Green BuildinG & desiGn
gb&d
HYATT, MArrioTT, WYndHAM
dArk deeds in sin ciTY
Three hotel giants get serious about global sustainability, P. 68
Fisher Marantz stone designs a shimmering las vegas hotspot, P. 88
PurcHAsinG PoWer
douBle W
Benjamin West helps found the HsPc to transform hospitality purchasing, P. 78
Take a tour of two W hotels, led by Hks, Gatehouse capital, and Burdifilek, P. 82, 141
Green BuildinG & desiGn voluMe 3/ no. 15/ 2012
The essential guide for sustainable projects and ideas
H O S P I T A B L E +
S U S T A I N A B L E The hospitality industry can only be as green as its guests. or can it? We devote an entire issue to the question.
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www.centerpoint-prop.com
CenterPoint Properties Regional Office Locations: Corporate Headquarters 1808 Swift Drive Oak Brook, IL 60523 Phone: 630.586.8000
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Wisconsin Office 6750 W. Washington West Allis, WI 53214 Phone: 414.256.3400
California Office 725 S. Figueroa Street, Suite 1560 Los Angeles, CA 90017 Phone: 213.488.8686
Missouri Office 1220 Washington Street, Suite 201 Kansas City, MO 64105 Phone: 816.218.6300
Virginia Office 150 W. Main Street, Suite 1820 Norfolk, VA 23510 Phone: 757.640.6300
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®
contents
GREEN BUILDING & DESIGN VOLUME 3/ NO. 15/ 2012
17
29
72
78
This is your key. It unlocks everything gb&d has to offer in the inaugural Hospitality Issue. Look for it at the top of the page.
68
93
141
“It is one thing to build the building as effectively as possible but quite another to have folks operate it sustainably, and then even quite another to ask guests to behave in a certain way. Hospitality is by definition focused on accommodating guests, not directing them.” —Marty Collins, Gatehouse Capital, P. 66
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contents features 68/
78/
TOWARD A MORE HOSPITABLE EARTH
INSIDE THE HSPC
54/
56/ 58/
15/ 17/
114/
uNiversity of riCHMoND
116/
Tackles a rigorous Climate Action Plan
118/
sPeCtruM ProPerties CeNterPoiNt ProPerties WrigHt ruNstaD & CoMPaNy
121/
solutions aflaC
CJW arCHiteCture Emphasizes ecology and economy
Improving employee health with lighting
MtP arCHiteCts NeuMaNN/sMitH arCHiteCture
tough builds off tHe griD/
126/ 60/
+
66/
syraCuse uNiversity An autonomous computer-processing lab
inner workings Hotel PaloMar Inside Gensler’s luxury adaptive reuse
DePartMeNts
14/
eDuCatioN/
+
STYLE & SUBSTANCE
up front CoMMoDities BooksHelf/ageNDa MeMo DefiNeD DesigN
BuCk o’Neill BuilDers Adapting big strategies for a small office
arCHiteCture/
63/
11/
Work/
111/
+ 52/
an in-depth look at how the W Hollywood Hotel & residences meshes transit orientation and hospitality.
gruMMaN/Butkus assoCiates Works in the energy trenches
Hospitality is becoming more sustainable, but the transition is slow. Hyatt, Marriott, and Wyndham are making their own rules.
How alan Benjamin and Joanna abrams’s Hospitality sustainable Purchasing Consortium is greening the industry’s global supply chain.
82/
eNgiNeeriNg/
48/
Net zero/
128/
riCe fergus Miller offiCe & stuDio
Butte-gleNN CoMMuNity College An entire campus powers itself
discussion board WHat Will HelP Make HosPitality More sustaiNaBle?
130/
spaces
132/
tHe klos salooN
134/
game plan flux DesigN
reMote loCatioNs/
Hi’ilaNi eCoHouse A unique luxury residence in Hawaii
+
Play/
21/
verbatim gleNN resCalvo
88/
The lights are out in Las Vegas
+
On the rewards of “developer orientation”
+
91/ 93/
26/
BuDDy MCDoWell Mark Craig
96/
29/
launch pad Hotel felix
97/
24/
Chicago’s first LEED Silver hotel
fisHer MaraNtz stoNe
HostelliNg iNterNatioNal iroNstate DeveloPMeNt Mark zeff
A diverse design team in Wisconsin
+ 137/ 140/
live/
CoMMuNity tHree DeveloPMeNt
141/
The sanctity of renovation 32/
notebook DestiNatioN CoPeNHageN
HaNNaforD CoNCorD HosPitality eNterPrises designer to watch Diego BurDi On designing for global brands
+ 100/
Alan Oakes tours the Energy FlexHouse 102/
CHristiaNi JoHNsoN arCHiteCts MaCkay-lyoNs sWeetaPPle
144/
material world sugarCaNe CreatioNs Will bagasse be the next big material?
details real estate/
36/
oxforD ProPerties
learN/
103/
Makes use of sustainable intelligence
+ 39/ 43/
MoNDay ProPerties ColoNy realty PartNers DeveloPMeNt/
146/
show & tell Peter Pfau Defies the studies and wins big
Building “clusters” at UC–Davis
+ 105/ 108/
45/
Mogavero NotestiNe assoCiates
110/
rs ligHtiNg DesigN WesterN MiCHigaN uNiversity BirDtree DesigN
HorizoN Bay Renovates aging senior homes
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Sustainable practices in the American West for twenty-two years.
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www.markyoungconstruction.com
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ENGINEERING SUCCESS
Serving clients with high quality design and engineering excellence for over 90 years.
Bsg B
§ BUILDING SYSTEMS
§ PUBLIC ENGINEERING
§ CONSTRUCTION ADMIN.
§ REGULATORY COMPLIANCE
§ ENERGY
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§ ENVIRONMENTAL
§ STRUCTURAL
§ GEOTECHNICAL
§ WASTE MANAGEMENT
§ MARINE
§ WATER RESOURCES
IRDSALL SERVICES
ENGINEERS & CONSULTANTS
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gb&d
®
contributors
editorial
research
eDitor-iN-CHief Christopher Howe
DireCtor of strategiC PartNersHiPs
MaNagiNg eDitor
george Bozonelos george@guerrerohowe.com
kathy kantorski kathy@guerrerohowe.com
features eDitor timothy a. schuler tschuler@guerrerohowe.com
assoCiate eDitor
eDitorial researCH MaNagers anthony D’amico Carolyn Marx
eDitorial researCH CoorDiNator
geoff george geoff@guerrerohowe.com
adam Castillo
CorresPoNDeNts
laura Heidenreich
thalia a-M Bruehl Chris allsop erica archer laura M. Browning anne Dullaghan Joyce finn Jeff Hampton scott Heskes Jennifer Hogeland russ klettke keith loria alan oakes eugenia orr erik Pisor seth Putnam suchi rudra lynn russo Whylly Julie schaeffer tina vasquez John ziza
MarketiNg MaNager researCHers eric Crabb ashley kjos Bronwyn Milliken
art Creative DireCtor karin Bolliger
seNior DesigNer Bill Werch
PHoto eDitor samantha simmons
gbdmagazine.com
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Tina Vasquez, who for this issue penned the profile of Benjamin West and peeled back the many layers of the Hospitality sustainable Purchasing Consortium (P. 78), is a los angelesbased freelance writer and editor who specializes in progressive issues. Her areas of expertise include green design, feminism, sustainable food, and issues affecting the lgBt community.
Seth Putnam is a magazine journalist living in Chicago. it was 2005 when he earned his first journalism money: $10 for a short profile of a high school swimmer. since then, he has written about everything from a man facing eviction from his home in Mississippi to child labor in argentina. for gb&d, seth details the environmental efforts of Hyatt, Marriott, and Wyndham (P. 68).
Chris Allsop is a freelance writer with articles published in a wide variety of magazines and online publications. He is currently enrolled in the antioch university Mfa program for Creative Writing and is based in long Beach, California. in this issue of gb&d, he interviewed Buddy McDowell, president of hospitality interiors firm Design Directions international (P. 24).
Erica Archer was inspired to consider a daily office jaunt after writing about the cutting-edge green design strategies Buck o’Neill Builders used in their new offices (P. 111). living in the los angeles area, erica currently works from home but will commute in her green vehicle. “a motorcycle gets better mileage than a Prius and is infinitely more fun,” she says.
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editor’s note/
the hospitality issue
M
arty Collins sums it up on P. 66: “Hospitality is, by definition, about accommodating guests, not directing them.” as the developer of the W Hollywood Hotel (P. 82), Collins illustrates the eternal struggle hospitality finds itself in—wanting to conserve resources and protect the environment while faced with a modus operandi that requires complete devotion to the guest. and so, in gb&d’s first hospitality issue, we ask the question, “What does sustainability look like for hospitality?” answering this question are some of the world’s biggest hotel brands, including Marriott, Wyndham, and Hyatt, which have set ambitious sustainability goals despite dawdling government policymakers (P. 68). you’ll also find answers from niche players such as Benjamin West, which though less well-known to hotel guests, is a leading hospitality purchasing firm and a founding member of the Hospitality sustainable Purchasing Consortium, a group aiming to green the industry’s entire supply chain (P. 78). What we’re often finding is that green is good for the guest too. at Collins’ W Hollywood, the hotel sits directly atop an Mta station, offering guests direct access to public transportation. two thousand miles—but a mere 56 pages—away, the W atlanta also got our attention with an interior design by toronto’s acclaimed Burdifilek; one half of the firm, Diego Burdi, is our Designer to Watch (P. 141). add to this amazing array Philadelphia’s Hotel Palomar (P. 60) and Chicago’s Hotel felix (P. 29), as well as in-depth interviews with designers Jeremy shamrowicz (P. 134) and Buddy McDowell (P. 24), and you really can’t turn a page without catching a glimpse of the future of hospitality. (Hint: look for the small key icon.) you also really can’t turn a page without noticing that gb&d looks a bit different. in honor of the new year, we’re unveiling what we think is the best gb&d yet. one of the coolest changes is Discussion Board, which has become exactly what it sounds like: a dialogue with industry experts featured in the magazine. the question we posed for this issue was, “What would help the hospitality industry become more sustainable?” see what people said on P. 66. Notebook, a column by architectural historian alan oakes (P. 26), is also new. for the first installment, oakes travels to Denmark and tells us about his tour of Henning larsen’s energy flexHouse. finally, you won’t want to—and really can’t—miss the bright yellow stamps scattered throughout the magazine. We’re calling this the takeaway, and it’s just our way of saying, “Hey. this is extra cool.”
PHOTO: Samantha Simmons
and that’s not even everything, so keep your eyes open as you flip through the issue. there’s no telling what you might find. Happy hunting,
timothy a. schuler features editor
8
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index of people & companies
#–a
3XN, 3 & 17 Abrams, JoAnna, 78–81 Acta Hotels SL, 18 Aflac, 121–123 Alvarez, Luis, 15 Amorim, 12 Atelier 688, 11 Ayers, Edward, 52
B Baas, Maarten, 16 Barry, Michael, 93–95 Bella Sky Hotel, 3 & 17 Benjamin, Alan, 78–81 Benjamin West, 3, 7, 8, 67, & 78–81 Big Ass Fans, 64 & 96 Birdtree Design, 110 Blackmar, Alfred, 121–123 Boston Hostel, 91–92 Bouroullec, Erwan, 13 Bouroullec, Ronan, 13 Brasier, Chris, 14 Braungart, Michael, 14 Bridgelux, 14 Buck O’Neill Builders, 7 & 111–113 Bungalow Hotel, 3, 86, 93–95 Burdi, Diego, 8 & 141–143 Burdifilek, 8 & 141–143 Butte-Glenn Community College, 128–129
C Carroll, Gene, 58–59 CenterPoint Properties, 116–117 Chiu, Vivian, 16 Choice Hotels, 140 Christiani Johnson Architects, 100–101 Cien, Benjamin, 82–85 CJW Architecture, 54–55 Claramunt, Xavier, 18 Cliff Lowe Associates, 22 & 23 Collins, Marty, 8 Colony Realty Partners, 43–44 Community Three Development, 97–99 Concord Hospitality Enterprises, 140 Craig, Mark, 26–28 Crothall Laundry Services, 116–117
D
Danish Technological Institute, 32–33 Davis, Mike, 91–92 Delhaize Group, 137–138 Design Directions International, 7 & 24–25 Design Hotels, 14 Digital Design Build Studio, 144–145 Doyle, Dan, 48–50 Dunn, John, 108–109
e–f Emery, Pat, 114–115 Energy Ace, 123 Epstein, Grant, 97–99 EQUIP Xavier Claramunt, 18 Family, 15 Filek, Paul, 141 Fisher, Jules, 88 Fisher Marantz Stone, 88–90 Flux Design, Ltd., 66 & 134–136
g Garal, Valentín, 12 Gatehouse Capital, 66, & 82–85 Gensler, 40 & 60–62
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Gerding Edlen Development Company LLC, 100–101 Gestalten, 14 Gettys Hospitality & Design, 3 & 29–31 Goodman, Tabitha, 114 Gregory, Nick, 60–62 Grumman/Butkus Associates, 35 & 48–50
H–J Hafer, Randy, 133 Handel Architects LLP, 21–22 Hannaford, 137–138 Henbart LLC, 26–28 Henning Larsen, 8 & 32–33 High Plains Architects, 132–133 Hilton Hotels, 19 & 140 Hilton Pattaya, 19 Hemmenway, Michael, 88–90 HKS Architects, 8, 66, & 82–85 Holmes, Robert, 43–44 Horizon Bay Retirement Living, 45–46 Hospitality Sustainable Purchasing Consortium, 7, 8, 78–81 Hostelling International, 91–92 Hotel Acta Mimic, 18 Hotel Felix, 3, 8, & 29–31 Hotel Indigo San Diego, 25 Hotel Palomar, 8 & 60–62 Howard S. Wright, 118 Hyatt, 3, 7, 8, 66, 68, 74–76, & 140 Hyatt at Olive 8, 75 Hyatt Regency Dusseldorf, 74 InterContinental Hotels Group PLC, 140 Ironstate Development, 3, 86, 93–95 Jordan, George, 29–31 Jowett, Alex, 11
k–l
Kickstarter, 15 Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, 60–62 Kits, Robert, 144 Klinger Engineering, 16 Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, 118 Lechner, Norbert, 14 Le Porc-Shop, 12 Lighthouse Properties, 27
M–N
MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple, 102 Marriott Airport Gateway Hotel in Atlanta, 70–71 Marriott International, 7, 8, 66, 68, 70–71, & 140 McAllan, Andrew, 36–37 McDonough, William, 14 McDowell, Buddy, 8 & 24–25 McPartlin, Jim, 82–85 Mechielsen, Robert, 131 Merchan, Dave, 52–53 The Michael Young Collection, 12 The Miller-Davis Company, 108 Miller, Lisa, 137–138 Miller, Michael, 129 Mindclick SGM, 3 & 78–81 Mogavero Notestine Associates, 103–104 Monday Properties, 39–40 MTP Architects, 56–57 Myrter, Jeff, 118–119 nanimarquina, 13 Neumann, Ken, 58 Neumann/Smith Architecture, 58–59 Nicholson, Brooke, 114–115 The Nines, 3, 67, & 80
Noble, Kevin, 127 The Nove, 22 NXT, 110
o–P O’Neill, Buck, 111–113 Oppenheim, Chad, 16 Osiecki, Tim, 140 Owens Corning, 16 Oxford Properties, 36–37 Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi, 3 Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa, 74 Pellerin Milnor Corp., 117 Pfau, Peter, 146 Philips Lumileds Lighting Company, 14 PlayLab, 15 Powerstrip Studio, 60 Pratt, Millard T., 56–57
r Rescalvo, Glenn, 21–22 Rice Fergus Miller Architecture and Planning, 63–65 Rice, Steve, 63–65 Riether, Gernot, 144–145 Robin, Brian, 39–40 Rockwell, David, 88 Rockwell Group, 88 Rosenfeld, Arthur, 15 Rossen, Sanford, 58 RS Lighting Design, 105–106 Ruhe, Deborah, 91–92 Ruthven, Dave, 110
s Sabedra, Randy, 105–106 Salama, Hani, 39–40 Santos, Marco Sousa, 12 Sattelmayer, John, 45–46 Seaman, Larry, 100–101 Schmitter, Paul, 116 Scott, Davis Carter, 40 Scott, Keith, 14 Shamrowicz, Jeremy, 8 & 134–136 Southerland, Jeremy, 63–65 Spectrum Properties | Emery, 114–115 Starwood Hotels & Resorts, 140 Stradley, Craig, 103–104 Strazdas, Peter, 108–109 Studio RMA, 130–131 Syracuse University, 126–127
t–v Taylor, Faith, 72–73 Tharp, Storm, 67 Traxon Technologies, 56–57 TROP, 19 Tucker, Bruce, 70–71 University of Richmond, 52–53 Vallero, Daniel, 14 Viro Fiber, 12
W–z
W Atlanta, 3, 8, & 141–143 WAC Lighting, 13 WallArt, 144–145 Warr, Carter J, 54–55¬ Western Michigan University, 108–109 Westreich, Anthony, 39 Whitney, Chris, 111 W Hollywood Hotel & Residences, 3, 8, 82–85, & 96 William Holland, 13
Williams, Pharrell, 16 Witt, Brigitta, 74–76 Wright Runstad & Company, 118–119 Wyndam Vacation Resorts Seven Mile Beach, 72 Wyndam Worldwide, 3, 8, 66, 68, & 72–73 Xiaob, Liu, 16 Zeff, Mark, 96
aDvertisers
AC Furniture Co. Inc., 23 Acuity Brands, Inc., 107 Alexander Wolf & Son, 41 Apollo 8 Maintenance Services Inc., 34 Aqua Hospitality Carpets, 81 Architectural Resources Cambridge, 139 Artcraft Bedding and Draperies, 25 BHP Energy, 127 Birdsall Services Group, 6 Braun & Steidl Architects, 139 & 140 CenterPoint Properties, 2 Christiani Johnson Architects, 101 Colony Realty Partners, 44 Complete Facilities Management, Inc., 124 C-W-C, LLC, 120 Dectron Inc., 51 DeLuca-Hoffman Associates, Inc., 139 DPR Construction, 129 Durkan, 148 Fishbeck, Thompson, Carr & Huber, 109 Fujitec America, Inc., 147 Gace Consulting Engineers PC, 95 GLY Construction, 28 Guth DeConzo Consulting Engineers, PC, 20 Hallmark Housekeeping Services Inc., 38 Handel Architects LLP, 23 Harris & Sloan Consulting Group, Inc., 104 Hauge & Hassain, Inc., 120 Hecht Burdeshaw Architects, Inc., 120 Higgins & Gerstenmaier, 51 & 53 Hillmann Consulting, LLC, 38 HydroStop, LLC, 131 Johnson Controls, 47 Labbe-Leech Interiors Ltd., 34 Mark Young Construction Inc., 5 & 47 Milo Kleinberg Design Associates, 40 & 42 Mohawk Group, 81 Monterrey Security, 20 MPA Design, 101 OFS Brands, 120 PEBL, 76 Pepper Construction, 50 & 51 Philips Color Kinetics, 90 Premium Title & Escrow, LLC, 99 Quality Air Service, Inc., 109 Ridgeway Electric, 55 The Rise Group, 76 & 77 S. DiGiacomo & Son, Inc., 38 & 40 Shaw Hospitality Group, 23 Signature Crypton Carpet, 47 & 48 Snavely Group, 139 StonePeak Ceramics, Inc., 57 Sunshine Construction Engineering Contractor, 113 Sylvania, 106 & 107 Tim Ryan Construction, Inc., 65 Trane, 38 Waste Management, Inc., 115 Win-Dor Industries, Inc., 133 Zaker Technology Group Inc., 20
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New furniture, fixtures, and interior materials for a spectrum of hospitality spaces
up front
EXQUISITE AMENITIES
11/ COMMODITIES 14/ BOOKSHELF/AGENDA 15/ MEMO 17/ DEFINED DESIGN
tied up > An alternative to sleek pendants and glittery chandeliers, Alex Jowett’s inventive Rope Lights are perfect for raw spaces with exposed elements. The manila rope sections, which are sold in 12-foot or custom lengths, provide a texture that is immediately familiar and perfect for any number of hospitality applications. The lights are sold exclusively through Toronto’s Atelier 688. alexjowettart.tumblr.com / atelier688.com
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up front/ commodities/
caged beauty No piece of furniture enlivens a space quite the way the Family Bench does. Handcrafted from solid willow wood by industrial designer Valentín Garal for the Mexican furniture workshop Le Porc-Shop, the bench is fitted with a birdcage that brings life to something typically inanimate and often unintimate. Meant to generate social interaction through its oddity as well as the necessary care of the birds, the Family Bench could be perfect for an unused courtyard at a boutique hotel, as long as the place isn’t afraid of flair—or chirping. valentingaral.es / leporcshop.com
new weave
well worn Perfect for a rooftop pool or lush lounge area, the Lasca table is designed to be smooth, solid, and unassuming—just like a pebble from a riverbed. With its cork body and lacquered fiberboard top, it’s full of character and the perfect place for guests to set their pool necessities. The table, which comes in a variety of dimensions, was designed by Marco Sousa Santos, one of 10 designers commissioned to create cork pieces for Amorim’s Materia collection. marcosousasantos.com / materia.amorim.com
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Viro Fiber is manufacturing a sustainable, all-weather, recyclable wicker. The woven material is 100-percent high-density polyethylene, highly durable, and perfectly suited for a hotel’s outdoor furnishing needs. In addition, Viro is committed to Indonesia’s local economy and has worked to create a cottage industry that does not contribute to deforestation. Shown here is one color from the Michael Young Collection. michael-young.com / virofiber.com
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up front/ commodities/
< on the dance floor Lighting technology has remade the disco ball. Roxy, from WAC Lighting, has always evoked the dance floor—even while remaining fit for a palace—but with its technological update, the LED version reduces glare and offers a longer lifespan. Using 3.4-watt LEDs, the glittering pendant is perfect for sophisticated hospitality interiors from New York to Las Vegas. waclighting.com
modern traditions > The ancient kilim method is used for this collection of hand-woven rugs from nanimarquina, requiring hand-spun Afghan wool and resulting in subtle color differences that make each rug unique. The rhombus—echoed in the rug’s overall shape—is the key to the design by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, and the resulting piece is something at once modern and ancient, fantastical and warm. bouroullec.com / nanimarquina.com
< luxury reincarnated Because copper is completely recyclable—and the shape it takes today is no doubt different than yesterday—many consider it a favorite sustainable material. These copper bathtubs from William Holland will convince the rest. Featuring a dramatic verdigris exterior, the Bateau model represents a refined luxury that isn’t overly polished. Being made for such spaces, the pieces are already used extensively in hotel bathrooms across the United Kingdom. williamholland.com
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up front/ bookshelf/ agenda/
WHat He reaDs Keith Scott, vice president for business development at Bridgelux, has more than 20 years of global experience in the commercial and consumer lighting industry. Before joining Bridgelux last year, keith was at Philips lumileds lighting Company, where he grew a multimillion-dollar, solid-state lighting business while serving in various marketing and product-development roles. He holds a bachelor’s degree in math and physics from Hofstra university and a master’s degree in business administration from lesley university.
ageNDa Q1 1.21–1.25
1.30–2.01
asHrae 2012 Winter Conference/
eueC 2012/
Chicago Focusing on energyintensive structures like labs, hospitals, and data centers, this sustainability conference seeks to highlight eco-effective HVAC&R solutions. Particular emphases will be placed on highperformance buildings, integrated design, and building information modeling. ashrae.org
Spanning the spectrum of industries affected by climate change, EUEC is the longest-running energy, utility, and environment conference in the country. Offering breakout tracks and an extensive exhibitor hall, this is the premier event for business leaders, energy executives, and all others interested in the future of alternative and renewable energies. euec.com
1.26–1.27
2.08–2.11
Miagreen/
iBs 2012/ orlando, fl
Miami Beach, fl
NeW reaD offering an exploration of hospitality design—and a mixed bag of incredibly tasty eye candy— The Design Hotels Book Edition 2011 is the latest in a book series that, since 2009, has served as a vital and comprehensive catalog of luxury design in the industry. the book is put out by Design Hotels, a company that represents and markets independent hotels across the globe, and there’s no secret behind which properties are chosen. But, with 200 hotels in more than 100 countries, it’s like a world expedition just flipping through the 400-plus pages.
Book photos: Gestalten. Gestalten, February 2011. $68.00 14
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Books 1/ Sustainable Design, Daniel vallero and Chris Brasier 2/ Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things, William McDonough and Michael Braungart 3/ Heating, Cooling, Lighting: Sustainable Design Methods for Architects, Norbert lechner
Blogs 1/ ZDNet’s GreenTech Pastures, zdnet.com/blog/green 2/ EcoGeek, ecogeek.org 3/ PJ Wine Blog, pjwineblog.com
Phoenix, az
The premier sustainability event in the southeast United States, a major theme at MiaGreen in 2012 is “Building and Designing Greener Americas,” highlighting both the challenges and the exciting opportunities that face the architecture, engineering, and construction industries. LEED-accredited courses are also offered. miagreen.com
Builders shouldn’t miss one of the International Builders Show’s main highlights: The 2012 New American Home. Featuring the latest technologies and greenest elements, the annual residence reimagines the Classic White Box of the 1960s. Also at IBS are innumerable educational sessions as well as networking opportunities. If you miss something, the conference is recorded and available for purchase. buildersshow.com
1.26–1.29
3.14–3.16
iDs 12/
gloBe 2012/
toronto
vancouver, BC
The perfect place for artisans, designers, and independent studios to launch products and collections, Interior Design Show is Canada’s largest contemporary design event, and one of the leading shows in all of North America. The increasingly popular event continually draws some of the biggest names in design and architecture. interiordesignshow.com
Comprising bienniel events collecting top business executives and leading environmental thinkers, the GLOBE series seeks to answer pressing questions about energy, corporate sustainability, and how to make cities greener. Attendance is upwards of 10,000, making it a vital opportunity for industry professionals. 2012.globeseries.com
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up front/ memo
WEBSITE HELPS KICKSTART NYC POOL PROJECT
TOP, ABOVE, RIGHT: Renderings of the “+ pool”— designed by Family and Playlab studios, who are funding research through Kickstarter—give an idea of the facility’s look and how it could be positioned in a city river.
social media has finally reached a more particular facet of the architecture and design world: financing. online fundraising platform kickstarter was created in 2009 and has since helped musicians put out albums, entrepreneurs launch businesses, and designers create products. But now architects and urban designers from two studios, family and Playlab, have used the
website to successfully fund the first research phase of their “+ Pool” design. the project is a plus sign-shaped floating pool that would be located in one of New york City’s rivers, using filtered river water to fill the pool. the project, the creators say, would be the first of its kind, but its funding method is just as unique. it makes one wonder what else is possible through this new form of financing.
GODFATHER OF ENERGY EFFICIENCY HONORED WITH PRIZE arthur rosenfeld began his career working with Nobel Prize-winner luis alvarez at the university of California–Berkeley. in 1974,
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he switched his focus to the environment, and after pioneering several technologies that are now commonplace—compact fluorescent light bulbs and reflective roofing materials are two he helped develop—rosenfeld became known by some as the godfather of energy efficiency. in recognition of his lifetime achievements, rosenfeld was honored this past year with the global energy international Prize, an award established by several prestigious russian scientists.
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up front/ memo
A CHAIR FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
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OPPENHEIM TEAMS WITH RAPPER FOR YOUTH CENTER
star architect Chad oppenheim has teamed up with composer, rapper, and record producer Pharrell Williams to design a fantastic arboreal youth center in Williams’ hometown of virginia Beach, virginia. With a working name of the Pharrell Williams resource Center (PWrC), the project seeks to embody a sense of optimism, a love and respect for nature, and a future that is
full of life—not dead ends. early renderings show a building exploding from among the trees in large rectangular blocks, fields of tall grass and blooming flowers, a skate park, and lots of kids, all bathed in oppenheim’s characteristic bright sunlight. Buildings alone can’t solve the world’s problems, but Williams and oppenheim are testing the limits of what’s possible.
STUDENT DESIGNERS TOY WITH TWINTEX PP
ABOVE, RIGHT: The Fu Lei Zhi bench by Vivian Chiu is made using strips of a material from Owens Corning that combines high-performance glass with thermoplastic filaments.
What would happen if you mixed glass and plastic? twintex, from the owens Corning arm oCv reinforcements, is a good guess. Made by commingling high-performance glass and thermoplastic filaments, the material hardens when exposed to heat. recently, working with klinger engineering, students at the rhode island school of Design experimented with this eco-composite to create a variety of products, including the fu lei zhi bench (pictured above) by vivian Chiu. strands of the material are wrapped around a mold and then baked to create the furniture’s shape. Based on the students’ prototypes, this is only the tip of the iceberg for twintex.
PHOTO (bottom left): Frank Tielemans
When Dutch designer Maarten Baas was commissioned to create a piece in honor of Chinese human rights activist liu xiaob—who had just won the Nobel Peace Prize but couldn’t accept it because he was in prison for “undermining the state”—Baas chose a chair. the empty Chair is a sinuous black chair with a back that rises about 16 feet in the air, stretching up like a ladder into the sky. Created for amnesty international and presented at its 50th anniversary celebration in the Netherlands in May 2011, the chair is a symbol of xiaobo’s absence and the continued struggle against the suppression of writers and journalists around the world. maartenbaas.com.
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ACCOMMODATING DESIGN Around the globe, ideas about luxury, sustainability, and even the hotel room itself are being challenged
ALL PHOTOS: Adam Mork
BELLA SKY HOTEL Copenhagen, Denmark Aiming for the simplicity of contemporary Nordic homes, 3XN wanted the Belly Sky Hotel to have a relaxed vibe. Despite the dramatic, contemporary shape of the structure, guests are greeted inside by a palette of natural materials and a large living wall that curves around the lobby’s core. Above them is the noteworthy Bella Chandelier, a unique lighting installation with six aluminum tubes and more than 7,000 LED lights. Created by GXN—3XN’s research and development arm—the tubes are some of the slimmest ever created for such use, and the chandelier is one of the most complex tensegrity structures ever made. The skin of the building, patterned in blue glass and white triangular panels, was designed to minimize solar gain and provide views to the surrounding Amager Common. gbdmagazine.com
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ArChiteCt 3XN Client Copenhagen Congress Center / Bella Center A/S Size 452,000 square feet roomS 812 Completion 2011 WebSite bellaskycomwell.dk VOLUME 3/ NO. 15/ 2012
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HOTEL ACTA MIMIC barcelona, Spain Playful preservation is an apt description of the Xavier Claramunt-designed Hotel Acta Mimic. Located in Barcelona’s Cuitat Vella, meaning “Old City,” the hotel maintains the building’s original façade—it used to be a theater—but then uses giant translucent screens featuring cartoon-like illustrations to match the newfound vitality of its locale. The wrap also enhances the interior experience by altering the daylight that comes through the colorful screens. Perhaps most fascinating is the thought that went into the rooms themselves. Acknowledging that guests primarily use a hotel to bathe and sleep, the designers located the bedroom and bath along the outer wall, using opaque glass for privacy while allowing views and the energy of the streetscape to permeate the routine activities of guests.
ArChiteCt EQUIP Xavier Claramunt Client Acta Hotels SL Size 50,600 square feet roomS 92 Completion 2010 WebSite hotel-mimic.com
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HILTON PATTAYA pattaya, thailand Taking most of its design cues from the ocean and surrounding countryside, the Hilton Pattaya is a symbol of luxury and of the increasing environmentalism permeating the hospitality industry today. Designed by Bangkok’s Department of Architecture in collaboration with landscape studio TROP, the hotel uses energy-efficient lights in its mesmerizing indoor and outdoor spaces and recycles wastewater regularly. Its surest achievement, however, is its integration with the site; the lobby ceiling’s wave lines, the curvilinear wooden walkways, the infinity pools that seem to extend to the sea, the “droplet” daybeds scattered about—each element is perfectly selected for the location. TROP specifically endeavored to create a serene garden atop the 17th floor, working around elements such as a massive skylight and irregular edges to eventually unveil a breathtaking and exotic space.
ArChiteCt Bangkok Department of Architecture lAnDSCApe TROP Client Hilton Hotels Size 17,650 square feet roomS 302 Completion 2010
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verbatim Developers come to us because they’ve heard we’ll actually work with them, not against them. Glenn Rescalvo gets candid about the rewards of a ‘developer orientation’ as well as what’s missing in today’s architectural practices
From the day Handel Architects LLP was born in 1994, the firm had a unique approach: work with developers, not against them, and understand their side of the business. That strategy paid off, and today the 90-person firm, which focuses on mixed-use residential projects, has designed more than 20 million square feet of space. Glenn Rescalvo, the principal in charge of the firm’s San Francisco office, talks to gb&d about his youth, Handel’s major projects, and his own journey with the company. —as told to Julie Schaeffer > gbdmagazine.com
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Handel Architects PHOTO: Bruce Damonte
verbatim
My passion for architecture comes from my father, who was an architect. He had a home office, so i would help him draft and build models. architecture became part of my life. During the summers i was a carpenter, so i became familiar with the basics of building, such as pouring foundations and framing. the work was small in scale, of course, but it taught me many things i needed to know to dive into architecture. My first job out of school was a great journey. after finishing my degrees at the university of California–Berkeley and Cornell university, i went to work for kohn Pedersen fox associates in New york, which was a highly respected firm. it took me all over the world and was a very exciting period in my life. We founded Handel Architects with a developer orientation. Principal gary Handel and i were working together at kohn Pedersen fox associates, and a developer gave us an incentive to start doing mixed-use, high-rise projects on our own. We sensed immediately that if we could have an understanding of what developers need, we’d have a better chance of getting steady work. We don’t put design aside—we’ve always considered architecture our pride and joy—but we also try to be a good partner. today, developers come to us because they’ve heard we’ll actually work with them, not against them. We did our first LEED project 10 years ago, at Battery Park City in New york. at that point we began introducing sustainability into all of our projects. We’re trying to be sustainable through architecture as well as technology. in the 1950s and 1960s, there were many design innovations that were naturally sustainable, such as overhangs and cross ventilation. that all disappeared in the 1970s with the advent of mechanical ways of heating and cooling houses. i think that was a great loss. We’re now trying to implement sustainability through our architecture in the design of details. We might create exterior walls that actually add shade and help prevent heat gains.
uP Close aND PersoNal What was your first job? i was a carpenter. If you weren’t an architect, what would you be? i’d be a veterinarian. What inspires you? a lot of it has to do with objects. if i weren’t an architect, i may have gone into industrial design. When i look at things, i don’t look at them as what they are but the form they take on—the quality of the object, the lines. When i’m drawing things, they sometimes take on elements of the objects i’ve seen. Describe yourself in three words. outgoing, creative, and ambitious. What is your hidden talent? Winemaking. i have a boutique operation producing 50 cases of well-crafted wine a year. it’s one of my little pleasures in life.
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the Nove in san francisco is leeD Platinum certified and features nine residential units. the development is a testament to innovative design for the sustainable lifestyle.
One of my favorite projects is Nove on guerrero street in san francisco’s Mission District. it’s a nine-unit leeD Platinum building populated by people who are devoted to sustainable architecture. you get a sense when you visit that the people living there are so happy they’re giving back to society. the execution of this project makes a strong statement that people appreciate good design, not just from an aesthetic standpoint but from a functional and economical standpoint. the building is teaching people how to live, and the residents get it. I’m energized by one of our newer buildings, 10th and Market, which is about to break ground in san francisco, because it reflects the up-and-coming energy of the neighborhood, Mid Market. twitter has moved into the neighborhood, and all the developments going up are geared toward the generation y demographic. it’s going to be a high-end building with a hip feel. My energy comes through my hands. i sketch, which is a lost skill among younger architects. Mind-to-hand creates a fluid train of thought, and at times [the young architects] can’t express themselves in that way because they rely on everything to be computerized. gb&d
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PHOTO: Bruce Damonte
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888.448.7878
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verbatim/
We try to design things that are indigenous to their locales. Buddy McDowell on San Diego’s first LEED hotel, why buildings in Trinidad should look different from those in Tennessee, and how to look forward to going to work
uP Close aND PersoNal Buddy McDowell is a born interior designer. Co-owner of Design Directions International (DDI)—which he started with his partner, Sherry Decker, in 1991—the ASID-accredited designer has personally overseen more than 400 hotel- and country club-related projects, and his firm is consistently listed among the top 50 hospitality design firms in the United States. It’s an achievement brought about in part through McDowell’s passion for his life’s work, and here he speaks with gb&d about what fuels his drive. —as told to Chris Allsop
After graduating, I was asked to teach interior design at georgia state university, and [then] i got a job for two years with a large corporation—McDonnell aviation. i left after deciding that i wanted to be more in control of my destiny, so i started my first company out of my bedroom. i had completed a restaurant and lounge for my thesis project, and somebody saw it and asked me to do their restaurant/lounge. that led to another, and another, then a hotel, and then more hotels. 24
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What was your first job? When i graduated from graduate school, i got a job working on aircraft interiors for McDonnell aviation. If you weren’t a designer, what would you be? i don’t know. it’s all i’ve ever done and ever wanted to do. there was never a plan B. i guess i’d be jobless. What inspires you? i love to travel and just returned from a vacation in scandinavia and st. Petersburg, russia. seeing the authenticity of those cities and the architecture was just thrilling. as a designer, i’m looking at details more closely, little parts of the whole and how they’re done. i took over a thousand photographs. Describe yourself in three words. Dedicated, fun, and a perfectionist. What is your hidden talent? a temperament to survive this profession, the ups and downs, wins and losses. it’s like a football game, the agonies of defeat and the ecstasy of winning. i hope that i can keep flourishing.
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Design Directions International
verbatim/
Design-wise, we tried to do things that were related to San Diego. the indigo brand requires a lot of murals, and we had a san Diego photographer take pictures of the city, which were made into murals. all the art was done by local artists. the California poppy is the state flower, so we used that orange in combination with yellow and blue representing the blue sky and blue ocean of California. it was a modern, fun approach, and our director of design, amy gleghorn, was instrumental in the design. Sustainability is important to us, and it’s something that is becoming much more prevalent in our profession. We try to support it as much as we can. some clients are more attuned to it that than others, and we try to lead them when possible. of course, a lot of sustainability goes hand in hand with architects, especially in new construction. in the indigo project, we were able to work in concert with the architects [at] Joseph Wong and associates of san Diego, who did a great job. I love what I do and wake up looking forward to going to work. there’s nothing else that i ever wanted to do. in some ways work is harder now than it used to be—the client may expect a little more—but still it’s our job to give it to them, and at the end of the day, there’s a great deal of satisfaction. What gives me the most satisfaction is creating an environment that makes people happy. to see people walk into our interiors and see them smile—that’s very exciting. it’s a thrill. gb&d
toP: guest rooms at DDi’s Hotel indigo, the first leeD-certified hotel in san Diego, offer sweeping views of the city. BottoM: among its many striking and sustainable elements, the indigo’s lounge features illuminated communal tables.
A RT C RA F T BeddingandDraperies
We try to create a design that fits a particular property within its particular location. We’re currently working on a Crowne Plaza in trinidad and a Marriott in tennessee. they need to look different. We try to design things, like the indigo Hotel in san Diego, that are indigenous to their locales. Whether it’s a hotel or my own home, i want an interior to be warm and inviting. if it’s a contemporary design, i don’t want it to be too minimalist. that’s very important, and some places i see just don’t have that. they may have individual elements, but as a whole composition they don’t have the warmth that people want and need to feel.
Artcraft Bedding and Draperies is a fully integrated fabricator, in the Hospitality Industry, of designer specified bedding products, window treatments, and soft goods accessories, for 33 years. SPE CIALTIES
The Hotel Indigo was a fun project. it was a prototype indigo, a new, more upscale direction for this boutique brand—a new construction, so we had something of a blank palette with what we wanted to do with the interior. the client wanted it to be a leeD-certified hotel—the first in san Diego—and we worked closely with the architect to ensure that it happened. gbdmagazine.com
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UÊ i`ëÀi>`ÃÊUÊ ÛiÀ iÌÃÊUÊ ÕÛiÌÃÊUÊ v ÀÌiÀÃÊUÊ/ À ÜÊ* ÜÃÊUÊ LÀ `iÀÞÊ UÊ Àii Ê* ÜÊEÊ ÕÛiÌÊ ÃiÀÌÃÊUÊ ÕÃÌiÀÃÊUÊ-i>ÌÊ Õà ÃÊUÊ/>L iÊ Ì ià UÊ À>«iÀ iÃÊUÊ- ÜiÀÊ ÕÀÌ> ÃÊUÊ7 `Ê6> > ViÃÉ* ÞÊ6> > Vià UÊ, > Ê- >`iÃÊUÊ iV À>Ì ÛiÊ >À`Ü>ÀiÊUÊ Àii Ê*À `ÕVÌÃÊÕ« ÊÀiµÕiÃÌ
Contact: Karen McMurray / 323.838.0400
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verbatim
[Commercial buildings] have the potential to reframe the area’s energy demands and carbon output. Henbart president Mark Craig talks about the challenges and successes of working in the Puget Sound’s commercial real estate arena
uP Close aND PersoNal What was your first job? i grew up in Bellevue [in Washington] as a bit of a pool rat and became a lifeguard when i was 15. If you weren’t a real estate investor and property manager, what would you be? i love to cook, and owning a restaurant and being a chef would be fun. i’ve had the opportunity to work with a number of chefs over the years and [have] developed strong friendships with them. What inspires you? i get most excited about taking something and making it extraordinary—being able to take existing assets and being able to fulfill our corporate mission. Providing Puget sound businesses with excellent quality drives what i do. Describe yourself in three words. Driven, fun, and devoted to my family. What is your hidden talent? i’m a pretty good mountain biker. it’s a big passion of mine.
A dedicated mountain biker, husband, father, and baseball coach, Mark Craig is an active, vibrant Puget Sound native who enjoys everything the area has to offer. He’s also president of Henbart LLC, an established commercial real estate buyer and asset-management organization. As a subsidiary of the Bartell Drug Company, Henbart LLC shares its parent company’s long and successful history, which includes more than 120 years of operation. Since 1922, the firm has acquired and developed a number of successful commercial properties and built its reputation on strong asset management and customer service. Here, Craig outlines the company’s sustainable initiatives and red-carpet customer service. —as told to Anne Dullaghan 26
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Henbart
verbatim
My passion for commercial real estate comes from my previous work with lighthouse Properties, where i was director of finance and first got the taste for investing in commercial real estate. in 1996, we set up our own internal property management—and over the last 15 years, i’ve never looked back. When I first became involved in the property-management business, there was a big learning curve. the first property i acquired with lighthouse Properties was Harbormaster on lake union. it was a 50,000-square-foot office with a 106-slip marina. it was a very interesting property with more than 70 office tenants. i jumped headfirst into property management—it was successful, and we were able to profitably sell it in 2005. The foundation of our brand rests in creating the “Henbart experience.” at Henbart, our tenants are our customers and our No. 1 priority, which means providing tenants with professional and responsive customer service. We work with a number of third-party property-management companies, and it can be a challenge to instill an ownership mentality within these managers. We’re also in a very competitive business where our third-party property managers are dealing with 15-plus other properties.
toP, aBove: Henbart’s 1518 1st ave. project stands next to seattle Mariners’s safeco field. left: the 89,000-squarefoot lake union Building was built in 1970.
I’m hands-on with each of our properties and responding to tenants’ needs. We also have an on-site engineer who is quickly available to take care of building issues and answer any questions. it’s a cyclical business driven by the market. additionally, at Henbart, we believe in anticipating the needs of our tenants by being proactive and innovative in our approach to building management. Whether it’s a cosmetic renovation or a desire to become energy-efficient, we work with our tenants to help them meet their needs. gbdmagazine.com
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verbatim
Henbart
Going green is a very important segment of what we do. two years ago, we established a relationship with BetterBricks. as the commercial building initiative of the Northwest energy efficiency alliance, BetterBricks champions the guiding principle that commercial buildings should be designed and operated with energy at top of mind. the goal is to accelerate the adoption of energy-efficiency best practices among real-world building professionals. the BetterBricks initiative provides education and training workshops, seminars, and conferences to equip Northwest building professionals with technical and business skills to help them better incorporate energy efficiency into their business practices. Not only do commercial buildings represent a staggering drain on energy, but they also have the potential to reframe the area’s energy demands and carbon output. to realize that potential, BetterBricks provides practical information, strategies, and examples that demonstrate how to reduce energy use in new and existing commercial buildings. additionally, our staff makes every effort to provide our tenants and neighboring communities with energy-efficient, sustainable properties. to us, this means seeking out leeD certification for all of our buildings and creating a clean and sustainable working environment. We take pride in the opportunity to give our customers a comfortable place to work while also lowering tenant costs.
Increasing the Henbart brand means more than just providing our tenants with a place to conduct business. We believe in building a sense of community in our neighborhoods. We also are always keeping up on best practices—being sure that we’re up-to-date with sustainability issues and helping our team grow and learn. We’ve implemented a portfolio-wide energy-management and sustainability program. our engineering team also goes to a range of training sessions throughout the year to maintain sustainability proficiency. We view acquisitions from an energy-management approach and use scorecards to assess the current energy efficiency of a property. We’re always looking at what we can do to improve in our sustainability efforts. gb&d
a Message froM gly CoNstruCtioN gly Construction actively supports clients, including Henbart, who pursue sustainable goals. at the forefront of the Northwest’s sustainability movement since the mid-1990s, gly has built multiple pre- and post-leeD award-winning sustainable projects. to serve our clients well, we continue to embrace evolving sustainable practices and more efficient use of resources.
Building efficiently is green.
Building with efficiency is at the heart of sustainability. GLY Construction is proud to support Henbart LLC, and other developers, owners and property managers make the most of their resources — material, financial and sustainable. gly.com.
Bellegrove Professional Center | Bellevue WA
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launch pad '09
New Kid on the Block Recently certified LEED Silver, Chicago hospitality newcomer Hotel Felix has created a culture of environmental responsibility
launched 2009 location Chicago distinction The first LEED Silver-certified hotel in Chicago website hotelfelixchicago.com
Who: Hotel Felix is the premier eco-friendly boutique hotel located in downtown Chicago. The 225-room space in the River North neighborhood is a full-service hotel with king, queen, and double rooms; a restaurant; a spa; and a fitness center. “Happy. Naturally.” is the hotel’s tag line, highlighting its commitment to the environment. The Hotel Felix was designed by Gettys Hospitality Design & Development, and it’s now owned by Oxford Capital Group, LLC and managed by the Bricton Group, Inc. The hotel is the first one in downtown Chicago to receive LEED Silver certification for commercial interiors. > gbdmagazine.com
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Hotel felix managed to preserve its historically rich 1920s façade. VOLUME 3/ NO. 15/ 2012
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Hotel Felix
of the more than 100 hotels in downtown Chicago, Hotel felix is the only one with such a major sustainable distinction.
What: Being an eco-friendly destination was a key decision for Hotel Felix. Formerly the Hotel Wacker, which became an SRO in its later years, the Hotel Felix is a 100 percent adaptive reuse of an existing structure. “The eco-responsibility was taken into account in every decision,” general manager George Jordan says. “We asked, ‘How can we make a place that is also good for the Earth?’” Jordan has a personal tagline for the hotel—“Choose Felix, Choose Earth”—which reinforces the hospitality space’s focus. When: After two years of construction, Hotel Felix opened in April 2009 and has achieved considerable success. Secondary only to servicing each guest is Hotel Felix’s work to reduce its carbon footprint at every level of operation. The actual construction of the hotel was completed using LEED standards, and the current day-to-day operations are also performed with the environment in mind. Hotel Felix works under the USGBC’s Green Seal Standards, helping it attain further LEED-rating points for various operations including sustainable purchasing and the use of green cleaning products. “The dayto-day operations are more costly, but the benefits are intangible,” Jordan says. “We are not a branded hotel, and nothing about us is cookie-cutter.” Where: Of the more than 100 hotels in the downtown Chicago area to choose from, Hotel Felix is the only one with such a major sustainable distinction, making it a popular choice. The eco-friendly aspect is especially popular among younger generations, most guests being between the ages of 20 and 40. “The younger generation is very plugged into the climate and into changing how businesses conduct business,” Jordan says. 30
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How: The environment is considered in every aspect of the hotel. The restaurant changes its menu daily because it purchases whatever organic foods and free-range meats are in supply from local growers, fishermen, and farmers markets. And its tabletops are made of reclaimed wood from farms in Texas. “We recycle everything,” Jordan says. “All the paper products—as well as a compost system for Elate [restaurant]—are recycled.” The spa uses products not tested on animals and features bamboo flooring and walls made from recycled materials. The laundry facility employs eco-friendly, lowVOC Green Seal-certified products.
oPPosite: Hotel felix’s chic lobby offers a fireplace off of the main entrance and an emphasis on natural materials. gbdmagazine.com
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toP left: a mezzanine level offers quiet space for visiting toP rigHt: Hotel felix’s contemporary and luxurious guestrooms are done up with organic materials, recycled carpeting, and energyefficient lighting. aBove: a rendering of the lobby displays the hotel’s modern grandeur.
Why: “It is the moral thing to do,” Jordan says. “It is a corporate responsibility to operate so that we are not simply taking from the Earth but actually giving back some.” At an early stage in development, it was decided that the hotel would not only be built to reduce its carbon footprint but also operated that way as well. “With good people and good management, we have a place that is also a good,” Jordan says.
In the guest rooms, the long list of sustainable features includes waste-reduction water valves; florescent lighting; carpeting composed of recycled materials; and motion-sensor heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems. The hotel also has natural southern exposure, which will come in handy on an upcoming green-roof project, and it has reduced its production of paper by using a paperless front-desk system. (Receipts are emailed to guests.) Indeed, from the coffee to the floors to the laundry, every aspect of Hotel Felix is designed to be good for the environment. Organic materials, renewable resources, and people dedicated to green living and working are paving the way for keeping guests happy. Naturally. —Eugenia M. Orr VOLUME 3/ NO. 15/ 2012
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DESTINATION COPENHAGEN While touring Denmark, Alan Oakes stopped by Henning Larsen Architect’s Energy FlexHouse and wrote back to gb&d about its innovative building features In 2009, Copenhagen, Denmark, hosted the united Nations Climate Change Conference. While the event was mired in the usual international politics and held in the depths of a world economic crisis, one significant project conceived specifically for the conference continues to provide the world with usable data and design ideas for a sustainable future. it’s called the energy flexHouse. Conceptualized by the Danish technological institute (Dti) in support of the Danish government and individual corporations, the flexHouse project got underway several months before the Copenhagen Conference convened, and the structure continues to operate today, providing invaluable research data for a host of green technology projects. the flexHouse was designed by Henning larsen architects (Hla), and signe kongebro, associate partner and design and sustainability manager for the firm, says,
“the technological institute was looking for a designer who had the ability to go into a dialogue with them about how to create this lab facility.” i traveled to Copenhagen last June to meet with Hla’s staff and learn more about the flexHouse’s design and goals. the energy flexHouse is a bit of a misnomer; it actually isn’t just one house. “it consists of two houses,” kongebro says, “a family living there and a test house exactly the same size and division in space.” the two identical houses sit side by side and work in conjunction with one another. one is a pure lab facility while the other hosts an average family of four who test out how the home’s technologies work within real day-to-day living situations. “the idea about these houses is that you test components,” kongebro says, “solitary components but also: ‘How does this new window work with thermal batteries and leD lighting?’ ‘How does it work with people and without people?’ it is a like symphony of new materials. this is what [product developers and builders] never do.” the design of the houses, which are situated on the grounds of the Dti, posed unique challenges for the architects. anders saelan, an associate architect with Hla, says, “We wanted to design a very easy-living house with an easily comprehensible design with an extreme amount of technology behind it.” in passing, the houses themselves look like typical homes in Denmark. this was one of the goals of the design. “Before [the Dti] did this, they did another test house from the ’80s that looked like a spaceship. Nobody could really see themselves living in the spaceship. We wanted to design a house that was archetypical, simple. it is almost like a lego house—and you say, ‘ok, i can understand that.’ Nobody could really claim that, ‘no, i couldn’t live in that house.’”
Alan Oakes is an architectural historian, a writer, and a documentarian. He can be reached at oakesaland@gmail.com. 32
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each house is about 2,000 square feet with four identical bedrooms downstairs and
a living room, dining room, and kitchen upstairs. With the houses’ siting on the grounds of the Dti and with a family actually living in one of them, this configuration became a necessity. “the technological institute is a place where there are people coming and going, looking, watching, interviews and stuff like that,” saelan says. “We thought, ‘People are running around their house. Why don’t we move their normal living quarters upstairs so they are free from people looking in their windows, so we can have just bedrooms downstairs.’” architects designed the houses so new technologies and products can be easily incorporated into the design. Walls can be removed and insulation added or subtracted to replicate homes built using different codes. the four bedrooms are all identical in size and volume, two facing north and two facing south to better analyze how specific com-binations of orientation, windows, and heating and cooling systems might lead to greater energy efficiency. the houses are data sponges with sensors recording a host of variables. “they have 3,000 measuring points around the houses,” saelan says, and both scientists and the public at large can monitor the efficiency of each structure. the Dti even created a website dashboard of distilled data, and consumers can log on to monitor the test family’s energy consumption. (see opposite page for details.) saelan sees enormous potential in the future for the flexhouse project “it would be interesting to export these houses,” he says. “you have them configured in a master plan where you have a lot of them, and then it becomes very interesting because then they actually start to support each other—one house producing more energy than the other house, supporting the other house. suddenly you do a grid for the whole community—suddenly you have a self-supporting zero-energy community.” gb&d gbdmagazine.com
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Energy FlexHouse
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Catch the action. Check out the energy flexHouseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s real-time dashboard via the Danish technological institute at dti.dk.
ALL PHOTOS: Thorbjorn Hansen
Flexing It. the two homes of the energy flexHouse project are built identically and have the look and feel of traditional homes. However, both are loaded with sensors to gather data on how energy is used on a day-to-day basis. gbdmagazine.com
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Constructing Office Interiors. Building a Sustainable Future. Since 1974, Labbe-Leech Interiors has provided construction management of office interiors for Calgary’s leading businesses and professional firms. We are proud to nurture business partnerships that support sustainable industry practices. And with that, we feel privileged to be associated with the Oxford Properties Group.
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Apollo 8 Maintenance Services Inc combines more than 40 years of Janitorial Services with the capability to provide quality maintenance and management of your facility. Apollo 8 is responsible for cleaning and maintaining over 10 million square feet of commercial office space throughout the GTA. Apollo 8 enjoys decades long relationships with many of our clients. We have gained their trust through years of hard work, proactively monitoring the results of our service and continuously working to raise the bar. We are committed to providing excellence. We look at every aspect of your facility design to provide a service that is right for you.
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• Regular Office Cleaning • Going Green Cleaning Program (environmentally preferable cleaning) • Carpet Cleaning (Spot Cleaning & Shampooing/Steam Cleaning) • Kitchen Cleaning Services/ Cafeteria & Restaurant Cleaning • External Building Maintenance • Window Cleaning
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PHOTO: Michelle Latvin
details 36/ REAL ESTATE 45/ DEVELOPMENT 48/ ENGINEERING 52/ EDUCATION 54/ ARCHITECTURE
CoNtrolleD volts aND verDaNCy. title Here. the interior of theassisted California grumman/Butkus associates academy of management sciences is beneath a giant with energy at the rice greenConservation roof located in san francisco’s Plant science Center, part golden gate Park, but skylights built of the Chicago Botanic garden in into the ceiling daylighting. glencoe, il. theprovide structure was named Photo: tim griffith. R&D Magazine’s 2010 lab of the year. gbdmagazine.com
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The Sustainable Intelligence Agency Analyzing green-building features and environmental projections, Oxford Properties uses a new intelligence program to pursue long-term sustainability
In the past five years, building design has evolved to incorporate more sustainable practices and elements than ever before, and many existing properties are being renovated to take advantage of green innovations that significantly reduce energy- and water-usage costs and minimize the structures’ impact on the environment. But while many organizations can achieve a level of success simply by reacting prudently to industry shifts or market fluctuations, becoming an industry leader takes something special: intelligence. Oxford Properties Group, a commercial-real-estate firm based in Toronto, employs what it calls the Sustainable Intelligence program to properly integrate sustainability strategies with its business plan and ensure they’ll work over the long term. What does sustainability mean to the people at Oxford Properties? Speaking candidly, senior vice president and managing director Andrew McAllan says, “I believe governments, businesses, and individuals have to rise above short-term pressures and make difficult choices so that we leave a world for our children that has not reached the tipping point in terms of climate change, resource depletion, and pollution.” Through its Sustainable Intelligence program, the company identifies opportunities for green development within its property portfolio while also making the financial case to its stakeholders for taking advantage of such opportunities. Incredibly, the program has enjoyed success ahead of schedule, meeting its goal of a 20 percent reduction in total emissions before its 2012 deadline. In response, the firm is now working on an additional 10 percent reduction by 2014. “Oxford is proud to have been the first in our industry to set a target,” McAllan says, “and we remain the only landlord to have a transparent, portfolio-wide energy-reduction target.”
Illustrating Oxford’s shrewd sustainability initiatives, upgrades to Toronto’s Royal Bank Plaza resulted in $1.8 million in energy savings for the building’s tenants. 36
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Oxford Properties
The structural steel, ceiling tiles, and aluminum curtain wall of Centennial Place in Calgary, AB, were all composed of recycled material. More than half of construction waste was diverted from landfill.
When Oxford Properties’s Sustainable Intelligence program met its goal of a 20% reduction in total emissions before its 2012 deadline, it added a new goal of another 10% by 2014.
Standing out in that portfolio are Centennial Place and Royal Bank Plaza, particularly stunning developments that showcase disparate but equally striking achievements in sustainability. Centennial Place, a pair of skyscrapers in Calgary, Alberta, were built and are managed by Oxford Properties and opened last year after being designed and constructed to LEED Core & Shell Gold standards. There, the company instituted a groundbreaking zerowaste recycling program that accommodates both office towers and the tenant and public sides of the food court. Going further than traditional recycling programs, the zerowaste initiative involves gathering electronics, batteries, toner cartridges, and organic material. Even wasted oil from the food court is collected and used in manufacturing biofuel. During construction, several green practices were implemented: one-fifth of the new materials were composed of recycled content, including the structural steel, ceiling tiles, and aluminum curtain walls; 81 percent of all the wood purchased for the project was harvested in accordance with FSC gbdmagazine.com
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standards; and 59 percent (or, 5,830 tons) of the base building waste was diverted from landfills and reused or recycled. Other green features have a tangible impact on the structure’s bottom line: low-flow showers, halfflush urinals, and ultra-low-flow faucets with automatic controls reduce water usage by 35 percent, and high-efficiency lighting, occupancy sensors, and an advanced metering system further reduce energy costs by 40 percent. McAllan says these achievements reflect the organization’s values. “I believe that companies who build green into their organizational DNA—both their principles and competencies—are better positioned to serve their customers and be more profitable over the long term,” he says.
McAllan says that tenants often choose Oxford Properties buildings specifically because of the LEED features, reinforcing the fact that what’s good for the environment is good for business. “Sustainability is challenging the status quo in our sector and driving new ways of doing things,” McAllan says. “That’s what we’re trying to do at Oxford. We are committed to sustainability and know that this will contribute to our company’s success going forward.” —John Ziza
In Toronto, the company’s renovation of the Royal Bank Plaza necessitated a different sustainable approach. Rather than designing a building from scratch, Oxford Properties retrofitted the existing property with a recycling program and upgrades that increased costeffectiveness by reducing energy and water usage. Included in the updates were energyefficient lighting and improvements to the airdistribution system. Rainwater collection tanks were also installed to provide irrigation, eliminating the use of municipal water for landscaping. And the building’s recycling program now diverts more than 70 percent of its waste away from landfills. “The result of these upgrades has been a 25 percent reduction in electricity, 48 percent reduction in steam, and a 43 percent reduction in chilled water,” McAllan says. “In 2010 alone, we saved our tenants over $1.8 million in energy costs.”
a Message froM traNe CoMMerCial trane, a business of ingersoll rand, has a broad portfolio of energy-efficient heating, ventilating and air-conditioning systems; building and contracting services; parts support; advanced controls; and building and financing solutions, including those that allow energy-efficient systems to pay for themselves through energy savings. for more information, visit www.trane.com.
a Message froM HallMark HousekeePiNg serviCes iNC. as Canada’s leading facility-service provider, Hallmark Housekeeping services inc. has been providing janitorial and related services for more than 30 years to a wide range of prominent firms. our We Clean green initiative focuses on implementing products, procedures, and equipment that create a safer and healthier environment for clients and their occupants. Contact Philip Clementino, pclementino@hallmarkhousekeeping.com. Calgary, aB……………403-261-1666 ottawa, oN……………613-247-6000 toronto, oN……………416-748-0330 VOLUME 3/ NO. 15/ 2012
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Your Property. Our Priority. ENVIRONMENTAL & ENGINEERING CONSULTING SERVICES
Better Buildings Create Greener Communitiesâ&#x201E;˘ At Trane, we are committed to creating greener, sustainable communities by providing superior HVAC systems and services to buildings and homes around the world. Our people are dedicated to developing high-performance systems that reduce energy costs and provide energy efficiency, better indoor air quality, and quieter surroundings. All of which contribute to greater comfort and a cleaner, healthier environment. And because we are part of communities around the world, we are actively involved in protecting the environment and making the world greener.
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HILLMANN CONSULTING, LLC is a full-service Environmental and Engineering Consulting firm providing an array of customized Environmental Health and Occupational Safety, Remediation Support, Sustainability Consulting, Environmental Due Diligence, Geology, and Laboratory services. For more information contact us at (800) 232-4326 Or visit our website at: www.hillmannconsulting.com
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SelfImprovement on Park Ave.
The view from 230 Park Avenue is as iconic as the building itself. Originally built in 1929, the Manhattan landmark was recently certified LEED Gold.
About to unveil the tallest office building in Metro DC, Monday Properties first transforms its iconic Manhattan headquarters
It was back in 2004 when Anthony Westreich acquired 100 percent of the New York Citybased Max Capital Management Corporation and its four-million-square-foot portfolio and established Monday Properties. Since that time, he has built his new firm into one committed to sound investment practices and uncompromising professional standards, focusing primarily on two of the world’s most competitive and lucrative real estate markets: New York City and the Washington, DC, metro area. As executive vice president and COO, Brian Robin oversees all the company’s corporate and portfolio operations, including leasing, marketing, property management, and project development. “Our philosophy has been consistent from the beginning,” he says. “We are real estate people, and everyone who works here has always worked in real estate.” The company’s philosophy revolves around trying to perform better than anyone else in the industry and providing environments tenants can thrive in, “so they don’t have to think about real estate,” Robin adds. Since 2002, Monday Properties has completed more than $8.5 billion in transactions, representing 18.9 million square feet throughout New York City and greater Washington, DC. The company manages each property in its portfolio and currently operates at 96 percent occupancy. Making this gbdmagazine.com
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expansive portfolio more energy efficienct started with its own corporate headquarters: 230 Park Avenue. A designated Manhattan landmark, the pre-World War II building is one of the most visually recognizable in New York City. Monday Properties acquired the 34-story, 1.4-million-square-foot building in 2007, and recently the firm undertook a comprehensive renovation that earned the space LEED-EB Gold certification. Extensive HVAC upgrades, steam-powered chillers, interior refurbishment, and energyefficient upgrades on lighting all contributed to its Gold rating. “For the past 10 years, our focus has been to improve the asset,” says Hani Salama, senior vice president of property management and operations for the firm. “We did our best to improve the
building performance as well as renovate the interior of the building—basically modernize the building from mechanical and electrical systems to aesthetics and space renovation. We spent approximately $100 million in 10 years, and all we had to do was invest another $250,000 to achieve LEED Gold certification, so it was really a modest step to complete the achievement.” Salama says obtaining the LEED Gold rating was obviously a great thing for the company, but even more satisfying was showing other firms it could be achieved in an older structure. “We won BOMA-NY Operating Building of the Year for buildings over one million square feet, and we beat two very modern buildings,” Salama says. “Here’s this 1929 building that we were able to modernize and VOLUME 3/ NO. 15/ 2012
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Monday Properties
Since 2002, Monday Properties has transacted $8.5 billion, 28 properties, and 18.9 million square feet of real estate in the New York City and greater Washington, DC, areas.
left: Nearing completion, 1812 North Monroe illustrates Monday Properties’s environmental commitment to new construction. the project anticipates leeD Platinum under the Core & shell rating.
“It’s different building by building. Sustainability on its own is desirable, but the real value is whether it rewards the investor buying and owning the building.” —Brian Robin, Vice President & CEO
make it compete against any modern building in the city, and we are happy about that.” Next door is 237 Park Avenue, which was a large investment and another great success for the company—but in a much different way. “We first managed the building on a third-party basis,” Robin says. “We bought it in 2003 and in 2005 recapitalized it and in 2007 sold it. We transformed the nature of the investment through extensive leasing.” Other key projects along the way have concentrated on sustainability and the establishment of LEED-certified buildings in both markets. A prime example is 1812 North Moore Street, an increasingly esteemed, trophy-class office building in Rosslyn, Virginia, just across the Potomac River from 40
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Washington, DC. The project received LEED Gold certification for Neighborhood Development and expects Platinum under the Core & Shell rating upon completion in 2013. Designed by Davis Carter Scott, in collaboration with Gensler, one of the building’s most unique features is its well-planned floor plate. It might sound like a small detail, but the architects’ design makes each floor of 1812 North Moore Street—set to be the tallest office tower in the region—20 percent more efficient than a similarly sized structure. In addition, the building offers floor-to-ceiling glass, a virtually columnless interior layout, and a focus on indoor air quality. The environmental elements at 1812 North Moore Street and elsewhere in Monday
Properties’ portfolio are not tacked on for show. “Sustainability is fundamental as investors and fundamental as managers and operators in the same vein that smart engineering and efficiency are fundamental,” Robin says, explaining that Monday Properties is always asking how a space can operate better and more efficiently. “It’s different building by building. Sustainability on its own is desirable, but the real value is whether it rewards the investor buying and owning the building. We do believe that over time, just like smart engineering, it is universally appreciated.” Robin says the company will continue to look for more opportunities with like-minded partners in its existing business sectors in New York and Washington, DC. “Our future plans include growth,” he says. “Geographically, we are very focused on markets we are in already and the partners we have, but we want to do what we are doing and want to do more of it and expect to do more of it. We like our identity as a partner to institutional investors and believe in New York City and the DC market.” —Keith Loria a Message froM s. DigiaCoMo & soN since s. Digiacomo & son opened its doors in 1966, we have completed thousands of projects from basebuildings to high-end interiors. as a leading tri-state CM/gC, we work for the most demanding companies and exacting architects. they’ve all come to rely on our high standards, our consistency for on-time completion and our ability to produce quality work that endures time. http://www.sdigiacomo.com.
a Message froM Milo kleiNBerg DesigN assoCiates MkDa has been designing award-winning interiors for corporate-space users and commercial-building owners since its inception in 1959. Whether our clients’ goals are driven by consolidation, growth, organizational change, or the desire to reduce occupancy costs, we provide interior solutions that best position our clients’ organizations for the future. Committed to offering sustainable solutions whenever possible, we are proud to count a sustainably minded owner such as Monday Properties as one of our esteemed clients. Most recently, we collaborated with Monday Properties’ leasing team to redevelop building standards with sustainable elements at one of its iconic assets—230 Park avenue. gbdmagazine.com
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LEED Design Interior Design Corporate Identity Relocation Planning Public Area Upgrades Site & Lease Requirement Surveys
Space Planning Prebuilt Programs Space EfďŹ ciency Space Programming Layouts & Plans
View our portfolio at www.mkda.com
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New York Connecticut
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902 Broadway, 17th Floor New York, NY 10010 T. (212) 532-9800 One Stamford Landing, Suite 002 Stamford,CT 06902 T. (203) 487-340
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Adapting to the Energy Era Colony Realty Partners’s plan for continuous evolution offers a schematic for other progressive firms
CRP’s 2200 Cabot Drive property was 20 years old when the company first acquired it in 2007. In just four years, green initiatives have resulted in a 17% reduction in energy use.
Colony Realty Partners (CRP) may only be six years old, but the real estate investment company’s founding principals have more than eight decades of combined experience in the field. With that sort of backbone comes an unparalleled understanding of the market, which is why the firm made sustainability a core concept from the start. According to Robert Holmes, the managing director of asset management at CRP, the motivation bhind the company’s commitment to sustainability is twofold. “Not only is it the right thing to do from a sustainability standpoint, but it’s just the responsible way to run a business,” he says. “It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in; you have to be efficient, and that means giving back when you can and never using more than you need to.” CRP currently manages more than 150 individual investments throughout the United States, including office, industrial, multifamily, and retail properties. For now, the company’s main focus is getting all its office properties to run as efficiently as possible— a directive the staff tackles from a number of angles. The office properties in CRP’s portfolio are registered with the Energy Star Portfolio Manager, enabling the firm to benchmark each building’s performance. CRP also integrates the USGBC’s LEED-EB rating system, with two in-house LEED-accredited professionals establishing sustainability goals for gbdmagazine.com
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Colony Realty Partners
Every property in CRP’s portfolio is registered with the Energy Star Portfolio Manager. Half of that portfolio is also registered—or already certified—with LEED.
each property. It should come as no surprise then, that nearly half of CRP’s office properties are either LEED-registered or -certified and that all of them currently have sustainability programs in place such as recycling plans and green cleaning services. “It was easier for us to focus on office properties first because it’s more efficient to regulate green practices and track methodologies,” Holmes says. “We are now focusing on single-tenant industrial properties and evaluating how to make them as sustainable as our office spaces.”
The Cabot property underwent extensive retrofitting that enhanced its energy efficiency, including the installation of new interior lights, and all common-area lighting is now controlled by toggle switches, occupancy sensors, and programmable lighting controllers. By also taking small but important steps, such as posting key energy tips around the building, CRP ensured the Cabot building’s shift toward maximum energy efficiency would be
fast-moving. When CRP acquired the structure, the Energy Star rating was 63, and 15 months later, in March of 2009, the rating was 75. The current rating is 87, representing a 17 percent overall reduction in energy use. Many of CRP’s properties, such as its 5100 River Road and 155 Pfingsten buildings in Illinois, are making similar strides, so it’s clear the company isn’t resting on its laurels or overconcerning itself with what others in the industry are doing. Holmes and his team are continuously pushing forward. “When you’re evaluating every detail, you don’t really have time to look up and recognize what your competitors are doing,” Holmes said. “The best way to continuously evolve is to implement, evaluate, and adjust—to keep moving the initiatives forward, making each building more efficient as you go.” —Tina Vasquez
In many ways, CRP’s 2200 Cabot Drive property, acquired in 2007 and located in Lisle, Illinois, exemplifies the company’s approach to sustainability. The firm scrutinized 11 properties in the Chicagoland area, with a gap analysis for each one, before identifying a 20-year-old building for a pilot program to maximize sustainable operations and obtain the LEED-EB rating. The Cabot building was well taken care of by its previous owner, but it took CRP’s keen eye to see the structure’s sustainable potential.
“It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in; you have to be efficient, and that means giving back when you can and never using more than you need to.” —Robert Holmes, Director of Asset Management
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Reviving Senior-Care Facilities Horizon Bay Retirement Living renovates aging senior homes with a focus on sustainability and resident engagement
The Horizon Bay at Hyde Park project was the first independent- and assistedliving retirement community built in south Tampa Bay in more than 20 years.
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“In the design of senior housing, green products and sustainability definitely have a place,” says John Sattelmayer, senior vice president of facilities for Horizon Bay Retirement Living. He should know: with 93 properties in 19 states, Sattelmayer’s company is a regionally diverse senior-focused property-management firm. And through its Eco Friends Program, the company is regarded as a leader in creating sustainable senior-living facilities from existing structures. Launched in 2007, Horizon Bay’s Eco Friends Program is a multifaceted initiative that takes a comprehensive approach to implementing sustainable practices in existing buildings—all of which are at least 20 years old—and positioning those buildings for the future. The program recently caught the attention of the Assisted Living Federation of America, which awarded the program and Horizon Bay with a 2011 Best of the Best award in the Physical Plant and Environmental category.
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Horizon Bay
“Folks are very curious, and it’s important that they’re onboard. Wewant to assure them that the noise behind the wall is for their betterment.” —John Sattelmayer, Vice President of Facilities the Horizon Bay at Hyde Park assisted-living facility has 136 units and plush amenities.
Through the firm’s Eco Friends Program, nine Horizon Bay communities have earned the EPA’s Energy Star certification.
Actions of the Eco Friends Program have included developing and meeting new benchmarks for each building in anticipation of Energy Star’s new standard for senior housing; educating residents and staff on managing a building’s impact on the environment; and vendor partnering to offer sustainable packaging, extensive recycling, and paperless invoicing. Since 2008, paperless invoicing alone has saved more than 1.1 million sheets of paper. The program also focuses on actively engaging the residents via Q&A sessions, project explanations, and mechanical-room tours. “Part of what [residents] want is a green building and green products,” Sattelmayer says. “Folks are very curious, and it’s important that they’re onboard. We want to assure them that the noise behind the wall is for their betterment.” 46
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Horizon Bay and a hired green-building design firm—is currently in the process of renovating six of its retirement-living facilities, five of which are in Denver. The typical retrofit project costs around $2 million and encompasses 300,000 square feet. And though each renovation project is different and the company doesn’t maintain a “cookie-cutter” design, there are some constants to each project. First, the company always eyes opportunities to bring the outdoors inside via daylight harvesting. Second, it focuses on installing energy-efficient lighting and carpeting comprised of recycled content. Another constant is the resulting benefits. “You see the benefits every day on the utility bills and from the residents,” Sattelmayer says. “They’re excited about the new look and feel of their home.” Through the Eco Friends Program, nine Horizon Bay communities have earned the EPA’s Energy Star certification, which signifies that each of its buildings performs in the top 25 percent of similar facilities nationwide in terms of energy efficiency and meets strict EPA-set energy-efficiency-performance levels. This figure is likely to increase as the property-management company gears up to renovate an additional eight properties in 2012. Aside from renovations, the company has also garnered attention for its Horizon Bay at Hyde Park project, which was the first independent and assisted-living retirement community
built in south Tampa Bay in more than 20 years. Completed in 2011, the six-story, 153,000-square-foot urban high-rise is a brownstone building featuring 136 units, plush amenities, and fine dining—proving that a sustainably minded firm needn’t always shy away from opulence. —Erik Pisor
a Message froM sigNature CryPtoN CarPet at 82% green by weight, the yellowstone Collection by signature Crypton Carpet is the most environmentally responsible product in the industry. it is also one of the most beautiful collections, with patterns inspired by the national park itself. and $.50 of every square yard sold goes to the yellowstone Park foundation to help preserve one of america’s most pristine natural resources, making signature Crypton Carpet a preferred carpet vendor of Horizon Bay senior living. a Message froM Mark youNg CoNstruCtioN since its inception in 1989, Mark young Construction, inc. (MyC) has fruitfully completed hundreds upon thousands of projects in the Western region of the united states. as the 25th largest contractor in Colorado and perpetually growing, MyC has established a breadth of expertise in commercial construction projects. as a construction manager and general contractor, MyC enhances your project’s potential by pursuing ways to minimize cost, increase efficiency, and provide the utmost sustainable process possible. owners such as Horizon Bay Meridian Communities trust Mark young Construction, inc. with their project’s success. gbdmagazine.com
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Making buildings more sustainable, comfortable, safe and productive Building owners, managers and designers worldwide turn to us to make their buildings work more efficiently, sustainably and profitably. Our innovative systems and equipment help create high performance, quality environments for the people that use them. We help engineer, manufacture and install control systems that automate a buildingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s heating, ventilation and air conditioning, as well as its lighting, security and fire safety equipment. We also manufacture complete institutional and industrial HVAC systems and equipment. Integrated HVAC Systems | Building Management Systems | Technical Building Services | Industrial & Commercial Refrigeration Energy Efficiency & Sustainable Solutions | Global WorkPlace Solutions | Security & Fire Safety
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To learn more, visit our web site www.johnsoncontrols.com or call 847-364-1500 Chicago Branch 3007 Malmo Drive Arlington Heights, IL 60005
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GBA’s Rice Plant Conservation Science Center was named R&D Magazine’s Lab of the Year in 2010.
Down in the Trenches The president of Grumman/Butkus Associates isn’t afraid to work alongside the rest of his engineering team to push for a higher form of environmentalism
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Dan Doyle, the president of engineering firm Grumman/Butkus Associates (GBA), admits that he was a little different as a kid. In elementary school he spent his days reading books about the environment by Rachel Carson, author of the renowned ecological manifesto Silent Spring. In high school, he was president of the Ecology Club and cofounded a recycling center. So, as a steadfast environmentalist with a penchant for math and science, it made perfect sense when Doyle decided to pursue a career in engineering. And after graduating from the University of Illinois with a BS in mechanical engineering, he reached out to industry friends for employment leads related to energy conservation and improving the environment. “I kept hearing about Dave Grumman and his tiny firm, Enercon,” Doyle said. “Dave founded his energy consulting firm before anyone was even thinking about energy; it was six months before the first oil embargo. I felt like it was fate. All signs pointed towards coming to this firm.” gbdmagazine.com
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PHOTOS: Michelle Latvin
Grumman/Butkus Associates
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left: above the offices of the rice Plant Conservation science Center, photovoltaic panels gather energy. a rainwater garden sits below. BeloW: the rice building’s interior gallery offers a glimpse of the green roof outside.
laboratory markets. Some of this can be credited to Doyle, who developed the firm’s annual hospital energy- and water-benchmarking survey in the 1980s, which anonymously benchmarks hospitals’ energy use and costs, providing valuable information to healthcarefacility managers. The free survey was formalized in the 1990s, and currently up to 120 hospitals participate each year, with GBA shouldering the costs. Today, ALGH represents the engineering firm’s continued commitment to efficiency. GBA added a cutting-edge facility to the hospital campus with 192 private rooms and a new patient-bed tower. Early in the design process, energy modeling helped evaluate the insulation levels and window performance, allowing GBA to optimize the energy efficiency of the building. All energy-heavy mechanical equipment was prepurchased based on lowest life cycle cost, and air-handling units were selected with low-velocity coils and filters, resulting in lower fan-power
Enercon, Ltd. offered consulting services to clients interested in reducing their operating costs through energy conservation. In 1981, just a year after Doyle joined the company, Al Butkus was appointed vice president of the Illinois office, and Enercon changed its name to Grumman/Butkus Associates. In 2000, nearly 20 years later, Doyle became president, and his dual passions for work and the environment have helped shape the Chicago-based firm’s reputation in the Midwest as the premier energy-management consulting agency. The firm’s name has become synonymous with high-performing, energy- and resourceefficient buildings and facilities, and two recent projects—the Daniel F. and Ida L. Rice Plant Conservation Science Center at the Chicago Botanic Garden (CBG) in Glencoe, Illinois, and the new bed tower at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital (ALGH) in Park Ridge, Illinois—are proving to be its most ambitious yet.
Dave Grumman was well ahead of the curve when his four-person energy-consulting firm, Enercon, Ltd., was founded six months before the oil embargo in 1973.
Before these projects, GBA was already considered a leader in the healthcare and gbdmagazine.com
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In 2000, Dan Doyle became president and helped shape GBA’s reputation as the premier energy-management consulting firm in Chicago.
draw. A high-efficiency condensing hot-water boiler plant was also put in place. To give an idea of their efficiency, the condensing boilers used for both the ALGH bed tower and the Conservation Sciences Center have a rated efficiency of 92 percent, 12 percentage points above the International Energy Conservation Code requirements. The ALGH facility was also equipped with high-efficiency chillers, cooling towers, and pumps; a chilled watersupply temperature reset; and a green roof. When the facility received LEED Gold certification, it became the largest healthcare project in the Midwest to do so. The Plant Conservation Science Center is equally noteworthy. All of the building’s materials are no- or low-VOC, it incorporates FSC-certified wood, and it is made from more than 40 percent recycled content. Energy efficiency was an important goal in the center’s design, too, and the structure features highperformance heating and cooling systems, a high-performance chiller, and high-performance condensing hot-water boilers for heating, including in-floor radiant heat. The lighting is also efficient and is coupled with occupancy sensors throughout the building so that it’s never unnecessarily illuminated. GBA predictes energy savings of nearly 40 percent
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the leeD gold-certified advocate lutheran general Hospital includes a rooftop garden for patients to relax in.
and a final score of 9 out of 10 possible LEED points in that category. “We’re trying to save the environment one building at a time,” Doyle says. “We’re down in the trenches, and we need more folks down in the trenches rather than debating whether or not man-made climate change exists. The time for debate has ended. The next step is figuring out what to do about it.” —Tina Vasquez a Message froM PePPer CoNstruCtioN founded in 1927, Chicago-based Pepper Construction is a privately-owned general-contracting and construction-management firm primarily serving the nonresidential and private-sector markets, including healthcare, educational, retail, institutional, commercial, and interiors clients. serving clients from offices in illinois, texas, indiana, and ohio, Pepper Construction’s 2010 gross revenues totaled $912 million. gbdmagazine.com
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PHOTOS: James Steinkamp
Pepper is a proud partner of Grumman Butkus Associates
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www.1hg.net - 804.740.7500 8501 Patterson Avenue, Richmond, VA 23229
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Higher Ed’s Action Hero Dave Merchan returns to the University of Richmond as a LEED AP to implement its groundbreaking—and awardwinning—Climate Action Plan
In 2007, the University of Richmond’s president, Edward Ayers, signed the Presidents’ Climate Commitment, acknowledging the “unprecedented scale and speed of global warming and its potential for large-scale, adverse health, social, economic and ecological effects.” With Ayers signature, the college pledged to measure its carbon footprint and develop a plan to reach climate neutrality. And just four short years later, sustainability has become a guiding principle at the University of Richmond. In that time, the university has completed a greenhouse-gas-emissions inventory and has set a goal to reduce its 2010 emissions by 31 percent by 2020. To conserve energy, the school installed steam-trap systems, economizers, energy-management systems, and lighting sensors. And if all that weren’t enough, it also has three committees and three full-time staff members devoted to implementing and coordinating sustainability programs. It’s a university with a mission, and heading up that mission is Dave Merchan.
Having completed a greenhouse-gas-emissions inventory, the University of Richmond aims to reduce its 2010 emissions by 31% by 2020.
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The Weinstein Center for Recreation and Wellness earned LEED Gold certification in February 2011. It’s one of five standout green buildings on campus.
“My favorite part of this job really is working with students and teaching them about green building; they are the future.” —Dave Merchan, Project Engineer for University Facilities
Merchan, who worked as an engineer in training from 2000 to 2005 under the direction of university engineer George Souleret, is one of the major contributors to the school’s sustainable vision. After working awhile as an HVAC designer, Merchan developed an interest in green building and became a LEED AP, and in 2008 he returned to Richmond as project engineer for university facilities. He immediately put his new skills to work, helping the school meet the goals of its Climate Action Plan. The plan is being treated as a living document, and it will be reviewed and revised as the university progresses toward climate neutrality. New technologies, economic conditions, and changes in climate science may necessitate changes to the school’s strategies, but Merchan has high hopes for the plan however it evolves. “I hope it raises awareness about our responsibilities as stewards of this Earth and its resources,” he says. Many college campuses are making sustainability a focus, but gbdmagazine.com
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few can boast the accomplishments the University of Richmond can. Its Weinstein Hall was the second LEED building in Virginia— admittedly, by only two weeks—and the first in central Virginia, and it was also the first building in central Virginia to offer recharging stations for electric vehicles. And, four more school buildings—the Weinstein Center for Recreation and Wellness, Queally Hall, Robins Stadium, and the Heilman Dining Cente—illustrate the school’s sustainable mission in a variety of other ways. The Weinstein Center was one of only five facilities in the country to receive the 2008 National Intramural Recreational Sports Association’s Outstanding Sports Facility Award, and it earned LEED Gold certification in February 2011. It ended up being one of the most efficient buildings in the state by incorporating native and adaptive plants that do not require a permanent irrigation system, sidewalks and roofing with a high solar-reflective index, low-flow showerheads and toilets and waterless urinals, low-VOC paints, and a high-efficiency HVAC system with carbondioxide monitoring that allows the reduction of outside air during unoccupied times. Queally Hall incorporates many of the same features, including power meters that measure and verify energy consumption by the building’s systems. In Robins Stadium, more than 90 percent of the regularly occupied interior spaces have outdoor views. And the
Heilman Dining Center? It, too, has obtained LEED certification. The university has adopted a minimum standard of LEED Silver for all new construction on campus and intends to retrofit existing buildings so they run as efficiently as possible. According to Merchan, the school aims to reduce power consumption in renovation projects by evaluating the reduction in the carbon footprint, the return on investment, the ability to educate and change the behavior of building occupants, and system reliability and longevity. To meet these goals, Merchan relies heavily on his team—and it doesn’t hurt that he sincerely enjoys working with the next generation of LEED APs. “We will have to work as a team in order to meet the goals set by the school’s leaders, and in doing so, we get to prepare the [students of the] community for the challenges they will face outside of the university,” Merchan says. “My favorite part of this job really is working with students and teaching them about green building; they are the future.” —Tina Vasquez
a Message froM HiggiNs & gersteNMaier H&g is proud to collaborate with the university of richmond in the pursuit of sustainable initiatives throughout the campus. H&g is a full-service land-planning and landscape-architecture firm based in richmond, va, serving communities across the region for more than 20 years. VOLUME 3/ NO. 15/ 2012
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Ecology + Economy Emphasizing these visionary values back in the 1980s, CJW Architecture was founded with a focus on clients and site-driven design
Sometime in the early 1980s, it became clear to architect Carter J. Warr that something was missing in his profession. Architects weren’t paying attention to several vital aspects of construction, namely context, client, ecology, economy, and site. These five elements were often overlooked in the pursuit of a grand design, he thought—and he wanted to do something about it. Working off his early experiences in construction, Warr gained insight into these missing elements, and he learned how to bridge the gap between overly ambitious solutions and the real-world needs of his customers. “Architecture should be more about the client,” Warr says. “We engage our clients, and the designs are more powerful and mean more to the client. Each client should be engaged in the process and have influence over it. That way, there is more buy-in. It is so much more fun to do it together.” This is the philosophy upon which Warr founded his firm, CJW Architecture. For the construction of the California Contemporary residence, CJW not only listened to its client but also paid attention to what the
The Museum-Inspired Contemporary house accounts for 70% of its own energy, largely thanks to photovoltaic panels, a geothermal cooling system, and a metal roof that harvests rainwater.
site dictated. The home was meant for a family with disparate hobbies who bought the property for the view, so CJW worked extra hard to negotiate the property’s close proximity to neighboring structures and work around several great oak trees nearby that could not be relocated. In the end, the firm completed the Spanish Colonial-style home with all natural materials, and its backyard, fit with an infinity-edge pool situated on sloped terrain, overlooks a 100,000-acre view of the land below. Another project CJW designed, a modern sustainable residence, is a recreational home that features a guesthouse with wheelchair access, a pool, a hot tub, and a space for paddle games. “The activity spaces are designed to bring people together,” Warr says. “It’s really cool.” And yet a third CJW-designed property, the Museum-Inspired Contemporary home— set atop a very difficult site overlooking the agricultural lands of Stanford University—is nicely fitted to its location and client and also is highly sustainable. The property has a view
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CJW Architecture
CJW Architecture navigated neighboring structures and several immovable oak trees to provide the California Contemporary residence with an awe-inspiring view.
naturally lit and ventilated, cooling achieved through two ice generators, and on-demand water heaters. CJW also moved all the poolmaintenance equipment indoors to prevent chemical leaks from polluting the nearby creek, and this seemingly small change has improved creek conditions to the point that two endangered species have returned to the area, the red-legged frog and the San Francisco leatherback turtle. of crops and a nearby lake, which inspired a curved fountain at the front entrance of home. And Warr incorporated wider corridors to accommodate the family’s impressive modern art collection, infusing the spaces with traditional elements while maintaining a contemporary feel. At the same time, to conserve energy and resources, Warr incorporated photovoltaic panels, a geothermal cooling system, and a metal roof that harvests rainwater. The interior walls are limestone plaster, which absorbs carbon dioxide, cleans the air, and becomes stronger over time. In all, the home self-accounts for 70 percent of the energy it consumes. CJW’s expertise extends to more than just high-end residences, however. At a creek-side swimming and tennis club, the firm has been on a mission since 1992 to rehabilitate and modernize the 1950s facility. “We approached the project of rehabilitation and modernization by replacing all the moving parts, much like a mechanic repairs a car,” Warr says.
“We approached the project of rehabilitation and modernization by replacing all the moving parts, much like a mechanic repairs a car.” —Carter J. Warr, Founder
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The project has so far consisted of giving the locker rooms, the ballroom, the dining room, the fitness room, and the pool a facelift—all while improving the overall functionality of the building. Complicating things, the 12,000-square-foot facility must be renovated while staying open to the public. Its sustainable features include interior spaces that are
“The rehabilitation has set the stage for another 40 to 50 years of use,” Warr says. With every project, Warr and CJW Architecture works toward a “defining difference.” They pursue architecture because they love it, and they engage clients because they love them. “We are facilitators,” Warr says, “not dictators.” —Eugenia Orr
Ridegeway Electric Ridgeway Electric is a full service electrical company with over 30 years in the construction industry. We have enjoyed being a close partner of CJW Architecture for 15 years and as a result of this, we have worked on many projects together including designing and building our own shop. CJW is a valued partner, and has been a building block for our company’s success.
Phone: (650) 344-8716 Fax: (650) 344-8309 P.O. Box 1009 | Burlingame, CA 94010 VOLUME 3/ NO. 15/ 2012
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An Innovator with Heart Championing design’s social and scientific power, Millard Pratt of MTP Architects could be called the Thomas Edison of architecture
Millard T. Pratt was only six years old when he saw the building that would define his life’s trajectory. His father, a career US Air Force officer stationed in England, had taken the family sightseeing in London. “I noticed a building that was decidedly different than any building I’d ever seen in my young life,” Pratt remembers, years later. “So I asked him, ‘What is that?’” “It’s architecture,” his father replied. “That’s the British Museum.” It got Pratt thinking about what a noble and ancient calling construction and design was, what a wonderful thing it must have been. And, after a brief detour into economics in college, Pratt was wooed back into architecture’s arms. He studied for his five-year degree at the University of Idaho before moving on to the University of California–Berkley for his master’s. “I held on to that dream from very early childhood,” he says. After school, Pratt put in his time on the ground floor. He learned to appreciate the finer details, such as the ergonomics of a finger-pull on a filing cabinet. He learned to soak up the big-picture principles, too, such as high-rise design. And, he sought out mentors who taught him the lessons he would need to eventually open his own firm, MTP Architects, which turns 10 years old this year. Now at his prime in a career that has spanned more than 20 years, Pratt places a heavy emphasis on two things: sustainability and innovation. 56
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For Dining by Design, an AIDS-awareness event, Pratt conceived a design placing dramatic Traxon LED lighting over tabletops that then seemed to glow. At the dinner, other architects fell in love with the creation.
Concerning sustainability, consider the fractured family whose members commissioned Pratt and his business partner, Fred Rieber, to take their claustrophobic, stuffy home and turn it into a residence free of the literal and metaphorical barriers between them. Pratt designed spaces that were defined by their uses, not walls, and he conceptualized a heating-and-cooling tower to bring fresh air inside. And, in much the same way the family members wanted to salvage their relationships—not lose them—they asked Pratt to save and reuse the materials of their old home.
wanted to start from scratch. If you respect those who came before us and the work they did and you try to reuse and renew that work, it’s an ecological practice.”
“Early on in my career, I worked alongside another architect who insisted we save anything and everything we could,” Pratt says. “He wouldn’t take walls out just because he
Concerning innovation, consider the display MTP crafted for Brandy Ho, a Hunan bistro in San Francisco. Pratt designed a kiosk that would attract attention from across a mall’s gbdmagazine.com
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MTP Architects
them to you.’ It was a wonderful closing of the loop. It wasn’t a wasted effort.” It’s that Edison-like willingness to try and try again that makes Pratt and his team so innovative—and it’s the inventor’s humility that allows them to give their clients exactly what they requested. “Think of a bespoke suit,” Pratt says. “We really do bespoke buildings and interiors for our clients. Our solutions are all about you. They’re wrapped around you. They’re not MTP Architects. You’re going to work in it, you’re going to live in it, and you’re going to play in this piece of architecture.” It’s all right there in the company’s motto: “Your life. Your space.” That boy back in London may not have known it then, but he would get what he wanted: to help others by building spectacular spaces. —Seth Putnam aBove: a rendering of the display for the Brandy Ho bistro in san franscisco shows how MtP architects’s innovative structural skin would have projected images on a grand scale.
high tech porcelain Over the course of a career that has spanned more than 20 years, Pratt has learned to place his emphasis on two things: sustainability and innovation.
• POST-CONSUMER RECYCLED CONTENT • POST-INDUSTRIAL RECYCLED CONTENT •
CLOSED-LOOP WATER-SAVING PRODUCTION
• GREENGUARD
CERTIFIED
food court by pairing an epoxy composite with Traxon LED lighting to create a structural skin that could project video images from the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Although the initial kiosk plans were eventually scrapped, the technology lived on when Pratt took the concept—this time implemented on a tabletop and chandelier—to Dining by Design, a dinner party hosted by Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS (DIFFA). “It was really a big hit,” Pratt says. “We had architects coming to us saying, ‘We wanted those lights. We called Traxon, but they said they’d promised gbdmagazine.com
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MADE IN USA
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www.stonepeakceramics.com VOLUME 3/ NO. 15/ 2012
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PHOTOS (this page): Justin Maconochie, Maconochie Photography
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Designing for Future Economies As the worlds of both work and school change considerably, Neumann/Smith Architecture is eliminating costs and conserving resources
With the recent recession, there has been a shift in corporate office design, says Gene Carroll, AIA, LEED AP, a partner at Neumann/ Smith Architecture. As many companies shed their office space or renovate for more energy efficiency, Carroll’s firm is reaching out to clients to help them create more sustainable, high-performance work areas. “The cost of energy, real estate, technology, and the environment are becoming more important to our clients,” Carroll says. And in order to meet increasing sustainable demands, more than 60 percent of Neumann/Smith’s architects and interior designers have become LEED accredited; the goal is to reach 100 percent accreditation by 2012.
Neumann/Smith’s design of the headquarters for Centurion Medical Products, sited on 37 wooded acres, was selected as the 2010 Green Project of the Year by CAM Magazine.
Founded in 1968 by Ken Neumann and Sanford Rossen, Neumann/Smith Architecture has weathered numerous changes in the design industry over the past 40 years to become one of Michigan's largest architectural firms. The firm has ensured its continued success through a collaborative approach and a promotion of sustainable architecture, and nowadays it works on a variety of largescale projects, including medical facilities, educational housing, and commercial office space. In 2010, CAM Magazine selected the firm’s Centurion Medical Products Headquarters as its 2010 Green Project of the Year. The two-story, 120,000-square-foot, LEED Gold-certified building is sited on 37 wooded acres; it has 58
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PHOTOS (this page): Justin Maconochie, Maconochie Photography
Neumann/Smith Architecture
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“With the development of our educational expertise, we are looking to serve highereducation clients on a national level.” —Gene Carroll, Partner
raised floors for easy access to mechanical, electrical, and data systems; and its efficient skin has an R value 28 percent higher than required by code. The clerestory glass in the two-story atrium running through the middle of the building brings daylight into the interior. In addition to the corporate offices, there is also a 3,000-square-foot fitness center, an outdoor track along the site's perimeter, and a two-story atrium with a café and water feature. Another of the firm’s LEED Gold projects is Michigan Technological University’s Hillside Residence Hall, which received certification in 2011. Along with its energy-efficient strategies implemented for LEED certification, the project incorporated details and materials not typically used in student housing and more in keeping with an “up north” aesthetic, including sloped metal roofs, stone walls, and exposed wood decking. Glass-clad walls and towers were inspired by historical fire-lookout towers once common to the forestry industry in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
aBove: Michigan technological university’s Hillside residence Hall fits into the school’s modern architectural style but also evokes a distinctively northern aesthetic with elements such as sloped metal roofs, stone walls, and wood decking. BeloW: the residence hall’s upper lodge features a lounge and kitchenette, a fitness center, a sauna, and a multifunction room
Neumann/Smith plans to have its entire staff LEED-accredited by 2012 in order to serve increasingly eco-minded clients such as universities. The firm also offers several scholarships to graduate students each year.
Within the past three years, Neumann/Smith has moved beyond its Michigan base into both neighboring and far-flung states. According to Carroll, “As many of our clients moved outside of Michigan, we saw opportunities to move with them. With the development of our educational expertise, we are looking to serve higher-education clients on a national level.”
PHOTOS (this page): Mark E. Riutta
Right now, nearly 50 percent of the firm’s workload is already in higher-education design, and, according to Carroll, the national conversation in the past five years has brought a significant increase in requests for LEED certification. Neumann/Smith expects to continue growing its higher-education practice nationally because universities not only have to maintain classroom structures but also all ancillary needs, such as parking structures, student centers, and laboratories. Universities and community colleges need to remain competitive in the marketplace while maintaining control of rising energy costs, so many of their aging buildings require replacement or renovation. "It's a market we feel we can provide great value to,” Carroll says. “They have dozens and dozens of buildings with huge energy requirements. They simply can’t afford high maintenance and energy costs.” —Joyce Finn gbdmagazine.com
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inner workings HOTEL PALOMAR Proving that sustainable luxury can exist, Gensler redefines hospitality with an Art Deco adaptive reuse
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architect Gensler interior designer Powerstrip Studio client Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants location Philadelphia size 156,000 square feet completed 2009 website hotelpalomar-philadelphia.com
Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants has been practicing sustainability for years, but it wasn’t until Hotel Palomar that the hospitality provider fully merged its corporate philosophy of environmental conservation and consciousness with one of its properties. the hotel owner and developer teamed up with architecture-andplanning giant gensler to work on the adaptive reuse of a deteriorated art Deco high-rise in Philadelphia, originally built in 1929. the resulting structure is in line with kimpton Hotels’s typical luxury aesthetic, but it also earned leeD gold certification thanks to a number of eco-friendly features. Hotel Palomar’s Nick gregory and gensler’s Matt Wolfe took gb&d inside the hotel’s design and operations. 60
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Hotel Palomar site/ “the client sought out a historical building with the intent to reinvent and bring new life to the structure,” says Wolfe, sustainable strategist at gensler. “the finished project was a high-end, 4-star boutique hotel.” located in a lively section of the city, the dated building underwent renovation and refurbishment from kimpton through an adaptive-reuse process, preserving the majority of the original structure. “adaptive reuse is one of the more sustainable ways to approach a project,” Wolfe says. “We took the building that had incredible energy and leveraged its character to introduce a modern facility while adhering to our sustainable strategy.”
1/ ENTRANCE. Hotel Palomar’s canopy features lit artwork depicting Benjamin Franklin. 2/ EXTERIOR. Renovations to the building’s exterior included refitting its windows with insulated, low-E glass. 3/ PLANS. The adaptive reuse uses space carefully. 4/ SITE. The building is in Philadephia’s Rittenhouse Square neighborhood, a thriving retail, tourism, and business area.
plans/ Wolfe and interior designer Danya lee, from Powerstrip studio, were charged with designing a sustainable hotel that wouldn’t look or feel sustainable—one where hospitality norms wouldn’t be forgotten nor luxury compromised. the two blended sustainable products and design to create a modern, edgy hotel “one of the misconceptions of sustainable design is it has an inherent feel to it, and we definitely changed that view on this project,” Wolfe says. in 2006, at the time of the design, sustainable materials weren’t as readily available as they are today, so tremendous care went into material and system selection. gensler and Powerstrip studio used an energy model and plugged in all the energydependent systems to understand how the building would perform. “We were able to refine the design of the systems to ensure they’d have a positive impact on the building’s performance,” Wolfe says.
inner workings/ operations/ Nick gregory, director of operations and general manager of Hotel Palomar, says hotel staff observe as many as 100 different green practices as part of their day-to-day operations. Practices such as recycling toner, using soy-based ink, including recycling bins in every guest room, and conducting on-screen checkouts are part of kimpton Hotels’ earth Care standards.
exterior/ Having suffered years of neglect, the building’s exterior underwent extensive restoration. Portions of the brick façade were repaired or replaced, and the original windows were switched out for windows with insulated glass and a low-e coating. also, the highly ornamented three-story building front, which was covered in the 1970s, was re-exposed.
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inner workings/ 5/ INTERIOR. The Hotel Palomar’s new staircase is clad with reclaimed walnut wood and connects the first-floor bar with a second-floor restaurant. 6/ LOBBY. The adaptive reuse saved the building’s original bronze elevators. 7/ BAR. The space features a rapidly renewable cork ceiling, recycled glass terrazzo flooring, and creative lighting. 8/ BATHS. Even the guest baths are studies in ecofriendly refinement, having been fitted with low-flow fixtures.
Hotel Palomar interior/
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the interior had little salvageable historical fabric. elements within the library and second-floor elevator landing were restored, but in most other cases Hotel Palomar needed to be remade afresh, and sustainable technology had to be included. occupancy-sensing infrared thermostats in each room helps control temperatures by automatically adjusting when the room isn’t in use, and more than 90 percent of the equipment in the hotel—including appliances, ice machines, alarm clocks, and flat screen tvs—is energy star rated.
from the metal studs and sheet rock to the wall coverings and beer-bottle-glass bar top, more than 20 percent of the Hotel Palomar was built from reused material. there is recycled glass tile in every guest room, and the decorative stair that wraps around the restaurant was made from reclaimed walnut. the majority of the structure’s lumber is fsC-certified, and all its paints, sealants, and adhesives meet strict low-voC standards. the project was even able to earn a last-minute leeD point for its cork ceiling tiles and the other rapidly renewable materials within its restaurant.
a highly efficient water-source heat pump serves the guest rooms and contributes to a 40 percent energy reduction, and the installation of low-flow fixtures allowed the hotel to achieve more than a 20 percent reduction in water use. “that was one of the more challenging efforts because at a hotel the shower is one of the most water-consuming fixtures,” Wolfe says. a shower fixture that dispensed two gallons per minute satisfied the sustainable requirements without compromising the guest experience or the aesthetics of the hotel. —Jennifer Hogeland
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ALL PHOTOS: Peter Kubilus
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ALL PHOTOS: Peter Kubilus
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RICE FERGUS MILLER OFFICE & STUDIO The architecture firm’s new self-designed headquarters turns out to be an enriching experiment in energy efficiency
architect Rice Fergus Miller client Rice Fergus Miller location Bremerton, WA size 39,000 square feet completed 2011 website rfmarch.com
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When Rice Fergus Miller Architecture and Planning (rfM) renovated a long-vacant building for its new office in downtown Bremerton, Washington, experimentation was a strong guiding principle. as the firm’s team explored the possibility of achieving net zero and pushing sustainability levels to the max, it still allowed the original structure of the building to suggest the direction of the design. the result, with its innovative mechanical system and leeD Platinum rating, might be considered a “screaming example of energy efficiency,” as founding partner steve rice puts it, and the many lessons learned along the way are already being applied by the firm to new projects in its key sectors of senior housing, healthcare facilities, fire- and emergency-service structures, and community projects. Jeremy southerland, the lead project designer for the new office, took gb&d through a few of those lessons. > gbdmagazine.com
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inner workings 1/ INTERIOR. RFM left many of the building’s original materials exposed and raw, including the wooden support beams in the ceiling. 2/ EXTERIOR. The skin of the new office space is super-insulated. 3/ DESIGN. The office’s entry-level floor space has become a gathering place, hosting community meetings and fundraisers. 4/ WINDOWS. A crank opens the building’s operable windows, allowing RFM to heat and cool the building naturally on pleasant days. 5/ LIGHTING. Long rows of windows keep the kitchen area well lit. 6/ AIR. Operable clerestory windows and a fan from Big Ass Fans create a chimney effect that keeps the space cool.
Rice Fergus Miller Office & Studio site/ the town of Bremerton had its heyday back in the 1940s, with a population of 85,000 as compared to 36,000 currently. However, during the last decade, much has been done to revitalize the downtown area, and rfM became part of that effort when it chose to rescue the sears allstate automotive-service store, which had been built in 1948 and had lain vacant for 24 years. “i cannot think of a single developer who wouldn’t have torn it down,” southerland says, adding that the firm allowed the old and raw sections of the 39,000-squarefoot building to remain just as they were, “creating a visual juxtaposition of new and old that encapsulates the whole project.” the office, consisting of two floors and a mezzanine level, lies just four blocks from a bus transit hub and a ferry terminal, which is important for the firm’s employees who commute from seattle.
energy/ one of the firm’s goals for the new office was to reach net-zero status, a first for rfM, though it knew getting there wouldn’t be immediately affordable. “We approached the design completely backward from an energy-performance standpoint, asking ourselves, ‘if we covered every surface of the building with solar panels, how much energy could be created?’” southerland says. “then we set that aggressive goal for ourselves.” the firm’s new office consumes about one quarter of the energy of a typical office building, with an eui rating of about 19, and its rooftop solar array will produce approximately seven percent of the building’s annual energy needs.
water/ the building has two 3,000gallon cisterns that will collect rainwater and ultimately save about 62,000 gallons of water each year. the water will be used for toilet and urinal flushing and also for irrigating a green roof and a small, planted area in front of the office. “it’s not a huge money saver, and it doesn’t pay off for a long time, but it makes tremendous sense and wasn’t a big investment,” rice says. the building is also furnished with dual-flush toilets and low-flow urinals and showerheads.
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ALL PHOTOS: William P. Wright
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inner workings mechanical system/ southerland is reluctant to even call the office’s mechanical system mechanical. to ventilate the building, a large atrium was built in the center of the office to create a chimney effect. in lieu of ductwork, the office relies on variable-speed ductless heat pumps throughout the building to distribute localized heat and cooling to individual spaces. the exterior skin is super-insulated so that the system is dependent on outdoor air temperature instead of indoor air temperature—and also dependent on the firm’s employees. the firm spent a dollar extra per square foot to install this system, which will pay for itself in one year. “a huge portion of the year, we will use no energy to heat or cool the air, relying only on operable windows,” southerland says. “We close windows to keep heat in the building, and as we are exhausting air out, we are bringing air in. if we get over 75 degrees fahrenheit outside, we close the windows and use heat-recovery ventilators.”
community/ instead of relocating to the next large town, as many local businesses have done, rice says his firm built in downtown Bremerton to reinvest in its own community. in the spirit of the firm’s long commitment to “supporting the community that supports us,” the new office has become an offsite teaching tool for local university students who monitor the building’s performance data. and the office’s entry-level floor space has become a gathering place for community events, fundraisers, and nonprofit board meetings. —Suchi Rudra
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Tim Ryan Construction, Inc. is a leader in developing commercial properties and providing quality, cost effective construction. · Tim Ryan Construction, Inc. was the General Contractor for the new home of Rice Fergus Miller Architecture in Bremerton, WA. – LEED Platinum Project. · Projects ranging from Commercial Office Buildings, High-Tech Medical Facilities, Restaurants, Financial Institutes & Retail. · LEED AP’s on Staff
ALL PHOTOS: William P. Wright
· Member of US Green Building Council · Family Management Team provides over 111 years of construction experience. “PROVIDING QUALITY SERVICES SINCE 1957” 19307 8th Ave NE Ste A, Poulsbo WA 98370 Phone (360) 779-7667 - Fax (360) 779-2260 www.TimRyanConstruction.com gbdmagazine.com
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discussion board
Q: What is the one thing that would help the hospitality industry become even more sustainable? “standard carbon methodology. this is one area Marriott international feels the industry should be aligned. We believe a standard calculation will provide each of us—as well as our key stakeholders—a more meaningful way to understand their impact and where we need to make positive changes.”
Marty Collins, Gatehouse Capital, p. 82
Flux Design, p. 134
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Faith Taylor, Wyndham Worldwide, p. 72
“the best way ... is for reps to start marketing greener products and for designers to be constantly educating themselves and to be embracing the trends, creating the unique designs that the patrons seek out but with products and materials that further sustainability.”
“a combined focus on two areas that have a strong impact on a hotel’s environmental footprint: incorporating sustainable design elements into construction and renovation and engaging employees in environmental efforts by arming them with resources and tools to be a part of the solution. 66
Marriott International, p. 70
“it is one thing to build the building as effectively as possible but quite another to have folks operate it sustainably, and then even quite another to ask guests to behave in a certain way. i am least a fan of the latter. there are plenty of examples of non-sustainable guest behavior—and that is completely okay. Hospitality is by definition focused on accommodating guests, not directing them.”
“keeping it simple. We have the solutions and proven case studies. We need to touch people’s hearts by relating it to their everyday lives and their families. We need to do a better job of education and communication.”
Jeremy Shamrowicz,
Denise Naguib,
Brigitta Witt, Hyatt, p. 74
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FEATURES A MORE HOSPITABLE EARTH/ 68 WELCOME TO THE HSPC/ 78 STYLE & SUBSTANCE/ 82
TO THE POINT. this pair of stiletto heels by artist storm tharp is just one of 40 works of local art on display at the Nines hotel in Portland, or. the rest of the interior, a work of art in itself, is the result of Benjamin West’s purchasing prowess—a power the company is now using to green hospitality’s billion-dollar supply chain, P. 78. gbdmagazine.com
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toWa rD a More
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HeN tHe future of tHe PlaNet is at stake, lollygagging isn’t an option, but policy is often still held up by partisan politics and the inherent lag time of gargantuan legislative bodies. It’s an era when buzzwords such as “green” and “sustainable” are tossed around without much thought—which is why it’s refreshing when private companies seek their own solutions for the growing crisis of a ravaged Earth. Inside the hospitality industry in particular, there are those who say and those who do. And in the companies of Marriott International, Hyatt Hotels Corporation, and Wyndham Worldwide, gb&d found three impressive doers tackling the problem of a calamitous environment head-on. > 68
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PHOTO: Klaus Lorke
HosPitaBle eartH H ospit alit y an d t ra ve l are c h an gin g, b ut t h e t ransf o r m a tio n isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t a quic k o n e. i nt e r n a tio n al luxur y hot e l c h ains M a rri ot t, W yN D H a M , an d Hyat t are p ursuin g t h eir ow n initia tive s ra t h e r t h an waitin g f o r p o litic al m an d a t e s. By s e t H Pu t N a M
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A More Hospitable Earth/
WitH 3,600 ProPerties iN 71 CouNtries aND territories, Marriott International’s goals for greening its multibillion-dollar supply chain are lofty: reduce energy and water consumption by 25 percent per available room by 2017 and expand its portfolio of green buildings to include 300 LEED-certified hotels by 2015. Such goals are easy to view in the abstract, but Marriott has backed up its plan with action on the micro level. The company is so committed to conserving resources that it launched a million-dollar study to find the best showerhead to spray two gallons per minute instead of five. Unafraid to get experimental, Marriott scrapped its standard toilets, which used 1.6 gallons per flush, in favor of less wasteful commodes that use 1.28 gallons. The company’s engineers used soy paste to mimic different consistencies of human waste and to ensure there would be no loss in efficiency. And those old porcelain toilets? They were ground up and used to pave new roads. “Our company was built on the foundation of taking care of our associates and our guests,” says Bruce Tucker, director of engineering for Marriott’s Airport Gateway Hotel in Atlanta, which opened in August 2010. “And you can’t truly do that unless you’re being a good steward of the environment.”
Marriott It’s the simple things, Tucker says, that make the most difference—things such as making sure the landscaping irrigation is working smoothly. (Tucker had his hotel’s sprinkler system audited and is now saving nearly 200 gallons a week.) Or, it’s turning off the lights when natural sunlight will do the trick and taking food waste and composting it. “It’s definitely the idea behind being green,” Tucker says. “If you can take a product that you would normally waste and bring it back to your property and reuse it, that’s pretty cool.” And those who think sustainability is just the flavor of the day should consider the fact that green practices actually win new business in addition to being more cost-effective. “A lot of people say that green doesn’t really catch on, but the fact remains that we have hotels that get business specifically because they are good stewards,” Tucker says. And with numerous recognitions to Marriott’s name—including a listing as one of Newsweek’s “Greenest Big Companies” and three Sustained Excellence awards from the EPA, to name a few—it would appear the rest of the world is taking notice. 70
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PHOTOS: Marriott Airport Gateway Hotel, Atlanta, GA.
iNNovative reuse, exteNsive auDits, aND siMPle steWarDsHiP
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25%
tHe aMouNt Marriott iNterNatioNal PlaNs to reDuCe Water aND eNergy usage By Per availaBle rooM By 2017
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tHe NuMBer of galloNs of Water Per Week saveD at tHe airPort gateWay Hotel tHaNks to sPriNkler systeM auDits
TWENTYFIF TEEN
tHe year By WHiCH Marriott PlaNs to oWN at least 300 leeD-CertifieD ProPerties
$10
BILLION
tHe Dollar value for Marriott’s total suPPly CHaiN, WHiCH Will CoNtiNue to uNDergo suBstaNtial greeNiNg as Part of tHe ‘sPirit to Preserve’ PrograM gbdmagazine.com
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88%
tHe aMouNt of CoNstruCtioN Waste WyNDHaM DiverteD froM tHe laNDfill DuriNg tHe BuilDiNg of its CorPorate HeaDQuarters, WHiCH earNeD leeD-Ci silver CertifiCatioN
20,000
tHe NuMBer of iNDigeNous PlaNts useD at WyNDHaM’s seveN-Mile BeaCH resort oN tHe islaND of tasMaNia iN orDer to ProMote BioDiversity
TWENTY PERCENT tHe aMouNt By WHiCH WyNDHaM aiMs to reDuCe its CarBoN footPriNt By 2020
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A More Hospitable Earth/
W y n d h a M PHOTOS: (Clockwise from top) Wyndham Headquarters, Ramada Vineland guest room, Seven Mile Beach resort, Landal Port Greve vacation rentals.
PusHiNg BeyoND PuBliC PoliCy for iNDustry-WiDe CHaNge
iNsteaD of WaitiNg for legislators to HaND DoWN policy from above, Wyndham Worldwide is doing what makes sense: taking its proven care for guests and associates and applying the same philosophy to the Earth. “It has always been part our of core values to act with integrity and value the community,” says Faith Taylor, vice president of sustainability and innovation at the company. “And that relates to sustainability—saving today’s resources for our future generations.” Sustainability has become so important an issue to Wyndham that it’s now a top concern—up there with revenue and customer satisfaction—and an extension of the company’s count-on-me culture. Wyndham Worldwide released a 60-page sustainability report that pinpointed its global footprint (350,000 metric tons of carbon emissions across 40 countries) and zeroed in on major goals for scaling back its consumption. The company has committed to reduce its footprint 12 percent by 2016 and 20 percent by 2020.
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Such grand goals can’t be accomplished without well-laid plans, but Wyndham’s attention to detail is precise. The company is scrutinizing even the small things: energy-efficient lighting, better caulking and insulation, ozone laundry systems, and solar power, among many others. The company’s hotels are paying special attention to air quality by improving their HVAC systems to eradicate floating pollens and allergens, and Wyndham is also debuting special products, such as 52 million compostable and biodegradable Eco-Cups made from recycled materials. And, in 2012, the hospitality giant plans to phase out incandescent bulbs in favor of more efficient and cost-effective light sources. More than anything, though, Wyndham is leading the way to a better environment through its more than 350 green facilities around the globe. “We’re not just talking about it in our own back yard,” Taylor says. “We’re trying to work within the industry to set the standard.” The company’s Green Advisory Board is championing the cause and developing policies both at home—with the American Hotel Lodging Association—and abroad—through a partnership with the World Travel and Tourism Council. “It’s important for people to know private companies are doing this,” Taylor says. “We’re not waiting for a global policy to happen; it’s not going to. If you have private companies taking the initiative, that’s better than having government tell you what to do.” VOLUME 3/ NO. 15/ 2012
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TWELVE HUNDRED tHe NuMBer of Coral islaNDs tHat Make uP tHe MalDives, WHere tHe Park Hyatt HaDaHaa uses a reverse-osMosis DesaliNatioN PlaNt aND raiNWater CaPture for PotaBle Water aND reuses Waste geNerator Heat
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tHe toNs of PlastiC Hyatt Has kePt out of laNDfills tHaNks to its use of reCyCleD PlastiC for Bottles aND keyCarDs
h y a t t aN uNreleNtiNg eNviroNMeNtal CoMMitMeNt froM NePal to CHile
tHe sQuare footage of tHe greeN roof at tHe Hyatt at olive 8 iN seattle, oNe of tHe largest greeN roofs iN tHe City
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WorM farMs iN australia. HigH-altituDe orPHaNages in Katmandu, Nepal. Sometimes saving the world takes a little creativity. In March 2011, Hyatt launched a new corporate responsibility platform called “Hyatt Thrive” to organize practices it has been committed to all along: reducing waste, conserving resources, and engaging communities. “Responsible business is also good business,” says Brigitta Witt, vice president of corporate responsibility. “Any time we reduce our consumption of natural resources, there’s an impact to the bottom line.” Hyatt Thrive takes the company’s goals of reducing its environmental footprint and investing in communities and translates them into customized plans for the individual areas and neighborhoods surrounding Hyatt’s hotels. “All of our properties are focused on that goal, but the way they do it is hyperlocal and according to the needs of the community,” Witt says. > VOLUME 3/ NO. 15/ 2012
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That means, for instance, that if there isn’t any recycling infrastructure in a city, Hyatt will find its own way. The company is doing exactly that in Santiago, Chile, where it’s partnering with local charities who take the hotel’s used glass, plastic, and aluminum to a plant for processing. And, the charities get to keep any money the processing plant pays for the materials. With more than 450 hotels and 85,000 associates in 40 countries, Hyatt’s concern for the Earth is truly worldwide, and it extends not just into environmentalism but also into being a good neighbor. The company’s hotel in Katmandu donates money, rice, and clean water to one of the city’s orphanages and offers its laundry services for the children’s clothing. And, in the Ninth Ward of New Orleans, Hyatt is getting ready to reopen a renovated building nearly six years after it was wiped out by Hurricane Katrina. The hotel will
draw on local talent for its employee base and for ideas to improve the surrounding area and to incorporate sustainable practices into its daily operations. Even in Chicago, home to Hyatt’s headquarters, the company is propping up the community by donating 15,000 books to 10 public schools and sending employees to paint and plant gardens. “Hyatt Thrive is our way of taking a lot of different efforts and organizing them under a common framework,” Witt says, explaining that Hyatt has been involved in improving communities and the planet for a number of years. One of Hyatt’s most innovative projects is even using worm farms at its holdings in Australia to compost food and provide fertilizer for hotel landscaping. “Our plan is to reduce waste, energy, and carbon emissions by 20 percent and water usage by 25 percent by 2015,” Witt says. “We’re always looking for ways to do better. I don’t think this work is ever done.” gb&d
The Brumby Building at Marietta Station 127 Church Street Suite 305 Marietta, Georgia 30060 Cell: 770.310.2545 Office :770.590.7330
a Message froM tHe rise grouP “our underlying philosophy toward sustainable-project leadership is that a leader must know sustainability to provide expert management. rise promotes leeD accreditation and continuing sustainability training for all of our Project Managers.” —David Crowell, rise Coo
PHOTOS: (Previous page, clockwise from top left) Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa, Hyatt Regency Dusseldorf ballroom, Hyatt at Olive 8 green roof, and Hyatt Regency Dusseldorf bathroom.
A More Hospitable Earth/
rise shares Hyatt’s commitment to sustainability, both within our organization and in the built environment we help to create.
Specialties Include: Management of Hotel Renovations and new Construction Projects Purchasing of FF&E and OS&E for hotels
11 years of service / 27 years of experience
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rise services encompass the means and methods to define, plan, implement, and integrate every aspect of a capital construction program or individual project, including management of sustainability goals and leadership of leeD Certification. We are resolute in educating our staff and project teams on the principles of sustainable design and maintaining forward-looking philosophies with regard to sustainable initiatives. this knowledge benefits our clients with best-practice strategies for promoting integrated, whole-building design practices; providing a complete framework for assessing building performance; and meeting sustainability goals.
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PHOTOS: (Previous page, clockwise from top left) Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa, Hyatt Regency Dusseldorf ballroom, Hyatt at Olive 8 green roof, and Hyatt Regency Dusseldorf bathroom.
Program Management Project Management Strategic Planning Technical Advisory Construction Consulting
an
We are proud of our relationship with Hyatt and we are committed to help maximize their sustainable outcomes in the built environment.
company
312.917.1000 www.risegroup.com
We are management consultants helping clients deliver exceptional capital improvement projects and major infrastructure programs. Rise serves corporations, institutions, public agencies, private developers and investors. We have the privilege of working with world-class hospitality providers who develop major projects across a broad spectrum of product types from boutique hotels to full service properties to luxury resorts. Our expert hospitality team successfully delivers world-class projects.
Rise is committed to demonstrating practices that promote sustainability within our organization and to incorporating sustainability in the built environment we are helping to create. We engage with every client to understand their individual approach to sustainability and support their goals with the means and methods to define, plan, implement and integrate them into their business plans and projects.
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Alan Benjamin and JoAnna Abrams are about to change the hospitality industry. As the president of major purchasing firm Benjamin West and CEO of MindClick SGM, respectively, the two have helped create an entity intent on the environmental overhaul of hospitalityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s billion-dollar global supply chain.
Welcome to the HSPC. by Tina Vasquez
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The HSPC/
E
ven in casual conversation, Alan Benjamin comes off as an honest man, trustworthy and straight-shooting—traits essential to leading a company that handles hundreds of millions of dollars each year. As the founder and president of Benjamin West, a major furniture, fixtures, and equipment (FF&E) and operating supplies and equipment (OS&E) purchasing firm for the hospitality industry, Benjamin won’t even use the company postage meter. He keeps his personal stamps in a desk drawer, conveying the message to employees that even the price of 44-cent first-class postage matters. And what else would you expect from someone whose core business concepts are accuracy, integrity, and reliability? It’s perhaps Benjamin’s hard-line dedication that is most impressive. Based in one of the greenest cities in America, Boulder, Colorado, he and his firm have been conscious of sustainability since day one, and when company-wide green initiatives were put in place several years ago, one of the first actions was to eliminate the use of plastic water bottles in the office—it worked out well for employees but became problematic when clients visited. “Clients were flying in from all over to take a meeting in our office,” Benjamin says. “They were spending millions of dollars, and we couldn’t even offer them a water bottle. It didn’t make any sense. It seemed very emblematic of the issues surrounding sustainability, which is that many initiatives are nice in theory, but they’re not necessarily practical.” It reminded Benjamin to keep the needs of the client in mind first and then strive to provide the most sustainable options possible. His solution: he offered clients the greenest water bottles on the market while still keeping the water-bottle rule in place for employees. >
“What many fail to realize is that sustainability isn’t black and white. If the building is LEEDcertified but the furnishings are absolutely evil for the planet, how does that equal out?” —Alan Benjamin, President & CEO, Benjamin West
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PHOTOS: Jackie Shumaker
Breakdown of a Sustainable Hotel Room With the initial Velocity program, launched in 2003, Benjamin West turned the FF&E process upside down and created a hospitality furnishings package that reduced time and cost while increasing quality. Now, the program has been upgraded to Velocity 2.0G, which retains the benefits of the first version as well as the original vendors, but uses environmentally friendly materials. Here’s a breakdown of the furnishings’ sustainable elements. gbdmagazine.com
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1/ LIGHTING. The scheme uses CFLs and is Title 24 compliant. 2/ VANITIES. Frames have rapidly renewable bamboo and CARB-compliant EV 1 plywood.
3/ WALL VINYL. This is Greenguard certified for low emissions and made from 10% post-consumer recycled content. 4/ CARPET PAD. Made from 100% recycled material, the carpet pad is CRI Green Label certified.
5/ BEDDING. The pillow insert is made with 100% post-consumer recycled polyester fill. The naturaldown throw has 100% renewable wool content. 6/ ACCENT TABLES. Frames are 25–30% recycled steel powder, recycled during the powder-coat process.
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The HSPC/
“The franchised nature of hospitality ... requires an industrywide solution. With transparency and a clear set of guidelines that suppliers help to create, the industry can achieve real progress.” —JoAnna Abrams, Founder & CEO, MindClick SGM
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FURNISHING PORTLAND’S GREENEST HOTEL The Nines, a Starwoodowned hotel in Portland, OR, is a testament to classy sustainability, thanks in part to Benjamin West, which provided sourcing and purchasing services for all the lighting, carpeting, seating, casegoods, drapery, and wallcoverings. The hotel, occupying the top nine floors of the historic Meier & Frank Building, is the result of a $137 million renovation completed in October 2008.
ALL PHOTOS (this page): Bruce Buck
It’s this desire for a middle ground with clients that led Benjamin to work with JoAnna Abrams, founder and CEO of MindClick SGM, a sustainable growth-management firm for companies in the hospitality industry. Benjamin, who describes Abrams as “wicked smart,” is one of the founding members of her Hospitality Sustainable Purchasing Consortium (HSPC), which aims to provide the industry with a unified approach to greening its global supply chain by creating a Hospitality Sustainable Purchasing Index (HSPI). In the same way other indexes gauge suppliers on design, quality, price, availability, and service, the HSPI will evaluate them on their overall sustainability. Launched in June 2011, the consortium is the first of its kind, and MindClick’s existing Sustainability Performance Index will be the basis of the HSPI. The consortium is on track to have a beta version of the index ready by early 2012, leading up to a formal launch in 2013. Essentially, it will be a Web-based industry-wide purchasing database that comprehensively measures and reports information in the categories of corporate social responsibility, environmental impact (in terms of energy and water consumption and carbon and waste output), and product sustainability. Subscribers to HSPI will be able to see performance ratings in each category for each supplier, accompanied by detailed explanations for the scores given. “It will be a win-win for businesses, the environment, and, ultimately, consumers,” Abrams says. “Sustainable products can offer comfort and positive health impacts for hotel guests. Plus, guests feel good about making a choice that has an environmental and social benefit.” According to Benjamin, both the consortium and the index also address a major problem in the hospitality industry, which is that the core and shell of hotels are being built sustainably while interior furnishings are given significantly less thought. “It doesn’t make any sense not to measure the impact of the furnishings,” Benjamin says. “If the building is LEED-certified but the furnishings are absolutely evil for the planet, how does that equal out? This is why what JoAnna is doing is so important. She’s putting a group of vendors in place and asking them to think critically about what should be measured and how it should be measured—because what many fail to realize is that sustainability isn’t black and white.” Greenwashing, the deceptive use of green PR or green marketing to promote a misleading perception that a company’s policies or products are environmentally friendly, is something Benjamin believes is dangerous and lacking in common sense. Take a typical hotel-bathroom vanity. Using a water-based finish is supposed to be better for the
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ALL PHOTOS (this page): Bruce Buck
The HSPC/
environment, but on average such a vanity may only last about three years before it looks unattractive enough that it must be replaced. Using a standard finish, however, will result in a vanity that lasts more than 10 years. “The cost-over-life analysis is critical, and with the greenwashing of our industry, this is something that’s being considered less and less,” Benjamin says. “The shelf life of a hotel room is 24 hours, and if you get too cute with your green endeavors and it becomes necessary to constantly replace furnishings, you can’t get that revenue back for missing just one day of service with that room. In certain situations, what may look like the most sustainable choice on paper is not better for the environment overall. The expected life cycle is more important, and it’s obviously smarter business-wise and green-wise to spend $500 on a vanity that will last over 10 years than it is to spend $300 on a vanity that will last three years.” These are sentiments echoed by Abrams, who is firm in her belief that, unlike other approaches to sustainability, the consortium will create a solution grounded in business, and it will drive the kind of real change that can only occur when purchasers are able to obtain products that meet all of their needs, not just their “green desires.” “Because of the franchised nature of hospitality and the resulting manner in which purchasing is done, it requires an industry-wide solution,” Abrams says. “With transparency and a clear set of guidelines that suppliers help to create, the industry can achieve real progress.” In addition to Benjamin West, the consortium was also founded by Valley Forge Fabrics, Audit Logistics, Delta Faucet Company, InnVision, InterfaceFLOR, PE International Inc., RTKL, SERA Architects, and Marriott International, the last of which has been quietly focusing on sustainability for more than 20 years. Marriott’s FF&E procurement group makes more than $200 million in purchases annually, and according to Dave Lippert, the company’s vice president of procurement, MindClick’s consortium will provide Marriott with the opportunity to focus its efforts in an efficient manner while leveraging Abrams’ technical expertise and tools. Lippert says participating suppliers will now have a solid roadmap, allowing them to focus their efforts in a way that has a larger and more beneficial impact on sustainability. Despite these major strides, there is still a great deal of work to be done. Benjamin West has offices in London and Hong Kong and is handling hotel projects in more than 15 countries. Benjamin has seen firsthand how advanced Europe and some emerging parts of Asia are, and in many ways they’re exceeding accomplishments in the United States. In his own company, whose revenue increased 45-fold from 1998 to 2008, Benjamin can only personally do so much. He makes sure to hire the best and then “trains them, trusts them,” and gets out of their way. He’s confident that he’s doing his part to foster sustainability in his own company but contends that the true mark of progress will be when sustainability is no longer used as a selling point for an individual hotel. “We’ll know we’ve won when this is no longer a news topic,” Benjamin says. “No one says, ‘Come stay at our fire-code-compliant hotel.’ You just assume that’s in place. The end goal should be that people will no longer have to tout their hotel as ‘sustainable’; it will just be a given. If and when this happens, the HSPI and its work will still be necessary, as new products, technologies, and systems will continue being introduced and will need evaluating.” gb&d
a Message froM MoHaWk grouP Durkan (www.durkan.com) is the hospitality brand of the Mohawk group (www.themohawkgroup.com), a leading commercial carpet manufacturer and pioneer in the design of sustainable carpeting. the company’s comprehensive line of patterned and custom carpet products provides the inspired design, advanced engineering, and expressive style needed to set the tone for every installation. Durkan recognizes its customers’ challenges in striking the right balance between creating high-performing, welcoming aesthetics and also meeting evolving eco-requirements. through innovations in fiber and an everevolving suite of sustainable and simple-to-use tools and services, the company works with customers to make specifying floor coverings easier, greener, and more affordable.
a Message froM aQua HosPitality CarPets aqua Hospitality Carpets creates unique and distinctive products for multiple hospitality settings by leveraging the strength, stability, and expertise of its parent company, Beaulieu group, llC. as a vertically integrated organization, we manufacture and produce carpet fibers, type-6 nylon, polyester, and carpet backings and are pioneers in environmentally responsible manufacturing practices and processes.
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Style & Substance The W Hollywood Hotel & Residences is more than a pretty hotelâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s one of the largest sustainable hospitality developments in Southern California by Julie Schaeffer
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PHOTO: Blake Marvin
“Every block surrounding us had projects planned, but we were the only ones to execute.” —Benjamin Cien, Vice President of Construction and Design
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ot long after Gatehouse Capital began working on the massive W Hollywood Hotel & Residences—a luxury hospitality experience at the historic intersection of Hollywood and Vine—the US real estate market crashed. Most developers were forced to reconsider their efforts—but not Gatehouse. “Every block surrounding us had projects planned, but we were the only ones to execute,” says Benjamin Cien, vice president of construction and design at the real estate management and development firm. “Now we’ve become the building block other developers can lay a hat on to get their projects financed and going.” Building the recently LEED Silver-certified and transitoriented hotel wasn’t easy. To start, the project was massive; the mixed-use development includes a 305-room W hotel, 143 luxury W residences, 375 luxury apartments, more than 50,000 square feet of street-level retail, an underground parking garage, and an intermodal service bus and metro stop. At the same time, the site was severely restricted. “The necessary density of the site was part of the puzzle from the beginning,” Cien says. “We had large program requirements that had to fit within a limited city block at the corner of Hollywood and Vine and meet challenging height restrictions.” The designers managed to overcome those challenges while attending to the puzzle of sustainability. Conceived by HKS Architects (whose team included Cien as project architect, coordinating the documentation at HKS at the time) for Starwood’s W brand, perhaps the most notable thing about the building now is that it managed to obtain LEED Silver certification despite being planned long before LEED became the predominate standard for sustainable practices. “When we develop a new project, before we do anything else, we ask who our customers are and what are their expectations,” Gatehouse Capital owner Marty Collins says. “In California, the customer is an advocate of sustainability and a very early adaptor, so we set aside $500,000 to $750,000 to get the building LEED-certified.”
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A/ LOCATION. The view of LA from the W’s rooftop includes Capitol Records on the far left. B/ ROOFTOP. The space offers sophisticated relaxation. C/ DECK. A restricted site required creating unique outdoor spaces. D/ ECO-SUITE. All furnishings in this suite are sustainable and purchased within a 500-mile radius of Hollywood. E/ LIGHTING. A corner living room allows ample daylighting. F/ DIAGRAM. This shows the hotel’s more unique features, including underground parking and an MTA station located directly below ground.
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DIAGRAM 1/ W HOTEL 2/ LUXURY RESIDENTIAL 3/ MULTIFAMILY 4/ VERTICALCIRCULATION PARKING 5/ PARKING 6/ BACK OF HOUSE 7/ RETAIL & RESTAURANT 8/ MTA PORTAL & PLAZA 9/ MTA STATION & RAIL 10/ HISTORIC BUILDING
Putting together the W Hollywood Hotel & Residences: a Q&A with project architect Benjamin Cien
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What were the major design obstacles? The site was tight; we had to work around a Metro stop, integrate a bus intermodal and fire department access, be contextually respectful of the neighboring historical fabric, and fit a massive program within floor-area-ratio and height restrictions. How did you overcome those challenges? We worked closely with the Community Redevelopment Agency, [the] Metropolitan Transit Authority, and all city departments to achieve the necessary programmatic density while maintaining client-desired open space and adhering to city requirements.
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How did you do that? We managed a very talented team and allowed everyone to contribute in the solution. For instance, the structure utilizes post-tension slabs with high-strength steel, which keeps it strong but efficient and thin, allowing us to add a floor and stay under the height restriction. We also developed an internal motor court for valet and convenient guest and residential access while accomplishing fire- and life-safety requirements. The architecture is clean and bold yet responsive and respective of the neighboring buildings. Beyond that, we went through numerous iterations and adjustments along the way.
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Cien believes a significant sustainable achievement was the transformation of the building site itself. “The project is in a dense urban area; the site was underutilized, with surface parking on top of a transit center,” he says, adding that the architects did what they could in the most difficult areas of sustainability, which are energy and atmosphere. “Meeting minimum requirements for LEED is difficult, but meeting California title 24 for a mixed-use project of this magnitude adds a layer of complexity. We were fortunate to hit the requirements in that area.” Other green features include preferred parking for highefficiency vehicles, a high-performance irrigation system (which reduced use of potable water by more than 70 percent), and low-flow fixtures and dual-flush toilets (which reduced water usage by 32 percent). Twenty-four percent of materials were locally manufactured, and 87 percent of construction waste was diverted from landfills. Cien also notes, however, that some green aspects didn’t “translate into common understanding of the LEED rating system, gbdmagazine.com
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such as the underground parking garage, which reduces the building’s footprint and thus the heat-island effect.” The staff of the completed hotel itself is now pursuing eco-efficient operations and practices as well, and a lot of them include the guests. “Guests are thrilled to be part of W Hollywood’s green initiatives,” says Jim McPartlin, general manager of the W Hollywood. “Their choices help to contribute to our overall success.” When asked about his favorite element of the hotel, McPartlin says it’s the fact that it sits atop the Hollywood/Vine Metro Station. “It’s only 7 stops and 11 minutes to downtown,” he says. All in all, it’s a major accomplishment for a project that started in what Collins calls a “brave new day” because people weren’t familiar with LEED criteria and there weren’t yet many sustainability integrators. “In the beginning, we just tried to embrace best practices at the time,” Cien says. “By the time we finished, the industry had experienced a major awakening, so we did our best to make adjustments along the way.” gb&d VOLUME 3/ NO. 15/ 2012
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all Hail tHe QueeN. the enormous portrait of Queen elizabeth that graces the lobby of the Bungalow Hotel is made completely out of pearl buttons. the boutique hotel is one of ironstate Developmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s newest projects, revitalizing an underused portion of the Jersey shore. 86
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/play MarQuee NigHtCluB aND DayCluB
lights out, sin city Fisher Marantz Stone dims the lights for a spectacular new Las Vegas hotspot
left, oPPosite: at the Marqee Nightclub and Dayclub in las vegas, minimal illumination was key to fMs’s design.
by Scott Heskes
Turning out the lights might seem like a crass approach to energy efficiency, but when the purpose is to create the ultimate atmosphere of play—a nightclub of pounding dance music with a swirl of theatrical light and electronics—it makes perfect sense. “The thing to keep in mind about nightclubs—when it comes to architectural lighting—is that they are inherently sustainable because you don’t need a lot of light,” says Michael Hemmenway, an associate at the powerhouse New York City lighting and theatrical consultancy Fisher Marantz Stone (FMS). The club in question, the newly opened Marquee Nightclub and Dayclub at The Cosmopolitan, is a 62,000-squarefoot behemoth that inspires awe even in its hometown of Las Vegas. The project is the result of a strong relationship between Fisher Marantz Stone’s Jules Fisher, one of the firm’s founding partners, and David Rockwell of the design-build firm Rockwell Group, and, by focusing on the intensity of the space, the pair has produced one of the most versatile clubs in Nevada. gb&d secured a breakdown of the plan the designers went in with. > 88
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“the thing that sets this nightclub apart from any other nightclub in las vegas is a significant performance component. it has a stage and a multilevel set for anyone from a soloist to a band to an acrobatics troupe.” —Michael Hemmenway, Associate
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“one of the biggest challenges in designing any hospitality space is balancing efficiency with aesthetics.” —Michael Hemmenway, Associate
1/ Spectacle Make it more exciting than anything else in Vegas. That was the mandate. So, the structure was highlighted by a three-story interactive LED video wall. “That was in response to their desire for wow,” says Hemmenway, who recently earned several accolades, including an IALD Award of Merit for Chanel Encore in Las Vegas and an IES Illumination Award of Merit for 2000 Avenue of the Stars in California and Graff Diamonds in New York City. “This was something that no one else in Vegas had—actually, no one else in the US.” 2/ Control Second to panache was a need for control. With this in mind, a sophisticated electronic system was installed that allows operation of the lighting at different levels. “The operator can take control of architectural as well as theatrical lighting to create the ideal environment,” Hemmenway says. “When the club is not operating, we chose highly efficient work-lighting systems, including high-efficacy sources, to preserve energy demands.” 3/ Efficiency and Aesthetics “One of the biggest challenges in designing any hospitality space is balancing efficiency with aesthetics,” Hemmenway says. “Through the use of high-efficiency sources such as LED [bulbs], used in an integrated fashion with the architecture and interior design, we were able to achieve a balance between sustainability and aesthetics.” Rockwell Group led the design team, with Fisher Marantz Stone and its sister company, Fisher Dachs Associates—which both also share a studio with Third Eye Ltd.—collaborating on the lighting. “We used LED stepaccent lighting, concealed-cove and linear fixtures, whereas years ago we may have used xenon or fluorescent for cabinet and work lights and other architectural details,” Hemmenway says. “Now it’s almost exclusively LED for greater efficiency and lower power consumption. There is also the benefit of greatly reduced maintenance with a longer lamp life.” 90
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Fisher Marantz Stone 4/ Something New “Every project involves something that we haven’t done before,” Hemmenway says. “The team designed numerous animated mounting positions. We had pods and a caged, sparkling mirror ball that dropped from the ceiling, each programmed to move up and down, allowing us to redefine the height of the space.” Theatrical equipment specialists at Show Motion and SenovvA, along with famed club-lighting designer Steve Lieberman at SJ Lighting, collaborated with the design team. “The thing that sets this nightclub apart from any other nightclub in Las Vegas is a significant live-performance component,” Hemmenway says. “It has a stage and a multilevel set for anyone from a soloist to a band to an acrobatics troupe.” gb&d
a Message froM PHiliPs Color kiNetiCs Congratulations to fisher Marantz stone for more than a decade of pioneering leD lighting design. an early adopter of Philips Color kinetics leD technology, fMs leads the industry in implementing innovative and sustainable lighting solutions. Professional leD lighting solutions from Philips Color kinetics deliver high-quality, energy-efficient light while maximizing ease of use.
Philips Color Kinetics congratulates Fisher Marantz Stone for more than a decade of pioneering LED lighting design.
As an early adopter of LED technology from Philips Color Kinetics, FMS leads the industry in implementing innovative and sustainable lighting solutions. Including interior and exterior cove, wash, graze, and floodlights for both whitelight and dynamic, full-color hospitality applications, LED lighting solutions from Philips Color Kinetics deliver intense, high-quality light while maximizing energy efficiency and ease of use.
www.philipscolorkinetics.com gbdmagazine.com
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BostoN Hostel
intrepid hospitality As committed to sustainability as any luxury hotelier, Hostelling International is sprucing up an old office structure for its newest hostel in historic Boston
by Russ Klettke
Hostelling International is a network of 4,000 quality, budget-oriented accommodations in 90 countries, favored by backpacking young adults, touring school-age groups, and people of any age looking for a multicultural traveling experience. The organization’s Boston hostel, set to open this spring, is one of the first US hostels to go green, with a $43 million building that will accommodate 46,000 visitors annually. Deborah Ruhe, executive director of Hostelling’s New England region, and Mike Davis of Bergmeyer Associates, the project’s lead architect, talked with gb&d about where travel and sustainability intersect. gbdmagazine.com
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aBove: a detailed painting of the rooftop at the new Boston Hostel conveys the sense of community and hospitality Hostelling international strives for.
Tell us about this new facility and what it replaces. Deborah Ruhe: The New England/Boston hostel will move from its current 208-bed facility in the Fenway to a 468bed, LEED-certified building in April 2012. This building, [a six-story, late-19th-century office structure], is fabulously located and provides us more space and greater efficiencies than hoped for with affordable green features. What are some of those green components? Mike Davis: We were able to beat Massachusetts’ progressive energy-use codes [by 20 percent] with a tight building envelope, modern heating and cooling, Energy Star appliances, regenerative green elevators, and efficient lighting systems. We also reduced water use [by 35 percent] with low-flow showers and toilets. Because there are up to six people sleeping in each room, we had to incorporate a very generous air-exchange system, which required us to find a “sweet spot” where that did not impact our energy efficiency. Large fenestrations on the façade were preserved with high-performing windows. Conduits were installed to reach rooftop water-heater solar collectors to be installed in the future. Particularly in hostels, green is about more than the physical building, yes? DR: By their nature, hostels use less energy than hotels. And a goal of hostelling is to create caring world citizens, which we do in part through a signage program that explains the green features. > VOLUME 3/ NO. 15/ 2012
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Hostelling International
Boston’s hippest hospitality space isn’t a hotel. it’s Hostelling international’s design-forward boutique hostel, which creatively reused a 19th-century office building, blew away the state’s energy codes, and reduced water usage by 35%.
“By their nature, hostels use less energy than hotels. and a goal of hostelling is to create caring world citizens.” —Deborah Ruhe, Executive Director
A large project like this typically involves teams of designers and builders. Who all worked on the project? DR: We worked with Stegman + Associates Architects, PC on other projects, and she collaborated with our architects at Bergmeyer. MD: Suffolk Construction was a good firm to work with because they are very good at accounting for recycled content and regionally sourced materials, an important part of achieving LEED.
MD: This location provides easy access to public transportation and is within walking distance to Boston attractions, 15 Zipcar locations, and a broad range of restaurants. What are the economics of hostels that would encourage going green? DR: In the United States, we are independent nonprofits, where fundraising and grants are needed to support the purchase and construction of buildings. Guest fees [about $40 per night] cover operating costs, so lower energy use helps us keep fees to a minimum and to reinvest in our facilities. All hostels throughout the international network are required to do an energy audit every five years, with an emphasis on creating improvements where possible. 92
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Would you say there’s a community-access component to this hostel? DR: We wanted to be a welcoming space for Bostonians. We have a coffee bar that is open to anyone and a meeting room available for use by local groups. We’re embraced by the neighbors—Downtown Crossing, including Chinatown, Park Square, Back Bay, Beacon Hill, and the theater district—because we revitalized what for many years was a dead building. MD: The big windows facing the street create a very visible, very accessible public space. We wanted the first floors to be like a Venn diagram, where locals overlap with guests. A large, open staircase from the street level to the second floor beckons guests to the common dining and game areas.
aBove left: the hostel’s façade is seen here before work began. aBove rigHt: Deborah ruhe and Mike Davis monitor construction progress.
For anyone who has never had the hostelling experience, tell us how it will feel to visit this new facility. MD: I think it is design-forward, like a boutique hotel. We didn’t shoot for an old Bostony look, but some artifacts from the old building—turned wood columns, rolling fire doors, and cast-iron pipes in brick walls—were preserved. DR: It is hip, cool, and casual, with a fun vibe that is clean, simple, warm, and welcoming. gb&d gbdmagazine.com
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Pier village aND tHe BuNgaloW Hotel
jersey shore facelift Ironstate Developmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s latest high-end revitalization project tempts travelers and residents with a boutique hotel and more than 500 luxury rentals
Stretching along the oceanfront in Long Branch, New Jersey, is a new luxury playground for locals and celebrities alike. Pier Village, a $400 million mixed-use community by Ironstate Development, is a massive reclamation project for the real-estate-development firm, and it features 536 luxury rental residences plus a boutique hotel, the Bungalow Hotel, which has a playful beach-chic interior and 24 guest rooms. Ironstate principal Michael Barry shared with gb&d his thoughts on the significance and the challenges of going green in the hospitality market.
by Suchi Rudra
Pier village, in long Branch, NJ, is a $400 million luxury hospitality project that introduces vertical construction in what was a low-density area.
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Can you explain how Pier Village works as a massive reclamation project and as part of an urban-revitalization project? Michael Barry: The single most important feature in a sustainable project is site selection. This project has many of the desirable features, which include location within a half mile of rail transportation, access to bus routes and public transportation, walkable streets, amenities, existing infrastructure, an existing urban setting, and a need for revitalization. >
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Ironstate Development ALL PHOTOS: Matthew Williams
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tHis Page: Beneath the luxurious design and natural materials of the Bungalow Hotel are numerous sustainable elements, including a high-efficiency, ductless heating-and-cooling system. the hotelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 24 guest rooms (right) are modeled in a beachchic theme, each one with ample windows for daylighting. 94
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“asking guests to change their habits can sometimes be daunting. But we feel ... that green is beneficial and the way of the future.” —Michael Barry, Principal
How does this development combat unnecessary sprawl? MB: Density and location. This project takes advantage of an existing developed piece of property with low-density housing and introduces vertical construction in an established neighborhood. Talk about the difficulties of obtaining LEED certification for hospitality design. Why does LEED not always come into play with these types of projects? MB: Building LEED sometimes means you need to make changes from the norm. Getting guests comfortable with some of the operational aspects of LEED can be challenging. Asking guests to change their habits can sometimes be daunting. But we feel that the general sentiment, as in our residential product, is that green is beneficial and the way of the future.
Were there any challenges encountered with the development when it came time to begin the actual construction? MB: Construction has actually gone relatively smoothly. Surprisingly, one of the biggest challenges was the hundreds of people who pass by the Pier Village site daily. We created a fenced-in path along the edge of the boardwalk to create a safe zone for the pedestrians, joggers, and cyclists. Can you describe some of the unique elements of the Bungalow Hotel’s “modern-vintage” interior, created by Sixx Design? MB: Sixx Design owners Bob and Cortney Novogratz did a wonderful job designing the interiors for this space. They were able to fuse the artwork of a number of very talented artists to create this beach-chic, eclectic design. You can see the detail in the book selections and individual artwork in the guest rooms—or in the rooster-feather chandeliers lighting the entry hall. Bob and Cortney obtained countless antiques and novel memorabilia that grace the lobby shelving. Combining these elements so effortlessly allows the space to feel refined but grounded. This is definitely a space worth visiting to have a drink or lunch with friends or family. gb&d
Can you talk about the sustainability goals behind the Pier Village development? MB: As an owner and operator of apartments, not only in Long Branch but across the state of New Jersey, we recognize the need and value of creating sustainable buildings and projects. Our clientele is very sophisticated and values the benefits of living in green environments. So for us it’s very important to address these concerns to be competitive in the marketplace. At the Bungalow Hotel in Pier Village, one of the most important strategies was energy efficiency. A number of measures were implemented for the Bungalow, which started with the HVAC system, which utilizes a ductless split system with incredibly high efficiency ratings, environmentally neutral refrigerants, high operator control, and seamless integration with the design. The hotel units also incorporate large areas of glass for daylighting, virtually eliminating the need for artificial lights during the daytime. In the Pier Village residential buildings, we are examining modifying the light fixtures in the garage and common areas and exploring the use of LED lighting and motion sensors. We are also working on a company-wide plan to reduce water-bottle usage by providing tenants with in-faucet water filtration. gbdmagazine.com
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ProJeCt sPotligHt
hollywood cool
PHOTO (bottom left): Todd Vitti
At Delphine Eatery and Bar, part of the relatively new W Hollywood (see p. 82), the airiness of the design is immediately noticeable. its daylit interior and vintage décor, courtesy of New york designer Mark zeff, are a perfect match for the restaurant’s light, south of france-inspired menu. But air was a more tangible concern for the makers of the restaurant’s fans. the practically legendary and industry-leading Big ass fans has long manufactured products for industrial applications, but it has steadily begun providing stylish and equally efficient fans for smaller commercial and residential applications. the isis model, used at Delphine, works in conjunction with an efficient HvaC system to quietly cool the chic eatery.
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tHe resiDeNCes at st. MoNiCa’s
the parish’s new purpose Community Three Development’s tactic of merging design and financing results in a stunning and innovative adaptive-reuse project by Eugenia Orr
PHOTO (bottom left): Todd Vitti
aBove: C3D incorporated much of the original church’s architecture when conceiving the residences at st. Monica’s, including its timber beams and trusses. left: from the outside, the former church building housing the residences at st. Monica’s appears virtually unchanged. gbdmagazine.com
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The limits of a budget can hinder good design, so after spending years working in the building and architectural sector—where projects are primarily economically driven—Grant Epstein sought a way to place design and financing on the same footing. After earning an MBA from Georgetown University, Epstein wrote a business plan for a company that would to exactly that, and the plan became Community Three Development, LLC (C3D). Located in Washington, DC, the firm specializes in revitalization and restoration of underutilized real estate, and for every project it focuses on three core concepts: value, innovation, and sustainability. “We seek to give old buildings new life by repurposing them with the latest innovations, sustainable features—and making decisions that add value,” says Epstein, who now serves as president. And recently, for the Residences at St. Monica’s, the firm married adaptive reuse and aesthetic preservation in a way that reuses more than just the exterior building envelope to maintain both budget and character, just as Epstein originally intended. > VOLUME 3/ NO. 15/ 2012
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Community Three Development
aBove: all the units at C3D’s st. Monica’s have access to a private, landscaped outdoor space. left: the interior is insulated by a rigorous building envelope that C3D made a priority during the design process. 98
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The original St. Monica’s Episcopal Church was built in 1908 to resemble the Chapel of the Nativity of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem, Israel. In 1930 there was an addition and gathering hall that increased the church size by 4,000 square feet. But in 2009, St. Monica’s parish merged with St. James’s Episcopal Church, and St. Monica’s church building was deconsecrated, a necessary step for its purchase and subsequent repurposing. “With historic preservation, the challenge is to respect the heritage of a building, preserve the character, and embrace what the site used to be,” Epstein says. “It is definitely an opportunity to be innovative.” The challenge C3D faced with St. Monica’s was to maintain the look of the church and minimize impact on the exterior. But at the same time, as residences, the nine units on the inside would need to meet code, be energy-efficient, and reuse as many of the existing materials as possible. One major challenge was working with a single-story civic structure, which was not originally intended to support multistory residential loads. The church also was built without insulation and originally had single-pane windows, so C3D determined a comprehensive and targeted thermal envelope would be necessary. While installing this envelope, the firm had to maintain key structural gbdmagazine.com
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“With historic preservation, the challenge is to respect the heritage of a building, preserve the character, and embrace what the site used to be. it is definitely an opportunity to be innovative.” —Grant Epstein, President
elements and materials, and because C3D was faced with aging walls that weren’t plumb, the firm needed to make safe, secure connections between old and new. From the outside, the structure has been preserved and still looks like the original church. The 100-year-old stained glass windows are protected by custom storm windows that also add an additional layer of thermal protection to the units. “Giving original features a sensitive modern retrofit, we keep the elements and preserve the heritage of the site for another 100 years,” Epstein says. No two residences inside are laid out the same, and each one takes advantage of the original architectural features of the church. The timber beams and trusses were restored
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and reused in the high ceilings and walls of the units. And in one space the altar was repurposed as a kitchen island and is positioned in its original location. The nine unique homes each also have access to a private, landscaped outdoor space and to St. Monica’s park. In addition to sealing the building envelope and installing insulation and multipane windows, C3D modernized each residence with high-efficiency heating and cooling systems, custom wiring, and energy-efficient stainless-steel appliances. The finished spaces are now available to buyers, who will enjoy additional features such as hardwood floors, recessed lighting, and tiled baths and kitchens. “Adaptive reuse is economical and sustainable while also allowing for a design solution that respects the history of the building and the site,” Epstein says. While the practice tends to take more coordination and planning, for C3D the economic savings is smart. Materials not being reused in a project are carefully removed and then donated to reclamation yards, making the construction process far more conscious. “There is a delicate balance between preservation economics and design,” Epstein says. “We strive to manage all the competing forces in complex projects such as these. From beginning to end, it has really been our driving purpose.” gb&d
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1285 sutter street
a west coast energy icon Christiani Johnson Architects aims to create a new level of environmental consciousness with a mixed-use San Francisco mid-rise
by Laura M. Browning
aBove left: the 1285 sutter street building, seen here in a rendering, will contain 12 stories of residential space over a retail level. Christiani Johnson architects is planning to incorporate a public energy-use dashboard and a solar hot-water system. aBove rigHt: a rendering of the building from Hemlock street reveals the retail level’s façade. 100
Architect Larry Seaman is used to the challenges of building in a densely populated city. Currently, the partner at Christiani Johnson Architects is working on a new project in San Francisco that fits perfectly in his wheelhouse: a 13-story mixed-use building that meets the city’s strict planning requirements and the equally discerning tastes of Seaman’s environmentally conscious client, Gerding Edlen Development Company LLC. The new mid-rise features 12 stories of apartments over a retail level, and, working with Gerding Edlen, Seaman is designing the building to be maximally eco-conscious, even for a city where environmental awareness is the norm. Christiani Johnson works primarily in the Bay Area, where both a dense population and a pervasive, aggressive culture of environmentalism have allowed the firm to
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build a portfolio that includes mostly LEED-certified or LEED-eligible buildings. The company’s project at 1285 Sutter Street—also aiming for LEED certification—is bounded by Sutter, Van Ness, and Hemlock streets and brings a new element to San Francisco’s Van Ness corridor. The building’s 205,000 square feet will contain two levels of underground parking, 10,000 square feet of retail space, and 107 apartment units. It’s slated for completion in June 2013, and it’s making a dramatic play for sustainability both on a grand scale and with its component parts. The Sutter Street building will feature a number of sweeping green technologies that meet or exceed LEED standards, but probably the most distinctive innovation is that its owner, Gerding Edlen, invested in an additional meter beyond what the electric company provides, allowing Gerding Edlen to monitor energy use in real time. Because the development firm manages several apartment complexes, the extensive energy measurements at 1285 Sutter Street will actually influence multiple buildings. “They’ll be able to use the data as both a comparison and a real-time warning,” Seaman says. “It can tell us if something’s amiss with the energy being used or if something is out of line with the norm on similar projects.” Gerding Edlen also hopes to make this more than just a hidden technology; the firm plans to install a dashboard display— separate from the retail space to keep residential readings accurate—in the lobby so that tenants also will be more conscious of their real-time energy use. Seaman calls his client “exceptionally green-oriented” and says Gerding Edlen is also considering such innovations as a solar hot-water system—even though the square footage of the building isn’t large enough that the technology would pay for itself. Seaman says an urban mid-rise building offers a difficult footprint in terms of sustainability. But, he says, “We were able to get enough native vegetative materials to meet the LEED checkpoints. We’ve also established a few areas of green roof on the upper levels of the building.” gbdmagazine.com
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Christiani Johnson Architects
Because the firm manages several apartment complexes, the energy measurements at 1285 sutter street will influence multiple buildings.
Seaman also is working closely with San Francisco’s planning commission to develop the strategies that will support the building’s sustainable design. Because the city’s environmentally conscious policies dictate much of area design, Seaman met with commissioners to ensure his building’s courtyard—which sits two levels above the street and requires raised planting—will meet code requirements and also have adequate room to support native plants and a cistern that will capture rainwater for irrigation. As for the site-location and transportation sections of 1285 Sutter Street’s LEED checklist, Seaman anticipates these will be easily met. Christiani Johnson has long been committed to sustainability and environmental stewardship, and even as demands for green buildings grow, especially in urban areas, Seaman says his firm is ahead of the curve. “We’re trying to raise the standard of the projects in the corridor,” he says. And his project at 1285 Sutter Street is likely to do just that. gb&d
Landscape Architecture
MPA DESIGN gbdmagazine.com
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Fourth & U
Christiani Johnson Architects’ new mixed-use building Christiani Johnson Architects, Inc. 665 Third Street, Suite 350 San Francisco, California 94107 ph (415) 243-9484 fx (415) 243-9485 www.cjarchs.com
brings a new level of environmental consciousness to a small urban footprint.
Urban Design
Designing inspired landscapes for over 40 years San Francisco, CA
Walnut Creek, CA
www.MPADesign.com
415.434.4664
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ProJeCt sPotligHt
on the rocks Nova Scotia’s rugged but profoundly beautiful terrain more than influenced the design of the Bridge House; it necessitated it. situated on two lakeside outcroppings, the dwelling— planned by Canadian architecture firm Mackay-lyons sweetapple—forms a literal bridge over the ravine beneath it. the elongated span of the bridge section is a porch and entry space that extends to the second story. Built with rustic wooden slats that form a perforated siding, the rooms over the entries light up like lanterns at night, a signature of the design firm.
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terCero resiDeNCe Hall
how to define (campus) life Mogavero Notestine Associates uses ‘clusters’ to create hierarchies of community at UC–Davis by Julie Schaeffer students in all three towers of the tercero residence Hall have access to the main lounge, the billowing roof of which is tethered by columns.
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When the University of California–Davis hired Mogavero Notestine Associates (MNA) to design the Tercero Residence Hall for the southwest corner of its main campus, its goal was to further refine a new trend in student housing: the creation of community at varying levels. “Traditional dormitories have rooms off long corridors and large shared bathrooms,” MNA principal Craig Stradley says. “The lack of privacy led to the creation of apartment-style suites in the 1980s, but these suites led to social isolation. Together with UC–Davis, we developed a hybrid we call a ‘cluster’ when designing its Segundo North dorm in 2002.” Each cluster, Stradley says, consists of four or five single and double bedrooms that share a bathroom. Each cluster (as well as the bathroom itself) is accessible from a common hallway. In Tercero, with eight or nine residents per cluster and six clusters per floor, each of the three fourfloor towers houses 200 students. “That building block defined a new generation of student housing at UC–Davis,” Stradley says, “but with the Tercero project, which we completed in 2010, we further defined the hierarchy of social >
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Mogavero Notestine Associates that stops at each floor’s community lounge, encouraging students from different floors to meet and mingle. At the top of the staircase, the firm built a raised roof that is slightly tilted and terminates with operable louvers and exhaust fans. The idea? When building sensors register unacceptable heat levels, the louvers will open, and the hot air will rise and be expelled. And louvers have also been placed beneath window seats in each cluster to draw cooler air in at the same time. Magnetic door closers that allow students to prop their doors open for social activity (but that also automatically close the doors in the event of a fire) further enhance the system. When doors are open, Stradley says, cool air is drawn in from those dorm rooms as well as from the window seats. The system, Stradley says, is much like a whole house fan, popular in Sacramento, California, where 110-degree days turn into 65-degree nights, and it helped the Tercero project best the state’s strict energy code, Title 24, by more than 32 percent. For Mogavero Notestine Associates, such achievements in social and environmental sustainability aren’t exactly novel. “We were founded as a sustainable design firm,” Stradley says, “and community is central to the work we do.” gb&d
each floor of the tercero residence Hall’s three towers contains six clusters of eight or nine students, all of whom can meet up in their floor’s common lounge. the lounges are stacked atop one another over each tower’s entry.
“the lack of privacy led to the creation of apartment-style suites in the 1980s, but these suites led to social isolation. … We developed a hybrid we call a ‘cluster.’” —Craig Stradley, Principal
spaces we began with the first project. The building block of the social community is the cluster, but then you also have a floor community consisting of six clusters that share a lounge. Beyond that, you have a four-story building community that shares a plaza and a common building entry—and a three-building project-wide community that shares a courtyard. The project includes the development of a quad to the north of the project that defines the broader neighborhood community.” Additionally, one of the Tercero project’s communityenhancing elements also ended up being one of its greenest elements. Because California building code recently changed to allow a nonexit stairway to span four floors instead of two, MNA created an open internal staircase 104
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rigHt: rs lighting Design’s central concept for the us Custom House was to light it dramatically from below, creating complex shadows. BeloW: Warm key light and backlight—and cool fill light—play up the sculpture’s unique design and intricate elements from all viewing angles.
alexaNDer HaMiltoN us CustoM House
lighting an american landmark With the latest technology, a European approach, and a bit of dramatic flair, RS Lighting Design lights a New York City icon by Joyce Finn
The Alexander Hamilton US Custom House, completed in 1907, is a prime example of a 1900s beaux arts building in New York City. It currently houses the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian and the US Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York, and it is under the stewardship of the US General Services Administration (GSA). In 2005, RS Lighting Design was hired to design a cohesive update of the iconic building’s lighting system, one that would increase energy efficiency while reducing maintenance costs. The firm completed the project in 2007 for the building’s centennial, and the structure now stands as a prime example of the latest lighting technology and design standards—standards including optimum illumination of three dimensional objects and a focus on lighting direction, color, and how the building looks at night. Randy Sabedra, president of RS Lighting, took gb&d on a tour of the myriad techniques used to illuminate the historic building. What challenges did you face with this project? Randy Sabedra: The building was lit several times over the past 15 years, but very piecemeal. There never was a cohesive design, and the façade was lit poorly by giant— and very visible—1,000-watt floodlights. One goal was to remove the presence of lighting equipment and enhance the overall presence in the urban landscape. Even though the building was occupied during the day, everyone left by 5 or 6 p.m., and the interior lights were all turned off at night, and all you saw were dark windows all night long. My goal was to make it look like the rooms were occupied at night. They needed to glow as though light was coming out from them. While improving the nighttime presence was primary, the renovation opened an opportunity to reduce energy and maintenance costs. >
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RS Lighting Design
“in the theatrical world, when you want to define the depth in a space, one side is lit with a slightly cool color, the other is lit with a warm one, and both lights generate form. that’s how i lit the building’s vast exterior ornamentation.” —Randy Sabedra, President
these light sources, you have to replace the whole fixture. Fortunately, I had the backing of the LED fixture and source manufacture—and lead benefactor—behind me; we did replace several fixtures during construction and have plans to replace additional fixtures this summer. The exterior has a European look to it. How did you achieve it? RS: We [in America] tend to just want to floodlight buildings and fear shadows, but light is used in a more dramatic way on ornate European buildings. The US Custom House is more sculpture than façade. … In the theatrical world, when you want to define the depth in a space, one side is lit with a slightly cool color, the other is lit with a warm one, and both lights generate form. That’s how I lit the building’s vast exterior ornamentation. The building’s façade is filled with sculptures, and every one of them has a story. The four primary sculptures in the front represent the continents, and they were never lit, so it was my job to highlight them. Above the windows are faces of American Indians, and above the columns are depictions of the seafaring nations that came to these shores. All are lit from below, the lights gaze upward, and then the shadows are filled in with heavy moon glow.
What light source did you use for the façade? RS: I used two different systems. There are lights that are very close and attached to the building that gaze upward or provide accent. Most of these are LEDs with some metal halides, and their warm color creates the highlights and shadows. Across the street, on a neighboring building, there are floodlights that cast a cool light that I refer to as “moon glow.” These helped to fill in the shadows. This interplay of cool and warm defined the form. What are your concerns with the use of LEDs? RS: LEDs were a perfect choice for this application. If the primary goal was to reduce energy, we could have done this quite effectively and within the benchmark with fluorescent or halide sources. But the scale of these fixtures gets big. While LED sources can reduce energy and save maintenance costs, most of these LED products are disposable. There’s no lamp to change. LED sources have a rated life of 50,000 hours; however, this rated life is a very slow death, and as the light output decreases or the colors shift, you have to replace the whole fixture. It was tricky to suggest to an owner that we’re going to put up all these fixtures, then in 10 to 15 years, when it’s time to replace all 106
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ALL PHOTOS: Tom La Barbera/Picture This Studio, enhanced by Dave Deacon Studios
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How effective were you in decreasing energy and maintenance costs? RS: We achieved more than a 50 percent reduction in electrical usage. They were using a lot of older technologies with a mixed maintenance schedule; now it’s all the same, so there’s also been a dramatic decrease in maintenance costs. gb&d
aBove: While rs lighting Design’s lights shine upward, a “moon glow” from floodlights on a neighboring building offers cool secondary illumination.
a Message froM sylvaNia the façade of the alexander Hamilton us Customs House in New york is illuminated by innovative osraM sylvaNia lighting systems. featuring traditional and solid state technology, the lighting design maintains the historic and architectural integrity of the building and helps ensure the safety of people who live and work in the vicinity by providing illuminated grounds. the project lowered the electrical load by 43 percent and is projected to save approximately $6,654 annually in electricity.
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U.S. CUSTOMS HOUSE, NEW YORk, NY | ©2011 OSRAM SYLvANIA | LIGHTING DESIGN: RS LIGHTING DESIGN
LIGHTING
©2011 ACUITY BRANDS, INC.
ONE LITHONIA WAY, CONYERS, GA 30012
WWW.ACUITYBRANDS.COM
www.sylvania.com
RS Lighting Design does landmark work. The Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House is a shining example of the award-winning work by RS Lighting Design. Along with stunning aesthetics, its lighting design features advanced energy-saving technology from SYLVANIA, making it a monument to sustainability as well.
© 2011 OSRAM SYLVANIA
ALL PHOTOS: Tom La Barbera/Picture This Studio, enhanced by Dave Deacon Studios
OUTDOOR
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saNgreN Hall / HealtH aND sCieNCes BuilDiNg
a firm foundation (of existing buildings) Focused on LEED certification for its older structures, Western Michigan University is making sustainability a way of life
by Erik Pisor
A number of universities throughout the country have adopted sustainable building initiatives that center on certifying new construction projects through the LEEDNC rating system, but few are equally committed to getting their existing building stock LEED-EB certified. Western Michigan University (WMU) is one of these rare institutions. Home to the first LEED-EB Gold-certified building in higher education, the university currently has five additional existing buildings that have been submitted for certification. Also, the USGBC has asked the school to participate in its Portfolio Partners Program (P3), a pilot program focused on the performance of existing buildings within large real-estate portfolios. If that weren’t enough, the institution also is currently constructing four LEEDcertified on-campus apartments and a new $60 million facility, Sangren Hall, which is targeting LEED Gold. According to John Dunn, the president of the university and the person credited with its green vision, “[At Western Michigan], sustainability is not a new trend; it’s a culture.” 108
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aBove left: Part of a leeD-eB gold-certified College of Health and Human services building, this computer lab is adjacent to a soaring multistory atrium and winter garden. aBove rigHt: Certification of existing buildings, such as the Chemistry Building pictured, has been a priority for the university.
Construction of the four-story, 200,000-square-foot Sangren Hall began in fall 2010, says Peter Strazdas, associate vice president of facilities management, and structural framework is now complete. A primary reason the new hall will achieve LEED Gold status is because it’s built to consume 25 percent less energy than the existing facility, 20 percent of which was demolished prior to construction. The energy reduction will be accomplished through the use of daylighting, specific materials that provide better glazing and insulation, mechanical systems and strategies for nighttime setbacks, and sophisticated sensor technology. Strazdas says the HVAC systems within the hall’s large rooms will be controlled by sensors that are triggered only when multiple people are present—unlike a motion or occupancy sensor that can be triggered by a lone nighttime custodian. Slated for completion in fall 2012 and built by the MillerDavis Company, the facility will attain additional LEED checklist points by retaining all storm water on-site during construction, establishing electric-vehicle charging stations nearby, and installing green roofs that feature a variety of plants. “We’ve made a commitment to have all new projects be LEED certified and meet the minimal level of Silver,” Strazdas says. While the university is committed to specific LEED ratings for new facilities, it still places equal or greater focus on existing-building certification. “Other campuses have plenty of NC—but not that many EBs,” Strazdas says. “Our institution is going on a different path with certification. Instead of following the pack, we are taking a dual track.” The main reasons for this are because WMU has a significantly larger percentage of existing buildings on campus and because it has more to gain from focusing on existingbuilding certification. “If you’re not spending money on new-building construction, it’s time to look to the existing structures; you’ll see more energy savings,” Strazdas says. gbdmagazine.com
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Western Michigan University The LEED Existing Buildings Operations and Maintenance (EBOM) rating system is considered more involved and difficult than the certification process for new construction because it addresses the deployment of wholebuilding cleaning and maintenance issues across an entire campus. These issues include chemical use, recycling programs, exterior maintenance programs, and systems upgrades that maximize operational efficiency while minimizing environmental impacts. “The bigger story is how we took one building and applied all those practices across the entire campus,” Strazdas says, adding that the process involved educating several hundred custodians and maintenance and grounds people who care for the university’s 150 buildings and its surrounding landscape. Now, as the school further involves itself in the LEED-EB program by participating in the P3 pilot program, WMU will continue it’s two-pronged approach toward sustainability, furthering the culture it has already fostered. gb&d
a Message froM fisHBeCk, tHoMPsoN, Carr & HuBer established in 1956, ftC&H is a professional civil engineering, environmental, architectural, and construction-services consulting firm with offices in grand rapids, lansing, farmington Hills, and kalamazoo in Michigan—and also one in Cincinnati, oH. our experts work with clients from the industrial, governmental, institutional, and private sectors on various project sizes around the globe.
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innovation and excellence in everything we do
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data-driven design Patient Room 2020 is a design project that seeks to answer the question, “What is the hospital room of the future?” the team undertaking that question is Dave ruthven, of Birdtree Design, Clemson university, and Nxt, a nonprofit research organization. and their answer—which has been more than eight years in the making—is a plug-and-play environment that integrates medical technologies into its architecture. this is in opposition to the typical layout, where portable machines of all types are wheeled in and clutter up the room. a staff resource station provides nurses with instant digital alerts to allergies and dietary restrictions, a digital display above the bed’s headboard provides vital signs and important patient-care information, and the bathroom is conceived of as a “respite spa,” with digital controls for water temperature, lighting, and even aromatherapy. the design also allows for greater communication between doctor and patient via media displays and for long-term visitation thanks to a cantilevered guest pod, complete with a fold-out bed.
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BeloW: all of the wood cladding for the office cubicles was salvaged from a residence Buck o’Neill Builders is working on in san francisco. the cladding was covered with a no-voC finish.
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rigHt: in the new office space, vertical gardens act as natural biofilters, drawing air in from the workplace and redistributing it. the biofilter system has timed irrigation and a timed fan control to help direct airflow.
BuCk o’Neill HeaDQuarters
from stem to stern From its new biofilter to its use of demolition scraps, Buck O’Neill Builders’s new offices use plants and trees at every stage of their lifecycle
by Erica Archer
ALL PHOTOS: Bruce Damonte
It was the Hanging Gardens of Babylon that were a wonder of the entire ancient world, but the hanging gardens of Buck O’Neill Builders are still at least a small marvel in the firm’s San Francisco headquarters. The 1,600-square-foot office, which is nearly complete, will achieve LEED Silver or Gold certification, and its innovative air system is far from its primary green feature. “We’ve gone through great efforts to think outside of the box on this project,” firm president Buck O’Neill says. The office’s wooden cubicle cladding reuses 100 percent of the demolition material from a LEED residential project also under construction by the firm, and 98 percent of the interior finishes are zero-VOC. The floating wood staircase is constructed of 100 percent locally reclaimed wood— from Petaluma, California, O’Neill says—and the finishing touch of the staircase is a 3’ x 4’ landing made from the endgrain of a reclaimed tree. A contractor friend offered the lumber at the point of demolition, and O’Neill snapped it up, noting that it resembles the endgrain in the company logo. > gbdmagazine.com
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Buck O’Neill Builders ALL PHOTOS: Bruce Damonte
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“it’s not like this has never been done before; it’s just never been done to this extent for something like a small office.” —Buck O’Neill, Founder
tHis Page: the rest of the wood in the new offices of Buck o’Neill comes from local sources as well, including a reclaimed tree and a demolition site. 112
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ALL PHOTOS: Bruce Damonte
spaces/ work Buck o’Neill’s offices showcase a modern design, and the belowgrade parking saves surrounding urban space.
1931, the Tudor-style mansion was said to house his mistresses. “The thing I love about it is the owners are going to live the rest of their lives in that house,” O’Neill says. “That actually doesn’t happen for us that often here in the Bay.” Self-performing nearly all carpentry and minimizing the use of subcontractors means that O’Neill keeps prices competitive. Yet with the historic-housing requirements imposed by city codes, replicating vintage elements is often no small feat. “That has been one of the big, painstaking aspects,” O’Neill says. “If we remove something, we have to replace it as we took it off. [On one Edwardian-era mansion], we actually had to go through and create an entire photo plan of all of the aspects of all of the elevations of the house. ... We referenced this plan, per window per square foot of this house, to build it exactly in kind.” O’Neill says his goal is a lifetime of sustainable construction. “Let’s say I make it to 80 years old,” he says. “I would like to look back on my life and say that I built this way, that our projects were responsible, that I succeeded in offsetting.” gb&d
The plant biofilter, designed by Buck O’Neill and fellow contractor Chris Whitney as a vertical vegetable garden, operates as a pair of hanging sections that will purify indoor air. O’Neill says he is not aware of a similar system anywhere in San Francisco. Though the biofilter does not fit any of the standard LEED criteria, O’Neill is hoping that the system will be recognized for its ingenuity. “It’s not like this has never been done before; it’s just never been done to this extent for something like a small office,” he says. The system consists of two panels of vertically suspended hydroponic plants, and a system of baffles and fans draws air through the office and into the biofilter. “In theory, the toxins in the air from a standard office environment, which the plants thrive on, will attach to the roots of the plant,” O’Neill says. “Then the clean air moves back out to the office. Once I have the office indoor air quality tested, that will show us if our efforts have worked.” The sleek office design represents a change of pace for the building firm, which specializes in residential renovations. “Historic housing is what we do; it’s our bread and butter,” O’Neill says, “but it was nice to do the office in an ultra-modern style.” The firm’s historic housing projects include one O’Neill has nicknamed The Castle. Once owned by the colorful “Sunny Jim” Rolph, San Francisco’s mayor from 1912 to gbdmagazine.com
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spaces/ work CorPorate CeNtre / CarotHers BuilDiNg
fortune 500 environments In achieving LEED-EB certification for two massive commercial office buildings, Spectrum Properties has established a benchmark in Tennessee
by Erik Pisor
the 500,000-square-foot Carothers Building represents just a portion of the 1.4 million square feet of leeD-certified multitenant office space spectrum Properties oversees in franklin, tN.
2/ Certification “The hardest task was the fact that we’re multitenant, not owner-occupied like a lot of buildings that go through LEED,” says Brooke Nicholson, a LEED-accredited project manager and property manager for Spectrum. “Our first priority is to keep the tenants happy.” The process of certifying the buildings involved a variety of diverse projects, including commissioning the buildings systems, performing waste-stream audits, and conducting thermoimaging scans to show heat loss through the envelopes of the buildings. Spectrum also hired SSRCx, a green consulting firm, to assist with the process. “They’ve been through the process before and told us what we could fix without a lot of cost upfront,” Nicholson says. “We didn’t want to go through this process and purchase points.”
PHOTO: Bob Schatz
Following a two year process of building optimization and data collection, Spectrum Properties | Emery, a commercial-real-estate company, achieved LEED certification of 1.4 million square feet of multitenant office space in Franklin, Tennessee. The six-building, 900,000-squarefoot Corporate Centre campus earned LEED-EB Gold certification, the first multitenant campus in the state to do so, and the 500,000-square-foot Carothers Building earned Silver. This was a milestone for commercial real estate, representing the largest collection of multitenant LEED-level office buildings in Tennessee and one of the largest in the country. Here’s a look at Spectrum’s various goals for the project and how it achieved them.
1/ Design “We wanted to set the standard for the state,” Spectrum president Pat Emery says. “Most of our tenants are Fortune 500 companies, and a lot of them want to know their facilities are sustainable. Tenants and owners migrate to that.” Luckily, the Corporate Centre campus and the Carothers Building were initially built to be energy efficient, which eased the process of achieving LEED-EB certification. “It wasn’t like taking a 30-year-old building and turning it into LEED,” Emery says. “It was taking a 15-year-old building that was already built to good design [and implementing sustainable additions].”
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PHOTO: Bob Schatz
“Most of our tenants are fortune 500 companies, and a lot of them want to know their facilities are sustainable.” —Pat Emery, President
3/ Operations SSRCx worked closely with Spectrum and its vendors to update a number of operational policies and procedures used on the campuses. This involved inspecting the equipment and chemicals used by vendors and ensuring they were the most sustainable options available. “We worked with the site and landscape vendors to ensure they weren’t overfertilizing or spreading pest-management chemicals,” SSRCx project manager Tabitha Goodman says, adding that the amount of water used for landscaping was reduced by using moisture-sensing irrigation systems. Chemicals for cleaning the exterior of the building were updated to biodegradable ones in order to meet the criteria of third-party organizations such as Green Seal, and interior cleaning was improved via a green cleaning program that includes the use of microfiber rags rather than paper towels. The rags are laundered on-site and reused. “We worked collaboratively to fine tune what most vendors were already doing,” Goodman says. 4/ Finishing Touches Outside each building, light fixtures not focused directly downward were retrofitted with dimmer 45-watt bulbs to reduce nighttime light pollution. Indoors, motion sensors were installed in restrooms and closets to improve energy efficiency. Also, according to Nicholson, Spectrum optimized each building’s HVAC start and stop times to correspond with standard work hours, and the firm installed a white roof on the Carothers Building to achieve further energy savings by reducing solar-heat gain. As a final measure, each building’s water and plumbing fixtures—everything from urinals and faucets—were adjusted to be low-flow. The interior plumbing retrofits are estimated to save more than two million gallons of water each year when compared with the plumbing in buildings of similar age and size. Such retrofitting has helped Spectrum position itself well for the future. “We now have the documentation and the track record of doing [the LEED process], so we can do it for others,” Emery says. “This is a good starting point rather than an ending point.” gb&d gbdmagazine.com
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CrotHall HealtHCare lauNDry faCility
a cleaner cleaning facility When CenterPoint Properties partnered with a major healthcare player to build the world’s first LEEDcertified laundry, efficiency was imperative
by Jeff Hampton
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Anyone who has endured a hospital stay understands the importance of clean linens for a patient’s comfort and speedy recovery. For Crothall Laundry Services, a new energy-efficient laundry with room for growth was the prescription for making sure the firm could continue to provide fresh sheets and towels to medical facilities throughout the greater Milwaukee area. Crothall’s new 83,000-square-foot, $13 million plant in suburban Oak Creek, Wisconsin, is the first LEED-certified laundry in the world and has the capacity to process 50 million pounds of linens per year. It also is the first laundry that the national healthcare support-services provider built from the ground up. The project took just one year thanks to a partnership with CenterPoint Properties, a Midwest-based national developer with the construction and design expertise—and the property in its portfolio— to deliver the facility. Here’s a look at the key elements that went into its design. gbdmagazine.com
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ALL PHOTOS: McShane Fleming Studios
CenterPoint Properties
spaces/ work
“We were able to show a 20 percent savings in energy consumption with the high-efficiency equipment. as a result, it is not just a leeD-certified building; it’s a leeD-certified facility.” —Paul Schmitter, Development Manager for Wisconsin
1/ Process Crothall Laundry Services processes 18 million pounds of healthcare linen annually from various hospitals in the Milwaukee area, and that volume requires a steady, orderly flow from delivery trucks; through the wash, dry, and sorting stages; and back out to the trucks. The new plant employs three tunnel washers, with PulseFlow technology, from Pellerin Milnor Corp., and, on average, they operate at a water-consumption rate of approximately 0.45 gallons per pound of laundry. For Crothall, that represents an annual water-usage savings of 8.5 million gallons—or, 39 percent less consumption than that of traditional tunnel washers. Another efficiency innovation is the generation of hot water using natural, gas-fired hot-water boilers—with heat exchangers that recover heat from wastewater— rather than more typical high-pressure steam boilers. Crothall Laundry will save 8.5 million gallons of water this year. such savings are possible through efficient design and tunnel washers with Pulseflow technology from Pellerin Milnor Corp.
2/ Systems The laundry needed to have both highly efficient equipment and energy-efficient building systems. “It’s a pretty straightforward industrial building, but we used cutting-edge technology for the HVAC and plumbing systems,” says Paul Schmitter, CenterPoint’s development manager for Wisconsin. “We modeled all of the building systems with the laundry equipment. We established a baseline model with standard laundry equipment, and then we compared that to a model with high-efficiency laundry equipment. We were able to show a 20 percent savings in energy consumption with the high-efficiency equipment, and that is what Crothall ultimately chose and installed. As a result, it is not just a LEED-certified building; it’s a LEED-certified facility.” 3/ Location When Wisconsin’s Aurora Healthcare needed to convert its existing Crothall-operated laundry for another use, the search began for a location that would enable the new laundry to continue processing 18 million pounds of linen annually from 17 hospitals in the region. “Crothall came to the marketplace with the project and interviewed a number of developers before awarding it to CenterPoint,” Schmitter says. “One of the factors in our favor is that the property is within a mile of Interstate 94, which provides easy access to the greater Milwaukee region.” gbdmagazine.com
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aBove, oPPosite Page: this Milwaukee laundry facility, built by CenterPoint Properties, processes 18 million pounds of linen each year for area hospitals. it is the world’s first leeDcertified laundry facility.
4/ Aesthetics The facility, located on 5.64 acres within CenterPoint’s Creekside Corporate Park, had to meet the design standards of the City of Oak Creek. Featuring a light gray and white exterior with dark blue accents and attractive landscaping, the tilt-wall concrete building blends in well with adjacent warehouse and distribution facilities. “It’s a pleasing building as industrial facilities go,” Schmitter says. Crothall is leasing the property from CenterPoint— recently named “Developer of the Year” by the NAIOP Commercial Real Estate Development Association—and CenterPoint is pleased to have the laundry in its portfolio, which totals 27.8 million square feet of warehouse, distribution, and light-industrial space in Illinois, Wisconsin, and beyond. “We’ve completed highly advanced projects like this before,” Schmitter says, “and this successfully reinforces our track record.” gb&d VOLUME 3/ NO. 15/ 2012
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1201 tHirD aveNue
anatomy of a masterpiece Wright Runstad & Company details its LEED Platinum renovation of a Seattle icon
by Julie Schaeffer
Upon its completion in 1988, Seattle’s 1201 Third Avenue building was cited by The New York Times as one of the three best new office buildings in the country, and Wright Runstad & Company, the property’s developer and manager, didn’t want to give up that recognition. Over the years, the firm maintained the building so well that eventually LEED certification seemed natural. “We were already so efficient, with an Energy Star score in the mid-’90s, that we decided it made sense to formalize what we’d been doing over the years,” says Jeff Myrter, Wright Runstad’s general manager and director of property management. To examine all the elements that helped 1201 Third Avenue achieve LEED-EB Platinum certification, gb&d decided to break down the building’s sustainable features. a
A. Exterior elevation. The 55-story, 1.1-millionsquare-foot office building—which was designed in part by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates and constructed by Howard S. Wright— comprises an entire city block in Seattle’s thriving financial district. It offers unparalleled views of the Cascade and Olympic Mountains, Elliott Bay, Lake Union, and Mt. Rainier. B. Second Avenue Plaza. At the base of 1201 Third Avenue is a two-story public plaza showcasing a decorative fountain surrounded by eye-catching landscaping, comfortable outdoor furnishings, and artwork (including the sculptural work New Archetypes by artist Poirier, which was donated by Wright Runstad). Moreover, water for the landscaping and fountain is sourced from repurposed storm water. “Instead of pumping water back to the city, we collect it in large plastic tanks in the lower parking garage then pump it up to the plaza to feed our irrigation system and our decorative fountain,” Myrter says, noting that the reclamation system reduced summer water consumption in 2010 by more than 15 percent. Although the investment has a payback of approximately five years, Myrter says, “It’s been so successful, we’re currently expanding the system to use reclaimed water to feed the cooling towers in the building.” 118
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Wright Runstad & Company C
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C. Entertainment. The Second Avenue Plaza is adjoined by the Brooklyn restaurant and the Friesen Gallery art space, and it hosts a number of events, including summer lunchtime concerts. D. Grand Atrium. Guiding visitors from the upper level of the Second Avenue Plaza is a symmetrical grand staircase leading to an atrium, which offers spectacular views through its 30-foot windows. Visitors and tenants can mingle in a lush setting—which includes Italian marble floors and warm African and Honduran mahogany walls—while enjoying espresso from a local stand and complimentary wireless Internet access.
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E. Native landscaping. As part of the LEED certification process, Wright Runstad replanted the flower beds of the lower plaza with flora native to the Pacific Northwest. The firm also implemented a satellite irrigation system, which waters plants more fastidiously in accordance with current weather conditions.
G. Modern efficiencies. High-speed elevators ensure swift arrivals at tenant suites—which offer flexible environmental controls— thanks to a floor-by-floor mechanical system with an average of 35 separate zones per floor. Wright Runstad has also replaced bulbs in the lamps throughout the exterior walkways with energy-efficient options.
F. Preserved façade. At the northwest corner of the Second Avenue Plaza stands the preserved north and west facades of a 19th-century commercial building—one of the few such buildings remaining in the city.
H. Parking garage. A six-level, below-grade parking garage provides 801 spaces, all with easy access to Interstate 5 and Highway 99. Alternative commuting options are also available, including a direct connection to the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel, three Zipcars, and bike storage. Recently, Wright Runstad worked with transportation company ECOtality to even add four charging stations in the garage for electric cars. gb&d
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GBD15_Book.indb 120 Aflac Ad.indd 1
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solutions A dark workspace equals an unhealthy workspace, and Aflac’s executive management and board of directors knew it well. Although the past 20 years have seen the insurance company making a push toward eco-friendly practices—including reducing energy consumption by more than 30 percent per square foot in its offices—a significant renovation of the company’s customer service center (CSC) would be the most dramatic effort to date. The work performed centered on giving employees access to the building’s windows and views, creating healthier indoor air quality, and reducing energy consumption by more than 40 percent. Here's how the company did it.
Backgrounder/ viewing leeD as the most widely accepted benchmark for green buildings, aflac’s facilities team decided to renovate the CsC to leeD-Ci standards, explains alfred Blackmar, vice president of facilities support, and providing rooms with views for more of its employees would be central to the renovation and would also help the firm gain points toward its leeD-Ci goal. “We thought that by locating the set offices on the interior of the space, we would able to democratize the daylight and views to the outside for all,” Blackmar says. “this strategy is proven to improve occupant health and comfort while reducing lighting requirements and energy use.” What aflac didn’t take into account was that moving the outside offices in would also alter long-standing employee dynamics.
challenge/ outside the challenges inherent in renovating a building that needed to remain partially occupied during construction, CsC’s greatest obstacle was the shifting of office culture. all offices from the perimeter walls had to be moved to the interior of the building, and the height of the systems furniture was to be lowered to create a more open workplace. > gbdmagazine.com
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solutions/ healthy workspaces PREVIOUS, OPPOSITE PAGE: When Aflac decided to renovate its customer service center, it democratized the daylighting by moving employee areas to the exterior of the building and increased indoor air quality through the help of Energy Ace. The update provides employees with bright, modern interior spaces crafted from healthful materials.
ALL PHOTOS: Christopher Barrett
Solution/ “We exercised patience—as we knew people adapt to change at varying speeds—and provided as much assistance as possible in answering questions about the new environment,” Blackmar says. “it wasn’t always easy, but eventually all aflac personnel understood that moving offices to the building’s center and lowering height of systems furniture walls would enable everyone to have more natural light at their workspace. teamwork has always been deeply imbedded in aflac’s culture.” in fact, when alfac’s marketing department was moved into the CsC building, management was asked to present its plans to the entire department in an open forum. “We were happy to provide answers that reassured team members that the building design would suit their needs while helping aflac demonstrate its desire to be a positive influence in our community by operating a greener facility,” Blackmar says. aflac was also able to overcome the other challenge of conducting construction in an occupied building. the firm systematically relocated personnel so that each of the building’s five floors was empty while it was renovated. these moves, though trying on gbdmagazine.com
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occasion, helped aflac maintain indoor air quality at all times; energy ace, which acted as the commissioning agent, made numerous site reviews during renovation and kept aflac abreast of indoor air quality. Beyond the daylighting and open views, aflac gained leeD points by reusing more than 40 percent of the interior components of the building and recycling more than 80 percent of waste during construction. other green features included efficient light fixtures, which helped reduce the lighting power density by percent, and low- to no-voC materials, furniture, and finishes.
“We thought that by locating the set offices on the interior of the space, we would able to democratize the daylight and views to the outside for all.” —Alfred Blackmar, Vice President of Facilities Support
“occupancy sensors have also been installed in many rooms to only turn and keep lights on when a person is in the room,” Blackmar says. “We used low-flow and solar-powered plumbing fixtures as well, which utilize 30 percent less water and further reduce operating costs. the equipment and appliances throughout are energy star-rated.” additionally, a recycling program was put in place, which includes proper receptacles for paper, glass, plastic, metal, and styrofoam. it all adds up to form a comfortable, healthy headquarters that would satisfy any aflac staff member. —Thalia A-M Bruehl VOLUME 3/ NO. 15/ 2012
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tough builds 126/ OFF THE GRID 128/ NET ZERO 130/ REMOTE LOCATIONS
a taverN traNsforMeD. in Billings, Mt, popular opinion was that the klos saloon building should be torn down. instead, architect randy Hafer gutted it, filled it with reclaimed materials from around town, and made it the new offices of his firm, High Plains architects. gbdmagazine.com
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syraCuse uNiversity greeN Data CeNter
Taking a Data Center Off the Grid By tHe NuMBers
500,000
The kWs of power the data center can provide to support its IT equipment
1,200
The tons of waste—approximately 60 truckloads—that was recycled during construction
99
The percent of all construction waste generated on site to date that has been diverted from landfills
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The Scene Prior to December 2009, syracuse university’s computing equipment was housed in a 100-year-old building poorly suited to accommodate its increasingly complex system of wires, screens, and processors. so, the university built the green Data Center, a state-of-the-art structure adjacent to an office building on the south campus. located in an area that’s also home to more than 1,000 student apartments and three residence halls, the center was perfectly positioned to serve its principal users, who daily rely on what goes on inside the 12,000-square-foot nondescript building sheathed in metal siding. its gray, nearly windowless exterior isn’t flashy, but the systems inside make it one of the greenest computer centers in operation today.
Syracuse University Green Data Center
tough builds/ off the grid
the data center to cool the servers. these chillers can produce more chilled water than is needed by the data center, so the remainder is piped to the adjacent building for airconditioning. in the winter months, industrial heat exchangers make hot water, capturing energy that otherwise would be wasted. this heat warms the nearby building and provides its domestic hot water. this trigeneration system, combined with the functionality of a recently developed uninterrupted Power supply system, is something syracuse university believes hasn’t been done before.
supplied directly to the it gear,” Noble says. “some of the data center’s technology, or its application, was unproven for this use. the iBM z10 supercomputer is the first one operating on DC outside of iBM’s own research labs. We have attracted a great deal of interest from the industry as we prove those concepts.” thanks to its groundbreaking technologies, the project is currently registered with the usgBC, and syracuse university is anticipating leeD silver certification. —Jennifer Hogeland
the 400-volt DC power system is another unique feature of the data center. “the DC power is more efficient because it removes multiple conversion steps, and the power is
The Setup the project was a collaboration with iBM and the New york state energy research and Development authority, who were interested in the facility as a demonstration project and together donated $7 million to support the construction of the building and the related research efforts. “one of the requirements of the green Data Center was that it would be capable of operating on- or off-grid,” says kevin Noble, syracuse university’s chief engineer. “it is capable of doing a black start—we can start power generation without any power from the outside.” finding the equipment to satisfy the university’s needs was one of the project’s biggest obstacles, and Noble also says the team “struggled with complying to standards that did not yet exist.”
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tough builds/ net zero
Butte-gleNN CoMMuNity College
Touring a Grid-Positive College Campus
This college generates all its own energy. its solar arrays—which double as shade structures over parking areas, walkways, and gathering spaces—generate enough electricity for the school’s 100-plus buildings.
By tHe NuMBers
55
Number of solar arrays powering the grid-positive campus
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928
Acreage of the California wildlife refuge the college calls home
800,000
Combined square footage of the school’s 100-plus buildings
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Butte-Glenn Community College The Scene on 250 acres in the middle of a 928-acre wildlife refuge near oroville, California, Butte-glenn Community College has become one of the first schools in the country to go grid-positive. the rural college, which was established in 1966 and has a long history of sustainable operations—including maintaining its own water system—remains on the grid, but its 55 solar arrays generate all the electricity used by on-site facilities on a cost basis, and they also generate power for several off-site, leased facilities.
The Setup the building’s local grid acts as a battery for the college, storing electricity generated during the day to be used at night, explains Michael Miller, director of facilities planning and management. Before completion in august 2011, the project spent 13 months in development, and Miller says the biggest challenge was the financing. in addition to accepting a local bond of $85 million, the college leveraged additional funding from the state to expend a total of $205 million on a mix of new construction, modernization, and energy-conservation efforts—coupled with energy generation to create the gridpositive campus.
cumulative data and a host of other factors. “the biggest problem with solar projects in the past was monitoring, but this has an auto-dial feature, so even if there’s a minor problem, we are automatically notified,” he says. Building orientation, glazing, and shading were also important. Miller points to the college’s new arts building as an example, noting that painting and drawing classes required particular qualities of light that would be different from the indirect light needed in computer labs. appropriate technology— such as the standardized occupancy sensors tied to the HvaC systems in all the new facilities—had to be adopted to meet the variety of the school’s 100-plus buildings, which total more than 800,000 square feet of space. Modulated multizones, direct-indirect evaporative precoolers, individualized split systems, high-efficiency carousel units, and variable drives have also been incorporated.
tough builds/ net zero early on, the college set project standards to exceed title 24 energy requirements by at least 15 percent, and ultimately it was able to maximize energy-efficient design for all new buildings and retrofits. the resulting structures now play host to a student population of 14,000 or more each year—without ever placing heavy demand on an outside electrical grid. —Suchi Rudra
a Message froM DPr CoNstruCtioN Butte College and its commitment to the sustainable environment has set the bar for community colleges nationwide. serving as a sustainable living laboratory for students, the college is a true testament of what can be accomplished through visionary planning. DPr Construction is honored to have had the opportunity to partner with the college to achieve their sustainable goals.
The Strategy Coordinating the construction required significant effort; the sprawling campus comprises more than 100 buildings, including 20 major structures, and its electricity feeds from 13 different meters on different buildings. some building work was done at night to avoid class disturbance, but daytime work was unavoidable, which led to a few campuswide power outages and some walking-path rerouting due to sidewalk upgrades. one of the major goals for the project was to place the 55 solar arrays in proximity to the buildings without making spaces ugly and unusable for students and faculty. the result? shade structures made of light- to mediumgauge galvanized steel—with solar panels on top—that now provide adequate coverage over parking areas, walkways, gathering spaces, and spectator areas on sports fields. “this gives us the benefit of clean energy and a reduction of the heat-island effect,” Miller says. He adds that an especially unique element is the monitoring system installed on all arrays, which measures real-time gbdmagazine.com
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By tHe NuMBers
3
The number of acres of grassland converted to forestland to offset the carbon output of the Hi’ilani EcoHouse’s construction
30
The number of years it will take for the home to reach true carbon neutrality
Hi’ilaNi eCoHouse
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150
The number of guests the owners can manageably host for social gatherings
The Scene studio rMa’s Hi’ilani ecoHouse is built on the Hamakua Coast of “the big island” of Hawaii, known for its lush foliage, waterfalls, and ocean views. it sits on a slope near the Wapio valley and is five miles from the main roads and the nearest small village. Built on a 12-acre farm, the dual-family home is shared by two older couples who are lifelong friends, so the bedroom areas are separate and private while the common areas, including the grand room, kitchen, and dining areas, are shared. But though its occupants share the space, studio rMa designed the structure itself to stand alone—a self-sufficient, carbonneutral paradise isolated in the tropics. gbdmagazine.com
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Hi’ilani EcoHouse The Setup Because the home was built so far from principal thoroughfares, the materials and personnel needed to build it had to be flown in, and the team at studio rMa had to find ways to offset the fuel emissions. additionally, there was a moratorium on tapping into the area’s public water supply, so the Hi’ilani ecoHouse needed to be completely selfsufficient. traditional paints could not be used inside the home because of the humidity levels on the island, and there weren’t even enough scaffolds in the area to fulfill studio rMa’s construction needs, so the firm had to build its own scaffolding in a manner that wouldn’t be wasteful.
The Strategy the resulting Hi’ilani ecoHouse is a 4,000-square-foot home aiming for leeD Platinum certification, and its construction was completely carbon-neutral. even so, it includes a media center, a recording studio, a spa, a nursing facility, and seating outdoors for 150 people. the property is entirely self-sufficient and pulls no electricity or water from the public supply, and by housing two couples and having them share resources and land, the home reduces each of their ecological footprints. the idea for the home came from one of the couples, a pair connected to the Pachamama alliance, a san franciscobased organization that works to help the indigenous people of the amazon save their rainforests and then spreads what it has learned from its work to other industrialized nations.
plaster, hold or repel humidity as needed, eliminating the risk of condensation and mold. the home’s electricity and hot water are supplied by photovoltaic panels, solar pumps, and a 12-volt DC system, and the water supply comes from a water-catchment system with high-technology filters. shaped like a bowl, the space is large enough to use as an entertainment center and seats 150 people. the roof is designed like an airplane wing “because it’s easier to catch the rain, and there is no need for gutters,” Mechielsen says. the wing shape also drives the trade winds toward a louvered set of windows, part of the building’s innovative eco-cooling system: an outdoor weather sensor and a small indoor motor automatically change the windows’ position to generate the flow of air and maintain a moderate temperature. looking to cover all of its bases, studio rMa managed to offset the carbon output
tough builds/ remote locations generated by air transportation, shipping, and equipment use during construction by converting three acres of Hawaiian grassland back into natural tropical forestland. “[the forest] will take in two and a half tons more carbon dioxide per year than grassland,” Mechielsen says. “[it] will make the entire construction process carbon neutral in about 30 years.” this truly unique residence will hopefully not be one-of-a-kind for long. Mechielsen launched studio rMa in 1988, an extension of his van Holland Design studio in amsterdam, Netherlands, specifically to design luxury homes with carbon-neutral footprints. Headquartered in topanga, California, with an office in Hawaii, the firm has three full-time employees and specializes in advanced 3-D computer models that integrate technology, renewable-energy sourcing, and aesthetics. given the incredible results of this marriage, it’s safe to say the world is ready for more of what studio rMa is doing. —Lynn Russo Whylly
the Hi’ilani ecoHouse’s exterior and interior walls are made of structural concrete insulated panels (sCiPs) from tridipanel of California, and they are resistant to rot, decay, and damage from hurricanes and earthquakes. the home, which will last “centuries as opposed to decades,” was built using 120-degree angles to fit in more appropriately with nature, says Dutch architect robert Mechielsen, founder and principal of studio rMa. the kitchen cabinets were made out of palm wood, and native woods such as mango and koa were used for countertops and other cabinetry. the flooring is made out of bamboo and cork, and wood used for forming and scaffolding was recycled into furniture such as cabinet bases and daybeds for guests. instead of paint, soy-based colorants and glazes, which were added to the interior gbdmagazine.com
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tHe klos salooN
Transforming a Tumbledown Montana Tavern Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a study in using materials to their full potential: High Plains architects repurposed the klos saloon as a net-zero office by using reclaimed materials from all over town, including columns from an old baseball field.
By tHe NuMBers
0
The number of gallons used from the city water utility since the rainwater collection system was connected to the Klos Building in October 2008
65
The percentage the building saves on its energy utilities when compared with a new building constructed to energy code
21
The percentage of the structureâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s material that came from salvaged sources
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The Klos Saloon The Scene Montana is a place of tawny high plains that roll out below an endless blue sky speckled with white clouds. for hundreds of miles the only hints of human settlement are barbwire transections delineating the heavily trodden routes of cattle drivers. a man stands at the door to a saloon on the bad side of town in Billings, the state’s largest city. No, he’s not a cowboy. His name is randy Hafer, an atypical architectural practitioner and scholar with degrees from stanford and yale, and he figured out how to resuscitate an abandoned 1890s brick tavern as a net-zero studio showpiece.
The Setup using his own unique alchemy, Hafer blends philosophies of preservation and sustainability to solve problem projects in difficult environments. “the klos saloon was an old, worn-out, misused building,” Hafer says. “We picked a gnarly old structure and converted it to a state-of-the-art, high-performance building. you could have polled 100 people in town, and 100 people would have said ‘tear it down.’ We were able to do this conversion spending less ... than if we tore it down and built a new one.” and since the building was to be the new home for his own firm, High Plains architects, Hafer was able to push the envelope on what he wanted to do.
says Nash emrich, a leeD aP and staff member at High Plains architects. “We used a lot of salvaged and reclaimed materials in finishing out the building: headboard, old doors, and transoms salvaged from other projects and columns taken from the old baseball field. this exemplifies how you exist sustainably by using things for their full life.” using an existing structure, though, made the optimization of daylighting and natural ventilation more challenging. High Plains architects’ ed gulick, who holds a master’s degree in architecture from yale, says, “the building is situated on the original street grid in Billings to align with the railroad tracks, so it’s about 35 degrees off the cardinal directions. We were able to bring daylight into the building with a rooftop monitor oriented so the long dimension is on an east-west axis. the south-facing roof of the monitor is where we placed our photovoltaic panels. the north face of the monitor is where we introduce daylight into the building. the monitor created this parallelogram cut out in the middle of the building.”
tough builds/ remote locations With two rows of skylights operated remotely, and with the placement of operable windows in the storefront and conference room at ground level, cooling is achieved through convection from air rising through the building. “Without a breeze, stack ventilation is much more effective than cross ventilation,” gulick says. “the success of this is so dramatic that we are building it into everything we are doing now.” —Scott Heskes
a Message froM WiN-Dor iNDustries, iNC. since 1986, WiN-Dor iNDustries, iNC. has been dedicated to providing quality products and unsurpassed service to its customers. We appreciate the opportunity to work with High Plains architects in an effort to satisfy our customers while improving the environment. We are proud to offer environmentally smart alternatives to our customers.
The Strategy With temperatures ranging from -49 to 112 degrees fahrenheit and a dry climate producing less than 15 inches of rain each year, residents of Billings have learned to cope with extremes and make do with what they have. “this part of the world tends to be pretty frugal,” Hafer says. “People are used to taking care of themselves. We considered this a move up in the world from a warehouse across the street to a saloon that didn’t have a floor in it. Basically we started with a brick tube.” What Hafer’s firm achieved was an off-thegrid rainwater collection system for all the klos Building’s water needs, an electrical system with 30 percent of its power produced on-site through photovoltaic panels and the rest offsite through other renewable energy sources, and a stack-ventilation design supplying nearly 100 percent of the building’s cooling. “this building symbolizes taking advantage of all the available resources,” gbdmagazine.com
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game plan
Jeremy Shamrowicz on inspiring a diverse design team
Round up a diverse group of graphic designers, sculptors, architects, printmakers, and builders in a 20,000-square-foot warehouse, and you get Flux Design, Ltd. Based in Milwaukee, the firm started up in 2000 when designers Jeremy Shamrowicz and Jesse Meyer went on an urban-camping and dumpster-diving adventure for materials. What quickly began as one of the busiest furniture-art-sculpture galleries in the city has grown into a full-service firm with a reputation for ultracreative restaurants and bars—with a hands-on approach and a focus on reclaimed natural materials. Shamrowicz, who sees himself as the firm’s art director, speaks candidly about the (sometimes less traditional) strategies that have helped the firm come so far so quickly. —as told to Suchi Rudra 134
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Flux Design
game plan/
Seek diversity. you need a team effort. one unique thing is that my main design staff has been here 10 years. We have someone who ran a metal shop for 15 years. We have a master woodwork man and a licensed building inspector in-house, which is huge. our crew has a great deal of experience in both designing and building restaurants and bars, and almost every week we get a call to work on one. We’re growing fast, and just last year we added 20 new employees.
Use your hands. We’re a very, very hands-on company; everything is done with jigsaws and cutters. We do a lot of woodwork. it’s all about the craftsmanship, and we don’t use faux materials because we like to build things as true as we can.
toP: shamrowicz creates artwork from leftover materials for a fundraiser. aBove left: for swig, a restaurant in Milwaukee, Wi, flux Design used reclaimed wood and utilized green building methods. aBove rigHt: yezsik, flux’s mascot, “holds court” in the front office.
We’re a very, very hands-on company; everything is done with jigsaws and cutters. It’s all about the craftsmanship. gbdmagazine.com
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Play hard. We work extremely hard, but we also play very hard. We have a colorful, creative space in the front with an air-hockey table, ping-pong, Nerf dart guns, video games. so it’s a fun atmosphere, a great stress reliever during a very intense workday. We use the pool table as our conference table. and since it’s a huge space of 20,000 square feet, everyone moves around on scooters, skateboards, or bikes.
Share inspiration. i had the employees see all three Lord of the Rings movies in one day, so we all shared this creative energy together. How can you not be influenced by the styles of films like Harry Potter or Star Wars? take those styles of old World and high tech, and you get steam punk—we’re still waiting for the one client who wants to do a steam-punk space. i’m also taking the entire crew to the renaissance fair. it’s largely about fashion, an entirely different media, but one that has a huge influence on our work. so i want us to observe something that we don’t do. We all come away with different versions of the same story. > VOLUME 3/ NO. 15/ 2012
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Flux Design
This motley crew is multitalented. flux Design’s cast includes a master carpenter, a 15-year metalworking veteran, and a host of other specialists—a diversity that’s been vital to flux’s increasing flow of work over the past several years.
Engage everyone. i don’t want anyone to work here who doesn’t enjoy their job. there’s nothing worse than being bored all day—it’s painful, it’s miserable, and it’s going to show. that doesn’t mean you’re constantly in love with what you do. it’s why we switch everyone’s tasks around— because you don’t love staining or sanding all the time, and everyone’s always got something going in their lives. if someone’s having a rough day after a birthday party or has a cold, i just say, ‘Why don’t you go home for the day, because everyone needs you at full strength.’
Outdo your heroes. We’ve built 40 bars and restaurants in the last 8 years, so when i meet a client, they know us through word of mouth—98 percent of our clients are from a referral. But to keep up with the size of our firm, we need to go beyond our usual word-of-mouth approach and get people in the rest of the country to see what styles and materials we are working in. that’s what design is: study the masters, and make your own version—but make it yours, make it better. gb&d 136
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Custom Crafted Furniture, Sculpture, Interiors, Fixtures, Exhibits & More... Flux Design, Ltd. is a Custom Design/Build Firm that provides Contemporary Solutions for both Commercial & Residential Clients with Interior & Exterior Needs. Our Unique Client Direct Approach Enables Us to Engage a Variety of Projects from Site-Specific Structures to Product Line Development. p: 414.906.1990
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f: 414.906.1912
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game plan
Lisa Miller on remaining New england’s greenest grocer What began as a small waterfront shop in Portland, Maine, has become a chain of ultra-green supermarkets known as Hannaford. Part of the Belgium-based Delhaize Group, the grocer has more than 175 supermarkets throughout New England. Lisa Miller, vice president of corporate development northeast and corporate responsibility for Delhaize America, recently spoke with gb&d about Hannaford’s vision and its new LEED Platinum store. In her own words, here’s a look at how the company plans to remain at the forefront of the environmental movement. —as told to Thalia A-M Bruehl
Start early. Hannaford has a long history of innovation in our industry and is known in particular for supply-chain efficiencies. our reputation for environmental responsibility took a major leap forward in the early 1990s with a company program called earth Matters. under that initiative, Hannaford became the first food retailer in the country to offer plastic- and paper-bag recycling and was a leader in developing CfC- and HCfC-free refrigeration systems to protect the ozone layer. in the early 1990s, Hannaford also put a substantial focus on in-store recycling and raised environmental awareness among customers, including [by] incentivizing the use of reusable bags.
Keep the lead. our warehouses and supermarkets all utilize state-of-the-art automation systems that allow remote monitoring and control of heating, ventilating and air-conditioning, refrigeration, and lighting systems to reduce our energy consumption. We’ve also increased overall energy efficiency and created optimized delivery schedules with our modernized truck fleet while delivering fresh product daily to all our stores—an industry first. in 2010 alone, Hannaford trucking reduced its diesel-fuel consumption by 137,000 gallons. our Close to Home initiative, which puts a spotlight on locally grown and locally made products, has also helped make us more sustainable. store managers currently partner directly with more than 220 local farmers.
Focus on the bigger picture. our store in augusta, Maine, was the first supermarket in the world to achieve leeD Platinum certification from the usgBC. to us, the store demonstrates outstanding performance across the areas that matter most in our Delhaize group corporate responsibility plan: people, products, and the planet. We knew this project would stretch us and become a learning laboratory for our company, and we were ready for the challenge. the dream to create this store also had us looking to new ideas and practices. for example, we learned about and used a broader range of sustainable materials than ever before. We knew that every individual action or material chosen within the project would not have a return on investment, but the project as a whole made sense. in addition, our customers and the community appreciated that we had achieved a first for our state and nation, and our leeD Platinum store has became a powerful symbol of both our legacy and our aspirations for the future. > gbdmagazine.com
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Hannaford
We knew this project would stretch us and become a learning laboratory for our company, and we were ready for the challenge.
left: Hannaford’s location in augusta, Maine, is the first supermarket in the world to achieve leeD Platinum certification, thanks to efforts like regional sourcing: the building’s stone was mined in New york state. aBove: the store’s green roof features droughtresistant sedum, which filters stormwater runoff and reduces heat island effect.
Harness employee voices. associates in the augusta store are more engaged than ever and are a critical part of our commitment to educating our community about sustainability. they have hosted national and international businesses, nonprofits, and government agencies interested in green building and can often be found giving tours of the store. Both our customers and our associates recognize that Hannaford is a company that supports locally sourced products and operates in a sustainable manner. that’s something everyone can be proud of. 138
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Maintain momentum. We’ve applied for leeD certification for our skowhegan, Maine, and Bennington, vermont, stores under the existing Building operations & Maintenance program. as part of the submission, we conducted waste audits for the two stores and set up formal tracking and monitoring. the result was a 60 percent waste reduction at these two stores; our goal is to take similar actions across the whole chain. Currently, we have a 67 percent recycling [and] reuse rate of all cardboard, plastic, wood, metal, and food waste from our operation. our vision for the future calls for even more focus on sustainability. We will continue to be innovative in all aspects of sustainability, from building design to improving the sustainability and nutritional value of our private brands. gb&d gbdmagazine.com
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DeLUCA-HOFFMAN ASSOCIATES, INC. CIVIL CONSULTING ENGINEERS PROUDLY SERVING OUR CLIENTS SINCE 1986 Site design incorporating Green Infrastructure technologies in New England and New York. Experience on LEED Platinum rated commercial and retail projects.
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game plan/
There are three reasons to make this investment. First and foremost, it’s socially responsible. Second, our customers are asking for it. ... Third, there’s a return on the investment. Stay innovative. We’re always looking for ways to build smarter buildings. for example, years ago, when everyone was putting wired high-speed internet in hotels, we were putting in wired and wireless. We created wireless access throughout our buildings—in guest rooms, public areas, even outside. for the $10,000 it cost per building, it created so much value and guest loyalty we made it our standard. Now many of the hotel brands are starting to require wireless high-speed internet as a brand standard. since we adopted wireless as our standard five years ago, we have very few hotels that require retrofit upgrades.
Tim Osiecki on investing in sustainable hotels In the hotel business, green building is important, particularly since many larger corporations and business travelers have embraced—and sometimes even prefer—sustainable accommodations. Concord Hospitality Enterprises has taken this fact to heart: the real estate developer and manager, which operates some of the most well-known hotel brands, including Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, Choice, Starwood, and IHG, turned toward sustainability in 2008 and hasn’t looked back. “We pride ourselves on developing some of the best-designed, most innovative buildings in the industry and then operating them in the top tier of best-in-class,” executive vice president Tim Osiecki says. “And in doing so, we have always been guided by our core values.” Below, Osiecki details his strategies in his own words. —as told to Julie Schaeffer
Choose quality. We pay a lot of attention to details throughout design and construction and during everyday operations thereafter. on the design side, that involves smarter design, so our buildings have maintenance-free longevity and energy efficiency. on the construction side, it involves using higher-quality materials. the majority of our buildings are concrete and steel construction, which makes them perform longer and reduces noise, which is one of the biggest complaints of hotel guests. We also use premium materials where it makes sense, such as synthetic drywall to prevent mold on exterior walls and bathrooms. it costs more, but it makes sense. it’s “pay me now, or pay me more later.” 140
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Get the facts. in 2009, we developed our first leeDcertified Courtyard by Marriott and have since adopted [the usgBC program’s codes] as our culture. every project in design or under construction today has been designed to leeD standards. there are three reasons to make this investment. first and foremost, it’s socially responsible. second, our customers are asking for it, and while we can’t charge more for it, it provides a competitive sale advantage to sell. third, there’s a return on the investment. the average 125-room Marriott Courtyard will require approximately $350,000 in additional costs to design to leeD standards, which will result in approximately $50,000 per year savings. that’s in today’s dollars, which we know will increase over time as energy prices continue to rise. the return on investment is compelling.
Create a culture. We have a culture that cares. if you’re a Concord associate, we help you when [you’re] in need. We have a Concord community foundation that helps associates get back on their feet when they fall on hard times, as was the case recently when an associate’s house burned down. We provided financial assistance to help them get back on their feet. By creating a culture of helping one another, we become a family. Concord associates feel and appreciate that, and our company is the best because of it. gb&d
a Message froM BrauN & steiDl arCHiteCts Braun & steidl architects has provided architectural and interior design services for more than 170 hospitality projects across the us and Canada, many of which were designed for Concord. the firm offers critical expertise and knowledge in applying sustainable design practices to the hospitality industry. for more information visit bsa-net.com.
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designer to watch
diEGo BUrdi One half of Burdifilek discusses his penchant for dramatic, differentiated spaces and his inspiration for the new W Atlanta by Anne Dullaghan
For the past 18 years, Diego Burdi has been designing sophisticated interiors for a wide range of global brands (alongside partner Paul filek) as one half of Burdifilek, a 40-person, toronto-based firm that has been characterized as enthusiastic and ambitious, providing intriguing answers to the most difficult design questions. Burdi’s and filek’s trailblazing spirits have earned them accolades for such dynamic projects as the renovation of Holt renfrew’s iconic 150-yearold flagship store, which was named store of the year in NasfM’s 2004 retail Design awards. Now, the firm is branching into the hospitality market. Burdifilek’s first assignment was designing the interior of the brand new W Hotel in downtown atlanta. Here, Burdi talks about hospitality design and his inspiration for the W atlanta. >
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Diego Burdi ALL PHOTOS: Ben Rahn/A-Frame
designer to watch/
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W HOTEL ATLANTA A/ The W Atlanta’s Living Room space was inspired by “the notion of a green oasis,” which is how Diego Burdi saw the city itself when he first visited. B/ A custom wire-sphere art installation adds drama to the lobby area under a sweeping staircase. C/ Undulating, handcarved solid-walnut walls provide a rich backdrop to the entryway looking toward the Living Room. D/ Bedrooms are replete with soft linens and Makassar wood. E/ The shower’s glass wall maintains an open feeling in the space. F/ Custom curved sectionals fit organically in the Living Room space.
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designer to watch/ How did you get into design? i always liked being in a creative environment and originally wanted to go into architecture but ended up studying interior design because it was more tactile and interesting. as a designer, there are so many different facets you can play with—it’s endless. Paul and i met in school and have worked together ever since. today, it’s a different economy than it was when we started 18 years ago, but we’ve pulled through due to our focus and commitment.
“Flying into Atlanta at about 2 p.m., I was awestruck at how green and lush the area was; it is a real urban oasis. ... It was clear from the city that the theme of the hotel should be escapism.”
What is it like working with someone for 18 years? the best way to describe it is that it’s like a marriage. We really do know each other so well that we can pretty much complete each other’s sentences. While we both overlap responsibilities on projects, Paul runs the company, deals with clients and new business; i oversee the studio and the creative.
Describe some of your initial projects. our early success with the Canadian retail brand Club Monaco helped lead the way for retail projects. from there, we were commissioned to design the interior of toronto’s Holt renfrew department store. [We then] captured the interest of the Nieman Marcus team and designed their department store in Boston—as well as several Brown thomas stores in europe. We were also involved in designing the first leeD-certified winery in Canada. five years ago, we decided to diversify and get into the hospitality arena. We reached out to a couple different brands. W saw the potential of Burdifilek and gave us the opportunity to show them what we could do.
How is designing for hospitality different from or similar to designing for retail? our interaction and impact on the public is different when designing a retail space. But when you think about it, aspects of hospitality design can be approached in a similar way as retail. Both are branded environments, which can be both animated and culturally inspired. our approach is always very detail-oriented, whether we’re working with custom finishes, styling, or creating the right impact with lighting. Hospitality just gives you different envelopes to design in.
Where did you get your inspiration for the W Atlanta’s interiors? i’d never been to atlanta before, so this was a terrific opportunity to work with a blank slate on a brand-new building. flying into atlanta at about 2 p.m., i was awestruck at how green and lush the area was; it is a real urban oasis. the W brand is contemporary and a lot of fun. and it was clear from the city that the theme of the hotel should be escapism. to me, this meant creating a multilayered design that engaged guests at every possible touch point.
Can you describe some of the materials and ideas that went into the W’s signature Living Room? in the lobby and living room, i was inspired by the notion of a green oasis and wanted to create an experience where natural elements could seamlessly merge with the contemporary offering of W. as a firm, we always like to collaborate with the wide range of global artisans that we’ve come across over the years. to help create this green oasis, we commissioned Canadian artisan Dennis lin to craft the hundreds of metal leaves that make it feel like you’re living in a luxurious forest. adding to the escapism, we installed a 22-foot water feature that flows from the ceiling to the reflecting pool below, injecting the environment with a soft, ambient trickling. Custom detailing in the furniture, carpets, and fixtures all serve to further heighten the overall experience. all in all, it was about creating a mood and awareness with the hotel’s guests. it’s an interesting process because you’re selling a space and not a product. there’s a real sense of discovery throughout the space—so many elements of surprise. We wanted the W atlanta’s guests to be drawn into a space that had many different layers and allowed them to continuously discover something new.
What does the firm have planned for the future? We’ll continue to explore the hospitality field—as well as work with our retail clients. there are many opportunities out there, and we’re excited to pursue them. i’m also looking forward to learning more from my travels. gb&d gbdmagazine.com
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material world
Sugarcane Creations Designers are looking at bagasse, a sugarcane derivative, as the next big building material. But it hasn’t yet earned a clean bill of health.
Bagasse, the fibrous substance that remains after juice has been extracted from sugarcane stalks, has long been used for roofing material in traditional houses throughout the Philippines, Jamaica, and ghana, but here in the united states, it most often has been used as a biofuel or in biodegradable plastics—until recently. architects are now finding new ways of incorporating the material into their work, either as a building material or as art. gernot riether, an architect and assistant professor at the georgia institute of technology, has been developing building components from environmentally friendly materials for years. “We can, for instance, base the production of plastics on bagasse instead of fossil fuel,” riether says. “in that way, plastic suddenly becomes an environmentally friendly material, which challenges us as architects to develop new techniques and methods to reintroduce plastic as a building material.” others, such as the firm Wallart, are creating 3-D wall panels out of bagasse, offering a creative and unique paneling option for the green homeowner. Below, gb&d explores bagasse a little deeper, looking at its various uses, sustainable features, and a few recent projects where the sugarcane substance held the spotlight.
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production/ Because sugarcane can be harvested up to three times a year, bagasse is one of the world’s most renewable sources. “the total harvest worldwide of sugarcane is more than 1.2 billion metric tons yearly,” Wallart international sales manager robert kits says. “and three tons of sugarcane equals one ton of bagasse. that’s a huge number.” Bagasse also can be manufactured anywhere around the globe.
uses/ Bagasse has been used for everything from food trays to wallpaper. Because of its direct environmental superiority over paper and nonbiodegradable plastic, the substance is most often found in eco-friendly home products such as plates, cups, and bowls. Bagasse also often is used to make insulated disposable food containers to replace ones made of styrofoam, and office-supply companies are processing the cane fiber with recycled paper fibers to make office products, including copy paper, envelopes, and card stock. the substance can also be converted into biofuel, animal feed, herbal cigarettes, building materials (e.g. pressed building board, acoustical tile, etc.), and much more.
durability/ Bagasse can be used to produce very durable building materials such as polycarbonate and acrylic. these materials are transparent, have a low u-value, and are 20 times less brittle then glass. “if iPhones were made from high-performance plastics derived from bagasse, they certainly would not break as easily,” riether says. “also, curtain walls can be made from high-performance plastics that are based on bagasse instead of glass.” Home goods such as flatware and dinnerware made from bagasse are safe to be used in the microwave and the freezer and can withstand heat up to 200 degrees fahrenheit. the substance is equally durable as paneling. “Whenever used as the raw material for indoor wall panels, the durability of bagasse can be compared to the durability of regular wallpaper,” kits says.
sustainability/ Bagasse as a raw material is not only 100 percent renewable; it is also 100 percent compostable and biodegradable. “at Wallart we say that by reusing the waste of sugarcane production instead of burning it, it becomes a real eco-friendly product,” kits says. Bagasse is also often used as a primary fuel source in mills, including sugar mills, and when burned in high enough quantities, it produces more than enough heat energy to supply all the mill’s needs. additionally, riether says, “if we find ways to develop building components from plants, the production of buildings will also extract carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.” However, not all that glitters is bagasse. the working conditions in the bagasseproducing factories can be less than prime, with some workers reporting health problems allegedly related to the process. it also won’t be the new wonder material any time soon given the rising cost. Because bagasse can be used in the production of biomass fuel, the price is increasing with demand for alternative fuel.
projects/ a recent project that showcased bagasse’s potential was the aia pavilion in New orleans, designed by riether. “in the aia pavilion ... we developed a modular hybrid system from polyethylene [Petg], a material that can be produced from bagasse,” riether says. “the pavilion’s geometry was developed to allow the combining of structure and envelope in a single material system.” He and his Digital Design Build studio at georgia tech used Petg structurally. the edges of each cell were folded differently based on each individual cell’s location within the overall structure; this provided a fair amount of stiffness within each cell. “We connected all cells to form a complex geodesic system,” riether says. to minimize the amount of material and to create a lightweight structure, he increased the complexity of the envelope’s geometry by generating wormholes. this increased the surface tension and stabilized the pavilion’s structure. —Thalia A-M Bruehl
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“kite,” by Wall art.
Pros & CoNs Pros (+) + Bagasse in many cases is biodegradable + It is a by-product of sugarcane, one of the world’s most frequently harvested crops and a rapidly renewable resource + The material has a greatly reduced composting time + As a building and product material, it can handle heat up to 200 degrees Fahrenheit + Bagasse can serve as an alternative to everything from paper to plastic to fuel + Plant-based building materials offer the potential to create structures that can draw carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere
“Cubes,” by Wall art.
CoNs (–) – Bagasse factories can be harsh working environments—workers have reported bleeding hands and arms and even serious conditions such as pulmonary fibrosis – Materials such polylactic acid, made from bagasse, can’t be 100% controlled, which makes their use problematic for certain building materials – Prices for bagasse are rising because it also is now used as a biomass fuel—you’ll pay more for a metric ton of bagasse than you would for a metric ton of stainless steel
the aia Pavillion by gernot riether.
“vaults,” by Wall art.
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show & tell
Despite dismal math, Peter Pfau bet on solar for his home—and ended up winning big. 146
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Given my passion for sustainable design in our commercial work, it follows that we have been trying to push the limits of what can be done with our residential projects. However, it seems like all the coolest energy-saving ideas and systems always end up on the cutting-room floor, as people are often reluctant to try new things. recently, i built my own home and had a chance to serve myself “a dose of my own medicine.” We designed the house to have both a solar hot-water system (providing domestic and hydronic heating) and a 7 kvH photovoltaic system. as we looked at the cost of the systems versus the estimated return on investment, the math was not very compelling. this is the point where many of my residential clients bail. However, our blind faith in doing the right thing made us decide to proceed anyway. the amazing thing is that the system has performed better than all the analyses suggested. We have had negative energy bills for the past several months since the Pv system came on line. i realized that the vendors of these systems are motivated to not overpromise what the systems can do, so they are actually better performing than advertised. gb&d
PHOTOS: Bruce Damonte
“The system has performed better than all the analyses suggested. We’ve had negative energy bills for the past several months.”
gbdmagazine.com
9/16/11 3:01 PM
Fujitec America, Inc is pleased to play such a vital role of many prestigious, state-of-the-art facilities such as Soldier Field. With a solid global reputation and strong presence in the U.S. market, Fujitec is one brand of elevators, escalators and moving walks 100% focused on vertical transportation. To learn more about Fujitecâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new product lines and services, contact us today at 630.629.8808 or sales@fujitecamerica.com.
PHOTOS: Bruce Damonte
Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s time that you Fujitec your elevator.
1.877.FUJITEC www.fujitecamerica.com GBD15_Book.indb 147
9/16/11 3:01 PM
Pattern: Eden Collection by Virginia Langley - VL24951 | Texture: Branches
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7/27/11 9/16/11 2:42:54 3:01PM PM