G R E E N B U I L D I N G & D E S I G N N OV E M B E R+D EC E M B E R 2019
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YOUR ADA Compliant Ramp PROVIDER
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In This Issue November+December 2019 Volume 10, Issue 59
Gathering Place This Oregon center is a beautiful example of public space done right.
PAGE 36
A Splash of Color The architect behind a new Vancouver residential building shares his thoughts about sustainability.
Table of Contents Products
30 An Expert’s Guide to Hardscape Design Belgard’s commercial solutions run the gamut from permeable pavers to retaining walls.
14 Beautiful on the Outside Diamond Kote’s prefinished siding helps create optimal exteriors.
16 Benefits of Natural Stone Panels Biesanz Stone’s panels are crafted to last, easy to install, and cost-effective.
18 Build the Perfect Outdoor Kitchen Challenger Designs has everything you need to entertain outside.
20 How to Improve Indoor Air Quality
RenewAire’s ERVs ensure you’re getting the freshest air where you work and live.
22 SunOrShade
How to meet performance specs using sustainable interiors.
24 Inside Peaceful Lido House LG’s VRF system keeps this Newport Beach property quiet and comfortable.
26 An Expert’s Guide to Radiant Heating and Cooling Solutions
PAGE 42
Practice 88 What do I need to know about building sound insulation? The AcoustiCORK product line targets impact noise reduction and vibration insulation.
Features 62 Why Sustainable Interiors Matter
The New York School of Interior Design is changing the conversation around design.
66 Demanding Doors That Protect
ASSA ABLOY offers solutions that increase safety in schools and beyond.
70 Doing More With Floors
Mohawk Industries continues to unveil new Living Products.
74 2019 WSLA
Meet the 10 inspiring winners of the Women in Sustainability Leadership Awards.
80 Laying the Groundwork
HMTX Industries is strengthening the industry with innovative flooring solutions.
90 How is rubber flooring sustainable? Roppe’s commercial rubber flooring products are a great fit for high-traffic spaces.
92 How can windows really transform a living space?
Western Window Systems’ sliding door systems maximize outdoor views.
94 What coating options do I have to protect my building? Exploring APV Engineered Coatings’ NeverFade with Kynar Aquatec coatings.
96 How do shade fabrics affect occupant comfort?
The experts at Mermet look at the role shades play in creating comfortable spaces.
98 Why should I build using ICFs?
The ICFMA puts ICFs’ benefits to the test.
Viega takes us inside the world of radiant systems that improve comfort and efficiency.
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SINK TO A NEW LEVEL . The D|13 Sink System — featuring the new XLERATORsync® Hand Dryer — streamlines the hand washing and drying process, seamlessly fusing the soap dispenser, faucet and high-speed, energy-efficient hand dryer in one cohesive solution. It is the most advanced integrated sink system on the market and the most hygienic, sustainable and cost-effective way to wash and dry hands.
Design Your Custom Sink System Today! gb&d
8 8 8 . 6 7 0 . 3 1 0 7 d 1 3 g r o u p . c o m november–december 2019
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NYSID GRADUATE PROGRAMS ARE
TOP RANKED IN THE U.S.
by DesignIntelligence
Time to remodel your interior design career? Pursue one-year advanced degrees in lighting, healthcare, or sustainability, earn a Master of Fine Arts, or take a specific class to sharpen your skills and enhance your marketability. 6
NYSID.EDU/GRADUATE november –december 2019
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Contributors
Green Building & Design gbdmagazine.com EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Christopher Howe ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER
Laura Heidenreich
MANAGING EDITOR
Laura Rote
ART DIRECTOR
Kristina Walton Zapata ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE
Julie Veternick
ACCOUNT MANAGERS
Sarah Treleaven (“How to Improve Indoor Air Quality”) is a writer whose work has appeared in Harper’s Magazine, Vogue, Marie Claire, The Guardian, New York Magazine, Canadian Traveller, AFAR, and many other publications. She recently relocated from Toronto to Nova Scotia, where she resides with her boyfriend and a Chihuahua. PG. 20
Ciara Gomez, Isabel Ilbuga, Christian Van Epps EDITORIAL INTERN
Eric Canan
GRAPHIC DESIGNER INTERNS
Carlos Bernabe, Mariusz Kozien CONTRIBUTORS
Colleen DeHart, Cap Green, Kate Griffith, Lori Lovely, David Miller, Margaret Poe, Mike Thomas, Sarah Treleaven, Matt Watson MAIL
Green Building & Design 1765 N. Elston Ave., Suite 202 Chicago, IL 60642 Printed in the USA. © 2019 by Green Advocacy Partners, LLC. All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the consent of the publisher. The publisher is not responsible for product claims and representations. The Green Building & Design logo is a registered trademark of Green Advocacy Partners, LLC. Green Building & Design (gb&d) magazine is printed in the United States using only soy-based inks. Please recycle this magazine. The magazine is also available in digital formats at gbdmagazine.com/current-issue.
Green Building & Design is a certified B Corp. B Corp is to business what Fair Trade certification is to coffee or USDA Organic certification is to milk. B Corps are certified by the nonprofit BLab to meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency.
Cap Green (“Spaces That Teach”) is a freelance writer based in Pittsburgh. She researched spatial and societal constraints in 19th century French literary characters as a Tow Fellow in France and continues to write about the relationship between literature and the earth’s environment. She works full-time as the director of a nonprofit organization that provides charitable services internationally. Cap’s favorite stories are inspired by her Cajun French roots, which she shares on Southern Wild. PG. 54
David Miller (“Peaceful Lido House”) is a writer living and working in Chicago. Half sheen, half grit, he harbors diverse interests and has written about topics ranging from arts and culture to manufacturing and industry. In addition to his work at gb&d magazine, he contributes to a variety of publications, including Electrical Apparatus Magazine and Automation World. Ever the eccentric, he holds ardently that he can be reached via phone, email, or telepathic inquiry. PG. 24
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Editors’ Note Share your comments on this issue. Tweet us @gbd_mag
G R E E N B U I L D I N G & D E S I G N N OV E M B E R+D EC E M B E R 2019
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ON THE COVER In this issue, we announce the winners of the 2019 Women in Sustainability Leadership Awards.
5 Things We Learned During the Making of This Issue
ricates limestone building materials, and their Minnesota Dolomite Limestone and Natural Stone Panels have been trusted by architects for decades. The company fabricates its MDL and Natural Stone Panels at its climate-controlled plant, ensuring strict quality control. Biesanz’s quarry has 480 acres and two ledges: Travertine Ledge and Levee Ledge.
a home for hipsters in the Vancouver neighborhood of Mount Pleasant. The 14-story building adds rental residential and retail space to the fastest growing and most desirable area of the city for people to live and play, with independent shops, cafes, and breweries on every corner. The Duke’s communal spaces and easy access to the neighborhood at large make it a social butterfly’s heaven.
BIESANZ STONE
THE DUKE, PG. 42
COMPANY, PG. 16
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The Duke provides
november–december 2019
The new 26,000-squarefoot Statue of Liberty Museum opened in May
The mission of the Louisiana Children’s Museum has expanded
2019, designed by FXCollaborative. The vertical patterning of the precast concrete at the site was inspired by the Palisades cliffs along the Hudson River. The Palisades were called “Weehawken” by the Lenni Lenape Native Americans, meaning “rocks that look like rows of trees.” THE
to become an even greater hub for the community. In City Park, the museum combines indoor and outdoor experiences with environmental education in a way that wasn’t possible at the Warehouse District site. The museum is also a hit for its play areas, edible gardens, floating classroom barge, living shoreline and freshwater marsh.
MUSEUM, PG. 56
LOUISIANA CHIL-
STATUE OF LIBERTY
DREN’S MUSEUM, PG. 60
Mohawk Industries is committed to providing Living Products, with more than 300 such solutions and counting today. The Living Product Challenge itself is broad in scope, requiring manufacturers to consider the full life span of their products. The Living Product certification is organized into seven areas, also called petals, recognizing place, water, energy, health and happiness, materials, equity, and beauty. MOHAWK,
PHOTO: NEIL ALEXANDER
Biesanz Stone Company fab-
PG. 70
gbdmagazine.com
Breaking ground on groundbreaking communities
Break new ground with a geothermal community Geothermal communities are gaining popularity all around the country. In fact, several of these new communities are completely sold out and new homes are being snapped up well before construction ever begins. Geothermal is simply the most efficient way to heat and cool a home, and economies of scale for all-geothermal communities make them more economical to install. Whether potential homeowners are tech savvy, environmentally conscious, or looking to save money, geothermal has something to offer. Let WaterFurnace be a resource to provide best practices, help avoid mistakes others have made, and help your development become successful.
Learn more at waterfurnace.com/neighborhoods
WaterFurnace is a registered trademark of WaterFurnace International, Inc. Š2019 WaterFurnace International Inc.
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Editors’ Picks News
Cairo’s Vertical Forests
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF STEFANO BOERI ARCHITETTI
Stefano Boeri, known for his vertical forest buildings, and Egyptian designer Shimaa Shalash are bringing urban forests to Cairo. Three cube-shaped structures will house 350 trees and more than 14,000 shrubs and smaller plants. Once completed in 2022, the buildings are expected to absorb seven tons of carbon dioxide each year while producing eight tons of oxygen. The project is part of the city’s Greener Cairo initiative—a major effort to drastically increase plant life in and around Cairo in the coming years. stefanoboeriarchitetti.net
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Upland Prairie and English Farms
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF ALLIANT ENERGY
For the first time, the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure has awarded its highest honor—the Envision Platinum award for sustainable infrastructure—to wind farm projects. Alliant Energy developed both Upland Prairie and English farms in Iowa using turbines that are quieter, more efficient, and more durable than earlier models. The turbines generate electricity at very low and very high wind speeds, requiring fewer units and less ecological impacts to reach their energy goals. The projects are part of Alliant Energy’s push for a 40% reduction in their carbon emissions by 2030 and an 80% reduction by 2050. sustainableinfrastructure.org
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Whom Home
PHOTO: COURTESY OF WHOM HOME
Launched in August 2019, Whom Home aims to steer the furniture industry toward real sustainability. Whom owns its own zero-waste factory and has total control over the production process, allowing the new company to eliminate toxic chemicals from its fabrics and incorporate polystyrene sourced from US landfills into their decor. They focus on building furniture from high-quality materials that will last—not head straight to the dumpster after a few years of use. For every tree cut down, Whom plants 40 more, steadily rebuilding the resources we all need. whomhome.com
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Directory Interested in advertising? Contact Laura Heidenreich at laura@gbdmagazine.com for more information about advertising in our print magazine, online, and newsletter, as well as custom media.
AcoustiCORK, 88
Mermet, 96
amorimcorkcomposites.com +351 227475300
mermetusa.com 866.902.9647
APV Engineered Coatings, 94
Mohawk Industries, 70
apvcoatings.com 800.772.3452
mohawksustainability.com 800.241.4494
Armstrong Commercial Ceiling & Wall, 108
Newforma, Inc., 86
newforma.com 877.875.8252
armstrongceilings.com/sustain 877.276.7876
New York School of Interior Design, 62
ASSA ABLOY Door Security Solutions, 66
nysid.edu 212.472.1500
assaabloydss.com 203.603.5919
RenewAire, 20
RenewAire.com 800.627.4499
Belgard, 30
belgardcommercial.com 844.495.8210
Roppe Corporation, 90
roppe.com 800.537.9527
Biesanz Stone Company, 16
biesanzstone.com 507.454.4336
Challenger Designs, 18
North America Smart Energy Week, 35
challengerdesignsllc.com 574.773.8200
solarpowerinternational.com 703.738.9460
Diamond Kote Building Products, 14
SunOrShade, 22
diamondkotesiding.com
sunorshade.com 800.742.3372
EZ-ACCESS, 107
ezaccess.com 800.258.8503
Viega LLC, 26
viega.us 800.976.9819
HMTX Industries, 80
hmtx.global 866.843.8453
Water Furnace, 9
waterfurnace.com 800.GEO.SAVE
ICFMA, 98
icf-ma.org
western window systems
Western Window Systems, 92
westernwindowsystems.com 877.268.1300
LG Air Conditioning Technologies, 24
lghvac.com 212.880.5324
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PRODUCTS
This property has Diamond Kote RigidStack siding and Staggered RigidShakes prefinished in olive with sand nail fin trim.
Beautiful on the Outside How to create exquisite exteriors with Diamond Kote’s pre-finished siding By Mike Thomas
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Diamonds. They’re extraordinarily hard, long-lasting, high quality, and aesthetically pleasing. Not coincidentally, those adjectives also describe the products manufactured and sold by Wisconsin-based siding experts Diamond Kote® Building Products. Founded in 2004 and employeeowned, the company’s main manufacturing facility currently operates at 600,000 square feet. Two other locations—in Rapid City, South Dakota, and Stuart, Iowa—were added to keep up with unprecedented product demand across the U.S. and in Canada. These are just some of the benefits of their pre-finished siding. gbdmagazine.com
PRODUCTS
1. Extraordinarily Durable
3. Ecologically Sound
Designed to resist a variety of potential damage, whether from storm debris or errant baseballs, Diamond Kote’s proprietary finish is made from only the best materials and comes with a rare 30year no-fade warranty. Not all paints are created equal,” says Andy Strey, Diamond Kote’s brand development manager. “The difference is what goes into them. With Diamond Kote, we only use the highest grade raw ingredients, and that’s what gives us the best performance long-term.” In its unflagging pursuit of excellence, Diamond Kote also partnered with LP® SmartSide®, a top-tier engineered wood product that’s treated to withstand extreme temperatures, heavy humidity, freeze/thaws, and includes a hail warranty. The pairing is a match made in siding heaven. “It’s not going to mar; it’s not going to require touch-up painting,” Strey says. “It’s going to be durable enough to handle job site abuse and then hold up long-term for the property owners.”
Because Diamond Kote uses such a durable substrate and only the best ingredients, siding requires only one coat. That’s obviously a plus from a manufacturing standpoint, but it’s also better for the environment, because while the product is completely waterborne, less is always better. “It was developed that way from the get-go to be HAPS-free for the benefit of our employees,” Strey says. “And we have very little wasted paint in our process. Even the minimal amount of excess paint that’s invariably a byproduct of the manufacturing process is disposable. An in-house press process extracts water and leaves behind only pigment that’s easily dried before it’s properly disposed of. Using state-of-the-art equipment, Diamond Kote’s robotic sprayers apply finish to the boards with minimal overspray to prevent waste. In addition to the
uncompromising quality of its products, one of Diamond Kote’s biggest selling points is the efficiency of its complete system.
4. Efficiency Diamond Kote uses the one-stop shop mentality to supply only the best materials and pre-finishes all products inhouse to create a fully compatible siding system in the industry. “When somebody is looking to use a siding product, they get a high-quality finish as well as all the parts, pieces, and accessories to get the job done right,” Strey says of products like color-matched flashings and RigidMount™ Blocks (for mounting lights, vents, and electrical fixtures). We make sure everything is compatible—that from accessory to accessory, all the colors match so clients don’t have to source out several manufactured items and combine them on a job site. We do all that work behind the scenes.”
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF DIAMOND KOTE BUILDING PRODUCTS
2. High Design Whether you’re designing a commercial or residential project, clients can choose a contemporary, traditional, or rustic look. Diamond Kote offers an array of options that includes 23 solid colors and six duo-blends, with the ability to do custom colors. The application process is entirely automated for consistent quality every time. And designing to your clients’ tastes is easy with horizontal, vertical, or shake/shingle profiles. Diamond Kote’s proprietary siding system products enhance installation and the overall design of a project. The popular RigidStack™ siding, offered in smooth or textured, accounts for more than 60% of horizontal siding jobs. Designed with a spline to stack and lock together, RigidStack can be installed 22% faster than traditional lap siding. “It’s a tighter fitting panel, so it resists wind up to 200 miles per hour,” Strey says. “It also looks flatter and straighter on the wall, making the shadow lines more consistent.” Diamond Kote’s Protective Trim System employs nail flanges to create hidden fastener corners and lineal trim. Nail fin one-piece corners produce a much cleaner look and save installers from having to touch up nail heads, which can be very labor intensive. gb&d
This property uses Diamond Kote Terra Bronze RigidStack siding, sand board, and batten with white nail fin trim and nail fin outside corners. At left, this storefront uses Oyster Shell Staggered RigidShakes, Smoky Ash RigidStack siding, and nail fin trim prefinished in coffee.
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Benefits of Natural Stone Panels Biesanz Stone’s panels are functional, beautiful, and stand the test of time. By Colleen DeHart
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november–december 2019
When looking for a truly distinctive appearance inside or out, prefabricated natural stone panels help designers achieve that special vision. It’s that made-fromnature uniqueness that drew Darrell Stahlecker, president of Biesanz Stone, to move from the concrete business to natural stone. “I decided that instead of trying to create the perfect stone I would do one better and use what I was trying to create,” he says. Stahlecker (along with an investor group) purchased the century-old, Minnesota-based company in 2010. A stone masonry supply company to start, the Biesanz family began producing panelized stone in the late 1970s. Since then the company has evolved into a comprehensive, technical production system. Biesanz’s mission is to enable customers to use the natural, low-energy product at a competitive price using prefabricated natural stone panels to enhance a building’s facade or add flair to an interior. The pre-fabricated panels are built under optimal conditions, are ready for install when the supporting structure is complete, and have a host of other benefits.
Architects used 55,000 square feet of Biesanz MDL with Natural Stone Panels for the exterior of the Acuity Insurance Headquarters in Wisconsin.
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PRODUCTS
They’re lightweight. Biesanz’s panels are approximately onethird of the weight of a precast concrete panel with the steel studs attached. It’s a complete wall system, unlike precast panels, which require the addition of a stud wall. Natural stone panels are thinner, approximately two inches, whereas precast panels are six to eight inches. “They require a lot less structural members, structural steel, or concrete to support the structure because they are so lightweight on the project,” says Todd Shaffer, head of drafting/design at Biesanz Stone. The lower weight of the panels also enables them to be easily lifted by a forklift or crane.
They’re easy to install.
options for stone finishes that can be customized to meet any design vision. The finish will stay on for the duration of the stone’s life.
They’re cost-effective. Stone comes from the ground, reducing production costs. “We don’t have the cost associated with creating the product, and we aren’t using the substantial amounts of energy it takes to create cement-based products, much less to cut it to size and shape it,” Stahlecker says. “It’s a standalone resource.” Biesanz’s team works with customers to make the project as affordable as they can. “We take the architect’s plan and design our panels like a puzzle, determining how they can best fit on the building in an economical manner,” Shaffer says.
They’re made in a onestop shop. Biesanz Stone is a single-source for engineering, design, fabricating, furnishing, and installing natural stone panels, speeding up the overall process. “We function as the subcontractor, overseeing and handling the install all under one umbrella,” Stahlecker says. The company warranties the complete system once it is in place. Being a onestop shop allows the company to ensure installation is done at a high quality, meeting top industry standards.v
Installation is fast and easy. Each panel is designed specifically for the structure. Shaffer works with the architect’s design to determine the prefabricated panels’ dimensions and where anchors need to be placed. “Everything is predesigned to meet the structural members,” Stahlecker says. Connections are designed to go floor heights. Install rates are in accordance with design. Natural stone panels can cover more square footage in fewer panels, too. One large panel is approximately 8-by-14 feet. Approximately 700 to 1,000 square feet of natural stone panels can be installed in one day. Installation is less likely to be impacted by weather. And panels can still be set in weather that is 10 below zero, unlike typical masonry, which requires additional tenting and heating in colder temperatures, Stahlecker says.
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF BIESANZ STONE
They’re high design. Designers have many options when using natural stone panels. They can choose to use Biesanz’s Minnesota Dolomite Limestone or go with another stone of their choice. “We build and design the panels in accordance with the architect’s and customer’s vision. If they choose Indiana Limestone, we purchase Indiana Limestone,” Stahlecker says. Company logos or other designs can easily be etched into the panel before installation, too. Biesanz offers nine gb&d
They last. Of course, stone is also a product that has stood the test of time. “We have a lot of projects that have been in existence since the 1980s, and we’ve had virtually no warranty work to do. The panels don’t shrink or expand like other products,” Stahlecker says. Concrete precast panels will absorb water over the years, placing stress on the panels over time. “Our stone won’t change in a 50- to 100-year building, but concrete and other manufactured products may not last that long.”
The BJC Institute of Health at Washington University School of Medicine has more than 90,000 square feet of Biesanz Natural Stone Panels with stone from Indiana Limestone Company.
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HOW TO
Build the Perfect Outdoor Kitchen Challenger Designs offers the most comprehensive solution for transforming your outdoor space. By Matt Watson / Photos by Steven Long Photography
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Whether you’re an expert griller who’s looking to upgrade your culinary equipment or an avid entertainer hoping to transform your outdoor space, Challenger Designs has an outdoor kitchen solution to fit your needs. From its humble roots designing cabinets for RVs and utility trailers, Challenger Designs has quickly gained momentum over the past eight years to lead the market for customizable outdoor kitchens. The familyowned firm, based in Nappanee, Indiana, prides itself in manufacturing all of its products in the U.S. With hundreds of cabinet, countertop, and accessory options to choose from, transforming your patio into a fully functional outdoor kitchen has never been easier. gbdmagazine.com
PRODUCTS
PHOTOS: STEVEN LONG PHOTOGRAPHY (2); COURTESY OF CHALLENGER DESIGNS; COURTESY OF REVEAL DESIGN LLC
1
2
3
4
Analyze the Space
Consider Aesthetics
Plan for the Future
Aim for Quality
Build your own virtual kitchen at layout. challengerdesignsllc. com.
The Coastal Series offers up preassembled options that make installation quick and easy.
Challenger Designs works with you to consider what you might want in the future, too.
Solutions are built to stand up to rust and aging so you can enjoy your space all year.
The first step in creating the ideal outdoor kitchen is to consider how you plan to utilize the space. “We always begin the process by asking customers, ‘What are your intentions for the space?’” says Mark Schmucker, sales manager at Challenger Designs. “Some want to create an outdoor entertainment area while others are more focused on the culinary aspect of the outdoor kitchen and picture the space as an extension of their home.” It’s also important to consider any constraints the existing patio may present. Fortunately Challenger Designs offers custom outdoor kitchens tailored uniquely for any location. Plus, the company’s in-house designers provide 3-D renderings of the design prior to installation so you can visualize your outdoor kitchen and make adjustments as needed.
Once you’ve settled on the intended functionality of your outdoor kitchen, you’ll want to dive deeper into the aesthetics of the space. Challenger Designs offers an extensive variety of design options, including six cabinet color choices as well as five countertop finish options and two cabinet door styles. “We have a solution for pretty much any need in the market,” Schmucker says. In addition to the nearly endless design options of its custom outdoor kitchens, Challenger Designs offers two additional series of standardized kitchen solutions. The Coastal Series includes 10 models of pre-designed kitchen islands that are shipped assembled and require no installation upon arrival—so they’re perfect for the customer looking for a simple, elegant addition to their outdoor space. The Canyon Series, which includes a variety of fully enclosed inserts as well as door and frame inserts, is ideal for customers who want to build storage into their own application, like a stone island.
The versatility of Challenger Designs’ outdoor kitchens means you can easily start small and add on to your space in the future. For example, some customers begin with a simple kitchen island from the Coastal Series and build on additional features from the Custom Series as their needs grow. This means planning ahead is critical. “What customers will want to consider is, will they want to add on or modify the space in the future?” Schmucker says. “For example, adding plumbing can be very disruptive to a patio. It’s best to plan out what you need ahead of time while a contractor is still there.”
It’s important to remember your outdoor kitchen must be built with the highest quality in mind in order to withstand extreme weather conditions year after year. That’s why Challenger Designs’ outdoor kitchen solutions are made from 100% aluminum and feature a powder coated finish, making them both durable and low maintenance. “Our solutions outperform every other product—it won’t rust, it doesn’t swell in the heat, and it’s not going to fade,” Schmucker says. Plus, the kitchen cabinetry features completely sealed and gasketed doors and drawers, keeping water and pests out and allowing for yearround, weatherproof storage. “Anything that’s stored in our cabinetry is ready for use any time of year,” explains Schmucker. “Customers have told us that even their paper towels stored in the cabinets don’t get damp.” This helps to extend the time customers are able to utilize their outdoor kitchens, allowing for grilling even in the dead of winter.
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PRODUCTS
HOW TO
Improve Indoor Air Quality RenewAire’s ERVs help to make modern buildings even safer. By Sarah Treleaven
20
november–december 2019
At your home or work, whenever you feel a little sluggish or in need of fresh air, the remedy seems simple: Open a window and inhale. But the confluence of modern building techniques and the proliferation of sometimes-harmful chemicals embedded in everyday materials means the solution to poor indoor air quality isn’t so simple. Contemporary issues with IAQ date back to the oil embargos of the 1980s, according to Nick Agopian, vice president of sales and marketing for RenewAire—a pioneer in Energy Recovery Ventilation (ERV) technologies for more than 35 years. While old houses are often drafty, offering a clear exchange between indoor and outdoor air, the spike in energy prices more than 30 years ago led to an initiative to build buildings as sealed and leakproof as possible. And these tight homes tend to keep contaminants indoors, whether it’s from construction materials, phthalates
from wood floorings, cleaning compounds, or formaldehyde from carpeting or furniture. What does that mean? Modern homes are essentially doing battle between coveted energy efficiency and IAQ—and it can have an impact on the way both your body and brain function. “It’s much more complex than we thought it was,” Agopian says. “We’re starting to understand the complexity between low concentrations of various gases, and we’re starting to understand that even bioeffluents have an impact on us.” That impact, he says, can lower productivity and energy levels, and even weaken student test scores. The story of contemporary building techniques and declining IAQ is also the story of how advanced ventilation systems became indispensible for both home and office environments. Agopian recently shared tips and more insight for how improved IAQ can lead to a happier, healthier life. gbdmagazine.com
PRODUCTS
Increased energyrecovery ventilation leads to optimal IAQ. The basic premise of ventilation is extremely simple: It’s the indoor-outdoor exchange of air. “It’s like how the solution to pollution is dilution,” Agopian says. “You’re essentially taking everything in that air—the gases, the chemicals, the particulates, the microbials—and replacing it with something cleaner.” But RenewAire’s products don’t just ventilate; they offer energy recovery as the air is moved in and out of a space, optimizing efficiency while ensuring optimal IAQ.
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF RENEWAIRE
Take a prescriptive approach to find the right balance. The indoor-air quality procedure (IAQP) offers a prescriptive approach to IAQ and the ability to calculate indoor and outdoor air chemicals to find the right balance. “With the use of filtration, you’re able to lower the gaseous contaminants and then provide specifically designed IAQ,” Agopian says. Considering people spend so much time indoors, getting this balance just right is crucial. And in addition to concerns about both indoor and outdoor pollutants, air quality can also include factors like relative humidity—the management of which can go a long way to creating a healthy, comfortable workplace. Using an ERV in conjunction with filtration/ IAQP would offer the lowest capital and operating cost for any application.
gb&d
This HE1.5XIN features a CFM range of 375 to 1,575.
RenewAire’s ERV units can easily be configured for spaces big and small. With a wide range of options, from single or multi-family home to commercial, RenewAire’s units have remarkable installation potential. Architects, designers, and homeowners can maximize usable real estate thanks to extreme versatility, which allows for installation in a ceiling, mechanical room, or even a closet. So you don’t have to sacrifice form for function; it’s just a question of finding the right unit for the space.
There’s little to no maintenance required. Once the ductwork is cut and the unit is installed, the energy recovery cores are static. RenewAire was the first innovator with static-core technology in North America. “Other than replacing filters and occasional vacuuming of the core face, there’s nothing else you have to do,” Agopian says. “People often wonder how you can get so much benefit from something so simple. But it really is possible.”
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Professional Perspective
How to Meet Performance Specs Using Sustainable Interiors BY KATE GRIFFITH
We interview Brian Aske, project director with design-builder Lease Crutcher Lewis, to find out how SunOrShade is helping his project achieve its building goals. We interview Brian Aske, project director with design-builder Lease Crutcher Lewis, to find out how SunorShade is helping his project achieve its building goals.
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When it came time for the design-build team of Lease Crutcher Lewis and Miller Hull Architects to maximize energy efficiency and occupant comfort in the design of the University of Washington’s new Population Health building, the team turned to SunOrShade. The open source window covering solution considers a building’s entire system to optimize integration with natural light for the occupants’ thermal, visual, and physiological comfort while reducing energy consumption for lighting, heating, and cooling—a perfect fit for the structure’s future occupants. Under construction as of late summer 2019, the space was conceived as a meeting ground for researchers studying human health, environmental resilience, and social and economic equity. Dubbed by the University of Washington as the Population Health Initiative and funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Aske’s clients have ambitious standards for the cradle of their research.
Their team had a high bar to meet. “The building will mimic the challenges the initiative is solving,” Aske says. “Preserving natural resources like water and electric, minimizing global impact, and reducing carbon footprints, but when we competed for this project, the client hadn’t started any design other than identifying the need for a 300,000-square-foot building by summer 2020.” After winning the Progressive Design-Build contract on qualifications, project management approach, and price factor, limited to the overhead and profit markup of the team, they began meeting with all of the different representatives of the groups moving into the building to determine the space’s needs. The conversations were progressive and collaborative. “As we understood the performance expectations, we started to develop the design, and we purposefully brought on more expertise, such as structural engineers and ultimately lighting designers, including NAQCLP Lighting Certified designers Ray Hamo and Marti Hoffer of lumenomics, to help us understand the best approaches for meeting them.” The $230 million building is reaching for a number of goals, including LEED Gold and Fitwel certifications. Lighting design is integral to both: aesthetic focus on glass to maximize views and natural light; streamlined maintenance and operation to minimize energy use; elimination of Red List materials wherever possible, including shades; and reduced energy consumption and increased occupant comfort by minimizing solar heat gain. “As those design goals came into play, we started to connect with natural lighting firm lumenomics, the supplier of SunOrShade window treatment systems, on opportunities for managing intense light and heat gain.” With a three-story glass window functioning as a design highlight, the design-build team needed shades that could reflect solar radiation away from the building and its occupants. Air speed is a key aspect of temperature comfort in built environments, and the more solar radiation that can be reflected away from a building occupant, the less mechanical airflow is needed to maintain the space temperature. SunOrShade window treatment systems meet the high-performance design objectives of well-known brands with options for minimal to total smart automation and the integration of lighting devices, heating and cooling, sun sensors, and timing technologies, all controlled using computer software and user-friendly interfaces. In the Population Health building, more than 480 translucent SunOrShade roller shades automatically enabled by sun sensors will ensure comfort and efficiency. Another 475 translucent shades will allow for manual operation of comfort. “The project has been very successful,” Aske says. “We topped out in July, and the components that manage the light and thermal comfort are going in now. In the future, we’ll be monitoring occupant comfort in lighting and thermal. The people in this building will be solving world health challenges, and it’s important they can do their best work.”
Lighting design is integral to achieving LEED Gold and Fitwel certifications. gb&d
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Professional Perspective
Inside Peaceful Lido House BY DAVID MILLER
We talk with Dennis Reyling, vice president of construction and development for R.D. Olson Development, about why he chose the LG MULTI V VRF series system.
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Marriott International’s Autograph Collection portfolio thrives on what it calls the “Mark of Craft”—the singular personality and sense of place that each of its independently owned locations imparts upon its guests. Nowhere is that mark more evident than at Newport Beach’s Lido House, a cozy seaside resort perched beside the West Lido Channel at the nexus of Balboa Peninsula and Lido Isle. One glance at Lido House’s blue-gray paneled walls, relaxed wicker-back chairs, and breezy patios tells the story of the region’s luxurious coastal lifestyle.
But sometimes the things that don’t leave a mark are just as important as the things that do. In the case of necessary mechanical systems such as HVAC, invisibility is often indicative of success. That’s why Dennis Reyling, vice president of construction and development for R.D. Olson Development, chose LG Air Conditioning Technologies’ ultra-quiet LG MULTI VTM VRF series systems when he was working to develop the Lido House property. In Reyling’s view, the less aware guests are of their rooms’ HVAC systems, the more they can focus on the property’s carefully curated environment. In fact, LG’s VRF is so quiet guests have been known to call the front desk to report that their HVAC system isn’t running, Reyling says. It’s the rare kind of complaint he loves to receive. Luckily, a quick demonstration in which the concierge holds a tissue in front of the air vent to confirm it’s blowing easily assuages any disbelief. Of course, quiet operation isn’t the only benefit of VRF. The reduction in noise achieved by inverter compressor technology that ramps up and down rather than cycles on and off to match the capacity requirements for the space saves energy while maintaining consistent set temperatures and leading to life cycle; Reyling says it’s a no-brainer. Similarly, as a result of VRF’s design and the reduced strain its modulating motor places on overall system performance, even maintenance visits are less frequent, allowing for further cost savings and an even more relaxed guest experience. In addition, its compact design can save a tremendous amount of space in the construction of a development, allowing designers to create spaces that afford guests higher ceilings and more spacious rooms—a boon to the wow factor of any interior but even more vital at a four-star property like Lido House. “Because of its reliability and flexibility as well as the fact that it’s extremely quiet, LG’s VRF provides a level of comfort that our guests expect,” Reyling says. “Because it’s basically operating at a level the guests aren’t even aware of, they are left undistracted to enjoy the Lido House experience, which celebrates everything that’s special about the Newport Beach coastal lifestyle. That’s where we want their focus, and LG’s VRF allows us to keep it there.”
“LG’s VRF provides a level of comfort that our guests expect,” says Dennis Reyling, vice president of construction and development for R.D. Olson Development. gb&d
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A crew can quickly and easily roll out tubing based on detailed drawings from Viega’s design team.
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PRODUCTS
An Expert’s Guide
to Radiant Heating and Cooling Solutions By Laura Rote
Viega has been in the business of innovation for more than 100 years. It was founded in 1899, starting, surprisingly enough, with beer taps before evolving into the world of fittings, flushing systems, and beyond. Today Viega leads the plumbing industry, offering the best in radiant heating and cooling solutions. Its radiant systems provide increased comfort and efficiency for residential, commercial, and industrial projects.
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PHOTO: COURTESY OF VIEGA
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How does radiant work? Viega’s solutions include design services for both residential and commercial radiant projects. Viega specializes in hydronic heating, with tubing embedded in the floor for a cleaner, quieter operation than forced air. The radiant system conditions the entire floor surface so the system temperature can be set lower and operate more efficiently. Systems run the gamut depending on need, from straightforward floor tubing to a large commercial system with multiple boilers and water chillers. “These operate very efficiently, yet there’s more research now going into how to make these systems even more efficient by adding things like user-controlled ceiling fans,” says Josh Quint, product manager.
When does radiant work best?
form just fine.” Radiant heating has been around since the time of the Romans, though it hasn’t always been used properly in the US. Quint says its adoption has been set back by an early mistake in material choice. “Back in the ’50s, there were a lot of radiant homes that were using copper embedded in concrete instead “Radiant works really almost anywhere of PEX tubing, which wasn’t around a standard forced air system will work,” yet. The copper corroded over time and says Adam Botts, assistant systems failed, so that gave product manager, dispelling radiant a bad name just as air conditioners were bean outdated misconception that radiant shouldn’t be ing mass marketed. But, in Viega’s ProRadiant used in humid locales. reality, they were using the solutions are good for “Existing building control wrong materials.” residential retrofits and systems dehumidify the These days, with durable new construction alike, ventilation air to the point PEX tubing and other innoas well as for heating and cooling industrial that a space never reaches vations, a radiant system spaces. the dew point but remains can last decades and operate comfortable for occupants. much more efficiently than the alternatives. For example, if you’re in a building in Atlanta or New “The biggest concerns people have can be remeOrleans, there are building controls and dehumidifiers died when the system is deto keep the humidity below dew point signed and installed properly, which so a radiant cooling job is going to perwe’re there to help with,” Quint says. “Radiant has been around for thousands of years and it’s proven in Europe that it’s a very good system when designed and installed correctly.” Viega’s team of designers and mechanical engineers can build the perfect system in-house while ensuring everything’s working when installed. Viega’s design team builds systems that are both efficient and safe while working with the architect, engineer, or building owner from project inception through installation.
How does radiant increase comfort? Viega works with the Center for the Built Environment at UC Berkeley to incorporate the latest research around occupant comfort in commercial buildings. “A lot of these studies have proven you can actually have lower temperatures in a heating situation or higher temperatures in a cooling situation and people are still more comfortable than with a traditional air system,” Quint says.
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The words “forced air” say it all, according to Botts. “You’re blowing air over somebody, which creates convection against the skin. If you’re already cold, this causes you to feel even colder.” By contrast, radiant provides a single, consistent temperature across an entire floor. “Radiant is more comfortable,” Botts says. “And human comfort is about 60% defined by the amount of radiant heat transferred, where the remainder is convective, evaporative, respiratory, and conduction in very small amounts. That radiant heat transfer is what actually makes us feel comfortable.” Plus, forced air systems pull air out of a space and warm it up elsewhere, allowing for heat loss in the ductwork while distributing less warm air, perhaps even in an empty room. “If you put a thermometer up on a high ceiling it could be five degrees or more warmer up there, and that is a lot of energy you’ve spent conditioning air that is being delivered to an unoccupied area,” Botts says.
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF VIEGA
How is radiant cost-effective? Viega’s Climate Mat is one way to further reduce costs. It is a pre-engineered system that uses barrier tubing to reduce labor during installation. “Instead of laying this tubing out onsite, we’re doing in-house production of 6-footwide mats specific to customer’s projects,” Botts says. A crew unloads the mat right from the truck to the job site, rolling the tubing out based on detailed drawings from Viega’s design team. “A team of three will lay out 2,000 square feet of tubing per day in a traditional installation, but if you’re using the Climate Mat, you can install 20,000 square feet per day with the same three workers. You see a huge savings in time and manual labor,” Botts says. Also, the alternative method typically calls for a plumbing crew, which can cost more than technicians rolling out tubing. Needless to say, you can lay a lot more tubing with Climate Mat, and the labor savings has a positive impact on your bottom line. “If you’re looking at something like a 200,000-square-foot gb&d
project, you may pay $100,000 extra in materials, but your labor savings over the course of an entire month of installation versus installing a Climate Mat in only a week saves you about $300,000 in labor,” Botts says. “Your return on a traditional installation versus Climate Mat is immediate.” It also allows the project to progress faster.
What other innovations are out there? For retrofits, Viega offers Climate Panel, which is easy to install and adds
just a half-inch in height to the floor. “As long as your floor is being removed anyway, it’s a really simple installation,” Botts says. “It’s even easier for new builds.” Virtually any floor covering can be installed on top of Climate Panel: tile, carpet, hardwood, or other engineered floorings. Viega’s snow melt system is useful in areas like hospitals, airports, and downtown streets. “When you install snow melt there’s a good payback period versus hiring people to shovel and bringing trucks in to pile snow up,” Botts says. “There’s also a huge environmental benefit, compared to salting everything constantly. Salt can kill your landscape; it can be tracked into buildings and damage carpeting. It leaches into water supplies and causes environmental damage, too.” Whether the need is for industrial, commercial, or residential heating or cooling solutions, Viega has the products and expertise to make it work.
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An Expert’s Guide
to Hardscape Design By Lori Lovely
As one of the largest unit concrete product manufacturers in North America, Oldcastle Architectural Products Group (APG) manufactures commercial retaining wall and permeable paver products as part of CRH’s Building Products division. CRH is a leading global diversified building materials group known for fabricating materials and products for the construction and maintenance of infrastructure, as well as commercial and residential applications. Since 1995 Oldcastle’s Belgard hardscaping products have included a variety of landscaping styles that work for any project. Part of the company’s mission is to apply its extensive research and development of environmentally responsible technology and practices to create eco-friendly products. APG offers several products—including permeable pavers—that decrease a company’s environmental footprint and can contribute to earning LEED credits for rainwater and heat island mitigation. 30
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PHOTO: COURTESY OF BELGARD COMMERCIAL
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Why Permeable? There are four million miles of paved roads in the US and an estimated 50% of urban surfaces that are impervious, according to the Earth Institute at Columbia University. Vast stretches of impervious pavement constrict drainage and prevent water from soaking into the ground, creating heat islands and contributing to flooding and pollution, which then contributes to biological contamination of waterways and wildlife. Belgard permeable paver systems can be used to create green infrastructure, according to Kevin Earley, director of Commercial Belgard Pavers. They’re environmentally friendly because they mimic how nature returns rainwater to the ground. The paver systems incorporate stone aggregate underneath for drainage and storage, allowing them to function like a de-
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Applications
tention basin under the pavement. Permeable pavers are surrounded by chip gravel and feature spacer bars large enough to eliminate surface runoff during most rain events. “When it rains, water goes through the joint openings,” Earley says. You can use permeable pavers for resThe durable permeable interlockidential and commercial driveways, walkways, parking lots, roads, and ing pavers are available in a variety of many other hardscape applications, shapes, sizes, colors, and textures that and they tend to be most provide both an aesthetic appeal and a functional adpopular in regions with a lot of rain or in older cities with vantage. Beyond the undenicombined sewers. “With new able environmental rewards, there’s a safety element assoregulations mandating the Belgard’s use of additional green inciated with permeable pavers. environmentally Because there’s no standing frastructure, there are incenfriendly Eco Dublin water, black ice is eliminattives now to convert impervipavers come in ed. This makes pavement less ous to pervious,” Earley says. three sizes and dangerous to traverse and Unlike traditional detenoffer up the classic further reduces the environtion basins, which require look of cut stone. mental impact by reducing or significant space, these pavers eliminating the need to use are multi-purpose, providing salt. “Salts are not good for structural support for parkthe environment, but since ing and pathways as well as meltwater drains through the joints, functioning as a stormwater control there’s no ice buildup, so it reduces the measure. Similarly, Earley says permeneed to use salt,” Earley says. able pavers are simpler to maintain gbdmagazine.com
PRODUCTS
BELGARD’S POPULAR PERMEABLE CONCRETE PAVERS
Aqualine
Eco Dublin
Turfstone
Aqualine is the newest offering from Belgard available in different modular sizes. Aqualine’s interlocking spacer bars, micro-chamfer, and smooth surface are better suited for commercial applications. Aqualine has true installed dimensions, which minimizes cutting and waste.
Eco Dublin is a multipiece paver that comes in three sizes, all with the look of cut stone to provide a classic aesthetic that is ideal for residential applications.
This concrete grid paver allows vegetation to grow, creating a drivable grass surface. “It has a 40% opening, as opposed to a 5 to 15% opening in typical permeable pavers,” Earley says. The open-weave design is generally filled with vegetative material instead of gravel.
than detention systems because they’re easily accessible; all maintenance is performed at the surface. Routine maintenance consists of sweeping or blowing away surface debris. If clogging occurs, it’s not difficult to vacuum or replace the joint material with chip gravel. See some of Belgard’s most popular permeable concrete pavers above.
climates. Oldcastle’s segmental retaining wall blocks are targeted toward three markets—retail (smaller product found at big-box stores for use by a homeowner on backyard projects), residential (midsized products contractors typically buy from dealers), and commercial
(larger products used in conjunction with geogrid, often used for roadway projects and by large land developers). Design flexibility is a major benefit. “It’s easy for an engineer or contractor to modify a plan on the fly if site conditions change,” Armstrong says. There are few height limitations, enhancing creative options. It’s easy to transport and inexpensive to produce on a block machine. “We can create a lot quickly; they have a high production rate.” For the retail product, the DIY aspect is an advantage, but even with the commercial product, Armstrong says the ease of installation makes it popular with contractors. And, of course, it’s attractive as well as functional. The blocks are available in a variety of colors, sizes, shapes, and textures that can be configured to form straight or curved lines, corners or angles, and steps.
Belgard’s Turfstone product is a permeable concrete grid paver that allows grass to grow. It’s an environmentally friendly alternative to heat-producing concrete or asphalt surfaces.
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF BELGARD COMMERCIAL
What About Retaining Walls? For centuries, civilizations have drystacked stone to build walls. This ancient technique is still used today. Oldcastle APG manufactures modular retaining wall blocks that are dry-cast interlocking concrete units placed without mortar. Designed to support a sloping face of soil, they are flexible, helping them outperform other types of walls in earthquake-prone regions because they move with the earth, according to Don Armstrong, western region regional market manager for Oldcastle. They also eliminate the need for frost depth footings in cold gb&d
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PROJECTS
A barn-inspired center at Oregon’s second largest state park is a beacon for the community. B Y L AU R A R OT E P H OTO S B Y G A B E B O R D E R
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Gathering Place
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In 2016 Oregon State Parks set out to create a recreation experience that was both inspiring and aligned with the scale of the landscape without being disruptive. As part of that experience, the parks department brought on Portland-based Walker Macy to draw up a master plan that included six cabins, a shower/ bath facility, and a beautiful centerpiece—the Cottonwood Canyon Experience Center. Signal Architecture + Research was brought on to bring the experience center to life. “We had the opportunity to design and build a facility that is simultaneously utilitarian, sustainable, modern, respectful of history, and beautiful in an inspiring landscape,” says Mark Johnson, principal of the Seattle-based architecture firm. “That takes collective vision from ownership, management, design, and construction to see to implementation.” The team as a whole wanted the project to be light on the land. “From a design approach, we were inspired by the resourcefulness of the ranchers who historically used the site,” Johnson says. “Low-tech to no-tech approaches coupled with current technology allowed the
design to use less, produce power, and stand the test of time in the desert landscape. The adage of using the right tool for the job was a solid guiding principle in creating a sustainable building in rural country.” Already the building is being used by groups of all kinds, and there’s talk of what a great wedding venue it would make. “The setting is spectacular, and the availability of services for everything from a rugged hike or paddle through the John Day Wilderness to a formal gathering under the stars will work perfectly there,” Johnson says. The center is placed so it is a visible capstone facility in the park while recognizing the prominence of the historic barn on the site. It’s oriented so that the strong, metal-clad side faces the weather, while the side facing the meadow is protected from the wind and opens up to allow activities to spill out into the landscape. “The Cottonwood landscape is breathtaking for its scale, fragile ruggedness, and marker of time and geology,” Johnson says. “Places like this inspire visitors to learn more about their world and how they can participate to protect it.”
The center is made using “honest materials” like juniper—an invasive plant species in central Oregon. “It’s very hardy and has an oily wood, similar to cedar, and as a result is insect and rot resistant,” says Mark Johnson, the project’s principal. The metal siding is reminiscent to
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the corrugated barns in the valley and will endure hot summers and cold winters. The concrete floor is durable underfoot and can be washed or swept for easy cleanup. “None of these materials need paint for upkeep, with their appearance getting better over time.”
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The steel chords of the roof trusses are made of a pipe section and metal rod. “The simple form is inspired by the utilitarian equipment and homemade tools that can be found on the
site,” Johnson says. “We approached Marjorie Lund and Shawn Roberge of Lund | Opsahl with the idea and a sketch, and they engineered it to maintain the lightness and simplicity we envisioned.”
“The sunlight and shadow in the desert landscape is powerful,” Johnson says. “Arbors are an important part of the ranch vernacular, creating shade from the sun and a windbreak in the afternoon. The arbor provides a great place to sit that shows the changing path of the sun through lines of shadow on the patio. The
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curved lines come from the sinuous character of the juniper wood. We extended the patio to the west and down the end wall to house the outdoor kitchen, which also serves as a windbreak to the patio.” The project’s lead landscape architect, Ian Holzworth of Walker Macy, envisioned a map
of the John Day River traveling through the center so visitors could orient themselves in the valley. Working with Tapani Construction, Signal Architecture + Research prepared drawings that they crafted into metal templates that were used to sandblast the map onto the floor.
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Cottonwood Canyon Experience Center
Location: Wasco, Oregon Completion: October 2018 Size: 1,500 square feet Architect: Signal Architecture + Research Landscape Architect & Master Plan: Walker Macy Structural Engineer: Lund Opsahl Contractor: Tapani Inc Solar: Sunbridge Solar / Solarworld
place is active through an expressive moment in the landscape. The scale of the ribbon can be linked back to corrugated panels on barns of the region, and we stretched that common element to make a signature moment.”
DRAWING: COURTESY OF SIGNAL ARCHITECTURE + RESEARCH
Johnson says light plays a large part of most if not all of the firm’s projects. “The ribbon serves as a beacon to visitors, indicating that when the building is occupied, the ribbon is luminous, inviting others and showing that the
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of Color 42
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A Splash
This LEED Gold project brings more sustainable, affordable housing to Vancouver. B Y L AU R A R OT E P H OTO S B Y M I C H A E L E L KA N
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It can be difficult to find affordable housing in the heart of Vancouver, Canada’s eighth largest city and a vibrant place to live and work with easy access to arts, culture, and nature. In 2018 Acton Ostry Architects helped to make that a little bit easier with the LEED Gold–certified, 14-story Duke rental residential project. “High-density rental housing serves a significant population who wants to live in the city but who either cannot afford or choose not to own a home,” says Mark Ostry, principal of Vancouver-based Acton Ostry Architects. “Located near transit, high-density housing reduces dependency on cars for commuting and the need for on-site parking. High-density rental housing increases the rental housing supply, which plays a role in regulating affordability when the supply meets or exceeds the demand.” The Duke was designed under the City of Vancouver Rental 100 Secured Market Rental Housing Policy, which allows height and density limits in strategic locations in the city to be rezoned in exchange for provision of 100% rental housing. The mixed-use project is in the
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The multi-colored entrance doors were intended to animate the atrium space, says Mark Ostry, principal of the project. The colors were chosen from Le Corbusier’s 1959 architectural polychromy color palette.
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The open-air atrium was designed for circulation and to enhance a sense of community. A high-tensile steel and Teflon membrane structure was suspended above the open-air atrium to protect the space from the elements. A narrow vertical south-facing slot provides glimpses in and out of the space, while an 18-meter high, pink-colored suspended art installation washes colored light into the white atrium. The atrium was conceived as a pure space and volume where colorful entrance doors and residents become the animation against a backdrop of brilliant white surfaces. “The atrium design stayed consistent throughout the design process,� Ostry says.
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busy Mount Pleasant neighborhood and has 201 rental units with a small ground floor retail component, all compactly contained in an open-air atrium court building typology that’s new to Vancouver. The team borrowed from UK design concepts, locating the living units at the perimeter of the site, for example, to result in the central void that became the openair circulation atrium. “It achieved a higher density of dwelling units in a lower building form. The same density in a traditional doubleloaded corridor apartment building set back from the lot lines would have required an additional four stories and would have been approximately 30% higher,” Ostry says. Enhanced energy performance and water efficiency are The Duke’s core sustainable features. The building’s central location and access to transit, coupled with amenities like bicycle maintenance space and a car share program, encourages occupants to limit vehicle use. The sustainability strategy also emphasized using environmentally responsible building materials, with a focus on materials emissions and indoor air quality to ensure a clean and healthy environment for residents. A rooftop green space also exceeds the minimum mandated standard.
“Residents love the atrium space as well as an unprecedented level of rooftop amenities that include a children’s playground, urban agriculture, a dog-friendly area, social seating, an outdoor barbecue and cooking area, plus 360 degrees of uninterrupted views of the mountains, ocean, and skyline beyond,” Ostry says.
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The Duke Location: Vancouver Completion: March 2018 Size: 15,263 square meters Architect: Acton Ostry Architects Client: Edgar Development Structural Engineer: Read Jones Christoffersen Ltd. Mechanical Engineer: Rocky Point Engineering Ltd. Electrical Engineer: MCW Consultants
Sectional perspective
Ground floor plan
Landscape Architect: Durante Kreuk Landscape Architects LEED: The Integral Group Building Envelope: Morrison Hershfield Building Code: Thorson McAuley Certified Professionals Acoustics: RWDI Interior Design: Bob’s Your Uncle Design Inc.
DRAWINGS: COURTESY OF ACTON OSTRY ARCHITECTS
Construction Management: Ventana Construction
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Designing a Hidden Family Getaway Anacapa Architecture tucked a modern family home into the hills of Coastal California. B Y KAT E G R I F F I T H P H OTO S B Y E R I N F E I N B L AT T
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Building a home in Coastal California is tough. The state’s environmental and green building standards are some of the strictest in the nation. But when you add in a client’s desire for seclusion, severe winds, and a hands-on community design review committee, the task becomes downright daunting. Dan Weber, founder and principal of Anacapa Architecture, answered the challenge of building a multi-generation family compound in Hollister Ranch by focusing on sweeping views, a big layout, and a minimized profile. The private 15,000-acre working cattle ranch sits north of Santa Barbara, where it acts as a gated community and nature conservancy in which all of the community’s property owners participate. “It’s a bucolic, spread out community,” Weber says. “It’s a unique and special place to California where our clients wanted to build their dream home.” Sitting on top of a mountain, buffeted by 80 mile per hour winds and edged by deep canyons and miles of coastal views, the property feels otherworldly. There Weber nestled his client’s dream—a three-building compound comprised of a main home, guest home, and barn—into the hillside. The earth’s insulation minimizes heating and cooling needs, while 12-foot floor-toceiling glass doors open to unobstructed views and offer breezy ventilation through the entire structure. The hillside was minimally graded to maintain natural runoff. Sloped roof panes return rainfall to the natural landscape beyond the structures and mimic the topography of the surrounding hills. The three spaces were finished with natural building materials and a distinctive asymmetrical style that complements the surrounding landscape. “What we were really exploring was finding an architectural character for the property’s beautiful wide open hill instead of intruding,” Weber says. “We also wanted a style that felt appropriate to place. It’s a working cattle ranch on the coast, so the structure needs to speak to that.”
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Weber’s clients wanted to create a home where generations of children and grandchildren could comfortably visit. The main house spans nearly 4,000 square feet with three bedrooms, five bathrooms, and ample entertaining
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spaces. “It’s pretty typical of a family-style home in California. We emphasized indoor/outdoor living, big glass to take advantage of views, and a plan for how the house could be used when extended family comes to visit.”
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Even as the site offers panoramic Pacific Ocean views, the residence is nearly invisible to distant neighbors. “The reason people buy houses at Hollister Ranch is to be way out there on their own,” Weber says. “By setting the house back in the hill, you can’t look out and see neighbors, creating a sense of isolation in nature. You’re
looking at the ocean and uninterrupted views.” At the same time, Weber knew his clients’ neighbors would be protective of their own privacy, too. Nestling the home within the existing topography helped. “We paid particular attention to lights. At night it could glow like a lantern, so we tried to shield neighbors from windows.”
The property’s roofs are some of the most unique aspects of the house and add to the privacy for the property owners and their neighbors. Tiered and slanted to mimic the surrounding topography, they also create covered overhangs to offer ample shaded outdoor living space.
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PROJECTS
Panoramic Coastal Ranch Location: Central Coast, California
GARAGE
Completion: 2018 Size: 8,981 square feet
DEN
Cost: $5,500,000
BEDROOM
Lead Architect: Dan Weber, Anacapa
ENTRY
LIVING
Collaborating Architect: Steve Willson, Willson Design
DINING
KITCHEN
BEDROOM
OUTDOOR DINING
Engineer: Solid Structures
OUTDOOR LIVING
BEDROOM SUITE
Electrical Engineer: JMPE Electrical Engineering Contractor: Curtis Homes Floor Plan - Drafted
SCALE 1/16” = 1’0”
natural fir columns placed at asymmetrical slants add to the home’s ranch feel, while clear-finish cedar siding and board-formed concrete will elegantly age even as they maintain durability. The property is finished with droughttolerant landscaping.
DRAWING: COURTESY OF ANACAPA
“We wanted the house to feel at home on a ranch and in Coastal California,” Weber says. Anacapa focused on three exterior materials to create a natural look. Standing seam metal roofs are reminiscent of barn roofs throughout the area. Heavy timber
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Spaces
That
Teach
Creative centers incorporate sustainable design with the visitor experience in mind. BY CAP GREEN
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Dot patterned glass used in the Statue of Liberty Museum’s design is expected to reduce bird strikes by 80%. The Statue of Liberty Museum opened to the public in May of 2019 and is expected to receive LEED Gold certification.
Nicholas Garrison, partner and design director at FXCollaborative, is the vision holder behind the new 26,000-square-foot Statue of Liberty Museum on Liberty Island. Designing a museum next to the iconic Statue of Liberty compelled Garrison and his team to honor the statue’s history while creating an innovative and memorable experience for the millions of individuals who will visit the landmark. “It’s rare one does a building that as many as 4.5 million people a year will visit,” Garrison says. “Part of our response to both the project and the site was to think about that visitor experience and how to make it a joyous one.” There’s only one Statue of Liberty, and as Garrison playfully articulates: “She’s there and she’s green.” Garrison’s sleek design complements the iconic statue in a way that is astonishingly attractive yet surprisingly non-competitive. His design works within the existing palate and textures found on the original monument and accompanying buildings in the park. In fact, as a nod to Lady Liberty’s past, he was able to incorporate the same Stony Creek granite architect Richard Morris Hunt used for the statue’s pedestal in 1884. In addition to considering the past, The Statue of Liberty Museum also features ultramodern sustainable design elements like a green roof that merges the building with the
park’s landscape. “The green roof is partly a literal extrusion of the ground down, but it’s also done in purposeful counterpoint to the more formal garden idea that the park was based on,” Garrison says. In 1939, after the National Park Service assumed control of the island as visitors starting flooding in, the master plan for the park was to do a French formal garden—much like one you might see at the monument parks in the nation’s capital. But Garrison didn’t want to repeat the formal suburban-like landscape. “What we did want to do was create a landscape for our time, which is more naturalized and resilient,” he says. “We seized on the idea of doing a meadow around the building that would change with the seasons and be planted with a variety of plant materials that would come and go as the seasons change.” The gardens, which feature native northeast materials, will create a more forgiving and balanced landscape that, once established, should require no irrigation. Garrison’s team also designed a vertical dot pattern to protect migratory birds from striking the large glass panels in the natural light–filled room where museumgoers view Lady Liberty’s original torch. There have been zero reports of bird strikes since the glass installation, but Garrison says an official monitoring program will begin during migration season to confirm if the vertical dot pattern is helping.
THE STATUE OF LIBERTY MUSEUM PRELIMINARY DRAWING
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P R OJ E CT NAME Statue of Liberty Museum LOCATION New York City COMPLETION 2019 SIZE 26,000 square feet COST $70 million LEAD ARCHITECT FXCollaborative EXPERIENCE AND EXHIBITION DESIGN ESI Design STRUCTURAL ENGINEER DeSimone Consulting Engineers MEP Kohler Ronan CIVIL ENGINEER Langan Engineering CONSTRUCTION MANAGER Phelps Construction Group LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT Quennell Rothschild & Partners
PHOTOS: IWAN BAAN; DRAWING COURTESY OF SOLM
HISTORIC PRESERVATION Li/Saltzman Architects
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Not far from Liberty Island sits the new site for The Center for Fiction, a membership library with workspaces for writers, a curated bookstore, café, and a podcast studio. The Center for Fiction is in the lower levels of a recently developed multi-family residential building in the heart of Brooklyn’s art-centric neighborhood Fort Greene. Julie Nelson, partner at BKSK Architects, worked as part of the team that followed the client’s vision from construction to opening. “This is a space about writing fiction, reading fiction, discussing fiction, and bringing the community together under the umbrella of telling stories,” she says. “In addition to what you would expect in terms of energy performance, like lighting and water conservation initiatives, we really tried to focus on things that were particular to the center’s mission.” Nelson and her team incorporated non-traditional high-performance design elements like day-lighting and acoustic quality, which are particularly important in a space in-
tended for highly focused work. The space diminishes footfall noise and absorbs voices to create a sense of quiet and peacefulness, particularly in the writer studios. But The Center for Fiction did not focus on the digitalization of literature. Instead, the innovation came by way of reimagining the past. BKSK repurposed books as architecture with floor to ceiling displays throughout the center. Mark Jupiter, a custom furniture artist in Dumbo, made a bench from recycled books. The use of books as architecture “becomes something that connects to the writing community, becomes a kind of billboard to speak to the urban scale, and yet feels very personal and intimate. It’s funny how many people have told us how comfortable it is to be in the presence of books,” Nelson says. “In some ways, it’s a reversal of innovation.” Nelson suggests the reimaged book architecture provides a sort of tribute to traditional libraries by recognizing the need for calm, reflective spaces.
Although the center looks fairly traditional in some regard, you’ll also find many stateof-the-art aspects that keep the space feeling fresh and welcoming in the digital age—like the podcast studio for author talks and interviews. “We were trying to create a space that spoke to people who have been coming here for many years, but to a new home in Brooklyn, and to attract a wider and more diverse audience,” Nelson says. The center recently welcomed Salman Rushdie for an author talk and hosted a memorial service for Toni Morrison, both of which were recorded and released digitally. BKSK’s interior design plan also included local materials and craftspeople, furthering that feeling of community and creativity in the space. Custom tables with literary quotations in the center’s café are constructed from PaperStone, a countertop-like material made from 100% post-consumer recycled paper, and the center’s custom neon signage was created by Lite Brite Neon Studio, another local artist.
Natural light fills comfortable reading and writing spaces at The Center for Fiction in Brooklyn.
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TYPOLOGY
P R OJ E CT NAME
The Center for Fiction LOCATION
Brooklyn
COMPLETION
2019 SIZE
17,300 square feet LEAD ARCHITECT
BKSK Architects
ARCHITECT FOR BASE BUILDING
Dattner Architects MEP ENGINEER
Dagher Engineering
STRUCTURAL ENGINEER
Thornton Tomasetti
LIGHTING
HLB Lighting Design ACOUSTICS, AV, AND IT
Cerami & Associates
CONTRACTOR
Archstone Builders INTERIOR DESIGNER
BKSK Architects
SECOND FLOOR PLAN
PHOTOS: MICHELLE ROSE
Floor to ceiling wall displays house books in circulation as well as the center’s 19th century collection.
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Richard Franko, partner at Mithun, has a specific interest in buildings and landscapes that teach, so it’s no surprise he and his team were picked to design the new Louisiana Children’s Museum in New Orleans. The concept for the 56,400-squarefoot design began in 2008 when Julia Bland, CEO of Louisiana Children’s Museum, set out to leave the original location in the Warehouse District for a new site in City Park that would allow children to interact with the bayou’s distinctive environment. Because Louisiana has such a mixed terrain of water and land, Franko and his team sought to design a building that allowed visitors to travel from indoor to outdoor exhibits seamlessly. Museumgoers, for instance, might enter from over the water, travel into the museum for the 100-foot-long “Mighty Mississippi” exhibit, and return outside to explore the floating classroom barge or living shoreline. With post-Katrina concerns at the forefront, Franko elevated the building and designed the site to be able to take on inundation. “As that area becomes a receptor for stormwater during storm events, it will be able to accept water onsite and allow it to recede gradually,” he says. Mithun also designed an interactive area for chil-
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dren with a large cistern that collects rainwater for irrigation use. Additionally, the building’s curtain wall and façade are designed to meet New Orleans’ strict wind requirements. The documentation work was still in process as of late summer 2019, but the building is expected to receive LEED Silver certification. Some of the sustainable design elements include passive shading on the south and west sides of the building to reduce heat gain, radiant cooling in the building’s slab, a dedicated outdoor air system, and the use of desiccant—a medium that aids in humidity reduction. Perhaps the most important element of Franko’s sustainable design was the attention to the park’s topography. “What’s amazing about City Park is it has the largest collection of mature live oaks in the world, so we were really eager to make sure we respected the live oaks,” he says. The consideration of trees in the design and building siting created spectacular views from the outdoor café and also maintained the integrity of the some 750- to 900-year-old oaks. The Louisiana Children’s Museum opened at the end of August 2019 and is expected to see more than 250,000 visitors per year.
Mature live oaks line the museum, providing extra shade and cooling from the hot Louisiana sun.
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TYPOLOGY
LEVELS 1 & 2 FLOOR PLANS
P R OJ E CT NAME
Louisiana Children’s Museum LOCATION
New Orleans COMPLETION
2019 SIZE
56,400 square feet COST
$47.5 million LEAD ARCHITECT Mithun COLLABORATING ARCHITECT
Waggonner & Ball EXHIBIT DESIGN
Gyroscope ENGINEER
ARUP CONTRACTOR
Roy Anderson Corp. INTERIOR DESIGNER
Mithun LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT
PHOTOS: NEIL ALEXANDER; RENDERINGS: COURTESY OF MITHUN
Mithun
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Why Sustainable
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Interiors Matter
FEATURES
By Margaret Poe gb&d
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It’s a question David Bergman is passionate about, and one he’s committed to answering. As director of the New York School of Interior Design (NYSID) Master of Professional Studies in Sustainable Interior Environments program, he shapes the way the next generation of interior designers create spaces that are friendly to both the environment and people. “We’re taking care of energy and the planet but also taking care of ourselves,” Bergman says. “That’s where the interiors come into play.” NYSID’s program, with classes taking place in New York City on evenings and weekends and also available online, is one of only a handful of post-professional sustainability design programs in the country, Bergman says. As it approaches its 10th year in 2020, Bergman reflects on some of the lessons students take away to share with their clients.
Air Quality in Focus
As architects and builders turned toward energy efficiency and tighter building envelopes over the past few decades,
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there’s been an unintended consequence: dangerous indoor air. “We get this toxic cocktail indoors of materials and finishes that off-gas all kinds of things. Unless there is adequate ventilation, it remains indoors,” Bergman says. There’s now a push to combat this problem from both sides, he says: by promoting healthier materials, finishes, and maintenance procedures as well as improving ventilation and circulation. Drafty windows and doors used to naturally allow for outside air to circulate. In today’s efficient structures, we need to add in proper ventilation under the right controls. By doing so, we can improve the air quality inside and protect the inhabitants.
Baked in from the Beginning
To create a truly sustainable design, the focus needs to be there from the outset. There’s a growing awareness, Bergman says, that it is an integral part of any plan. But it’s important for designers out in the field to convey this message. “In
this program we teach students how to not just design, but also how to communicate their design,” he says. One of the biggest obstacles preventing widespread adoption of sustainable practices is the seemingly abstract nature of the concept. Bergman says it can be hard for people to grasp the impact their home or office has on the environment as a whole. But turn the focus to looking at the impact on themselves at a more personal level, and it’s a different story. “When we can start to appeal to our clients’ own health, in other words, gbdmagazine.com
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF NYSID
What does it take to build a sustainable space?
FEATURES
The NYSID Master of Professional Studies in Sustainable Interior Environments program offers classes at night and on weekends.
appeal to their interests and make it less abstract, that’s another route to getting through to people.”
Helping Us Feel Our Best
NYSID’s entire faculty encourages students to think of projects in a more holistic way. Rather than just looking at the cost of one material over another, it’s essential to factor in the potential impact of the space on people. If a slightly cheaper material makes someone less productive, or even sick, any savings is wiped out. gb&d
Students are encouraged to connect the dots between how spaces look and how they make the people inside them feel. “Sustainability also includes factors such as light—making sure we have enough light and air to keep us both healthy and productive and feeling good on many levels,” Bergman says. After all, who doesn’t want to be productive and feel better? And there can even be a financial incentive. “You get your money back in the form of well-being, and in the form of energy efficiency. You spend a little more money up-front
and get it back over time,” Bergman says.
Making the Case
Ultimately, Bergman and his fellow instructors are passionate about doing their part to encourage the next generation of designers to advocate for sustainable approaches. “I sometimes make the case that we can view this selfishly—and that it may be a more convincing, less altruistic ‘save the polar bears’ approach for some people. When put like that, it’s not the planet we’re trying to save; it’s us,” he says. november–december 2019
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ASSA ABLOY’s door opening solutions focus on safety, health, and transparency. By Colleen DeHart
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FEATURES
DEMANDING DOORS T H AT P R O T E C T
ASSA ABLOY partnered with School Guard Glass and used SARGENT hardware to make even more durable doors.
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PHOTO: COURTESY OF ASSA ABLOY
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When The Station nightclub fire occurred in 2003,
killing 100 people, product engineers at Swedish-owned lock manufacturer ASSA ABLOY Group’s SARGENT brand gathered to examine how they could make exits more visible in a fire. When a gunman opened fire at Sandy Hook Elementary in 2012, killing 26, they met to see if they could come up with a door that offered more protection. “We were angry, wanting to know what we could do to make sure this didn’t happen again,” says Stacey Callahan, vice president of innovation and marketing for the door group at ASSA ABLOY. With each passing tragedy, consumers rightfully demand more safety and protection features in their institutional and commercial-built environments. Coupled with the rise of information on volatile organic compounds and indoor air quality, consumers also want to be sure their environments are healthy in general. “People are more aware. Think about that new car smell. That new car smell is great, but then you realize just how many chemicals you may be inhaling,” says Brian McFeeley, southeast regional architec-
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tural director at ASSA ABLOY. “People are more aware of what products are made of and what it takes to create them.” These consumer requests, along with ASSA ABLOY’s continued commitment to being transparent in the production of its products, are keeping the world’s largest manufacturer of door opening solutions on its toes.
RESISTING AN ATTACK
In response to institutional violence, ASSA ABLOY’s team has received many calls
from school officials looking for bullet-resistant doors. “That wasn’t feasible for a school because they are too heavy and expensive,” Callahan says. “The main area of weakness was the glass, so we decided to see what we could do to harden the entire door opening without costing the school a lot of money.” They landed on an attack-resistant door. The company partnered with School Guard Glass. Designers took a standard-sized door and used School Guard Glass glazing and SARGENT hardware. The result is a door designed to withstand gbdmagazine.com
FEATURES
ASSA ABLOY put the latest doors and hardware through intense testing.
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF ASSA ABLOY
an intruder attack for at least four minutes. “Bullets will go through the glass, but this glass will stay intact whereas the glass on a traditional door would shatter,” Callahan says. “We first shot the glass, the door, and the hardware each 30 times to weaken the opening and then conducted the attack test using a variety of tools, like the butt of a gun, hammer, and crowbar, which are typical for an intruder to use. Staying intact over four minutes gives enough time for first responders to arrive on the scene.” The attack-resistant doors are fire rated for up to 90 minutes to ensure classrooms are protected and fire codes are met. “You have to make sure to not violate fire codes, because you could actually cost more lives,” she says.
CONTROLLING ACCESS
Administrators of institutional and commercial-built environments alike are looking for ways to increase control over who has access to labs, rooms, and offices. “Classroom security is the number one thing we are getting questions about lately,” says Jeremy Saline, business development director for higher education gb&d
at ASSA ABLOY. “When we consult with institutions we are trying to create the safest and most convenient experience for students, faculty, staff, and visitors.” Administrators can control who has access to facilities through a variety of options, including physical, logical, offline, wireless, or online locks. Additionally, the electronic access control locks integrate with existing access control systems from many manufacturers, providing a cohesive view of the facility. Locks can be controlled remotely, allowing quick response in the case of a security incident.
HEALTHIER DOOR SOLUTIONS Sustainability and transparency have always been top priorities at ASSA ABLOY. Numerous products carry Declare Labels to specify exactly what each product is made of and identify any chemicals on the building materials Red List. That’s why the company was recruited by architects Lord Aeck Sargent to provide door solutions for Georgia Tech’s anticipated Living Building, the Kendeda Center. “Institutions have long overlooked what a door opening can provide in terms of sus-
tainability and health in addition to the inherent security elements,” Saline says. “Georgia Tech recognized this positive contribution and has plans to incorporate more of our products on future projects.” Every detail was important in the construction of the center, down to the door hardware. The goal of the project was to only use materials that were Red List–free. “We talked about hardware on this project more than ever before,” McFeeley says. The ASSA ABLOY team was required to provide Declare Labels for every product they used at the Kendeda Center. “Some of the products did include chemicals that were on the Red List, but we were transparent about it and were diligent to minimize those ingredients as much as possible. It has taught us a lot.” “ASSA ABLOY has a continued commitment to making products, processes, and the built environment safe, responsible, and energy-efficient,” Callahan says. “The entire organization supports the demands of progressive projects and through product design and manufacturing provides noticeable and measureable improvements in efficiency, occupant safety, and health in buildings.” november–december 2019
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This New York City showroom shows off some of Mohawk Industries’ most beautiful flooring products.
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Doing More with Floors Discovering new Living Products with Mohawk, who continues to pioneer in the world of sustainable flooring
PHOTO: GARRETT ROWLAND
By Eric Canan
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George Bandy, Jr. says there’s a great sense of pride and innovation inside Mohawk’s Virginia plant.
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Mohawk has doubled down on that commitment. They’ve undertaken a massive effort to produce hundreds of Living Products stringently certified by the International Living Future Institute (ILFI) as products that do more good than harm to the environment—the idea of leaving more social “handprints” than environmental footprints. They’ve opened showrooms across the world that meet countless aspects of the Living Building Challenge and LEED and WELL standards. And they support other flooring companies who are trying to do the same. “We don’t get to compete for Mother Nature. We don’t. It’s an unfair evaluation, it’s an unfair assessment,” Bandy says. “We’re trying to be a small part of a large ecosystem of industrial design. That’s all we’re trying to do. And if we do our part and convince others to do their part, I think we will have a significant impact.”
Design
The push for Living Products began when Mohawk released its Lichen Collection in 2017. “It was a raging success,” Bandy says. “Lichen outsold every product we launched at NeoCon
in the history of Mohawk.” But Bandy knew they couldn’t just offer a limited supply of Living Products—they needed to work with ILFI to strategically scale up. They reworked their entire process at their carpet tile production facility in Glasgow, Virginia, working to reduce energy consumption, eliminate surprisingly common Red List chemicals, and establish environmental and community benefits to outweigh any costs associated with the production of their products. Bandy gives a huge amount of credit to the manufacturing team at Glasgow. “Usually the manufacturing culture doesn’t want to change ... You’ve got to go back through the supply chain; you’ve got to meet with the supplier; all of this stuff becomes a challenge,” he says. It was a challenge Mohawk met head on. “In three years we’ve got a manufacturing facility with Red List–free solutions and Living Products in every aspect. We have a sense of pride and innovation and creativity inside of that plant,” he says. Thanks to the reworked design process, what began as a single Living Product has expanded to an offering of more than 300. Now being the genesis of a full carpet tile platform of Living
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PHOTO: COURTESY OF MOHAWK
Mohawk Industries is the largest flooring manufacturer in the US, but their leadership doesn’t stop there. In recent years their sustainability efforts have exploded under the guidance of Mohawk Flooring North America Chief Sustainability Officer George Bandy, Jr. He’s helped set and execute the company’s vision on sustainability in response to changing consumer trends. “We know the buyer today is a much more educated buyer than 10 years ago,” he says. “They expect us to move in a sustainable pathway … They expect that. We’re sharing with them that we hear them, and we’re demonstrating our actions by delivering solutions and being responsible in the way we do it.”
FEATURES
Products, Mohawk refers to this plant as its “Living Site.”
PHOTO: KEVIN BLACKBURN PHOTOGRAPHY
Sustainability
Mohawk’s Glasgow facility and many of its showrooms not only produce and display these sustainable products—the spaces themselves are sustainable. When new clients approach a Mohawk showroom looking to build an eco-friendly space for themselves, Mohawk is ready to help. “We give them a platform to come and experience our products and experience our people and experience our space so they can then see the space and feel the space for what it is they’re trying to accomplish,” Bandy says. Mohawk showrooms all over the world, including an upcoming showroom in Toronto, meet many of the certifications clients themselves are trying to achieve, including LEED and the WELL Building Standard. “What we’ve done is work to make these spaces more in tune with the direction the industry is moving,” Bandy says. At the Glasgow plant, he says, “It’s not just about the product; it’s about the people who are making the product.” The plant sits on a national wildlife habitat and features walking trails and healthy life centers for the benefit of employees. “The people who work there love the place they work in,” Bandy says. The surrounding community benefits from the plant as well, with environmental impacts rippling out as part of a larger social impact “handprinting” strategy. “So when Morehouse College in Atlanta saves money and water because we have replaced their showerheads … and we have them use a certain percentage of that savings for another project, and they go out and do an LED retrofit of their most energy inefficient building—that’s a gift that continues to give.” Additional social impact strategies include a 10-unit solar energy program that has already “planted” smartflower devices in Chicago, Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina. Through this initiative, Mohawk is hoping to make a difference in underserved communities and at schools with STEM programs. Each unit optimizes the generation of solar energy using modular petal-shaped panels that autonomously follow the sun. By following the sun’s rays, smartflowers generate 40% more energy than static solar panels.
New Products
All this work continues to yield exciting new products. Mohawk’s Relaxing Floors Collection is a new Living Product that promises to bring the benefits of nature into the built environment. The patterns on the carpet tiles are based on research linking fractals to stress reduction. These gb&d
repeating, organic patterns are found throughout nature, and the carpets capitalize on the same concept. “It’s random. Nature is random. It is no different than you seeing branches on a tree or leaves on the ground or sand on the beach. And there’s a certain level of relaxation that comes with that,” Bandy says. A new collection based on the plumage of owls similarly builds on the natural world, this time designed in partnership with Lichen collaborator Jason McLennan. “It’s all about looking at the owl’s feathers and the owl’s char-
acteristics and designing that within a floor to create another biophilic connectivity to nature,” Bandy says. While Relaxing Floors stole the show at NeoCon, Mohawk is hoping to do something similar at Greenbuild in Atlanta in November 2019. The collection will represent Mohawk’s first official product launch to-date at the international exposition. Just as Mohawk began its Living Product push with a single commercial collection in 2017, this year they are continuing to build on and explore super sustainable product platforms in the residential sector. The Air.o unified soft flooring line production process takes used water bottles and transforms them into durable, hypoallergenic residential carpets that are themselves fully recyclable thanks to the fact that they are made of a single material. Mohawk already recycles 6.2 billion plastic water bottles every year to produce the material, and “this particular solution is really plastic bottles being turned into carpet, and carpet being turned back into plastic bottles,” Bandy says. It’s an exciting new line, reminiscent of Lichen’s transformational launch back in 2017 and reflective of Mohawk’s ongoing commitment to a more circular economy.
What began as a single Living Product has expanded to an offering of more than 300 from Mohawk.
july november 2019 –august 2018 –december
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N I N E M O W Y T I L I B A N I A T S SU P I H S R E D A E L S D R A W A HOW THESE 10 WOMEN ARE MAKING THE WORLD A GREENER, SAFER, BETTER PLACE BY LAURA ROTE
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FEATURES
6TH ANNUAL
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IN
municipalities, board rooms, construction sites, universities, and all over the world, these 10 women have been making waves that demand recognition. From a young age, this year’s winners knew they wanted to achieve greatness, and they dove into their careers headfirst, whether it was a male-dominated industry that welcomed them or not. When, sometimes, no drive toward sustainability existed at their workplaces, these women spoke up, suggesting green initiatives and making the case for why a more sustainable process might make for better business. When dangerous chemicals were all too common in consumer products or the rapid rise in greenhouse gases were not taken seriously, these women took notice and spoke up, even when told not to. This year, as part of gb&d’s sixth annual Women in Sustainability Leadership Awards (WSLA), we recognize these inspiring leaders for their continued accomplishments as they encourage us all to do better. gb&d will honor the winners as part of an awards dinner and reception coinciding with Greenbuild in Atlanta in November.
MEET THE 2019 JUDGES CHRIS HOWE & LAURA HEIDENREICH GB& D
Chris Howe is the publisher and CEO of gb&d, and Laura Heidenreich is the publication’s associate publisher and president.
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ROCHELLE ROUTMAN HMT X
Rochelle Routman is the chief sustainability officer of HMTX Industries, a global leader in the resilient flooring industry.
KIMBERLAY LEWIS USGBC
Kimberly Lewis is the senior vice president of market transformation and development in North America for USGBC.
REBECCA BOENIGK CEO, NEUTRAL POSTURE Rebecca Boenigk believes you can have it all. She and her mother took their ergonomic seating company Neutral Posture from a startup to a publicly held company in nine years. In 1997 Neutral Posture became the first and only certified women-owned business to be traded on the NASDAQ before a family buyout of public shareholders in 2001 made Neutral Posture a privately held company again. Today Boenigk continues to make smart business decisions and push the industry forward as part of her work with BIFMA, the not-for-profit trade association for business and institutional furniture manufacturers, where she serves on the board to lead, advocate, inform, and develop standards for the industry. Boenigk was the first woman president of the organization. Neutral Posture has been BIFMA LEVEL certified since 2013. Boenigk had to overcome her share of misconceptions about females in furniture manufacturing to get to where she is today, though, even facing discrimination at banks early on. “Overcoming the stigma that females were inferior to males in our industry and even within my hometown was a challenge,” she says. In 1996 she and her mother bought their building—only after the bankers redrew the papers without the business owners’ husbands’ names. “There weren’t a lot of us when my mother and I started our business in 1989. When I first joined the BIFMA board I was amazed that the members of the board who are all competitors would sit around the table working for the good of the industry, but I was the only female at the table.” Working with competitors to go to DC and lobby for the industry, partnering to create higher standards, and testifying before Congress on the importance of small business opportunities and opportunities for women in business helped to validate Boenigk to others. “Not only do I strive to make the business world more female friendly, but small business friendly.”
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FEATURES
EDEN BRUKMAN
LISA DYSON
GENELL W EBBINI
DEPARTMENT OF THE ENVIRONMENT, CITY AND COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO
COFOUNDER AND CEO, KIVERDI
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA COLLEGE OF DESIGN
When Eden Brukman was 8 years old, she told her parents she wanted to be an architect. Her love of the built environment quickly evolved into green building and, as an adult, she’s spent more than two decades incorporating socially and environmentally responsible strategies into design and construction. Given the fast-paced and highly competitive setting in architecture firms, she dedicated her free time to giving herself an edge over her counterparts, and she learned what was a valuable lesson—she had to prioritize her interests and channel her energy to achieve marked results. Starting out, fellow advocates for sustainability were few, but precious. Brukman learned from them and followed in their footsteps to become a mentor to others, too. Among her many accolades, Brukman coauthored the Living Building Challenge and the Health Product Declaration, both of which went on to have tremendous impact, to say the least. The HPD quickly became one of the most widely recognized transparency tools in the industry. Brukman currently serves as the Senior Green Building Coordinator for the San Francisco Department of the Environment, researching opportunities for citywide policies and advising municipal project teams working on more than seven million square feet of new construction or renovations. She has mentored recent college graduates and young professionals. She also worked as an architect-inresidence and steering committee member for Oregon’s Architects in Schools program, translating basic theories of design and green building into fun learning activities for elementary students. The most farreaching mentorship and education effort Brukman has created is ILFI’s Ambassador Network. This “train the trainer” global platform for local action is now in 45 countries; Brukman has mentored volunteers in 19 countries and 43 states in the program’s first 18 months.
In 2011 Lisa Dyson founded Kiverdi, a biotech company with NASA-inspired technologies that transforms carbon dioxide into people- and planet-friendly nutrients and bio-based products. While 36 billion tons of carbon dioxide are emitted worldwide each year, Kiverdi’s technology recycles some of that carbon to address global issues like sustainable food production and the world’s reliance on plastics. Since its foundation, Kiverdi has partnered with aquaculture leader Skretting to create a more sustainable fish feed as well as worked with Fater, a European-based joint venture between Procter & Gamble and Angelini Group to transform plastic and cellulose from recycled diapers into valuable bio-based products. “Kiverdi is focused on remaking supply chains,” Dyson says. Dyson has been surrounded by entrepreneurs since childhood and says she also adopted that mentality. “The existing supply chain needs to change to sustainably meet the needs of our growing population. Kiverdi is proving that remaking supply chains is attainable with scalable technology and solutions.”
When others weren’t doing enough to emphasize green practices in design, Genell W. Ebbini started her own sustainability design firm, enFusion2. It was a huge risk, but one that was well worth it. Ebbini says starting her own business allowed her to forge the meaningful career she wanted, both in the U.S. and abroad. More recently, however, she’s looked to how she can make change within the larger culture, working within the education system. “I feel the leadership area where I can have the most impact is my interactions with students,” she says. “I take great pride in inspiring and supporting design students and encouraging them to take on leadership roles as they initiate their careers.” Ebbini works to expose her students to the real world, with activities that run the gamut from attending NeoCon to even a study tour to Jordan in collaboration with the Jordan Green Building Council. In 2010 Ebbini moved to Jordan to manage an international team working on a proposed 200,000-square-meter USGBC LEED project. She became deeply involved with the Jordan Green Building Council then, allowing her to expand that organization’s influence. Over the years she was able to improve building design in Jordan and promote sustainability standards across the Middle East and North Africa. It hasn’t all come easy, though. While the interior design profession is overwhelmingly female, the greater architecture and design industry is malecentric and, as such, women in interior design are often pressured to stay within their “sphere” and discouraged from taking on serious issues. Ebbini didn’t let that hold her back. While it wasn’t easy, she continued to push to prove her professional expertise in the face of male skepticism and over-prepare in delivering her design services. Today she continues to speak up when others are silent and to take bold action in her career choices.
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MAUREEN EISBRENNER
ARATHI GOWDA
SUSAN KLOSTERHAUS
CEO & FOUNDER, ARBNCO
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR AND SUSTAINABILITY TEAM LEADER, SKIDMORE, OWINGS & MERRILL
VICE PRESIDENT OF SCIENCE & CERTIFICATION, CRADLE TO CRADLE PRODUCTS INNOVATION INSTITUTE
Maureen Eisbrenner is no stranger to taking risks and finding success; she’s founded three companies in her career. As the current founder and CEO of software company arbnco, her work has helped to create a market disrupting product that reduces carbon emissions and monitors indoor air quality with a myriad of solutions. The company’s efforts are already making visible change in the UK, and that work continues globally. Eisbrenner comes from a family of entrepreneurs and self-starters, so she’s seen up close and from a young age just how hard work gets done. While her career began at an entry level job in finance, experience with phenomenal mentors helped guide her as to how to operate in even often male-dominated fields with integrity and respect. “Mentorship is an invaluable component of growing any career or business because it facilitates education in a real-world setting. Having someone take you under their wing and show you the ins and outs of a business or sector can give you experience and confidence you would not have gotten otherwise,” she says. Eisbrenner says it takes a lot of hard work and courage to become a disruptive tech company CEO, but she’s continually overcome the obstacles that are involved in being an entrepreneur—and the sky’s the limit. “Working in predominantly male industries my entire career has had its challenges, but I believe these obstacles fueled my drive to work hard and exceed expectations. The past decade has been an exciting time to be a woman in STEM. It inspires me to see the number of truly brilliant women dedicated to sustainability, especially the ones I have the honor to work with on my team. I am really looking forward to seeing what the future holds for sustainability and the women who help drive its importance.”
Arathi Gowda has jumped out of a plane, but the scariest thing she says she’s ever done is speak about sustainability for audiences who are hard-wired to focus on the bottom line. Gowda joined Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) in 2004, where she spearheaded and leads the firm’s weekly High-Performance Design (HPD) meetings, among other sustainabilityfocused initiatives. When she is not auditing SOM’s designed energy savings portfolio, accounting for nearly 400 million square feet of projects to date, Gowda can be found discussing sustainability best practices, software training, highperformance design techniques, and methods to engage and persuade clients to improve their sustainable aspirations. She also helped develop a web-based HPD portal, which aggregates and shares environmental design knowledge that is now used by SOM offices around the world. Gowda has served as a longstanding member of SOM’s Women’s Initiative, an employee-led group aimed at creating a pipeline for leadership. Self-described as a “textbook introvert,” she cites the struggle of seeking out mentorship—and of course the advice she received—as a formative experience in finding her own voice. Integral in this was her involvement in the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, where she found great mentorship. Today she’s passing that on. “I have always believed mentoring should know no age, and that those older or younger can be mentors and mentees both,” she says. “This model has served me well, and I’ve been heartened by how mentorship of women, by women, has supported my personal development as well as the growth of my network.” Outside of SOM, Gowda has been involved with the first Design-Build program in the Philippines, where she and colleagues completed a passive community center building for victims of the tropical storm that caused catastrophic damage in 2011. Gowda was also a previous co-instructor at the Illinois Institute of Technology and currently works within the real estate program at Roosevelt University.
november–december 2019
Small projects can be a catalyst for major change: just ask Susan Klosterhaus. Research she conducted on flame retardant chemicals in consumer products while at the San Francisco Estuary Institute was instrumental in the phaseout of toxic chemicals in furniture and baby products. “The work convinced me that science can truly influence policy, and that I could have a bigger impact on preventing toxic chemicals from getting into people and the environment by working with product designers and manufacturers to improve the safety and circularity of their products.” The realization motivated Klosterhaus to accept her current role at the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute, where she’s worked for the past seven years to lead a team of scientists focused on developing standards that help manufacturers ensure their products are as safe and circular as possible. Along the way, Klosterhaus has realized that for product designers and manufacturers, sometimes making a small change in the human and environmental safety of a product can feel like a bold action, but once they realize the benefits, those small changes frequently lead to even bigger improvements. “Affecting real change requires bold actions, especially actions that push the boundaries. I learned quickly that getting to those bold actions often has to begin with simply making that first change.” Klosterhaus’s work at Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute demands that she and her team continue to push those boundaries. “We are developing one of the world’s most advanced, science-based standards for manufacturers seeking to improve the safety and circularity of their products. We have an obligation to keep collaborating and to keep pushing, publicly, for stronger and better technical solutions that help protect human health and the environment.”
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JANICE LAO
SARA O’MARA
JEANNIE RENNE-MALONE
DIRECTOR, CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY AND SUSTAINABILITY, THE HONGKONG AND SHANGHAI HOTELS
DIRECTOR OF LEED / ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES, CHOATE CONSTRUCTION COMPANY
VICE PRESIDENT OF GLOBAL SUSTAINABILITY, VF CORPORATION
Janice Lao is dedicated to making the world a better place as she works for companies she believes can be a force for good. As a scientist, she understands the tendency toward jargon, but she’s committed to talking about sustainability in ways that are accessible to everyone. In her current role, Lao spends a lot of time listening to colleagues all over the world to learn how they perceive sustainability; this helps to make sustainability a core part of The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels’ mission. The company has committed to a single use plastic approach—one of the first comprehensive strategies for a hospitality company worldwide. They are also working on a more robust sustainable seafood procurement strategy. Lao says that, as a woman from the Philippines, she has had few role models, especially ones who are both mothers and executives. However, she found support from male bosses who were open to mentoring a young female leader, and she embraced the need to work alongside men and not only support females, but also promising young men leaders to show them not to be intimidated by strong women. While Lao’s parents and teachers encouraged her to study STEM, her peers were sometimes confused by her choice. She overcame stereotypes and discrimination with confidence and a “fake it ’til you make it” attitude. She learned to stand up for herself, call out prejudice, and, of course, let her work speak for itself. Having worked in sustainability for nearly 15 years, her current role as part of the leadership team at the oldest hotel company in the world has given her a platform to do even more good. In the past Lao also worked to launch one of Asia’s first green bonds, which led other companies to follow suit with green financing. She’s also helped set up the foundations of the global carbon trading system in the aviation industry.
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“When I was growing up, I heard time and again from my parents to find work I was passionate about. They said if a person isn’t passionate about what they are doing, their unhappiness will pollute their personal life. When I was introduced to sustainability through USGBC, my passion was ignited.” Sara O’Mara’s passion for fighting climate change shows. Since she first became involved with USGBC in 2004, she’s spent time on many steering committees, founded local chapters, held board of directors’ roles, became a LEED Fellow, and more. Getting to where she is today took courage. For the first 10 years of her career at Choate Construction Company, she was one of a few females at the table working in operations. “That coupled with being the first LEED AP within Choate showed my ambition, but at times placed me on an island. Living authentically is about forging your own path, staying true to your beliefs and values, and refusing to conform to society’s expectations. Live life on your terms. There were many days I had to remember the why behind my vision rather than just explaining the why behind collecting VOC content for paint.” For O’Mara, change starts from within. Early on she took an active role working with the city of Charlotte to improve her community. “I identified energy-saving strategies and cost-effective processes that could be implemented immediately and drive sustainable growth within Charlotte.” In 2018 she became part of an external expert leadership group to create Charlotte’s first Strategic Energy Action Plan (SEAP), which emphasizes the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to less than two tons of CO2e per person by 2050. She’s most recently joined the city’s SEAP Buildings Working Group to develop strategies to use less energy, increase on-site generation, and increase other zero carbon sources
Jeannie RenneMalone recently took on a new role as vice president of global sustainability for apparel and footwear company VF Corporation, but she’s long been shaking up industries to make them greener. While at Prologis—where she led the Environmental Stewardship, Social Responsibility and Governance (ESG) program for several years—she established a comprehensive sustainability program that was thoroughly embedded into the day to day and business culture. She led the real estate investment trust to reach new environmental stewardship and social responsibility milestones while paving the way for others in the industry to do the same. In 2018 her work led to Prologis’ own WELL Certification, the first for a logistics real estate company, and to the first green bonds being issued globally by a logistics real estate company. Her love of the environment started from a young age, as her parents instilled in her a focus on social equity and environmental stewardship. Renne-Malone has led change and innovation all while managing a busy work-life balance as a wife, mother, and an executive in often male-dominated industries across the U.S. and Latin America. “I have vivid memories of my time managing the Latin America program for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, presenting in Spanish to primarily male audiences, sometimes heads of government agencies, knowing I had to gain their respect in my first few words,” she says. “Each time I reminded myself that I am equal to everyone in the room, that we are all interested in advancing renewable energy technologies to improve lives and promote economic development. I also reminded myself that I am well-educated, prepared, and dedicated to the success of my work. Knowing that my son’s generation and the generations beyond depend on my sustainability work gave me the courage to stand in front of these various audiences and helped pave the way for my purpose-led career.”
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Laying the
Groundwork
How a top flooring industry CEO looks toward a bright future and how we can all work together to make great things happen. by Laura Rote 80
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Aspecta Tilt & Tones is the latest in commercial LVT, with four geometric- and biophilic-inspired Tilt tiles paired with the neutral Tones tile palette for custom looks.
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he year 2019 was eventful for the HMTX Industries family of companies, as it brought Halstead, Metroflor, Teknoflor, Aspecta, and Vertex together under one umbrella. As the flooring industry itself is ever-changing, the time has come to stand up and call attention to the work being done, according to Harlan Stone, CEO of HMTX Industries and a longtime innovator in the arena of luxury vinyl tile (LVT). “This was a chance for us to take a leap forward,” Stone says of the 2019 announcement. “I grew up in a family business where you kept your head down. With this incredible rise of LVT and the innovation happening in our space, you can’t do that anymore. It’s time to get up and shout about what you do.” Stone says the industry in general is in a disruptive state, but he sees that as a chance for greatness. “You have two choices when you confront this kind of disruption and change. One is to become scared, and the other is to recognize there is opportunity in change. I’ve chosen the second path. The more people choose the second path, the more likely we are to advance the industry.” To those feeling scared or uncertain, or who are upset about tariffs and worried about the economy, he advises them to look for opportunities. “That’s what’s going to drive us forward. When people ask me my biggest competitor, I say my biggest competitor is big screen TVs, video games, and people wasting their money buying new cell phones. I want share of wallet, not share of market.” We recently sat down with Stone to find out more about what’s next for the company and the industry at large.
It used to be quality first; we have reversed the conundrum there and we are saying sustainability and transparency first. We believe that resonates with the design community. We believe that resonates with millennial shoppers. And we believe sustainability and transparency leads to good quality and the ability to be innovative. The era of being secretive is over. You need to empower the consumer, whether that consumer is an individual homeowner, engineer, designer, or architect; you need to empower them with the knowledge to make the right decision.
How does this benefit HMTX, and how does it affect the industry? The direct benefit is opening new markets. Flooring traditionally is a conservative industry. We’re trying to make flooring important, make it a critical part of your project, your home, a critical and large expenditure. When you buy flooring for your house it’s one of the most expensive things you’re going to do. The same is true for retail settings, hospitality, and even corporate. This should be something people embrace as part of their personality, part of their corporate culture. We’re
Harlan Stone, Marcel Kies, Jeff Collum, and Russ Rogg represent HMTX Industries at NeoCon.
How does having this single business entity strengthen what you’ve already been doing? We consider our divisions towers. And our towers are supported by three pillars. The three pillars include design excellence—we believe design leadership is critical and we have some very exciting things we’re working on in that area. In 2020 we’re going to take some leaps forward with a new view of how important design is to our industry. Then there’s supply chain superiority—supply chain to us is a foundational issue, not only supply chain in terms of sourcing and working with China but also supply chain in terms of how you move product, how you do that efficiently, and how you utilize best practices to deliver products on time, affordable, and with a low environmental and carbon impact. These are all important to us, and this is also important to consumers. Supply chain is one of the critical business operations that’s a result of what we refer to as the Amazon nation of our nation. Amazon is changing the story, and if you don’t have supply chain as a fundamental core value you’re investing in, you’re not ready for the 21st century. The third pillar is the one we’re most proud of is, which is what we have renamed our STIQ Initiative— sustainability, transparency, innovation, and quality.
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Teknoflor’s Naturescapes HPD is chlorine-free and comes in 24 designs in three styles.
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trying to open new avenues for people to care about flooring instead of looking at it as something like painting walls. We’re definitely seeing the benefits. Teknoflor has a lot of new products in the marketplace. With the chlorine-free product they now have with the Living Product Certified Naturescapes HPD (the brand’s first luxury organic sheet good made from organically derived polyurethane processed from castor oil), they’re opening a lot of new markets on the West Coast in the health care marketplace. With Halstead we’ve changed the story with consumers who are really embracing a lot of the new things we’re doing that were once considered too expensive for residential consumption. We’ve upped the game.
Do people just not find flooring exciting?
It’s part of your psychological and emotional wellness. If you live in a dilapidated place you can’t keep clean and your kids aren’t happy and they don’t want their friends to come over, this is something we need to get people excited about, to make them say, “I’m happy in my home. I’m happy in my place of work. I’ve got more customers coming in because I have a new look that’s fresh and fun.” I do a lot of philanthropy work in housing and in surfacing in underserved communities, and one of the biggest differences in successful kids growing up is how they live. If you live in a place that is depressing you will be at a big disadvantage. I’m not saying you won’t be successful, but you will be at a big disadvantage. When you grow up in a house your mother is proud of, that is fun and makes you feel great when you get home, you do your homework, you have your friends over, and you have a better life. We all need to remember the importance of built spaces on children’s development and quality of life. We go to the Carter Build every year with Habitat for Humanity. I’m bringing about 45 of my staff to the build. We donated all of the flooring for the third year in a row, and I’ve been on my hands and knees installing the flooring in people’s homes. I can’t tell you the pride I feel when they say how much happier they are having a home with our flooring. It’s really important to remember the purpose of what we do.
That’s exactly the opportunity. The opportunity on the other end of that risk is to get people excited about their floors again. I’ve learned a lot from the International Living Future Institute leadership about biophilia—you need to feel good about your built space.
You’ve made great strides around manufacturing in China, too, including working with two Chinese factories to achieve the JUST social justice label—a first for any company in Asia. What’s it been like working in China?
What’s the biggest challenge facing the industry today? The biggest challenge is deferred investment in flooring because of the looming recession—people deciding they can live with their existing flooring with no need to make a change; they let it get worn out, get uglier and less effective to live on, and that’s bad. It’s bad for the industry and it’s bad for the people who aren’t investing in upgrading that part of their life.
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HMTX Industries took home multiple awards at NeoCon 2019.
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There have never been more challenging times than there are today. Needless to say the tariffs are affecting everybody in the supply chain for the category of LVT. China is certainly being affected by this trade war, so the need for people in China to be responsive and the need for people in consuming countries—America, Canada, Europe, et cetera—to understand what’s happening in China is critical. It’s not us against them. We want to make sure people understand that the workers and the owners and managers in China are human beings who are working hard for their families and to be successful. There are hardworking people in every country and let’s expose good behavior where it is and punish bad behavior where it’s been. It’s not a cultural thing. I’m very afraid of xenophobia.
What’s been most exciting for you in your career in general? I’ve worked in this industry since I graduated from college. I’m a simple guy, and I’ve had a pretty straightforward career, but I’ve gone from a very small enterprise to a very large enterprise and that took a lot of hard work and a reasonable amount of luck—you have to be lucky in this business, too. But as they say, luck is just realizing an opportunity is there and grabbing it. Everybody has a moment. I never thought LVT would become the leading growth instrument for the global flooring industry. That was a surprise. I was in the right place at the right time, but I also feel I’ve had some effect to make that happen by being a driving force for innovation in the category. You have to be bold if you want to be a leader. You have to take risks, and you have to work really hard and be willing to make mistakes and to really learn from your mistakes. You have to look at them as opportunities and become better. I’ve had my ups and downs. Though the challenges have been great, I feel happy to be in the position I am.
jobs more effective.” It was a fantastic session. I learned a lot and made a lot of smart decisions after that meeting. I also feel I’m very lucky to have a powerful and customer-focused retail chain customer, Home Depot. They never let us forget the customer is first.
Any secrets you can share when it comes to building the best team? As the CEO recruiting is one of your number one jobs. The number one job is cheerleading, but one of the top jobs is recruiting. I try to hire people smarter than me. This is an act of humility, but I want to be surrounded by people who are smarter than me. I don’t want to say I’m the smartest guy in the room, I want to be surrounded by people who have thoughts that go beyond my own. I’ve recruited from throughout the industry and outside the industry and I’m extremely proud of my leadership team. You want people to challenge you. Poor organizations have “yes men” answering to a dictatorial leader. I want smart people who challenge me, and I want to listen and be able to pivot. Pivoting is critical to great leadership. In both recruiting and leadership you need compassion, you need empathy, and you need to be human. Don’t act like a god. Act like a person. You need to be among the people, not above the people. That’s important. It’s easy to become infatuated with success, but staying humble is a critical path to success.
CEO Harlan Stone looks forward to working with the team at Habitat for Humanity every year.
What are a few lessons you’ve learned when it comes to leadership? Never underestimate the person who’s buying your floor. Don’t talk down to and don’t think for them. Give them the best product you can with the richest story and features and try to anticipate the problems they may have so you can improve. If you think like the customer and with respect of the customer your chance of success is much greater. That’s the lesson that’s the easiest to lose sight of as you get bigger. You start thinking about running your enterprise and you stop thinking about the product. I try to stay attached to the customer experience.
How do you stay connected to the customer on a real level? Besides working Habitat for Humanity, I spend a lot of time talking to my employees who are more in touch with the day-to-day customer. I just had a town hall in my Calhoun, Georgia campus. I told senior management to go home and I worked with our hourly employees, saying, “Tell me what we need to do as a company and what I as a leader need to do better to make your gb&d
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Aaron Kivett, Technical Manager for Strategic Partnerships, Newforma
Ask the Expert How can I improve profits?
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Time is the biggest expense Newforma’s customers have, so the more time we can save them the better. If I’m an architect, I might be working on 10 projects at any given moment. If three of those are in construction, I’m also potentially collaborating with three contractors using three submittal processes, which makes my
life difficult. By creating automation, your company can ensure designers don’t needlessly waste energy switching between processes. To allow for this, Newforma has created a set of connectors. Let’s take Procore, a leading construction management software, as an example. A contractor using Procore sends a submittal
to the architect, who then needs to log into Procore, take the information, and manually enter it into their submittal log. They have to download a file and save it in a specific location within their project folder. In addition to this waste of time, by double entering data, you also create the risk of human error. When the designer is done reviewing the submittal, the process of translation starts all over again, wasting more time and compounding the risk. With Newforma’s Procore connector, however, the submittal automatically shows up in Newforma. There’s no double entry and no risk of error, saving significant time and effort in tracking submittals. When the architect is done with their work, their information automatically
goes back to the contractor with the push of a button. The bottom line is: The contractor can stay in Procore, and the architect can stay in Newforma. Newforma with the Procore connector serves as the unifying dashboard. Newforma’s connectors go well beyond Procore. Newforma connects email, including Outlook and Gmail, business systems from BST and Deltek, document management systems like Bentley ProjectWise and Microsoft SharePoint, and more. If Newforma software can save clients’ project team members an hour a week each, we’re making teams more efficient and happier. After all, architects and engineers prefer to focus on the design work they love, and it’s where they add the greatest value to their firm. It’s a win-win. gbdmagazine.com
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF NEWFORMA
When time is money, spending too much time on common project tasks can make or break profitability. So how can designers, engineers, contractors, and industry professionals streamline processes like RFIs, submittals, and punch lists to make the most of their time and talent? Since 2004, Newforma has been streamlining project information management with convenient, collaborative software. Here, Newforma solutions consultant and technical manager Aaron Kivett discusses how integration can save time and resources, making your bottom line and your team much happier.
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Newforma helped to streamline work at the Suzhou District Planning Exhibition Hall in China.
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Eduardo Soares Innovation Director w
Ask the Expert What do I need to know about building sound insulation?
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Sound insulation is essential for comfort, energy-efficiency, and even regulatory requirements. When choosing a sound insulation product, it’s important to first understand noise from its origin—indoor and outdoor sources—and potential problems. Sound absorption, impact noise reduction, and vibration isolation are all critical factors.
Noise is transmitted both through the structure and the vibration of the structure. That means dense and closed-cell materials are preferred for noise insulation while softer, lighter materials are important for noise absorption. Vibration isolation materials covering a range of frequencies are also important for decoupling buildings, machines, and
fixtures from their surroundings. This is where cork comes in. Cork is a unique natural foam with a set of attributes that makes it a clever choice for insulation. It’s light, composed of 50% air, has a closed-cell structure, and is highly chemically and mechanically resistant. It’s carbon negative with a marginal end-of-life impact. It doesn’t release any VOCs, making it a critical factor for indoor air quality, too. I would say it’s arguably the most important natural material for acoustic insulation. Even more fascinating is that cork offers tremendous opportunities to be combined with other materials. The AcoustiCORK product line targets impact noise reduction and vibration isolation. Our vibration control materials are engineered
compounds of cork and natural or recycled rubber. They dissipate vibration energy into lowgrade heat in each vibration cycle, resulting in low amplification at resonance in a wide range of frequencies and load-bearing capacities. Our underlayment materials are made of cork, polyurethanes, EVAs, and recycled rubber. They are designed to reduce sound impact at the source and offer thermal comfort and surface leveling. AcoustiCORK also offers insulation mats to be installed under floating screeds on new construction, enabling noise reduction by more than 55 decibels. Wall bearing material strips decouple the connections of masonry with the building’s structure to efficiently interrupt the t ransmission of footstep noise. gbdmagazine.com
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF CORTICEIRA AMORIM
Noise is distracting. High noise conditions are a nuisance, a drain on productivity, and a health concern. That’s why engineer and Innovation Director Eduardo Soares, of Amorim Cork Composites, has dedicated the past 15 years to developing engineering materials, including products that keep sound out of unwanted spaces. He’s tried out many materials over the years, landing on his raw material of choice—cork. Amorim Cork Composites is a world leader in cork, dedicated to bringing comfort and well-being to daily users. Here, Soares shares what you should know about building sound insulation and why cork may be the best solution for your project.
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Amorim Cork Composites underlayment materials are made of cork, polyurethanes, EVAs, and recycled rubber.
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Ann Dougherty General Manager of Sustainability, Roppe
Roppe also offers Flashcove, a punctureproof reinforced base that allows rooms to have tight corners that are easy to clean— crucial in health care environments.
Ask the Expert How is rubber flooring sustainable?
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When it comes to building the best spaces, everything in the interior has to be about the people. It’s about making comfortable spaces—from underfoot comfort to acoustics, especially in large high-traffic areas like hospitals and schools, where a strong material is a must for repeated use.
That’s why Roppe’s commercial rubber flooring is a great solution. As it wears down over time, you simply buff it and its beauty returns. And you don’t have to use the strippers, polishes, or harmful chemicals you’d need to use on a lot of other flooring; just buff with water. All of this helps
to make rubber flooring even more sustainable. I know projects that have had the same rubber flooring for decades, as owners continued to maintain it. It’s a great investment. You should have the right material for the right use and maintain it so you get the most out of it with the least amount of effort, chemicals, money, and materials. Roppe also has the IMPACT recycling program. When we put rubber into a project we can take back any old rubber, even if it’s not ours, so it’s chopped into mulch for landscaping or playgrounds. It’s cool and colorful. And within the last year our chemists also cracked the
code to take back our Red List-free rubber to make a new product, Tuflex® (learn more in the next issue of gb&d). Roppe has many certifications that prove our commitment to sustainability. We’re delighted to have the NSF/ANSI 332 certification, a sustainability assessment for resilient floor coverings. We like this because it’s a complete view of sustainability—it looks at many attributes, from how a product is designed to how it’s manufactured, cleaned, and maintained.
Read more from Roppe in the Spring issue of gb&d when their chief polymer chemist talks about ensuring flooring is Red List free.
gbdmagazine.com
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF ROPPE
Commercial rubber flooring offers up many benefits—durability, sustainability, and low maintenance among them. For more than 60 years, family-owned company Roppe has been committed to making the very best commercial rubber flooring products possible. In this column, Ann Dougherty, the general manager of sustainability at Roppe, explains why you should consider rubber flooring for your next project, and just how the Ohio-based company is committed to giving customers the environmentally friendly products they deserve.
PRACTICE
Roppe’s Envire Rubber Sheet & Tile was used in this Hartford health care facility.
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Ty Cranford, Architectural Sales Director, Western Window Systems
Ask the Expert How can windows really transform a living space?
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There are so many advantages to creating a space that allows for more natural light. It’s about more than having a brighter room; there are a lot of health reasons, too. Natural light makes a space more enjoyable to be in. Historically a bigger window meant more temperature transfer from the outside in and reverse, but that isn’t an issue
with the technology we have today. We can bring the outside in while keeping temperatures separate. Whenever you can bring the indoors and outdoors together to extend a space, increase airflow, and expand square footage, it helps everyone live better. It’s why the multi-slide doors in our Series 7000 performance line are the staple of our company.
Everything else is complementary so we can be a single-source for architects and designers—but opening walls is what we are all about. The industry is demanding larger and larger windows. It’s one of the fastest growing trends, and Western Window Systems is answering the call. The sliding door systems in our performance line can be built up to 17 feet tall, so you can go bigger and have a stronger structure while maximizing outdoor views. Aesthetically our main focus is to create clean lines and narrow
profiles, and to not take away from the outdoor environment. We don’t have an expanded option of profiles because the objective is for people to see out of their homes and not have the windows themselves be the focus. However, we have recently, at the request of customers, added a simulated steel line to give the look of steel with a much more affordable price tag. We rely on architects to get creative with their designs and develop new ideas, which in turn drives us to continue to push the limits and deliver beautiful new options. gbdmagazine.com
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF WESTERN WINDOW SYSTEMS
Airflow, natural light, exposure to the outdoors—it’s all about bringing the outside in and helping people live better. And that’s at the core of Western Window Systems’ mission. Started in 1959 as an insulated glass manufacturer, the company works directly with architects to custom-design and build windows that not only meet design needs but also enhance the life of occupants. For Ty Cranford, the company’s architectural sales director, windows are in his blood. The third generation of his family to work in the window and door business, Cranford is passionate about the many ways windows can be used to enhance a space.
PRACTICE
Multi-slide doors seamlessly blur the transition from the inside to the outside.
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Todd Gomberg, Principal, Capital Contractor Services
Ask the Expert What coating options do I have to protect my building with minimal disruption?
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Our core operational approach is to always go above and beyond a client’s expectations so there’s minimal disruption during a repaint project. Still, when it comes to coating restoration, some degree of disruption is inevitable. Then again, it’s very minimal in the case of APV’s NeverFade with Kynar Aquatec coatings, a product I highly recommend to our clients
for performance that will last in our harsh south Florida environment. The superior product is offered with an almost unheard of 15-year warranty, covering fading and chalking while also repelling dirt and soot to keep surfaces cleaner for longer periods. This means far less frequent re-coatings and pressure washings and minimal disruption. Additionally, it can be applied
by brush or roller (as opposed to the traditional practice of spray application) to minimize downtime and potential damage from overspray. While proper preparation and application will always prolong a coating’s life, many coatings aren’t designed for longterm performance, regardless of how well they’re applied. We’ve used a couple of two-component products that approach NeverFade’s durability, but they have major drawbacks. First, they’re more time-consuming to prepare. Then we have to factor in more material loss to the project estimate because some of the product becomes unusable after it catalyzes. Environmental impact is equally important to product perfor-
mance and ease of application. Like any conscious applicator or building owner, we’re very concerned with keeping people and our planet safe. That’s why NeverFade makes sense for us and our clients. A low-VOC, water-based product, it’s also very low-odor, having minimal impact on occupants. Less painting, less fumes, and less disruption. Considering all this, we’re focused on educating our clients with information and samples to help them realize the advantages of making a longterm and proactive investment that maximizes ROI and peace of mind. Being aligned with a top-tier manufacturer like APV that shares our commitment to quality has been a huge differentiator. gbdmagazine.com
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF CAPITAL CONTRACTOR SERVICES
Todd Gomberg is a second-generation principal at Capital Contractor Services and a regional NeverFade® certified applicator. He’s evolving the company his father built more than four decades ago into an even more customer-centric and technologically advanced innovator in the commercial painting and waterproofing sector. His team of experts—which includes a highly experienced coatings specialist as well as trained project managers and applicators—helps Capital maintain its status as a market leader. Here, Gomberg offers some thoughts on how to avoid disruption during the coating restoration process using NeverFade with Kynar Aquatec® coatings.
PRACTICE
APV’s NeverFade is a low-VOC, waterbased product that requires less painting with less fumes and less disruption.
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Colin Blackford, Director of Strategy & Innovation, Mermet USA
Ask the Expert How do shade fabrics affect occupant comfort?
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Shades play an essential role in creating a comfortable environment. But the ways in which they do so does depend on the space. That’s why it’s important to consider the occupancy of the building before you can determine which shades work best. Is this project in a home? Office? Medical facility?
Each has different needs. In a shared space, people don’t tend to own their environment as much as they would in their home. Manual shades may remain untouched in an office, even if the space would be better climate-controlled if they were pulled down. In that case, an automated or smart
solution may be the wisest choice. Beyond whether shades are manual or automated, the color of the fabric also comes into play. While white shades may complement an interior design, they will also result in lots of glare. Black fabrics, on the other hand, have great view-through properties and excellent glare control. However, dark fabric absorbs the sun’s rays and that energy is re-radiated, so occupants often feel the heat. Mermet USA has solved this
problem with the KOOLBLACK® Technology. On the market since 2012, KOOLBLACK Technology reflects more solar energy than previous generations of dark fabric, keeping the fabric from absorbing heat. This means you can place a desk right next to a window without worrying about excessive warmth from the shades. Selecting a fabric designed to maximize comfort will result in happy occupants. And isn’t that what everyone wants? gbdmagazine.com
PHOTOS: BOB PERZEL
Before you can understand shades, you have to understand light. How do UV rays travel? What happens when light comes into contact with materials? What affects whether it’s absorbed or reflected? These are some of the questions Colin Blackford answers at Mermet Academy, a training event Mermet holds at its South Carolina manufacturing facility to educate fabricators, dealers, and installers about the science behind their Sun Control Textiles. Because the more these professionals know about the fundamentals, the more successful they’ll be identifying solutions for architects and designers. That philosophy carries throughout Mermet’s work. Here, Blackford shares more about just how crucial shade fabrics are to occupant comfort.
PRACTICE
Mermet’s KOOLBLACK Technology was beneficial to this project at Christian Brothers Automotive. Fabricated by Hunter Douglas Architectural
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Brian Corder, Marketing Chair, Insulating Concrete Forms Manufacturers Association (ICFMA)
Insulated concrete forms have many benefits that lead to improved building performance, from resiliency to improved air quality. And it’s been proven that ICFs aren’t just eco-friendly, they’re also incredibly strong, standing up to extreme weather conditions and the test of time. Brian Corder, marketing chair of the ICFMA (Insulating Concrete Forms Manufacturers Association) and president of BuildBlock, says it doesn’t matter which benefit you want most—you’re getting them all and more. Corder recently talked to us more about his experience with ICFs and how the nonprofit trade association is exploring how the building technology makes for better projects.
Ask the Expert Why should I build using ICFs?
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ICFs deliver five core benefits— energy efficiency, comfort, quietness, improved air quality, and disaster resiliency. An ICF is literally what it stands for—an insulated concrete form, or EPS foam insulation filled with reinforced concrete. ICFs are suited for many built environments, whether in cold weather or warm. And because the EPS insulation
in ICFs is protected and stable, it won’t fail when needed most. The EPS insulation lasts for centuries, and the concrete stands up to tornadoes and hurricanes. At a minimum, an ICF wall can withstand 150 mile per hour winds. Some people see ICFs and think “giant foam Legos;” they don’t understand how they are resilient. The steel reinforced concrete
poured walls—both in basements but in wood-framed walls above-grade, too. ICFs are so energy-efficient you can downsize your HVAC system by at least half, providing additional savings and seeing payback as soon as three to five years. It often costs less to build with ICFs from a labor perspective, too. ICFs are frequently built by DIY customers, and as long as one person is versed in ICFs, they can work with unskilled laborers and you can move from stacking walls one day to pouring the basement as quickly as the next day.
Read more from the ICFMA in the Spring issue of gb&d when Corder examines just how energy-efficient ICFs really are.
gbdmagazine.com
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF ICFMA
This house on a Florida beach withstood Hurricane Irma, while an adjacent resort was nearly leveled.
inside that wall provides structural stability, even from large debris. The foam on the outside delivers a large cushioning effect, too. The ICFMA has done the testing to prove ICFs strength, and the US military has conducted blast testing with C4 to determine that the energy dampening qualities of EPS foam and a structural concrete wall creates an extremely strong environment. With ICFs, your walls stay intact and you essentially have a structure that functions as a safe room. Some think ICFs are cost prohibitive, but they’re not. Especially in higher climates zones, you can build more cost-effectively with ICFs than with CMUs (concrete masonry units) or
PUNCH PRACTICE LIST
This concrete house withstood Hurricane Katrina and was one of very few properties left standing after Hurricane Katrina hit Mississippi.
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Architects to Watch Francisco Gonzalez Pulido, FGP Atelier The founder of Chicagobased FGP Atelier walks us through three projects that map the trajectory of his new firm.
Starting as an isolated architect in Mexico before becoming the president of JAHN in Chicago, FRANCISCO GONZALEZ PULIDO , founder of FGP ATELIER , decided to start over once he reached the top. In naming his new Chicago-based firm he was inspired by the way tailors go about their work (atelier, often used in the fashion industry, is French for workshop). “They really get close to you, and they measure every part of your body, and they adjust to the millimeter—this is the way we approach projects in the atelier,” he says. This mindset didn’t have enough room to grow in the larger world of huge buildings and profit-driven developers. He even found efforts toward sustainability muddied by perverse incentives. “It’s a lot of what I call greenwash … In the end it’s not about improving the human condition—it’s just about developers being able to rent buildings at higher rates,” he says. He placed a true commitment to local environments and people at the heart of his new practice. “We think in those terms, it’s part of the DNA of the firm.”
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PHOTO: SAM GRANT
BY ERIC CANAN
PRACTICE
Orchid Educational Pavilion The thesis of Gonzalez Pulido’s vision is the Orchid Educational Pavilion in Oaxaca. Part of the Botanical Gardens of Santo Domingo, the building is small, meticulously detailed, and operates at net-zero for energy, water, and waste. What looks like a simple glass box hides pipes that cool the hot outside air deep underground, stairs that collect rainwater, and an evaporative cooling system that waters plants and maintains a precise level of humidity—and it was all built by local workers using almost exclusively local materials (only the glass came from outside of Mexico). Solar panels on a nearby building power the whole arrangement, giving the local community a glimpse into the fragility of the natural world. “It’s a reflection on resources. Everything needs water and air and the right temperature and the right conditions to flourish. Humans as well as plants,” Gonzalez Pulido says.
Project Details Location: Oaxaca, Mexico Completion: 2018 Size: 1,075 square feet Solar: Transsolar
PHOTOS AND DRAWING: COURTESY OF FGP ATELIER
Engineering: Werner Sobek Engineering
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RENDERINGS: ASHLEY MCGRAW
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PRACTICE
Project Details Location: Shanghai, China Completion: 2018 Size: 892,000 square feet Associate Architect: SIADR MEP: SIADR Landscape Architect: RSLA Facade Consultant: Schmidlin
DRAWINGS AND PHOTOS: COURTESY OF FGP ATELIER
Facade Contractor: Yuan Da
Quintan District Towers, Lot 14 “Actually, the things I thought I was not going to be doing again, I’m doing again,” Gonzalez Pulido laughs. The Quintan District Towers, Lot 14 in Shanghai is a project that is reminiscent of the kind of large-scale developer work Gonzalez Pulido had become tired of. “I think the mission of projects like this should always have a social component; it cannot only be about the lobby and the tower—it has to be about public space and how this connects with the neighbors,” he says. He stuck to the new firm’s vision by pushing for fewer buildings on the land and more green space, giving people room to relax while boosting local biodiversity. His team also worked to innovate technologically, designing an efficient new process to reduce the materials needed to create the ceramic-frit bamboo pattern on the facade, which leverages the large scale of the project to get city dwellers to think about nature. gb&d
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DRAWING AND RENDERINGS: COURTESY OF FGP ATELIER
Instituto Culinario de México & El Corazon de la Paz FGP Atelier’s upcoming dual project in Puebla continues to blend attention to detail with ambitious size. Three large towers and a circular retail space make up El Corazon de la Paz, while a smaller 150,000-square-foot building with a dramatic cantilever houses the true heart of the project—the Instituto Culinario de México. “The culinary school is, again, really the type of building that triggered me to build this practice,” he says. Gonzalez Pulido plans to take an intuitive approach to sustainability—capitalizing on the region’s mild climate by installing passive systems and focusing on the waste that will come from the classroom kitchens. He hopes to install a biodigester to harvest energy from what would otherwise simply be trashed. He also hopes to sell leftover student-made dishes to the surrounding community at a low cost, further engaging locals with the identity and culture of the space. “It aligns completely with the new vision of the practice. A small building that could actually make a big impact,” he says. gbdmagazine.com
PRACTICE
Project Details Project: Instituto Culinario de México & El Corazon de la Paz Location: Puebla, Mexico Completion: Anticipated Fall 2022
RENDERINGS: COURTESY OF FGP ATELIER
Size: 1,800,000 square feet
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Event Preview Winter 2019
The LED Specifier Summit Chicago brings
Greenbuild has become the world’s
Coinciding with the Greenbuild confer-
Passive House Institute US (PHIUS)
together more than 150 leading LED lighting manufacturers to focus on the trends and technology behind their products. Attendees will have access to seminars, panels, hands-on workshops, and tons of peer-to-peer networking. Topics cover lighting as it applies to augmented reality, human evolution and circadian rhythms, human rights, energy codes, 3D printing, and more.
largest green building conference and expo. Professionals from all over the world convene to learn, connect, and find inspiration in the push for a sustainable built environment. Three impressive keynote speakers punctuate the busy week: former US President Barack Obama, climate change activist and founder of Zero Hour Jamie Margolin, and president and CEO of the USGBC Mahesh Ramanujam.
ence, gb&d’s Women in Sustainability Leadership Awards is a night to recognize the achievements of the most powerful women in sustainability. gb&d magazine, the WSLA Alumnae Group, and USGBC leadership present the award to 10 women each year; past recipients include everyone from Hillary Clinton and Jeanne Gang to the UGGBC’s Kimberly Lewis and Legrand’s Susan Rochford.
presents the 14th annual North American Passive House Conference (NAPHC) focused on this year’s theme— The Profitable Blueprint for ZERO. Attendees will have opportunities to learn all about the construction, retrofitting, variations for climate, technology, financing, and policy behind passive houses. Best-selling author and award-winning economist Jeremy Rifkin will deliver the opening keynote speech.
WHEN Nov 13 WHERE Chicago WEB ledspecifiersummit.com
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WHEN Nov 19–22 WHERE Atlanta WEB greenbuildexpo.com
WHEN Nov 19 WHERE Atlanta WEB gbdmagazine.com/wsla
PHTOTO: LAUREN SIMS PHOTOGRAPHY
By Eric Canan
WHEN Dec 6 & 7 WHERE Washington DC WEB passive-houseconference-2019.phius.org
gbdmagazine.com
UP FRONT
How Manufacturers Can Achieve Transparency in Social Justice Thursday, November 21 • 11:15 AM - 12:15 PM Education Session Presented by: Rochelle Routman — Chief Sustainability Officer, HMTX Industries Simon Xia — General Manager, China, HMTX Industries Jane Abernathy — Chief Sustainability Officer, Humanscale Corporation
A global leader in sustainable and transparent practices, HMTX Industries is leading by example. Come see us at Greenbuild and learn more about our dedication to the environment, biophilic design and social justice.
3 GREENBUILD | Booth #1913
may–june 2016
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