for me to go from architect to builder,” he says.

Frerking was impressed with the knowledge and work ethic of his fellow craftsmen but found what he calls “the space between the trades,” as well as low standards the public seemed willing to accept in the interest of expediency and mass production. “The hierarchy of the trades, where the worker is not recognized for his good work, leads to a lack of pride,” Frerking says. “He may actually be penalized for taking too much time to do it correctly. I feel that today building is not considered by many to be a worthy profession.”

On Steve Jobs and ‘Reality’ Flattening the playing field has been a lifelong pursuit of Frerking’s. So it’s not a surprise that after his poured-earth

mix is certified, he works closely with the volume-control worker at the batch plant to portion the mix by weight so that it can be translated into a computerprogrammed mix design. Then he meets with volume control, the truck driver, and the boom operator to go over transport time and water usage, writing up the meeting minutes as a quality-control document.

He does the same with his craftsmen, engaging them early in architecturaldesign-review meetings. The result is a fusion of cutting-edge concepts with practical construction methods.

“The underlying theme and spirit is that everyone wins by creating an environment where innovation and creativity are recognized and results rewarded,” Frerking says. “In the new Steve Jobs book [Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson], his cohorts called it a ‘reality distortion field,’ which allowed people to achieve the unachievable. I would call it a ‘reality clarification field,’ where the world is built on what can be and is virtually right under our noses rather than convenient assumptions that distort reality.”

In other words, the building industry needs to go back to the future. gb&d

What is poured earth? Poured-earth buildings are constructed using native soil and water combined with a binder (preferably a green alternative to portland cement such as magnesium oxide), fly ash as a plasticizer, and (depending upon the clay content) sand and lime.

How does it work? A 16-inch wall is composed of six inches of poured earth, four inches of rigid insulation in the center, and six more inches of poured earth. The rigid insulation couples the interior mass to the heated and cooled space and isolates the interior from outside temperature swings. Through passive heating and cooling, the interior mass then maintains a comfortable indoor air temperature year around.

What are the benefits? A home built from poured earth requires little to no maintenance. It can be painted or left in its natural color. Its life expectancy is hundreds of years. Because of the thickness of the wall, the building provides a comfortable and very quiet interior space. The use of natural building materials reduces or eliminates toxicity levels and off-gassing.

How is it manufactured? The process begins with preliminary testing of various mixes to establish compressive and tensile strength and shrinkage characteristics for the specific project and site.

These mixes are designed for strength, durability, ease of mixing, and delivery and placement.

They are also designed to use the most Earthfriendly cements and additives available. Poured earth uses site soils that usually contain clay and naturally occurring unprocessed aggregates.

How does it affect the build process? The construction of poured-earth houses can take less time to build than conventional homes, which as a result can bring down labor costs. Once the foundation is in place, forms are erected and filled with poured earth. Walls with high fly ash and low portland cement take 56 days to come to full strength, but the final product is superior to traditional concrete. Special textures may be added to the pour for design effect.

Where is it used? Poured-earth construction is gaining popularity, particularly in the Southwest United States where adobe structures have been a tradition. The Casa Grande Ruins National Monument, located on the Gila River Indian Reservation, is one of the largest historic earthen buildings in North America and is poured earth.

It dates back to between 1350 and 1450 AD. Its specific use is not known.

In addition to using poured earth for its walls, this home in Peeples Valley, AZ, employs nighttime radiative cooling techniques and rainwater capture.

70

july–september 2012

gb&d

TRENDSETTERS

Brad cox is a brownfield developer, a green building advocate, and a job creator. The senior managing director of Trammell Crow Company’s Los Angeles office discusses his biggest wins and his role in developing a brilliant new way to park our cars.

Century Plaza Towers

By Laura Williams-Tracy

Land development doesn’t get much more complicated anywhere than in Southern California. The state has a well-earned reputation for its strict building regulations, and its citizenry is equally vigilant about buildings in support of the public good. Most remaining parcels—particularly the large industrial ones—are brownfield sites left fouled by previous tenants.

But within those challenges lies the greatest opportunity to create value for the community, says Brad Cox, senior managing director of Trammell Crow Company’s Los Angeles office. Cox oversees a regional portfolio of 4.5 million square feet of premier office properties, including the landmark Century Plaza Towers in Century City and the awardwinning Water Garden, and he directs the marketing and leasing of 2000 Avenue of the Stars, an 800,000-square-foot Trophy Class building that premiered in 2007.

“It was a phenomenal project and a pioneer development,” Cox says of the Avenue of the Stars address. “We were seeking to prelease the building in a market where historically there was a lack of preleasing. We were successful in landing Creative Artists Agency as a major tenant.”

Deal-making and developing in the sprawling Los Angeles area isn’t just about working near Hollywood. Cox is as an innovator who brings building sites back from the brink, helping businesses grow and communities experience rebirth.

Cox led the charge on the redevelopment of 33 acres in Sun Valley, much of which was a city trash dump that had been closed for four decades. Trammell gbdmagazine.com

2000 Avenue of the Stars

Water Garden

This Class A complex was an International Office Building of the Year in 2005.

july–september 2012

71

TRENDSETTERS Trammell Crow Company

Crow, with a corporate commitment to sustainability, worked through a morass of paperwork and processes to earn approval from 14 different regulatory agencies to convert the land to a viable property. The pad-ready parcel was eventually sold to FedEx for a 375,000-squarefoot facility.

“We had unanimous community support and were ultimately able to deliver 200 new jobs on a site that has been unproductive and a community eyesore,” Cox says.

Cox grew up in Indiana, finished high school in Philadelphia, and attended the University of Arizona, where he earned a degree in marketing. Cox entered Mobil Oil Corporation’s training program but was drawn to commercial real estate in 1980 where he saw an opportunity for open-ended compensation based on his hard work and efforts.

He worked for Merrill Lynch, the Irvine Company, and Cushman & Wakefield, gaining extensive experience with high-rise office development before joining Trammell Crow Company in 2002. As office leader Cox raises capital, sets investment strategy, creates deal flow, advises on financing, manages as-

72

july–september 2012

Century Park 2000 Avenue of the Stars (left) and Century Plaza Towers both achieved LEED-EB certification (Silver, and Gold, respectively).

sets, and oversees the day-to-day activities of the office.

He also chairs the Los Angeles Business Council and now the Business Council Institute, which helped the city establish the first green building code for a major city (a document that helped inform the California Energy Code).

Now Trammell Crow is assuming a leadership role in renewable energy by adding solar panels to the 1 billion square feet of industrial rooftops in Los Angeles County, aiming to harness the region’s 300 days of sunshine each year.

The company also implemented a “green light / red light” system for finding a parking space in a 6,600-space underground parking garage located beneath the Avenue of the Stars property, the largest of its kind on the West

Century PLAZA TOWERS certification LEED Gold Material Recycled 549 tons Landfill Space Saved 1,758 yards3 Landfill Diversion Rate 51% Water Saved 1.6 million gallons Energy Saved 918,220 kW

2000 Avenue of the Stars certification LEED Silver Material Recycled 363 tons Landfill Space Saved 1,163 yards3 Landfill Diversion Rate 45% Water Saved 47,885 gallons Energy Saved 370,220 kW

gb&d

TRENDSETTERS

“I think we have a personal obligation to make this a fabulous place … for our kids and grandkids. That requires you to take risks and be a market innovator.”

CONSTRUCTION AMERICA

BRAD COX, Trammell Crow Company

Coast. The lights guide drivers to open parking spaces and limit the time cars spend idling. Cox says the technology is estimated to have saved 173,000 gallons of gas—and the accompanying emissions—to date.

More is in the works for Cox and Trammell Crow. “Our goal,” Cox says, “is to be a market leader in sustainable strategies on storm-water retention, native landscaping, heat-load issues, rooftop solar, and buildings that are designed to be renewable-friendly. I think we have a personal obligation to make this a fabulous place … for our kids and grandkids.

That requires you to take risks and be a market innovator.” gb&d

BELOW In addition to the attractive, landscaped courtyard, Century Park offers tenants a healthful office space that doesn’t skimp on green technologies.

www.const r uct ion america.n et Phone: 949.498.1003 • Fax: 949.498.1004

QUALITY WITHOUT COMPROMISE

SPECIALIZING IN PRECONSTRUCTION & GENERAL CONTRACTING Preconstruction services includes: • Early budget development and preliminary cost estimates • Pricing updates throughout the design phase • Value engineering • Quality control • Review of documents to assure quality of products • Total project scheduling • Advice on labor availability, subcontractor selections, and material availability • Assessment of constructability

6,500 gbdmagazine.com

parking spaces

are hidden underneath Century Park. It’s the largest garage of its kind on the West Coast.

Construction services include: • Cost monitoring and control • Schedule development and control • Subcontractor management • Coordination of technical inspections and testing • Field engineering and site management • Materials management • Safety assurances • Project accounting and change order management • Quality control • Communications/Meetings • As-built drawings • Close-out and warranty • Preconstruction plan review to assess Fair Housing Amendment Act compliance • Product selection recommendations, to match the optimum product type to each market

Please visit our website at www.rampartconstruction.net to view more information

july–september 2012

73

TRENDSETTERS

Crescent Resources

One and Two Potom

ac Yard

654,000-square-foot LEED Gold commercia l development on an aba ndoned railway yard in Arlington, VA

Develop, certify, repeat—a winning pattern that has led this East Coast developer to greater, greener heights.

With its new Circle communities, the sustainable cycle continues.

TWO

44/69 LEED points

By Zipporah Porton

Crescent Resources originally was formed as the real-estate-and-timber arm of Duke Energy, and despite a recent rough patch due to the recession, sustainability has long been top a priority for Charlotte, North Carolinabased company.

“For more than three decades, the guiding philosophy at Crescent Resources has been to create and develop communities that care for the environment and enrich the lives of those who live there,” says Brian Natwick, president of the multifamily division, explaining that each of its multifamily communities is pursuing, or has achieved a level of green certification by a nationally recognized program, including LEED, NAHB Green, and Audubon International.

With the company’s new Circle communities, it is continuing the efforts of serving the environment. The clubhouse at Circle at Concord Mills features energy-saving doors and windows, native landscaping, water-efficient plumbing fixtures, and energy-efficient mechanical systems, among other features. The first LEED-certified structure in Cabarrus County, North Carolina, also offers preferred parking for hybrid and fuelefficient vehicles.

The company’s interest in sustainability is present across the board, and Elizabeth McMillan, a project manager

ONE

LEED 43/69 s point

in the commercial division, reports that all of the office buildings under design and development are registered with the USGBC. “We are also undergoing Energy Star certification for all of our existing buildings that we manage, lease, and own,” she says.

One and Two Potomac Yard is a prime example of the company’s commercial sustainable efforts. Located on a formerly abandoned railroad yard in Arlington, Virginia, the rehab project consists of two 12-story buildings providing 654,000 square feet of office and retail spaces.

Completed in May 2006, One and Two Potomac Yard were certified LEED Gold under the New Construction rating, earning 44 and 43 possible points (out of 69), respectively. The efforts that earned them: 27 percent of the building materials contained recycled content; 63 percent of the materials were manufactured within a 500-mile radius; 83 percent

of wood-based materials were certified by the FSC; and a 41-percent water-use reduction was achieved through watersaving technologies.

Capping these sustainable successes is the company culture. “It has been great to work for a company that cares about the environment and the community they’re a part of,” McMillan says. “The real key to our success is the dedication to quality and serving the communities in which we develop.” gb&d

Circle Austin at UT

Crescent Resources has an eco-friendly Circle community under con struction in Austin, Texas—its first to serve college students.

PRIMER

Circle Communities

74

july–september 2012

root by the end of 2012. Circle developments prioritize design elements that foster a sense of community among residents, and they also include all the green fixin’s. Eco-friendly features include highly efficient mechanical systems, water-saving plumbing setups, and native landscaping, in addition to high-quality building materials. Some communities also offer reserved parking for hybrids.

PHOTO: Eric Kieley

Their proliferation is a tell-tale sign of the Circle communities’ collective success. Began by Crescent Resources as an answer to residential developments that left neighbors isolated, these multifamily projects are popping up across the southeast United States. Circle projects have sprouted up in Nashville, TN; Austin, TX; and Raleigh, NC—with two more currently in the planning phase and four more expected to take

gb&d

TRENDSETTERS

In March 2011, six teams formed the Green Sports Alliance, a nonprofit organization designed to help sports teams, venues, and leagues improve their bottom lines. Today, the alliance’s membership includes more than 50 teams, 100 venues, and nine leagues. Three major league baseball clubs talked to gb&d about their latest sustainability home runs.

By Lynn Russo Whylly

Seattle Mariners B Turning peanut shells into soil may seem like magic to kids, but it’s really just a basic biological process—one the baseball club is using to help explain the value of going green

As influencers go, sports teams and their players carry a lot of weight. And the potential for moving society toward better environmental behaviors is not lost on the Seattle Mariners, a founding member of the Green Sports Alliance.

When Seattle’s Scott Jenkins, vice president of ballpark operations, arrived at the ball club in 2006, the Mariners’ green game was just ramping up. That year, 12 percent of Safeco Field’s waste was recycled. Contrast that with the 2011 season, when waste recycling rocketed to 81 percent, bringing the ball club significantly closer to its goal of zero waste by 2014.

The oranization crossed the tipping point in waste management when it began composting its concession waste in 2007 and changed its serviceware to compostable materials. As a result, Jenkins says, Safeco Field reversed its waste streams “to the point where compost and recycling are now the majority and garbage is the minority.” gbdmagazine.com

Safeco Field Seattle

Where does the non-garbage go?

Cedar Grove Composting makes it into mulch it then sells to area residents.

Food-services company Aramark sorts the remaining 20 percent to identify items that can still be recycled. Last year, during baseball season, the Mariners gave away bags of Safeco Field Soil sponsored by Cedar Grove on four separation occasions. “Our tagline was ‘Peanut shells today, Safeco Field soil tomorrow’— to show not just our dedication to recycling and composting, but why,” Jenkins says. “We’re creating a usable, valuable product and giving it to our fans.”

B Composting program provides mulch and usable soil to area residents B Recycling rates are expected to reach 100% by 2014 B Water-conservation measures—both behavioral and operational—reduce water use by 25% B Earth Day celebrations and other green events help educate fans about carbon emissions and sustainable behaviors B High-efficiency lighting paired with solar panels reduces energy use by more than 50% B A joint study with Seattle Public Utilities has been undertaken to study rainwater reuse

july–september 2012

75

LIVE

RATED

LEED NCSilver

Target Field Minneapolis

At the same time they addressed solid waste, the Mariners also turned their attention to water conservation. To reduce operating costs while improving environmental performance, the club began by encouraging employees to change their behavior, turning off lights and shutting doors. They added weatherstripping to doors and windows, set back the thermostats, and turned equipment off. The result? The organization saved $275,000 the first year.

Adding aerators on faucets “cost next to nothing,” Jenkins says, but reduced both water flow and natural gas use. Urinals were changed from gallon flush to pint flush, faucets were inspected for leaks and repaired, and a cooling-tower water-treatment system was installed to reduce total water usage.

Collectively, these efforts reduced water use by 25 percent.

In the parking garage, a major lighting upgrade has reduced energy consumption by 50 percent, while solar panels installed on a nearby bridge structure that connects the garage and the park are expected to further reduce consumption. In addition, four electrical charging stations were installed in the garage for electric and hybrid cars.

Safeco Field isn’t an island; likeminded companies are vital to large-scale success. Contractors such as BN Builders are encouraged to recycle all of their construction-debris waste, and Seattle City Light has provided rebates for many

of the club’s energy-conservation improvements. Fans are equally important.

As part of its Earth Day celebration in 2011, the Mariners educated fans about what small steps can do for the environment by creating a rough carbon footprint for a game. The footprint included air travel and hotel stays for umpires and the visiting team; car transportation for fans; the event’s natural gas, electricity, and water usage; and the garbage generated at the stadium. The organization then purchased an equal amount of renewable energy and carbon offsets through the Bonneville Environmental Foundation.

The Seattle Mariners currently are doing a joint study with Seattle Public Utilities and Century Link Field, where the Sounders and Seahawks play, to determine the optimal way to capture and reuse rainwater. A utility dashboard is helping the club monitor its green efforts in real time. The information also will be contributed to an MLB aggregate database on water and energy use, called Green Track, to help teams learn from their own performance and that of others.

“We’re averaging $400,000 in annual savings in energy and water costs and another $95,000 in waste,” Jenkins says of the sum of the team’s efforts. “That’s half a million dollars added back to the bottom line.”

The Green Sports Alliance will hold its annual summit in Seattle in September. Jenkins says he is looking forward to

A message from Seattle City Light Utilities across the country offer financial incentives for businesses and developers to install energysaving equipment. Using utility rebates will save money on capital equipment and lower your energy usage for long-term savings. Contact your local utility to ask about: Free energy-saving assessments or site visits to identify areas of energy waste or inefficiency, rebates and incentives available for energyefficient equipment and upgrades, types of equipment and upgrades eligible for rebates: ask about lighting, windows, insulation, computers, refrigeration, and more. As an example, Seattle City Light pays up to 70% of business customers’ project costs to upgrade and purchase energy-saving equipment. The payback time for business owners is typically less than two years. The return-on-investment is attractive and the decision is simple: energy efficiency makes smart financial and environmental sense.

76

july–september 2012

B A waste-to-energy program is operated with a neighboring garbage burner B More than 400 bicycle stations are located within 200 yards B A food-donation program supplies leftover concessions to surrounding shelters and soup kitchens B Rainwater-capture, -treatment, and -recycling processes eliminate 30% of potable water needs B A two-year renewable energy agreement offsets 70% of the club’s carbon footprint

collaborating with other professionals to improve environmental and financial performance not only at his home field but also across the industry.

Minnesota Twins B Sometimes one LEED certification just isn’t enough The Minnesota Twins were early leaders in sustainability—so early, in fact, that the ball club was able to build it into the construction of Target Field, which opened in April 2010. Located on a brownfield site, the building used limestone quarried locally for 60 percent of its exterior, while 80 percent of the wood was sustainably sourced and more than 70 percent of construction waste was diverted or recycled.

A message from Waste Management Waste Management is the leading provider of comprehensive waste management services in North America and one of the nation’s largest residential recyclers. Waste Management’s Sustainability Services experts guide customers through a host of sophisticated environmental services ranging from baseline sustainability audits to assistance with green building certifications. Programs can include diagnostic analyses of waste composition, waste flow, processes and equipment - all with a special focus on right-sizing operations, minimizing waste and maximizing recycling and diversion opportunities.

Through its subsidiaries, Waste Management provides collection, transfer, recycling and resource recovery, and disposal services to more than two million customers. It is a leading developer, operator and owner of waste-to-energy and landfill gas-to-energy facilities. Waste Management, Inc. is based in Houston, Texas and employs more than 35 million people across North America.To learn more about how Waste Management is helping customers achieve sustainable results, go to wm.com

gb&d

Energy creation. Recycling programs. Closed-loop solutions.

All to keep your business moving forward.

These are just a few of the environmental innovations we’re delivering for customers and communities across North America. Let’s talk about how our Sustainability Services experts can team with you to build greener business practices into your operations.

Call 877 355 7333 or visit wm.com/construction.

©2012 Waste Management, Inc.

2014

Year targeted for zero waste

petco Park San Diego

One of the field’s more innovative endeavors is a partnership with the Hennepin Energy Recovery Center, through which the stadium uses captured waste energy to heat some of its indoor spaces and playing field. Other systems are more standard: a storm-water system captures and treats 90 percent of rainwater runoff.

High-efficiency park lighting saves nearly $6,000 a year. And the stadium uses environmentally friendly refrigerants in its cooling systems and conserves more than 4.2 million gallons of water per year.

A two-year agreement with Renewable Choice Energy will offset 70 percent of energy consumption, saving nearly 9 million pounds of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere.

Quantifiable cost savings are evident as well. The club saved thousands of dollars last year in energy costs. “Electricity use alone saw a 14 percent reduction,” says Kevin Smith, executive director of public affairs. The Twins plan to increase that percentage this year by 5 percent.

Attendees can reduce their own carbon footprints by using one of 400-plus bicycle stations installed around the park and participating in the team’s recycling campaign. The Twins also donate unused concession food—totaling more than 7,500 pounds in 2011—to local charities.

Prior to opening day in 2010, the club A message from Questions & Solutions Engineering QSE’s professional engineers offer building owners and operators unparalleled commissioning, troubleshooting, and optimization expertise. QSE serves building owners whose mechanical and electrical systems are critical elements of their business. Whether it is employee health and safety, production and/or data processing reliability, or visitor/guest experience, QSE helps sustainably enhance system performance.

78

july–september 2012

brought in sustainability consultant Paydirt and engineering firm Questions & Solutions Engineering to ensure all systems were working optimally, and then in April Target Field was rewarded for its efforts with LEED-NC Silver certification, the highest rating achieved by any ball club—and only the second to receive it—with the most number of points collected. In 2011, due to its vast spectrum of environmental initiatives, the club received a second LEED certification, under the Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance rating.

San Diego Padres

B Southern California’s beacon of sustainability aims for zero waste by 2014 and donates waste for reuse When Petco Park opened in 2004, the San Diego Padres already were thinking green. “We began planning some of our efforts prior to the opening, including waste reduction and recycling,” recalls Mark Guglielmo, vice president of ballpark operations. The ball club has been improving its green programs annually since then.

That first year, the Padres recycled 15 percent of its waste. In 2011, it diverted more trash and waste from the landfill than it put in it. In other words, recycling reached 50 percent, and, “Our goal is to increase that to 65 percent this year,” Guglielmo says.

Like at Safeco Field, a food-composting system turns waste into mulch, which Miramar Greenery gives away to the public. The City of San Diego’s Environmental Services Department advised the

B Recycling program diverts 56% of waste— working toward a goal of zero waste by 2014 B High-efficiency lighting, window film, and automated systems reduce indoor energy use B Automated management systems conserve water B All kitchen waste is composted B Cooking oil is collected and donated to become biofuel for school buses

development of processes and procedures to ensure the composting program’s success. The Padres also began recycling cooking oil, which they send to Buster Biofuels so it can be turned into biodiesel and sold to a local school district for buses. The ballpark also uses biofuel in its janitorial equipment.

Several interior endeavors are reducing energy, including fluorescent lighting, automated controls with motion sensors, automatic air-conditioning turnoff switches, sun-control film on windows—which removes 99 percent of UV rays and reflects up to 80 percent of heat gain—and an astronomical clock that turns ballpark lights on and off based on solar activity.

Time-controlled faucets automatically shut off after a pre-determined time period, while the park’s irrigation system is a drip system and adjusts for seasonal moisture.

Education is vital. The Padres hold a “Green Night” game and other events, such as an e-waste recycling day in the off-season, to educate fans and employees on the benefits of sustainability. The club manages an employee recycling center and donates employee uniforms to a company that recycles them into paper products.

Going forward, the Padres are looking into high-efficiency park lighting and solar energy and hopes to achieve a zerowaste initiative by 2014. gb&d gb&d

Congratulations to the Minnesota Twins on their new, award winning Target Field!

Delivering on our promise to be a great builder.

At Questions & Solutions Engineering We don’t make buildings; We make better performing buildings! ™

®

Questions & Solutions Engineering

www.bnbuilders.com

BNBuilders

®

Questions & Solutions Engineering’s expertise in commissioning, retro-commissioning, on-going commissioning and LEED® helps: • Lower your costs • Reduce your carbon footprint • Optimize the use of operations staff time • Facilitate capital project success Please visit QSEng.com to find out more.

Innovation Sustainability Community Safety

© 2012 Questions & Solutions Engineering, Inc. All rights reserved.

Saved $60,000 annually Better color and clarity

Replaced 77,000 incandescent lights with 50 LED modules 80% energy reduction

Safeco Field — a place filled with energy…efficiency Bottom of the ninth, the score is tied and your team is up. Stadium energy-efficiency may be the last thing on your mind, but it’s front and center for the Seattle Mariners. They partner with their local utility, Seattle City Light, to both improve the game experience and reduce energy consumption.

Upgrades (like the scoreboard shown above) put the Mariners at the top of the standings for energy-efficiency in MLB stadiums. Seattle City Light offers their business customers free facility energy assessments and rebates that pay up to 70% of energy-saving upgrades.

“

A powerful investment for our future. And for hers.

Energy improvements are behind the scenes, but they make a big difference to our fans.

Our local utility company helped us discover hidden money-saving opportunities.

Can I make an investment that is both socially responsible and financially rewarding?

”

Absolutely! Western Wind Energy specializes in high value wind energy production opportunities maximizing selective regional resources and strong local energy demand.

Joe Myhra, Director, Engineering & Maintenance, Seattle Mariners

Our management team has 30 years of continuous operating experience, the most in the industry. Combined with a proven methodology, a strong business model, and a progressive vision, Western Wind Energy provides a solid investment, no matter how far ahead you're looking."

www.seattle.gov/rebates

gbdmagazine.com

SCL_green_building_adv_030612.indd 1

3/6/12 9:28 AM

For more information please visit our website at www.westernwindenergy.com or contact Lawrence Casse at 416.992.7227 or alphaedgeinc@gmail.com

WESTERN WIND ENERGY

Publicly traded on the Toronto Venture Exchange under the symbol WND

july–september 2012

79

Quality Products Thanks to Participants like PETCO Park Food waste generated at pre-approved commercial venues is accepted at the Miramar Greenery for a discounted tipping fee. Food scraps, along with green yard waste are processed into a rich compost product that can be used as an amendment to improve soil texture, and increase both nutrients and water holding capacity. Many local residents and companies bring greens and food waste, and leave with high quality products produced at our facility.

- Closing the loop! PETCO Park sends us food scraps, then buys certified compost that we produce.

- San Diego's only fully-permitted composting facility accepting food scraps and producing high quality compost.

- Saved 52 days of valuable landfill space last year.

- Increased food waste by 30% last year.

For more information about The Greenery at the Miramar Landfill, call 858-694-7000 or go to: www.RecyclingWorks.com

GREEN BUILDING & DESIGN

Up Front Approach Trendsetters Green Typologies Inner Workings Features Spaces Tough Builds Punch List Airports

82 86 89 92

gbdmagazine.com

O’Hare Modernization Program Edmonton Terminal Expansion San Francisco Terminal 2 Nashville Consolidated-RentalCar Facility

july–september 2012

81

Reusing excavated soil for a recent runway project saved O’Hare money, kept about 70,000 tons of CO2 out of the atmosphere, and helped decrease local traffic.

AIRPORTS GREEN T YPOLOGIES

Chicago O’Hare: Project (Green) Runway It’s not easy being an airport, but the Chicago Department of Aviation is finding more sustainable methods of building, operating, and flying.

ORD

O’Hare International Airport

LEED Silver air-traffic-control tower 230,000 ft2 of green roof Aeroponic garden for airport eateries Onsite apiary Gravel and soil reuse

By Lindsey Howald Patton

There are considerable challenges to being green, if you are an airport. You are gigantic. You run 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

You consume vast amounts of energy.

And if you want to encourage sustainable practices, you have innumerable stakeholders that need to get on board: airlines like Delta, cargo shipping companies like FedEx, rental car companies like Enterprise, and concessionaires like Starbucks.

“We have thousands of stakeholders that all conduct business on a day-today basis that certainly have impacts on and opportunities to improve their sustainability,” says Amy Malick, deputy commissioner of sustainability for the Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA). “So coordinating with that range of stakeholders is really critical, and it’s also fairly challenging, just because there are so many of them.”

If you are an airport, you are also owned by the government, which has its citizens—all eight million of Chicago’s metro area, in this case—to answer to.

So anything green happening at O’Hare International Airport or Midway Airport can’t be just one-third of the triple bottom line, the now-common phrase coined by John Elkington in the ’90s and repeated often today by CDA commissioner Rosemarie Andolino. july–september 2012

83

GREEN T YPOLOGIES AIRPORTS Chicago Department of Aviation

“As government I believe we have to be leaders. We have to be out there pushing.”

The vegetated green roof on top of the new FedEx cargo facility is, at nearly 175,000-square-feet (about three football fields), the largest of its kind at any airport in the United States.

Rosemarie Andolino, Commissioner, Chicago Department of Aviation

An example of CDA’s effort toward a triple bottom line is its approach to ground construction. In the beginning stages of the ongoing O’Hare Modernization Program, during which a new 7,500-foot runway was constructed, a new air traffic control tower built, and another runway extended by 3,000 feet, almost half a million tons (and counting) of asphalt and concrete were reclaimed. Instead of hauling away scrap pavement and bringing in virgin material for the new projects, “we sorted it and stockpiled it,” Andolino says. “We brought a crusher on-site and crushed the aggregate … and then used it back into the job.”

Excavated soil, too, is kept on-site for reuse. This saves money (bottom line number one). It keeps about 70,000 tons of carbon-dioxide emissions out of the atmosphere from trucks that would have otherwise carted waste and virgin materials to and from O’Hare (that’s two). And it avoids creating traffic jams and annoying nearby communities (three).

But it’s more than the bottom line, tripled or not. “As government I believe we have to be leaders,” Andolino says.

“We have to be out there pushing.” That means green roofs. It means getting alternative fuel stations and solar fields to O’Hare (the CDA has sent out requests for proposals for both). It means writing a document for best environmental practices, called the Sustainable Airport Manual, that is 690 pages long and growing, addressing not only typical LEED modules like energy and atmosphere but also how to operate greener in-terminal shops and hold a green administrative meeting. And it means hosting an annual conference called Airports Going Green to continue exploration of new technology, designs, and ideas.

If you are an airport, you have a legitimate eco-handicap, but change is possible—Chicago is proof of that. gb&d

84

july–september 2012

The North Air Traffic Control Tower at O’Hare is the first LEED Silver-certified control tower in the United States.

During construction 80 percent of waste was diverted from landfills.

Almost half the building materials were sourced locally.

making

sustainable projects possible

T he D etails

ORD The eco-tower The North Air Traffic Control Tower has a green roof on its base building and ultra low-flow lavatories that reduce water use by 21 percent. That’s about 700,000 gallons, annually. The structure, designed by AECOM subsidiary DMJM Illinois, is the first air-traffic-control tower in the country to receive LEED Silver certification.

R.M. CHIN & ASSOCIATES, INC. (RMCA)

The bee apiary One and a half million bees live on the east side of O’Hare’s roughly 7,000-acre property. The apiary is a collaborative project with the North Lawndale Employment Network, which provides job training for ex-offenders in Chicago. The harvested honey is included in a line of products called Beeline and is sold online and in boutiques and Whole Foods around the Chicago area.

is a Chicago-based firm providing

The giant green roofs There are 11 green roofs at O’Hare, totaling about 230,000 square feet of vegetation. The FedEx Main Sort Building, with a roof the size of three and a half football fields, boasts the largest vegetated roof at any airport in the United States. While green roofs are more costly up front, “you’re getting a longer life expectancy,” Andolino says.

our client’s success by delivering each

The aeroponic garden An aeroponic garden by Tower Garden fills the G Concourse in Terminal 3 with the scent of basil, cilantro, and other herbs, lettuces and vegetables.

Airport restaurants that share in the harvest include Tortas Frontera, Wicker Park Seafood & Sushi, Blackhawks Restaurant, and Stefani’s Tuscany Café.

professional Construction and Real Estate Development Services with concentrations in Owner Representation, Program and Project Management, and Construction Management. RMCA’s mission is to realize project with pro-active leadership, diverse expertise, and integrity.

500 West 18th Street, Suite 200 Chicago, Illinois 60616 www.rmchin.com

gbdmagazine.com

Phone 312-595-2000 Fax 312-644-0999 info@rmchin.com

july–september 2012

85

Thermal loss in the extreme Edmonton climate is contained by means of a high-performance envelope consisting of R-30 walls, triple-sealed glazing units, and a white R-40 roof.

This Is Your Captain Speaking Stantec aviation expert Rian Burger explains why airports are “carbon sandwiches” and how Edmonton’s terminal expansion is surpassing its peers

86

july–september 2012

YEG

Edmonton International Airport

Displacement ventilation Waste-heat capture and reuse Natural light via clerestory windows Daylight sensors Living wall with hydroponics

By Tina Vasquez

gb&d

AIRPORTS GREEN T YPOLOGIES

“Airports were slow in getting on the sustainability bandwagon.

But this has changed, and many are now doing cutting-edge work.”

Rian Burger, Stantec

When South Africa native Rian Burger was finally granted permanent residency in Canada, after five long years of immigration woes, he had no idea where in the country he would live or work. But a previous trip to Canada and 20 years in South Africa’s commercial architecture industry left him with a few contacts he could reach out to. Before long, he was hired by Stantec, a global architecture and engineering firm headquartered in Edmonton, Alberta.

Because opportunities in South Africa were limited, Burger never dreamed he would end up designing airports, but today the senior associate works exclusively on aviation facilities. According to Burger, after more than six years, several major airport projects, and countless planning studies and alteration concepts, he knows more about airports than most people.

“I’m not an airplane nut—I can’t rattle off all the different aircraft models and their characteristics, but I did consider studying aeronautical engineering when I was at school,” Burger says.

“I’ve learned that to be a good airport designer, you must understand what each decision will do to all the systems it affects, and the challenge is to discover the synergies that local conditions offer to create a smoothly functioning, yet delightful place [through which] people connect their journeys.”

Airports are incredibly complex structures, and because of technology and rapidly changing laws, they are also ever-evolving. Part of that evolution is a response to green design principles, and Stantec’s global footprint enables Burger to focus on sustainability in a way he’s not been able to before.

The Edmonton airport features a displacement ventilation system, fed by under-floor ducting. This conditions the air in the zone where people are, rather than the high-volume space above.

“South Africa is a developing Third World country, and sustainability was never on the table while I was there,” he says. “Before immigrating to Canada, I actually tried to generate sustainability-related work, but it was just not important enough in that environment.” Likewise, airports haven’t been known as green building hubs—until now. “Airports were slow in getting on the sustainability bandwagon. But this has changed, and many are now doing cutting-edge work,” he says. “The challenge for airports is existing building stock and infrastructure that are energy hogs. It is easy to talk about the one percent of new construction that is green, but what about the existing 99 percent that is terrible?”

Burger says the real problem, however, is ground transportation. Thousands of people drive to and from airports each day, and as this is compounded by aircraft emissions, airports find themselves in a “carbon sandwich,” with the public on one side and aircrafts on the other. The solution? Utilizing trains for short-distance travel and recommissioning existing airport structures.

Burger is currently based in Vancouver, an urban hub of the progressive Pacific Northwest—considered by many the july–september 2012

87

GREEN T YPOLOGIES AIRPORTS Stantec

Eagle Builders www.eaglebuilders.ca ph: 403.885.5525 | fax: 403.885.5516 Eagle Builders manufactures and installs insulated precast panels with structural capabilities for the following applications: • Agricultural - Dairy, horse, poultry and hog facilities, feed bunkers, cisterns, various other farm buildings and shops.

• Commercial/Industrial - Slaughter plants, car washes, vehicle dealerships, light industrial buildings, outlet stores, multibusiness buildings and precast separation/firewalls.

Eagle Builders has a world class facility that is conveniently located off Hwy 2 in Blackfalds, AB. Call us to set up a plant tour and see what we can do for you.

Ponoka AG Events Centre

88

july–september 2012

heart of the sustainability movement. There, Burger has been able to immerse himself in sustainability and implement simple, organic, eco-conscious elements into major projects. His latest? Edmonton International Airport (EIA), which is currently undergoing an 18-gate terminal expansion.

EIA’s terminal expansion will utilize displacement ventilation, in part thanks to island-style custom-made displacement diffusers by EH Price. The ventilation system is a crucial part of the airport’s air-conditioning strategy; it enables the conditioning of air nearest to the floor, i.e. the air around the passengers. Burger says displacement ventilation is far more effective than overhead air distribution because less air is used. As a result, energy demand is further reduced.

The energy consumption for heating EIA’s new terminal accounts for between 60 and 70 percent of the overall energy used to operate the base building mechanical system, and during the winter months, almost 50 percent of Edmonton International Airport’s 18-gate expansion this energy is required to heat is designed to maximize up the outdoor air due to the daylighting, obviating extreme cold (Edmonton has the need for artificial endured temperatures of minus lighting on clear days.

40 degrees Celsius). Burger employed today’s technology to capture any waste heat and reuse it. EIA’s air handlers are Haakon custom units with dual fans and heat-recovery wheels, the latter of which capture heat from exhaust air and put it back into intake air. In doing so, the energy required to condition outdoor air for ventilation is reduced significantly.

The lighting philosophy for the EIA project is becoming a common one: utilize as much daylight as possible through the use of clerestory windows and curtain walls in all the concourses, virtually eliminating the need for electric lighting on clear days.

This is achieved using daylight sensors connected to a low-voltage lighting-control system that will turn the lighting on and off when the daylight contributions are acceptable for the airport operations. The lighting design balances operational needs with LEED and ASHRAE requirements, and in the end it achieved power densities significantly less than ASHRAE’s minimum standards. How? Through the careful placement of ceramic metal halide and T8 fluorescent lamps from Cooper Lighting.

Though he may not have envisioned himself becoming Stantec’s resident expert on airport design, Burger’s work is pushing the industry while respecting the realistic requirements of these sprawling, energy-intensive facilities. With any luck, Edmonton’s innovative features will inform airports around Canada and across the globe. gb&d

A MESSAGE FROM Eagle Builders Eagle Builders is a leading-edge precast manufacturer located in Blackfalds, AB. We specialize in the manufacturing and installation of structural insulated wall and floor panels. It was a pleasure to get to work with Stantec and PCL on the Edmonton International Airport expansion job. We look forward to working with them in the future.

gb&d

AIRPORTS GREEN T YPOLOGIES

Designed by Gensler’s Melissa Mizell, Terminal 2 is infused with natural light and softened with warm finishes. Beyond the ticketing area, Kendall Buster’s sculpture draws passengers toward security.

Case Study: SFO Terminal 2 Gensler interior designer Melissa Mizell took advantage of a renovation project to completely transform the passenger experience—and ended up creating the nation’s first LEED Gold terminal

Photo: Bruce Damonte

The little terminal on the northeast edge of the San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is on its fourth life. It opened in 1954 as the domestic hub; in the ’80s it became the official international terminal; in 2000 it was decommissioned and provided administrative space. Then, in April 2011, it became the most talked-about airport terminal in the United States.

Terminal 2, or T2, brags an art collection worthy of any museum, enough locally sourced and organic fare to rival gbdmagazine.com

SFO

San Francisco International Airport

LEED Gold airport terminal 9-kW photovoltaic system Recycled content in building materials Displacement ventilation

By Lindsey Howald Patton

other parts of San Francisco, and a LEED Gold certification—a first for any US terminal. What can be photographed tells only half the story, so gb&d caught up with Gensler’s Melissa Mizell to hear about the invisible features. programmatic layout The lines on the exterior give clues to the spaces passengers will experience inside.

From the high-ceilinged lobby to the more intimate sections of the building inhabited by ticket counters for Virgin and American Airlines, each area is july–september 2012

89

GREEN T YPOLOGIES AIRPORTS Gensler

PROJECti

“You can go to different neighborhoods in the city and feel like you’re in an entirely different microclimate. We used that analogy to think about the different journey moments within the terminal.”

Melissa Mizell, Designer, Gensler

light and energy Custom clerestory windows and skylights flood the lobby and recompose areas with natural light, supporting the efficient electric lights and relieving passengers from the trapped-indoors feeling of a day spent traveling by plane.

To compensate for challenges posed by a facility in constant operation, a 456-kilowatt photovoltaic system—located on an adjacent SFO building—provides approximately 20 percent of Terminal 2’s power. The photovoltaic system is what gave the terminal—which earned easy LEED points with recycled content, low-emitting materials, and FSC-certified wood but met challenges where energy was concerned—the push from LEED Silver to Gold. recompose area Terminal 2 is designed to thwart the stereotype that air travel is miserable and hectic. The greatest challenge to this is the area immediately after security, where disheveled passengers hurry to jam shoes back on, stuff tiny toiletries back into carry-on bags, and scoop coins into pockets. A large airside space filled with sunlight is Gensler’s fix. Benches span the central space while colorful fiber nets—a sculptural installation by Janet Echelman—droop soothingly overhead. “The Recompose Area is a more gracious area, symbolizing that you’ve made it through,” Mizell says.

90

july–september 2012

displacement ventilation The air diffusers of the displacement ventilation system are located throughout the building but perhaps most recognizably when incorporated into the design as angled, stainless-steel piers between retail store entrances. The system, manufactured by Price, works like this: cooled air seeps from the walls, drawn to the bodies occupying the space, then rises as it warms, taking air contaminants with it. bathrooms The playful, colossal spin on the human figures of typical bathroom signs is not the only noteworthy feature in Terminal 2’s restrooms. The low-flow fixtures use 40 percent less water while energy-efficient Dyson Airblades render obsolete the resource-intensive process of making paper towels. The floor tiles—like the terminal’s ticket counters, terrazzo floor, and carpeting—utilize recycled content, as does roughly 20 percent of the terminal’s materials.

TEAmi Lead Architect Gensler Owner San Francisco International Airport Associate Architects Michael Willis Architects, Hamilton Aitken Architects General Contractor Turner Construction Company Lighting Consultant JS Nolan and Associates Sustainability Consultant Simon & Associates Branding & Graphics Gensler

GREEni Certification LEED Gold Natural Light Clerestory windows, skylights reduce artificial lighting Solar 456-kW photovoltaic array provides 20% of energy needs Materials FSC-certified wood, lowemitting materials, surfaces with high recycled content Bathrooms Low-flow fixtures and Dyson Airblades reduce energy and water consumption Displacement Ventilation Passively cools and cleanses indoor air

passenger experience The eco-friendliness of the Terminal 2 renovation blends in with features that feel, Mizell says, “like a four-star hotel.”

It’s true. From spa services and a yoga room to the gourmet market, passengers who find themselves in Terminal 2 not only can brag about it being one of the greenest airports in the United States, but also can enjoy themselves while they’re at it—another true first. gb&d

Photo: Bruce Damonte

distinct from the others. In this way the design parallels San Francisco itself. “You can go to different neighborhoods in the city and feel like you’re in an entirely different microclimate,” Mizell says. “It makes the city fun and diverse, so we used that analogy to think about the different journey moments within the terminal.”

Location San Francisco Size 640,000 ft2 Completed 2011 Capacity 5.5 million enplaned passengers

gb&d

Just past security screening, passengers can relax in the Recompose Area. With ample seating scattered about and a Janet Echelman installation overhead, the area helps travelers shake off postpat-down stress, and get excited for the next leg of their journey.

gbdmagazine.com

july–september 2012

91

Driving Innovation Demattei Wong Architecture inhabits a unique niche: designing rental-car facilities. Principal Wesley Wong explains how even such spaces can innovate in surprisingly sustainable ways.

To conserve energy, this car-rental facility foregoes air conditioning and uses large skylights and building openings to bring in daylight.

AIRPORTS GREEN T YPOLOGIES

BNA

“By placing all car rental operations in a single facility, we eliminate more than 800,000 miles per year in shuttler traffic.”

Nashville International Airport

Wesley Wong, Principal, Demattei Wong Architecture

Consolidated car-rental operations 90% reuse rate for car wash Skylights for daylight No air conditioning

Interview by Russ Klettke

First impressions count. And though most cities promote themselves with a show of skylines, museums, and convention centers, the opening act often is the airport and its car-rental facilities. This is well understood by Wesley Wong, principal of Demattei Wong Architecture (DWA), whose firm has designed 37 consolidatedrental-car facilities, or CRCFs, throughout the United States. Wong talked to gb&d about the art, function, and sustainability of arrivals and departures.

This 200-foot long, 45-foot tall green screen protects the building’s west façade.

gbdmagazine.com

You primarily work in a special subset of airport design, that of car-rental facilities. What are key factors that influence this task?

Wesley Wong: It is the responsibility of the architect to reflect the spirit of the airport and the region it serves. It involves an inordinate amount of research to understand what makes a place special—cultural impacts such as the people, the land, and the arts.

Your work on the Nashville airport has garnered attention for being green. How can a depot for cars and SUVs be environmentally friendly?

Wong: We can control the product that supports the cars, the processes, and the physical building itself. By placing all car rental operations in a single facility adjacent to the Nashville International Airport—providing 2,400 stalls in approximately 900,000 square feet on three levels—we eliminate more than 800,000 miles per year in shuttler traffic that would otherwise connect to remote off-airport sites. Additionally, the quick

turn-around facility provides 14 carwash bays, where the water is recycled using a reclaim system, reusing more than 90 percent of the water per wash.

The open-air customer core was designed to take advantage of natural daylight—minimizing the use of energy in the three-story space—through the use of large skylights, building openings, and no air conditioning.

No air conditioning? In Nashville?

Wong: Yes. It doesn’t make sense to transition people from the terminal through an open-air walkway, back into a temperature-controlled area, then back to an unconditioned space. The core is

july–september 2012

93

GREEN T YPOLOGIES AIRPORTS Demattei Wong Architecture This splayed concrete panel façade, designed by Demattei Wong for the Nashville airport’s consolidated car-rental facility, helps provide natural light to the three story space.

a transition space, not a place where customers congregate. The west wall of the facility was designed with a 200-footlong, 45-foot-high green screen, a sustainable, landscaped façade that allows airflow but blocks the afternoon sun.

You’re working to get all of your 30 employees LEED accredited. How important is it for everyone in your firm to achieve that?

Wong: DWA has a mandate to have all of our employees LEED accredited. We believe that good, practical, and responsible design is the foundation of sustainability, and that in the future, every new building will be required to be LEED [certified]. We want DWA to be leading the effort. Understand that we work in a constantly changing industry, and sus-

tainability is part of the change. We work across the country and have to be adaptable and look to alternative methods, relying on KPFF Consulting Engineers, for example, as they work with us on the LEED Silver Seattle-Tacoma International Airport consolidated-rental-car facility. Ultimately, we need to provide responsible architecture and do it well and effortlessly. gb&d

A MESSAGE FROM KPFF Consulting Congratulations to the owner, Port of Seattle, the architect, DWA, the general contractor, Turner, and all those who contributed to bringing this world class facility to life. The new consolidated rental car facility at SeaTac Airport, which recently attained a LEED Silver certification, is a tour de force of serviceability and functional aesthetic which will support the airport’s future growth. KPFF is proud to be a part of this proactive and high-performing team.

Mechanical Contractor Plumbing Heating

Air Conditioning Sheet Metal Ventilation

Structural & Civil Engineering T (780) 452.2096 F (780) 452.4438

144-45-123 Ave Edmonton, AB

www.arpisnorth.com 94

july–september 2012

206.622.5822 • www.kpff.com

Consolidated Rental Car Facility, SeaTac International Airport gb&d

La Unikehea ver d sity

u nt Lodainsid ge e

Ma rrio tt Fer rari Mo

T Un ulane ive rsit y Pri ml a nd L’A De uberg lM e ar Riv Ecoerhou -Ho se tel Rit z-C arl ton Eq Re uinox sor Jac t kso lod n Lak ge e

RE I

Xa Re nter s o ra r ts

En Live ter Na tai tio nm n en t GA IA Re so r ts Rif fin Lo Hit dg ch e

Our Environmentally Responsible Customers Span The Globe...

Binder Covers | Presentation Folders | Guest Services Directory Covers Menu Covers | Custom Boxes | Table-Top Accessories

Solid Woods from Verified Sustainable Forests | Blue Pine | Recycled Metals (Copper, Brass, Aluminum) | Aqueous Coated Materials | Other Recycled Materials

Passionate. Innovative. Original.

Toll Free: 866.491.7771

www.impactenterprises.com

CHECK YOUR SPECS: NEW AIA CEU COURSE Next GeNeratioN GreeN restroom DesiGN The USGBC, SLOAN and Excel Dryer join forces to offer a new CEU Course, Next Generation Green Restroom Design (NGGRD). NGGRD shows architects and designers how to specify the most cost effective, hygienic and green restrooms with today’s newest technologies.

redUCe

Water Up to 50% • Costs By 90% • CarBon Footprint over 70%

take the CoUrse noW at or

www.aecdaily.com (search “eXCeL dryer” or “sLoan”) www.usgbc.org/virtualtour

gbdmagazine.com

800-255-9235 www.exceldryer.com

800-982-5839 www.sloanvalve.com

july–september 2012

95

VERBATIM

Patricia Griffin on her role greening the hospitality industry, beginning her career at a five-and-dime, and the value of free stuff

Up Close and Personal What was your first job?

Christmas and summer at a Morgan & Lindsey 5 & 10 store with my sister at 40 cents an hour.

As a membership-based organization, the “Green” Hotels Association has focused on creating a network of environmentally friendly properties whose managers are eager to institute programs that save water, conserve energy, and reduce solid waste—all while saving money. With member hotels ranging in size from single-location boutiques to international brands, the association has helped introduce and implement both progressive and commonsense green concepts. President Patricia Griffin explains how to turn a hotel into an environmental education piece—without sacrificing service or the bottom line.

As told to Peter Fretty

96

july–september 2012

There are thousands of things a hotel can do that are free. For instance, so many hotels provide guests with newspapers that have a sticker on the front saying, “Compliments of the hotel.”

Instead, we recommend using a rubber stamp to put their identity or logo on the paper. This is just something that makes sense. Having guests reuse their towels and sheets has been another great push for us.

With any business you need to lean on savings and focus on where people receive value for their dollar. This is especially true in a tight economy. While all of our initiatives can save money, our goal is to purposely point out how and where. For instance, if you produce less waste, you send less to the landfill and pay less to haul waste away. You are also extending the life of landfills. Fortunately, we have seen success, albeit in baby steps.

If you hadn’t founded this organization, what would you be doing? Hopefully something entrepreneurial.

However, I’ve always said if I had another life to live, I’d be a big-animal vet. I now own horses and cows, so that satisfies that urge somewhat.

What inspires you? Other entrepreneurs. Now I’m thrilled and awed at the exciting new green products and services flowing onto the market.

Describe yourself in three words. Honest, decisive, determined.

What is your hidden talent?

My arty side. Art can seep into and enhance everything we do.

gb&d

VERBATIM

Today most hotels know about the efforts, even if they are not necessarily doing what needs to take place. What is exciting is the number of vendors now offering green products.

Take Procter and Gamble, for instance. Even if only ten percent of products are green, it’s significant. While we do not make any vendor-specific demands, we look at materials, MSDS sheets, etc., and keep track of what approved vendors are doing externally to be green. We also insist that the browser page from our website links to the vendor’s green products to help avoid confusion.

And, we suggest having at least one environmental page that discusses what they do internally and what they in turn expect of their vendors.

Our goal is to continue growing the circle with each transaction.

We know that any building operating under green principles should have a higher value [and] sell quicker and at a higher price because it is healthier. But the public needs to understand that being green is a much healthier lifestyle, especially regarding respiratory issues. However, it is not just a matter of gaining public buy-in. Early on, staff acceptance and change was a serious issue, yet over time a greening initiative creates camaraderie amongst employees and shows the staff that management cares about their wellbeing. When you are using toxic cleaners, you are breathing the fumes and it impacts your health.

Staff sees the difference almost immediately.

Management also has the opportunity to gain buy-in by listening to the staff. For instance, the initial introduction of green cleaning supplies faced a resistance at one of our member hotels in California. Rather than giving up, the management decided to split the cleaning staff into two teams, with one using traditional—toxic—products and one using green products. And after two weeks the teams switched. It was a real revelation for everyone, and within a few weeks the buy-in was there. Fortunately, the approach created an environment where there was a lot of discussion amongst the staff. Before making their final selections, they used a survey/questionnaire to garner staff opinions on how well the products worked on various surfaces, if they liked the smell, etc.

It is almost always one person at a property who takes ownership of the initiative, which is wonderful because it takes enthusiasm to make good things happen. Someone needs to carry the flag and serve as the champion. We have seen that as these people move on to other establishments, they bring the initiative with them. Of course, we know everything has a life—the greening of hotels in no exception. To me this will occur when hotels gbdmagazine.com

no longer have to publicize being green. They no longer would have to ask visitors to reuse towels— it would be a given. With millions of daily visitors, hotels have an opportunity to serve as educators.

If we can get the public to understand the impact green products can have on our lives, it would be magic. gb&d

ABOVE A plethora of green choices are available for hotels. This Hyatt Regency in Denver (background) is located near enough to the Colorado Convention Center that transportation needs are eliminated.

A MESSAGE FROM Excel dryer Excel Dryer, manufacturer of the XLERATOR high-speed, energy-efficient hand dryer, and Sloan Valve, a manufacturer of water-efficient solutions for the plumbing industry, have teamed up to develop a new continuing education course, “Next Generation Green Restroom Design.” The course was developed in conjunction with the USGBC and is a featured education unit in their new virtual tour program.

The Next Generation Green Restroom Design CEU course emphasizes how highefficiency hand dryers and plumbing fixtures can help reduce maintenance and cost while delivering the lowest environmental impact. Find the AIA/CSI/GBCI CEU course online at www.exceldryer.com/education. Unlike conventional hand dryers, XLERATOR completely dries hands 3 times faster (in 10-15 seconds) and uses 80% less energy than conventional hand dryers. XLERATOR also delivers a 95% cost savings when compared to paper towels, eliminates maintenance and waste, while creating a more hygienic restroom environment.

july–september 2012

97

At Crawford Architects we are innovators in the utilization of sustainable building materials and system alternates that balance upfront capital costs with operating efficiencies and long-term life cycle benefits. We are ready to assist and guide you in your quest for energy efficiency and recognition for environmental sustainability through the LEED certification process while developing solutions that enhance and add value to your building project.

Purcell Pavilion at Joyce Center University of Notre Dame LEED Gold Certified

Zahner Factory Expansion Kansas City, Missouri

McLeod Center Arena & Human Performance Center University of Northern Iowa

George A. Weiss Pavilion at Franklin Field University of Pennsylvania Designed to be LEED Gold

W W W. C R AW F O R D A R C H . C O M Kansas City, Missouri 816.421.2640

Sydney, Australia 61.2.9660.3644

Stacey Jones stacey.jones@crawford-usa.com

BENEFITS INCLUDE:

• Savings of 8% to 30% guaranteed and backed by Lloyds of London

Reduce your energy bills by 8% to 30% guaranteed THE SOLUTION FOR HIGH ENERGY COSTS

• Considerable reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and your facility’s carbon footprint

With more than 200 years of combined engineering experience in the industry, Energy Edge identifies where and how your electricity, gas and water are being used and solves the problems that contribute to inefficient systems and utility bills.

• Greatly increased efficiency and capacity of lighting, production equipment, air conditioning, heating and refrigeration systems

I NCREASE YOUR PROFITS

• Significantly increased electrical capacity and efficiency

It doesn’t matter what your company does or how big your facilities are. If your monthly power costs exceed $15,000 or more, we can create an industrial, institutional or commercial energy savings project that’s guaranteed to reduce your utility bills.

Energy Edge Technologies Corp.

1200 Route 22 East, Suite 2000 • Bridgewater, New Jersey 08807 Office: 888-729-5722 • Fax: 866-302-2255 • www.energyet.com

98

• 30% to 60% guaranteed rate of return

july–september 2012

• Reduced maintenance and replacement costs • Passive solutions that don’t interfere with operations or production • A turnkey project that does not require employee involvement

gb&d

GREEN BUILDING & DESIGN

Up Front Approach Trendsetters Green Typologies Inner Workings Features Spaces Tough Builds Punch List 100 104

107 110

113 115

gbdmagazine.com

Brooklyn Navy Yard Grand Canyon University Rec Center Salem Kroc Center UConn Social Sciences & Humanities Buildings Staten Island Children’s Museum Crissy Field Center

july–september 2012

99

INNER WORKINGS

Project

Team

Green

Location Brooklyn, NY Size 32,568 ft2 Completed 2011 Program Exhibition areas, teaching space, offices, and a cafĂŠ

Architects Workshop/apd, Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners Engineer Robert Silman Associates Landscape Architect D.I.R.T. Studio Metal Work Ferra Design Custom Carpentry Bien Hecho

certification LEED Platinum (expected) Water Reclaimed sewer pipe repurposed for rainwater storage Materials Recycled, salvaged, and sourced from within Navy Yard

s

d

100

july–september 2012

gb&d

INNER WORKINGS

Brooklyn Navy Yard

Rubble in the Bone Yard. A laser-cut façade. Sewer pipe for a cistern. The high-tech and the derelict are on parade at Building 92—an historic monument brought back from the dead.

a

a

There was a time when the Brooklyn Navy Yard was a vibrant, buzzing hub of shipbuilding and trade. But that was in the late 1700s, and gradually the one-time manufacturing hotspot became derelict. That is, until Mayor Michael Bloomberg unleashed an initiative to resurrect some of New York City’s old manufacturing strongholds. Matthew Berman, one of the principals of design firm Workshop/apd, takes gb&d through the reimagined space. By Seth Putnam History

Vision

Working in collaboration with Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners, one of New York City’s most prestigious architecture firms, Workshop/apd tackled one of the Navy Yard’s most important sites: Building 92 (No.1). The structure used to serve as the US Marine Commandant’s residence and was designed by Thomas Ustick Walter, the same architect behind the dome on the United States Capitol. “It was a building that had fallen into disrepair,” Berman says.

“There were holes in the roof, and time had really done its worst. It was a building that deserved to be restored.”

Making Building 92 as green as possible was an obvious idea. “From the moment we got involved, it was clear this was going to be an extremely green building,” Berman says.

LEED Platinum was set as the benchmark, and the designers never deviated. Which dovetailed brilliantly with Navy Yard director Andrew Kimball’s vision to revitalize the industrial elements in a sustainable way.

Water As far as Berman is concerned, one of Workshop/ apd’s coolest scores was the discovery of an underground sewer pipe. “It was huge; you could drive through it,” he says. “We capped it at both ends and used it as our rainwater-storage tank.” All the water is retained through a harvesting system and filtered for later use. There are also solar-hot-water installations on the upper roof and low-maintenance trays on the lower green roof to catch the water and channel into the container (No.2).

Façade The façade is a solar screen with a laser-cut pattern of the USS Brooklyn in dry dock (No.3). The Navy Yard’s outer gate, along Flushing Avenue, is water-cut and was conceptualized by Ferra Designs, a tenant in the Navy Yard.

This concept diagram shows Building 92’s existing structure, once a residence.

photo: T.G. Olcott

The colored portions are the new building’s two veiled façades.

gbdmagazine.com

july–september 2012

101

INNER WORKINGS Brooklyn Navy Yard

FLOOR PLANS 1 2nd floor 2 3rd floor 3 4th Floor 4 Roof

Roof 4th Floor

Roof 4th Floor

3rd Floor 2nd Floor

Materials sourced from companies in the Navy Yard were specified

by Bien Hecho, another tenant.

102

july–september 2012

Local Materials

Interior

Berman and his crew tried to source the majority of the materials from within the Navy Yard—from lighting to pre-fabricated concrete and steel units by a company called Capsys. “They brought them over by tractor,” Berman laughs. “It was literally that close.” Other highlights include low-VOC materials on the interiors, high-efficiency lighting, and bathroom countertops by IceStone, a recycled glass manufacturer in the Navy Yard.

Much of the interior was completed by John Randall’s fullservice millwork company, Bien Hecho. Like many members of the project team, Bien Hecho is local to the Navy Yard. “We created the front doors, which were made out of red oak and were historic representations of an original 1840s design,” Randall says.

He also installed cabinetry, countertops, and giant doors that act almost like moveable walls in the café (No.4). Randall used FSC-certified wood from less than 250 miles away in Pennsylvania. gb&d

photo: T.G. Olcott

f

INNER WORKINGS

g

ENERGY EFFICIENCY COMES FIRST

Landscape Landscape architect Julie Bargmann filled the courtyard with salvaged industrial scrap—a fitting approach.

gbdmagazine.com

Julie Bargmann and her company, D.I.R.T. (Dump It Right There), handled the landscape design and made a point to go all-native. “It’s not even just plants,” Berman says. “She’s really into rubble—anything that’s local and reclaimed.

The whole back area is called the ‘Bone Yard’ and takes a lot of the cool but miscellaneous scrap metal and turns it into art.” There’s also recycled teak in the benches in the front courtyard, and the steel is all reclaimed from a short distance away (No.5). gb&d

California Multi-Family New Homes (CMFNH) facilitates deep energy savings in new multi-family housing through design assistance, energy design workshops, training and coordination with green and solar programs.

For more information visit our website at multifamily.h-m-g.com.

The Heschong Mahone Group (HMG) implements CMFNH on behalf of the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E).

866.352.7457 | www.h-m-g.com This program is funded by California utility customers and administered by Pacific Gas and Electric Company, under the auspices of the California Public Utilities Commission. “PG&E” refers to Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation. ©2011 Pacific Gas and Electric Company. All rights reserved.

july–september 2012

103

The rippling antelope sculpture embellishing the exterior screen not only represents the university’s mascot, but also shades the interior stairwell.

d

a

Project

Green

Location Phoenix Size 65,000 ft2 Completed 2010 Program Three multipurpose courts, a wrestling room, locker rooms, a student fitness area, and several classrooms

Certification Not applicable Versatility A sliding glass wall and open floor plan maximize square footage and limit waste Glass Insulated PPG Solarban 60 glass reduces heat gain Water A sloped roof diverts rainwater to a bioswale and plantings Structure Pre-engineered Nucor system minimized waste Materials High recycled content, including 90% in structural steel

Team

s

104

july–september 2012

Architects Architekton, 360 Architecture Client Grand Canyon University General Contractor UEB Builders

gb&d

INNER WORKINGS

Grand Canyon University Rec Center With its sculptural façade and movable walls, this athletic facility is a new architectural icon and a model of smart building.

When Grand Canyon University, a private, Christian college in Phoenix, decided to pursue an NCAA Division I classification, the institution needed to make significant upgrades to its athletic facilities. It turned to Architekton, a Tempe, Arizona-based firm with significant experience designing sustainable, regionally appropriate buildings across the desert Southwest, to create a striking, versatile recreation center. By Kelli McElhinny Landscape

As part of Grand Canyon University’s athletic upgrades, Architekton and 360 Architecture designed a new recreation center that provides a fitness and social hub for the general student population as well as spaces reserved for the university’s elite athletes.

“Fitness is an important part of lifestyle,” says Architekton principal John Kane. Athletic facilities improve student quality of life and can be powerful recruiting tools. Grand Canyon University’s new rec center includes three multipurpose courts, a wrestling room, locker rooms, a student fitness area, and several classrooms. A large Arcadia aluminum sliding-glass wall with insulated PPG Solarban 60 glass on the building’s northern façade overlooks the surrounding artificial turf and is operable so that in pleasant weather the building can be opened up (No.1).

The new rec center’s surrounding environment is an important element of the overarching green elements.

Landscape designer Dan Lare lined the pedestrian mall that runs along the southern side of the building with six evergreen elms, providing shade to students and faculty. The building’s shed roof is sloped so that rainwater will be directed into a bioswale and water those trees. Additionally, the north lawn not only provides additional workout space, but also employs an artificial turf material that will survive in the shade—unlike natural turf—and hold up well with extensive use (No.2).

Central Arizona is fortunate to have ample natural light at its disposal, and Architekton worked to maximize this valuable resource in the rec center’s design. Using large windows and entire glass walls, Kane says the architects attempted to “fold the light in,” ensuring that the facility doesn’t require artificial light on clear days. But natural light also creates undesirable byproducts such as glare and heat, which drive up the need for cooling energy. The PPG Solarban 60 glass, featuring a solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC) of 0.38 (the closer that number is to zero, the better), already significantly reduces heat gain, but Architekton also designed a folded metalclad wall on the eastern surface, which redirects entering light. Similarly, the steel siding also reflects light, and the provocative, rippling antelope sculpture that embellishes the eastern exterior’s vertical louvers not only represents the university’s mascot, but also shades the stairwell beneath (No.3).

PHOTOs: Hatton Imaging

Program

Light & Heat

july–september 2012

105

INNER WORKINGS Grand Canyon University Rec Center

f Materials & Waste

Versatility

Materials were selected for anticipated performance and reduced environmental impact. The main structure is a large-span pre-engineered system from Nucor Building Systems (No.4). This rightsized approach minimized waste while meeting the architects’ objectives for versatility, and the structural steel has between 80 and 90 percent recycled content.

The building’s steel panels contained approximately 25 percent recycled content, and its durable siding will last for decades. Locally sourced concrete-masonry walls were used to break the exterior and primary interior walls. Architekton also reduced material waste by avoiding extra finishes and keeping the spaces raw, eliminating unnecessary supplies and showcasing building systems.

Architekton strives to streamline the spaces it designs. “We try to create as efficient an envelope as possible,” Kane says.

The rec center was no different. Its design limits eastern and western exposures while maximizing surfaces to the north and shading those to the south (No.5). Beyond surface exposures, the Architekton team designed the building with a minimal number of interior walls—few of which are structurally necessary—so that Grand Canyon University can adapt the space as needed. “Trends are changing, and recreation is evolving,” Kane says. “The pre-fabricated structure yielded a really flexible volume.” gb&d

g

Flexibility within fitness areas provides a versatile structure alongside highquality equipment.

A GOOD CONTRACTOR IS LIKE A GOOD COLLEGE STUDENT.

Las Vegas 702.792.9202

Perini Building Company is one of the largest, most diverse general contractors in the nation.

Phoenix 602.256.6777

We specialize in sports and entertainment facilities and hospitality projects. When you are ready to build your next project on time and budget, give us a call.

tutorperini.com

july–september 2012

PHOTOs: Hatton Imaging

Photo: ARCHITEKTON

106

FINISH ON TIME AND DON’T KEEP ASKING FOR MONEY.

gb&d

INNER WORKINGS

Salem Kroc Center

Laden with lighthouses, geysers, and Douglas firs—the natural iconography of the Pacific Northwest—an Oregon community center provides local residents shelter from life’s storms.

Buildings expend as much energy during play as people do.

That’s a fact that drives the designs of Denver-based Barker Rinker Seacat Architecture (BRS), the architect of record for The Salvation Army Ray & Joan Kroc Corps Community Center of Salem, Oregon. The Salem center is one of 26 such institutions around the country—funded in part by Joan Kroc, the widow of McDonald’s founder and CEO Ray Kroc—and one of eight nationwide that’s been designed by BRS. Principal Steve Blackburn explains why the Salem Kroc Center is a LEED Silver-certified portrait of the Pacific Northwest. By Matt Alderton Site “There are a lot of needs in the community,” Blackburn says of Salem, which is one of Oregon’s most underserved cities in terms of recreation.

Fortunately, the city is trying to repair some of what’s damaged, particularly in North Salem, an industrial area that’s been targeted for improvements. It’s here, on a roughly 10-acre site—previously an abandoned gravel pit—that The Salvation Army decided to build the Salem Kroc Center.

The Kroc Center’s “shelter from the storm” theme is taken literally with large cedar overhangs.

“It was leftover land,” Blackburn says. Leftover, but not lost. Adjacent to the site, the City of Salem turned identical gravel pits into a 22-acre wetland park that eventually will include a system of walking and jogging paths. To make the entire area more accessible to Salem residents, BRS leveraged the Kroc Center’s position as a “pioneer building” in the neighborhood to secure a new bus stop at the facility’s entrance and to install directional signage on nearby arterial roads.

Exterior

Layout

The Kroc Center’s design theme is “shelter from the storm.” “In the Pacific Northwest, it rains a lot,” Blackburn explains. “We took the theme of this project not only philosophically—providing Salem residents shelter from the storms of life—but also literally by providing sheltering elements to the building itself.” The facility’s signature design element is a series of large overhanging cedar canopies that shelter visitors when it rains (No.1). Also useful during rainstorms: the Kroc Center’s exterior phenolic rainscreen cladding that keeps water away from the building’s structural frame, prevents air leakage, and reduces energy losses (No.2).

The Kroc Center features a tripartite design: In the center is the entrance and lobby, behind which is a chapel that doubles as a performing arts center. To the left, meanwhile, is a community wing with classrooms, a commercial kitchen, meeting rooms, and a daycare center. To the right is the recreation wing, which includes a gymnasium, an ADA-accessible fitness area, a 30-foot climbing wall, and

a

s

f

j

d

an aquatics complex with two swimming pools, a lazy river, and a water slide.

“We always use the term ‘sustainability’ in a much broader sense,” Blackburn says. “It’s not just environmental. It’s also operational.

Because it’s all on one level—there are no stairs or elevators—a third-grader can understand how to use this building. We put the reception desk in the center of the building because we wanted the operator to be able to visually monitor major activities from one spot, which means [The Salvation Army] can reduce its staffing load. As a result, this building is operationally sustainable for the next 75 years.”

108

july–september 2012

Interior Inside the Kroc Center, BRS pays homage to the Pacific Northwest. “We wanted to bring all things Oregon to Kroc Salem,” Blackburn says.

In the aquatics center, for instance, the water slide wraps around a replica of an historic Oregon landmark—the lighthouse at Yaquina Head (No.3)—and culminates in a plunge pool where there’s a motion-activated “blowhole” modeled after the geysers in Oregon’s Depoe Bay coastal region. Elsewhere in the facility, replicas of Douglas firs create an indoor forest that brings the outdoors inside (No.4).

Materials

Energy

The Kroc Center’s Pacific Northwest theme lent itself to many natural and locally sourced materials. In addition to concrete-masonryunit blocks—most of which were sourced from within a 500-mile radius—BRS used native basalt-stone veneer as a decorative element at the building’s entrance, as well as in its outdoor terraces and the fireplace in its main lobby, which also features a driftwood mantel that was recovered from a local beach in Rockaway, Oregon (No.5).

Other environmentally friendly materials include cork wall coverings and carpet made from post-production and post-consumer waste (No.6).

Regenerative media filters lower The Salvation Army’s energy usage, which is further reduced in the aquatics center by variable-frequency drive pumps that use less electricity than traditional pumps to power the lazy river (No.7), spray features, and blowhole.

Energy is further optimized throughout the facility by automated lighting, as well as daylighting techniques: BRS gave the building an east-west orientation that maximizes sunlight, which enters the building—reducing the need for lights to be turned on—via a large glass curtain wall at the facility’s main entrance, not to mention traditional skylights that are tinted to maximize light while minimizing glare.

Water

Indoor Environment

BRS started with water-efficient showerheads, faucets, and toilets, but didn’t stop there. “We collaborate every week with an aquatic specialist firm called Water Technology Inc. [WTI] out of Beaver Dam, Wisconsin,” Blackburn says. “They’re pool-design engineers, and one of the sustainable strategies WTI helped us specify included regenerative media filters, which consume about 90 percent less water than traditional, high-rate sand filters. Obviously, that saves the center a lot of water.”

“Indoor air quality is huge in a recreation center,” Blackburn says. “Some of the folks coming into the Kroc Center are dealing with healthrelated issues such as obesity, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol, and they desire to get their health back on track.

Bringing them into a building that’s healthy reinforces the center’s purpose.” To make the air inside the Kroc Center as healthy as possible, BRS required the general contractor to keep the construction site clean after the mechanical ducts were installed and to seal off those ducts to keep construction debris out. gb&d

k

PROJECT Location Salem, OR Size 91,500 ft2 Completed 2009 Program Classrooms, chapel/ performing arts center, commercial kitchen, meeting rooms, daycare center, gymnasium/fitness area, and aquatics complex Awards Aquatics International 2011 Dream Design Award, 2010 Innovative Architecture & Design Award, Recreation Management, 2009 Award of Merit, American Institute of Architects Salem Chapter

Landscape “Every major component of this building has a complementary outdoor component to it,” Blackburn says. For instance, the chapel and performing arts center connect to a prayer garden (No.8), as well as a tiered outdoor amphitheater. The leisure pool, meanwhile, has an outdoor south-facing sun deck and aquatic spray ground. Even the meeting rooms in the community wing open to a terrace for special events. And then there are the bioswales.

Situated across the property, they clean and filter stormwater runoff before it enters the city’s sewer system. gb&d

g

TEAM Architect Barker Rinker Seacat Architecture Client The Salvation Army Cascade Division Associate Architect CB|Two Architects + Construction General Contractor LCG Pence Construction

GREEN h

SITE PLAN 7 10

14

6

15

8 5

2

1 9

4

3

9 11

12

1 Lobby 2 Childcare/Play 3 Chapel/Performance 4 Community Rooms 5 Gynasium 6 Leisure Pool 7 Competition Pool 8 Aerobics & Fitness 9 Terrace 10 Spray Fountain 11 Prayer Garden 12 Amphitheater 13 Regional Park 14 Interpretive Garden 15 Day Care Tot Lot

Certification LEED Silver Site Located on former gravel pits near a restored wetland, accessible via public transit Materials Native basalt stone, salvaged driftwood used for interior Water Regenerative media filters in the aquatics area consume 90% less water than traditional filters Energy Skylights, automated lighting, and variable-frequency drive pumps reduce energy use Rainscreen A phenolic rainscreen preserves the building’s structural frame, prevents air leakage, and reduces energy losses Landscape Bioswales treat storm water before it enters the city’s system

13

gbdmagazine.com

july–september 2012

109

INNER WORKINGS

UConn Social Sciences and Humanities Buildings Copper, bamboo, and slate are among the sustainable materials adorning the University of Connecticut’s new East and West buildings.

On any given day, approximately 10,000 students will walk the halls of the two new Social Sciences and Humanities Buildings on the University of Connecticut (UConn) campus. The complex is the most technologically advanced building project on campus to date, and with such a high volume of human traffic on a daily basis, it isn’t lacking for attention. Built by Skanska, one of the ten largest project-development-and-construction firms in the world—and a leader in the education sector—the project is composed of a West Building, which opened for the fall semester in 2011, and the East Building, which Skanska will complete this year. Skanska project executive Richard Murphy and corporate environmental manager Myrrh Caplan gave gb&d a tour of some of the project’s most notable features.

By Ashley Kjos

110

Systems

The exteriors of the new buildings form a common design thread between both East and West structures, their red-brick construction and copper accents creating a colonial feel (No.1). Skanska used copper for its durability, lasting quality, and pleasant patina coloring over time (No.2). A large amount of landscaped space was formed by a decision to minimize the foundation’s footprint and bring the project vertical. The resulting landscape gives an inviting, comforting effect and also made possible the Maximize Open Space credit on the LEED scorecard (Skanska is targeting Gold certification). The area also includes a retention pond that stores all rainwater onsite. Less visible to students are the 11,000 square feet of living roof, which cover nearly half of the building’s roof area (No.3).

The reduction of energy and water use was an important point of emphasis for the design team, which expects these features to pick up many of the buildings’ LEED credits. All state-funded projects in Connecticut are required to be LEED certified, but the discussion surrounding the sustainability of the UConn project began in October 2009, before the implementation of the statewide LEED requirement.

Skanska installed dual-flush toilets and automatic urinals throughout, leading to an estimated 52.5-percent wateruse reduction below baseline.

And the advanced energy systems installed are anticipated to produce a return of 46 percent energy savings below baseline.

july–september 2012

a

photos: Jeffrey S. Adams

Exterior

s

gb&d

The brick exterior creates a colonial feel in contrast with the building’s modern interior.

d

Site As with many college campuses, building space is at a premium at UConn, and the Social Sciences and Humanities Buildings are built on some of the last open green space. Local contractor Milton C. Beebe and Sons performed the site concrete work for the West Building and all the excavation and foundation work on the East.

Though the construction required no teardown of existing buildings, the existence of underground utilities offered a minor challenge.

Materials

Project

TEAM

GREEN

Location Storrs, CT Size 68,000 ft2 (W), 132,000 ft2 (E) Completed 2011 (W), 2012 (E) Program Classrooms, offices, and auditoriums for five social sciences and humanities departments

Construction Skanska Architect Leers Weinzapfel Associates Civil Engineer URS Corp.

Landscape Architect Stephen Stimson Associates Structural Engineer Lim Consultants MEP/FP/IT Engineer BVH Integrated Services with Philip R. Sherman Geotechnical Engineer Haley & Aldrich Lighting Lam Partners LEED Consultant Viridian Energy and Environmental

Certification LEED Gold (expected) Roof A green roof covers 11,000 ft2 of the West Building Landscape Retention pond filters rainwater runoff onsite Water Dual-flush toilets result in more than 50% savings Recycling Nearly 100% of construction waste diverted from landfills Materials Durable, renewable, and/ or local materials include copper, slate, and bamboo

The courtyard between the two buildings is inviting as well as worthy of a LEED point for maximizing open space.

gbdmagazine.com

The project’s location in the relatively remote city of Storrs could have presented a challenge for waste diversion.

Nonetheless, Skanska diverted nearly 100 percent of its waste from landfills through diligence and a strong partnership with its hauling company. Using regional materials also was important, and the company’s commitment to that effort led to an anticipated two LEED points, plus an additional Innovation credit for sourcing more than 30 percent of all building materials from within 500 miles.

july–september 2012

111

We are proud to partner with Skanska USA Building, Inc. on a number of their Connecticut projects, most recently the UConn East and West classroom buildings.

INNER WORKINGS UConn Social Sciences & Humanities Buildings

We wish them the best of luck and future success!

Milton C. Beebe & Sons, Inc. Construction 12 Beebe Lane Storrs, CT 06268 phone: 860.429.9358 | fax: 860.429.9359

g Interior In contrast to their exteriors, the interiors have a more modern aesthetic. “All of the millwork on the inside of the building is made from bamboo,” Murphy says. This includes the wall paneling found in the two large lecture halls of the West Building, the millwork for the classrooms and common areas, and the teachers’ lecterns (No.4). The flooring in all of the corridors is slate, another natural product that Skanska imported from Vermont (No.5). The use of the bamboo, as well as other durable and environmentally sound products, is meant to be both appealing and educational for the students. “It was important to keep communicating the message that this was a green building,” Caplan says. gb&d

photos: Jeffrey S. Adams

f

SPECIALTY CONTRACTING FOR TENSILE ARCHITECTURE

112

july–september 2012

gb&d

INNER WORKINGS

Staten Island Children’s Museum

Flexible solar-panel fabric and vertical-axis turbines don’t sound like kid stuff, but Marpillero Pollak Architects is confident that its sophisticated systems will change the way kids1view the world. 2 3 4 The Staten Island Children’s Museum is located in Sailors’ Snug Harbor, which once housed a home for aged sailors.

It now consists of a collection of architecturally significant 19th-century buildings set on 83 acres along the north shore of Staten Island. The museum’s recent renovation is architecturally significant too, because it’s far from your ordinary green building project. It’s a testament to how sustainability can be fun, thanks to a number of whimsical structures that employ innovative technologies to educate and delight museum visitors. Sandro Marpillero, principal of Marpillero Pollak Architects, takes us through the innovative additions.

By Julie Schaeffer

A photovoltaic fabric by Birdair Inc. allows the tensile structure to capture solar power.

solar Panel combinations totaling one unit (15’- 0” x 11.5”)

2

Create column-free gathering space using language of masts and sails

Accentuate place of arrival

quantity

1 striP length: 16’ - 4”

2 striP length: 17’ - 0”

unit size

05

15’ - 0”

3

3 Panel sizes

05

4 striP length: 17’ - 8”

Maritime History

solar fabric

02

11.5”

3 striP length: 17’ - 8”

4/9 unit

2/9 unit 1/9 unit

80”

40” 20”

Establish gridded + eccentric points Maximize solar exposure

05

5 striP length: 18’ - 4”

01 18

units

diagrammatic area of typical shadow Area of typical shadow sq ft sq ft total solar fabric area =area of 259.5 14.5 diagrammatic viable photoArea of viable photovoltaics voltaic fabric placement

x

5

a

4 3 2

a

4%

2 9 0 sq ft

b

3.5%

2 7 0 sq ft

c

3.5%

2 7 0 sq ft

1 2 3 4

b c D

2 3

e

4

D

2

2 7 0 sq ft

3.5%

3 4

Deflect rainwater

6

7

Maximize post steepness

e

1 2 3 4

8

Reduce cable tension

Regularize heights

3 5 0 sq ft

9% area i n crease d u e t o f ab ri c f l att en i n g m et h o d

“Because Snug Harbor is significant to the history maritime culture in New York, we thought the renovation of the children’s museum in this area should tie into maritime history,” Marpillero says. “We 5 thus decided to introduce renewable energy sources that are the main components of maritime life—sun and wind— and show the children those sources are integrated into a building.”

Introduce ‘branch’ structure Maximize angle of western columns

0° 45.0

1

Establish gridded + eccentric points Maximize solar exposure

Accentuate place of arrival

3'-0" 3'-0" 3'-0" 3'-0" 3'-0" 3'-0" 3'-0" 3'-0" 3'-0"

Create column-free gathering space using language of masts and sails

Wai 9

1440 sq ft: total Viable solar Panel surfaces

a

Meadow Structure At the heart of the project is a 2,200-square-foot freestanding tent-like structure built on the museum’s front lawn (No.1). To demonstrate the rainwater 5 Deflect power of sun, the architects built the structure with a translucent photovoltaic roof gbdmagazine.com

that collects solar energy to power its own low-voltage lighting. This was made possible with a new product from Birdair, Inc., a flexible post steepness 6 Maximize solar-panel fabric that can be adapted to the curves of a tent. “Instead of making a

conventional circus shape with just one swoop, we made a tensile structure that would maximize the southern exposure on the surfaces,” Marpilcable tension 7 Reduce lero says of the product. “It involved fairly sophisticated engineering.” july–september 2012

113

INNER WORKINGS Staten Island Children's Museum

All energy systems are connected and share data with a display within the museum.

h s f a en

ta da gy r e

Sunlight Hot Air Wind

PROJECT Location Staten Island, NY Size 2,200 ft2 (meadow structure) Translucent Rotating Wind Scoop Completed 2012 (expected) Program Outdoor educational Rain-Resistant Louver space, exhibit areas

d

Interactive Component

Air Flow

Vertical Axis Wind Turbine

Air Flow

Architect Marpillero Pollak Architects Rotating Wind Scoop Base Plate Client Staten Island Children’s Museum General Contractor Mongiove NewLtd. Cupola Base Associates, Solar Fabric Birdair, Inc. Wind Scoop Fabrication Eric Goetz Vertical-Axis Turbine Oy Windside Production Interior Translucent Rotating

Small Electrical Generator

Base Plate Turbine

Wind Scoop Access Door to Elevator Shaft

Wind Turbine

New Cupola Base

PhoTo By GoeTz CuSTom BoATS

Marpillero and his team also The design team also tackled were tasked with renovating the skylight over the elevator.

Louver the existingRain-Resistant museum buildThis one was replaced with Drum / Weathervane ing. In doing so, it tackled a vertical-axis wind turbine two existing skylights—one manufactured by FinlandGreen CERTIFICATION Not applicable above an atrium stairwell, based Oy Windside ProducRenovation Adds wind scoop and the other above an elevator— tion. This type of turbine is WiND TuRBiNE vertical-axis wind turbine to existing WINDdevoting SCooP both to the illuslightweight, virtually silent, Based on sailing engineering principles, the Windside Wind Turbine can The Wind Scoop comprises a rotating cowl and translucent rotating drum, begin energy production with winds as light as 2-3 m/s in any direction. skylights and acts as a ventilation device and weathervane.

Built by high-tech tration of wind energy.

The and safe for birds. But that’s carbon fiber builders Goetz Custom Boats, its shape is optimized to local wind conditions.

Solar Flexible photovoltaic fabric skylight over the stairwell not all—this one also powers produces enough energy to light the was replaced with a rotating an exhibit that demonstrates tent structure wind scoop, manufactured how wind can be used as a Wind Scoop Naturally ventilates the

by Eric Goetz, a boat builder source of energy (No.3). building who’s designed for America’s Vertical-Axis Turbine Powers muCup, the sailing competition. seum exhibits The rotation of the scoop Education Computer program ventilates the stairwell, an teaches visitors how renewable action that is put on clear energy can be utilized in homes display for the education of museum goers through a colorful rotating drum that extends down from the scoop and functions as an interior weathervane, signaling wind direction (No.2).

PhoToS By WiNDSiDE

TEAM

wind > 2 m/s

s

Because these new elements are intended to explain the use of two natural resources, an interactive computer program within the museum illustrates how renewable energy factors into the construction of a 21st-century home (No.4). According to Marpillero, this element is vitally important, because the goal of the project is to educate.

“Because it’s a public work and a demonstration project, we were able to use some very innovative and sophisticated technologies, products that really aren’t in use anywhere else in this country,” he says.

“At the same time, we wanted to emphasize that sustainable technologies in general can actually be used in the construction of a home.” gb&d

“Because it’s a demonstration project, we were able to use some very innovative and sophisticated technologies, products that really aren’t in use anywhere else in this country.”

Sandro Marpillero, Architect

114

july–september 2012

gb&d

INNER WORKINGS

Crissy Field Center

Located in a national park. Built in nine months. Constructed from a hyper-efficient modular kit. This LEED Platinum education center offers a glimpse of the industry’s future.

These modern buildings prove the value of modular construction.

d

The new Crissy Field Center has earned the top spot in the Green Building category of a California competition recognizing construction and design excellence, but that’s not surprising to the building’s general contractor, Fisher Development.

The center, with its numerous eco-friendly features, was a truly groundbreaking project, says Alex Fisher, the company’s vice president of business development. The building takes the most desirable elements of green building and puts them into an affordable and quickly deployed application. “It’s on the ground floor of a new phenomenon that I believe will sweep the design and construction industry,” he says. Here, he explains why.

By Julie Schaeffer

Purpose

Impetus

Situated in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Crissy Field Center serves as an educational facility, offering a variety of programs that connect diverse Bay Area populations to urban environmental issues. Working in partnership with community-based organizations, it primarily reaches out to youth who traditionally have had little opportunity to experience the wonder of their national parklands. Its facility consists of classrooms, labs, administrative offices, and gathering spaces, including Beach Hut Café. The entire building is open to the public.

In 2009, the Doyle Drive replacement project—which replaced the south access road to the Golden Gate Bridge, known as Doyle Drive or US Route 101, with a more earthquake-safe roadway— made it necessary for the Crissy Field Center to relocate from the corner of Mason and Halleck Streets to temporary structures along the eastern edge of Crissy Field.

gbdmagazine.com

Energy

Design

A white cool-membrane roof reflects heat away from the building to reduce energy requirements (No.1), and extended roof overhangs reduce glare while allowing indirect light to reduce the requirements for artificial lighting (No.2). Low-E windows reflect heat in the summer and insulate the building year round (No.3); high levels of roof (R-30) and wall insulation (R-19) reduce energy use.

Fisher Development used a solar-powered generator to further minimize environmental impact. Inside, an energy-efficient lighting system includes daylight sensors and occupancy controls. “Predictive modeling allowed Project Frog to optimize the building orientation and design to reduce energy needs,” Fisher says. “The result is a reduction in energy demand of as much as 50 percent without sacrifice to comfort.”

Crissy Field Center was designed by Project Frog, short for Flexible Response to Ongoing Growth. Launched in 2006, the group offers an innovative solution to the lack of temporary classrooms by designing and manufacturing prefabricated green buildings. The buildings are composed of a pre-engineered and premanufactured kit of hundreds of parts, which allows for an extraordinarily quick build time. “Project Frog allowed Crissy Field Center to get up and running in nine months, a fraction of the normal time, at an affordable price,” Fisher says.

a s

INNER WORKINGS Article Name

f

g

Project Location San Francisco Size 7,500 ft2 Completed 2010 Program High-performance classrooms, lab space, an art room, administrative space, and a restaurant Awards California Construction’s Best of 2010: Green Building Award (Northern California); National Park Service: 2011 “Building the Future” Environmental Acheivement Award

Team General Contractor Fisher Development Architect MK Think Materials and Design Concept Project Frog Client Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy

Exterior

Interior

Waste

Exterior panels are manufactured from old-growth redwood, much of which was salvaged from the historic Cal Park Hill Railway Tunnel in Marin, California, providing a beautiful finish while protecting existing forests (No.4). Siding was manufactured by EcoClad, which is made from recycled paper and bamboo fibers that are then dipped in resin, heated, and pressed together to form a hard surface (No.5).

Cabinets are made from maple that is certified by the FSC and wheat board, which is wheat straw that has been cut, dried, pressed, and bound to form sheets (No.6).

Much of the material was removed from Crissy Field Center’s old building and reused. Individual carpet tiles from InterfaceFlor are made with 68 percent recycled content and can be replaced as needed by the manufacturer, which recycles old carpet tiles to make new ones. Low- to no-VOC interior paint and adhesives also protect the health of occupants (No.7).

During the build process, there weren’t very many opportunities for landfill diversion. Project Frog’s preengineering substantially reduced the need for raw exterior materials and made the construction site virtually waste free. “Total building materials contain more than 35 percent recycled content,” Fisher says.

Green Certification LEED Platinum Panels Prefabricated, made from salvaged redwood Materials Sum of materials contains 35% recycled content Flooring Carpet by InterfaceFlor is 65% recycled content, old carpet is recycled Energy White cool roof and low-E windows reduce energy needs by 50% Water Rainwater diverted to a 2,500-gallon cistern for nonpotable use

j

Water A rainwater-capture system funnels rainwater from the roof into a 2,500-gallon cistern, where it is filtered and supplied to the toilets, covering more than half of the facility’s annual toiletflushing needs. Much of the wastewater released by the facility is safe for the environment: liquid hand soap, for example, is biodegradable, made with vegetable and fruit extracts and naturally occurring minerals. gb&d

h

116

july–september 2012

gb&d

GREEN BUILDING & DESIGN

Up Front Approach Trendsetters Green Typologies Inner Workings Features Spaces Tough Builds Punch List 118 126 132 138

gbdmagazine.com

London Aquatics Center UNO Soccer Academy Apogee Stadium Discussion Board

july–september 2012

117

FEATURES

After the Games, Zaha Hadid’s Aquatics Center will shed its Olympic prestige and shrink from a 17,000-seat natatorium to a landmark one-seventh its original size.

Story by Lynn Russo Whylly. Photos by Hufton + Crowe

118

july–september 2012

gb&d

FEATURES

METAMORPHOSIS. Zaha Hadid’s aquatics center is worthy of the Olympic Games, in design and prestige. But its true beauty will be revealed when it emerges from its summer chrysalis a smaller, more sustainable venue.

gbdmagazine.com

july–september 2012

119

FEATURES London Aquatics Center

W

hen Zaha Hadid Architects received the RFP for the London Aquatics Center, one thing stood out: the emphasis on sustainability. The 2012 Olympic Committee wanted this year’s Summer Olympics to be the greenest games in history. It planned to use pre-existing venues where possible and build only structures that would serve long-term uses. It would use biofuel in the park’s boiler system and use a combined-heating-and-cooling system that recycles heat exhaust.

In accordance with this vision, the world-renowned IraqiBritish architect and her team designed the London Aquatics Center as a shrinking building, one that will eventually be scaled back to a “legacy” version of its Olympic glory, transitioning from one of the largest Olympic venues in history, by capacity, to the smallest.

The aquatics facility, which will host the swimming, diving, and water polo events, includes a 50-meter competition pool, a 25-meter dive pool, and a 50-meter training pool. During the upcoming Summer Olympics, it will seat 17,500, but only 2,500 of those seats will remain after the competition. The “wings” on either side of the structure will be dismantled, leaving only the central form.

What will happen to the excess material?

It will be resold or recycled.

The 650-foot-long building is just big enough to hold the necessary functions and no bigger. “Why build an enormous venue which cannot be maintained, as opposed to having an adaptable, smaller building which can be used by the local community in a much more sustainable way?” Zaha Hadid says. “I was intrigued by the task of having to design a flexible building suitable for the Olympics as well as to the generations of Londoners who will use the pools long after the Games are over.”

120

july–september 2012

hese wings, which hold seating T for Olympic spectators, will be removed after the Games, reducing the building’s capacity to one seventh its original size.

One of the aquatics center’s greenest features is its concrete, which is good because there’s a lot of it. It supports the undulating roof with giant columns and also forms the monolithic diving platforms. In terms of its green properties, nearly 75 percent of the cement used for the concrete mix of the substructure as well as 40 percent of the superstructure have been replaced with ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBS), a byproduct of furnaces used to make iron.

GGBS concrete is a sand and gravel aggregate, which emits substantially less carbon dioxide than cement. “A lot of research and trials were necessary to figure out how to deal with the sustainable concrete mix,” project architect Sara Klomps says. “It contained a high percentage of cement replacement and recycled and secondary aggregates. It proved to be much

hat’s on the roof? Recycled W aluminum cladding over a “rib cage” of steel—an engineering feat that won the team a Structural Steel Design Award.

gb&d

London Aquatics Center FEATURES

BELOW A rendering of the London Aquatics Center shows its undulating aluminum-clad roof and expansive glass wall.

Here, the venue’s extra volume has been removed, making the building more functional for community residents while retaining its architectural statement as the gateway to London’s newest urban park.

ELEVATIONS (above)

OLYMPIC CONFIGURATION 7

Olympic additions

FIRST FLOOR PLANS (right) 1 Main Competition Pool 2 Diving Pool 3 A Olympic Family Lounge 3B Main Entrance 4 Plaza Bridge 5 A Main Olympic Entrance Stairs 5B Plantings with Walkway 6 Concourse Area 7 Toilets 8 Concessions 9 Upper Welcome Zone 10 Spectator Seating 11 Warming Pool

8

8

7

7

6

10

7

11 4

3A

1

2

5A

10

6 7 7 8

8

LEGACY CONFIGURATION

10

7

11 4

3B

1

2

5B

10

gbdmagazine.com

july–september 2012

121

London Aquatics Center FEATURES

DESIGN IN MOTION. Fluidity was a key design element for Zaha Hadid and her team. Like a wave, the roof of the aquatics center rises and falls, while the concrete diving platforms (left) curve up from the floor. Outside the main room, a glass enclosure makes use of the same materials and fluid lines.

gbdmagazine.com

july–september 2012

123

Project Location London, UK Site Area 397,000 ft2 Olympic Footprint 235,700 ft2 Legacy Footprint 171,700 ft2 Completed 2011 Program Competition, diving, and practice pools for 2012 Summer Olympics’ swimming, diving, synchronized swimming, and water polo events; changing rooms; concessions; lounge; and spectator seating Awards 2010 Structural Steel Design Award (Legacy Roof)

team architect Zaha Hadid Architects Client Olympic Delivery Authority Project Director Jim Heverin Project Architects Glenn Moorley, Sara Klomps Sports Architects S+P Architects Structural Engineer Ove Arup & Partners General Contractor Balfour Beatty Timber Subcontractor Finnforest Merk GMBH Concrete Subcontractor Morrisroe BREEAM Consultant Ove Arup & Partners Fire Safety Arup Fire Acoustics Arup Acoustics Façade Engineers Robert-Jan Van Santen Associates Lighting Design Arup Lighting Kitchen Design Winton Nightingale Maintenance Access Reef Temporary Construction Edwin Shirley Staging Security Consultant Arup Security AV/IT Consultants Mark Johnson Consultants Access Consultant Access = Design CDM Co-coordinator Total CDM Solutions

GReen Certification BREEAM Excellent Structure “Wings” to be dismantled and sold/recycled after Olympics Concrete 50% of concrete utilized a furnace byproduct to replace the cement, reducing CO2 emissions Red Lauro Wood From Brazil, moisture-resistant and FSC-certified Aluminum Cladding Recycled and highly durable Recycling Waste heat from nearby energy centers repurposed, pool water reused for non-potable functions Subdivisions Allow interior spaces flexibility to accommodate community residents’ needs

London Aquatics Center FEATURES

“I was intrigued by the task of having to design a flexible building suitable for the Olympics as well as to the generations of Londoners who will use the pools long after the Games are over.”

Zaha Hadid more difficult to work with than ordinary concrete, but it turned out, … and we’re really proud of the high replacement results.”

Designed in a wave-like shape to represent the fluidity of water, the underneath of the aquatic center’s distinctive roof is FSC-certified red lauro wood from Brazil. This exotic wood was chosen because it provides teak-like durability in high-moisture areas. Laminated softwood cladding was used for the building’s interior spaces. The roof exterior is a highly durable and mostly recycled aluminum cladding. The facility also recycles waste heat from two nearby energy centers and reuses pool water for non-potable functions.

Though many of the London Aquatics Center’s environmentally conscious elements can be listed and lauded—and rightly so—the building will only truly prove itself after the conclusion of the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, when it sheds its extra seats in order to serve not the global community but the local one. gb&d

LEFT The London Aquatics Center’s practice pool area is defined by a symmetrical grid of skylights, allowing diffused natural light through the concrete ceiling. Much of the concrete used a sustainable cement substitute, significantly reducing carbon emissions.

gbdmagazine.com

DIALOGUE Sara Klomps Project Architect, London Aquatics Center

How did you set out to achieve the green goals for the London Aquatics Center? “A lot of the building materials came by ship or rail rather than car or truck, which reduced carbon emissions. And a lot of thought went into the construction process. We used local suppliers for building materials, and we used recycled materials.”

Were there any special or unique challenges? “Sensitivity to diversity was key to the pool’s long-term use after the Olympics. We had a dialogue with local minorities, the elderly, and various ethnic groups to ensure that there was, for instance, enough space for wheelchairs, easy bathroom access, and appropriateness for certain cultures. We wanted to make sure we didn’t overlook anything, and we included everyone … rather than having a building or a park dropped in place and being told, ‘Go use it.’ As a result, the pools and changing rooms allow subdivisions so you can screen one part of the pool off, for example, for all-female swimming.”

What are the biggest sustainability concerns for building a permanent pool structure? “Key was how to keep the building as insulated as possible, reduce air leaks, and minimize heat loss. It’s a very air-tight building. We had a target of five cubic meters per hour maximum air leakage. It was also our ambition to design a building with great longevity that doesn’t need extensive reworking later. This is important because pools in general often don’t have funds available for extensive cleaning and refurbishing.”

How do you think design itself impacts the Olympics? And how do the Olympics affect the design of host cities? “From the beginning of the design process, there was a lot of press exposure promoting the sustainability goals, and in the wake of this, a lot of little changes have occurred. For example, in July 2010, a bike-hire scheme was introduced, designed to encourage thousands more cycle journeys in central London. There are more bicycle lanes throughout the city, and more work has been put into the development of parks in general. With the announcement of being the greenest Olympics ever, people became more aware and … generally proud to participate.”

Did the City of London file for LEED certification? “We have something similar here called BREEAM—the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method—and the aquatics center received an Excellent [the second-highest rank]. This was also a brief requirement.”

What are you most proud of about this project? “That we could maintain all key design features while having to deal with requirements that weren’t in the original design. There were unexpected challenges such as the sustainable concrete mix. To bring all those different aspects together without losing key features of the design is what we are most proud of.”

What is the one sustainable thing that you wanted to do but were not able to do and why?

“Rainwater harvesting and the usage of triple glazing are good examples. These things were not affordable within the budget at the time. Also eliminated for budgetary reasons [was] a timber structure for the roof rather than a steel structure. That would have been amazing.”

Did you conceive any new ideas—green or otherwise—while working on this project that you hadn’t tried before? “Definitely. Using concrete with high replacement material was a new experience for us. Also, the concept of trying to get manufacturers to change their shipping processes. One very positive thing that came from this was that we realized if it’s in their brief and they want the job, [companies] will do it. We had positive experiences with it. Next time, hopefully, they will be less inclined to say no.”

july–september 2012

125

FEATURES

Chicago’s UNO Soccer Academy is a project of the United Neighborhood Organization, JGMA, and Ghafari Associates. It angles upward from its brownfield site, the world-class design an illustration of the aspirations of its working-class students.

126

july–september 2012

gb&d

FEATURES

CHICAGO's SOC CER ACADEMY How a charter school is using the world’s most popular sport to change the face of Chicago’s southwest side Story by Lindsey Howald Patton Photos by Tom Rossiter

gbdmagazine.com

july–september 2012

127

FEATURES UNO Soccer Academy

1

Juan Rangel admits it: he’s a handson client. This was nowhere more apparent than in 2010, when he walked into a meeting with the architects who’d won the bid to design and build the United Neighborhood Organization’s new charter school and said, “Let’s flip the thing around.”

As originally conceived, the building’s glass-and-steel face pointed northeast—toward the iconic skyscrapers of downtown Chicago. But Rangel, who as chief executive of UNO spends all his time encouraging growth and opportunity in the city’s Hispanic neighborhoods, wanted UNO Soccer Academy to face northwest, toward the weedy, abandoned lots in which he sees so much potential.

Rangel wanted the 63,000-square-foot LEED Gold candidate to communicate to residents of the Gage Park community that they’re worth more than a hand-me-down, and the design— fresh, energetic, fittingly sporty—does just that. It also pointedly avoids Hispanic cultural cues like Aztec motifs and murals of Latino heroes. “I don’t want to caricature the community in that way,” he says. “I’m not interested in that. The building should reflect the aspirations of the community, not its heritage. I want to capture the aspirations of the people that come here seeking an opportunity to get ahead.”

The soccer-themed charter school sprang from an after-school program that had begun incorporating soccer into a wider curriculum in order to tap into the soccer culture already present in the community. Kids came—and kept coming. That enthusiasm made Rangel wonder how he might accomplish three purposes: First, use soccer as a hook to get kids more interested in academics.

Second, enable talented students to someday catch the eye of a university recruiter. Finally, empower those accepted to graduate from said college with a respectable GPA. His answer: the UNO Soccer Academy. The 11th charter school in UNO’s network, the Gage Park school sets a higher requirement for physical education classes than other Chicago schools, incorporates soccer drills into fitness education, and emphasizes nutrition.

Here, too, the kids show up. Since the semester began in September 2011, the school, which houses about 575 students in kindergarten through eighth grade, has the highest attendance rate in UNO’s network: 98 percent.

128

july–september 2012

2

One wall in the narrow office of Juan Gabriel Moreno Architects (JGMA), the studio Juan Moreno founded in August 2010, is covered with blackboard paint. Chalked from floor to ceiling are competition deadlines, phone numbers, names of Chicago neighborhoods, inside jokes, and a hand-drawn calendar. Beneath “the everything wall,” as Moreno calls it, sit the 12 architects who, along with Moreno, make up JGMA. The wall opposite the blackboard is neatly papered with prototypes of completed, forthcoming, and hopeful projects, from UNO Soccer Academy to a glass house in Belize, a waterfront India hotel, and a runway for Chicago’s Latino Fashion Week. The styles are often contemporary, sharp-angled, and big-windowed. The concepts range from thrifty rehab buildings to master neighborhood plans, but all the buildings have two elements in common that might someday become informal JGMA signatures. First is the use of graphic text—“I’m not into a lot of ornamentation in architecture,” Moreno says, “but I love the heavy graphic.” The UNO classrooms, for example, are each named for a country or city that has hosted the World Cup. The classroom name is designed to slide from classroom door to floor—“JAPA,” one classroom door reads in sleek block capitals; the floor beneath it finishes, “N.” The other common theme in Moreno’s work is an angle he calls at times a “crescendo,” at others “the gesture,” which refers to a portion of the building that juts skyward at its conclusion. If UNO Soccer Academy were a ship, this would be the prow pointing out into the unknown.

Colombian-born Moreno has called Chicago home for 12 years. He became familiar with Latino community organizations like UNO and the smaller Instituto—for which he designed a renovated high school, also completed last September—through the professional organization

PROJECT Location Chicago Size 63,000 ft2 Completed 2011 Program Classrooms, exercise facilities, office space, outdoor amphitheater, soccer field, playground

TEAM design Architect Juan Gabriel Moreno Architects Architect of Record Ghafari Associates Client UNO

GREEN Certification LEED Gold (expected) Site Remediated brownfield Lighting Glass-walled corridors provide daylighting Green Roof Reduces rainwater runoff Façade Stainless-steel shingles are 85% postconsumer recycled steel

gb&d

he building’s stainless-steel T shingles, a dynamic departure from the surrounding Gage Park architecture, are 85% postconsumer recycled material.

Arquitectos. Now president of Arquitectos and heading his new firm, Moreno says his professional energy flows directly from activism. Unafraid of being pigeon-holed as an architect who designs Hispanic buildings—JGMA recently won a competition to design a Latino campus for Northeastern Illinois University—he wants the students he encounters through the charter schools and Arquitectos to know success is possible in this country for them too. “That a Latino can grow to become a leader in this community is, I think, a message these kids need to hear,” he says, pointing out that his family and economic background mirrors that of most of the youth he meets in the schools.

In several obvious ways, Moreno threw out traditional school design for UNO Soccer Academy.

He decided against a double-loaded corridor, the iconic, locker-lined tunnel between the building’s exterior-facing classrooms. Instead, the school’s hallways ring the outer perimeter while the classrooms are clustered in the center. Due to the expansive use of glass on the exterior, students can easily be observed walking to and from class.

This transparency defied another traditional theme of school design, which with sturdy brick faces, small windows, and hidden hallways, comgbdmagazine.com

“I don’t want to caricature the community. I want to capture the aspirations of the people that come here seeking an opportunity to get ahead.”

Juan Rangel, CEO, United Neighborhood Organization

july–september 2012

129

FEATURES UNO Soccer Academy

LEFT Classrooms clustered in the center of the charter school allow for daylit corridors, while a second glass wall, manufactured

by Oldcastle, allows that daylighting to reach the classrooms. Also visible is JGMA’s “heavy graphic,” labeling this room “Japan.”

municate impenetrability. “What happens is you end up with these fortresses,” Moreno says. “But for me, it’s kids that activate the building. I want to see kids. I think that’s what gives the building life more than architecture ever could.”

3

The UNO Soccer Academy was built in a ten months. Ghafari Associates, the design-build firm that acted as design and construction manager, had between the groundbreaking in late November 2010 and the first day of class in September 2011 to complete the project. The budget imposed its own constraints—$23.6 million to construct a world-class building to dazzle the client, act as a beacon of inspiration for the neighborhoods of Chicago, and challenge nationwide conventions about what an educational facility can look like.

Limitations breed efficiency, and Ghafari Associates—a 30-year-old firm based in Michigan with offices in Chicago, Indianapolis, India, and the Middle East—entrusted its subcontractors with owning their portion of the work and focusing its efforts on coordinating all the moving parts. “We had the confidence we’d get it done,” says August Mitchell, vice president of construction and project manager.

Before construction could begin, the land itself had to be dealt with. Gage Park is located just a few miles southwest of the former Union

130

july–september 2012

Stockyards, and the soil on this parcel at West 51st Street and South Homan Avenue had suffered. It previously had been used as a truck staging area and metal factory and required extensive environmental remediation before construction could begin. The work of removing contaminated soil from the brownfield site took roughly six weeks, but it bettered the project’s chances for LEED Gold certification. “Sustainable Sites is one of the major areas for which we got the most credits in the LEED certification,” says project architect Ayse Bautz, who assembled all the LEED documentation. Other points obtained in Sustainable Sites include the reuse of concrete onsite, easy access to public transportation via the nearby Chicago Transit Authority train station, bicycle storage, and a 25-percent reduction in site runoff.

A green roof, designed by Glenview, Illinoisbased Green Roof Solutions, utilizes natural, recycled, or biodegradable materials on the mat and fiber levels and native vegetation on top. In addition to its typical storm-water and heat-island benefits, the roof is an educational tool, providing an up-close example of both native plants and sustainable building practices. The ground landscape, designed by Terry Guen Design Associates, similarly incorporates vegetation native or adaptive to the surrounding neighborhood and doesn’t require a permanent irrigation system.

Each classroom has one wall entirely of Oldcastle 74% glass, which faces the corridor and, beyond that, the exterior. Depending on which of the three floors one observes from, this

ABOVE The school, which serves 575 students—the majority of whom share an Hispanic heritage— incorporates soccer drills into fitness education.

gb&d

UNO Soccer Academy FEATURES

1 GROUND FLOOR 9 10

11

10 8

9

8

3 7

12

7

13

transparent wall provides a view of the immediate landscape, surrounding neighborhood, or downtown Chicago. As the students advance from a first-floor kindergarten class to eighth grade on the third floor, their view of the world around them similarly grows and broadens. In addition to earning a LEED credit for views, these windows let in substantial daylight. Both the lighting and HVAC systems provide flexibility with photocells, occupancy sensors, and manual controls.

The exterior wall system, with its stainless steel shingles that glow white on a cloudy day or reflect fiery sunsets in the evening, is a curtain wall with a rainscreen. The contractor, Reflection Windows, used 85% post-consumer steel manufactured by TISCO and ArcelorMittal. The stainless steel is accented by green-tinted insulating glass, also by Oldcastle, to create a dynamic, angled pattern.

4

There is a tiny, box-shaped Mexican food restaurant across 51st Street in Gage Park that faces the school. Just a year ago the proprietors and customers had nothing to look at through its windows but an abandoned industrial lot, a gloomy reminder of a flat-lining economy and stagnant neighborhood. But views from the diner’s windows now rival that of many in Chicago, and not only because of the stunning design of UNO Soccer Academy. The school and the kids it serves—the same kids who now stop in after class to eat a taco and whose excited chatter fills the formerly quiet restaurant—are day-to-day reminders of hope, of what kind of future education represents and, most of all, that things are starting to look up in Gage Park. gb&d

gbdmagazine.com

1 6

1 Entry 2 Lobby/Reception 3 Office 4 Conference 5 Special Education 6 Classroom 7 Restroom 8 Mechanical/Support 9 Loading 10 Soccer Field/Play Yard 11 Waste/Recycling 12 Café 13 Café Terrace

3

4

6

3

6

3

1 2

5

6

3

6

6

2 FIRST FLOOR 8 7 6 5

9 5 3 2 1 Resource Center 2 Special Education 3 Classroom 4 Office 5 Restroom 6 Nurse Station 7 Teachers’ Resource 8 Administrative Suite 9 Kitchen

1

3 3

4

4

3 3

4 3

3 SECOND FLOOR

6 2

1

6

2

5 5

1

6 5 3

5 4

6 6

4

4

6 6

4 6

1 Multipurpose Room 2 Kitchen 3 Exercise Room 4 Office 5 Restroom 6 Classroom

july–september 2012

131

FEATURES

Stadium design is changing. Just the only LEED Platinum stadium in the green systems that are changing the Story by Chris Allsop Photography by Daryl Shields

132

july–september 2012

gb&d

FEATURES

ask HKS. The architects behind country take us inside to explain the sports-design playbook.

SEA OF GREEN. Any University of North Texas fan could tell you: as exciting as the football games are, Apogee Stadium is equally riveting. The world-famous field makes use of wind power, retention ponds, recycled-rubber turf, and about every other green play in the book. It’s LEED Platinum and might as well be known as “The King of Stadiums.”

gbdmagazine.com

july–september 2012

133

FEATURES Apogee Stadium

It may no longer be called “Mean Green Stadium,” but the University of North Texas’s Apogee Stadium retains the distinguished honor of being the only LEED Platinum structure of its kind in the country.

B

ehind the project is Dallas-based HKS, a top-five international firm dedicated solely to architectural design and a company that has a history of designing stadiums of all types.

Bryan Trubey, design principal for Apogee Stadium, has masterminded facilities the world over; his CV includes the Dallas Cowboys Stadium, the Liverpool FC Stadium, and venues for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. Working with him on the Apogee project was HKS chief sustainability officer Kirk Teske and sustainability director Chris Mundell.

“We differentiate our firm by focusing on the long-term sustainability of the structure,” Trubey says. “Can that building remain sustainable from a revenue and experience standpoint over a period of 30, 40, 50 years? That’s where we spend our time—looking at future use scenarios for properties, and from a sustainability standpoint, it’s a much more holistic view.”

This sensibility was a perfect match for HKS’s environmentally conscious client, the University of North Texas (UNT), which is working toward a climate action plan with a carbon-neutrality goal by 2040.

“A primary driver for this design was to meet their environmental and climate action plan goals,” Teske says of the university. “While they had completed LEED certification on some of their prior facilities, this was their first Platinum-level project.”

Perhaps the most visible green element at Apogee Stadium is its three Northern Power 100 wind turbines, installed by Cascade Renewable Energy. This particular model was chosen for its durability, low maintenance—it’s designed for power production in the Arctic—and for the fact that it’s domestically manufactured (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding stipulates a domestic product). “They’re prominent,” Mundell says of the turbines, “but they’re also the right scale for the location and work well with low to medium wind speed—perfect for the site.”

Project

Green

Location Denton, TX Size 340,000 ft2 Completed 2011 Capacity 30,850

Certification LEED Platinum Turf PowerBlade HP by Shaw Sportexe conserves water and reuses repurposed tire rubber Wind Northern Power 100 turbines supply renewable energy Site Stadium built into an existing slope, preserving existing trees Water Retention ponds manage storm water onsite, central chilled water system conserves energy Mechanical Systems include an enthalpy recovery wheel and outside air economizers

Team Architect HKS Sports & Entertainment Group Owner University of North Texas Construction Manager Manhattan Construction Company Structural Engineers Walter P Moore and Associates, Rogers Moore Engineering Mechanical Engineer Smith Seckman Reid Electrical Engineer Aguirre Roden Civil Engineer JasterQuintanilla Interior Designer HKS Commercial Interiors Landscape Architect Caye Cook & Associates Wind Turbine Installation Cascade Renewable Energy Commissioning Henneman Engineering

hese retention ponds allow T all storm water to be managed onsite. Combined with efficient landscaping, maintenance costs are significantly lowered.

134

july–september 2012

gb&d

Apogee Stadium FEATURES

aerial: University of North Texas / Jonny Carroll

SITE MATTERS. Built on a restored park, Apogee Stadium rests lightly on its site while taking advantage of existing retention ponds.

“We differentiate our firm by focusing on the long-term sustainability of the structure, … looking at future-use scenarios for properties. From a sustainability standpoint, it’s a much more holistic view.” Bryan Trubey, Design Principal, HKS

The wind turbines at UNT’s Apogee Stadium were installed by Cascade Renewable Energy, part of family-owned Cascade Engineering, based in Grand Rapids, MI. Cascade Renewable Energy’s turnkey systems helped HKS and the entire project team achieve a true industry first: the first LEED Platinumcertified stadium in the country.

gbdmagazine.com

Though there’s no hiding wind turbines, part of the architects’ strategy was to minimize disruption to the site and any existing trees. To this end, the stadium was built into the slope of the site, minimizing the amount of excavation required. The site was previously a golf course but masterplanned to be restored as a park. This provided HKS with storm-waterretention ponds (100 percent of storm water is managed on site), and after landscaping the site with native vegetation, the new design costs UNT less to maintain than the previous setup.

“The unique thing about stadia is that they don’t operate all the time,” Teske says, “so it’s more difficult to justify high-performance equipment, especially as you’re not using that equipment between events.” UNT, however, opted for the more efficient option of a central chilled water system july–september 2012

135

FEATURES Apgoee Stadium Chris Mundell

Kirk Teske

Bryan Trubey

Q&A What’s most impressive about Apogee Stadium?

Chris Mundell Sustainability Director, HKS “Having an integrated team really made the difference. We started from day one talking about LEED and sustainability alongside the owner’s vision.

The design team was able to pull it all together; the contractor finished it properly.

LEED Silver was the only requirement when we started, and we finished Platinum.”

Kirk Teske Chief Sustainability Officer, HKS “We reduced the carbon emissions of this stadium by 750,000 tonnes a year, through increased building energy efficiency and the addition of both offsite and onsite renewable energies.

That’s a 68-percent reduction.”

Bryan Trubey Design Principal, HKS “[In] the club-level environment there, or the private suites, you’re going to find the same fit and finish that you will [at the] Cowboys Stadium.

Some firms have a different design group for minor-league projects, college, etc., [but] we have the same designers working across all our sports facility projects. It’s a different approach: We’re not a volume practice. We just like to make the highest-quality products.”

he way to LEED Platinum is paved with T permeable pavers. This highly durable, green choice for the Apogee parking lot significantly reduces storm-water runoff.

136

july–september 2012

gb&d

teske portrait: Blake Marvin; Photos: Daryl Shields

Apogee Stadium FEATURES

(choosing the Smardt Model WA-240 chillers for the system), as opposed to rooftop units.

UNT didn’t stop with water; it installed a full enthalpy recovery wheel on the exhaust and return air streams, with 100-percent outside air economizers by Trane to cool the suites and club spaces (the air handling unit is the TSCX008 and the remote terminal unit is the CS1A030 and CSIA080).

Smith Seckman Reid served as the mechanical engineer for the Apogee project, and project manager David Ballard says, “These Trane units were selected because of their ability to deliver high-performance, two-inch double-wall, foam-injected construction, which have ultra-low leakage rates and provide a true thermal break to prevent heat loss through the casing.

In addition, each unit is provided with multiple variable-speed direct-drive plenum fans with premium efficiency motors to exactly match building load and minimize fan energy use.”

“The payback is longer but still within a 20-year period,” Teske adds. “A lot of our clients will make decisions on a tenyear-or-less time frame. UNT took the longer view to shape some of their decisions.”

Fortunately, the project itself didn’t take a proportionate time to complete, starting in February 2002 and being complete by September 2011—or, more pertinently, as Teske observes: “Just in time for football season.” gb&d

CRE-FINAL.pdf 1 1/13/2012 3:54:28 PM

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

LEED Scorecard Certified Platinum

CMY

K

Site Water Energy Materials Air Quality Innovation TOTAL

53

C

S

gbdmagazine.com

G

P

july–september 2012

137

Discussion Board

How do we use society’s love of sports to raise ecological awareness?

“There could be ‘energy teams’ in different neighborhoods that compete month to month. Basically, there are ways to motivate people to change their behaviors and, ultimately, the building industry itself.”

Sandra Leibowitz, Sustainable Design Consulting, p. 60

“By integrating more interactive and competitive outdoor experiences into our neighborhoods and cities, we can help raise a generation that is aware and can make a difference.”

“It has everything to do with designing our cities with spaces that will inspire sport, but the ultimate success lies in how well these spaces bring community, family, and children together.”

Juan Moreno, JGMA, p. 126

Kris Lengieza, The Weitz Company, p. 26

“Competition is a great way to engage people, but we need to celebrate and idolize more than just faster, bigger, and stronger. We are long overdue to embrace efficiency. Sports hold tremendous potential to influence society by demonstrating a better way to play.”

“Americans spend $20 billion on fitness equipment and health clubs each year, but less than .05 percent of all buildings could be considered green or healthy.

Imagine what professional and amateur athletes alike could accomplish if we treated our built environments more like our bodies.”

Jason Westrope, Development Management Associates, p. 151

Scott Jenkins, Seattle Mariners, p. 75

138

july–september 2012

gb&d

GREEN BUILDING & DESIGN

Up Front Approach Trendsetters Green Typologies Inner Workings Features Spaces Tough Builds Punch List Play

140 144 145 147 150 151

DePaul Art Museum Grand Canyon University Arena FAU Dining & Banquet Hall NASCAR Hall of Fame Nicola Formichetti Pop-Up Store Rivers Casino

Heal

156

162 164

165

Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago South Beach Dental Offices La Source Massage Therapy Pavilion Humane Society Silicon Valley

Learn

168

172 174 176 178 181

Anacostia and Tenley-Friendship Libraries Academic West Jorgensen Lab Inspiration Kitchens Euler Science Complex Rawls College of Business

Live

183 185 186 188 190 193

Bricault Residence Newcomer Residence Crescent Park 845 N. Michigan Fields & Schoenfeldt Halls Sustainable Fellwood Phase III

Work

195 198

200 202

gbdmagazine.com

LivePerson New York World Resources Company Building Wolf Trap Fire Station Tower at PNC Plaza

july–september 2012

139

SPACES PLAY HEAL LEARN LIVE WORK

Behind this wall are two inches of rigid insulation and twelve inches of concrete block. The building had to protect its art from the vibrations of the nearby El train.

140

july–september 2012

gb&d

SPACES

t he unshakable museum

Art is fragile, as any museumgoer knows, yet not even Chicago’s El can rattle the exhibits at the new DePaul Art Museum. Joe Antunovich takes us inside the fortified building and explains why it will protect art for centuries to come.

Project

By Lindsey Howald Patton

gbdmagazine.com

D

Location Chicago Size 14,000 ft2 Completed 2011 Program Exhibition area, teaching space, events space, storage, and offices

uring peak hours, a train Team passes through the Fullerton Architect Antunovich Associates Owner DePaul University stop on Chicago’s elevated General Contractor Bulley & tracks every one to two minAndrews utes. Outside of rush hour, this tapers slightly—to about Green three minutes—but within 24 certification LEED Silver hours nearly 700 trains come (expected) through the station, screeching and ratWindows Triple-pane, argon insutling their way through the city. lated, low-E glass Visitors inside DePaul University’s Air Quality Conditions required for new art museum, however, can’t hear or art improve air quality feel even one of these trains thunder past, Systems Variable frequency drives despite being mere feet from the tracks. installed on motors and fans The three-story building, designed

by Antunovich Associates, is steadied by caissons that plunge 60 to 70 feet below ground. Its façade is brick and limestone, and behind that lies two inches of rigid insulation and twelve inches of concrete block. The windows are triple-pane, argon insulated, low-E glass with a U-value of 0.3. In effect, the trains that pass by every minute or so amount to little more than a movie with the sound turned off. Why such structural considerations? Vibrations could easily harm the museum’s sensitive works of art.

When DePaul University moved its art collection into the new space at 935 West Fullerton Avenue, the El tracks weren’t the design’s only influential factor. Fullerton Station borders DePaul Art Museum to its west, but on the east stands a row of Seminary Townhouses, late 19th-century buildings from the student housing days of McCormick Theological Seminary.

The buildings are the face of Lincoln Park, the historic neighborhood DePaul calls home, and are uniformly red brick and three stories with arched doorways and windows. The art museum’s conservative façade and wide, arched front window match them neatly.

Which was the point.

“All of the work we’ve done at DePaul is very respectful of the … environment in which these buildings are located,” says Joe Antunovich, who has worked on master planning and architecture for the university for 29 years, even before he started his own firm in 1990. “The building … fits into the streetscape and the surrounding urban fabric in a way that is very complementary.” july–september 2012

141

All interior materials had to satisfy the stringent requirements necessary for preserving the art, resulting in indoor air quality nearly fit for a medical lab.

“We are building an environment that protects these precious things … so that they are here for our ancestors and for our descendants over the long haul.”

Joe Antunovich, Founder & President, Antunovich Associates 142

july–september 2012

gb&d

DePaul Art Museum SPACES

INDEPENDENT BUILDING COMMISSIONING

The new art museum, targeting LEED Silver certification, doubled DePaul University’s gallery space and added a sizable teaching area.

At Smooth Energy LLC, we strive to provide innovative energy solutions while balancing the best interests of building owners, occupants, and the environment.

We are an independent Commissioning Agency that will work with building owners, designers, and developers to make certain that any building acheives its optimimum performance.

gbdmagazine.com

photos: Sebastian Rut

FORT LEWIS, WA CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTERS 75,000 SF

CHICAGO, IL DEPAUL ART GALLERY 20,00 SF

CERTIFIED BY:

BCA, ACG, USGBC, AEE Antunovich Associates completed a classroom building for DePaul in 2009, the Andrew J. McGowan Science Building, which earned LEED Gold certification. A new School of Music building slated to break ground in 2013 will pursue LEED points as well. Although still pending at the time of writing, the DePaul Art Museum is on track to receive LEED Silver certification.

The stringent requirements of a museum’s indoor environment make the building type “difficult to plan and design with standard practices,” says Tak Louie, Antunovich Associates’ project manager. “So to introduce green practices makes it more challenging.”

Even so, the building nearly maxed out the Indoor Environmental Quality section of its LEED Scorecard.

“Because of the need to have sophistication for the care of the artwork, the residual effect is that the individuals working there are working in lab-type conditions,” Antunovich says, laughing. “Certainly the envy of many people at the university.” Full points, for example, were achieved in Controllability of Systems, in part through the use of variable frequency drives installed on motors and fans. “The volume and variation of air movement is very responsive to any changes in capacity or any sudden changes in environmental temperatures,” Antunovich says, a bonus in Chicago’s mercurial climate.

In addition to buffering noise and vibrations from the trains, the triple-glazed windows also help save energy costs.

The low-E glass assemblies were produced by Oldcastle Glass.

The LSI lights, which balance both art-illumination and energyconservation goals, are ceramic metal halide bulbs with a life expectancy of 10,000 hours installed on 300-watt tracks.

All efforts were most of all focused on making a building that would endure. “We are building an environment that protects these precious things—the art—so that they are here for our ancestors and for our descendants over the long haul,” Antunovich says.

This, he explains with a trademark phrase of his, is “a different definition of green.” gb&d

CHICAGO, IL ACADEMIC CLASSOOM BUILDING 90,000 SF

CHICAGO, IL KROC COMMUNITY CENTER 120,000 SF

1755 PARK STREET, SUITE 200 - NAPERVILLE, IL - 60563 P: 630-324-7167 F: 630-739-9284 WWW.SMOOTHENERGY.NET

i n n o v a t i o n

v i a

d e s i g n

Inovia is proud to have worked alongside Gallo Herbert Lebolo architects on the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Facility.

CIVIL ENGINEERING LAND USE PLANNING ENVIRONMENTAL PERMITTING 1983 Centre Pointe Blvd., Suite103 Tallahassee, Florida 32308 www.inoviagroup.com 850.298.4213

july–september 2012

143

SPACES PLAY HEAL LEARN LIVE WORK

SPOTLIGHT

Grand Canyon University Arena

photos: Mark Boisclair

A Division I school deserves a Division I venue, and so for its arena, Grand Canyon University tapped the same architectural design team that had delivered its visually stunning student recreation center: Architekton and 360 Architecture. The arena had to be even more versatile, transitioning from performance space to basketball venue to conference center. Its green elements include smart solar orientation, a pre-cast seating bowl by CoreSlab, a reflective roof to diffuse desert heat, and PPG SolarBan 60 insulated glass. Perini Building Company improved the project’s already sustainable design by using BIM and clash detection to coordinate plans prior to construction, limiting surpluses in both materials and manpower. The project, completed in 2011 and exceeding ASHRAE standards by 21 percent, is an example of a game-changing sports facility.

(Go inside GCU’s rec center on p. 104.) —Kelli McElhinny

A Message from Perini Building Company Perini Building Company is one of the largest, most diverse general contractors in the country. Areas of expertise include sports and entertainment facilities, hospitality and gaming projects, and green building. As a wholly owned subsidiary of Tutor Perini Corporation (NYSE: TPC), Perini has the financial stability and capacity to build large projects throughout the country. For more information, call 702-7929209 or visit tutorperini.com.

144

july–september 2012

gb&d

Design du Jour Sustainable design is catching on in Florida, especially among its schools. Gallo Herbert Lebolo Architects scores LEED Platinum with a glamorous banquet hall for Florida Atlantic University.

By Jeff Hampton

T

he Florida Atlantic University College of Engineering Dining and Banquet Hall Facility in Boca Raton is, quite simply, delicious. It’s gorgeous, and it’s green. In fact, it’s the first LEED-CI Platinum-certified facility in Florida as well as in the State University System. “It was also the first food-service venue in the state to achieve a LEED Platinum certification, which was quite a daunting task due to the high energy and water use required by a food-service venue,” says Diana Herbert, an interior designer with Gallo Herbert Lebolo Architects (GHL).

GHL is leading the green movement in Florida, not just with this project, but with LEED-certified projects ranging from government facilities to state parks.

“Green design and practices are still relatively new, but they are catching on, especially with institutional and highereducation clients,” says Brian Herbert, who joined the firm in 1995 with firm founder William Gallo (the two were joined in 2000 by Emilio Lebolo). Adds Brian, “University students are very proactive and are demanding that these facilities be environmentally friendly and sustainable.”

Located within the four-story College of Engineering building—itself certified LEED-NC Platinum—the dining and bangbdmagazine.com

GHL partnered with D.E.I. Food Service Equipment & Design to earn LEED Platinum for this Florida Atlantic dining hall.

july–september 2012

145

SPACES PLAY HEAL LEARN LIVE WORK

The bar area within the banquet hall features Caesarstone countertops, materials with recycled content, and low-VOC paints and finishes. The project finished LEED Platinum.

“[This is] the first food-service venue in the state to achieve a LEED Platinum certification, which was quite a daunting task.”

Diana Herbert, Interior Designer, Gallo Herbert Lebolo Architects quet hall encompasses 8,800 square feet with two restaurants and a dining area on the first floor and a banquet hall and kitchen on the second.

“GHL worked closely with D.E.I. Food Service Equipment & Design to maximize the efficiency of the food-service operations,” Brian says. More than 92 percent of the food service equipment was Energy Star rated, including AltoShaam food-holding cabinets, Carter Hoffman heated banquet carts, and Dean deep fryers.

A 78-percent reduction in potable water use from the calculated baseline requirements was achieved with a Hobart AM15 dishwasher and the outfitting of all faucets with water-efficient aerators

by T&S Brass.

Energy is conserved in the dining and gathering areas by maximizing natural light. “Most of the time artificial lighting is not needed at all,” Brian says.

Lighting power density was reduced by more than 40 percent below the ANSI/ ASHRAE 90.1 standard through the use of energy-efficient, dimmable LED and fluorescent fixtures. Daylight responsive controls by Quantum Lighting were installed near windows to minimize artificial lighting when natural lighting is plentiful. And control panels by Lutron in key locations allow manual system control.

146

july–september 2012

The design team also focused heavily on the Materials and Resources and Indoor Environmental Quality categories of the LEED process. “We needed to acquire every possible point we could,” Brian says.

Products with high recycled content accounted for 12 percent of total building materials. That included metallic laminates by Chemetals with 85 percent recycled content, Armstrong Clean Room Mylar Ceilings with up to 70 percent recycled content, and Armstrong Serpentina Ceilings with 25 percent recycled content. Other recycled materials included Caesarstone countertops, porcelain tiles by Crossville, carpet by Bigelow, and Marmolium tile by Forbo.

Products with low toxin emissions included interior paints and coatings from Sherwin Williams’ Armorseal and ProGreen lines and adhesives and topping materials from ARDEX and Henry.

The project earned one point under Regional Materials by acquiring 33 percent of total building products from within a 500-mile radius, including concrete from Rinker Concrete Products and custom wood and millwork from Cayman National Manufacturing and Installation.

Following close behind the Florida Atlantic project, construction is near completion on a 24,000-square-foot process-

Project Location Boca Raton, FL Size 8,800 ft2 Completed 2011 Program Two restaurants, kitchen, and dining and banquet halls

Team Architect Gallo Herbert Lebolo Architects Client Florida Atlantic University Food-Service Consultant D.E.I. Food Service Equipment & Design

Green certification LEED Platinum Energy 92% of installed equipment is Energy Star-rated, daylight controls and dimmable LEDs reduce energy to 40% below baseline Water Potable water use reduced by 78%

ing center for Immigration & Customs Enforcement in Tallahassee, for which GHL partnered with Inovia Consulting Group. The facility is seeking LEED Silver certification with a focus on indoor air quality, high-efficiency light and mechanical systems, and preservation of the wooded location. Gallo Herbert Lebolo, in conjunction with Nova Southeastern University and the State of Florida, has also completed the state’s first net-zero park, with a solar photovoltaic system that produces at least as much energy as the park uses. In 2008 the firm completed the state’s largest solar-heated swimming pool. gb&d a message from INOVIA Inovia has provided civil engineering services to the southeast for over 12 years and is proud to continually implement green building techniques. After engineering our region’s first conservation community, we were pleased to lend our expertise to the ICE Facility and gain knowledge from Gallo Herbert Lebolo, LLC.

gb&d

The Speed of L igh t

photo: Paul Warchol

One Lux Studio harnesses the power of Philips Color Kinetics to recreate the spectacle of auto racing

gbdmagazine.com

By Jeff Hampton

july–september 2012

147

SPACES PLAY HEAL LEARN LIVE WORK

Project

Team

Location Charlotte, NC Size 150,000 ft2 Completed 2010 Program Exhibit space, entry plaza, lobby, theaters Awards 2011 Award of Merit, Illuminating Engineering Society

Lighting Designer One Lux Studio Owner City of Charlotte Color Change System Philips Color Kinetics Light Fixtures 3G, Mark Lighting, Starfire, Kurt Versen Architect Pei Cobb Freed & Partners

Green Exhibit Design Ralph Appelbaum Associates Structural Engineer Leslie E. Robertson Associates MEP Engineer Jaros Baum & Bolles

certification LEED Silver Lamps Ceramic metal halide sources and compact fluorescents conserve energy Daylighting Viracon glass with UV coating allows daylight without negatively affecting the historical racecars

A

single lux—a basic building block of lighting—is an apt identifier for a business that works with light the way an author works with words. One Lux Studio has used lights to tell the stories of Class A office buildings, luxury hotels, and upscale restaurants.

But at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, North Carolina, One Lux Studio has employed light to express the color, excitement, motion, and spectacle of racing. Jack Bailey, a partner at the New York-based studio, explains how his firm approached the project.

What was your design objective?

Bailey: With most of our projects the goal is to reinforce and complement the architect’s vision. In this case, there’s a story behind the architecture. The Ribbon, a stainless-steel mobius strip that wraps around the building, is representative of a racetrack. The lights on The Ribbon start moving slowly in formation like the cars on a racetrack under a yellow flag and then pick up speed and become more random as they whip around “the track” counter-clockwise. The ramp inside the Great Hall starts out very flat and gets steeper as it wraps up to the

148

july–september 2012

second floor exhibit space, replicating the slope of the turns at different race tracks.

What was the greatest lighting challenge?

Bailey: Understanding the geometry of the building and finding mounting positions for lighting. For example, ceiling heights in the Great Hall vary from 60 feet to 15 feet, and many of the architectural elements are curved or twisting.

Finding accessible locations that worked for the lighting was very difficult. We chose dimmed halogens for all recessed lighting to provide flexibility for evening events.

What was the biggest construction challenge?

Bailey: The Ribbon lighting. We did fullscale mock-ups of a section of the pocket that holds the lights, but the reality is that this looks much different in our conference room than on the side of a building 80 feet above the street. It took several on-site mockups to get the lighting and materials just right.

Did you use special light fixtures or equipment?

Bailey: The color-changing light system on The Ribbon was provided by [Philips] Color Kinetics. This required a lot of planning and programming time, and Color Kinetics was very supportive. At this size, the installation becomes a datamanagement challenge because there are so many different control channels.

We needed a distributed IT network throughout the building just for this system. 3G, Mark Lighting, Starfire, and Kurt Versen also provided customized light fixtures for the project.

Were there concerns about protecting the older cars from light damage?

Bailey: Yes, the older racecars did not have UV-stabilized paint because they weren’t expected to last more than a few races. While the halogen lights in the Great Hall create little UV exposure, daylighting through the north-facing glass wall of the building was a major concern. However, a Viracon glass with special UV coating was selected, and this glass was well shaded by The Ribbon. gb&d

photo: Paul Warchol

How did you become a part of this project? Are you a NASCAR fan?

Jack Bailey: We’ve done a lot of work with Pei Cobb Freed & Partners over the years, and they contacted us after they won the project in a design competition. Like most of the project team, I didn’t know much about NASCAR. But the folks at the Hall of Fame took us to a race, and I found that NASCAR is a lot more interesting than I thought. There are the personalities involved and the competition between the drivers but also the technology of the cars and the visceral sense of danger. There’s a real excitement there, and that got me excited about the project.

Company/Project SPACES

Philips Color Kinetics congratulates One Lux Studio for their unsurpassed commitment to sustainable lighting design.

One Lux Studio combines the best standard and LEDbased technologies to develop award-winning lighting designs that create the appropriate mood, respect and enhance the architecture, and optimize energy efficiency.

Philips Color Kinetics is proud to be the suppliers of industry-best LED lighting solutions for many of One Lux Studio’s iconic and innovative lighting designs around the world.

www.philipscolorkinetics.com

Congratulations to our friends at Life Time Fitness

Our extensive analysis showed that cars sitting inside the Great Hall receive as much UV exposure in one year as cars sitting outside receive in two days, and this satisfied the preservation concerns.

What role did energy efficiency and conservation play in the lighting design for this facility?

Bailey: Ten years ago, a museum like this would have been lighted entirely with halogen lamps. But the color rendition of ceramic metal halide sources has gotten so good that we were able to use these for much of the lighting in highceiling spaces. Dimmed fluorescent and compact fluorescent were used in many of the low-ceiling spaces. Overall, a lot of energy was saved. gb&d

a message from PHILIPS COLOR KINETICS One Lux Studio uses the best LED-based technologies to develop award-winning lighting designs that create the appropriate mood, respect and enhance the architecture, and optimize energy efficiency. Philips Color Kinetics is proud to be the suppliers of LED lighting solutions for One Lux Studio’s innovative lighting designs around the world.

gbdmagazine.com

ABOVE The design of the NASCAR Hall of Fame includes moving energy-efficient LEDs that mimic cars on a racetrack as well as glass that limits UV exposure to the historical racecars.

A full service foodservice design and equipment firm, service focused, professional, thorough, and creative. When Premier takes on your project, you are assured three things: • It will be done right • It will be completed on time and with-in budget • You will be pleased with the result

PREMIER RESTAURANT EQUIPMENT & DESIGN COMPANY We strive to provide energy efficient equipment wherever possible.

7120 Northland Terrace • Minneapolis, MN 55428 Phone: 763-544-8800 • Fax: 763-544-7949 www.premiereq.com

july–september 2012

149

SPACES PLAY HEAL LEARN LIVE WORK

SPOTLIGHT

Nicola Formichetti Pop-Up Store Unsure of what you’re seeing? Understandable. The visual assault is the result of Nicola Formichetti collaborating with Gage/Clemenceau Architects on a temporary installation/environment that fuses concepts from both fashion and architecture. It lasted for two weeks in September 2011 coinciding with New York’s Fashion Week. The “pop-up store” was accessible to the general public and housed Formichetti’s latest work as well as several original costumes designed for Lady Gaga. This experimental space was not designed to sell clothing so much as to showcase it and was created using hundreds of robotically cut, mirrored facets, mounted to lightweight composite structural backing which hung from the walls and ceiling. The effect was a reflective world that magnified the active role fashion can take in any environment. —Thalia A-M Bruehl

150

july–september 2012

gb&d

Bet on the House Gaming industry mainstays such as casinos have been understandably slow to adopt LEED standards. The Rivers Casino in Des Plaines, IL, is changing that.

By Ashley Kjos

I

n the game of word association, “casino” and “sustainable” wouldn’t be a natural match. But that may change now that Development Management Associates has helped create the Rivers Casino in Des Plaines, Illinois.

The project is the first casino in the United States to earn the LEED stamp, and it did fairly well for itself, in the end achieving Gold certification.

The gaming industry is just the beginning for Development Management Associates (DMA). In June 2007, Charles Porter, Michael Levin, and Martha Spatz founded DMA after working together at another prominent development company where they accumulated more than 75 years of combined experience in retail development, mixed-use, high rises, and other special projects. Five years later the company is 12 people strong and active in many aspects of development, working on various project types around the country.

The LEED Gold-certified Rivers Casino is a novelty right now, but as owners catch on to the savings of energy efficiency, we’ll begin to see more green gaming facilities.

gbdmagazine.com

july–september 2012

151

SPACES PLAY HEAL LEARN LIVE WORK The LEED-certified Rivers Casino in Des Plaines, IL, sits on 20 acres that were developed as sustainably as possible: 90% of construction debris was diverted from landfills.

The casino’s parking garage is green as well: DMA used hyper-efficient LEDs throughout, making it the only garage in the country to be lit entirely with LEDs.

One characteristic that defines DMA is its unique expertise in managing the development of casinos and gaming properties. During a recession, the economics of the gaming industry have typically mirrored that of the economic climate on the whole. The work that DMA is involved with, however, is the exception. “It just so happens that the people we know and work with, Rush Street Gaming, have been very active over the recent down turn,” Porter says.

The Rivers Casino in Des Plaines, located on 20 acres at the northwest corner of Des Plaines River Road and Devon Avenue, opened last July. Building a sustainable casino, one that could potentially become LEED certified, was part of the dialogue from the beginning and something that was embraced by the entire team. “We always had the idea of pursuing LEED in the back of our minds. What gave us the push we needed was the support from the ownership and the City of Des Plaines,” says Jason Westrope, a development manager and LEED AP at DMA. The casino is predicting 27 percent energy savings through the use of green technologies.

That amount is magnified due to the nature of a casino. “When you’re operating a casino 22 hours out of the day and 365 days a year, any incremental savings is going to make a big difference to your bottom line,” Westrope says. One of the most notable features of the casino is actually the parking garage. Installing LED lights throughout has made it the largest garage by square feet in the county to be lit completely by LED lighting and has reduced the electrical service to the garage from 1,200 amps to 800 amps.

Another important effort was to divert 90 percent of all construction waste away from landfills, an amount

152

july–september 2012

that totaled 35,330 tons of material.

Features that are more visible to the everyday patron are the skylights that let in natural daylight on the 43,000-squarefoot casino floor and living green walls both inside and outside of the building. Rivers Casino also offers free valet parking service to anyone who pulls up in an electric or hybrid vehicle, electriccar-charging stations, and a free shuttle from the Chicago El, encouraging public transportation.

Greening recreational and gaming facilities hasn’t been adopted as quickly or as readily as other types of structures.

“The adoption of sustainable principles by industry sector has had a lot to do with how challenging the particular curve was,” Westrope says. “The early adopters, commercial office spaces, were building mainly core-and-shell structures where a lot of the energy consumption is tenant driven. Casinos are largely wholly owned and occupied, and they are large energy consumers.” Recreational facilities also are patron-driven as far as amenities and preference; as the consumer changes so will the level of sustainable features.

While work in the gaming industry is a unique niche that DMA continues

to be proud of, it has a wide range as a developer, and its principals have been involved in some of the more notable retail projects in Illinois, including Water Tower Place and 900 North Michigan.

They’ve also managed the installation of thousands of square feet of Chicago’s famous green roofs. Most recently Development Management Associates worked on the Barney’s New York flagship store in Chicago, a five-story luxury retail space including a penthouse restaurant and a 6,000-square-foot green roof. “We try to fold green ideas into every project we take on,” Westrope says.

Proficiency in a variety of project types and the willingness to take on the sustainable challenges of the gaming industry has served DMA well over its first five years. “You can do quality projects at any scale,” Porter says. “And all quality projects are sustainable.” gb&d a message from RIVERS CASINO Rivers Casino is proud to have partnered with Development Management Associates, LLC on the construction and development of Rivers Casino in Des Plaines, Illinois. Their hard work, dedication, and creative input truly helped to make this a successful project.

Their unique touches and “green” influences can be seen throughout the 147,000-square-foot facility. Thank you, and congratulations on a job well done.

gb&d

Rivers Casino SPACES

Project Location Des Plaines, IL Size 147,000 ft2 Completed 2011 Program Casino floor, food and beverage areas, entertainment venue, and parking garage

Team

“When you’re operating a casino 22 hours out of the day and 365 days a year, any incremental savings is going to make a big difference to your bottom line.”

Jason Westrope, Development Management Associates

DEVELOPER Development Management Associates Owner Midwest Gaming & Entertainment Architect Klai Juba Architects Interior Designer Cleo Design Food-and-Beverage Designer DMAC Architecture

Green certification LEED Gold Recycling 35,330 tons of debris were diverted from the landfill Parking Garage Use of LEDs reduced necessary amps from 1,200 to 800 Interior Skylights bring in daylight, while living walls are featured inside and out

FACEBOOK.COM/WINATRIVERS | PLAYRIVERS.COM

Rivers Casino thanks DMA for making us the 1st LEED Gold Certified Casino in the world. Green is our favorite color!

3000 S. River Road | Des Plaines, IL 60018 888.307.0777 MUST BE 21. IF YOU OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW HAS A GAMBLING PROBLEM, CRISIS COUNSELING AND REFERRAL SERVICES CAN BE ACCESSED BY CALLING 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537). 0940.011.2012

gbdmagazine.com

JOB #: RIVC-4567

july–september 2012

153

What is the #1 PROBLEM hospital administrators have to deal with?

• Reimbursement pressure from insurance companies • Reimbursement pressure from Medicare • Patient safety and accidental infections • Constant need for newer/better “tools” • Staying “relevant” to customers • Environmental pressures • Utility operating issues • Aging infrastructure • Personnel expense • Medical waste

Different ways to say the same thing-COSTS

Lighthouse Utility Solutions, Inc. is here to help.

WE don't have the answers to ALL the problems, but we can help you with quite a few of them.

Our SOLUTIONS division uses 6-Sigma methodology to find ways to cut your utility operating expenses by 50% to 75%, with similar environmental impact reductions- ALL with paybacks well under two years.

Our 3RD division provides you with guaranteed utility plant operating cost savings of up to 20% with NO out of pocket expense AND you get credit for any environmental impact reductions WE generate with our system upgrades.

Our Epiphany division offers a wide variety of totally new versions of utility equipment that cut energy usage 40% or more and environmental impact by up to 95%- ALL with paybacks of two years or less.

AND our Leasing Option lets you do everything you “need” and be in positive cash flow from Day One- with NO capital expense to get in the way of the other important stuff.

ThermaCool refrigeration module uses Max-E-Co's heat to reduce electrical usagecutting CO2 and smog-producing NOx even further- to provide low temperatur chilled water to the CooLater module AND makes additonal hot water especially for laundry operations Max-E-Co CoGeneration module will provide total site power, heating water and HOSPITAL LAYOUT hot water at reduced fuel (Concept only- not to scale) input AND also provides cooling tower make-up Low temperature chilled water WHILE cutting water from ThermaCool CO2 by 80% and unit cuts required pumping smog-producing NOx Max-E-Co energy by 60% and CoGeneration Module, 300 kW Electric Output by 95% (can also can lower air handler fan energy by 40% operate with renewable fuels) COOLING for more costs, CO2 and NOx savings

OptECool cooling tower module cuts water usage by 70% and cuts total electric usage by 80%

TOWERS

PRIMARY UTILITY MODULE AREA

DATA CENTER

ELECTRICAL SUBSTATION

Laundry Hot Water Storage Tank for ThermaCool unit

CooLater ice-based thermal storage module balances cooling loads, reducing chiller loading and allows for reduced pump and air handler motor energy usage

UltrAire process HVAC cuts Data Center space conditioning costs by 50%

EnviroAire air handler replacement cuts space air conditioning loads and energy use by 60% AND provides 100% sterile air to the entire hospital to cut accidental infection risk. Retrofit installation is relatively easy because it needs no drain- just find suitable space near the current air handler.

Ways that Lighthouse Utility Solutions, Inc. products can improve hospital operations

7265 Kenwood Road, Suite 368 • Cincinnati, OH 45236 • (513) 417-8776

SPACES PLAY HEAL LEARN LIVE WORK

Chi c ago ’ s H ealing H igh - R i s e At 23 floors, the Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago is the tallest children’s hospital in the world, but to the kids, the building’s true claim to fame is its collection of 23 installations donated by cultural icons

By Julie Schaeffer Photography by Nick Merrick

RIGHT The Lurie Children’s Hospital’s high-profile project team created not only the tallest children’s hospital in the world but also one of the greenest: it expects to be certified LEED Silver thanks to its chosen site, its green roof, and its emphasis on indoor air quality.

156

july–september 2012

gb&d

SPACES

It’s no simple task putting more than a million square feet of green healthcare space on a 1.8-acre site.

But that’s exactly what Bruce Komiske did in Chicago.

W

hen Children’s Memorial Hospital outgrew the location it had called home for 130 years, it considered many options, from expanding to building anew. The first wouldn’t work because the hospital was landlocked in bustling Lincoln Park. So hospital planners began looking for new sites.

“We considered 15 different locations, and at the last minute, a small but strategic site next to Prentice Women’s Hospital in downtown Chicago became available,” says Bruce Komiske, chief of new hospital design and construction.

The site included a challenging equation, however. It was only 1.8 acres, and the hospital needed to put 1,250,000 square feet of space on it. That meant the new building would have to be 23 stories high, making it the tallest children’s hospital in the world.

What is now named the Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago will also be one of the world’s greenest children’s hospitals. “It’s a responsibility of any new building that services the public—particularly in a city like Chicago, which prides itself on sustainability—to aspire to achieve LEED certification,” he says.

Komiske should know, as he’s a hospital builder by profession. Brought on board by Children’s Hospital of Chicago specifically to lead the new hospital team, this is his fifth children’s hospital and eighth hospital in total. “A hospital is an institution that serves the public and as such has a responsibility to the community to show it’s being a good citizen,” he says.

The hospital—along with hospitalprogramming firm Kurt Salmon and architects Zimmer Gunsul Frasca,

gbdmagazine.com

july–september 2012

157

SPACES PLAY HEAL LEARN LIVE WORK

“A hospital is an institution that serves the public and as such has a responsibility to the community to show it’s being a good citizen.”

Bruce Komiske, Chief of New Hospital Design and Construction

The 30-foot fiberglass whale that floats above the hospital lobby was donated by Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium, one of 23 such installations featured throughout the new building.

158

july–september 2012

gb&d

Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago SPACES

Project

Team

Green

Location Chicago Size 1.25 million ft2 Completed 2012 Program 288 beds, 22 operating rooms (4 hybrid), imaging facilities, offices, and clinical laboratory

Owner Children’s Memorial Hospital Architects Anderson Mikos Architects, Solomon Cordwell Buenz, Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Hospital Planners Kurt Salmon Associates, Balfour Resource Group Project Manager The Rise Group Construction Managers Mortenson Construction, Power Construction MEP Engineer AEI

Certification LEED Silver (expected) Roof Features a 13,000 ft2 sky garden Materials 100% low-emission adhesives, sealants, paints, coating, and carpets Water Storm-water system treats 90% of runoff, efficient fixtures reduce water use by 20% percent Construction 50% of non-hazardous demolition waste was salvaged and/or recycled

Anderson Mikos Architects, and Solomon Cordwell Buenz—came up with a dynamic design that Komiske says is “all that you’d expect from a new benchmark for children’s hospitals around the world.”

All available space on the roof of the $915 million hospital, for example, is green. “The building’s footprint is only 60,000 square feet per floor,” Komiske says, “but with the exception of space used for equipment and our heliport, the roof is either green—which is a major goal of the City of Chicago—or covered with an enclosed sky garden that is available as a healing environment for patients, family, and staff.”

One of the coolest features of the new hospital is the fact that its design process engaged the entire city. Each of the 23 floors features an installation designed and donated by one of the city’s premier cultural organizations, including the Shedd Aquarium, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Science and Industry, and the Joffrey Ballet. “There are some really unique features,” Komiske says. “A 30-foot fiberglass whale and calf [donated by the Shedd Aquarium] on the first floor. A 2,000-gallon saltwater aquarium with a coral garden [designed by Aquamoon] on the second floor. Pierce Manufacturing donated a fire truck cab just like the one in the historic fire house across the street, and the Airstream Company donated an Airstream trailer—much like the one Ann Lurie sent through Kenya to provide traveling healthcare—that serves as a surgical waiting area.”

Though green building strategies were a high priority, James S. Gimpel, director of facility development at the children’s hospital, says it was hard to select the most important LEED points because each item addresses a specific quality of the environment that directly or indirectly needs attention. “There are points which improve the air quality that our patients and visitors are exposed to

on a daily basis,” he says, “while other points address higher filtration and air flow rates. There are other points which directly affect the amount of energy used in the building and hence are important not only to our bottom line through reduced energy costs, but also to the community through lower emissions and the global community through greenhouse gas reductions.”

The list goes on. All told, the hospital expects to obtain 36 LEED points, which should be enough to reach the target of LEED Silver. “With the anticipation of achieving a LEED Silver designation,” Gimpel says, “we can all be proud that Lurie Children’s is playing its role in being a good environmental steward.” gb&d

gbdmagazine.com

a message from Kurt Salmon Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago’s migration represented a significant opportunity for continued growth, but came with several challenges, including maintaining service levels and quality outcomes; communicating the transition to stakeholders; managing a shift in culture associated with the change; learning new operating models, equipment, technologies, and communication systems; enabling easy access to the facility; and relocating patients, staff, and materials. Kurt Salmon has worked with Lurie Children’s since 2003 to address these challenges, helping define future clinical and research targets to ensure it continues receiving its national top-tier ranking. We determined optimal space and functional requirements based on strategic objectives and opportunities for future growth. As move-in day neared, we created nearly 500 operating service standards to ensure the organization embraced clinical care best practices.

Finally, we developed plans for the smooth transition of over 150 patients, staff, and physicians to the new facility.

This seating area is built from a donated Airstream trailer, a nod to hospital namesake Ann Lurie, who has used such trailers— equipped with medical equipment—in Kenya.

july–september 2012

159

Kurt Salmon is proud to have helped develop the new Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago We are trusted advisors to the nation’s top hospitals and health systems. » Activation and Transition Planning » Facility and Capital Asset Planning » Strategy » Performance Improvement and Operations » Health Information Technology kurtsalmon.com

Photo: Jan Terry

The Pickens-Kane Companies, Chicagoland's leader in medical facilities relocation services, remains proud to partner as a select provider in relocating the Ann and Robert Lurie Children's Hospital to its state-of-the-art, LEED campus. As innovators in the specialized transport of medical/laboratory technologies and patient-care equipment, Pickens-Kane is committed to professional, personalized service and quality transitions.

312-942-0330 www.pickenskane.com

CRUSH™ PANEL ©MODULAR ARTS, INC.

BURLE™ PANEL ©MODULAR ARTS, INC.

modulararts.com 206.788.4210

made in the USA US & FOREIGN PATENTS & PENDING PATENTS

BIG DOT™ PANEL ©MODULAR ARTS, INC.

gbdmagazine.com

july–september 2012

161

SPACES PLAY HEAL LEARN LIVE WORK

White on White on White

Mark Brand’s modern design for a San Francisco-area dentist evokes the color of the cleanest teeth with hyper-sustainable modular paneling

W

hen dentist Markus Watson came to an open house for Warm Modern, a residential project by architect Mark Brand in San Francisco’s Noe Valley, he had a lightbulb moment. The dentist loved Brand’s design style—mixing principles of Mid-Century Modernism with warm, natural materials—and asked Brand to design his new dental office in South Beach. Though Brand’s portfolio is an eclectic array of work that ranges in style from Victorian to Modern, he is a passionate Modernist and was intrigued by Watson’s proposal. The South Beach Dental project, constructed by Westridge Builders, was completed in early 2011.

Here, the founder of Mark Brand Architecture takes us through the most important aspects of his final design.

162

july–september 2012

Whiteout Conditions Brand’s first concept for the new South Beach Dental office was “white on white on white,” referencing a patient’s desire for white teeth and honoring the Modernist mantra, “form follows function.”

Brand discovered exactly what he wanted one day while sitting in a restaurant in San Francisco’s Castro neighborhood.

One wall had a “crazy” white textured surface; Brand liked it but thought it was a custom design that would be out of reach in terms of cost. gb&d

photos: Jeong Myeong Kim

By Scott Heskes

SPACES

LEFT The eye-catching paneling in the South Beach Dental lobby was chosen for its postconsumer recycled content as well as the evocation of the frothy white bubbles used to clean patients’ teeth.

PROJECT Location San Francisco Size 3,050 ft2 Completed 2011 Program Lobby, waiting room, examination areas, bathrooms

TEAM Architect Mark Brand Architecture Client Markus Watson General Contractor Westridge Builders

GREEN “I asked one of my staff [members] to find out what it was,” Brand recalls, “He said, ‘Oh, that’s easy—it’s called Modular Arts.’” It turned out the interlocking panels were available from the Seattlebased manufacturer for a lesser cost than anticipated. Brand chose a style defined by sculpted circles. “My pop sensibility attracted me to this ‘big dot’ pattern, which reminded me of effervescent bubbles cleaning peoples teeth,” he says.

Eco-Walls The Modular Arts panel Brand used is part of its InterlockingRock collection, a series of architectural products that, once linked, become a seamless, sculptural wall. The panels contain 20 percent post-consumer recycled material, come in 100 percent recyclable shipping materials, and qualify for LEED’s Materials & Resources credits 2.1, 2.2, 4.1, and 4.2.

The Modular Arts panels were well suited to the medical nature of the project as well. The panels have a clean record when it comes to healthfulness: they are created through the natural catalysis of gypsum without the use of chemical inhibitors, accelerants, or release agents; no glues or resins are used as binders; and there is nothing in the panels that will burn or off-gas.

Not everything was clad in the white paneling. Brand added warmth to the office with natural walnut and zebra wood laminate, and the counters are ecofriendly Caesarstone.

gbdmagazine.com

Certification Not applicable Tile Mosa tile in the guest bathroom is Cradle to Cradle Certified Silver Wall Panels Modular Arts’ InterlockingRock panels contain 20% recycled content and no hazardous chemicals or adhesives Countertops The Pure White Caesarstone quartz surface is low-maintenance and designed to prevent mold and microbes

The Perfect Tile As Brand’s clients have become more cost conscious in material choice, the architect has had to work harder to find more affordable materials. The same is true for sustainable products. “My clients want sustainable design, but they are generally not willing to spend money for it,” he says. “Our … experience is that things associated with [sustainability] tend to also be expensive.”

For the South Beach Dental offices, the search for a tile that was aesthetically pleasing, affordable, and sustainable led Brand to Mosa, whose tiles are Cradle to Cradle Certified Silver and were used for the walls and floor of the restroom in Watson’s dental offices. The tile maker has worked closely with Cradle to Cradle cofounder Michael Braungart’s Environment Protection Encouragement Agency, improving its tiles and production processes. Select Mosa products qualify for multiple LEED points, including for material reuse, recycled content, low-emitting materials, and construction waste management. gb&d july–september 2012

163

SPACES PLAY HEAL LEARN LIVE WORK

SPOTLIGHT

La Source Massage Therapy Pavilion Designed by Blouin Tardif Architecture, La Source’s Massage Therapy Pavilion offers a relaxing and restorative experience that is only enhanced by the organic setting, which brings together lush greenery and snowy mountains, and features fire pits and Nordic baths complete with waterfalls. Located in the town of Rawdon in Quebec, Canada, La Source’s treatments include massage as well as steam baths, saunas, and hot tubs; the wellness center also includes a bistro complete with panoramic views. Blouin Tardif Architecture focused on using natural, durable materials such as local wood that would further promote La Source’s holistic, eco-friendly approach as well as link the structure to its natural surroundings. —Thalia A-M Bruehl

164

july–september 2012

gb&d

SPACES

The Humane Society Silicon Valley is LEED Gold certified—a unique triumph given the health considerations of such facilities.

George Miers takes questions on his design for the Humane Society Silicon Valley facility, his work with legendary activist Jane Goodall, and the difficult nature of designing for animal care

By Laura Williams-Tracy

PUPPY LOVE

A

modern animal shelter that deals with receiving and holding animals, solving their medical issues, and creating a pleasant experience for potential pet adopters is more akin to a hospital than many might think. Given this reality, Swatt Miers Architects struck a receptive chord in the early 1990s with a groundbreaking shelter in Oakland that employed sustainable practices while creating an environment that encouraged animal lovers to visit. Here, architect George Miers talks to gb&d about why the firm’s Humane Society Silicon Valley project was ripe for LEED certification.

How did your firm develop expertise in designing animal shelters?

George Miers: In the early ’80s I designed animal-care exhibits for the Knowland Park Zoo in Oakland, California, including the chimpanzee exhibit, and collaborated with Jane Goodall,

gbdmagazine.com

july–september 2012

165

Twenty years after changing animal care for the better, Swatt Miers Architects designed the Humane Society Silicon Valley, the first such building to be LEED Gold certified.

“This was the era of The . . . ‘dog pound.’

We were contacted by the Oakland SPCA to change the image of animal shelters.”

George Miers, Architect

PROJECT Location Milpitas, CA Size 48,000 ft2 Completed 2009 Program Animal-care and -adoption programs, exercise areas, one-acre dog park, entry plaza, and an outdoor café Awards Honorable Mention, Santa Clara Valley Site Design and Low Impact Development Awards, 2010

TEAM Architect Swatt Miers Architects Client Humane Society Silicon Valley General Contractor Robert L. Brown Construction Exterior Metal Panels Metal Sales Manufacturing Corporation Metal Panel Installation Kodiak Roofing

GREEN Certification LEED Gold Renewable Energy Onsite solar array generates 30% of building’s lightingenergy needs Mechanical Heat-recovery wheels capture and reuse air during ventilation cycles Exterior Cladding Corrugated metal panels offer high solar reflectivity and help reduce energy needs Water An efficient kennel-cleaning system helps conserve water; overall water use is reduced by 80% Landscape Onsite bioswales are used to treat storm water

166

july–september 2012

which was certainly one of the highlights of my career.

Later in 1988, we designed an animal shelter as part of the Antioch Police Facility. This was the era of The Lady and the Tramp’s ‘dog pound,’ and what expertise there was focused on drains and cleaning and not creating a people-friendly facility focused on adoption and education or on humane habitats for animals. That experience resulted in an efficient and well-laid- out facility in a very public setting.

After its completion, we were contacted by the Oakland SPCA to change the image of animal shelters.

Are animal facilities typically big energy-users?

Miers: The key issue with animal shelters that house at-risk animals … is crosscontamination and disease transfer. You need to be able to constantly wash down the habitats and make sure that airborne viruses do not spread.

You do this by bringing in only outside air—so there is no recirculated air like you find in an office building—and do about 10 air changes per hour. That’s a lot of air to heat and cool. While there are other alternatives such as ultraviolet lights in return air ducts that would reduce energy costs, most clients are reluctant to incorporate systems that are not guaranteed to have 100 percent positive results.

What factors made the Humane Society Silicon Valley project a good candidate for LEED Gold certification?

Miers: The Humane Society Silicon Valley (HSSV) had an exceptionally enlightened executive director and board of directors that were in tune to the idea that

caring about the environment was akin to caring about animals. This perspective, along with the organization being in the heart of Silicon Valley where sustainability and energy efficiency are desired (if not required), made this project a prime candidate to be a green facility.

Animal shelters as a building type are one of the most difficult to meet LEED requirements due to the need for durable materials that hold up to chemical cleaning and the need for such a high level of outside air changes.

Hospitals, which share many of these issues, have their own LEED category which accommodates these special needs. But shelters must meet the same criteria as office buildings. It’s almost an even more noble undertaking when an animal shelter can meet that criterion because it’s got the cards stacked against it. The [HSSV] facility earned 45 LEED points.

Are there particular materials or products you use to create a healthy animal environment?

Miers: One of the key components of LEED is water conservation, while one of the big utility uses of animal shelters is water for cleaning cages. The ability to use an efficient, low-water-use cleaning system is important. Spray Masters Technology out of Arkansas makes the best chemical cleaning power- wash system.

Lake State Industries, a small Minnesota company that we discovered when we were designing the Edmonton Humane Society, makes stainless steel cages. Stainless steel is a good recyclable material, but its real value is in cleaning and sterilization to control disease transfer. gb&d gb&d

Humane Society Silicon Valley SPACES

STEEL Products Manufacturing

LAKE STATE INDUSTRIES INC.

Lake State Industries Inc. has been in business since 1969.

Steven T. Kurpiers is president, founder and general manager.

We have manufactured everything from vet, pet (cages & condo’s), hospital (anything from grab bars to carts) & beauty equipment. Also custom Dishroom equipment for back of the house restaurant kitchens. Dishtables, Hoods, Floor Troughs, Sinks, Serving & Buffet Counters, etc.

Lake State Industries Rice, MN 800.433.5385 | lakestateindustries@yahoo.com

LIGHT FIELDS Elegant, discreet, of superior quality: with its new LED models, too, the perfectly designed LIGHT FIELDS luminaire range remains a classic in straight-line office architecture. zumtobel.us Design: Sottsass Associati

gbdmagazine.com

july–september 2012

167

SPACES PLAY HEAL LEARN LIVE WORK

W hen L i b rarie s Be c o m e L igh t ho u s eS Horton Lees Brogden Lighting Design turns two Washington, DC, libraries into neighborhood beacons—using its illuminating powers to provide safer streets and warmer public spaces

By Lynn Russo Whylly Photography by Mark Herboth Photography

168

july–september 2012

gb&d

SPACES

Team

The reading room of the TenleyFriendship Public Library is protected by perforated vertical fins that allow ambient daylight.

Lighting DesignER Horton Lees Brogden Lighting Design Owner District of Columbia Public Library Design Architect The Freelon Group Associate Architect R. McGhee & Associates General Contractor Forrester Construction

projects nacostia Public Library A Tenley-Friendship Public Library

T

wo neighborhoods in Washington, DC, now glow a little brighter. A pair of libraries, designed by The Freelon Group in association with R. McGhee & Associates and lit by Horton Brogden Lees Lighting Design, are using light to become more than places to read.

Anacostia Public Library’s finest feature is a 37-foot-tall luminous tower that sits atop the roof. The dynamic structure is lit during evening hours while the library is open but is also designed to provide safety lighting for the neighborhood. Anacostia is an urban neighborhood where residents rely heavily on the services provided by their local library.

“The library provides programs, events, community rooms, and computers, and it’s right on a major bus route,” HLB principal Hayden McKay says, explaining that the team was charged with making the new library an inviting, functional, and sustainable one—through its lighting design, of course, but also through the promotion of community outreach and engagement.

Enshrined in glass, the library’s open environment is one way the building interacts with the community; the interior being highly visible from the street beckons residents in. Adding to this already warm invitation, daylight is the primary light source. Fluorescent lights on brackets cantilevered from the stacks illuminate the books. And a distinctive lime-green screen maintains sun control around the glass curtainwalls. “It brightens the building and also is appealing to the younger generation,” says McKay of the near-neon element.

Having the children’s area facing the street provided HLB some creative flexibility, and the team chose “fun, sparkly pendant lights” that help indicate that the library is open and are also highly energy efficient. The rest of the lighting design includes ambient evening lighting via fluorescent glowing slots

gbdmagazine.com

july–september 2012

169

SPACES PLAY HEAL LEARN LIVE WORK

“You can spend hours inside [these libraries] and feel like you are connected to nature and the neighborhood.”

Hayden McKay, Horton Brogden Lees Lighting Design

TENLEY-FRIENDSHIP (Previous page) project Location Washington, DC Size 21,472 ft2 Completed 2011 Program Stack areas for print and non-print materials, meeting rooms, a children’s program room, study rooms, and online-access points Awards 2011 AIA North Carolina Honor Award

Green Certification LEED Gold Energy High-efficiency equipment, daylight harvesting, and occupancy sensors make the structure 27% more efficient than a comparable building Lighting Daylight available in 75% of regularly occupied spaces Renewable Energy Solar-thermal panels collect heat energy for hotwater supply Roof Green roof reduces the amount of storm-water runoff Siting Library is located near a Metro station entrance and several bus routes

170

july–september 2012

that run parallel to four skylights, with supplemental metal halide downlights in the main circulation area. To conserve energy, all lighting is programmed with a daylight harvesting system. As a whole, the project was green enough to earn LEED Gold certification and dynamic enough to receive an IES Illumination Award of Merit and an Architectural Lighting Light & Architecture Design Awards Special Citation.

Northwest of Anacostia, the TenleyFriendship Library—so named for its double constituency in Tenleytown and Friendship Heights—received the HLB treatment and has since become the second most utilized library in the Washington, DC, system. The building’s eastern façade faces bustling Wisconsin Avenue. Inside, linear lines of uplights are integrated into the exposed ceiling beams. Display cases in the entryway

give the building a retail feel, and with the help of ambient lighting, books and other items on display can be seen from both sides of the glass during the day and after hours when people use the drop-off box. HLB specified the same controls and luminaires Tenley-Friendship as it had for Anacostia to “increase flexibility for the library maintenance staff,” McKay says.

The most interesting thing about Tenley-Friendship, McKay says, is its exterior vertical fins. “The architect wanted to protect the reading room from the sun without completely blocking the view,” he says, “so we worked to angle the fins toward the north to control the sun while using small perforated holes in the fins to achieve a soft glow of natural daylight.” The integration of daylighting and electrical lighting was key. “The fins created dynamic views at the perimeter, and the resulting daylight successfully gb&d

Anacostia & Tenley-Friendship Libraries SPACES

ANACOSTIA LIBRARY Project

This luminous tower is more than an architectural element: it serves to make the Anacostia neighborhood of Washington, DC, safer for residents.

Location Washington, DC Size 22,348 ft2 Completed 2010 Program Stack areas for print and non-print materials, meeting rooms, a children’s program room, study rooms, and online-access points Awards 2011 AIA Triangle Honor Award, 2010 AIA NC COTE Award

Green Certification LEED Gold Energy Daylight harvesting, occupancy sensors, and a raised-floor system make the building 27% more energy efficient than a comparable building Lighting Individually controlled lighting conserves energy, daylight is available in 75% of regularly occupied spaces Renewable Energy Solar-thermal panels collect heat energy for hotwater supply Siting Library is located in an dense urban area and offers Metro and bus access Landscape Habitats were restored through the use of a bioretention area and green roof

integrates with the stack lights to create an animated yet comfortable visual environment,” McKay explains.

Past the perimeter fins, a vibrant copper-colored wall defines the interior circulation area. The wall is illuminated during the day by the atrium skylight and in the evening by a continuous luminous soffit. The only decorative fixtures visible from the exterior are the modern pendant lights above the lobby stairs. In the reading room, interior blinds protect the books during those hours when sun enters through the atrium skylight.

The openness and warmth of these two libraries—linked through their lighting but distinct in design—make both spaces “very comfortable to be in,” McKay says. “You can spend hours inside and feel like you are connected to nature and the neighborhood. So we truly achieved our goals.”gb&d gbdmagazine.com

The sparkling pendant lights and lime-green overhang brighten and enliven Anacostia’s children’s area.

july–september 2012

171

SPACES PLAY HEAL LEARN LIVE WORK Access to the rooftop garden from the third level of Academic West allows students and faculty to use the space.

UP to t he R oof t op

The coolest thing about Bucknell University’s new Academic West building? The rooftop garden and green space, a place for social gathering and seeing a living roof at work.

By Annie Monjar

B

ucknell University desperately needed space. The small Pennsylvania school needed to add faculty but had no place to put the new staffers. In 2006, it undertook a campus master plan to determine its needs through 2015, and it decided to add at least one academic building.

Thus Academic West was born—the idea of it anyway. With Bucknell’s Campus Greening Initiative assisting the project,

172

july–september 2012

the school sought a building designed to be LEED Silver certified. We talked with Dennis Hawley, associate vice president for facilities, and Dina El-Mogazi, director of the Campus Greening Initiative, about the new space.

How does the rooftop garden contribute to Academic West’s sustainability?

Dina El-Mogazi: What makes the roof green is that it’s a planted roof, using soil and plants to capture rainwater that

would otherwise go toward runoff. It also insulates the building. We already have two green roofs but this third one will be much larger. It’s a system of liners and plants that allow roof to be planted without having any kind of leakage problems. It requires some maintenance, but not too much in the long run.

And that space will also be utilized for students and faculty?

Dennis Hawley: What’s nice about this gb&d

Company/Project SPACES

with just a Energy glance Reports

TM

allow facilities managers to

one building is that it has three stories, but the third story is not a full footprint of the building. So the third story, which is mostly faculty offices and then a lounge area, will open onto a patio with an arbor overtop. We’ll have social activities overlooking the Susquehanna River, surrounded by a vegetated green roof.

It’s going to be lovely.

How else does the building’s landscaping enable its efficiency?

El-Mogazi: The green roof is really just the beginning of a whole design that helps to filter and slow down storm water. The rainwater leaving the roof of the building will enter a storm-water system that’s visible through a channel running along top a landscaping retaining wall, which will filter into three rain garden areas at the edge of campus. Those will be planted with native plants.

ABOVE Academic West will include a planted roof for the enjoyment of faculty, the hands-on education of students, and the management of storm water.

gbdmagazine.com

What about the building’s power system? How did that contribute to the LEED certification?

Hawley: Bucknell has its own cogeneration plant that converts natural gas into two usable forms of energy: steam and electricity. So we can power everything rather than buying electricity or having a boiler. We actually had a coal-fire plant, which we converted into the cogeneration plant in 1998. It was a $12 million project, but has saved us about a million dollars a year. We generate 95 percent of our power, and the other 5 percent comes from wind-generated power.

How much did that project reduce your impact?

El-Mogazi: We’ve reduced our gas emissions by almost 40 percent. It’s hard to get that much of a reduction all at once, with one project. Now we have to work hard to find other things we can do to reduce that impact as well. Green building is part of that strategy. gb&d

• visualize building performance.

• compare different time periods.

• troubleshoot problem areas.

• reduce energy consumption.

• improve comfort.

www.automatedlogic.com

Track student and faculty comfort against building efficiency.

JOHNFRIEDMANALICEKIMMARCHITECTS 701 East Third Street, Suite 300 Los Angeles, CA 90013 T. 213.253.4740 F. 213.253.4760 www.jfak.net

John Friedman Alice Kimm Architects is proud to have partnered with Caltech on two groundbreaking projects. JFAK provides a full range of design services, with emphasis on sustainability, efficiency and design excellence.

july–september 2012

173

SPACES PLAY HEAL LEARN LIVE WORK

Ridding the building of its large sunshades, new glass walls and skylights will fill the lab with light, helping it reach LEED Gold.

Where Green Technologie s are Born

Caltech’s Jorgensen Lab houses research initiatives attempting to replicate photosynthesis and turn the sun’s energy into chemical fuel. Wanting its building to be equally innovative, it hired JFAK to design the lab of tomorrow.

By Ashley Kjos

174

july–september 2012

gb&d

SPACES

PROJECT

GREEN

Location Pasadena, CA Size 34,000 ft2 Completed 2012 (expected) Program Laboratories, classrooms, meeting rooms, and office space

Certification LEED Gold (expected) Lighting High-efficiency glass walls replace oversized sunshades to provide extensive daylighting Education A new pavilion displays water and energy usage to students and the public Pavilion Roof Caltech’s first living roof reduces runoff and provides urban habitat Tenants Two energy-research initiatives work toward windenergy optimization and the creation of a chemical fuel from artificial photosynthesis

TEAM Owner California Institute of Technology Architect John Friedman Alice Kimm Architects Structural Engineer Saiful/Bouquet MEP Engineer Buro Happold

I nce the Jorgensen Lab O is reopened, the building will feature a display that allows students and visitors, via five flat-screen monitors, to see energy use in real time. rendering: JFAK Architects

gbdmagazine.com

t’s rare that a structure’s capabilities coincide with its character and intent, but California Institute of Technology’s Jorgensen Lab renovation will transform a 1970s-era computer building into a leadingedge laboratory that houses not one, but two initiatives advancing green technology.

Caltech, in Pasadena, California, has long been home to progressive minds in the fields of science and technology, and applying those disciplines to environmental issues is a priority on campus. “Sustainability is important at Caltech,” says John Onderdonk, Caltech’s director of sustainability programs. “Our core mission is research and education and using [them] to address the fundamental challenges facing humanity.”

In addition to Caltech’s attitude towards green technology as an environmentally responsible imperative, the institution also seeks to achieve positive financial benefits through energy savings.

This philosophy is best exemplified through its revolving loan fund, which exists to pay for energyconservation projects in existing buildings. Any monetary amount accumulated through energy savings from efficient renovations is reinvested into Caltech’s endowment. “Every dollar we save is one we can put towards education and research,” Onderdonk says.

For the Jorgensen Lab renovation, Caltech enlisted the services of Los Angles-based John Friedman Alice Kimm Architects (JFAK), in part for its experience in sustainable design and prior work on the campus. “We enjoy working with Caltech because the projects are so interesting— the institute is not only technically proficient, it is an imaginative and creative place,” says JFAK principal (and MIT alumnus) John Friedman.

The first sustainable decision on the project was to renovate—as opposed to tearing down the old building. “The greenest building we can build is the building we already have,” Onderdonk says.

Lighting required one of the biggest changes.

When the original structure was built, it incorporated large sunshades that blocked virtually all sunlight from entering the building and gave the building its nickname, “The Bunker.” These shades were replaced by high-efficiency glass walls and skylights that fill the building with natural light. Which completely changed the interior’s personality, Friedman says: “These labs are going

to be a great place to work in.” The interior alterations succeeded. The project is in the LEED review process and is anticipating Gold certification, having obtained 10 out of the possible 15 points for Indoor Environmental Quality. Other high-priority improvements centered on energy and water consumption, with 12 additional points coming from the Energy and Atmosphere category.

Outside, a new feature of the building is a pavilion designed to communicate both the building’s research and its energy savings to students and guests through five flat-screen displays.

The space also is used as an open area to give talks and lectures. Topping this pavilion is the campus’s first living roof—bound to receive attention given its location adjacent to one of the busier quads—which will serve as a symbol and a visual representation of the changes that have been made.

The most compelling thing about the Jorgensen Lab is that the building itself perpetuates the spirit of the work being done inside—and that of the campus as a whole. “The purpose of the research center is to find alternative energy sources, and we wanted to put forth a message that we are doing similarly innovative things in our own building,” says Mark Trojanowski, Caltech’s project manager for the Jorgensen renovation.

The two programs calling Jorgensen home are the Resnick Institute and the Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis (JCAP).

The Resnick Institute focuses on applying science and new technology to the development of sustainable solutions, including research into wind-energy optimization through turbine placement and the development of high-performance thermoelectrics. JCAP is a centralized research initiative dedicated to trying to find the materials that will make artificial photosynthesis possible.

Its goal is to find a way to get chemical fuel directly from the sun, the way a plant does, instead of the electricity that standard photovoltaic arrays provide now. Chemical fuels are easier to store and transport and work more seamlessly within our current energy infrastructure. “Caltech has a reputation for being a leader in science technology,” Onderdonk says. “We’re trying to be equally world class in building, operating, and maintaining our physical campus. These buildings are a symbol of that commitment.” gb&d july–september 2012

175

SPACES PLAY HEAL LEARN LIVE WORK

SPOTLIGHT

Inspiration Kitchens Wheeler Kearns Architects received almost $47,000 in grants from the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation for their Garfield Park project, Inspiration Kitchens, a resource for foodservice training and job placement for Chicagoans in need. The 7,800-square-foot facility, just off the Central Park Green Line El stop, includes an 80-seat restaurant and a kitchen from which a 13-week service, catering, and training program is conducted.

In order to keep the costs of running the nonprofit organization low, Wheeler Kearns was tasked with the goal of making the space as efficient as possible. To do this, they utilized low-flow plumbing fixtures in restrooms and the commercial kitchen as well as drought-tolerant native landscaping. The architects also added two arrays of evacuated solar tube panels, which generates up to 55 percent of the domestic hot water used in building. —Thalia A-M Bruehl

176

july–september 2012

gb&d

SAVE

Costs Consumption Environment

YOUR DIRECT SOURCE FOR Retrot Lighting Power Quality

New Power Solutions

Energy Procurement

2356 Industrial Park Drive

Custom Solutions

Bloomington, IN 47404 877.880.8119

NewPowerNow.com GBandDNPShalfpagehorizontal.indd 1

3/16/2012 12:01:36 PM

STANTEC IS

THE WAY WE

FLY 1 in 3 passengers flying in North America today, travel through an airport where Stantec has completed a major project.

AD-DA-VAN-2012JAN24-P1V1

The Great Horned Owl - Provincial Bird of Alberta - is uniquely adapted to the Prairies, like Stantec’s new LEED® - registered Edmonton Airport Terminal building.

For more information, call Rian Burger: (604) 696-8000

One Team. Integrated Solutions. gbdmagazine.com

july–september 2012

177

Roof Garden

Heliostat

Geothermal Well Field

Wind Turbines Atrium Existing Nussbaum Building

The Scientific Method 178

july–september 2012

New Building

Rain Garden

Inside Taylor University’s Euler Science Center, a project expected to be the school’s largest ever—and a cutting-edge approach to both sustainability and education

By Lynn Russo Whylly

gb&d

PLAY HEAL LEARN LIVE WOR SPACES

Project

Team

Green

Location Upland, IN Size 127,000 ft2 Completed 2012 (expected) Program 30 teaching-and-learning classrooms, central atrium, social gathering spaces, generaluse classrooms

Owner Taylor University Architect The Troyer Group Wind Turbines Endurance Wind Power Photovoltaic System ECI Wind and Solar

Certification LEED Gold (expected) Energy Wind and solar power account for 20% of energy needs, geothermal system employed Lighting A glass-walled stairwell and heliostat bring sunlight to lower levels Water Retention areas filter storm water and prevent soil erosion

T

aylor University’s Euler Science Complex—a 127,000-square-foot building with 30 state-of-the-art teaching-and-learning rooms and a glass atrium that connects the Euler complex to the adjacent Nussbaum Building—is designed to be both sustainable in itself and an environmental learning tool for students who study biology, chemistry, computer science, engineering, physics, math, and environmental science.

As a liberal-arts-and-sciences university in Indiana and one of the oldest evangelical Christian colleges in the United States, sustainability is pivotal to Taylor University’s mission and is embedded into every construction project, especially the Euler Science Complex, which is the school’s largest project to date with a construction budget of $27 million and an overall budget of $41 million.

“We wanted the building to reflect Taylor’s values,” says Mark Biermann, PhD, dean of the School of Natural and Applied Sciences. “It also had to be conducive to teaching, learning, and to provide the facilities for publishable research.” Construction will be completed by summer 2012, and the university is in the process of applying for LEED Gold certification. We acquired a breakdown of the green project.

Daylighting Low-E glass throughout the science complex eliminates heat gain and UV rays while allowing natural sunlight in. In addition, a glass-walled staircase helps promote daylighting and invites people to take the stairs instead of the elevator. The central atrium, in addition to increasing daylight, also captures previously lost heat from the nearby Nussbaum Building.

Geothermal system “Seven wells will provide temperatureconstant water that will, via heat exchangers, temper a dedicated internal loop feeding water-source heat pumps, which condition the building spaces and add to its energy efficiency,” explains Gregg Holloway, supervisor of contracting and purchasing at Taylor University.

Discharge water flows into a landscaped stream that adds to the appeal of the central campus area and replenishes a campus lake.

gbdmagazine.com

Materials Furnishings, wall coverings, floor coverings, and finishes are low-VOC materials, many of which also have recycled content and were regionally sourced.

Outside, the landscape uses native, lowmaintenance plants that require little irrigation. Storm-water runoff passes through rain-garden-style detention areas to allow for percolation and sediment filtration and to prevent soil erosion.

Parking lots were reconfigured to make way for walkways that lead into the building but also encourage recreational walking around campus.

Energy A monitoring room with computers and other equipment will allow the students to track energy efficiency.

“The school wanted hands-on things the students could see and learn from,” says Sam Jones, senior vice president of The Troyer Group, the architect on the project. “Virtually every aspect of the building’s functions will be available for student and faculty scholarship and learning.” Lighting controls include motion sensors and dimmable lighting controls for instructional purposes.

The heliostat Capturing natural daylight was a challenge The Troyer Group overcame by installing a heliostat, “a big mirror that tracks and deflects sunlight,” Jones explains. At the center of the new building, the heliostat (pictured above) is 20 feet in diameter and runs from the lower level to the rooftop. At the top, a motorized mechanism keeps the mirror at a constant correct angle to the sun. It tracks the sun’s movement throughout the day and reflects light down to the lower level.

Renewable energy Wind turbines by Endurance Wind Power and a 10-kilowatt photovoltaic system by ECI Wind and Solar are generating one-fifth of the building’s energy needs. “Euler uses two-thirds of the energy of a traditional building its size,” Holloway says. “In addition, 20 percent of its energy is coming from renewable sources.”

Rooftop garden The rooftop garden insulates the building during the winter, absorbs sunlight during the summer, and reduces rainwater runoff and erosion. “It’s a living classroom,” Jones says. “There are walking paths around the garden to help students learn about plant life as well as an area for the astronomy class to look at the stars.” gb&d

july–september 2012

179

Proud Partners of Taylor University!

WORLD CLEANING SERVICES A World Of Cleaning Services Since 1890 We are ready to serve your commercial, institutional and industrial cleaning needs. For 120 years, World has been valued by our Chicagoland customers because we offer a wide range of high quality, reliable cleaning services.

Servicing the greater Chicago Metropolitan area 630.850.7355

|

www.wcs1890.com

architects | interiors | planners

s l s partnership

Contact us at 1-888-440-4451 to find out more about distributed wind and how to make wind work for you!

www.endurancewindpower.com 180

july–september 2012

I T S A N D U N I V E R S I T Y T E C H

The Endurance E-3120 50 kW wind turbine is specifically engineered to produce decentralized green energy for rural businesses, schools, hospitals, state facilities, industrial buildings, and farms. Investments in distributed wind energy can not only be used to promote sustainability values- it can also help insulate from the rising energy costs of tomorrow. It is an economically feasible and environmentally sustainable energy source for the future.

ISBU CONTAINER DORMITORY HOUSING - PROPOSED LEED PLATINUM

T E X A S

The production of clean energy demonstrates socio-economic responsibility and a commitment to a green future.

s ls p artn e rs h i p. c o m

S U P P O R T I N G

Personal Green Energy Production

806. 794. 4726

M I S S I O N

4416 74th S tre e t | L u b b oc k , T X 79424

gb&d

The new business school at Texas Tech University is built on the crushed concrete and brick of the former building—a metaphor for a greener era to come

By Mark Pechenik

Foundational Learning ABOVE The elegant building that houses Texas Tech’s Rawls College of Business Administration was built on a foundation made from the debris of Thompson-Gaston Hall.

photos: Artie Limmer

LEFT Among numerous other green strategies, extensive daylighting in areas such as the main entrance reduces energy use and provides a comfortable space for students.

gbdmagazine.com

S

ince opening in November 2011, the Rawls College of Business Administration (RCoBA) building has symbolized the drive for institutional sustainability at the Texas Tech University System. “The building represents Texas Tech University System’s $1 billion campaign to create cutting-edge, sustainable facilities,” explains Michael Molina, vice chancellor for facilities planning and construction.

The building, constructed to qualify for LEED Silver certification, is a threestory structure with a lower-level basement. Its 149,000 square feet of space houses the Rawls College of Business Administration’s five academic departments—accounting, marketing, management, finance, and energy commerce—and is the first of several environmentally focused construction projects planned for the University System which, along with Texas Tech, includes Angelo State University and the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center.

Energy efficiency is a prominent feature of the facility. Expansive window space utilizes daylight to reduce dependence on electrical lighting, while july–september 2012

181

SPACES PLAY HEAL LEARN LIVE WORK

“Hopefully, we will inspire other regional developers to adopt green construction practices.”

ABOVE, BELOW Lighting played a crucial role in the RCoBA building; automated systems and fluorescents reduce energy use by 15%.

automated systems switch off lighting when not needed. The use of fluorescent lighting with electronic ballasts has meant significant cost savings. Meanwhile, specially designed glass windows help retain heat in the winter and reflect it during the summer. “These measures have led to a 15-percent reduction in energy consumption,” says Hugh Cronin, the university’s senior director of project administration.

A 45-percent reduction in potable water is evident through waterless urinals, low-flow fixtures, and sensors.

Storm-water runoff has been minimized through retention ponds that promote the natural filtration of rainwater into surrounding soil.

True to the project’s aim of limiting waste, even the concrete and brick from Thompson-Gaston Hall—the former student residence demolished to make way for the Rawls building—has been utilized.

182

july–september 2012

“The debris was crushed and employed as fill for the new building,” Cronin says.

Hopes are high that the RCoBA building’s high green quotient will measure up for the sought-after LEED Silver certification, which will be submitted later this year. “Thirty-three points are needed for a Silver rating,” Cronin says, “but we could score as high as 36 to 39 points.” Molina and the Texas Tech

leadership are optimistic that the RCoBA building may set a precedent for sustainable construction beyond their campus.

“Many architectural firms, including those who have worked well with us, such as SLS Partnership, have responded favorably to this effort,” Molina says.

“Hopefully, we will inspire other regional developers to adopt green construction practices.” gb&d gb&d

photos: Artie Limmer

Michael Molina, Texas Tech University

PLAY HEAL LEARN LIVE WORK SPACES

Bricault Residence 2.0

SoCal homebuilder Martin Leon has a unique opportunity with a Venice cottage: renovate a home he built more than a decade ago

By Julie Schaeffer

photos: Kenji Arai

This visibly sustainable home in Venice, CA, is practically paradise. It was built green in 1998, and then its owners decided to one-up themselves.

J

ust a few years after Martin Leon established Alisal Builders to serve the Southern California residential market, he got the opportunity of a lifetime: build a green house in Venice. Given that it was the 1990s, it was a unique job, but not as unique as the one that presented itself more than a decade later: renovate the same house to be even more sustainable.

When Leon built the 515-square-foot cottage on spec in 1998, he did so using the most sustainable technologies at the time: passive solar heating and cooling, double-pane windows, and recycled building materials. “In 1998, there weren’t nearly the options we had for the renovation in 2008. What few technologies were available were prohibitively expensive,” Leon says. But when the buyers hired Alisal to do a renovation and addition in 2008, Leon and his team were able to create what he says is the most sustainable house in Venice.

gbdmagazine.com

Exterior The Bricault home’s most dynamic—and visible—element is its living wall by Elevated Landscape Technologies. Covered in draught-resistant native plants, the wall contributes to a solar shading strategy and naturally insulates the home.

The steel-frame house with timber frame infill also features exterior cladding made from cedar batten certified by the FSC. Windows and glass block also contribute to the home’s energy efficiency. july–september 2012

183

SPACES PLAY HEAL LEARN LIVE WORK

Roof Low-slope roofing consists of a thermoplastic olefin (TPO) white membrane roof installed by Allied Waterproofing, which, in addition to being environmentally friendly, is ozone- and algae-resistant. It is complemented by a green roof and rooftop vegetable garden over part of the home, adding green space and insulating the home. The Venice home also has three rows of solar panels from Acro Energy Technologies, which Leon says reduces eclectic consumption to “almost nothing.”

Irrigation A rainwater-capture system waters the living wall, while a subsurface irrigation system acts as an aquifer, storing water that the landscaping can draw from. The landscaping, designed

by The Great Outdoors Landscape Design & Construction, derives as much as 30 percent of its water from the irrigation system, Leon says.

Interior The home is designed in a way as to eliminate the need for artificial cooling: when the interior pivot doors are open, air is drawn from the lower level to the upper level, flushing it out without using any electricity. All interior finishes also are green: Formaldehyde-free cabinets made from locally harvested American ash; tile and terrazzo is recycled; and flooring is made from maple, cork, and scrap mosaic tile. Other green interior features include LED lighting and American Clay low-VOC paints. gb&d

SeaOtter WoodWorks We are the premier builders of the traditional ofuro - a deep and beautiful wooden bathtub made famous in Japan. Our tubs are crafted one at a time using traditional designs and modern techniques.

The Japanese ofuro is most often made with Hinoki - the famous aromatic wood revered for its beauty and strength.

We are happy to consult on custom designs. All wood used is of the finest grade – sustainably harvested, vertical grained, quartersawn heartwood, properly dried and free of defects. For more information call or visit our website woodentubs.com.

photos: Kenji Arai

Put a little Zen in your bath!

SeaOtter WoodWorks, Inc. Phone: 888-810-7717 • info@woodentubs.com woodentubs.com • facebook.com/woodentubs

184

july–september 2012

gb&d

PLAY HEAL LEARN LIVE WORK SPACES

SPOTLIGHT

Newcomer Residence Lori Bork Newcomer, principal of Bork Architectural Design and a founding member of the USGBC chapter in Athens, Georgia, takes her own advice when it comes to sustainable design. Her residence is the first home in Athens—and only the seventh in the state—to earn LEED Platinum certification.

Newcomer used a passive solar design in the south-facing structure that incorporated a vaulted ceiling in the living room and large triangular windows in the front gable. That gable helps the home blend in with the neighboring hitched-roof cottages, many of which were built in the early 1900s, while the more modern design components—along with the second story—are tucked back into the rear of the structure. The home’s other green features include a high-efficiency wood-burning stove and a 1,100-gallon rainwater cistern. —Kelli McElhinny

gbdmagazine.com

july–september 2012

185

SPACES PLAY HEAL LEARN LIVE WORK

Crescent Park: Solar Town With more than 4,000 solar panels on its curving roofs, this EAH Housing community supplies onefifth of an entire city’s solar energy goal

By Jennifer Hogeland

T

hough EAH Housing applies sustainable practices at its communities throughout California and Hawaii, the showstopper is Crescent Park, the largest solar-powered affordable housing community in the country and a property that eliminates the need for nearly 14,000 tons of carbon over the course of its life. Dave Egan, EAH’s project manager, discusses what makes this property so remarkable.

What made you decide to utilize solar power on the Crescent Park project?

Dave Egan: When we acquired Crescent Park, EAH already had the notion of performing a major rehab on the property.

Through … low-income housing tax credits, federal solar-energy tax credits, and additional financing through the California Solar Initiative program, we were able to carry out the long-planned property rehabilitation, [as well as] our ambitious solar retrofit plans for the property.

What makes this solar-powered community unique?

Egan: First and foremost is the photovoltaic solar system that we were able to install. Photovoltaic panels were distributed … over a variety of roofs styles within the property. Of the 26 buildings with solar

186

july–september 2012

panels, over half of the buildings have crescent-shaped buildings with sloped roofs, making it difficult to place the panel systems efficiently on those buildings.

As a result, each crescent-shaped building had a unique solar panel layout.

This solar power project also serves the surrounding community by helping the City of Richmond meet its clean energy goals. The Crescent Park solar panels account for 20 percent of the City of Richmond’s goal to [derive] five megawatts of power from solar energy.

How many solar panels are within the Crescent Park community?

Egan: It is a very large system, consisting of 4,285 solar panels spread out over the roofs of 26 of the property’s 28 buildings.

How much energy does this solar system provide?

Egan: The system is designed to absorb about 70 percent of the electric usage within the property in any given year. It was a significant benefit to the bottom line of the property and our ability to redirect funds that would have gone directly to the utility under the operating platform and go into other ongoing resident services, programs, and continuing maintenance of the property.

As far as the annual production, it was projected to produce over one million kilowatt-hours per year. That translates to avoiding 26,044 tons of coal or 4,037,290 gallons of oil over a 30-year period.

Avoided emissions … would be nearly 14,000 tons of carbon dioxide. gb&d gb&d

Company/Project SPACES

Helping

Communities Embrace

Sustainability

Crescent Park, Richmond, CA, an EAH Housing Affordable Community

Program Innovation • Strategic Consulting • Customized Training & Curriculum The team at Strategic Energy Innovations is committed to actions that sustain our planet. We recognize the significant potential to create resource efficient and healthy environments within a community's existing housing stock. Green building techniques have become essential strategies for improving building performance. Our staff and technical partners support housing owners and providers to optimize the operational efficiency of their residences by accessing the appropriate technical and financial assistance to realize quantifiable energy, cost savings and the corresponding environmental benefits. Strategic Energy Innovations has been helping groups like EAH Housing implement energy efficiency strategies since 1997.

Strategic Energy Innovations 899 Northgate Drive, Suite 410 • San Rafael, CA 94903

www.seiinc.org

life well lived

photo: Steve Proehl

This is just one of thousands of solar arrays on the roofs at Crescent Park. All told, the homes feature 4,285 solar panels.

a message from THE ENERGY CENTER The Energy Center (TEC) has worked with EAH Housing to reduce their energy costs in three ways: Pay Less, Work Less, & Waste Less. Pay Less is via rate analysis. EAH’s solar systems were providing electricity but sometimes the underlying rates were not optimal. By changing these rates, the annual costs were often cut in half or eliminated entirely. Work Less is Accounts Payable efficiencies. By combining billings, one facility’s monthly bills were reduced from 31 to only 3 per month. Waste Less is energy conservation. TEC is helping EAH to develop their operational guidelines to include both increased energy efficiency and reduced maintenance costs. Having a thorough rate analysis allows accurate cost/benefit analysis of energy retrofits. The Energy Center provides innovative solutions to high energy costs. At TEC we optimize our client’s energy costs, not just reduce them. TEC can be reached at 415-488-4855. www.UtilityRateAnalysis.com.

gbdmagazine.com

landscape design • installation • maintenance mag ad R1.indd 1

july–september 2012

187

12/16/11 4:55 PM

SPACES PLAY HEAL LEARN LIVE WORK

V illa von F ranken st ein This suburban home doesn’t look it, but it’s been pieced together from giant pickle barrels, convent tiles from Germany, and floorboards salvaged from a phonographcabinet factory once owned by Thomas Edison

Exterior & Landscape Though a small portion of the roof (in the balcony area over the garage) is a living one, the majority is made from Galvalume—an aluminum that reflects solar energy and reduces the need for air conditioning. Simpson says the roof also features solar-thermal panels that heat the home’s floors and water and gutters that divert rainwater to an underground, 8,000-gallon tank. The landscaping by Eiserman & Associates features gabion benches that keep slopes from eroding and are aesthetically pleasing as well.

The ones seen here are essentially wiremesh-basket frames, holding bricks that were part of the original structure.

By Kelli Lawrence

S

cott Simpson and Tom Kenny had already worked with the homeowners of 845 N. Michigan in Wilmette, Illinois, once before, on a renovation in nearby Evanston several years earlier. When the couple—now with three children—relocated for a bigger, greener home and better school district, the co-owners of Scott Simpson Builders were called on once again.

What began as another renovation project ultimately worked better as a whole new structure, fueled by what Kenny calls “a great big conversation between architect, builder, and homeowners.”

The resulting home, designed by architect John Holbert and built in 13 months, is something of a Frankenstein—albeit a beautiful one. “From just about every elevation, everywhere you look, there’s at least one product that is reused or repurposed from something else,” Simpson says. He was kind enough to give gb&d a tour of the home.

188

july–september 2012

gb&d

SPACES

Project

Master Bath The bathroom’s floor tiles were actually dismantled from a convent built in the early 1900s, when the convent was converted into an assisted living facility.

Simpson reports that the tile originates from Germany. (In fact, the company that made it, Villeroy Boch, is still thriving today in the housewares industry.) The vanity and medicine cabinets were made

by Lambright Woodworking, an Amish company out of Topeka, Indiana.

Location Wilmette, IL Size 6,500 ft2 Completed 2011

Team General Contractor Scott Simpson Builders Architect John Holbert Landscape Eiserman & Associates Salvaged Wood Urban Evolutions Furniture Lambright Woodworking Countertops PaperStone Fireplace Halquist Stone Company Concrete Work Designing Concrete

Green

fireplace The fireplace is made from Chilton Stone from Halquist Stone Company, the same stone that was used on the house’s exterior. The mantle on the fireplace was made from timber from a backyard tree.

The shelves to left of the fireplace were made from reclaimed walnut courtesy of Urban Evolutions and built by Lambright Woodworking.

Dining & Kitchen “We picked a walnut butcher block for the table, with custom-made metal legs,” Simpson says of the dining table by Urban Evolutions. “And then the same walnut is used on the face of the cabinet doors on the island.”

The chocolate-brown countertops are PaperStone, a surface entirely made of post-consumer, recycled paper and held together with petroleum-free resins, and the Lambright cabinets use FSC-certified wood.

The floors perhaps have the best story. The hardwood beams hail from the Thomas Edison factory in New London, Wisconsin, explain the folks at Urban Evolutions. The factory originally was purchased by Edison to make phonograph cabinets.

gbdmagazine.com

Certification Not applicable Wood Repurposed from pickle barrels, a factory, and a backyard tree Concrete Basement floor is polished concrete that used a low-VOC, waterbased urethane finish Tile Bathroom floor tiles came from a former convent built in the 1900s Landscape Gabion benches placed to reduce soil erosion Water Rainwater is captured and diverted to an 8,000-gallon belowground cistern Renewable Energy Rooftop solarthermal panels generate heat for the home’s floors and hot water Roof Galvalume is used to reflect solar energy, and a small portion is planted

Basement Simpson double-tracked more than a dozen barn doors to span 53 feet, fulfilling a request for “one long, giant closet” in the basement. (There are two feet of storage space beyond the doors.) The wood for the doors came from 18’x18’ pickle barrels that were thoroughly cleaned and converted, courtesy of Urban Evolutions. The basement floor is polished concrete, done by Julie Thompson of Designing Concrete, with a low-VOC, water-based urethane finish. gb&d

july–september 2012

189

SPACES PLAY HEAL LEARN LIVE WORK

Portlandian Campus LifE

Perhaps predictably, this LEED Gold residential complex is just one of many ways the University of Portland is pursuing sustainability.

190

july–september 2012

gb&d

SPACES

PROJECT

TEAM

GREEN

Location Portland, OR Size 107,000 ft2 Completed 2009 Program Common spaces, bedrooms with attached/shared baths, and apartment units that include private kitchens/baths and bedrooms

Owner University of Portland Architects Soderstrom Architects General Contractor Todd Construction

Certification LEED Gold Roof An “ecoroof” absorbs rainwater and teaches students about green technologies Materials Many of the building materials were sourced locally, including the steel Recycling 95% of construction debris was recycled

This planted “ecoroof” is designed to absorb runoff and divert any extra to the landscaping—an important effort because the school isn’t tied to the city storm-water system.

Soderstrom Architects and Todd Construction team up to build two residence halls that teach the already ecoconscious University of Portland students even more about the environment

By Scott Heskes

T

he climate action plan set forth by the University of Portland calls for the school to be carbon neutral by 2040.

Such a commitment has resulted in a series of building projects—new construction and renovations—on the private college campus in Portland, Oregon. Fields and Schoenfeldt halls, two residential wings within one building, are the university’s newest residence halls, adding a total of 312 beds in 107,000 square feet.

Both halls are LEED Gold certified and feature what the team calls an “ecoroof.”

We spoke with the project team, which included Paul Luty, director of facilities planning and construction for the University of Portland; Dan Danielson, principal at Soderstrom Architects; and Brent Schafer, president of Todd Construction.

What led to the development of the new residence halls at University of Portland?

Paul Luty: The University of Portland began construction of two new residence halls in the spring of 2008 to help house the projected increased enrollment for the 2009–2010 school year. Both halls are located in a common building on the west end of campus proper. With this being the first residence hall built in gbdmagazine.com

over 10 years, the university wanted to set a higher standard for their campus living.

Describe the key features of the green-roof system you used.

Dan Danielson: Storm-water management is a major issue for the university as their campus continues to grow. They want to promote and demonstrate new green technologies for buildings, and the ecoroof not only provides a good demonstration of building technology, but also helps minimize the need for additional dry wells on campus. The roofs can be viewed from several locations: the thirdand fourth-floor common areas and adjacent resident rooms on the second, third, and fourth floors.

What were some of the challenges in construction of this project?

Brent Schafer: The project went very

smoothly, but our biggest constraint was working on an occupied campus next to existing residence halls and managing safety and public access. With construction and soft costs the project was $21 million and took one year to complete.

Here in Oregon we use a lot of sourced materials that are provided locally, including the steel for the project and a number of sources for recycled content.

On this project we achieved [a] 95-percent [recycling rate] on our construction debris.

Step back a bit and explain what the University of Portland is trying to achieve in sustainability.

Luty: The campus as a whole is very involved in sustainability and energy efficiency. Students are currently in a national competition for energy reduction in the residence halls. We have new curriculum dealing with the environment. july–september 2012

191

SODERSTROM ARCHITECTS

SPACES PLAY HEAL LEARN LIVE WORK

Architecture | Planning | Restoration | Interior Design

LEED Platinum Donald P. Shiley Hall University of Portland

w w w. s d r a . c o m | 5 0 3 - 2 2 8 - 5 6 1 7

1200 NW Naito Parkway, Suite 410 Portland, Oregon 97209

Fields & Schoenfeldt Halls, University of Portland

Professionals Pursuing the Perfect Project Our #1 goal is to have satisfied clients who want us back for their next job.

The entire staff is supportive, including our food-service company Bon Appétit, which has promoted locally grown and organic foods. We are one of the first universities in the country to ban bottled water on campus.

Can you explain in more detail the new storm-water system and ecoroof?

Danielson: The goal of this project was to provide … the opportunity to experience landscaped areas on the upper floors of the building and help with the campus storm-water management. The rain falling directly on the green roof will be mostly absorbed by the ecoroof system. Any overflow or unabsorbed water is piped directly to the landscaping surrounding the base of the building.

The campus is not connected to the city storm-water system and therefore has to build additional dry wells for each new impervious surface. The ecoroof and bioswale helped to minimize the size and need of additional dry wells. gb&d

TODD Construction, Inc. / V 503.620.7652 / F 503.620.6825

192

july–september 2012

gb&d

photo: Stephen Cridland

ABOVE The lobby of the new residence hall building makes visible the energy-efficient lighting and expansive windows. What’s not seen is the green roof sitting on top.

SPACES

So u t hern H o u s ing of & for t he P eople

For Phase III of this EarthCraft community, Allen Hoss and Randy Pimsler look at sustainability from the vantage of community engagement

By Tina Vasquez

H PROJECT

TEAM

GREEN

Location Savannah, GA Site 27 acres Completed 2012 Program 100 units of senior housing (Phase III)

Architect Pimsler Hoss Architects (Phase III) Developers The Woda Group (phases II and III), Parallel Housing, CHSA Development, Melaver Civil Engineer Long Engineering Landscape Architect jB+a Construction Manager Axiom Management Construction Catamount Residential

Certification LEED Platinum (expected) Insulation Spray-foam cellulose, made from recycled newspapers Windows Low-E glass reflects heat energy and reduces cooling costs Planning EarthCraft communities promote walkability and community interaction

gbdmagazine.com

is work on Sustainable Fellwood is the realization of a goal architect Randy Pimsler has had since the 1970s, when he watched the retail price of gasoline nearly double because of the oil crisis. He returned to school to study architecture, specifically seeking to integrate alternative energy into his designs. Forty years later, Pimsler, joined by Allen Hoss to form Pimsler Hoss Architects, is realizing this goal with the firm’s new mixed-use, mixed-income development in Savannah, Georgia. Pimsler Hoss Architects was responsible for Phase III of the project, which called for the design and construction of 100 units of senior housing. Completed in February 2012, Pimsler and Hoss are aiming for LEEDND Platinum certification, and here, the architects walk us through their main design considerations.

As Sustainable As Possible “The development team hired us because of our commitment to sustainability, so it wasn’t a question of if we’d be sustainable, but how sustainable we could be,” Hoss says. Phase III of Fellwood features a photovoltaic system designed by One World Sustainable, july–september 2012

193

SPACES PLAY HEAL LEARN LIVE WORK

the rooftop solar panels converting the sun’s energy into electricity.

The building features spray-applied cellulose insulation, which is made from recycled newspapers and requires only three-fourths of the energy of fiberglass to manufacture. The senior residences also feature low-E glass to reflect heat energy and Niagra low-flow toilets and water-saving faucets made by Pfister. “We chose these brands not only because they offered the energy-saving aspects that we wanted, but also because they offered a more contemporary look that worked with our budget,” Hoss says.

Walkability and Interaction EarthCraft communities place an emphasis on walkability and interaction. The EarthCraft criteria are set up by the Southface Energy Institute in Atlanta, of which both Pimsler and Hoss are members. (Pimsler Hoss Architects actually designed the first Southface Energy Institute building.) Not only must EarthCraft developments meet certain qualifications, but those responsible for the design must also engage the local community in the design process. Deal-

Root

design studio

ing with the public, however, is something both Pimsler and Hoss are very comfortable with.

“We’re comfortable in the community, and asking for their input is not only a matter of course, but a matter of principal.” Hoss says. “Every project has a direct impact on the community, and it’s our duty to hear the community’s concerns. With Fellwood, the biggest concern was that they didn’t want the development to feel like a secondary community; they wanted it to be a natural part of the neighborhood. So we took advantage of outside amenities, like a large park across from the development.

With EarthCraft Communities, the development has to relate to the community surrounding it, and I think we took that to a new level.”

Keeping It Classic Fellwood was a redevelopment of post-World War II housing with Phase III acting as the heart of the complex.

Upon entrance, it provides visitors their first impressions of the development, and the architects wanted to make it a lasting one. “We wanted the develop-

landscape architecture environmental d e s i g n

Architect Allen Hoss and Axiom construction manager Annie Melone teamed up for Phase III of Fellwood. ment to have a timeless quality; it had to be classic,” Hoss says. “The structure is contemporary, but not over the top. We wanted the building to have a timeless architecture that would still be admired many years from now. It’s modern and sustainable.” gb&d

Ivan DavID EngInEErs & assocIatEs STrucTural deSign and engineering new BuiLdings • additions • gut-renovations • speciaLty construction • moduLar structures

Its branches cover nearly an acre.

Its roots extend a thousand feet in every direction.

This was my childhood playground, my refuge, my inspiration for becoming a landscape architect.

- Michael Kidd, RLA, LEED AP

5099 Woodridge Way, 404.895.2253

194

july–september 2012

Tucker,

GA

30084

110 Livingston street, 2H BrookLyn, new york 11201

T 212.991.8138 info@id-engineers.com

www.RootDStudio.com

gb&d

PLAY HEAL LEARN LIVE WORK SPACES

G ro u p Think

T

he concepts of team and creative inclusion are central to the ethos of Mapos, a New York City-based architectural design studio. When Colin Brice and Caleb Mulvena founded it in 2008, the intent was to create a firm that not only approached projects as idea-sharing forums but also had the capability to effectively manage such a creative team. “There can be strong voices in any project, but every project is a team effort, all the way from the client to the designer,” Brice says. That mentality is reflected in the studio’s design of the New York headquarters for LivePerson, an online marketing and web-analytics firm. To highlight the features of the space and the collaborative process by which they came about, gb&d took a look inside the office.

gbdmagazine.com

In New York City, architects from Mapos and creatives from LivePerson embrace the collaborative spirit to create an office space rooted in community

By Ashley Kjos

the town square At the physical center of the 15,000-square-foot New York office is what LivePerson calls its Town Square.

The idea for the open area came out of the collaborative working sessions that Mapos conducted with LivePerson when it was brought onto the project.

“It was very important to LivePerson that this hub of activity be located at the center of the office space,” Brice says. “They wanted to get people out and interacting with each other.” The area is used for impromptu meetings and guest lunches and also serves as a metaphor for the company culture on the whole, which strongly emphasizes the value of community. The lighting above the Town Square came from elsewhere in the existing space, repurposed here to reduce waste and cost.

In the corner, a glass partition can be used to separate the main conference room from the Town Square or folded back to further increase the open area. The multipurpose design of the conference room—known by LivePerson employees as Central Park—is a vital part of the Mapos approach. “One of the things we always try to incorporate into our design is flexibility,” Brice says. “How can one room have two different functions? Or how can certain spaces transform themselves?” july–september 2012

195

SPACES PLAY HEAL LEARN LIVE WORK

The ceiling The metal grate on the office ceiling was installed by Mapos in place of the standard white acoustic tiling seen in most offices. “We kept the existing grid but wanted to expose some of the mechanical systems and air handlers behind this metal mesh,” Brice says. The disc-like pendant lights, like those in the central meeting space, are reclaimed from what was left in the office. Below the lights, the company’s accolade wall is made from reclaimed wood and other salvaged material.

reception area The office’s reception area is unique. The kitchen is one of the first things that guests see. It was an idea that came of the gaming process, though employees were split over the decision. “The company wanted to be about openness and collaboration, and what room better personifies that energy than the kitchen?”

Brice says. “Everyone gathers around the kitchen, so in the end that vote won out.”

Upon entering, the “living room” and kitchen are front and center.

Putting these social spaces in full view is meant to evoke the openness of LivePerson’s brand.

EXISTING ELEMENTS Two LivePerson priorities were creating a green office that reduced waste and doing so on a modest budget. The paneling on the outside of the Central Park conference room achieved both. When the previous tenant moved out, it left almost everything in place—from the mechanical systems and lighting grid to the cubicles, millwork, and shelving. Mapos decided this created a significant opportunity for reuse. The shingle-style siding on the conference room is an amalgam of the different types of paneling from the existing cubicles and shelves, cut into 6-inch stripes and arranged in an attractive layered pattern.

the process One of the most interesting aspects of the office’s design is not the end product but the process Mapos used to determine the office’s layout. In keeping with the culture of inclusion, the architects devised a game in which employees selected the purpose of each area within the space. “The game is an example of … the most interesting thing about this project,” Brice says. “We take a lot of time and energy to understand the people and get to know what they value—and then design a space around that.” The game involved groups taking turns placing colored game pieces that represented of the office’s future functions and uses. Blue pieces were workstations. Yellow pieces, meeting rooms. Brice says it worked extremely well. “We … acted as referees as the employees traded, haggled, placed the pieces, and at the end of the session, we had a workable floor plan that everyone had input on,” he says.

Another creative collaborative session that occurred early in the design process involved various axes presenting design preferences, with each extreme on either end of the line. For example, a lot of light versus little light. Members of the LivePerson staff would take their avatars—goofy images to keep the mood light—and place it at a point on each axis. After they were done, a clear idea of the company’s preferences on the subjects could be seen quickly and easily.

How can one room have two different functions? How can spaces transform themselves?”

Colin Brice, Principal, Mapos 196

july–september 2012

gb&d

LivePerson New York SPACES

PROJECT 1 Town Hall 2 Meeting Pods 3 Reception/Living Room 4 Kitchen 5 Open Office 6 Open Conference Area 7 Conference Room

2

3

5

5 2

5

4

2

7

6

2

1

2

2

2

2

5

5

meeting pods The smaller meeting rooms around the office are designed to accommodate the need of privacy on occasion. If the need arises to have a meeting or conduct a conference call, a closed-door space is available. The hat-type tops of these rooms made of metal mesh are designed to be planters and have recently been filled with live plants. “The space that LivePerson rented had massive windows that let in a large amount of natural light,” Brice says. “Incorporating plants was something we discussed early on.”

Sound control was a primary driver in the design on the smaller meeting rooms, Brice adds, so the interiors of these rooms absorb noise with sounddampening acoustic material crosshatched on the ceiling. gb&d

PROJECT Location New York City Size 15,000 ft2 Completed 2011 Program A “public square,” informal kitchen/reception, workspace, small and large meeting rooms, and a game room

TEAM

Architect Mapos Client LivePerson

GREEN Certification Not applicable Daylighting Large windows allow for extensive natural light, vital for both employees and interior plantings Reuse Office lighting and interior elements repurposed from materials found throughout the existing space Indoor Plants The metal mesh “hats” atop smaller meeting rooms serve as planters

The open office plan is surrounded by 14-foot windows, bringing in abundant natural lighting that offsets energy needs.

gbdmagazine.com

july–september 2012

197

SPACES PLAY HEAL LEARN LIVE WORK

O f E ar t h A N D S t eel An innovative plantedroof system by SteelMaster Buildings contributes to the sustainability of processing and office spaces in Taiwan

By Julie Schaeffer

S

ustainable design was the natural choice when World Resources Company—an environmental company based in Taiwan—decided to construct a new building to house a processing facility and offices. “Being a recycling outfit, they wanted to be sustainable,” says William Swafford, a design specialist with Virginia Beach-based SteelMaster Buildings, which manufactures prefabricated corrugated steel building systems that offer quality and durability within a versatile, architectural-arch design.

“They knew we’d be able to help them get their LEED [certification].”

Their confidence, says Swafford, was a result of World Resources Company’s familiarity with SteelMaster. In 2006, when World Resources Company was seeking to build its headquarters in Taiwan, it found SteelMaster through an Internet search for companies that construct vaulted roof facilities from corrugated steel. “I believe they selected us because we let our customers go wild with their imagination, then try to accomplish their goals within realm of our engineering and manufacturing capabilities,” Swafford says.

That was certainly the case with the World Resources Company headquar-

198

july–september 2012

ters. The project went so well that when World Resources Company decided to build a second facility for processing, it turned to SteelMaster again. “Our contact at World Resources Company sketched up a building and asked me we could do something like that,” says Swafford. “We said yes, and over the next year, World Resources Company architects worked with our engineers on the design. In 2010 they signed off on drawings, we manufactured the panels based on the approved specifications, and we shipped it in pieces to be bolted together on-site in Taiwan.”

That’s the typical production process for SteelMaster, which starts by manufacturing deep corrugated steel panels and then forms them into prefabricated arch-type steel buildings or other objects.

“At the end of day, our proprietary component, which customers such as World Resources Company seek, is our corrugated steel panel with a post-consumer and post-industrial recycled content of around 90 percent,” Swafford says. “They can then be used to make anything from a building to a fence.”

The second World Resources Company facility, now under construction, is a two-part 8,300-square-foot building with a truss system that spans the width of the second floor. The part of the building SteelMaster was responsible for—the roof—spans both buildings and the space between, where an earth-covered surface acts as a rooftop garden.

The roof itself is highly energy efficient. Traditional dark asphalt shingle roofs absorb solar radiation, making gb&d

SteelMaster’s Energy Star-rated corrugated-steel panels reflect the sun’s energy, lowering building temperatures and cooling loads.

a building hot during the summer months. In contrast, Energy Star-rated metal roofing materials, such as SteelMaster corrugated steel panels, reflect a high percentage of the sun’s energy back into the atmosphere, lowering building temperatures and, subsequently, cooling loads. Studies conducted by the Cool Metal Roofing Coalition and Oak Ridge National Laboratory have shown that energy-efficient metal roofing materials, when combined with Energy Star-rated reflective paint systems, can save up to 40 percent on cooling costs versus asphalt shingle roofing.

But energy efficiency isn’t the only sustainable factor World Resources Company considered when selecting SteelMaster. SteelMaster’s corrugated steel also produce a minimal amount of gbdmagazine.com

“You can fit a large structure into an extraordinarily small case. The best way to picture it is to imagine a can of Pringles. Our panels are shaped like a chip, and they stack together that way.”

William Swafford, SteelMaster Buildings waste. “The steel comes into our facility on coils, and we’re not cutting chunks off that get thrown away,” Swafford says.

“The only real waste is the plugs where we punch holes for bolts to go through, and those plugs are recycled.”

Additionally, shipping is very efficient, resulting in a reduced carbon footprint. “You can fit a large structure into

an extraordinarily small case,” says Rob Poellnitz, vice president of international sales for SteelMaster. “The best way to picture it is to imagine a can of Pringles.

Our panels are shaped like a chip, and they stack together that way. As a result, we shipped all of the World Resources Company building materials in three containers.” gb&d july–september 2012

199

SPACES PLAY HEAL LEARN LIVE WORK

KEEPING THINGS COOL Kathy Hetrick takes questions on Wolf Trap Fire Station, a building whose workers and green features both fight the heat

By Mark Pechenik

S

lated for completion in August 2012, the Wolf Trap Fire Station is two things: First, it’s the newest public building owned by the County of Fairfax, Virginia, to qualify for LEED certification. And second, it’s the next notch in the greenbuilding belt of Milestone Construction Services. “When finished, we believe the station will score around 45 points on the LEED scale to achieve a Gold rating,” explains Kathy Hetrick, Milestone’s project manager for the Wolf Trap station.

We spoke with Hetrick about the project.

What are the station’s major green features?

Kathy Hetrick: The 14,000-square-foot facility will have four apparatus bays to house station fire trucks. Other building features include five bunkrooms, … a full kitchen, laundry facilities, and an emergency generator and 3,000-gallon fuel tank in case of municipal power shortages.

Why go green with this project?

Hetrick: The decision to go green with the fire station is part of a larger trend.

With the federal government now requiring that all of their new buildings be at least LEED Silver certified, many municipalities like Fairfax County are following suit.

content. Low-[VOC materials] also figure prominently in the station’s construction, such as the use of low-VOC adhesives in millwork and flooring. Similarly, low-VOC paints and coatings will be used throughout the building. Carpet and VCT [vinyl-composite-tile] flooring with lowVOC content will also be featured.

Lighting will have a distinctive sustainable edge. Automated light sensors will turn off lights in unoccupied station quarters. Meanwhile, extensive window space will take full advantage of daylight to reduce lighting costs. The windows will feature a strict performance requirement. This means that technically advanced glass panes will absorb less heat in the summer while preventing interior heat loss in the winter.

What will make the Wolf Trap station sustainable?

Hetrick: The Wolf Trap project boasts several major sustainable features. For instance, building materials including concrete, steel, acoustical ceiling tiles, and masonry contain significant recycled

What challenges have you faced in the project’s construction?

Hetrick: It has been necessary, at times, to educate subcontractors about LEED-certification requirements. This has meant occasionally guiding them through the necessary paperwork and

Though the Wolf Trap Fire Station chooses not to divert from traditional design, the structure is remarkable in terms of its Earthfriendliness. It features low-VOC finishes, advanced energy-efficient glass, and materials with high recycled content, just to name a few green elements.

200

july–september 2012

gb&d

SPACES

selection of qualified materials for their work. Fortunately, since most of the subcontractors share our enthusiasm for sustainable construction, they are more than willing to learn the specifics of the LEED process.

Milestone Construction has a long history of working with Design Glazing Concepts on base building and interior renovation projects. They have provided information on the recycled content and regional materials values of their supplied products on this project. Milestone values its relationship with exemplary subcontractors such as them. gb&d

“The decision to go green with the fire station is part of a larger trend.”

Kathy Hetrick, Project Manager, Milestone Construction Services

Mabry’s HVAC Services Mabry’s HVAC Services is a full mechanical HVAC company teaming with some of the best general contractors in the metropolitan Washington D. C. and Northern Virginia areas. From conception to working reality Mabry’s highly trained team of experienced and dedicated mechanics can tackle any job. From our service and bid departments to our installation and metal fabrication divisions Mabrys completes your Job.

portrait: Glenn Virgin

Mabry’s HVAC Services is locally owned and operated. Mabry’s was started in 1995 by Founder and President Robert Mabry.

Over the past 17 years Robert has grown a small construction company into a leader in the commercial HVAC industry in the area. The belief in Standards, Service, and Commitment has lead to the winning team and a proven track record.

9275 Mike Garcia Drive | Manassas, VA 20109 Phone: 703.330.2556 | Email: info@mabryshvac.com Fax: (703) 330-6116 www.mabryshvac.com

gbdmagazine.com

july–september 2012

201

SPACES PLAY HEAL LEARN LIVE WORK

SPOTLIGHT

Tower at PNC Plaza It should come as no surprise that PNC Financial Services Group, an early adopter of sustainable design that opened its first green building in 2000, recently announced plans to collaborate with Gensler, the global architecture and planning firm, to design and construct the world’s most eco-friendly skyscraper for PNC’s Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, headquarters.

The 40-story building is scheduled to be completed in 2015 and will house PNC’s executive offices as well as 3,000 employees.

Designed with a double glass façade, the 800,000-square-foot structure will allow natural airflow into the building, enhancing energy efficiency and reducing cooling costs. Gensler and PNC are also currently looking at sustainable techniques and products such as fuel cells, solar panels, geothermal systems, and other alternative power generation sources to help reduce carbon emissions. —Thalia A-M Bruehl

202

july–september 2012

gb&d

VERBATIM

Alan Heikkinen explains why Bay Area builder Branagh, Inc. imbues its affordable housing with a social and environmental conscience

It’s no surprise that a Bay Area contractor would have an environmental bent, but Branagh, Inc.’s commitment extends to its social conscience.

It builds affordable housing and relies on the best practices in environmental building, starting at the “napkin stage.” Most of the builder’s projects are either LEED certified or Green Point Rated, the rating system of local organization Build It Green. Estimator and sustainability coordinator Alan Heikkinen is a key part of the company’s green building efforts. Here he talks to gb&d about why healthier products are better for at-risk populations.

As told to Laura M. Browning

Our brand is our experience with sustainable projects. Branagh has been involved in sustainable processes since 2001, before LEED had programs for residential buildings. A facility like Rising Oaks really lends itself to sustainability, because, for one thing, we’re always looking at ways of building products that will last for a long time.

Rising Oaks is being built for young adults transitioning from the foster care system, and we take into consideration their backgrounds—they may be working through personal or emotional problems—and we do things like use solid-core doors instead of hollow-core doors, stronger hinges, and cabinets that are built out of plywood instead of particleboard. We’re looking for a healthy environment and products that will last.

We’re creating an environment for a portion of society that needs assistance. And by creating a healthier living environment, we can help people. For instance, if you have residents who are ADHD or are mildly autistic, living in a house filled with toxic materials can trigger anything from allergies to emotional problems.

We try to use more inert materials in the buildings, … more hard surface area and less carpeting.

gbdmagazine.com

Up Close and Personal What was your first job?

I was a bag boy at a grocery store.

If you weren’t in construction, what would you be doing?

Mentoring and teaching people with addictions.

What inspires you? Seeing people’s lives changed for the better.

Describe yourself in three words. Caring, curious, motivated.

What is your hidden talent?

I sing in a choir and a chambers group and would do more in community choruses if I had the time.

july–september 2012

203

VERBATIM Branagh, Inc.

Electrotec Contracting Inc would like to congratulate FCA/LifeTime Fitness on their superior product and elite construction team. We wish them continued success in the years to come.

ABOVE Filled with healthful building materials, Rising Oaks will offer 31 residential units to individuals transitioning from the foster-care system.

ELECTROTEC CONTRACTING INC. ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR | COMMERCIAL & INDUSTRIAL

Scot Rendzikowski, President

|

JJ Hotchkiss, Vice president

46582 Erb Drive | Macomb, Michigan 48042 P 586-598-9505 | F 586-598-9297 | www.electroteccontracting.com

Concord Iron Works, Inc.

The carpeting we do use meets the Green Label Plus standard from the Carpet and Rug Institute, meaning it has very low emissions of volatile organic compounds. We also look for materials that have no added urea-formaldehyde.

Our team designs and operates the buildings to maintain healthy air quality for the occupants. The maintenance staff is encouraged to use non-toxic cleaning products, and many of the management companies have property-wide no-smoking policies. In Rising Oaks, we’ll use natural linoleum flooring, and we’ll use many of the same kinds of products we used in Fourth Street Apartments—products like Icynene, a high-quality foam insulation that is HFC- and PBDE-free. We also use formaldehyde-free doors, and custom countertops made from a formaldehyde-free particleboard.

The Fourth Street Apartments has a living roof system designed by Design Ecology, and we used native plants. That means aiming for 90 percent of the installed plants to be drought tolerant. One of our subcontractors, Concord Iron Works, did the structural steel for the Fourth Street Apartments. They were very proactive in making sure the steel supplied for our buildings had some of the highest recycled content available.

Congratulations to Branagh!

We are proud to have furnished and installed the structural steel on your most recent project.

1501 Loveridge Road, #15 • Pittsburg , California 94565 Phone (925) 432-0136 • Fax (925) 432-0440

204

july–september 2012

There are a lot of parts and players involved in a successful green building project. We have preplanning meetings at the design phase, and we work to educate the designers, engineers, subcontractors, suppliers, as well as our own team at Branagh. We strongly believe in LEED and GPR [Green Point Rating], and we set goals early and assess the costs of every decision.

We insist that our subcontractors use recycled materials, look for ways to reduce waste, and improve energy efficiency from day one. This is a real team effort. gb&d

A MESSAGE FROM Concord Iron Works Concord Iron Works, Inc. wishes to congratulate Branagh, Inc. on its long and successful contracting history. Concord Iron Works has partnered with Branagh on numerous successful projects over the past 40 years. We look forward to this continued collaboration in the ever evolving and improving construction industry.

gb&d

GREEN BUILDING & DESIGN

Up Front Approach Trendsetters Green Typologies Inner Workings Features Spaces Tough Builds Punch List

206 Net Zero UC-Davis West Village 209 Remote Locations Namibia

Container Clinics 210 Off the Grid Blacktail Residence 212 Harsh Climates Rosa Gardens

gbdmagazine.com

july–september 2012

205

TOUGH BUILDS

NET ZERO Paradise in Davis

0

Amount of energy UC-Davis West Village takes from the grid on an annual basis

Carmel Properties

3,000

The number of students, faculty, and staff that will be housed in West Village upon completion

$300 million The cost of building UC-Davis West Village

206

july–september 2012

gb&d

When done right, elements like deep overhangs, sunshades, and sloped roofs can be aesthetic as well as functional.

SCENE

Davis, California, is the quintessential college town. It has about 70,000 people.

It’s mostly liberal. And it’s more than bike-friendly. The town’s primary employer is the University of California at Davis, an institution whose mission is to advance the human condition by improving quality of life. With a campus more than 100 years old and a self-proclaimed “global impact,” the leadership at UCDavis is well aware that sustainability can help drive the school’s mission.

In 2004, UC Davis put out an RFQ for a master developer to develop 130 acres of mixed-use property, an on-campus site called West Village that would include housing and student facilities. Carmel Partners, a 20-year-old San Franciscobased real estate firm responded as a joint venture with its partner Urban Villages of Denver and were awarded the project in 2005. Their vision: create the largest planned net-zero-energy community in the United States.

SETUP

There were three core goals for the UCDavis West Village project: First, expand housing options to help the university with its student and staff retention and recruitment efforts. Second, focus on quality of place at all scales of development, from the interiors to the public spaces. And third, emphasize environmental responsiveness. The last required the team to rethink various design elements: the type of plants used by SWA Group in landscaping, for instance, or the development’s rigorous exterior sun-shading system and the buildings’ orientation.

Carmel Partners hired two architectural design firms: MVE Institutional of Irvine for the bulk of the student housing and Studio E of San Diego for the mixed-use buildings. It used its in-house construction company for the build out, while Urban Villages played a key role in helping to work through the entitlements with the university.

Cunningham Engineering handled civil engineering and D&D Cabinets supplied all the cabinetry.

photos: Frederic Larson

STRATEGY The residence halls feature an eye-catching grid of fixed exterior sunshades that minimize solar heat gain.

gbdmagazine.com

Though not even asked by the university to do so, Carmel Partners achieved its goal of making West Village a net-zero community. It focused on energy efficiency by upgrading building insulation, using a super-efficient HVAC system, installing high-performance low-E glass and Energy Star-rated appliances, and adding fluorescent lighting in units to bring down the energy load. Oversized operable windows on both sides of the buildings generate cross breezes and allow for passive cooling. These and other techniques july–september 2012

207

West Village’s angled roofline isn’t just for dramatic effect. The slope optimizes the photovoltaic arrays atop the east-, south-, and west-facing rooftops.

TOUGH BUILDS NET ZERO Carmel Partners

helped make the buildings “50 percent more efficient than the California Building Code,” according to Nolan Zail, senior vice president of development of Carmel Partners.

Solar panels capable of generating four megawatts of electricity were installed on south-, east- and west-facing rooftops, as well as over parking lot structures. The system, from Sunpower, will produce the community’s remaining

energy need, reducing energy used from the grid to zero. Just to cap it off, the three-story apartment buildings all are LEED Platinum-certified.

Phase I of the $300 million development opened in fall 2011 and included 850 student beds in 315 apartments, 42,000 square feet of commercial retail space, and a 16,000-square-foot studentamenities building. Phase II, planned for fall 2012, will included 630 beds in 192

units; Phase III, scheduled to open fall 2013, will add 500 more beds and 155 units.

Tani Elliott, Carmel Partners’s project manager, says that, altogether, “UC Davis West Village will house approximately 3,000 students, faculty, and staff in 662 apartments and 343 single-family homes, and will have 42,500 square feet of commercial space, and the student recreation center.” gb&d —Lynn Russo Whylly

Donald Eurich, Architect

COWEN ASSOCIATES CONSULTING STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS

We are consultants specializing in the structural design of buildings and special structures. Our principal clients are architects, contractors, developers and building owners. photo: Frederic Larson

29 VESTA ROAD, NATICK MASSACHUSETTS 01760 TEL: 508.655.3976 • WWW.COWENASSOC.COM

Congratulations to Innovative Collaborations We wish you continued success!

208

july–september 2012

gb&d

TOUGH BUILDS

REMOTE LOCATIONS Making Containers into Clinics

Innovative Collaborations, INC.

Copper roofing and Solar Therm coating reflect the sun’s rays, while photovoltaics generate electricity.

Strategy

With added foundations and fittings, the shipping containers can withstand 120-mph winds.

SCene

The Erongo region of Namibia is on Africa’s west coast, about 1,000 miles north of the South African metropolis of Cape Town. When architecture firm Innovative Collaborations Inc. partnered with Containers 2 Clinics and Southern Logistics International to build three maternal- and child-health clinics in the region—repurposing shipping containers for the job—Innovative Collaborations principal Martin Smargiassi knew that the harsh climate of the surrounding Namib Desert would be a major hurdle. “This area is very representative of tough living,” Smargiassi says, noting the remote location and the area’s lack of resources. “It’s the poorest of the poor with no natural resources and an incredibly harsh climate, making it hard for the people in this area and hard for us to work.”

gbdmagazine.com

The most important factor when it came to energy efficiency was the employment of passive and active solar strategies. Being mindful of solar orientation can dramatically reduce the building’s energy consumption and dependence on outside sources of energy, Smargiassi says. As a result, the team built a sloped sunshading canopy that promoted A rainwater-collection airflow, shielded the clinic, and tank feeds to wet- and dryprovided shade for those outside. pipe systems for potable The canopy was equipped with and non-potable water, a rainwater collector for both respectively. potable and non-potable water.

The structures also included phoGoing in, Smargiassi and his team knew tovoltaic panels that generate electricity that the 8’x20’ shipping containers using a bidirectional inverter and battery would have to operate as fully stocked, charger. fully equipped health-care clinics, featurThe containers’ most impressive ing adaptable water and power hook-ups, feature, however, is the Super Therm climate controls, space for comprehenceramic coating by Superior Products, sive care, private consultation areas, a which is inspired by ceramic tiles used by laboratory and pharmacy, and a multiNASA. The ceramic-based, water-borne, tude of other crucial features. insulating coating was designed to block Thankfully, the containers used are heat load, moisture penetration, and equipped to handle high wind and seisair infiltration, and it simultaneously mic environments. The rugged structural reflects ultraviolet, visual, and infrared steel and light-gauge metal framework is rays, thus keeping the building cooler strong and durable capable of withstandthan with traditional insulation. “Why ing up to 180 pounds per square foot of use traditional fiberglass insulation to floor loading. slow the transfer of heat into the build“There are literally an infinite number ing when you can just prevent heat from of ways these containers can be modified entering the building in the first place?” as long as structural integrity is built Smargiassi says. The coating will reflect into them by reinforcement,” Smargiassi up to 95 percent of solar radiation. The says. “We have designed the units to have first of the Erongo container clinics are foundations, footings, and connections expected to be operational this year. gb&d —Tina Vasquez to resist winds of 120 miles per hour.”

Setup

july–september 2012

209

TOUGH BUILDS

off the grid designing A HYPER-GREEN HOME Kelly & Stone Architects

A green roof, which will reduce runoff, is nestled between the two main gable roofs.

The Blacktail Residence’s site-plan design is intended to facilitate outdoor living functions during the summer months.

A deep, covered porch will lessen the impact of the intense Colorado sun.

210

july–september 2012

gb&d

35–40

Acres on which the Blacktail Residence sits—the site’s dynamic topography is a major driver of the home’s design

SCENE 80–100 Estimated R-value in the Blacktail Residence roof, thanks to an extremely efficient thermal envelope

Fifteen miles southeast of Steamboat, Colorado, within a residential development divided into 35–40 acre parcels will soon be an off-the-grid home known as the Blacktail Residence. Because of the size of the property, there’s an abundance of material onsite to burn to heat the home, and to take advantage of the views and the privacy on the property, the owners chose to have their home positioned at the top of a steep ridge rather than lower on the land. Keith Kelly, a principal at Kelly & Stone Architects says this choice has been a significant driver in the design.

SetuP

The homeowners of the Blacktail Residence wanted a low-energy, selfsustaining home and hoped to achieve a sub-30 HERS rating. Various systems, including those for water capture and storage, have been explored—a task that’s been a challenge, Kelly says, as the owners requested each system be proven effective prior to installation. Plus, with Steamboat’s late-in-the-day summer sun, the heat liability was another obstacle the home’s structure and materials would need to resolve.

STRATEGY

To begin, Kelly & Stone Architects brought in an energy consultant to conduct energy modeling. A 3-D model of the home was created to assist with heat-load calculations and assemblies, prompting the incorporation of deep overhangs and window shading, in order to minimize late-day heat gain caused by the westfacing façade. Triple-glazed openings for the windows and doors also will improve the home’s efficiency.

Taking advantage of all that sunlight, the home will use hot-water solar and photovoltaic systems. Its extremely efficient thermal envelope is designed to reach between R-80 and R-100 in the roof and up to R-45 in the walls. Another request was a multifuel boiler, something Kelly & Stone Architects hadn’t used before. “It has a wood-burning combustion chamber that is also tied into a liquid propane burner,” explains principal Tim Stone. “When wood isn’t burning, … and it calls for heat, the gas burner takes over.”

Though there’s power within reach of the Blacktail Residence, the homeowners are determined to operate off the grid.

This decision has financial benefits: Stone says the utility lateral across the parcel is rather far, and a lot of the alternativeenergy systems’ costs will be recouped if utilities aren’t installed. gb&d —Jennifer Hogeland

15

Distance in miles from Steamboat Springs, CO gbdmagazine.com

july–september 2012

211

TOUGH BUILDS

HARSH CLIMATES Taming the desert for disadvantaged families Brooks + Scarpa

$386–$858 Range of monthly rents, kept low through the use of various passive-solar and energy-efficiency design strategies

212

july–september 2012

gb&d

57

Units of affordable housing in Rosa Gardens, developed by the awardwinning Coachella Valley Housing Coalition

Interior courtyards reduce wind velocity and provide shade from the area’s hot sun.

Scene

Palm Springs is famous for palm treelined streets, rugged mountain vistas, and 354 days of sunshine—all of which have helped make it an oasis for Hollywood legends and average citizens.

Also attractive are the mild winters, but summertime is another matter. In July, the average daily high is 108 degrees Fahrenheit.

For this iconic but harsh setting, Brooks + Scarpa designed the Rosa Gardens affordable housing community for the Coachella Valley Housing Coalition. The 57-unit project sits on 4.5 acres of previously developed land on Rosa Parks Road (also called Las Vegas Road), the main entry to Palm Springs from the northwest.

“It’s next to the Visitors Center on the edge of town,” says Lawrence Scarpa, principal of the Los Angeles-based architecture firm. “The feeling is remote and spread out. It feels more like an open desert than a city.”

ROSA PARKS ROAD

STEPPED GARDEN

ROCK GARDEN

TOT LOT

FLOOR PLAN 1_ROSA PARKS

gbdmagazine.com

0’

10’

20’

40’

Setup

“The client had a full program of what they wanted,” Scarpa says. “Affordable housing was the main need.”

Affordable housing and green building may seem like conflicting goals, but Brooks + Scarpa helped define the process. In 2002, their Colorado Court community in Santa Monica was the first LEED-certified multifamily-housing project in the nation.

“We did it when there was no LEED certification for projects such as this,” Scarpa says of the project that eventually achieved Gold certification. “We worked with the USGBC to figure out how to do that because multi-housing can’t be done too expensively. Now every affordable housing authority in California is a green developer.”

Strategy

The $12.5 million Rosa Gardens project achieved LEED Gold certification by employing a wide range of energy-efficiency measures, optimizing building performance, and reducing energy use during all phases of construction.

It started with orienting the project to minimize solar heating and tame the strong desert winds for beneficial cooling. The buildings are arranged around open-ended courtyards that reduce wind velocity and yet allow natural ventilation. There are minimal west-facing windows, and south-facing windows are shaded by deep overhangs that also provide courtyard shade.

The overall project achieved a recycling rate of more than 81 percent. The carpet by Mohawk has high recycled content, the Armstrong linoleum flooring is made from all-natural materials, and insulation batts from John Manville are july–september 2012

213

formaldehyde-free and made of recycled newspaper. During construction, all materials waste was hauled to a transfer station for recycling.

Working with Global Green, an energy-efficiency consultant, Brooks + Scarpa specified compact fluorescent lighting throughout the buildings and timers for exterior lights. Double-paned windows from Milgard, Fleetwood, and US Aluminum have glazing with a low solar-heat-gain coefficient. Apartment units are equipped with water-saving dual flush toilets by Toto, Kohler, and American Standard.

Solar orientation and shading strategies were vital for Rosa Gardens, subject to 108-degree days in the summer.

The kitchens, designed with Lashober & Sovich consultants, feature efficient Energy Star appliances by GE and ISE. Environmental air quality was addressed by following Southcoast Air Quality Management District and Greenseal requirements for finishes and by minimizing them in general. Low- and no-VOC paints, sealants, and coatings were used inside, and concrete slabs were left exposed where possible, using an integral color on the exterior stucco finish to eliminate the need for exterior paint.

The landscape design by PEG Office of Landscape + Architecture features three courtyards that provide shading, reduce wind velocity, and incorporate a play area, a multilevel rock garden with decomposed granite, and small grass areas. The overall project clocks in 35 percent above California Title 24 energy standards. gb&d —Jeff Hampton

Professional Liability Specialists IOA Insurance Services represents over 1,500 A/E firms from sole proprietors to over 1,000 employees with the placement of E&O/GL/WC/EPL, Employee Benefits and a full range of Financial Services.

IOA’s Reno Caldwell, Suzanne Purnell and David Mohn are pleased to be the insurance partners of Brooks + Scarpa Architects.

For more information: (800) 243-6899 | www.ioapro.com 214

july–september 2012

Proud to Work With SOSH on Revel, a Lifestyle Resort www.tishmanconstruction.com

Green B&D ad.indd 1

gb&d

12/16/11 11:52 AM

Verbatim

Thomas Sykes on neighborhood regeneration, his time as a prison reformer, and why his father hated architects

photo: Jeff Mendoza

Up Close and Personal

Like many architecture firms, SOSH Architects’ chosen moniker stems from the surnames of its principals. The first ‘s’ belongs to Thomas Sykes, who founded the firm alongside Thomas O’Connor, William Salerno, and Nory Hazaveh in Margate, New Jersey, in 1979. After years contributing master planning and design to Atlantic City, SOSH Architects now wields a broader focus. Yet though its portfolio spans the country, it also includes unique and forward-thinking projects closer to home, such as an eco-friendly residence / nature center set in the woods of New Jersey’s Unexpected Wildlife Refuge. Here, Sykes talks about the origins of SOSH and the Atlantic City neighborhood he calls home.

We started in Margate and had a lot of residential and planning initially but wanted to grow into hospitality and education and municipal work. We wanted a broader scope. So when we moved our offices out to Atlantic City in 1986, we have been focusing on hospitality and education. What’s good about hospitality is it helps us grow away from our hometown. At home we’re a very diverse practice and can apply for a lot of different work. Farther away from home, you need a niche. Our niche has been hospitality.

We’re quite busy in hospitality right now in upstate New York, in Mississippi, in California, in Ohio, and we’re doing two concepts for projects overseas right now.

As told to Lindsey Howald Patton

I live in Atlantic City, in a 100-year-old boathouse I renovated. When we renovated that building, there was no one living there. Now it’s a really nice north-side neighborhood that’s regenerated itself called Gardner’s Basin, which is a really lovely area not a lot of people get to see.

We’ve got a long way to go in Atlantic City, but it’s a pleasure being part of the process.

gbdmagazine.com

What was your first job?

I was working for the US Department of Justice doing prison reform work for the northeast region of the United States. It was fascinating work.

If you weren’t an architect, what would you be? I would be in oceanography. I would be diving somewhere.

What inspires you? An early appreciation for the arts and growing up in a coastal community, for the environment.

Describe yourself in three words. Hoping to grow.

What is your hidden talent?

To bring calm and control into uncalm situations.

july–september 2012

215

Verbatim Thomas Sykes

Photovoltaic panels mounted on the southfacing roof will provide nearly 90% of the visitor center’s power.

ABOVE The LEEDcertified Brigantine Beach Community Center converts a vacant Catholic school into a multiuse community building. The renovation added nearly 6,000 square feet of space for public use.

I don’t think being environmentally conscious is an industry change. I think the industry has responded to a recognition of responsibility from all aspects of civilization. The sensitivity to sustainable principles is now not just an industry principle but … a client principle.

The people who are developing the Unexpected Wildlife Refuge project and many others have reassessed their priorities. That’s what’s really matured not only the industry, but the education of our children and the improvement and sensitivity of the materials.

My father had a roofing business in Atlantic City when I was growing up. My father—I loved him dearly, but he hated architects. He literally cried when I told him I was going to be an architect. His words were, “I spend my life fixing architects’ mistakes. Promise me if you’re going to do this, you’ll associate with good people.” I said, “I promise.” I’ve tried to keep that promise. That’s why I’m sitting here. gb&d

A MESSAGE FROM Tishman Construction Tishman Construction, an AECOM company, is Construction Manager for Revel, as well as the following iconic projects: One World Trade Center, which will be the nation’s tallest building at 1,776 feet; the Pennsylvania Convention Center expansion; One Bryant Park in New York City; and CityCenter in Las Vegas.

For more information, visit www.tishmanconstruction.com.

C h as e r G affn e y o n

The Unexpected Wildlife Refuge Center “The Unexpected Wildlife Refuge is a nonprofit wildlife refuge on about 767 acres of forest and swamp and lakes and bogs—actually, it sits on a cranberry bog in Buena Vista Township. I think the best part of the proposed 2,500-square-foot center is the high insulation value of the wall. We’re doing a double-stud wall that we can fill with insulation and retain the heating and cooling of the building. We’re using FSC-certified lumber [and] putting a solar array on the south roof of the building to provide about 90 percent of the functional power. We’re pursuing as high a LEED rating as we can, [but] in the middle of the woods it’s hard to get points for community activity and nearby transportation. Gold is pretty much the highest we can get.”

Chaser Gaffney is a project coordinator at SOSH Architects.

216

july–september 2012

gb&d

UP GREEN BUILDING & DESIGN

Up Front Approach Trendsetters Green Typologies Inner Workings Features Spaces Tough Builds Punch List 218 220 222 224 226

gbdmagazine.com

Material World Emeco Architects to Watch W.PA Solution Western Wind Energy Game Plan RMT Inc. Show & Tell Brodie Stephens

july–september 2012

217

PUNCH LIST

Material World Breaking the Mold Gregg Buchbinder and his team at Emeco are saving millions of plastic bottles from landfills by using them to make sleek, timeless chairs. Sounds sustainable, but how do you make something out of plastic that’s normally made out of aluminum? By Jennifer Nunez

218

july–september 2012

The cast of characters.

Emeco is a Pennsylvania-based furniture-maker famous for its über-hip chairs handmade out of recycled aluminum.

Coca-Cola is an iconic softdrink company known for its animated polar bears and its environmental efforts to protect real bears’ habitat.

How did the two meet?

“Coca-Cola came to Emeco in 2006 and asked if we could use their recycled PET [recycled polyethylene terephthalate, rPET for short] bottles to make a chair, bottles that otherwise would remain in the landfill,” explains Emeco CEO Gregg Buchbinder. “At Emeco we have always been working towards zero waste and decided to help Coca-Cola to find a solution.”

That solution was the 111 Navy Chair, an rPET riff on Emeco’s regular Navy chair.

Since its debut in 2010, the seat has kept six million bottles out of landfills.

gb&d

PUNCH LIST

Inspiration.

Coloration.

The design of the 111 Navy Chair—named for the 111 bottles required to make it—was an inspiration in itself. “We didn’t want to do something that was about the design per se,” Buchbinder says. “It was about the material and being able to really figure out the science of the material and utilize it, rather than have people focus on the shape and style.” So Emeco just replicated its original Navy Chair design, transforming it not via new lines and contours but via its new material properties.

Emeco worked with color expert Laura Guido-Clark to establish an earthy array of colors. Originally, Emeco wanted to be sure people understood that it was derived from recycled material. Some suggested a confetti look where one could see parts of the plastic. “[Guido-Clark] said, ‘You know, the intelligence is really baked into this chair,’” Buchbinder recalls.

“The desire was to have a color and a finish and a texture that really made the chair look beautiful, as opposed to recycled. Accomplishing that wasn’t so easy.”

Emeco was adamant that toxins not be part of the chair’s configuration, a difficult stipulation since most pigments contain chromium, which breaks down plastic— especially red. But Coca-Cola’s iconic color wasn’t off the table for long. The scientists at BASF helped develop pigments that were nontoxic, including red. “It actually has performed better than any other color in the testing,” Buchbinder says of the color.

“We not only have done it in a nontoxic way, we have made a superior pigment to what is currently on the market.” The final palette: Red, Snow, Flint Gray, Grass Green, Persimmon, and Charcoal.

Preparation.

It was a simple idea—but not an easy one, Buchbinder says.

The first step was determining whether it was even possible to make the rPET strong enough for use in a high-use application like a chair. The tolerances of the material are narrow compared to virgin plastic. It’s difficult to work with, it’s expensive, and the tooling is more elaborate because the melting point is much higher.

What makes the original, aluminum chair so strong is that there are no fasteners— it’s made as one solid piece.

So Emeco decided to make this chair the same way. But to mold a complicated shape like this takes a lot of engineering and time. “It’s not your typical Ikea pop-it-out plastic chair,” Buchbinder says.

Composition.

Emeco and BASF scientists developed a composite mix made of 65 percent rPET and 35 percent pigmentation and glass fiber (the latter to add to the chair’s strength). In the end, the chair was strong enough that Emeco felt perfectly comfortable offering customers a five-year structural warranty. Plus, the “velvet” finish is scratch resistant and complies with California and UK fire codes.

This blob of rPET (pigment added) will eventually become a chair

Pros (+) + Using rPET helps keep millions of plastic bottles out of landfills each year + Pioneering fabrication techniques will help innovate less costly ways to work with recycled material + The 111 Navy Chair can help inspire others to make wise environmental decisions + rPET helps combat the “everything-is-disposable” mindset

Cons (–) – Recycled material is still technically more expensive than virgin material – rPET is more difficult to mold than virgin material – rPET has tighter tolerances, making the margin of error narrower – The molding time for rPET is longer

Adapting the Emeco process for rPET meant using the fourpart mold shown here

gbdmagazine.com

july–september 2012

219

PUNCH LIST

“With the reality of getting through this recession, we look at things very skeptically now.”

Carrie Strickland, Principal

“I think nearly going out of business every three months is pretty sobering. So I would say that right now we are very, very cautiously optimistic.”

Bill Neburka, Principal

220

july–september 2012

gb&d

PUNCH LIST

Architects to Watch Carrie Strickland & Bill Neburka The heavily lauded principals of Portland’s Works Partnership Architecture discuss their Midwestern roots, their professional blind date, and the very real possibility that their studio could fold at any time.

Interview by Kelli Lawrence

portrait: Joshua Jay Elliott; Photo: Richard Strode

To describe Works Partnership Architecture (W.PA) as an up-and-coming, Portland-based sustainable design firm is to be a bit redundant—as principals Carrie Strickland and Bill Neburka readily note, very little gets built in Oregon without LEED or some other form of green certification. But W.PA’s public-transit minded creations and minimalist approach— “requiring project elements to do double or even triple duty,” Strickland says—help the relatively young firm stay afloat, even when economic challenges threaten to pull it under. Here, Strickland and Neburka share their story, philosophy, and challenges en route to success.

How did you two decide to form a business partnership?

Strickland: A developer I’d worked with for a few years had a piece of property under contract to purchase, and we’d just started talking about me starting my own office. I [knew it was] time but also that I didn’t want to do it by myself. And he said, “I know another architect—he lives across the street from me.” That was Bill [Neburka]. I called him up and we met for drinks. It was very much like a blind date: ‘So what do you like to do?’

‘What are your hopes and dreams?’ And our goals were closely aligned. Our skills match up well; his strengths and mine really work together… it’s rare that that happens.

Can you tell me more about that first meeting?

Neburka: It really was like a first date. gbdmagazine.com

You’re looking for somebody to nod at the right points and not furrow their brow. You’re walking through your mental checklist about how you see your future unfolding and hoping that other person is feeling the same way.

Strickland: I’d always had this belief that you didn’t need big budgets to do great design work. And he seemed to be talking about that too. Plus we both had families, and I’d seen his design work through my ex-husband when they were working together and really liked it. He had a clarity to everything he was doing, so I was pretty excited about that.

What sort of philosophies have the two of you brought to the firm?

Neburka: We would always joke about Ivy League firms and how they’d spend three months coming up with their manifesto of how they were going to practice, and meanwhile they’d go out of business because they weren’t actually doing any work. I think we just knew that we wanted to be a design office and to produce a high level of thoughtful work.

Strickland: We’ve also talked about the fact that Bill and I were both from the Midwest and were wondering how much we had of that ‘farmer mentality’—having to be pretty practical about what you take on and making sure every piece of work is representing you in the way that you want. There’s something very reasonable about the approach.

I understand your mission with new projects is to understand the clients’ needs before thinking of creative solutions. Can you explain?

Neburka: While looking at any project … we understand that every component of that costs money and is expected to return money. We have our ideas about what makes a building successful, and how cultures can become an asset of a building, but we’d never say, ‘This is exactly the way something should look.’

It’s really about, ‘Where do you see those

areas in your expectation of the project?’

We look to how we’d like it to go and then … if it starts to go sideways, we’ll get on the outside of it and work at it from a different angle.

Many in this industry talk about struggling since the economic freefall of late 2008. How are things looking for W.PA in that regard?

Strickland: What’s interesting to me is that of all the work that may come in, 80 percent of it is what we had in the office three years ago, before the market went down. And most of those projects have kind of changed forms and evolved—just a different way of looking at them. And then to see them start to come back when it started to get better, it felt like ‘Yeah, there’s definitely a turn.’ But with the reality of getting through this recession, we look at things very skeptically now.

Neburka: I think nearly going out of business every three months is pretty sobering. So I would say that right now we are very, very cautiously optimistic. gb&d

The façade of bSide6, on East Burnside in Portland, OR, illustrates W.PA’s urban style.

july–september 2012

221

PUNCH LIST

Solution Merging Renewables Kingman, AZ, is paradise for renewable energy: it’s one of the windiest places on the planet and sees 350 days of sunshine per year.

The risk of committing to a sustainable energy project is always a chicken-and-egg scenario.

But Western Wind Energy has confronted that risk head-on at its Kingman, Arizona, wind farm— and pioneered a new species of renewable-energy development.

By Laura Williams-Tracy

222

july–september 2012

Western Wind Energy functions much like a traditional mining company. But instead of buying land rich with coal, Western Wind buys land where the wind is always blowing. “Our strategy is that we go in, tie up a property, and spend two years on studies,” says Mike Boyd, Western Wind’s executive vice president.

“From there we try to find a buyer.” And just as oil companies or miners might hire a geologist to tell them where to drill, wind companies hire meteorologists to determine the windiest places on our planet. One of those places, it turns out, is Kingman, Arizona.

After meteorological research identified Kingman as a prime location, Western Wind bought 1,110 acres and began development of a 10-megawatt wind farm. Other factors working in the property’s favor were its buildable topography, agreeable zoning regulations, and nearby transmission lines to deliver power once the farm was operational. Western Wind erected test

towers nearly 200 feet high and spent two years gathering data on wind currents to ensure the project would be viable. “Western Wind bought the property with the full intention with building a wind project, with the hope of [then] negotiating a reasonable price with the power company to buy that power,” Boyd explains.

Over the course of the development, favorable changes within the solar market impacted the project. As the cost of solar panels dropped, Western Wind committed to the idea of making Kingman wind farm the first fully integrated wind-and-solar-generation facility in the country. By combining the functions on one site and sharing the same substation, Western Wind can maximize its investment and boost the amount of power the plant produces.

“Wind is an intermittent resource, meaning it’s available only when the wind is blowing,” Boyd says. “Solar is only available when the sun is shining.” gb&d

PUNCH LIST

“We’re basically pioneers in the experiment. It’s the first of its kind as a combined wind-and–solarpower project and something the power company was interested in supporting.”

Mike Boyd, Western Wind Energy

But with both resources available (Kingman sees 350 days of sun per year), the odds for reliable production were far greater. Research found that solar activity was best from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., while wind energy could be best captured from 2:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Western Wind found a buyer for its 10 megawatts of wind energy and five kilowatts of solar energy in Unisource, a progressive energy company that was also motivated to work with Western Wind to meet an Arizona mandate that a portion of its energy generation come from renewable sources.

“We are basically pioneers in the experiment,” Boyd says. “It’s the first of its kind as a combined wind-and-solarpower project and something the power company was interested in supporting.”

Kingman went online in October 2011 with a ribbon cutting in December. At full capacity, Kingman can power 3,500 homes.

Now Western Wind is exploring the integrated concept on a larger scale at Windstar, its 120-megawatt generating facility in Tehachapi, California. That project came online just months after Kingman, in December 2011.

“We have a unique niche,” Boyd says.

“We are a small, soon-to-be mid-sized wind developer. We do a good job of finding windy land in areas that can be zoned.

It took us 10 years to become an overnight success. [Now], we’re flying high.” gb&d gbdmagazine.com

ABOVE Alongside the solar array, the 198-foot-tall turbines at the Kingman wind farm will produce enough power to power 3,500 homes.

Consulting Engineering firm established in 2000, specializing in Environmental Consulting & Occupational Health Management.

•

Environmental Health and Safety Compliance Audits

•

Asbestos Consulting / Surveys / Management Programs / Abatement Specifications / Inspections & Air Monitoring

•

Designated Substances & Other Hazardous Materials (PCBs, UFFI, Avian Pathogens, etc.)

•

Mould / Assessments / Control Options

•

Control of Infectious Agents during Construction

•

Environmental Site Assessments (ESAs) / Phase I, II, Remediation

•

Indoor Air Quality

•

Training Seminars in Asbestos, Mould, Confined Space, Infection Control

•

Emergency Response

•

Project Management 6130 Tomken Rd, Mississauga, ON, L5T 1X7 Office: 905.795.2800 Toll Free: 1.866.231.6855 E-Mail: info@ecoh.ca | Website: www.ecoh.ca

july–september 2012

223

PUNCH LIST

Game Plan RMT Inc. Expedites Energy Solutions RMT Inc., a subsidiary of Alliance Energy Corporation, is becoming the vendor of choice for building wind and solar energy enterprises.

Senior project manager Richard Zimmerman explains in his own words how the engineering firm has reached its currents heights.

As told to Mark Pechenik

1

Learn from your legacy.

In many ways, our renewable energy leadership lies in our environmental engineering legacy. Our roots stem back to RMT’s founders, three former Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources environmental managers who specialized in solid and hazardous waste management. The early corporate plan for RMT was to provide industrial clients with fullservice waste-management and groundwater-quality consulting services. So it wasn’t a far leap to direct our efforts toward construction of renewable energy facilities.

2

Create a dialogue.

The first step is determining client needs and goals. Here we listen to clients and figure out how we can work together.

What is their approach to engineering? What are their project goals? We engage in several casual conversations, along with formal project meetings, to facilitate a solid partnership with the client.

224

july–september 2012

3

Complement client resources.

Client capabilities vary significantly. For instance, some have an engineering staff that has done site work. We have specialists who take such preliminary work and incorporate it into plans for solar- or wind-energy projects. Other clients may just have a proposal in hand and need our entire spectrum of services, from site development to engineering and construction. Either way, we easily accommodate each client’s resources.

4

Offer services in-house.

Much of our competitive edge comes from having everything under one roof. When it comes to solar and wind energy, our technicians are experienced not only in the design and construction of these renewable energy facilities, but also in the high-voltage transmission necessary for their completion. Clients are assured that the entire project is being handled with the utmost

Meet Richard Zimmerman: Senior project manager leading RMT Inc.’s renewable-energydevelopment projects.

expertise and effectiveness.

This same quality and technical aptitude applies to our choice of subcontractors.

Among them is Hooper Corporation, whom we have used in multiple phases of our electrical work, specifically because of their quality craftsmanship and great safety record.

5

Expedite solutions.

Perhaps the best reason for choosing a full-service firm such as RMT is our ability to deal quickly with project concerns.

If it is necessary to alter plans because a specialized crane is needed to move wind turbines up a steep mountain slope, for example, our designers work hand–in-hand with our construction team to make this happen as efficiently as possible. Our Sheffield wind

energy project is one realworld example of this team approach. During the early phase of this contract, it was determined that water mitigation was necessary to capture water runoff contaminated by the building process. Our construction team jumped on the problem by creating a series of rock-lined ditches to safely store and subsequently drain the water without causing project delays.

6

Complete all objectives.

While technical expertise and project coordination counts for a great deal, success boils down to your ability to create a great working relationship with the client. Consequently, at RMT it is all about sharing and fulfilling the client’s vision. gb&d gb&d

GREEN BUILDING & DESIGN

Index

Advertisers A Abbie Glass & Glazing, 39 Ad Astra Development, 68 ADD Inc., 47 Advanced Building Performance, 61 American Constructors, 67 Aramark, 228 Arpi’s North, 94 ASLA, 2 B Bien Hecho, 103 Big Ass Fans, 9 Birdair, Inc. 112 BN Builders, 79 Bradford Electric, 28 Bruce Construction, 42 C California Multi-Family New Homes, 103 Cascade Renewable Energy, 137 CBRE, 35 Champlin Architecture, 63 City of San Diego, 80 Civil & Environmental Consultants, Inc., 42

Clarion Industries, 51 ConAm, 73 Concord Iron Works, 204 Cowen Associates, 208 Crawford Architects, 98 Cushman & Wakefield/NorthMarq, 39, 40 D D&D Cabinets, 208 Design Glazing Concepts, 201 Desmone & Associates Architects, 39 Drew Bowen Electric, 56 Dunham, 30 E Eagle Builders, 88 Earth Systems, 6 Ecogate, 52 ECOH Management, 223 EDG Architects / EcoHousing, 61 Eiserman & Associates, 187 Electrotec Contracting, 204 Endurance Wind Power, 180 Energy Edge Technologies Corporation, 98

F G H

I

J K L

Environmental Contracting Corporation, 63 Excel Dryer, 95 Fortney & Weygandt, 67 Geheber Lewis Associates, 42 Ghafari Associates, 137 HarenLaughlin Construction, 64 HBT Architects, 44 Healthcare Facilities Symposium & Expo, 227 Hooper Corporation, 223 IDEA Engineering, 194 Impact Enterprises, 95 Inovia Consulting Group, 143 Integral, 44 InterCon Automation, 173 IOA Insurance Services, 214 John Friedman Alice Kimm Architects, 173 KPFF Consulting Engineers, 94 Kurt Salmon, 160 Lake State Industries, 167

Lighthouse Utility Solutions, 154 Lutron, 37 M Mabry’s HVAC Services, 201 MAGNET, 49 Martifer Solar, 35 Miller Electric Co., 33 Milton C. Beebe & Sons, Inc., 112 MJM Architects, 30 Modular Arts, 161 Myrtha Pools, 106 N New Power Solutions, 177 P Perini Building Company, 106 Philips Color Kinetics, 149 Pickens Kane, 161 Premier Restaurant Equipment and Design, 149 Q Questions & Solutions Engineering, 79 R R.M. Chin & Associates, Inc., 85 Rampart Construction, 73 Rob Walker Architects, 22 Root Design Studio, 194 Rush Street Gaming, 153

S SeaOtter WoodWorks, 184 Seattle City Light, 79 Sky Factory, 22 SLS Partnership, 180 Smooth Energy, 143 Soderstrom Architects, 192 Stantec, 177 Strategic Energy Innovations, 187 Summit Lighting, 47 T T.W. Frierson Contractor, 66 TECO Peoples Gas, 44 Thermal Systems, 88 Tishman Construction, 214 Todd Construction, 192 Toppan, 30 Turnsol Energy, 56 W Warner Design Associates, 66 Waste Management, 77 Wells Fargo, 52 Western Wind Energy, 79 World Cleaning Services, 180 Z Zumtobel, 167

IF YOU MISSED WHEN THE WORLD CHANGED, YOU WEREN’T SUBSCRIBED TO GB&D. SUBSCRIBE NOW

Visit gbdmagazine.com/sub or go paper free in the App Store gb&d is free for qualified industry professionals

gbdmagazine.com

july–september 2012

225

PUNCH LIST

Show & Tell Biography of a Napkin Sketch Perkins+Will’s Brodie Stephens on his honored entry to Architectural Record’s 2011 Cocktail Napkin Sketch Contest My father is an architect and architectural illustrator, and of the three brothers born to my mom and dad, I have been the most consistent as an artist. While my brother took a degree in fine arts and I a first degree in architecture, he’s gone on to being a film director who draws hardly at all. I’ve gone on to being the general counsel of Perkins+Will who draws as much as he can. Drawing calms me down, and gives me something almost therapeutic to focus on without distraction.

Perkins+Will is passionate about design and the implications of design and architectural practice on the planet. Because of this focus on design, one of the younger designers here in the San Francisco office promoted a ‘contest’—mostly an opportunity to sketch and drink beer one evening—for submissions to the Architectural Record 2011 Cocktail Napkin Sketch Contest.

One morning I was in the office before dawn and noticed the sun coming up over the East Bay hills through clouds. The view was framed by the Lefty O’Doul Bridge, and I was inspired by the contrast between the dark rectilinear steel superstructure and the light of the breaking dawn. It took me about an hour to draw.

I’ve received good-natured teasing that if I’m going to start drawing, then my colleagues are going to start drafting contracts. But underlying it all is a recognition of our collective love of the visual arts.

And that’s pretty cool. gb&d

“I was inspired by the contrast between the dark rectilinear steel superstructure and the light of the breaking dawn.”

Brodie Stephens

226

july–september 2012

gb&d

www.hcarefacilities.com

CE

G

October 1, 2012 • PRE-CONFERENCE

25

N

The Defining Event for the Entire Team Who Designs, Plans, Constructs and Manages Healthcare Facilities

BRATI LE

Y E A R S

SPECiAl RATES:

October 2-4, 2012 • CONFERENCE October 2-3, 2012 • EXHIBITS Navy Pier, Chicago, IL

Over 80 Educational Sessions | Over 170 Speakers Over 200 Exhibits | Networking Events | Facility Tours Interactive Workshop | Discussion Forums The Healthcare Facilities Symposium & Expo, now in its 25th year, is the original event that brings together the entire team who designs, plans, constructs and manages healthcare facilities. The Symposium is the forum where leaders share ideas on healthcare delivery improvement and how the physical space directly impacts the staff, patients and their families. Discover and explore ideas, practices, products and solutions at HFSE that improve current and future healthcare facilities.

• Green Building & Design subscribers save 20% on a full conference pass.

Use source code DCHJ9W to receive your discount.

• Special pricing is available for health care facilities and government.

• Group rates start at just three registrations. Call 203.371.6322 for more info.

EARN UP TO 16 CEUs:

Visit www.hcarefacilities.com for more information and to register.

For information on exhibits and sponsorships, please contact Nancy Jo Hauck at 203.416.1770 or nj@jdevents.com.

Education Provider

It’s not just a container. It’s a reminder that together we can reduce waste by over 70%.

IMPACT

Sometimes the smallest change can make the biggest difference. That’s why our facilities team recommends bold but smart risks to improve your guests’ experience, promote sustainability and drive measurable outcomes. Want to see how we turn insight into impact? Visit aramarkentertainment.com.

TM

© 2012 ARAMARK Sports & Entertainment. All Rights Reserved.