Green BuildinG & desiGn
gb&d Green BuildinG & desiGn feB 2011
The essential guide for sustainable projects and ideas
Sankofa= the past colors the future feB 2011 gb&d_7_FEB11_ cover copy.indd 1
This Ghanaian notion is the driving force behind Australian architecture firm Edwards Moore’s reclaimed design philosophy, P. 46
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io line 2.0
Lumière Monaco 6000
Vera Wang Flagship Store New York, NY Photographer: Paul Warchol
The Reef Atlantis Paradise Island, Bahamas Photographer: George Gruel, Oddstick Studio
Neo-Ray™ VERSYS
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Portfolio LED Downlight
McGraw-Edison® Ventus LED
Corelite™ i2 Series
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Ametrix™ Arrowlinear
Neo-Ray VERSYS
RSA Downlight
Bank of America New York, NY Photographer: Paúl Rivera©
W Hotel Atlanta, GA Photographer: Ben Rahn, A-Frame
Lumière® Cambria LED Series
Shaper™ Fabriqué Pendant
Invue™ Mesa LED
Innovative, energy-efficient lighting solutions. Whatever the project—big or small—Cooper Lighting has the lighting products to meet your sustainable goals. With one of the broadest product selections in the industry, Cooper Lighting offers sustainable solutions to meet design requirements, client demands and environmental concerns. Incorporating the latest technology with award-winning patented product designs, our interior and exterior fixtures provide unsurpassed optical performance. For more information on our products and services, visit www.cooperlighting.com or email TalkToUs@CooperIndustries.com.
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C
SHOOT STRAIGHT. AIM HIGH.SM
Established in 1983, PWCI provides Construction and Project Management, Design/Build and General Contracting services to clients primarily in the public sector throughout the Southwestern United States and South Carolina. PWCI was a proud partner, as General Contractor, of the LEED Certified Silver Charles Towne Landing Founders Project (pictured) with Liollio Architecture. Please visit us at our website to view our portfolio or contact us at 843-388-2027.
www.pwconstructioninc.com GBD PW Construction Full Page .indd 2
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contents
gb&d GREEN BUILDING & DESIGN FEB 2011
verbatim 23/
XAVIER CORTADA On how eco-art can engage the world from pole to pole
24/
JILL CANALES On discovery and 3form’s new eco-friendly product solutions
discussion board 25/
THE BODY OF GOD Was Frank Lloyd Wright a founding father of sustainable architecture?
launch pad 29/
SIT BACK & RELAX Sparkeology launches new funky furniture for public spaces
31/
SCRAP HEAP Graypants Inc. creates furniture and lamps out of reclaimed cardboard
32/
TEXAS STYLE CAI Design Group, LLC has visionary solutions for workplace interiors
taking shape 34/
REACHING FOR THE SKY Inside the Cloud’s lofty dreams for London’s 2012 Olympic Games
inner workings 37/
THE HIGH LINE How New York City’s most memorable linear park came to life
39/
360 STATE STREET
FEATURES re-thinking purpose, p. 46 Australia’s Edwards Moore proves that two letters, “r” and “e,” can form the basis of an entire design philosophy. A return to the past, reclaimed wood, and a repurposing of space itself—the architects discuss their approach.
high note, p. 52 Sound and light are mirror images of each other, says Ron Harwood. The mastermind behind both lighting-design giant Illuminating Concepts and the American Music Research Foundation shares with us his fascinating background, industry insights, and thoughts on the future of LED technology.
maestros!, p. 60 Coming from Vancouver and an interest in music to California and the world of design, Ron Culver has enlisted the help of his wife, Erin-Aine Miller, to take their firm, C/ARC, to the next level. Three stunning residential projects provide a glimpse into the pair’s seamless integration of architecture and landscape design.
A step-by-step examination of New Haven’s LEED-ND Platinum development
community 42/
THE GREATER GOOD Gelfand Partners Architects leaves the basement behind to design better schools
44/
NEIGHBORS UNITE With LEED’s help, United Neighborhood Organization focuses on healthier buildings
gbdmagazine.com
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10/ editor’s note 13/ commodities 16/ agenda 16/ bookshelf 17/ memo 19/ defined design
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contents
SPACES 68/
81/
87/
93/
97/
live/ EAST VILLAGE RESIDENCE FOGO ISLAND STUDIOS JAY DECHESERE WALTERS GROUP GABLES RESIDENTIAL KAO DESIGN GROUP PASSIVE HOUSE
architect to watch 109/
Architecture for Humanity’s new liaison to Haiti prepares for the professional opportunity—and challenge—of a lifetime
material world 112/
play/
DRAWING STRAWS Straw-bale construction holds its own, no matter the test
work/ KUHN RIDDLE ARCHITECTS THORNBURG CAMPUS ARCHITECTURE INCORPORATED
STACEY MCMAHAN
last look 114/
IN TUNE WITH NATURE gb&d’s custom playlist of the best environmental tunes
JM HOLLIDAY ASSOCIATES LIOLLIO ARCHITECTURE 9H CAPSULE HOTEL learn/ HOLT ARCHITECTS, P.C. heal/ FRANK ARCHITECTS INC. LACK + STROSSER ARCHITECTURE solutions
101/
ABERNATHY LIGHTING DESIGN Katherine Abernathy provides solutions beyond the task at hand
104/
SOEFKER SERVICES, LLC The surprisingly fascinating ins and outs of data-center air flow
105/
BREATHE EASY CABINETRY A health nut in his 80s gives the world more sustainable cabinets
108/
MORRISON GEOTHERMAL INC. Experts in the field have yet to face a problem they can’t solve
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index of people & companies
#
H-I
R
ADVERTISERS
3form, 23
Harvey, Steve, 103
Rainone, Jason, 102
All Phase Electric Supply Co., 106
9h, 91
Harwood, Ron, 10, 45, 46, 47, 48,
Randall, Alex, 15
Amerlux, 42
49, 50
Rangel, Juan, 41
Bartco Lighting, 116
Haw, Alex, 32
Rash, Mike, 107
Bloomerstudio, LLC, 38
Abernathy Lighting Design, 101, 102
Henry Fagan & Partners, 20
Ratti, Carlo, 32, 33
Breathe Easy Cabinetry, 106
Abernathy, Katherine, 101, 102
Holliday, Michael, 78, 85, 86, 87
Riddle, Christopher, 79, 81
CAI Design Group, LLC, 31
Alston, Christina, 30, 31
HOLT Architects, 93, 94, 95
Rock, Bill, 81
CenterPoint Engineering Inc., 96
Amboon, Kanin, 22
Illuminating Concepts, 10, 44, 45, 46,
Architectkidd, 22
47, 48, 49, 50
S
Architecture Incorporated, 83, 84
Intrachooto, Singh, 22
Saraceno, Thomas, 32
Details Carpentry & Millwork, 11
Scarpa, Lawrence, 86
Doucet & Associates, Inc., 81
A-B
Arrowwood Construction, 83 Becker + Becker Associates, 36, 37, 38
J
Becker, Bruce Redman, 36, 37, 38
Colonial Electric Supply, 70 Cooper Lighting, 2, 3
Shaw Jr., Carl, 83
Eastern Drillers Manufacturing, 106,
James Corner Field Operations, 37
Snow, Julie VandenBerg, 16
108
Branson, Sir Richard, 76, 77
Jewyan, Rueangrumpai, 22
Soefker Services, LLC, 103
EDesignC Inc., 38
Breathe Easy Cabinetry, 104, 105
JM Holliday Associates, 85, 86, 87
Sparkeology, 26, 27
Ferguson, 72
Joelson, Jo, 21
Sparks, Melissa, 102
GIE Niagara Engineering Inc., 95
C C/ARC, 10, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63
Junker, Jonathan, 28, 29
Square One Design, 26, 27
James Hardie, 12, 72
Stechshulte, Kelly, 45, 46
John W. Wilson Grading, Inc., 75
Strosser, Ted, 97
Kao Design Group, 77
CAI Design Group, LLC, 30, 31
K
Canales, Jill, 23
Kao Design Group, 76, 77
Swan, Lisa, 112
Key Group, 100
Centre for Innovative Building
Kao, Kenneth Martin, 25, 76, 77
Sweeney, Karen A., 25
Lightolier, 100
Materials, 112
Klipsch, 14
Switkin, Lisa, 37, 38
Cindric, Mike, 19
Knight, Dennis, 88, 89
Novo Builders, 63 O’Brien Service Co., 70
Cortada, Xavier, 22
Koch Hazard Architects, 111
T
CraftedSystems, 15
Krall, Emory, 13
Tech Lighting, 14
Rinker Design Associates, PC, 84
Culver, Ron, 10, 58, 59, 60, 63
Kuhn Riddle Architects, 79, 80, 81
Tommasini, Frank, 104
Soefker Services, LLC, 106
Kuhn, John, 79, 80
Tonic Construction, 19
Stilwell Heating & Cooling, 72
D DeChesere, Jay, 68
L
Tonic Design, 19
Superior Lighting, 2
Tu, Aurelie, 15
Trinity Solar, 8
Dekker/Perich/Sabatini, 92
Lack + Strosser Architecture, 97
Design Forward, LLC, 112
Lane, Robin, 26, 27
U-V
Diller Scofidio and Renfro, 37
Legorreta + Legorreta, 92
United Neighborhood Organization, 41
Drury, William, 83, 84
Lekawatana, Jariyawadee, 22
Universal Display Corporation, 13
Duncan, Chris, 39, 40
Less ’n’ More, 14
UrbanWorks, 41
Liollio Architecture, 88, 89
Via Design, 26, 27
London Fieldworks, 21
Viable, 26, 27
E-F Edwards Moore, 10, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57
Luechaiwattanasopho, Somboon, 22
M-O
Ehrenkrantz, Eckstut and Kuhn
McMahan, Stacy, 109, 110, 111
Walters Group, 71, 72
Architects, 49
Miller, Erin-Aine, 10, 58, 59, 60, 61,
Walters, Ed, 71, 72
Fitch, David, 73, 74, 75
63
Weissman, Gene, 83, 84
Frank Architects Inc., 98, 99
Moore, Juliet, 10, 52, 53, 54, 57
White, Ken, 83, 84
Frank, Viviana, 98
Morrison Geothermal Inc., 107
Worden, 26, 27
Morrison Jr., Harry, 107
Wright, Frank Lloyd, 24, 25, 77
Natke, Patricia Saldaña, 41
Gables Residential, 73, 74, 75
O’Brien, Robert J., 93, 94, 95
Gelfand Partners, 39, 40 Gelfand, Lisa, 39, 40
P
Gentry, Jon, 28
Paijitsattaya, Pailin, 22
Gilchrist, Bruce, 21
Peter Rich Architects, 20
Grau, Tobias, 14, 15
Petrarca, Vincent, 19
Graypants Inc., 28, 29
Pfeiffer, Bruce Brooks, 24, 25
Grizzle, Seth, 28
Pomp, John, 15
Vector Concepts, 100 WE-EF Lighting, 115
W
Edwards, Ben, 10, 52, 53, 57
G
PWCI, 4
Walker, P.J., 112
Pugh + Scarpa Architects, 86
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gb&d editorial
research
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Christopher Howe
DIRECTOR OF EDITORIAL RESEARCH
MANAGING EDITOR
Jeff Powell jeff@bgandh.com
Amie Kesler amie@bgandh.com
FEATURES EDITOR Darhiana Mateo darhiana@bgandh.com
ASSOCIATE EDITOR Timothy Schuler
CORRESPONDENTS Erica Archer Thalia Aurinko-Mostow Zach Baliva Meghan Boyer Shawn Drury Anne Dullaghan Joyce Finn Peter Fretty Scott Heskes Kelsey Higginbotham Jennifer Hogeland Alan Oakes Matt Petrusek Zipporah Porton Julie Schaeffer Suchi Rudra
art CREATIVE DIRECTOR Karin Bolliger
SENIOR DESIGNER Bill Werch
SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR Zach Huelsing
ASSOCIATE PHOTO EDITORS Samantha Hunter Courtney Weber
EDITORIAL RESEARCH MANAGERS Dawn Collins Carolyn Marx
EDITORIAL RESEARCHERS Holly Begle Genevieve Bellon Emily Bowman Anthony D’Amico Amy Gaydo Laura Heidenreich Dan Hopman Ryan Jones Ellie Kim Jessica Lewis Heather Matson Will Megson Bronwyn Milliken Matt O’Connor Hayley O’Hara Brian Panezich Issa Rizkallah Natalie Taylor Dane Vanderlaan Katie Yost
EDITORIAL RESEARCH ASSISTANT Justin Davis
INTRODUCING THE ALL-NEW
GBDMAGAZINE.COM • View the latest issue of Green Building & Design in a full-sized readable format • Get inspired by featured projects, builders, architects, and designers • Discover what’s in store for upcoming issues, and how your company can get involved • Find out what events the Green Building & Design staff will be attending and more!
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editor’s note
past inspirations = future designs
M
usic [and good design] is all around us this month at gb&d. What better a time to stay inside and listen to music than during the chill of winter in February? (See our suggestions for environmental tunes that will inspire, p.114) By now we’re all looking forward to the first blossoms, signaling spring is on the way— but in the meantime, cozy up and delve into this issue of gb&d, in which we cover two very different, yet inspired businessmen whose past experiences in music have merged with their love for sustainable design to create two very successful companies.
The first, Ron Harwood (p.52), founder and president of the multimillion-dollar Illuminating Concepts, discusses how his successful career in the music business—working alongside notable musicians like Sippie Wallace, John Lee Hooker, and Bonnie Raitt—led him to create a company that fuses light and sound to create a seamless design that engages the senses—what Harwood calls “an immersion experience.” Past success allowed Harwood and his team of creatives to take on and exceed the challenge of the role of executive lighting designer for the highly publicized $8.7 billion CityCenter project—the first project of this size to have a firm serve in this role. Ron Culver is another inspired musician-turned-architecture guru, whose background includes a stint as the principal percussionist for the Vancouver Philharmonic at the young age of 18. Describing how his musical background influences his work today—“there’s a rhythmic quality that plays out in various ways in an architecture project”—Culver and his wife Erin-Aine Miller have built a successful firm around this idea and the idea of all-encompassing design. In Maestros! (p.60), gb&d explores this California firm’s work that is approached “with a sensibility that reflects [its] cores beliefs for humanity and the environment.” Don’t forget to take a look at another duo making waves on p.46. Ben Edwards and Juliet Moore are the creative thinkers and designers behind the Australian firm Edwards Moore. We love their sustainable renovation of the project known as Cubby House, inspired by Adolf Loos. Edwards Moore recreated this apartment using sustainable materials and the re-thinking of spatial design. In fact, the theme of reuse, rethink, and repurpose are prominent in all of Edwards Moore projects. Just check out the earthy-meets-edgy bar-stool designs on our cover this issue. I hope the February issue of gb&d helps you get through those last twinges of cold before spring hits. As always, we will continue to bring you the most groundbreaking designs that inspire us, and we hope will inspire you just as much. Until next time,
Amie Kesler Managing Editor amie@bgandh.com
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advertising
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up front 13/ COMMODITIES 16/ BOOKSHELF 16/ AGENDA 17/ MEMO 19/ DEFINED DESIGN
BRIGHT IDEAS Thoughtful, quirky, one-ofa-kind, inspiring, cutting edge—from using refurbished taxidermy to technologically advanced OLED panels, lighting designers are doing it all these days. This month, gb&d brings you some of the most progressive lighting solutions around, and we’re sure this is only a glimpse of what the future has in store for this dynamic industry. < Transparent Light Origami Not your traditional origami—the Transparent Light Origami (TLO) concept by Emory Krall demonstrates Universal Display Corporation’s highly energy-efficient PHOLED phosphorescent OLED technology and materials. Consisting of 16 triangular, transparent OLED panels and connected by friction hinges, this structure has the ability to be moved and molded into endless shapes. When turned on, the TLO demonstrates additive color and how white light is made. emorykrall.com gbdmagazine.com
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up front/commodities
Casino > As lighting designers continue to focus on luminaires using state-ofthe-art LED technology, Germanbased Tobias Grau demonstrates the spectrum of possibilities offered by LED technology with Casino. The
^ ELEMENT 3”
downward-pointing, warm, white
Winning the 2010 Lightfair International Innovation
light—concentrated and deglared
Award, Tech Lighting’s ELEMENT 3” LED Recessed
in an optical lens—is combined with
Downlight Series marries high performance with great
decoratively colored light that shines
design. The 18-watt, 845-net lumen, 120-volt LED
through the transparent glass dome
recessed downlight features 3000K and 86 CRI and
and can be programmed to produce
lasts 50,000 hours. New enhancements in LED technol-
an automatic change of color every
ogy make this a true replacement for 50-watt MR16
five minutes. tobias-grau.com
small aperture downlights. www.element-lighting.com
< Athene LED Created to fit the needs of both the commercial and residential sectors, the Athene LED System Light—manufactured by German-based Less ‘n‘ more— was created with simplicity as its inspiration and functionality as its goal. The merger of these two ideas led to
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the patent-protected focus system that
LightSpeaker ^
comes equipped with an innovative
Combining music and light has never been easier. As the first product
glass-lense optic, allowing for the LED
to combine LED lighting and wireless ambient sound in a single unit,
cone to be adjusted for a brighter light;
the dimmable Klipsch LightSpeaker is installed the same way as a
an adjustable shaft; a textile coating
regular light bulb and uses a wireless transmitter to play the music of
available in a variety of colors; and a
your choice. The LightSpeakers also have the ability to be controlled in
2010 Red Dot Award for product de-
zones, allowing for varied types of music to be played throughout the
sign. less-n-more.com
same location. klipsch.com
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up front/commodities
CraftedSystems Pendant Light > Warm, textural, and uniquely geometric, CraftedSystems by Aurelie Tu offers pendant lighting handmade from 100 percent wool felt. Striking a balance between design and life, CraftedSystems works with YWCA homeless women to create her pieces. In collaboration with seasoned weavers, Tu’s program offers the YWCA women a creative outlet with educational and economical payback. The three-dimensional CraftedSystems series also includes vessels, tables, custom scalable wall systems, and rugs. crafted-systems.com
Falling Star ^
Squirrel Wall Light >
Subtlety reminiscent of an eyeball, the Falling Star Sus-
Refurbished taxidermy isn’t the first thing that comes to
pension Lamp is a playful approach to light: the lumi-
mind when looking to purchase lighting, but British light-
naire dangles from a so-called “monkey swing” as if it
ing designer Alex Randall is not your typical designer.
were the most natural thing in the world. Successfully
Specializing in the use of reclaimed materials, Randall
executed by Tobias Grau and released in the summer
explains, “I started incorporating taxidermy into my
of 2010, this LED design is powerful, dimmable, and
lights in 2008. All the animals I use are killed as vermin
brilliant despite low power consumption.
throughout the year and are therefore a ‘waste’ product
tobias-grau.com
when they come to me.” alexrandall.co.uk
< Infinity Chandelier “I’ve always believed light to be a living thing. The concept behind the Infinity Chandelier was to create an environment for light—to construct a contained space to contemplate infinite beauty,” says furniture and lighting designer John Pomp. The Infinity Chandelier contains 40 hand-blown and -sculpted glass bubbles, each one made using 30 percent recycled glass and each born from an organic and natural sensibility. Framed by twoway mirrors, the lighting piece creates an illusion of infinite illuminated possibilities. johnpomp.com
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up front/agenda/bookshelf
FEB 2011 2.27–3.02 Green Cities 2011
Melbourne Convention Centre, Melbourne, Australia
Considered one of the largest and most influential green-building conferences in the Asia Pacific region, Green Cities is an annual joint initiative of the Green Building Council of Australia and the Property Council of Australia. This event serves as a well-established platform for the sustainable building industry to launch new products and technologies, forge connections, and ex-
NEW READ The Architecture of Patterns, by Paul Andersen and David Salomon, offers a new approach to form—form as environment. Tracking the definitions and applications of patterns in a number of fields, this new book for design professionals draws on historical material and recent case studies to explain pattern’s emerging potential. Most importantly Andersen and Salomon provide an updated definition of patterns, one that is precise and expansive, allowing the sensory, transient, and iterative traits of patterns to be taken as seriously as their functional, everlasting, and essential ones. Norton Professional Books, Published: 09.10, $24.95.
plore new ideas in sustainable building. greencities.org.au
2.28–3.04 TED2011: The Rediscovery of Wonder Long Beach Performing Arts Center, Long Beach, CA
Featuring an assembly of “makers and thinkers from all walks of life,” TED2011 will follow the
RECOMMENDED READING Top designers and architects on what you should have on your reading list
theme, “I wonder” equals “I ponder.” A small nonprofit originally founded to bring together the three worlds of technology, entertainment, and design, TED focuses on offering knowledge and inspiration from the world’s most inspired thinkers. Having featured talks and speeches by such wellknown leaders in the sustainable design industry like William McDonough, Bill Gates, and Al Gore, TED2011 is sure to not disappoint. ted.com
EARLY NEXT MONTH...
3.03–3.04 Mia Green Expo and Convention
Miami Beach Convention Center, Miami For the third year in a row, Mia Green brings together US and international manufacturers,
suppliers, experts, and providers of eco-friendly products and services for the building, construction, energy, recycling, and financial industries. In addition to the expo featuring thousands of green products and services, attendees will have the opportunity to take part in 30-plus accredited educational sessions. miagreen.com
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Dan Rappel, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, is the director of sustainability for Chicago-based Koo & Associates. Joining Koo & Associates in 2008, Rappel has extensive experience in institutional, commercial, residential, retail, and hospitality design; experience that includes work on the AIA awardwinning, LEED Platinum Kresge Foundation headquarters in Troy, MI. books/ The End of Oil by Paul C. Roberts Cradle to Cradle by William McDonough & Michael Braungart A New Design Philosophy: An Introduction to Defuturing by Tony Fry blog/ For Chicago-specific news: greenbeanchicago.com
Markku Allison, resource architect for AIA Strategy & Business Development, serves as an in-house content expert on issues of both current and future concern to architects and the profession. Allison came to the AIA with more than 20 years of experience as a designer in professional practice, winning a range of design awards. In 2002, he was honored as Young Architect of the Year by AIA Michigan. books/ How to Make Collaboration Work by David Straus Architect’s Essentials of Negotiation by Ava Abramowitz Extreme Project Management by Doug DeCarlo Bioteaming Manifesto by Ken Thompson & Robin Good
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up front/memo
Building a Better Future In the fall of 2011, 20 collegiate teams representing five countries and four continents will be competing to design, build, and operate the most affordable, attractive, and energy-efficient solar-powered house. These teams will be taking part in the 2011 Solar Decathlon hosted by the US DOE. Having released their initial proposed designs prior to the two-week event on the National Mall in Washington, DC, gb&d brings you a sneak peek of what to expect from these young architects.
A
B
A/ institution/ University of Hawaii project name/ Monocoque House The Monocoque House is designed for sustainable living in Hawaii and the tropics and uses an innovative translucent semi-monocoque shell structure to facilitate daylighting and a floatable, structurally efficient form. Shading is provided with an external layer, and large openings provide abundant natural ventilation.
B/
C
institution/ Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand project name/ First Light First Light takes its inspiration from the Kiwi bach—the traditional New Zealand holiday home. Oriented around the relaxed New Zealand lifestyle that focuses on the outdoors, First Light offers open living spaces so that tenants can effectively live outside in the summer, and an internalized deck space allows for a sense of outdoor living during winter seasons.
C/ institution/ University of Maryland project name/ WaterShed Inspired by nature’s efficiency and bounty, WaterShed will be a mini ecosystem that captures the energy of sun, wind, and rain, and makes use of household “wastes” that retain valuable energy and nutrients. Formed by two rectangular units capped by a butterfly roof, the home is well suited for capturing sunlight and rainwater.
D
D/ institution/ Appalachian State University project name/ The Solar Homestead Working from the ideals of independence and ingenuity found in the early settlers in the mountain region of North Carolina, Appalachian State created a net-zero energy home that integrates renewable resources and innovative technology; a home that is adaptable, self-sufficient, rugged, affordable, and attractive.
E
E/ institution/ Florida International University project name/ PerFORM[D]ance House The FIU home is designed to perform in real time, sensing the acquisition and expenditure of energy. It “dances” in direct response to the external conditions of its tropical environment and the internal conditions of its use.
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io
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Source: SITES
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Thirty four states are involved in the SITES pilot project program, alongside Canada, Iceland, and Spain. A 250-point scale is used for the rating system, which includes 15 prerequisites and 51 different credits that cover areas such as initial site selection, water, soil, vegetation, materials, human health and well-being, construction, and maintenance.
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Types of projects involved in SITES pilot program
Creating a tangible and quantitative way to gauge sustainability for the built environment was a huge milestone for the architecture and design world; the step to do the same thing with landscapes is currently in full swing. After four years of development, The Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES) two-year pilot project program seeks to demonstrate the application of SITES’ Guidelines and Performance Benchmarks 2009. Based on a point scale with four different levels of certification, SITES will receive feedback from the pilot projects until June 2012 to revise the final rating system and reference guide for release in 2013.
in
A Change in the Landscape
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up front/memo
Defying Gravity
35 stories
suspended in mid-air
23,000 square feet of greenery on the roof
215 blocks
west on Washington Street in Chicago
The Chicago Loop’s first LEED-certified, high-rise apartment building is one that challenges the laws of gravity as we know it. With 35 stories, out of 50, supported by an innovative steel-truss system at the 15th floor, architecture firm Soloman Cordwell Buenz was able to maximize the usable square footage of its design, while also uniting the residential tower, the lower mixed-use floor, and the parking garage below into one structure of sustainability.
Rubber Made
The Problem:
The amount of money spent by the London government to clean discarded gum off the streets
The Solution:
Converting chewed gum into a useful rubber
Product designer Anna Bullus has taken to the challenge of creating a solution to London’s gum problem in the laboratory. In addition to finding that discarded gum can indeed be transformed into a plastic used for injection and blow molding, she also designed the GUMDROP out of her unique rubber formula. The GUMDROP is a small bin where patrons can place their used gum to be recycled into new GUMDROP bins.
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up front/defined design
ONE WITH NATURE The notion of sustainability goes beyond simply using eco-friendly materials; it encompasses the idea of creating a piece of work that speaks to the importance of appreciating, sustaining, and improving the environment and, most critically, raises awareness about that importance. The following creations represent some of the most thoughtprovoking recent designs, celebrating the fragility and vitality of our surroundings.
ART AS SHELTER Raleigh, NC With a metallic skin inspired by the transparent quality of a dragonfly’s wings, Tonic Design’s Art as Shelter was created specifically for the 164-acre sculpture park at the North Carolina Museum of Art (NCMA) in Raleigh, North Carolina. At a humble 1,000 square feet and wrapped in a membrane of perforated aluminum, the space functions as a shelter, educational center, and sculpture all in one. Winning a 2010 AIA
architect/designer Vincent Petrarca of Tonic Design Mike Cindric of Design Dimension, Inc. contractor Tonic Construction client North Carolina Museum of Art photography Jim West, JWest Productions
Small Space Award, Art as Shelter was designed to blend into its natural environment, changing with the time of day and the quality of light to reflect and take on the colors of the encircling trees, grass, and sky. The NCMA’s Museum Park was a collective effort to facilitate collaborations among artists, designers, and environmental scientists to create works of art inspired by the natural world.
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up front/defined design
MAPUNGUBWE INTERPRETATION CENTRE Limpopo, South Africa Praised for its roughness and handcrafted intelligence, the Mapungubwe Interpretation Centre commemorates the site of an ancient civilization at the junction of the Limpopo and Shashe rivers, where South Africa, Botswana, and Zimbabwe meet. Designed by Johannesburg, South Africa-based Peter Rich Architects, the construction of the center was created with the help of unemployed local workers. The design was inspired by the surrounding landscape, and with the use of stone sourced from the site, the exterior of the vaulted domes creates a chameleon effect with the terrain. The 20,000-square-foot structure is integrally related to highly defined exterior space through the mediation of shade structures, diligently ordered through triangular geometries that play off the ancient stone markings found on the site. Winning the World Building of the Year Award at the 2009 World Architectural Festival in Barcelona, the Centre expresses the fragility of the environment both metaphorically, through the elegance and economy of nature, as well as pragmatically through using hand-pressed tiles. lead architect Peter Rich Architects structural engineer Henry Fagan & Partners client South African National Park
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up front/defined design
SPONTANEOUS CITY IN THE TREE OF HEAVEN London, UK Using their recent project Super Kingdom— animal homes inspired by the architecture of dictators’ palaces—as an inspiration, Bruce Gilchrist and Jo Joelson of London Fieldworks have installed two multi-bird residences titled Spontaneous City in the Tree of Heaven in London for the Secret Garden Project, sponsored by Up Projects. The project is a program of temporary commissions and pop-up art events by young and established artists that aims to bring high-quality art and events to London’s public realm; raise awareness of the ecological and cultural value of urban green space; and encourage an understanding and engagement with ecology and biodiversity. Gilchrist and Joelson’s additions to the installation series are located in two Ailanthus trees (commonly known as “tree of heaven”) on opposite sides of London, one in the Duncan Terrace Garden in Islington, and the other in Cremorne Gardens in Chelsea. Reflecting the architectural styles of the surrounding area, the artists used an iterative approach with the design of one birdhouse repeated at different scales, wrapping around and up the branches of the tree, creating a “spontaneous city.” Gilchrist and Joelson worked with engineers and fabricators to devise a method of installing the work to ensure the trees are not compromised or damaged. firm London Fieldworks artists Bruce Gilchrist & Jo Joelson commissioned by Up Projects
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up front/defined design
HANDMADE FAรงADES OF HAPPYLAND TOWNHOUSE Bangkok, Thailand Goal: to create a three-story faรงade using locally sourced, all-natural materials. Solution: using the fibers of a plentiful Thailand banana plant. Though not faรงade engineering specialists, curiosity and creativity was what set Bangkok-based Architectkidd on its adventure to find a way to incorporate uncommon design materials into its work. After much testing and research conducted visiting communities outside of Bangkok to learn traditional techniques of harvesting and processing of plant materials, Architectkidd found that the combination of dried banana plant fibers and a double-twisting technique would provide the strength needed for building application. Integrated on two sides of the design for the residential rehab project Happyland Townhouse (shown here), the hand-woven faรงades provide the necessary amount of natural ventilation and privacy while providing contemporary flair. architect Architectkidd
project team Pailin Paijitsattaya Kanin Amboon Singh Intrachooto Jariyawadee Lekawatana
natural fiber specialists Somboon Luechaiwattanasopho Rueangrumpai Jewyan
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verbatim ‘I planted a green flag in the North Pole’ Miami eco-artist Xavier Cortada uses art to engage the world
When I was hired by a public art commission in Florida, I decided to create a living, breathing installation instead of a bronze sculpture or painting. People would collect mangrove seedlings from Tampa Bay every fall, then nurture them in a modernist grid of water-filled cups hanging vertically from a wall until they became saplings and could be planted. In that way the art became a means of engaging people, challenging them to learn how to coexist with nature, helping them reduce their own carbon footprint. I called it the Reclamation Project. In 2007, with The Markers, I installed a series of flags across 500 meters of the moving ice sheet that blankets the South Pole. In doing so, I marked the 50 years that have passed since humans first inhabited the South Pole and reaffirmed the notion that we are simply custodians of the planet who should learn to live in harmony with nature. In 2008, with Native Flags, I planted a green flag in the North Pole as a way of launching a global reforestation effort. In doing so, I was claiming the North Pole not for the United States or Russia, but for nature, and I asked people across the world to do the same thing in their front yards. I’m currently focused on creating work that uses genetic data to explore how nature influenced human migration and history. Today, the biggest threat we face is a lack of connection to our natural world and to one another. Using DNA from a diverse group of individuals, I’m creating work that will challenge the way we see one another and to liberate ourselves from false notions of who we are—or aren’t.
I began using art as a visual aid to teach kids. I started my career as an attorney and professor. From 1991 to 1993, I was a faculty member at the University of Miami, directing the school’s juvenile violence and delinquency programs. In 1994, I was doing community outreach in South Africa, and the kids couldn’t understand my lectures because they spoke a different dialect. I used art to teach them. Over the years, that led to a series of participatory murals. Art became a tool for advocacy. I was using art as a means of engaging kids, whether they were in South Africa or Miami. That led to a series of murals on which people would write messages. I was commissioned by groups all over the world to amplify people’s voices through art. Later I began looking at eco-art as a practice. I’ve always cared about the environment: I was brought up in Miami and spent my childhood taking field trips to the Everglades and vacationing on Biscayne Bay. But unlike my earlier work, eco-art isn’t just about delivering a message; it’s about bioremediation, or actually having a net positive effect on the environment. Today my practice is all about creating community-oriented mechanisms and installations that help people create greener societies.
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I think the biggest mistake architects make today is to conceal the very process that can serve to engage community members to undertake their own positive personal practices to protect the environment. When I look at a green building, I don’t want it to be silent; I don’t want the infrastructure that protects and heals the environment to be hidden from view. I would put the rainwater cisterns in the lobbies to let people understand that the building they’re walking into isn’t just a grand piece of architecture and a testament to one’s creativity, but also an invitation for people to model their sustainable behavior so we can be part of a more forward-thinking sustainable society. — as told to Julie Schaeffer
When Miami artist Xavier Cortada started his career as an attorney and professor, he had no idea an interest in juvenile community outreach would lead him to become one of the world’s most noted eco-artists— with thought-provoking installations across the globe. From deforestation to climate change, Cortada’s creations tackle some of the most pressing issues facing society today.
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verbatim
‘You have to be open to discovery’ Jill Canales talks color, Nissan, and the joyride that led her to the helm of a renowned design firm
I think it is a fun challenge to play with both sides—the design and the marketing side. Reviewing recent orders and flipping through modern magazines allows me to strike a balance between one-ofa-kind client requests and those that are desired by more people. I oversee all of our collateral development. Photography is especially important because our clients want to be visually inspired. Sustainability is part of our corporate culture. Recycled content must be considered at the inception of the design process. The type of raw material often drives the aesthetic of the end products. We discover a sweet spot between the possibilities of the material and a contemporary design vision. Technology experts are involved with my team in every phase of the design development. This collaboration is the key to successful new material innovation. One of the things I’m most proud of is our Full Circle program. We discover handicraft creations of world artisans from remote areas; we work directly with the craftspeople to modify the appearance of their goods to create a contemporary appeal. It is a win-win—the artisans have new markets for their crafts, and we have beautiful, handmade pieces to encapsulate in Varia Ecoresin. The resulting products have a deeper meaning than something produced in a factory somewhere.
My career began in automotive design. I worked for Nissan Design International in San Diego, California, as a vehicle-color and -material designer. Designing for vehicles was extremely challenging. There is so much investment and risk that goes into the launch of a new vehicle. I handled the textiles found within the car as well as the carpets, finishes, and exterior color. The level of scrutinization was intense. The design timeline process is extended so you have to be very persistent—you go through the ringer on every project. I have a heightened sensitivity to both color and pattern. I’ve always been very visually oriented and am extremely passionate about color. I drive my husband crazy when we paint a room in the house because I’ll notice there may be too much green in a red and we need to do it over. I connected with 3form in its very early days when the firm would call on car companies. While working on the Sentra redesign, I tried to get 3form material specified for an accent on the instrument panel. I met the CEO and worked on some custom designs for the project. We discussed me joining their team at this time; however it didn’t happen until three years later, in 2006. During my last three years at Nissan, I moved into market research doing investigative, qualitative analysis on potential market segments. 3form had been looking for someone in marketing that had a strong design background. My career then took an interesting twist. Today I am their senior vice president of design and marketing.
Just over a year ago, 3form created the Ready To Go program. Prepackaged solutions answered the plea of those without the time or resources to dedicate to custom products. We looked at the design requests and trends, and we developed pre-configured packages with all our hardware systems—sliding doors, partitions, ceiling features, and more. Then we expanded to include fabrication and lighting. Before Ready To Go, designers would have spent many billable hours putting these items together. Now they open the catalog and it’s all there—including the up-front pricing. It’s a huge time saver. You can see the clients’ eyes light up when they realize they can use it right now. —as told to Jennifer Hogeland
Jill Canales provides the creative direction for 3form, a product-design firm in Salt Lake City, whose products are found within corporate, commercial, and hospitality spaces. The Connecticut native graduated from Parsons The New School for Design in Manhattan in 1992. While pursuing a degree in fashion design, a fascination with textiles spurred Canales to alter her path. She accepted a position with Nissan Design International in color and mate-
What is unique about me, and unlike a lot of designers that just like to design, I also adore the market input. You have to be open to discovery, to the freedom that comes from starting with a blank slate and learning organically. We just completed a project where I dove deep into what is happening in healthcare design. I called up five of our best clients and different individuals within the industry. The open dialogues will shape our future product design.
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rial design. Fourteen years later, she joined 3form. As senior vice president of design and marketing at 3form, Canales has been instrumental in merging cutting-edge design with the firm’s sustainability initiatives.
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discussion board
The Body of God An examination of Frank Lloyd Wright’s legendary works begs the question: was he the first modern, green architect?
Exterior of the Cooperative Homesteads Housing project, in which Wright experimented with rammed earth construction. Photo: Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation.
American architect Frank Lloyd Wright is probably most famous for his more outrageous work: the soaring cantilevers of his Fallingwater home or the ziggurat spiraling ramp of Manhattan’s Guggenheim museum. Unknown to most, Frank Lloyd Wright was also one of the earliest modern architects to practice aspects of green architecture. Across the millennia of human history, builders have sought to create shelter that protects man from nature. Today, architects speak of the converse—shelter that protects nature from man. The basis of Wright’s exploration into green architecture was entirely different; his organic architecture sought to connect man and nature intimately. Though striving to achieve this connection, Wright moved naturally into the realm of green building.
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Archivist and former Wright apprentice, Bruce Brooks Pfeiffer, describes the architect’s desire, “Wright offered solutions in the form of architecture, showing how to live in harmony with the environment—not out of fear (a mere animal instinct basically) but out of a deep-rooted love for natural beauty. His buildings, where placed in the landscape, had this one aim in common: to let human beings experience and participate in the joys and wonderment of natural beauty.” In siting homes, Wright advocated structures not dominate the natural surroundings, but become one with them. “Man takes a positive hand in creation whenever he puts a building upon the earth beneath the sun. If he has birthright at all, it must consist in this: that he too, is no less a feature of the
landscape than the rocks, trees, bears or bees of that nature to which he owes his being.” Within the interiors of Wright’s earliest prairie homes, he began to eliminate walls and centralize family activity first around the hearth and later around the kitchen. Wright wrote, “A beautiful kitchen should now go where the parlor went some time ago…the kitchen can now become a high and spacious work studio opening level with the garden, therefore a natural get-together place in which to live and work.” Simplifying home designs and eliminating needless rooms and designing on a human scale allowed greater building efficiencies, which he patterned on nature’s own simplicity.
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discussion board
The Body of God LEFT, RIGHT: Wright’s Pope-Leighey House in Belvoir, VA, an example of Wright’s Usonian design. Photos: flickr user cliff1066 (cc).
The basis of Wright’s exploration into green architecture was entirely different; his organic architecture sought to connect man and nature intimately.
“Continuously, nature shows him the science of her remarkable economy of structure in mineral and vegetable constructions to go with the unspoiled character everywhere apparent in her forms,” Wright said. He developed this idea further in his later Usonian home designs of the 1930s. The kitchen and bathrooms were attached to a utility core, saving costs and resources. In describing these 6-by-8-foot rooms, he noted that the utility core “has economically standardized and concentrated within it all appurtenances of modern house construction…heating and air conditioning units, electric wiring, and plumbing vent and smoke flues…and so placed that only one short run of horizontal pipe or wire… is necessary.” The ceilings in the Usonian kitchens were also higher than the rest of the structures and were surrounded by opening clerestory windows. In addition, Usonian homes incorporated radiant heating in the floors. These design features allowed natural convective heating and cooling of the home. Already by 1935, to eliminate wasteful construction practices, Wright advocated modular,
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prefabricated kitchen and bathroom construction. “Each bathroom is a one-piece, standardized fixture, directly connected to the stack. Kitchen sink, ranges, and refrigeration, likewise,” he said. “Here at the nexus of the arrangement is complete, standardized, factory production in lieu of the wasteful, tangled web of wires and piping involved in the construction of the ordinary dwelling at present.”
house). “There is however, the danger of taking light too far and leaving the inmate defenseless in a glass cage—which is somewhat silly.” He went on to explain, “You must control the light in the planning of your home so that light most naturally serves your needs without too much artificial production and consequent control—putting light in only to block it out.”
Wright continued to study how the sun could light as well as warm his homes. In Wright’s solar hemicycle plans, he designed homes in a crescent shape. Taliesin archivist Pfeiffer explains the concept: “The building is designed on a hemicycle plan, with earth piled up against the northern wall, in a berm, for insulation, with the southern wall composed of two-story glass windows and doors to bring in the sun’s warmth in winter. The southern overhang is designed so that, in summer, shade is cast upon the glass, while in winter, the glass faces directly into the desired warmth of the sunshine, thus taking advantage of the elliptical solar path.”
Earthen berms were used by Wright in other works. In his plan for a modest Cooperative Homesteads Housing project in Detroit, Wright again used rammed earth to insulate suburban homes. These earthen berms were to be planted with ground cover, grasses, and moss or even herbs and vegetables. The garden berms were easily accessible through glass doors from the inside.
Wright also cautioned about too much sun in home design (and perhaps critiquing the internationalists’ love affair with the all-glass
Broadacre City, Wright’s Depression-era proposal for a new type of city, demonstrated neighborhoods with homes spaced far apart, on their own acre. This land could then be cultivated by the homeowner to provide one’s own homegrown produce. Wright then modified his Broadacre ideas when called upon to design fourplex housing projects for Ardmore, Pennsylvania, after World War II. The
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discussion board RIGHT: The earth berms of the Cooperative Homesteads project, designed in 1942, were to be treated with plaster on the inside surfaces while the exterior earth berms were planted with various colored grasses and mosses. Photo: Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation.
pinwheel design provided greater economy of construction materials because of shared walls of the four independent homes. The design also allowed Wright to maximize the land surrounding the clover leaf-shaped scheme for plantings. Additionally, each two-story unit in the fourplex had its kitchen upstairs with access to a balcony and a private top floor terrace garden for fresh produce. Wright was an early proponent of water conservation. He advocated using the roofs of his homes for rainwater collection. “Conductor rain pipes, disfiguring downspouts, particularly where eaves overhang, freeze in this climate, become useless in winter, or burst with disastrous results. So concrete rain basins are built on the ground level beneath the outer corners of the eaves. Roof water drops down through open spouts in the eaves into their concave surfaces to be conducted to a cistern by underground drain tiles.” Flat roofs were a later trademark of a Wright home. These were designed to save lumber and building expense. But Wright did advocate for a different style roof if even greater economy was required. “The cheapest roof,” he stated, “is the shed roof—the roof sloping one way, more or less. There you get more for your money than you get from any other roof. There is no water problem with a shed roof because water goes down to the lower side and drops away.” Throughout his career Wright continued to attempt to design green homes that used less material to construct, were more efficient in their design, and allowed the dweller to connect with nature, which for Wright was a spiritual encounter. As Wright himself said, “Nature is all the body of God we will ever know.”
EXPERTS WEIGH IN “Frank Lloyd Wright was a proponent of sustainability. Wright drew inspiration from nature in concept and form; innovating in design and technology. He strove to realize climatically responsive buildings, and he aimed to design in harmony with the dynamic forces of nature. Wright sought to explore the art and craft of building with local materials and to innovate building technology. He was a pioneer integrating radiant slab heating; developing double-skin, textile concrete blocks; and experimenting with light-refracting, prismatic glass panels and light-diffusing, light-tube glazing systems.” —Ken Kao, Principal, Kao Design Group (turn to p. 78 for more on Kao Design Group’s sustainable projects in the Caribbean and beyond)
“In analyzing Wright’s Robie House in Chicago you can see that he was certainly an early champion of sustainability. Wright incorporated natural ventilation through brick openings in what initially appears to be a chimney mass, but when the ceiling hatch in the master bedroom is opened it served to release the hot air that builds up in the upper level of homes in Chicago summers. The large overhangs assisted with the cooling of rooms by allowing windows to be open even during the heavy summer rainstorms. In the winter, the sustainability is seen in the design of overhangs allowing for the entry of sun into the main rooms of the building warming them.“ —Karen A. Sweeney, Director of Restoration & Facilities, Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust
—by Alan Oakes
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W
W
alk t his walk.
Tonig ht , let lig ht be yo u r g u id e.
A constellat ion of illu min a tio n .
A shepherd t hrough th e d a r kn ess.
A t hing of beaut y in itself.
T H E L AN G U A GE O F LI GH T
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launch pad
Sit Back & Relax Playful new furniture company Sparkeology innovates public spaces—one piece at a time launched June 2010 (phase one) partners Worden (wordencompany.com); Via Design (viadesign-inc.com); Square One Design (squareonedesign.com); and Viable (soviable.com). innovations Modular, eco-friendly furniture pieces that make community spaces stylish, functional, and fun website sparkeology.com
Who: Sparkeology is a unique collaboration between furniture manufacturer Worden; architecture, interiors, and furniture-design firm Via Design; product-engineering firm Viable; and graphic-design firm Square One Design. Sparkeology’s website speaks for itself: “Say hello to a delightful new company with an innovative approach to making furniture for public spaces.” What: With more than 60 years of experience in the furniture industry and with products traditionally sold by authorized dealers, Worden wanted to expand its creative reach into the architecture and design space. The challenge was to leverage the company’s long reputation in the industry without taking away from its leadership position as a high-quality manufacturer for the library and educational market. When: Sparkeology ignited in October 2009 and made its first-phase furniture debut at NeoCon in June 2010, the annual designworld event that each year is infused with pure energy, bursting with new thinking, new resources, and of course, an introduction of new products. “We were definitely on a fast-track plan,” recalls Robin Lane, Worden’s vice president of marketing and sales. “Plus, each of Sparkeology’s partner companies was busy working on their other individual projects. The response from NeoCon was tremendous, and we’re currently planning a phase three release in 2011. [Phase two was complete in 2010.] All of the pieces will work together so instead of introducing completely new lines, we’re adding onto a very successful offering. There’s been so much positive feedback and enthusiasm for a small company just taking off, and we’re looking forward to keeping the momentum going.” Where: Holland, Michigan. “Being headquartered in Western Michigan, there’s a strong furniture design and manufacturing tradition in the region, and we’ve received a lot of support for Sparkeology,” Lane says.
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launch pad
Sparkeology
LEFT: The Al chair comes in three sizes, is durable, but remains lightweight. RIGHT: The slidingsled base of Stu makes it ideal for various spaces, whether the purpose is eating, studying, or working. BELOW: An arrangement of Ty, Manny, and Ben, with Flip hiding behind the reader.
“Our goal was to develop simple, uncomplicated, yet playful furniture.” —Robin Lane, Vice President of Marketing & Sales, Worden
Why: According to Lane, the birth of Sparkeology was simply a matter of understanding what was missing—and desired—in the architecture and design industry and gathering the experienced professionals to meet that need. The result was developing modern, modular, and environmentally friendly furniture that can be used to create stylish public settings. As a company committed to green practices, Sparkeology builds its furniture to last so it doesn’t end up in landfills. It uses materials such as post-industrial and post-consumer particleboard, steel, and fabrics, along with lumber that meets Sustainable Forestry Initiative standards. The translucent resin material used on some of the company’s tabletops is non-hazardous, and Sparkeology optimizes the leftover pieces to also create a shelf in one of its units. Additionally, the company’s VOC and hazardous air pollutant output is consistently under EPA standards. And all throughout the office and plant, the company recycles as much as possible. How: “There’s an unmet need for great connecting furniture in public spaces,” Lane says. “Our goal was to develop simple, uncomplicated, yet playful furniture.” Founding Sparkeology was a natural meeting of many talents. Square One is Worden’s marketing and design firm. They, in turn, brought in the expertise of Via Design to help with the product designs and Viable to engineer them. “As a result,” Lane adds, “we were able to introduce fantastic, flexible pieces to mix and match that speak to the public use of spaces.” —by Anne Dullaghan
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launch pad BELOW, BOTTOM: Lighting fixtures fashioned from discarded scraps of cardboard are currently the company’s biggest sellers.
Scrap Heap A hands-on kind of design firm, Graypants Inc. is doing sustainability from scratch. Literally. launched 2008 distinction Lamps and furniture made from scraps of cardboard, plywood, and recycled aluminum website graypants.com
Who: Graypants, Inc was founded in 2008 by of a sign for the go-with-the-flow designJonathan Junker and Seth Grizzle. The two ers, and Graypants was born. “We never designers met in their first year at Kent State knew we’d be specifically pursuing lightUniversity in Ohio and became roommates, ing,” Junker says, “but we’ve embraced it hatching a plan that eventually became Gray- and love it.” pants. “We’ve had this vision for years and years, and we’ve been really working toward Where: The Seattle-based design and archiit. It’s just a boot-strapping kind of thing. tecture firm of three—Junker, Grizzle, and You have to use what you have, plant these colleague Jon Gentry—share a live-work little seeds, and it takes a long time but it’s space in an apartment in the city’s Capibeen awesome,” Junker says. “We definitely tol Hill neighborhood, which is also where knew it was going to happen at this time.” 90 percent of their cardboard comes from, The ‘Kings of Cardboard,’ as they’re known, thanks to an abundance of local car dealerderive their company’s name from the ships who use large boxes for shipping parts. coincidence of repeatedly walking into class “It started with dumpster diving and evolved wearing the exact same pair of gray pants for into collaborating with other people in our project presentations. neighborhood that throw away tons of cardboard anyway,” Junker notes. What: Sustainable design for these architects is not really a choice but a decision reflected Why: In the near future, Junker hopes to inin the lighting fixtures and furniture, which spire young architects and influence architecare designed mainly from locally sourced tural studios and design courses, “whether scraps of cardboard, plywood, or recycled it’s through teaching or hosting a studio. I aluminum. Though lighting fixtures are curhope I’m able to really inspire people that rently the company’s biggest sellers, furniare trying to do the same thing, that you can ture and architectural design also make up a do it if you believe in it. It’s something often substantial chunk of its work. Products can under-stressed in architectural schools.” be purchased through the Graypants website, Meanwhile, Graypants wants to delve deeper and are often specified for individual projinto their architectural designs as part of its ects by architects and designers. 10-year plan. When: In 2008, the Graypants cofounders were still working full-time at different architecture firms but designing and building random things in the evenings and over the weekends. Finally, feeling it was time to reveal their experimentation to the world, the two entered a local design competition for a sustainably made chair. Wanting their chair to truly stand out from the rest, Junker and Grizzle looked around their apartment, dug up old scraps of plywood, newspapers, and cardboard boxes, and created various chair designs from materials. At the last minute, on opening day, with a few cardboard scraps leftover, Junker and Grizzle wanted one last touch that would make the chair even more unique. “Let’s make a super quick lamp. It’ll just take 20 minutes,” they told each other. The lamp ended up taking much longer to create, and the two arrived just on time for the exhibition opening. Unexpectedly, everyone began inquiring about the lamp instead of the chair. The lamp’s popularity was enough
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How: Inspiration for the company’s lighting and furniture almost always derives from nature, Junker says, from the very first scrap light, which was influenced by the designers’ fascination with beehives. “We embrace technology but still love handcrafting things. We strive for simple forms that are also very expressive of textures that we see around us,” he explains. Despite the company’s rapid growth, the designers force themselves to escape the city and get out into nature and refresh their perspective on their designs. Taking a guerrilla approach to marketing is one of the trio’s favorite parts of the business. “We love to tell people what we do,” Junker says. “At the end of last summer, Jet Blue airlines had a crazy deal, and we bought tickets, threw a couple of scrap lights over our shoulder, and traveled around the country telling our story. We’ll draw with a sharpie on a cardboard box so it says, ‘When I grow up, I want to be a scrap light,’ and then stick it in a dumpster. We just have fun and do whatever we can.” —by Suchi Rudra
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launch pad
Texas Style Two-year-old CAI Design Group, LLC, carves a healthy swath through North Texas’ small business market launched 2008 location McKinney, TX website caidesigngroup.com
Who: Cristina Alston, founder of CAI Design Group, LLC, traces many of her eco-oriented sentiments back to growing up in droughtstricken San Jose, California. Strict water conservation, she recalls, was simply a way of life. San Jose’s pioneering efforts in comprehensive curbside recycling also made a strong impression on her environmental awareness. “It all helped me establish habits in green living,” the LEED AP says. What: Alston sees herself as a kind of green-minded consultant, helping clients wade through the myriad design options for organizing and defining workspaces. “As a designer there are so many choices that are out there, and I have to narrow it down and present and justify those choices to my clients,” she says. “It’s a matter of professional responsibility to make wise choices and be informed about what all those choices are about.” When: In 2008, when Alston founded CAI, she knew that green thinking would inform her design decisions. Drawing on her credentials and an educational background in industrial organizational psychology, the designer has developed a distinctive approach to offering small businesses innovative and sustainable interior-design solutions. CAI has now come to specialize in two, mutually complementary areas: employee well-being and company brand identification. “I focus on small businesses, and so many times the business owner is not thinking about how employees are being affected by their work environment,” Alston says. Potential workplace hazards range from the annoying—like awkward space allocation or a lack of basic amenities—to the harmful, including uncomfortable chairs, insufficient lighting, and toxins found in common paints, carpets, and furniture.
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important—aesthetically pleasing elements into one coherent space. Employees, Alston has found from experience, appreciate the changes, as do their bosses—workers who are more content tend to be more productive. “Businesses benefit from having happier, more efficient employees,” she says. Alston has similarly observed that, like the employees’ work environment, small businesses also tend to overlook how they appear in consumers’ eyes. “Business owners often do not think about what kind of impression they’re making to the public,” she says. Alston thus makes it a point to leverage her interior-design skills to craft work environments for clients that are as distinctively memorable as they are green. How: Perhaps the most apt example of Alston’s fusion of branding and greening workplaces is her work for day6. The firm, well known for designing packaging for a major toy company, was occupying an old building with a 1,500-square-foot, open floor plan that had become ill-suited for its growing needs—so much so that they initially considered closing shop and reopening in an entirely new location. Alston, however, saw great potential in the space. Using mid-level dividers between workstations and installing a kitchenette, she gave employees a sense of individuality, privacy, comfort, and utility without sacrificing the creative synergy supported by the office’s open floor plan. She also added freestanding bookcases to set off management workspaces, which gave distinction without isolation, and let employees choose two movie posters to be hung over their desks, giving the spaces both individual and collective identity.
Where: Though she grew up in San Jose, Alston’s firm is based out of McKinney, Texas, and she serves the city and surrounding North Texas region. Graphic-design firm day6, based in McKinney, is one local client that has benefitted from Alston’s eye for space planning.
The renovation and redesign also boasted numerous green elements, from low-VOC paints and area rugs made from recycled materials, to reusing the space itself and almost all of its existing furniture. The project, in the end, met all of Alston’s design goals, not least of which was creating a place people were exited to occupy. “We could see that the employees were really happy with the end result,” she says. “They saw that the owners cared about them.”
Why: CAI’s designs seek to integrate ergonomic, healthy, sustainable, and—equally
Alston recognizes that small businesses have to make tough financial decisions in
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CAI Design Group, LLC
launch pad
OPPOSITE: This breakfast room design incorporates a ceiling covered in salvaged wood, a lighting fixture reused from another location, and energy-efficient windows. LEFT: This work space design maintained a creative synergy among employees while providing a sense of personal space. Work stations were divided by lowacrylic partitions that provided connection with the rest of the team. RIGHT: Cristina Alston, owner.
“It’s a matter of professional responsibility to make wise choices and be informed about what all those choices are about.” —Cristina Alston, Owner
the current economic climate. So while she consistently recommends using green materials and design strategies whenever possible, she ultimately sees her role more as an educator than an advocate. Clients must make the best decisions for their own needs, and Alston’s job, she believes, is to meet those needs, especially within each business’ particular industry. “I try to customize the project to each company,” she says. “That creates more research on my part, but it’s worth it in the end.” That research involves helping clients think in a context that includes, but is also greater than, their immediate necessities. This kind of long-term outlook comprises many facets, including employee comfort and retention, company growth, and, of course, prospective environmental impact on future generations. But what brings them all together, Alston believes, is taking that first step toward looking ahead. “I love seeing when owners finally get it and are enlightened by the things I bring them,” she says. “By extending their vision, I feel like I’m making a difference.” —by Matt Petrusek
SPACE PLANNING SUSTAINABLE DESIGN SMALL BUSINESS IDENTITY & BRANDING SPECIFICATIONS OF INTERIOR FINISHES Cristina Alston, ASID, LEED AP ID+C Texas Registered Interior Designer #10652
INTERIOR DESIGN Commercial and Professional Office Spaces
cai
design group, llc 214.642.6041
interior design
www.caidesigngroup.com
LEED and the related logo is a trademark owned by the U.S. Green Building Council and is used with permission.
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taking shape
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Reaching for the Sky The Cloud seeks to untether London’s 2012 Olympic Games from their terrestrial hold
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architects Carlo Ratti, Thomas Saraceno, & Alex Haw location London, UK expected completion Summer 2012 website raisethecloud.org
As its deceptively simple name suggests, the Cloud—a scalable, transparent monument that will rise (indeed almost float) over London’s 2012 Olympic stadium—is a celestiallooking structure. The hopes for the building, still in its design and planning phase, are no less than Olympian, a sentiment aptly expressed by the project’s promotional video: “In 2012,” a narrator reads, “a new symbol of human expression, collective experience, and Olympic aspirations will rise above London. The Cloud, which originated from an invitation by London Mayor Boris Johnson, will appear as light as air itself…superceding the traditions of steel and glass—lifting us up into the skies and the ethereal realm beyond.”
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The Cloud
taking shape
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Such poetically charged language might sound misplaced or exaggerated in other architectural contexts, but not here. The Cloud, previously featured in December 2010 gb&d’s Defined Design department, earns its descriptive flourishes. The monument’s structural skeleton, for example, takes the form of tightlycompressed, almost tornado-like cylinders that appear to descend from the sky. Around one of the cylinders wraps a wide, spiraling path, which individuals can ascend either by foot or bike, that ultimately leads to a summit composed of a bubbling effusion of transparent spheres, some hard and fixed, others inflatable. These spheres, in turn, connect the first cylindrical structure to the second, forming a globular, see-through bridge; visitors will ascend one structure and then make their way horizontally through connected spheres until they reach an elevator in the second structure that brings them back to the earth. Both cylindrical columns are encased in a network mesh of cables that hold the lightweight plastic walls in place. These walls, like everything else composing the Cloud, are completely transparent, providing continuous panoramic views not only of the Olympic stadium below, but also of London and its environs— and, of course, the expanse of sky above. Apropos of its inspirational namesake, the Cloud will remain perpetually fungible, able to change its height and appearance by adding or subtracting the spherical components. The towers, for example, can be as short as 90 meters or go much higher, if necessary. Much of the construction, moreover, will be done remotely; the pieces will then be collected and assembled on site, which will not only
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1/ The ambitious structure is comprised of a filigree central array of columns that appear to drop from the sky. 2/ By foot or bicycle? People wanting to climb the Cloud can choose between these two eco-friendly options. Each individual footstep on the ascent to the Cloud participates in a vast collective energy-harvesting effort. 3/ Talk about a whole new spin on an observation deck: the Cloud is part whimsy, part digital data, but entirely arresting. All photos/charts: the Cloud.
Tug of War. Conflicting forces of tension, compression and shear force collide inside the Cloud, laying the dynamic groundwork for the overall structural system.
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>< COMPRESSION
\ SHEAR FORCE
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taking shape Anatomy of a Cloud. At its core, the Cloud is a sophisticated display system with a serious case of multiple personalities. It doubles as both a screen and barometer, and archive and sensor, offering a civic-scale smart meter for London as a whole.
The Cloud
A B C J
interaction devices A/ Screens B/ Sounds C/ LEF
D
living D/ In E/ Up F/ In-Between
F
E L M R
G H
>
energy devices G/ Photovoltaic H/ Piezometric Membrane I/ Sizes
K
I
N >
structure J/ Air K/ Tension Element L/ Compression Element 1 M/ Compression Element 2
O >
P Q
relations N/O/P/Q R/ Incremental Aggregation
provide for an exceptionally safe structure (each piece can be thoroughly tested indoors before it is installed) but also a swift construction timeline: the international team of architects undertaking the project claim that the design, tender, and building process will take only 32 months from start to finish. In addition to its unforgettable visual impact—architecturally symbolizing a progressive move from enclosed heaviness to a kind of light, cosmopolitan openness—the Cloud will also showcase the latest in technological and ecological design. The spheres, for example, will not only serve as high-altitude perches, but also giant screens that will transmit a panoply of digital data and images, ranging from weather forecasts to Olympic event highlights to up-to-the-minute information about the city. The constant supply of information will be visible both from within the Cloud itself and from far below. “The Cloud epitomizes our global transformation from the age of steel and glass to a lighter, faster, more intelligent and more
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responsive age of digitality,” explains Carlo Ratti, an Italian architect and one of the lead minds behind the Cloud’s daring design, which has come, in part, from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) SENSEable City Laboratory. “Our main idea is to apply to architecture some of the processes that are currently revolutionizing the digital world. It is about cloud computing but also about self-organizing processes.” The monument’s extraordinarily light ecofootprint will also be on display. Besides the environmentally friendly site preparation, construction materials and methods, and the fact that—as a structure made out of translucent plastic—natural daylight will fulfill much of the monument’s power needs, the designers also are devising ways to harvest energy from the visitors who run, walk, and cycle to the top. What’s more, the newest generation of power-sipping LED lights will both help illuminate the interior and make the Cloud a unique, glowing addition to London’s night skyline.
Which points to another interesting feature of the project: The Cloud will be entirely funded by private individuals. As part of a funding strategy called “crowdfunding,” people from around the world will be able to become a part of the monument by either visiting the site itself (an admission fee will be charged), helping contribute to the building of a particular sphere, or even becoming a permanent owner of a single LED light. In fact, Ratti envisions the Cloud as a “symbol of global ownership,” built through a bottomup, distributed fundraising process. “Many small contributions from several million people quickly amount to a vast sum—as witnessed by the Obama campaign’s fundraising efforts,” he says. Though talks with the Olympics Committee about the project’s details remain ongoing, the prospect of a new, internationally recognized landmark rising above London remains as bright as ever. Though first envisioned as if in a dream, the Cloud is now on track to become a tangible reality. —by Matt Petrusek
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inner workings
THE HIGH LINE James Corner Field Operations and Diller Scofidio + Renfro redefine a walk in the park
architect/developer James Corner Field Operations, Diller Scofidio + Renfro
location New York City
website thehighline.org
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New York City’s High Line Park is taking public parks to a new level. In its former life, this reclaimed park was a 1.45-milelong rail line structure for freight trains moving through the largest industrial district in Manhattan. But most of the trains, which were elevated to 30 feet on this line, had stopped running by the 1960s, when highways were constructed in the area. The last elevated train ran in 1980. The High Line design team is a collaboration between project lead James Corner Field Operations (JCFO) and Diller Scofidio + Renfro. Lisa Switkin, an associate principal at JCFO, a firm of landscape architects and urban designers, explains that a series of consistent design elements run throughout the High Line to keep its true character intact. “The character of the High Line, and part of its uniqueness, is that it cuts through the diversity of the city, creating an episodic and choreographed walk as you move from the south to the north,” she says.
details/ Two sections of the High Line are currently owned by the city, the first of which began construction in 2006 and opened in June 2009. The second section should open by spring 2011. Each section is approximately half a mile in length. Switkin explains that “part of the ethos of the park is born out of the desire to preserve and recycle,” referring to the project as a retrofit and reclamation. To transform 19 blocks of a rail line into a unique city walkway involved stripping away the lead paint and planting green roofs (to enhance drainage) with more than 200 different plant species selected for their hardiness, adaptability, diversity, and seasonal variation in color and texture. The LED lighting used for the lamps along the pathway were installed below eye level, “allowing the eye to appreciate the city beyond,” she says. The first section boasts a sun deck, a spot that has become enormously popular with visitors, flanked by two existing train tunnels. This portion of the park features the closest point to the Hudson River and spectacular sunset views, Switkin points out. The lower level, known as the Preserve, is literally off the beaten path and allows visitors to meander from the main path and encounter a variety of primarily native prairie plant species. The plants—described in a plant guide being developed by Friends of the High Line (the nonprofit group which helped save the High Line from demolition)—are a mix of grasses and perennials, further defining the wild nature of the High Line’s abandoned landscape. Most of the park’s benches are oriented toward the north, but the benches eventually turn for a “fantastic view of the Statue of Liberty,” Switkin says. This part of the park also includes a wooden amphitheater with windows that look up into new developments on 10th Avenue. Within the yet to be completed second section, the pathway opens up into a large lawn that rises over 23rd Street, then winds its way through a canopy of trees where the pathway is raise 8 feet off the ground, inspired by what was once a heavily wooded
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inner workings
The High Line
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area where trees competed to catch the light between two tall buildings. “The idea is to recreate the woodland feeling and magic of this special microclimate,” Switkin says. The second section ends in a grand gesture, she adds, where the existing concrete has been stripped back, and a glass overlook is strategically located to reveal views toward both the Hudson River and the city.
1/ More than two million visitors have flocked to the High Line, an abandoned rail line resurrected into a wildly popular city walkway, to experience a whole new side of the Big Apple. Photo: flickr user: “David Berkowitz” (cc). 2/ Below the walkway, an undulating terrain of moss and groundcovers thrive in the shade. Photo: City of New York. 3/ The sun deck has become a favorite gathering spot for High Line visitors. Photo: flickr user: “David Berkowitz” (cc). 4/ New York City’s buzz-garnering High Line, designed by James Corner Field Operations and Diller Scofidio + Renfro, has inspired copycats across the country. Other similar projects underway can be found in Chicago, Atlanta, and Los Angeles. Photo: City of New York.
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design strategy/ Switkin describes one of the main strategies of the High Line project as promoting a sense of duration. The goal was to create a place where people could leave behind the frenetic pace of the city, a place where time seems less pressing. “It pushes one to take one’s time as you walk and is very choreographed to different icons and views in the city. And it has brought back the idea of promenading in parks. Just being elevated 30 feet has a huge impact, and you see the city in a totally different way. It’s a special experience when you’re allowed to walk uninterrupted in the city for 20 blocks,” Switkin says. “Section two will be a great addition. With Section one alone constructed, it’s almost too short and leaves you wanting more.”
At the very southern tip of the High Line, where it had been demolished, the park comes to an abrupt end. But Switkin says this was advantageous for the design team, allowing them a look into how the line was built and layered. In general, the material palette was very simple, consisting of concrete, steel, wood, and glass, along with the reclaimed steel of the train tracks. Each rail was picked up, tagged, and stored, and most were reinstalled in their original locations within the park’s landscape.
setting precedence/ The High Line, which hit its 2 millionth visitor mark last April, has already inspired other cities around the country to begin exploring similar projects in their own backyards, including Atlanta, Chicago, and Los Angeles. “The project has become a great precedent for adaptive reuse and urban regeneration,” Switkin says. “Not only does it provide valuable space for the city, but it also has become an economic generator, attracting investments toward new cultural institutions, commercial and residential development.” —by Suchi Rudra
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inner workings
360 STATE STREET Inside the journey Becker + Becker Associates took to develop the country’s first LEED Platinumcertified neighborhood
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architect/developer Becker + Becker Associates location New Haven, CT website 360statestreet.com
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A new mixed-used development in New Haven is the first project in Connecticut to use a 400-kilowatt fuel cell—a renewable power source that will provide 88 percent of the project’s electricity needs and nearly all of its heating and hot water needs. The project, 360 State Street, is the brainchild of Becker + Becker Associates, an architecture and development firm run by Bruce Redman Becker, AIA, AICP. The firm’s direction has evolved with the times, but with green design, it appears that Becker + Becker Associates has found its niche, as 360 State Street will be one of the greenest communities in the country. The project is the nation’s first LEED Platinum-certified development under the USGBC’s LEED for Neighborhood Development pilot program.
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site/ 360 State Street is located on a 65,000square-foot brownfield that formerly housed the Shartenberg department store. In 2007, the City of New Haven, through a competitive RFP process, selected Becker + Becker Associates to redevelop the site, which because of its location immediately earned LEED points. “The LEED-ND program gives points to some of the inherent characteristics of the building,” Becker notes, “such as walkability and access to transportation, on top of normal LEED criteria such as energy efficiency and the use of recycled and renewable materials.”
details/ The project consists of 30,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space, a 4-story parking garage, and a 25-story residential tower. The residential portion contains 500 rental apartments as well as 31,000 square feet of amenities, including a fitness center, library, children’s playroom, pool, and half-acre green roof with native plants that are irrigated through rainwater harvesting.
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inner workings
360 State Street
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1/ View from the State Street corner, former site of the Shartenberg department store. 2/ An aerial view illustrates the walkability and transit orientation of the site. 3/ The tower’s design uses staggered trusses instead of flat-plate concrete or conventional steel. 4/ Interior of a bedroom with a view of the city beyond. 5/ 360 State Street’s windows are high performance with low-E glazing. 6/ Each apartment features water meters to conserve both water and energy.
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Becker says that from the beginning, his goal was to avoid causing any strain on the existing energy, water, and transportation infrastructure of the region. To that end, he carefully planned for the use of renewable technology by testing different energy models to determine the ideal technologies and envelope systems for the site. Ultimately, the building’s structural system was designed to use 30 percent less steel than a traditional system through the use of staggered trusses with inlaid precast plank in lieu of flat-plate concrete or conventional steel. “This measure reduced the project’s steel requirement by 300 tons,” he says.
Prior to groundbreaking, the City of New Haven and Becker + Becker Associates conducted detailed soil contaminant tests and remediated any problems found. They also deployed a construction-waste-management plan that diverted more than half of all construction waste from landfills; sourced as many construction materials locally as possible; and sought construction with high postconsumer recycled content, low VOCs, and no formaldehyde.
In addition to the 400-kilowatt fuel cell, 360 State Street includes numerous measures designed to achieve an electricity usage reduction of 50 percent compared to a conventional code-compliant apartment building. Low-E glazed windows and enhanced insulation permit light while blocking heat transfer. Enhanced slab, floor, wall, and roof insulation (of R8, R16, R20, and R40, respectively) prevent air from seeping into the building. Thermal-energy storage tanks store the excess heat from the fuel cell for peak usage times, providing relief to the grid when it needs it most. In addition, Energy Star appliances, occupancy sensors throughout the common spaces and garage, and high-efficiency lighting further decrease consumption.
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water efficiency/ The highest-efficiency water-source heat pumps on the market are fitted with variablevolume pumping to conserve electrical energy. Water meters for each 360 State Street apartment conserve both water and energy, and low-flow fixtures throughout the building save 30 percent on overall water usage. Advanced building controls, such as demand-control ventilation, allow systems to operate only when needed and at optimal efficiency levels. tracking performance/ As impressive as these measures are, Becker understands that a building is only as green as its users’ behavior. To that end, the building is sited adjacent to a train station and all of the city’s major bus lines and is walkable to all major downtown businesses, restaurants, and parks. The building accommodates storage for 200 bicycles and houses several hybrid Zipcars and electric-car charging stations. Moreover, each tenant is educated about the technologies present in each apartment, including the ability to remotely track individual usage of electricity, gas, and water in real time via a Web portal. The public also can view the building’s performance online and through a display in the lobby. “It’s a total green community,” Becker says. —by Julie Schaeffer
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EDesignC Incorporated Engineering Design Collaborative An engineering design collaborative company, EDesignC, Inc. brings over 50 years of experience in the engineering and architecture industry. Specializing in energy, electrical and building system design - integrated with innovation and efficiency. Our team is dedicated to ensuring that our clients balance their project priorities with efficiency and environmental priorities. The firm focuses on the community through projects that include Schools, Community Buildings, City & County Facilities, Commercial, Mixed Use/ Affordable Housing and Utility Public Benefits programs.
EDesignC
Incorporated
SAN FRANCISCO | 760 Market Street, Suite 338 | San Francisco, CA 94102 OAKLAND | 212 9th Street, Suite 203 | Oakland, CA 94607 P: 415.963.4303 | F: 415.963.4341 | edesignc.com
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community SAN FRANCISCO
Out of the Basement and Working for the Greater Good Gelfand Partners Architects went from two people (plus a cat) to 26 people—all determined to transform communities
community San Francisco metro area population 4,203,898 green icon California Academy of Sciences, LEED Platinum fact Last spring, the city became the first to count its parking spaces to help city planners
When Gelfand Partners Architects opened its doors in 1997, it was just Chris Duncan, Lisa Gelfand, and a cat working out of a basement. Since then, the firm has moved into a sustainably designed office, grown to 26 employees, and multiplied its revenue 10 times over. Gelfand, the company’s founder and partner, has had an interest in sustainability since finishing college in 1978. “When I went into architecture, it was with a goal to do something about environmental issues,” she says. “The concepts looked different in the ’70s, but they were still pressing.” Since many of the firms she worked with weren’t as interested in the green movement, Gelfand eventually started her own company where she was able to incorporate sustainable features in every project. The firm focuses on community-oriented work—educational and housing projects, community centers, and elderly housing. “We’re really interested in serving the public interest,” Gelfand says. “We enjoy doing schools partly because it’s so important for kids to have better facilities, and it is fun to work with kids because they appreciate and are curious about what they see.” In 1998, just a year after founding a firm with a feline assistant, Gelfand Partners began work on the Los Altos School District— the project that would eventually become its true sustainable mark on the architectural
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environment. It started with the Georgina Blach Intermediate School, which would also be a demonstration facility for others to learn about sustainability. Originally built in phases between 1958 and 1978, Gelfand updated the classrooms so that all of them—both old and new—were filled with natural light. She designed the spaces to have natural daylighting and ventilation and used sustainable materials. The school remained in session during construction, which is made more notable by the fact that it also maintained the best academic performance in the state. “Schools and housing are all occupied when we do our work,” Gelfand notes. “Working around this fact is challenging, but we are proud to complete construction and avoid being a disruption.” After finishing the Blach project, Gelfand Partners went on to update six more schools in the district. When compared to other schools in the neighborhood— that lack green features but cost the same to build—researchers discovered that each Los Altos school saved an average of $50,000 per year in utility bills. Another signature project, 220 Golden Gate, will be completed in two years. The task at hand is to restore an old landmark YMCA building and turn it into supportive housing building and a public health clinic, combining both the environmental and socially responsible aspects of sustainability. The clinic features a green wall, low-flow
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Gelfand Partners Architects
community
“We’re really interested in serving the public interest. We enjoy doing schools partly because it’s so important for kids to have better facilities.” —Lisa Gelfand, Principal
water-saving features, a daylit atrium, and reuse of existing materials.
TOP: Santa Rita Elementary School’s new kindergarten classrooms have north-facing, operable clerestory windows for daylighting and natural ventilation. CENTER: Gelfand Partners added shear walls to Loyola Elementary School to improve seismic safety and balanced classroom daylight with new pop-up light monitors. BOTTOM: The Georgina Blach Intermediate School in Los Altos, CA. OPPOSITE: Sustainability champion Lisa Gelfand, founder of Gelfand Partners Architects, recently released a book called Sustainable School Architecture to share her knowledge on the subject.
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Some projects don’t have an end in sight: renovations to Mission High School have been ongoing since 1998, and though done for now, Gelfand believes the firm will revisit the school. Originally, Mission had 27 different levels within the building, requiring extensive work to make the school handicapped accessible. Gelfand added new science labs, updated boilers, and performed streetscape improvements that included tree planting and traffic calming patterns. Coming up, Gelfand is excited about the Reach Academy, a small school in Oakland adding eight classrooms and offices to its building. Reach will qualify for High Performance Incentive funding from the state of California through the Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS) scores. Reach has a green roof, daylighting in all classrooms, gardens, and adventure areas. With Chris Duncan, Gelfand’s founding partner, on the CHPS committee, sustainable schools are a high priority for the firm. While it is nice to have the recognition that comes along with meeting CHPS standards, Gelfand Partners Architects’ clients are usually more interested in the bottom line. “As long as we can be right on budget and right on time and give them a better building, they’re happy,” Gelfand says. “We’re hoping to raise expectations rather than settle for things.” —by Zipporah Porton
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community CHICAGO
Neighbors Unite The United Neighborhood Organization looks to LEED to further its positive impact on the Hispanic community community Chicago metro area population 9,785,747 green icon Chicago Center for Green Technology, LEED Platinum fact The city recently had the privilege of hosting GreenBuild 2010
In 1984, United Neighborhood Organization (UNO) was founded by a group of community leaders in Chicago to focus on issues such as overcrowding in schools, Hispanic dropout rates, parent involvement, and leadership. “UNO’s purpose then—as it is today—is to challenge Hispanic residents to fulfill their great potential while promoting American values, ideals, opportunities, and successes,” says CEO Juan Rangel. In 1998, UNO opened its first school, Octavio Paz, after being approached by the Board of Education. Today, UNO operates nine charter schools and will open another this year. Through the schools, UNO reaches 4,500 students. Not only does UNO build schools for less money and in a shorter period of time compared to its public counterparts, but Rangel also believes that the real difference lies in the interactions with parents. For example, UNO teachers visit each child’s home before the school year to engage parents in their child’s education. Since it began, UNO has also helped tens of thousands of people in their community become American citizens through its citizenship program. “We’ve also run leader-
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ship training for hundreds of young professionals, all of whom have gone on to successful careers in the private and public sector,” Rangel says. UNO took the notion of social responsibility further in 2006 when it began exploring sustainable options for school buildings. Though UNO’s Bartolomé de las Casas and Carlos Fuentes schools both had green features, Officer Donald Marquez Charter School was the first official green building project. Completed in fall 2007 in the Brighton Park neighborhood of Chicago, the LEED Silver school is located in a former Misericordia home. Green features include native vegetation and reduction of paved outdoor areas, high-efficiency mechanical systems, and low-VOC materials. With the success of Donald Marquez, UNO aimed for the highest LEED certification when it started building the UNO Veterans Memorial Campus. UNO joined forces with UrbanWorks, the only Latina-run architecture firm in Chicago, to complete the campus, which is comprised of two elementary schools and a high school. Founded in 1993 by Patricia Saldaña Natke, UrbanWorks focuses on socially and environmentally responsible designs. “The reason I became an architect was because I always felt that certain communities lacked good design and it appeared to be in the areas that were more economically challenged,” Natke says. Having grown up in these communities herself, Natke vowed to make a change. Though sustainability has always been on the firm’s radar, UrbanWorks upped the ante seven years ago, and now one-third of the 13 staff members are LEED APs. When UNO
held a design-build competition to find an architect for its next sustainable project, UrbanWorks was a natural fit. Work on the Veterans campus began in August 2007, and students were in their classrooms September 2008, a fast turnaround, according to Natke. The project was unique because UNO teachers gave input along the way. Students were also allowed to add their two cents, practically unheard of in most instances. Formerly an 180,000-square-foot industrial-scale baking facility that had long been vacant, the UNO Veterans Campus features a curtain wall of colored glass along its façade so passersby can see into the school’s lunchroom and library. The top floor serves as a gymnasium and community gathering space, with a green roof above. The school, which reached LEED Gold, has a thermal system, 90 solar panels that heat all the water, motion sensors in all of the classroom, and natural daylighting. Natke found the experience of working with UNO “fabulous” and hopes to work with them again. The successful partnership has garnered a number of awards, including the 1st Place Driehaus Award for Excellence in Community Design. Moving forward, UNO plans to build all of its schools in a sustainable manner. “Green for UNO isn’t solely about saving energy and doing ‘good’ for the environment,” Rangel says. “Those two factors are important, but building green also means providing a better example for students, raising the bar, and creating a better learning environment.” —by Zipporah Porton
RIGHT: The LEED Goldcertified Veterans Memorial Campus opened in Fall 2008.The former baking facility turned cutting-edge school features a glass façade that allows a peek into the environmentally sensitive interior facilities.
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FEATURES 46/ RE-THINKING PURPOSE 52/ HIGH NOTE 60/ MAESTROS!
HOME SWEET HOME. Fluid and functional, the Cubby House, expertly renovated and expanded by Edwards Moore, is inspired by the Raumplan concept, which champions continuous spaces for living rather than divided floors with limited flexibility. See p. 46 for more. gbdmagazine.com
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espite being nearly 8,000 miles apart, Australia and Ghana are linked. When award-winning Australian architecture firm Edwards Moore says it must look to the past to inform its future, it’s actually borrowing a long-held proverb of Ghanaian origin: “It is not wrong to go back for that which you have forgotten.” This belief, referred to as sankofa, can be summed up as a “return to roots” but with the added notion of continually moving forward. Tellingly, “return” is similar to other words that have come to define Edwards Moore: “rethink,” “reclaim,” “repurpose.” Each of these—with its preceding “re-”— signal and reinforce (there it is again) the idea of forging a future from something’s past.
re– thinking purpose The prefix ‘re-’ means ‘back’ or ‘again.’ How a pair of Australian architects are using two simple letters to define their work. story Zach Baliva photos Peter Bennetts
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Edwards Moore got its start when Juliet Moore, who served as director for 1:1 Architects in Melbourne, teamed up with Ben Edwards. Moore says the company approaches each project by “integrating sustainable strategies into the design from the outset,” focusing on the important link between humans and nature and viewing architecture as a community resource. The duo has a keen interest in opportunities presented through eco-friendly and unusual materials and utilizes sustainable technologies to enhance each building’s environmental performance. Other factors in their design consideration include form, orientation, siting, daylighting, and ventilation in relation to the local landscape and climate. Edwards, who studied in the United Kingdom and worked as an architect throughout Australia before joining Moore, is a fan—and advocate —of both art and design. Most everything in life fascinates him, and that fascination leads him to produce structures with nearly perfect details and efficient systems. Together, the pair provides full or partial feasibility, design, and planning services throughout all tender and construction stages. Feasibility studies test development options while financial studies analyze the viability of a proposal. They work with individuals, schools, colleges, developers, and municipalities. The idea of sankofa, allowing the past to color the future, is personified particularly well in the Cubby House, Edwards Moore’s sustainable renovation of an apartment in Fitzroy, Melbourne. The project represented not only a return to past ideals but also a rethinking of the entire home. The firm went back to Adolf Loos, a famed European architect who a century ago immortalized Raumplan, a spatial design concept that encourages continually changing but related space divisions, such as with multiple levels within even a single room. Ω
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re-thinking purpose
Down Underâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Dynamic Duo The duo behind the visionary Australian architecture firm, Ben Edwards and Juliet Moore, draw inspiration from simpler times to create modern works of art. Edwards Moore has garnered a following for edgy designs that repurpose reclaimed materials for a unique point of view.
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re-thinking purpose
“A sensitive approach to materiality and wisdom in building in context of an existing structure allows an architect to create a whole and connected project.” —Juliet Moore, Architect & Owner, Edwards Moore
Layer by Layer The deceptively simple Cubby House, which overlooks an adjacent public pool (top left) is comprised of several layers of intrigue: a flexible floor plan with minimal doors and walls that allows for clever manipulation of shared spaces; a celebration of natural light (shown left and right); and an abundance of reclaimed materials infused with new life (top right). The sharp lines and rough texture of the prominent surface materials contrast against a disarmingly neutral palette. Pool views are incorporated throughout to connect the interior and exterior spaces. 48
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re-thinking purpose Loos had used this style on the Villa Muller in 1930. The plain white building remains a Czech landmark and is known for its simplicity. Loos eschewed excessive embellishments in favor of efficiency and functionality. He thought tradesmen should spend their time on important matters and not beautify temporary elements that would soon be outdated. Like Villa Muller, Cubby House remains simple and boasts several spaces that share uses; the new floor plan is both flexible and sustainable. By raising the first floor ceiling, the architects were able to build an elevated kitchen floor that becomes the staircase’s first step leading to the new level. A nearby sliding box is also the lobby door and hides a powder room and stores wine. Multifunctional items define the apartment. A built-in bookcase doubles as a dog kennel. A moving wardrobe becomes a wall. Above, a second floor was added. As space had become an issue for the owners, they asked Edwards Moore to add the additional floor. The new upper level is designed as a flowing area that serves as a bedroom and den to complement the main floor’s living space. To accomplish this task, the architects cleared the space of the cramped and divisive walls and replaced them with an open and lofty plan. Wide skylights and expansive windows capture natural light that bathes both floors of Cubby House. The addition was made as a continuation of the existing structure and was fabricated with exposed steel. Here, like on the ground floor, design elements serve many purposes. The bedroom wardrobe, crafted from oriented strand board (OSB), spins on demand to create a second study or guest room. An outdoor terrace enhances air quality and ventilation throughout the whole apartment. Ω
Functionality over Frivolity The 1930s Villa Muller building by famed European architect Adolf Loos embodies the spatial design concept of Raumplan, which celebrates functionality over frivolity. This unassuming landmark helped inspire the Cubby House’s highly efficient yet laidback demeanor.
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re-thinking purpose
Multifunctional items define Cubby House. A built-in bookcase doubles as a dog kennel. A moving wardrobe becomes a wall.
Element of Surprise The Cubby House is defined by multifunctional items that relish their identity crises, such as this bookshelf that hides a dog kennel.
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re-thinking purpose
Back to Basics The rough-around-theedges appeal of this collection of bar stools, carved from scrap wood, characterizes the firm’s earthy-meetsedgy vibe.
As spaces were rethought and elements repurposed, Edwards Moore filled the structure with reclaimed materials like limed timber and the aforementioned OSB, which is made from compressed recycled woodchips. The partners’ passion for art drove them to find clever ways to enhance the look and function of the eco-friendly materials. “The skylights run the length of an understated stair constructed from the limed timber,” Moore says. “They accentuate the exposed steel by throwing shadows and highlights against the flanges and webs.” The bedroom’s OSB wardrobe was fitted with gold mirrors to help illuminate the narrow space. While OSB itself might seem like an unusual choice, the material has several benefits. First, it boasts recycled content. Second, it is relatively inexpensive. Third, it provides color and texture. “The interior at Cubby house has sharp angles set against coarse surfaces,” Edwards says. The OSB, along with vic ash, adds color and texture to the otherwise neutral and muted palette. The main floor also is joined together by OSB pieces that unify floor-to-ceiling shelves. Again, fixed mirrors and a white-finished concrete floor reflect light into the
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apartment, which is reflected off the outdoor swimming pool nearby. Each element within Cubby House reacts to the other. “A sensitive approach to materiality and wisdom in building in context of an existing structure allows an architect to create a whole and connected project,” Moore says. Edwards and Moore found another unusual way to repurpose reclaimed materials in their entry in the 2010 State of Design Fest, an annual Melbourne fair that displays the work of 10 architects who each use recycled and repurposed material. The duo designed and fabricated a set of bar stools using timber off-cuts from a commercial pub. The stools’ tops are finished with linseed-oil putty and wax. The result? A bundled and simple stool full of character—Edwards and Moore purposely intermixed painted and knotty pieces to highlight the design. These clever stools each saved a bundle of wood from the scrap heap and turned someone’s trash into a focal point. It’s no coincidence that the off-cut stools share some design principles with Cubby House. Both reflect Edwards Moore’s guiding theory—reclaimed materials and rethought spaces yield countless delights for the land and its people. gb&d
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One of this country’s most spectacular lighting designers travels back in time to his music days to explain his ‘entertainment strategy’ and why he wants to transform the way we light our world story Scott Heskes
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on Harwood has spent the better part of his life in two worlds—one as an electrical engineer, in which he is president of Illuminating Concepts, and the other as the founder of the American Music Research Foundation (AMRF), a recording artist, and a producer. The influence music has had on his day job as a lighting designer has been far reaching. He says what distinguishes the Farmington Hills, Michigan, Illuminating Concepts from competitors is a process he calls an “entertainment strategy.” “It almost doesn’t matter if it’s a public library or MGM CityCenter casino. The notion of making people happy when they walk into a space is the entertainment strategy,” he explains. “Sometimes it’s light, sometimes it’s sound and light, sometimes it’s sound and moving light with water features, and other times it involves live entertainment—but it’s a strategy that evolves from being in show production. It’s like a three-act play or a Sting concert. You take people through a music and lighting journey. By coming out of the music industry we are very different lighting designers.” As executive lighting consultant for the MGM Grand CityCenter in Las Vegas, Illuminating Concepts has helped fuse the entertainment strategy on this highprofile, LEED Gold-certified development with sustainable lighting design. Testing dozens of LED lights, Illuminating Concepts was in a good position to break new ground in measuring quality along with energy
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efficiency. It was careful to make sure that the lighting was used appropriately and tested for human response. “Is it acceptable, transparent? Do you know its LED? Does it matter because it looks good?” Harwood asked during the process. “Many of the LED companies didn’t make it. We didn’t use them. We have all been in spaces that had that old Jimmy Durante ‘Goodnight Mrs. Calabash’ look to it.” Finding the right look at CityCenter was crucial to the success of the overall experience that the MGM Grand was trying to achieve. With a strong mandate from the owners to build green, Illuminating Concepts was able to ultimately find the highest-quality LED technologies and locate the best environments in which to use them. Serving as Illuminating Concepts’ project director for CityCenter, Kelly Stechshulte says MGM took sustainable design and energy efficiency to new levels in the retail, hospitality, and casino industries, far exceeding governmental standards as well as any other projects in the area. Stechshulte’s work ultimately shifted a long-held paradigm that it is essential to use incandescent lighting for this type of development. “The casino was exempt from the LEED portion of the project,” Stechshulte notes, so it became necessary to work with the surrounding spaces “all the while still maintaining a dramatic environment that is warm and welcoming. For cove lighting, we specified dimmable LED. Instead of using 13 watts per lineal foot Ω
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high note we achieved 6 watts per lineal foot. With over a mile worth of cove lighting in public areas and restaurants, that had a big impact.” What a person experiences upon entering a space is crucial to the success of the design. “We worked on Comerica Park, the new stadium for the Detroit Tigers, and did the architectural lighting, theatrical lighting, water features, and sound effects,” Harwood says, noting that the entire created environment becomes what he calls the immersion experience, which can’t happen with just media and technology. “There has to be people involved with architecture. People need to feel they are having an experience they can’t have anywhere else. From the time you get out of the car, you know you are going to the ball game. You can smell the ball game. You can see the ball game. You can taste the ball game. And you walk into the building, and the field opens up in front of you. I have never been to a ball field that didn’t take my breath away when I walked into it. The crowd’s there, and some guy hits the ball, and there’s a great play and memorable times,” he describes.
“It’s like a three-act play or a Sting concert. You take people through a music and lighting journey. By coming out of the music industry we are very different lighting designers.” —Ron Harwood, Founder & President, Illuminating Concepts
“The ultimate goal of an immersion experience in is to have people feel that they need to come back.” As Stechshulte explains, working at Illuminating Concepts goes beyond the creative experience of working on exciting projects; there is another immersion that happens at the company: the all-encompassing environment that Harwood creates there. “There is enough technical [work] here to keep you on the cutting edge and keep you interested. From software-code writing to photometry to reviewing building codes, it’s a fully immersive experience in itself,” she says. “I’ve been here 15 years and hit the ground running. You can learn as much as you want as fast as you want. [Harwood] is always there to educate and encourage.”
“Sound and light are mirror images of each other”
Harwood’s lighting design is informed by all his years in the music business. When he was 16 years old, hanging out at a record store where his friend worked, he discovered music in a way most people never do. “I had heard about Sippie Wallace and Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith, Clara and Trixie Smith and Sarah Martin…all these great Classic Blues singers,” he recalls. “Folkways and other labels were just coming out with reissues. This was 1965. I read up a lot on Blues from the library so I knew about Sippie. My friend Sam, who worked at the record store, showed me an article that Sippie was alive and living in Detroit. I tried to reach Sippie through any number of ways, but no one wanted to give me her number. So I just looked her up in the phone book.” It wasn’t easy, but eventually—after numerous calls over several months—Harwood was invited up to the house. When he got there, he found that Wallace led a very private life, but he noticed she was surprised that he had most her songs memorized. “And I could play guitar behind her. That was it,” he says. “I became her manager at 17. I got her to the Newport Folk Festival and to the Philadelphia Folk Festival and then dozens of others.” In 1967, he successfully piqued the interest of Reprise Records, and Wallace cut a record in 1968. She had two-and-a-half successful years but then became very ill. She suffered a massive stroke in 1969. “It was six months before she could walk or talk,” Harwood recalls, “but the first thing she did was play the piano.” As Sippie was recuperating, Bonnie Raitt recorded two of Sippie’s tunes on her first album. “Bonnie called me and said she’d like to meet Sippie,” Harwood says. “The rest is pretty fantastic because from 1972 to 1986 we toured all over with Bonnie.” Raitt recalls Sippie’s album cover photograph she discovered in a London record store: ”I saw the rhinestone glasses and the tiger-striped vest and said to myself, ‘This woman really knows how to dress.’”
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high note
Human expression is a combination of what you think and what you say and what you do, Harwood says. “Music plays into all that. It’s had an effect on Illuminating Concepts and a huge effect on me,” he explains, mentioning that many of the people at Illuminating Concepts are musicians, music writers, or aficionados. A legacy of Harwood’s early interests is the nonprofit AMRF. To keep his live-performance skills honed, Harwood produces a show every year that features legendary musicians. “Some folks working at Illuminating Concepts come from the road show business,” he says. “The AMRF gives the opportunity for [them] to volunteer their time to produce these festivals.” The ultimate goal is to document and preserve American cultural and musical history for future generations. Harwood believes that the music festival provides an outlet for his Illuminating Concepts designers to stay sharp for projects requiring entertainment strategies. “Doing a lot of architectural lighting...like CityCenter, sometimes you will lose the opportunity to do live stuff,” he says. “The music festival allows for that opportunity.” Drawing on the similarities between lighting design and music, Harwood shares an insight. “It’s implicit in our lives that sound and light are mirror images of each other.” He believes, as a student of the fine arts, that the work of great painters provides a good analogy for the how the two come together. “I have always told the folks working here, when asked what they can study to get better...to study the painting masters because I think everything you need to know about design is there. You can look at a Dutch Master and see their use of light. ... You see people crying after Jesus or the birds in flight at the
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Resurrection, you hear what is going on in that painting. Humans all have a rhythm. Animals have a rhythm and there is a heartbeat to spaces.”
TOP, LEFT: As a testimony to his love of music, Ron Harwood (fourth from left) helps produce the annual Motor City Blues & Boogie Woogie Festival for the AMRF. The group is dedicated to promoting and preserving American music classics such as blues, ragtime, boogie woogie, jazz, and rhythm and blues. RIGHT: Ron Harwood poses with Kenny Neal, son of legendary Louisiana blues singer Raful Neal, during the 2005 festival. The annual event, now in its 11th year, showcases American music industry’s biggest names and most unforgettable sounds.
He says this was the most difficult job when putting CityCenter together. There were so many buildings, the team had to labor to find its true heartbeat. “There are places that work so beautifully that you are just arrested because there is too much to see and do at one time,” he explains. “The team tried very hard at CityCenter to find that rhythm and heartbeat to create the immersion experience.”
“All that glitters for LED is not gold”
One of Harwood’s significant achievements is a product he has developed called Intellistreets, a wirelessly controlled streetlight, that combines a dimmable and programmable LED system with the ability to instantly display images or words along with music and audio messages. It operates on a network server, providing communication among all light poles within the network. “If you add Intellistreets, you can tell when the fixtures are not working, when they are consuming too much energy, or when they are getting too hot,” he explains. “It’s essentially like the computer in your car. It can make sure Ω
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high note that the engine lasts as long as it possibly can.” Intellistreets is an entertainment strategy, he says, inspired by the company’s work in theme parks. This new concept can transform a street, park, or district into a multimedia entertainment complex. “You look at Branson Landing in Branson, Missouri, playing music from the country act that you can’t get close enough to see. ... Now you can hear and see from multiple streetlight locations.” One of the Midwest’s leading tourist destinations, Branson Landing is a mixed-use waterfront development that occupies 95 acres, including 1.5 miles of waterfront on Lake Taneycomo, and the first project to
“The ultimate goal of an ‘immersion experience’ is to have people feel they need to come back.” —Ron Harwood, Founder & President, Illuminating Concepts
As executive lighting designer of the entire CityCenter project, Illuminating Concepts worked significantly on the Veer Towers component, including designing custom fixtures, documenting lighting standards, coordinating the lighting programming, and overseeing implementation. Photo: MGM Resorts International.
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use Illuminating Concepts’ Intellistreets. The application offers digital video signage in the form of an LED display that replaces vinyl banners and utilizes a wide variety of content for income generating advertising, as well as local public service announcements. Intellistreets can also be adapted for parking-meter capabilities and recharging stations for electric cars. For Branson Landing, Illuminating Concepts provided this entertainment strategy, all exterior architectural lighting, theatrical-lighting and show-lighting design, light-tower design, audio integration, control systems, implementation, project management, procurement and logistics. Despite this project and the general success of LEDs, Harwood sees a problem with the current movement, which has been induced by the federal government, to retrofit streets with LED systems. The problem, he says, is that the federal inducement has come quickly, based solely on LED’s ability to produce light economically and with little or no scrutiny on the longevity of these systems. “The real test for how LEDs are working is quite difficult right now, because if they are really meant to last 10 years or more, they need to be tested for 10 years to see how they do,” he advises. “LEDs are cool light in the sense that they do not project heat, but they do get hot.
CityCenter An $8.7 billion gamble pays off—brilliantly
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high note Reducing the heat of the LED is a premier issue [concerning] efficacy.” Intellistreets has a processor in every streetlight that allows the testing to be done in real time. “So at least from an energy-management point of view, it monitors the temperature of the LEDs and many other aspects to see how our street lighting systems are going to do,” he explains. Another question Harwood asks of the status quo: “Do we need all of our outdoor lighting running at 100-percent brightness all of the time?” He says Illuminating Concepts has looked at use-case scenarios and determined that Intellistreets can save up to 50 percent more than existing LEDs. A current metal-halide streetlight that uses 150 watts of energy is reduced to approximately 90 watts using LED technology, but even further reduction can be achieved—at points throughout the evening, lights do not need to remain as bright. Intellistreets will automatically dim or turn off the lights during such times. “That,” Harwood says, “is the equivalent of extending the life of the lamp from 20 to 40 years.” Another problem is that the power supply or transformer is only rated for seven years. “All that glitters for LED is not gold, because the power supply would need to be
backgrounder/ CityCenter, the urban community that is home to the 4,000-room ARIA Resort & Casino, Mandarin Oriental, Crystals retail and entertainment district, Vdara Hotel & Spa, The Harmon Hotel, and Veer Towers—all interwoven with plazas and common spaces alongside pools and vivid landscaping—is designed for high-tech meeting spaces, residences, spas, extraordinary dining, gaming, modern art, and live entertainment. The project commenced in 2004 as a 67acre blank canvas. Envisioned by a diverse group of professionals as an ambitious and innovative development in one of the world’s entertainment capitals, the project began with a master plan developed by New York’s Ehrenkrantz, Eckstut and Kuhn Architects for a high-density destination with engaging places and experiences, enhanced public circulation, and keen regard for its surroundings.
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replaced about three times anyway over the normal life of the LED,” he explains. “Who’s going to be around in 20 or 40 years to guarantee that a fixture is going to last that long? We are drilling very deeply into what these warranties really are, because major cities across the country want to know what the real benefit will be.”
“The feds are doing it backwards”
Ron understands the need to create jobs, but he believes that more money should be spent on research. “I kind of think the feds are doing it backwards. What I am seeing is far less on research and far more on ‘just do it,’” he says, citing his work to avoid such rash decision making. “For the past 20 years, clients have become aware that the quality of lighting is important, and the behavioral science of lighting has matured dramatically in that time. We have built paradigms to an acceptable level and quantified those in the Illuminating Engineers Society Handbook. It’s been an evolutionary process and every year hundreds of people get together to decide how to improve the quality of light.” But as a result of the rush to do the work—or create work—Ron does not see the same level of due diligence Ω
taking charge/ Illuminating Concepts was tapped to take on the groundbreaking role of executive lighting designer. CityCenter is the first project on record to have any firm serve in this capacity, underscoring the vital role Illuminating Concepts played in coordinating, managing, consulting, leading, and implementing a project-wide lighting package that spanned all 20 million square feet and totaled in excess of $170 million, a large chunk of the $8.7 billion development. green angle/ The challenge for Illuminating Concepts was to approach the project with energy conservation and sustainability in mind without sacrificing the experience, energy, and ambience for the visitor—in essence, CityCenter needed to be the biggest new thing to hit the bustling Vegas Strip, and it needed to be sustainable. Six of the project’s components earned LEED Gold ratings from the USGBC,
the highest LEED achievement by any hotel, retail district, or residential development in Las Vegas. As a result, the 20 million-squarefoot metropolis succeeded: it is one of the world’s largest sustainable developments. Serving as executive lighting designer and coordinating energy-consumption logistics with the project engineers, Illuminating Concepts managed the project’s lighting and energy specifications to comply with local ASHRAE and LEED standards, tracked the applicable LEED requirements, and consulted with the various lighting designers to achieve them. During the course of the process, Illuminating Concepts developed a white paper that would serve as the project’s standard-bearer for compliance codes and regulations methodology to maintain LEED-certification standards across all project components and collaborators.
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high note for LED technology. “In the process of producing all of these LED components, manufacturers are not notifying us when they have product failures,” he notes worriedly. “We are not seeing the statistics we would normally get on products. That would never work in the auto industry, would it?” LEDs have promise, however. Harwood says the actual lighting effects are incredibly versatile: “Some are great...for landscape lighting; they are wonderful as night lights in offices and some stores where we just need to see for safety; and they are surprisingly good for task lighting in office environments.” He says they are also a prime alternative to neon. “LEDs may well be the great light source of the near future,” he admits. “The color and strength of the source will improve dramatically in the coming years. We simply need to use common sense in how we deploy LEDs with hard-to-come-by federal funds and our own hard-earned dollars. It is a concern that, in the years to come, our hasty and perhaps unschooled deployment of LED light sources will have us all in the new Dark Ages with little or no money left to use LEDs when they are mature.”
disseCting intellistreets
The wisdom Harwood shares in this simultaneous scrutiny and exaltation of LED technology is indicative of a man who understands the complexity of life, lighting, and design. “I am not trying to become my own super nova,” he muses. “And I don’t want to be accused of being a black hole, although I have been confused with one at times. But we are good at this interstitial piece between those that use light and those that make it.” From two worlds that are perhaps more symbiotic than at first glance, he successfully creates environments where the practical application of light merges with the heartbeat and the rhythm of architecture and the sounds of human experience. gb&d A MESSAGE FROM COOPER LIGHTING Offering the broadest selection of products in the industry, Cooper Lighting’s dedication to sustainable product solutions is the core of its business. As lighting technologies have advanced, Cooper has been at the forefront of the industry in helping businesses and communities leverage the latest technologies to improve efficiency, reduce costs and meet environmental concerns. Last year, the company opened a 60,000-square-foot Innovation Center, home to the research, design, validation and manufacturing of proprietary LED and other advanced lighting technologies. Cooper’s uncompromising commitment to innovation, quality, and value has resulted in an impressive line of award-winning patented product designs.
lighting control/ With wireless technology allowing for communication between individual luminaires, streetlights are able to save valuable energy. The system provides unique flexibility in dimming and ondemand adjustability.
wireless mesh transceiver/ With a centralized or decentralized interface and wireless transceivers on each pole, the system allows for bi-directional communication between streetlights and other integral sensors. The unique nature of the mesh network resolves security issues such that if transceivers are damaged the system remains operational.
dynamic lighting/ Wireless control of color-changing light sources facilitates the transformation of an ordinary space for a special event without additional equipment.
digital signage/ The digital banner is a thin, doublesided LED display that can provide customizable graphics and text. Alerts and announcements can be displayed instantly and with clarity. Additionally, digital street signs allow for routing traffic during unique events.
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proximity sensors/ Proximity sensors offer a unique method of gauging pedestrian traffic, providing accurate data by the minute, hour, or day. This is a powerful tool for tenants, landlords, and public safety officials.
alert indicator/ Visible 24 hours a day, the LED indicator provides customized indication of emergency egress routes, AMBER Alerts, security levels, and emergency traffic conditions.
environmental sensors/ Environmental sensors can detect and report the presence of water, wind, heat, lethal gas, VOCs, and radiation. With on-board intelligence, the system can measure directional attributes of these factors.
concealed placement speaker/ A fully integrated speaker within the base of each pole provides virtually any audio signal to the streets, from ambient music to emergency announcements.
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Green Building & Design
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A comprehensive look at the buildings and designs of tomorrow, and the masterminds behind them For your FREE subscription visit gbdmagazine.com FEB 2011
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Maestros! The rhythms of life have been altered by destructive human behavior, and two architects have seen it firsthand. With a passionate approach, a proprietary prefab system, and two brilliant minds, the pair behind C/ARC are upping the tempo of the green movement. story Joyce Finn
In his youth, Ron Culver
was the chief percussionist for the Vancouver Philharmonic in British Columbia. This deep appreciation for music continues in the buildings he now designs as president and founder of C/ARC, a California architecture and design firm. “There’s a rhythmic quality that plays out in various ways in an architecture project,” he says, and with his wife and business partner, Erin-Aine Miller, Culver works to design projects that seamlessly integrate architecture, landscape, and interior design. Both Culver and Miller have a deep commitment to environmental causes. Miller started working on coastal issues in high school because of the degradation of the environment around her. “When my mom was a kid, they used to be able to catch yellowtail albacore off our beach and find abalone and crayfish, but none of that is true now. By the time I was a kid, red tides started to become common, with dead fish washing up on the beaches because pollution took all oxygen out of the water.” In Vancouver, where Culver was born, clear-cutting of virgin forests began when he was a child. “When a residential development went in,” he recalls, “a nearby creek turned rust-colored and never cleared.” As early as 1975, Culver worked for his brother’s curbside recycling firm, the first in Western Canada. Ω
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Photo: Leslie Jay Bosch.
Erin-Aine Miller is the brains behind C/ARCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s integration of interior and landscape design. Persuaded to become a full-time design partner in 2000, she previously worked as a journalist and documentary filmmaker. She now crafts modernist narratives within the world of design, focusing currently on green roofs and living walls and espousing the superfluousness of air conditioning. She holds degrees from Stanford University and UCLA.
Ron Culver is the other half of C/ARCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s design mind, bringing a background of painting, sculpting, and music to his architectural design. At 18, the man behind the glasses became the principal percussionist for the Vancouver Philharmonic. Trading music for design, he graduated from SCI-Arc with honors and gained expertise in the practical aspects of building after founding design-build ventures both in Canada and the United States. He agrees with his wife about air conditioning.
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CANAL COMPOUND C/ARC’s Canal Compound highlights air conditioning’s status as a non-necessity. Through the creative use of heat chimneys, Culver and Miller designed a home with continual, natural ventilation. Thermally operated windows respond to inside temperature, open windows, and skylights. Similarly operated shades control heat gain. An amalgam of two 1980s homes abutting a saltwater canal, numerous features were constructed from Ipe, a sustainable wood that weathers well and boasts a fire rating close to concrete. Photos: Leslie Jay Bosch.
Both Culver and Miller have worked as river raft guides and are avid sailors as well as practicing Buddhists, and it was a simple step for them to go from caring about design and environmental issues to green construction. What distinguishes their firm from others is their integration of green design with their in-depth practical experience in construction processes, innovative materials, and applications. “With many architectural firms, the architecture is completely built before they bring in a landscape architect or designer. Or the client knows of a decorator for the interiors who starts about the time permits are pulled,” Miller says. “For us, to consider the building without considering sustainability, landscape, and interiors is just counter-productive. It’s not how people live or work, and doing design that way is limiting environmentally, aesthetically, and functionally. Conversely, when you combine sustainable architecture, landscape, and interiors at an early stage, the sum is always greater than the individual parts.” The Canal Compound exemplifies their integrative approach. C/ARC completed the total renovation of two adjacent and interconnected homes that were built in the 1980s along a saltwater canal. Both the exterior building envelopes and interiors were dramatically altered to create a sensuous and highly functional green residential complex. The windows and the exterior-pivoting doors were made from Ipe, a sustainably harvested Brazilian wood with a fire rating equivalent to concrete. Ipe weathers exceptionally well and is low maintenance, which is especially important in a marine environment. There are 7 kilowatts of photovoltaic and hot-water roof panels that will collect enough solar energy to power and heat the entire house, including the radiant flooring. When asked about air conditioning, Miller replies, “We try to site the building, windows, and trees properly to create cross ventilation. There are all kinds of ways to obviate the need for air conditioning. Passive cooling tends to be aesthetic[ally pleasing] as well as functional. If you’re inside a house and there’s good circulation, it just feels appealing. The same is true when trees are correctly sited around a building.” Culver points out that by constructing heat-chimneys, interior-heat buildup can also be controlled. In the Canal Compound, the central stair area rises 6 feet above the top floor. A thermally operated window opens automatically when the stairwell gets to a certain temperature, and at the same time, it will also open a skylight on the floor below to draw air in. Even if the building is closed up, these automatic windows allow air to
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“When you combine sustainable architecture, landscape, and interiors at an early stage, the sum is always greater than the individual parts.” —Erin-Aine Miller, Principal, C/ARC
circulate naturally. Just as these windows automatically open up, the house also has automated shades to reduce heat gain. These shades come down when the interior temperature rises. “Some clients think they must have air conditioning,” Miller says, “but once they talk to us, their perspective changes. From the standpoint of our values, we try to avoid it. The further inland we get, the more challenging the situation is, but we make sure the building envelope is well insulated and look for sustainable alternatives. Recently, we designed a series of small [yet] highly efficient re-circulating fountains to manage uncomfortable summer heat at another project. Now the location feels similar to village plazas in the south of France or Italy where people gravitate to the cool breezes around splashing central fountains.” Ω
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HILLSIDE HOUSE A case study in C/ARC’s expert integration of landscape and architecture, the Hillside House maintains privacy on a challengingly small lot through the use of plentiful, but water-wise plants. The front and side plantings also help sculpt a sharply sloped lot via inviting, yet increasingly private terraces. The modern home’s numerous green elements reflects the architects commitment to sensible, sustainable design. Photo: Leslie Jay Bosch.
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The Cleft House took six months to assemble— approximately half the time conventional construction might normally take—and it was completed for $200 per square foot.
CLEFT HOUSE The Cleft House became the flagship project for C/ARC’s proprietary prefab system, Adaptabode. Under stringent cost restrictions, the architects used the system to construct a narrow, but luminous home made of translucent panels and sliding window walls. The latter transform the interior into an openair deck and provide waterfront views. Harnessing coastal breezes, the home requires no air conditioning, and a cleft down the middle helps define the space, which features recycled steel and engineered wood. Photos: C/ARC.
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THE DESIGN 1/ PARKING 2/ LIVING 3/ KITCHEN 4/ DINING 5/ LAUNDRY 6/ BEDROOM 7/ BATHROOM 8/ LOFT 9/ ROOF DECK 10/ SOLAR PANELS
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Culver adds that from the start of the demolition process on through to completion, every surface and material used at the Canal Compound was evaluated for sustainability and for its impact to the environment. Though the owner consistently pushed for green design, when it came to getting certification she explained that she wasn’t interested. Miller says that from 2008 their firm has seen a sea-change in their clients’ interest in LEED certification. “They want us to design within LEED standards, but in this economy they don’t want to pay to be LEED certified, since it’s just one more expense.” When talking about their projects, Miller goes on to say that the current economic downturn is a great time to pursue theoretical work. “It moves everyone forward both artistically and conceptually. We’ve been looking at how to use different kinds of materials and efficiencies along with work on green walls and roofs,” she says. “We have to keep evolving. We don’t want to be the architecture version of Blockbuster Video when Netflix came out. We’re also doing a lot of work with prefabrication and have devised a proprietary prefab system called Adaptabode.”
to more than 1,300 tour participants to cut back on the mass of plastic water bottles usually found at the all-day event. Miller explains, “Throw-away bottles require 2.7 million tons of plastic to manufacture each year, and 70 percent of them end up in landfills where they can take 1,000 years or more to biodegrade. Plus, plastic bottles can leech chemicals into water. We also arranged with Splash Water, a more environmentally sound water distributor, to donate large reusable water dispensers that tour participants could use to fill our water bottles.” Culver and Miller approach all their projects and their business, as they do with all other aspects of their lives, with a sensibility that reflects their core beliefs for humanity and the environment. “My family in the Northwest Territories tells us about villages sinking in the permafrost, where polar bears now go into inhabited areas and hunt people. Fish species are dying off due to the increasing warmth of the arctic seas, so the bears are starving,” Culver says of the troubled times we live in. “Stories like that tend to concentrate the mind.” gb&d
The 3,600-square-foot Cleft House is one project that took advantage of the Adaptabode system. It took six months to assemble—approximately half the time conventional construction might normally take—and it was completed for $200 per square foot. In order for the occupants to experience the natural landscape and breezes, C/ARC strove to open up the building to the nearby waterfront. The solution: massive window walls that meet at the corners and slide open outside the building to create an interior balcony. When discussing the current economy, Miller suggests that success be measured in the long run. “We’ve had different iterations of the company. Each time the company grew dramatically when we changed directions.” In 2007, Culver and Miller took C/ARC to a higher level by working with a special consultant. This consultant focuses on firms whose principals never wanted an MBA, but rather started a venture because of their passion about something other than business. With her help, the company made a huge leap forward. “The world is full of people,” Miller explains, “who did something great—whether architecture or making cookies—and then decided to open a firm and ended up being eaten by their firm because they didn’t know how to expand and sustain a business.”
It's our job to build the best environment, by enhancing your personal environment, and the environment we all share.
Culver and Miller, in keeping with their sustainability goals, have a strong commitment to their community. C/ ARC sponsors the annual Venice Garden and Home Tour to fund educational programs for local, disadvantaged children. In 2009, the firm donated metal water bottles
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East Village Residence Fogo Island Studios Jay DeChesere Walters Group Gables Residential Kao Design Group Passive House
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WRITER’S BLOCK. Saunders Architecture’s Fogo Island—housing one-of-akind studios for writers and artists— provides a provocative setting for the interchange of ideas. Turn to p.69 for a closer look. Photo: Saunders Architecture. gbdmagazine.com
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PROJECT SPOTLIGHT
work to live This small-footprint East Village home-office studio in an eclectic New York City neighborhood leaves a big impression with its meticulous attention to detail and extreme efficiency. This project, which earned Jordan Parnass Digital Architecture (JPDA) a 2010 AIA Small Projects Award, maximizes every inch of space: a bedroom loft creates space for a roomy walk-in closet below, while stair risers conceal a series of built-in drawers. Clean and concise, the space is both homey and highly functional. JPDA worked closely with the client and a demanding co-op board through every stage of the design process to ensure client expectations were not just met, but exceeded. Photos: Frank Oudeman.
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PROJECT SPOTLIGHT
in remote residence New studios for writers and artists on Fogo Island, off the Newfoundland coast, are meant to preserve, inspire, and empower the local people, their heritage, and the island’s culture, as well as provide a setting for the continued exchange of international art and ideas. Designed by Todd Saunders, of Saunders Architecture in Norway, the project is especially meaningful given that the architect grew up in Newfoundland. Commissioned by the Shorefast Foundation and the Fogo Island Arts Corporation for six separate studios, Saunders set the studios in remote locations near the island’s shoreline, some cantilevered over the rocky coast, others set on stilts. The largely geometric designs stand in contrast to the barren landscape yet offer connection to the strong character each season plays in the island’s annual drama. Limiting distraction within the spaces, the duotone studios—daring yet lacking in ornamentation—are built on-site by local carpenters using local materials and are completely off the grid. Photos: Saunders Architecture.
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A SINGLE-FAMILY HOME
the family mantle Jay DeChesere buys his parents’ home and embarks on a gut rehab he hopes will inspire others to tackle the fast-growing inventory of existing but depreciating homes around the country
by Kelsey Higginbotham
After graduating from the University of Kentucky, Jay DeChesere spent a few years working in a twoperson architecture firm, holding responsibility for the design of several public schools, the Marine Science and Oceanology facility at the University of North Carolina–Wilmington, as well as other retail and residential projects.
OPPOSITE PAGE: Snapshots of Talon Court (From top, left to right): Strata doors open up to a second bedroom; front view of the house from the East; a backyard rainwater garden; garden and PV system; a green roof completes the project’s sustainable package.
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In 1974, the young designer opened his own firm, Synthesis Architects and Planners. DeChesere went on, in 1978, to create Telesis Ventures Construction Company, which was then run concurrently with Synthesis. After managing Synthesis for 30 years, he made the decision to sell the firm to Cline Design Associates of Raleigh, North Carolina. “I stayed on as director of design until early 2005, then I decided it was time to practice alone,” DeChesere says. Today, the solo architect focuses on green architecture. “This focus has given new meaning to my architecture and to my practice,” he says. His experience in sustainability is credited to the 1990 renovation of an abandoned home located on a 1.5-acre island in the Bahamas. “Being totally isolated,” DeChesere says, “this home was designed to be completely self-sufficient, using
rainwater collections systems, photovoltaic and wind power, and natural ventilation. I designed and installed all of these systems myself.” To date, DeChesere has taken on four LEED projects in North Carolina: the Barrier Island Study Center in Bald Head Island; the Holderness Residence in Roaring Gap; the Talon Court Renovation in Wilmington; and most recently, the Martin Residence, an infill residence also in Wilmington. The inspiration behind Talon Court project was recognizing the need for the United States to deal with its vast inventory of existing homes. DeChesere and his wife, Heather, purchased the residence from DeChesere’s parents in order to reduce their stress of not being able to sell their home (his 94- and 98-year-old parents were moving into an independent-living facility). DeChesere saw this as an opportunity to do something about the issue of existing, out-of-date homes that are difficult to sell. This project is one of the first LEED-H gut-rehab projects in North Carolina, and the fifth in the entire Southeast region of the country. In fact, of the millions of homes in the country, only 39 single-family residences have been renovated as gut rehabs under the LEED-H certification. “As a nation, our new homes can’t be the only ones that reflect sustainable design. We must focus on the incredible inventory of homes that already exist,” DeChesere asserts. The project team consisted of members of the Cape Fear Green Building Alliance, a grassroots organization focusing on sustainable design and construction directions. Talon Court also incorporated an advisory team consisting of an eco-broker, a surveyor, an appraiser, and a mortgage broker, all serving to help make decisions on appropriate strategies—the first project to utilize such input, DeChesere says. gb&d
“As a nation, our new homes can’t be the only ones that reflect sustainable design. We must focus on the incredible inventory of homes that already exist.” —Jay DeChesere, Architect
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Jay DeChesere
INSIDE TALON COURT major renovations / The reduction of turf area to less than 20% reduced the use of water for irrigation and pesticides and fertilizers / Using native and drought-tolerant plants ensures that irrigation is minimal / Reducing impervious surfaces allows water to percolate the site and recharge the aquifer / Storm-water management (via rainwater harvesting, cisterns, and rain gardens) ensures that no water leaves the site / Installation of a green roof provides wildlife habitat and a pleasant appearance / Creation of a natural environment complies with the Audubon Societyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s guidelines for a wildlife habitat and bird-friendly environment
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the water system
materials and resources
/ Rainwater harvesting collects 85% of the rain that falls on the roof for irrigation and non-potable uses
/ Products used included recycled content, rapidly renewable materials, materials that can be recycled at disposal, and materials that are manufactured within 500 miles of the site to reduce carbon footprint
/ The project uses a rain-delay controller, backflow preventers in sprinkler heads, and pressure-regulating devices / Using high-efficiency, low-flow fixtures results in less than 1.75 gpm for showerheads and 1.50 gpm for lavatories
energy and atmosphere / Meeting Energy Star requirements, the residence includes high-efficiency insulation, a well- sealed envelope to minimize air leakage, highly efficient windows and geothermal systems, fluorescent and LED lighting, and low-energy-use appliances
/ Reuse of existing materials on the site, donation of materials, recycling of waste, use of pulverized sheetrock and wood scraps as a lawn supplement or mulch, nearly eliminated materials that went into landfills
indoor environmental quality / A fresh-air system introduces outdoor air into the house to keep the home healthy / Timers or occupancy sensors for bathroom exhaust fans prevent overuse
/ Ground-mounted photovoltaic panels generate 3kW of electricity, resulting in a zero-energy home / Using occupancy sensors and a hot-water loop, hot water is almost instantly available without loss of energy
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spaces/live MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENT
landfill, then properly cap the licensed landfill,” Walters says.
resolving a slimy situation As part of a massive redevelopment in eastern New Jersey, an indigenous snake species actually gets the royal treatment—just a safe distance from Walters Group’s award-winning LEED-certified residences
by Julie Schaeffer
Ophiophobes, be warned: you may not want to hike through the 15,000 acres of forest surrounding the imaginative new mixed-use redevelopment called Stafford Park near the New Jersey Pinelands. Why? Because part of the site’s remediation process involved the relocation of pituophis melanoleucus, a 5-foot-long constrictor also known as the North America pine snake, to the surrounding forest. “Since Stafford Park was a sustainable development, we wanted to protect the native species, including the pine snake, which used the site for nesting and foraging,” says Ed Walters, founder of the Walters Group, the real-estate developer behind the project, which sits on a former landfill. “When we developed the site, the state let us build three 5-acre swatches of snake habitat in the surrounding forest, and we relocated the snakes there.” The now-snakeless Stafford Park is a 370-acre development at the intersection of New Jersey Route 72 and exit 63 of the Garden State Parkway in Stafford Township. When finished, it will consist of 650,000 square feet of retail space, 349 single-family homes, 112 affordable apartments, and 216 market-rate rental apartments.
BELOW: The Stafford Park Apartment complex is a new construction project in southern Ocean County in New Jersey that provides much more than just affordable housing— in addition to offering quality housing for low-income residents with no age restriction, it also combines redevelopment with LEED and Energy Star certifications.
Then, of course, there was the snake relocation. “To build the snakes’ new hibernacula, we cleared the site, dug holes, and filled them with six-by-six timbers stacked like Lincoln Logs to create a void underground,” Walters explains. “We then covered the ground with tree stumps and brush left over from the site clearing. PVC pipes extend from the dens up through the surface so the snakes could find their way underground.” Other elements of the site remediation included close to $11 million in roadway improvements: the repair of on and off ramps on the south side of the Garden State Parkway; the relocation of several facilities onsite; and the construction of high-performance water-storage basins, which remove up to 96 percent of suspended solids and other pollutants. “The site remediation was a $50 million effort that paid off in many ways, not the least of which was the project’s recognition by the Delaware Valley Smart Growth Alliance for meeting the Alliance’s stringent criteria for smart growth, ” Walters says. “The Alliance’s endorsement validated all of the work involved, bringing the vision of Stafford Park to fruition.” The accolades didn’t mean the project was over. Next up was the development of the remediated site, which posed another challenge, as The Pinelands Commission, in exchange for granting the Walters Group the right to develop the site, required every building constructed on the site to reach basic LEED certification. The Walters Group achieved that, thanks in part to energy-efficient construction. A total of 1.1 megawatts of solar panels have been installed at Stafford Park to date, including a 465-kilowatt system on the affordable
Snakes or no snakes, developing the project wasn’t a simple process. The Walters Group, a residential and commercial real-estate developer founded in 1984, spent three years negotiating with The Pinelands Commission and New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection for the rights to develop the site, which originally contained two landfills and numerous dilapidated buildings. In 2004, the Walters Group was awarded ownership of the site and the right to develop it in exchange for remediating the site at its expense. The first step of the project was to address the two landfills. “One landfill was unlicensed, so we had to transport 550,000 cubic yards of trash from it to the licensed
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Walters Group
WHISPERING HILLS SEEKS LEED SILVER If Stafford Park was a journey in sustainable development for the Walters Group, Whispering Hills may be the culmination of that journey. “We had to achieve LEED status on Stafford Park under the terms of our development agreement,” Walters explains. “We wanted to achieve LEED status for Whispering Hills.” The residential development, located in Barnegat, New Jersey, will consist of 107 town homes, 98 single-family residences, and 152 affordable apartments spanning 78 acres. “It’s the first time we’ve built a townhome community, so we were able to start with a clean slate and design some really cool sustainable features,” Walters notes. He says that in today’s market, price pressures make using some of these features difficult, but doing so has paid off. “The townhome portion of the complex is 50 percent complete, and we’re on track to sell 30 units this year,” Walters says. “Any residential community that can sell anywhere near three units per month is doing pretty well.”
“Since Stafford Park was a sustainable development, we wanted to protect the native species, including the pine snake, which used the site for nesting and foraging.” —Ed Walters, Founder
apartments and a 185-kilowatt system on top of three retail stores that provides those stores with 30 percent of their electricity. Costco also has installed its own 465-kilowatt system. The Walters Group is currently seeking approval to build a 6.5-megawatt solar farm on top of the capped landfill, and four 1.5-megawatt wind turbines will also be installed at Stafford Park. The Walters Group hopes that solar, along with the wind turbines, will eventually provide 80 percent of the complex’s electricity. Today, Stafford Park is home to the first affordable apartments in the state to achieve LEED Gold status. Every retail store has reached at least LEED Silver, with one, the Vitamin Shoppe, reaching Gold. “I believe it’s the only large-scale, mixed-use project like this in the country to be built all-LEED,” Walters says. That’s quite an accomplishment for someone who is relatively new to the LEED process. “When we started this project, I didn’t even know what LEED was,” Walters says. “But over the past seven years, the Walters Group has transformed into being as green a developer and builder as any. We’re now building everything to LEED standards.” gb&d
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A MESSAGE FROM COLONIAL ELECTRIC SUPPLY Colonial Electric Supply is a service-oriented electrical supply distributor committed to providing its customers with all of their project needs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Whether you’re in the blueprint stage, or close to completion, we can assist you, no matter what, where, or when you need us. Colonial also guarantees that the industry’s top 1,000 most popular items will be in stock at all times. Our policy is to meet our customers’ requirements each and every time! For a more information please visit our website at www.colonialelectric.com.
A MESSAGE FROM JAMES HARDIE BUILDING PRODUCTS James Hardie fiber-cement siding is the number one brand of siding in America and can be found on more than four million homes across the United States. James Hardie products are made from natural materials (sand, cement, and silica), offering the warmth and beauty of wood while being more weather-resistant than traditional vinyl siding. James Hardie fiber-cement siding is also Engineered for Climate™, making them the first siding manufacturer to engineer products to specific local climate conditions. Manufactured using ColorPlus® Technology, this factory-applied color finish keeps homes looking freshly painted for years. Available in a customizable color palette, the finish is guaranteed under a 15-year warranty against cracks, chips, peeling or fading. James Hardie siding is sustainable, durable, and guaranteed through a 30-year nonprorated warranty; maximizing a home’s curb appeal while minimizing its impact on the environment.
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owners can enjoy the long-term cost-saving benefits of their capital investments in green technology, landlords usually have to foot the bill for the capital investment without reaping the operating advantages, as tenants typically pay for their own utilities.
minding more than one kind of green You recoup the cost of green features through energy savings. But Gables Residential has identified one type of building and its landlords left out by that equation.
by Matt Petrusek
Across the United States, a small city’s worth of upscale apartments are managed by one man. From Washington, DC, to Southern California, David Fitch, president and CEO of Gables Residential, explains what he does: “We’re in the business of providing the best living experience possible for people.” This is more difficult than it even sounds. Working with apartments, green retrofits are an entirely different ballgame. “We’ve taken a position to be as progressive as we reasonably can [be],” Fitch says, but the president and CEO also recognizes that he cannot allow Gables’ progressive environmental stance to obscure his focus on the bottom line. While office-building and single-family home
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BELOW: Gables’ Takoma Park’s brick façade. To reduce the impact of transportation cost and fuel consumption, more than 30% of the project’s materials were sourced locally or regionally, and 10% were recycled goods. Masonry and steel from the site’s previous building were sorted and recycled for future use.
This cost-benefit disconnect requires Fitch to maintain a delicate balance between environmental sustainability and sustainable business practices. “We want to build buildings incorporating the leading edge of environmental technology so they will endure as long as possible and continue to appeal to the social ideals of your customers,” he says. “But you’re at a point in the evolution of green technology that, when all added together, the cost benefit is not abundantly evident.” Founded in 1985 and traded publicly on the New York Stock Exchange until 2005, Gables currently operates as a privately owned REIT, with more than 38,000 units under management. Integrating environmentally friendly elements throughout its properties, therefore—especially with the added challenges—is no simple task. “As the environmental movement has gone through a tremendous increase in consciousness, our product has tried to stay in front of that,” Fitch says, noting, however, that his primary customer base—a demographic he calls the “echo-boomers”—has grasped the evolving definition of what, exactly, “eco-friendly” means. “A couple of years ago, it was the idealism of being associated with
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Gables Residential
Landlords usually have to foot the bill for the capital investment without reaping the operating advantage, as tenants typically pay for their own utilities.
green principles from the ground up, including everything from locally produced and recycled materials and a solar reflective roof to Energy Star appliances and recycling chutes in the trash room. As well as MNCBIA recognition, these features also earned the apartment community LEED Silver certification. It is a success story the company intends to repeat.
green technology. That’s still important, but now the consumer is seeking more identifiable economic benefits in addition to social alliances and environmental consciousness.”
Fitch and his management teams are experts on finding ways to go green while remaining profitable, both by running the company as efficiently as possible and by taking advantage of the happy confluence of environmental and financial interests provided by their “echo-boomer” target demographic: even if green technologies do not yet pay for themselves in apartment complexes, their very presence makes the properties much more attractive to the group of possible tenants. “[Green technology] is kind of like a pool,” Fitch says laughingly. “You have to have one, but not everybody uses it.”
Gables has thus focused its environmental initiatives on providing concrete, green-minded improvements to its apartment homes—both financially and in terms of resident health and safety. It equipped its buildings with monitoring systems that allow residents to see how much energy their respective apartment is consuming and to compare that usage with other units. The interactive information provides both an effective tool and competition-friendly incentive to conserve: tenants can vie to claim the bragging rights as the building’s most power-thrifty apartment while concurrently lowering their utility bills. “We do not doubt,” Fitch says. “that [this system] will result in tenants yielding greater efficiency in how they live.”
That’s not to say, however, that profits are the only motive. Rather, going green is ultimately just one more important way in which the company lives up to its mission of providing the best living experience possible. “The core of our success is customer service,” Fitch says. “And that includes providing green technologies.” gb&d
In addition to high-efficiency lighting and low-flow faucets and toilets, Gables’ sustainability efforts put healthy indoor environments at top priority through lowVOC paints, non-toxic materials, and even purification systems to ensure that their residents have a constant supply of clean air. Residents have taken note. “You can’t see all the fresh air systems,” says one tenant, “but when you breathe in you can just tell you’re in a healthy environment.” A consummate example of these sustainability initiatives appears in Gables’ recently completed Takoma Park development in Washington, DC. The 145-unit complex, which was honored with the 2009 Environmental Award for Green Building by the Maryland National Capital Building Industry Association (MNCBIA), instantiates
A MESSAGE FROM JOHN W. WILSON GRADING, INC. John W. Wilson Grading, Inc. has been performing site work for Gables Residential for over 10 years. Wilson specializes in multifamily site work including clearing, demolition, grading, concrete and paving. During the earlier years most projects consisted of garden-style apartments that covered several acres. As vacant land became more scarce and projects moved closer in to the central Atlanta area, more creative site work became necessary. Wilson partnered with Gables to develop sites that required environmental remediation and recycling and reuse. Wilson is very experienced with earth-friendly projects and enjoys tackling challenging sites.
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DEMOLITION CLEARING GRADING HAULING UNDERGROUND UTILITIES FINISH GRADING ENVIRONMENTALLY-FRIENDLY CONTRACTOR FEB 2011 77
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ISLAND RESIDENCE
virgin territory Sir Richard Branson taps Kao Design Group— known for its microclimatic sensibilities—to transform Mosquito Island into a private residence
by Julie Schaeffer
Kenneth Martin Kao, PhD, of Kao Design Group has been appointed as the architect for Sir Richard Branson’s development of Mosquito Island in the Caribbean. Kao has a long-standing working relationship with Branson, the mogul behind the Virgin brand. Branson has entrusted Kao, who has a unique vision for exploring the possibilities of emerging sustainable technologies, with the design of Mosquito Island. The goal for the island—an uninhabited 122-acre piece of land located in the British Virgin Islands off the coast of Virgin Gorda and within sight of Necker Island, Branson’s other private island—is to firstly develop a private residence for the Branson family with plans to develop further ecological villas at a later stage with solar systems and smaller wind turbines throughout the island.
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ABOVE: Panoramic view of Mosquito Island from the sea. Photo: Kao Design Group.
CALIFORNIA DREAMIN’ Success stories of Kao Design Group Ecological Residential Development For the ecological master planning of Alta Robles residences in Tiburon, CA, Kao Design Group optimized the developable land while protecting environmental habitats. By mapping the resources and constraints such as hydrological, landslide, and sensitive vegetation zones, developable building sites were proposed for uniquely designed, lowprofile, terraced and earthen hillside houses. This project respects ridge conservation, reduces visibility, and emphatically connects the residences to the land. Microclimatic House and Vineyard For baseball Hall-of-Famer Tom Seave and his wife Nancy’s low-energy house and vineyard in Napa Valley, CA, the firm optimized passive cooling through the house’s form and use of concrete, thermal-mass walls and clerestory glazing with sun-shading louvers. A floating curved canopy of steel and wood hovers above the massive southern earthen shotcrete walls, naturally lit and ventilated by clerestory windows and shading louvers. Solar panels power the vineyard and house operations.
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Kao Design Group
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The goal for the island is to firstly develop a private residence for the Branson family with plans to develop further ecological villas at a later stage.
Kao Design Group is committed to the pursuit of inspiring and functional designs that respond to the natural environment. Sustainability has been an integral aspect of the firm’s work since its inception in 1995. Today, the firm has expanded to an eight-person studio of green strategists, planners, and architects, providing a range of ecological mater planning and architectural design services in New England, California, and the Caribbean. It advances sustainability strategies and practices in collaboration with multidisciplinary teams of industry consultants and academic researchers. “My doctoral dissertation focused on innovations in building technology in the work of Frank Lloyd Wright, who was very interested in designing with nature,” says Kao, who has lectured at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design for the past 20 years (hear Kao weigh in on our discussion of Frank Lloyd Wright on p. 25). “That provided a good basis for understanding the possibilities of sustainable design, which I’ve carried with me throughout my career.” Kao Design Group’s recent projects in California’s Bay Area —including the low-energy Iron Springs Spa and House in Fairfax, which incorporates recycled steel and reclaimed redwood (for more of Kao’s projects in California, see sidebar)—reflect this commitment to working with the unique material qualities of a site and its microclimate to inform design and maximize sustainability. gb&d
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KAO
design group
E C O M A S T E R P L A N N I N G + T EC H N O LO G Y + N Z E D A R C H I T E C T U R E 440 S o m e r v i l l e A v e. S o m e r v i l l e, M A 02143 MA 617.776.0007 CA 415.454.8880 PHOTO:JACHYM PHOTOGRAPHY www.kaodesign.com
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PROJECT SPOTLIGHT
french philosophy The Passive House in the historic town of Bessancourt, France, by Karawitz Architecture, is a nod to the simple structural genius of old-fashioned architecture. A second skin of non-treated bamboo envelops the airy skeleton constructed of massive wood panels. The coating, which grays over time, is reminiscent of the typical barns of the Parisian region. With a penchant for au naturel materials—wood panels for construction, cellulose and wood fiber for the insulation and biopaints for the interior finishing—the architects’ photovoltaic panels on the roof add the finishing touch for this energy-plus house. Photos: Karawitz Architecture.
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OFFICE SPACE
profitable partnership John Kuhn and Christopher Riddle have leaned on each other for 33 years. Now three recent projects serve as stepping stones to an equally formative future for Kuhn Riddle Architects. by Thalia Aurinko-Mostow
In early 2008, Kuhn Riddle Architects was approached by New England Environmental, Inc. (NEE) concerning the cultivation of a piece of land adjacent to the NEE offices. What came out of the plan were two mixed-use buildings—one that, besides housing new NEE office space, offers leasable tenant space and an apartment, and another to be built at a later date. It is registered and awaiting approval from the USGBC for LEED Platinum certification. Rewind a bit. Nearly 30 years before they were approached by NEE, friends and coworkers John Kuhn and Christopher Riddle broke off from their existing firm and formed their own. The two had met in 1977 while commuting from Amherst to work for a firm in Springfield, Massachusetts, and on the strength of a $500 commission, they both quit their jobs and started Kuhn Riddle Architects. “We rented space from another architect, and when we tried to move out, that architect suggested we all become partners—and we did. So for 10 years we practiced with two other principals under the name Gillen, Kuhn, Riddle & Gray—a firm that grew to over 20 employees,” Kuhn says of the history he shares with Riddle. It was 1988 when the two friends split from the other two and reformed Kuhn Riddle Architects.
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Kuhn Riddle Architects
“[The open office] reflects our philosophy of cross-pollinating ideas through close contact with the entire staff.” —John Kuhn, Principal
project Kuhn Riddle Architects’ office space location Amherst Cinema Building Amherst, MA completion date 2007 size 4,100 square feet green certification Registered for LEED-CI certification unique building fact The building used to house stables in the 1880s and was converted into a movie theater in the 1920s
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INSIDE THE AMHERST CINEMA BUILDING. The architect firm’s office, housed inside the renovated mixed-use Amherst Cinema Building, is designed to be open and conducive to collaboration among employees (previous page, top right); A large theater inside the building (previous page, bottom left) pays tribute to the building’s former life as a movie theater in the 1920s; An entryway and concessions area welcomes visitors (top left); View of conference room and mezzanine highlight the cheerful and fluid design scheme of the Kuhn Riddle Architects office (top right). Photos: David Stansbury.
“As the ’90s progressed, we started to add one employee per year and gradually expanded to our current staff of 15,” Kuhn says. “Three years ago, we moved into new offices in a mixed-use building we renovated, called the Amherst Cinema Building. Our office is now 4,100 square feet and is built to LEED-CI standards and registered for certification under that program.” The office is open concept and houses all 15 employees. “It reflects our philosophy of cross-pollinating ideas through close contact with the entire staff,” he adds. The building, originally built in the 1880s, has a colorful and speckled past: It housed stables at its inception, and was later converted into a 600-person movie theater in the 1920s. After having closed in the late ’90s, the movie theater and building sat vacant for almost a decade before Kuhn Riddle Architects accepted the challenge. The renovation includes three new movie theaters; retail space on the first floor, which allowed for a coffee shop, restaurant, art gallery, and two stores; and offices, including Kuhn Riddle Architects’, on the second floor. Owning its commitment to sustainable design, Kuhn Riddle Architects’ new office features a 5-kilowatt photovoltaic array (28 panels in total), recycled framing lumber from the original Amherst Cinema, and FSC-certified ash flooring from local foresters, among other standard elements like low-flow fixtures, cellulose insulation, and energy-efficient HVAC systems.
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Kuhn Riddle Architects was able to use what it learned on the Amherst Office project when creating the NEE’s remarkable, sustainable space. The completed building, targeting LEED Gold, is a two-story wood-frame structure, a long rectangular form running east to west. “We concentrated on making the envelope very tight and well insulated, with 12-inch cellulose in the walls and 24 inches of cellulose in the roof trusses,” Kuhn explains. “A 39-kilowatt array of photovoltaic panels covers almost the entire south-facing roof.” Bill Rock, of Amherst-based Arrowwood Construction, served as the general contractor and helped the Kuhn Riddle Architects team implement the green elements, such as reflective roof shingles to help reduce heat-island effect, 12-inch thick walls filled with cellulose insulation, sensor-controlled occupant lighting, self-diming lights in specific locations, waterless urinals and dualflush toilets, low-volume faucets, high-efficiency HVAC systems, low-emitting materials, an LID storm-watermanagement system, and porous asphalt. The building’s location is also on two different bike routes and includes a bike rack. In 2003, Kuhn Riddle Architects became involved with the Ken Burns Wing of the Jerome Liebling Center for Film, Photography and Video at Hampshire College, a project that recently received LEED Gold certification. The college asked Kuhn and Riddle for a study on expanding the Film and Photography Department, where renowned photographer Jerome Liebling has taught since the early days of the college. “This early study became the basis for a development effort, which came to fruition in 2007 when we were commissioned to design the renovations and addition and oversee implementation,” Riddle says. “The original contract was for $1.7 million in June of 2008—well below estimate. The building had been designed to comply with LEED standards, but the decision to seek LEED certification took place early in construction. The low bid allowed some substantial improvements, principally a more sophisticated HVAC
A MESSAGE FROM DOUCET & ASSOCIATES, INC. At Doucet & Associates, Inc. we support our clients in achieving their LEED certification goals by providing state-of-the-art Low Impact Development designs and techniques. Our firm is a recognized leader in Low Impact solutions to support LEED certification goals and environmental sustainability. Our staff of registered professional engineers and certified planners undergo extensive training, and are expert practitioners with a broad understanding of green design initiatives. Please contact us for additional information.
system and a photovoltaic array, sufficient to meet LEED Gold standards.” With the LEED certification and other improvements, the final cost was about $2.5 million. The floor area of the wing is roughly 6,700 square feet and includes a tight envelope with a high R-value, highperformance glazing, heat-recovery ventilation controlled by carbon-dioxide sensors, a five-kilowatt photovoltaic array, recycled materials, and FSC-certified wood. Particularly noteworthy is an interactive energy display that communicates in real time the energy use of the building for the public, students, and faculty. “The design of each and every project, no matter how small, is important to us,” says Kuhn, who cites a dedication within his firm as the real reason for the USGBC’s continued recognition of his team’s projects. gb&d
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Doucet & Associates, Inc. (D&A) is a demonstrated leader in environmentally responsible site planning, engineering, and design. Our projects incorporate green solutions for professional offices, retail stores, municipal buildings, libraries, affordable housing, athletic fields, river bank stabilization, and more. Our Registered Professional Engineers and Certified Planners are well known for their ability to help clients achieve their goals through expertise in addressing complex environmental, land use, and construction challenges. If you would like to learn more about our firm and our capabilities, please feel free to contact us. We look forward to Creating the Difference for you!
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PROJECT SPOTLIGHT
raising the bar Anticipating LEED Gold certification, the new Thornburg Campus office-building complex in northern New Mexico is in a class of its own. Designed by Legorreta + Legorreta with the collaboration of architects Dekker/ Perich/Sabatini, the campus integrates sophisticated architectural elements with cutting-edge environmental technologies. The result: an eco-conscious landmark that’s raising the bar in the commercial sector. The campus “steps down” along the sloping hillside facing the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, while landscaping shields the parking area and preserves the natural look of the site. The building maximizes the challenging site space while never compromising aesthetic appeal. Photos: Robert Reck Photography.
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spaces/work ARLINGTON COUNTY DHS OFFICE
simply straightforward From its name to its reasons for sustainability, simplicity is inherent in the designs of Architecture Incorporated by Zipporah Porton
Two men, William Drury and Carl Shaw Jr., with two nicknames, Buzz and Rusty, respectively, began a partnership in April 1986. That partnership is now known as Architecture Incorporated and has since grown to 40 employees spanning two offices: one in Reston, Virginia, and the other in Ft. Myers, Florida. The founding partners chose a name that would represent the company in a clean, simple, and straightforward fashion, much like their everyday monikers. Avoiding the use of an individual’s name also has allowed the firm name to remain constant throughout the evolution of the organization.
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BELOW: The Arlington County Department of Human Services project uses color and texture to develop interior landmarks and assist in wayfinding.
Environmentally conscious design has been equally definitive of the firm. “Our firm has been pursuing and practicing sustainable design since before it became ‘the next big thing,’” says Gene Weissman, a principal at Architecture Incorporated. “Sustainable practice is not about achieving LEED or hanging a plaque on the wall, it’s about conscientious design, good decision making, and long-term planning.” The Arlington Department of Human Services project is a testimony to the firm’s philosophy that “good sustainable design practices, can and should, be incorporated into projects that impact all walks of life,” says Principal Ken White. The project involved relocating and consolidating more than two-dozen distinct health and human-services departments into one cohesive, public facility. Many of the offices have glass entrances to preserve access to natural light for all occupants. Designed to achieve LEED-CI Silver status, sustainable features include recycled content materials, low-VOC materials, controllability of lighting, and water-saving plumbing fixtures. In 2002, Drury, the company president, became a LEED AP while working on the design of the Kettler Capitals Iceplex in Arlington, Virginia. The project was designed
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spaces/work to achieve LEED certification well before many public/ private facilities explored this option. “The success of that project, in conjunction with the leadership of our company’s president, played an enormous role in energizing our focus on sustainable design,” says Principal White. The Iceplex was the firm’s first opportunity to work on a project where nearly every aspect was designed with the environment in mind. Located on an urban site, adjacent to the Metro, it was constructed on top of an existing high-rise parking garage, disturbing only a few hundred feet of ground. “Being able to construct a facility with more than 200,000 square feet of floor area and have a net-zero impact on the ground is almost a oncein-a-lifetime opportunity,” Weissman says. Other green elements include recycled materials, a white roof, and daylight views for the corporate offices. “We try to create a project environment that encourages our clients to not only incorporate sustainable elements and practices but to also maintain those elements and sustainable practices after the project is complete,” adds White. Likewise, the firm’s own office space was designed as a LEED Silver studio, “to create an environment to encourage designers to interact, experiment, and explore opportunities in an open, flexible space,” Drury says. Created from an existing 13,000-square-foot shell,
rinker design associates, p.c.
Architecture Incorporated the firm saw a unique opportunity to capture exterior space previously used as driveways and fire lanes to include as part of the office. Bolstered by inspiring spaces and recent success, the firm is working on a $6 million-plus hospitality and conference-center renovation at a secure military installation with several energy-efficient features. While a sustainable focus has helped the firm achieve success, it is not the reason Architecture Incorporated decided to go green. “As architects, we shape the built environment around us,” Weissman says. “We believe it is our obligation to do so sensibly and responsibly. Creating sustainable projects is merely an extension of that practice.” gb&d A MESSAGE FROM RINKER DESIGN ASSOCIATES, P.C. The engineers at Rinker Design Associates, P.C. are consistently impressed with how the architects at Architecture Incorporated coordinate with us very early in the development process. By taking into account site constraints and opportunities, our firms have always been able to work closely together in order to optimize building, parking, infrastructure, and sustainable layouts. This synergy saves our client both time and money in avoiding multiple re-designs and ultimately benefits the end user by delivering the highest-quality product achievable.
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RESTAURANT DESIGN
a question of birthplace As Santa Barbara, the epicenter of sustainable thought, asks itself what smart growth looks like, the founder of JM Holliday Associates looks to his past for an answer
by Erica Archer
Do lessons learned in childhood leave a lasting impression? That’s the experience of Michael Holliday, AIA, growing up in South Florida with an architect father. The Sarasota school he attended exemplified the modernist designs of Paul Rudolph, which featured walls that slid open to provide natural breezes. “I can remember as a kid walking through those buildings which today are recognized as modernist icons of noteworthy architecture, but I didn’t realize how profoundly those spaces were affecting me, or that I would be an architect 40 years later.” Holliday, founder of JM Holliday Associates, is a LEED AP who graduated at the top of his class from his master’s program at Cal Poly–San Luis Obispo. He says he can’t trace his sustainable building enlightenment to a single moment—the process was more of an evolution. “I think it’s well said that sustainability is a journey, not a destination,” he notes. “That we’re never really going to get there, but we are heading down the right path.” Today, Holliday’s clientele runs the gamut from institutional to commercial to master-planned communities. In the institutional category, the University of California at Santa Barbara has commissioned Holliday and his firm with projects ranging up to $75 million. “I think the variety of project types allows one not get pigeonholed into any regimented type of practice but allows us to keep ourselves fresh and thinking about the bigger picture ideals,” Holliday says.
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A very low-growth community, Santa Barbara embraces an extremely progressive environmental posture. “Santa Barbara prides itself on being the birthplace of the environmental movement, starting back in 1969 when the major oil spills occurred in the Channel Islands area,” Holliday explains. “So Santa Barbara has this legacy that goes back over 40 years regarding environmental sensitivities, planning issues, and stewardship-minded ecological concerns. We’ve got a long-standing history regarding those kinds of values being important to our community citizens and to our community leaders.” Sensible design limits the challenges architects face in a low-growth community. One recent project, La Cumbre Plaza, involved the repurposing an aging 12,000-squarefoot commercial building into a modernist interpretation of a traditional building design with a green and sustainable focus. The original building was “a real dog” and “aesthetically lacking,” according to both the client and Holliday. The building footprint couldn’t be expanded, so the challenge was improving its aesthetics and performance within set parameters. The new exterior used natural-finish brick, copper, and FSC-certified redwood handrails. “We kept the bones of the existing structure because they were solid, but we put a new energy-efficient skin on the building that also included a natural palette of materials and colors,” Holliday says. The building’s owners were sufficiently impressed by the building’s exterior remodel effort that they commissioned Holliday to design their restaurant interior located in the plaza, The Habit Burger Grill. The result: JM Holliday Associates have been retained to design seven more Habit Burger locations in the Santa Barbara and Los Angeles areas. The design features include rainwater cisterns, photovoltaics, high-efficiency HVAC and lighting, and interior materials like Plyboo, CaesarStone, recycled glass tiles, and waterless urinals. Silvergreens, the first restaurant in Santa Barbara to be a certified green restaurant by the Green Restaurant Association, was also a Holliday team design. The project was named a Santa Barbara Green Business and awarded a three-star rating by Built Green. Silvergreens was built using a construction-waste-management plan and is located adjacent to public transportation.
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JM Holliday Associates
SERVING SUSTAINABILITY. The Habit Burger Grill in El Segundo, CA (shown, this page), features include a rainwater cistern and TimberTech siding made from recycled milk jugs. Green screen panels set in recycled steel planters provide new landscape foliage in limited planting areas.
Drought-tolerant landscaping with drip irrigation was used for the exterior and sorghum board and local wood sourced from storm-damaged eucalyptus trees were used for interior tables. One specific growth area of the green market: churches. An increasing number of religious institutions have embraced sustainability. Holliday’s firm has completed 23 church projects throughout its history. “I’m really inspired to see a lot of these church leaders saying, ‘We want to be on the edge of sustainable thinking as well,’” he says. As churches often serve as community centers, children get exposed to the sustainable features. “They say, ‘Why doesn’t everybody design with natural daylit rooms?’” Holliday continues. “Or ‘Why don’t we all put photovoltaic panels on top of our school classrooms to generate electricity to make our electric meters run backwards when we’re not there on Saturday and Sunday?’ They kind of get it right away. Then the teachers get it, then the parents start to get it.” One entry in faith-based green development is Bethany Square, a series of modern, green, low-income, mixeduse housing developments in South Los Angeles. Employing modular construction, the $100 million project will aim for LEED certification for faith-based developer Urban Holdings, LLC. Holliday is collaborating on Bethany Square’s design with good friend and Florida Design School classmate Lawrence Scarpa, FAIA, of Pugh + Scarpa Architects. Pugh + Scarpa recently won the 2010 AIA National Firm of the Year Award and the AIA California Council Firm of the Year Award. “It’s an honor to be working with some of the best architects in the business on projects of social and environmental merit,” Holliday says.
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EAT SMART. LIVE WELL. (shown above) The new Silvergreens facility became the first greencertified restaurant in Santa Barbara and also achieved a Built Green three-star rating given by the Santa Barbara Contractors Association for its energy-efficient and environmentally responsible design. In addition, this project recently received a Passive Solar Design Award from the City of Santa Barbara for its natural daylighting of interior spaces.
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For community members concerned about growth, Holliday cites the triple-bottom-line philosophy. “It’s like win, win, win,” he quips. “The community wins because you get an aesthetically recycled building. The environment wins because we’ve recycled a dated old building and recycled it for the future, and it’s no longer the energy hog that it once was. Thirdly, there is an economic win because the client gets the added value brought to a project by renovating and repositioning it… so you’ve got a nice new green design statement which carries a lot of economic benefit years into the future.”
sustainability of our community. To suggest that we reduce building heights in the downtown core is one idea floated by some no-growth advocates that we have been opposing; that’s where you want buildings to be, not out in the rural areas of town. It just makes sense to keep your sensible and sustainable growth centered downtown where all the utility infrastructure, public transportation, and your community goods and services already exist,” he says. “Limited, appropriate growth can be a good and healthy thing; it’s more a question of how you grow.”
Holliday counters the no-growth view by advocating for smart growth. As a past president of the AIA’s Santa Barbara Chapter and its current government relations chairman, he has been on the forefront of many community-planning discussions. “It makes no sense in our particular community to expand the urban boundary; we’re surrounded by national forest and mountains to the north and by the Pacific Ocean to the south,” he says. “Therefore how we plan our downtown area is very important to the economic health, vitality, and
Holliday also serves as vice-chairman of the Santa Barbara Region Chamber of Commerce, so he notes that he must balance his professional design role as an architect with that of an advocate for the local business community. “Southern California is full of examples of how to do it wrong,” Holliday says. “We are trying to build upon the legacy of doing things right in Santa Barbara, to continue our role as a model community, both environmentally and economically…good regional planning and design takes an intelligent balance of both priorities.” gb&d
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HISTORIC SITES
to preserve and protect Liollio Architecture combines sustainability with historic preservation for Charles Towne Landing, where South Carolina was first settled
by Julie Schaeffer
When the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism looked to revamp the Charles Towne Landing State Historic Site, Liollio Architecture was the perfect choice; the 24-person architecture firm not only specializes in public projects, but it also has significant experience preserving historic structures. “We’ve done a fair amount of work with government entities, including the National Park Service, to help integrate sustainability measures into historic structures in a way that doesn’t alter the historic fabric of the structure,” says Dennis Knight, a principal at Liollio Architecture. That’s exactly what the firm did with Charles Towne Landing, a project that began long before LEED came into existence. “Ten years ago, we started with the site, which consisted of a dock, a small interpretive village, and a historic replica of the boat used to found the first colony in South Carolina,” Knight says. “All of these structures took up a lot of space, and many didn’t fit the historic nature of the area, so we helped develop a new master plan to redevelop it according to more sustainable principles.” Specifically, Liollio Architecture removed old structures, most of which were badly damaged after Hurricane Hugo, and returned the site to a fairly pristine state. “We opened up some old pastures around the site,” Knight says. “We then replaced around 50,000 square feet of structures and a couple of acres of hardscape with only 25,000 square feet of new structures that were more sensitive to the landscape—disappearing, so-to-speak, so they aren’t the focal point of the park.”
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Those structures consist of a support facility, a new visitor center, and a new community center called Founder’s Hall. The former structures were designed before LEED gained public popularity, so Liollio Architecture used sustainable principles without formal recognition. The 10,000-square-foot Founder’s Hall, however, is another story: the structure, completed in September 2009, is seeking LEED Silver certification. “We oriented the hall to take advantage of a long eastwest axis and shading of the southern exposures,” Knight explains. “We also have shading devices on some exposed glass, a geothermal heat pump system, a mass wall down the middle of the building to help stabilize temperature swings, high-efficiency LED and CFL lighting with lighting control systems and occupancy sensors, and landscaping that requires no irrigation after the first year.” Founder’s Hall is now one of many LEED projects for Liollio Architecture, which has 16 LEED APs on staff and is working on a number of studies that explore the integration of sustainable features in public projects. The South Carolina Energy Office, South Carolina Historic Preservation Office, and Historic Charleston Foundation together commissioned the firm to study six historic structures in warm and humid climates and produce guidelines for best practices in integrating sustainability and energy conservation into such structures. The city of Charleston also commissioned Liollio Architecture to conduct a study of municipalscale, solar-power installations. Liollio Architecture has a long history of sustainable design, but taking that approach to the next level was one of both passion and foresight. “As our staff has grown, we’ve brought on younger talent, most of whom have a passion for integrating environmental design into architecture,” Knight says. “We felt that if we were going to continue for another 54 years and transition the business to another generation, we had to move in that direction.” gb&d
“We’ve done a fair amount of work…to help integrate sustainability measures into historic structures in a way that doesn’t alter the historic fabric.” —Dennis Knight, Principal
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Liollio Architecture
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IN THE HURRICANE’S PATH South Carolina architecture needs to be sturdy When Liollio Architecture was commissioned by the city of Bluffton, SC, to design the Beaufort County Early Childhood Centers, it faced a unique challenge. “The city wanted the two new schools to be the first in the area to use the LEED for Schools rating system, so all of the glass had to be energy efficient,” Knight says. “But the schools were located in a high-wind hurricane zone, so they had to be impact-rated also.” The project was perfect for a firm known not only for its sustainability but also for its building-systems approach. “The firm as a strong history of passive design; it’s always been focused on siting, orientation, shading, and minimal disturbance to the environment,” Knight says. “But over the past six to seven years, we’ve begun focusing more on energy-using systems and looking more at optimizing the whole building. We do a lot of work pertaining to orientation, envelope, and energy systems.” Finding such high-efficiency windows for the learning centers wasn’t easy, but Knight ultimately succeeded. “The solution,” he says, “was a laminated glass product with a high-efficiency glazing system.”
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ABOVE, RIGHT: Charles Towne Landing is the site of the original settlement in Charles Towne between 1670 and 1680. Minimal disturbance of buried historical artifacts is a consistent priority, and archeological analysis of the property defined the building site for the 11,000-square-foot Founders Hall Community Center. The new facility is designed to be transparent, allowing the park and surrounding landscape to dominate visually, with vegetation serving as a noise buffer toward an animal forest, which is contiguous to the site.
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PROJECT SPOTLIGHT
brave new style Capsule hotels are not new in the rapid, business-centric world of Japan; the first was opened in Osaka in 1979. But Kyoto’s 9h (Nine Hours) hopes to transcend the only marginal acceptance the idea has received throughout the rest of the world, and it plans to do so in style. Striving to reinvent the way travelers view accommodations, 9h uses overtly simple design—a mostly black and white palette, intuitive illustrations for signage—and wayfinding practices to create an organic process that values time over all else. No rooms or private bathrooms. Capsules instead of bedrooms. The look is futuristic, perhaps even dystopian, but hospitality here means something very different than it does in the southern United States. The beauty of the hotel is in its simplicity and maximization of comfort even while using very little space. Photos: Nacása & Partners Inc.
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CAMPUS ADMINISTRATION BUILDING
subtle theatrics HOLT Architects, P.C. enjoys headline-grabbing green elements like geothermal energy, but says the trick lies in the details by Meghan Boyer
The Peggy Ryan Williams Center is a 58,000-square-foot, four-story administration and enrollment-services building for Ithaca College completed in 2009. The college is seeking LEED Platinum certification for the center. The building is the creation of HOLT Architects, P.C., which tried to incorporate regionally harvested and manufactured materials as well as recycled materials. It used low-emitting materials to reduce the presence of VOCs, and at least 50 percent of the wood and wood products in the project came from FSC-certified sources. “Wastemanagement practices during construction diverted more than 75 percent of construction waste through recycling and reusing,” says Robert J. O’Brien, AIA, NCARB, and principal with the Ithaca, New York-based firm. The entire building skin is designed as a rain screen, O’Brien adds. “The sheathed surfaces are covered in a modified bituminous sheet air barrier, over which openjointed layers of stone or metal panels are applied,” he says. The visible roof surfaces are vegetated or covered in pavers, and the main roof has a white Energy Star membrane. The roof also “drains toward the center, where its
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HOLT Architects
project Peggy Ryan Williams Center location Ithaca College Ithaca, NY completion date 2009 size 57,500 square feet green certification Striving for LEED Platinum unique design feature The entire building skin is designed as a rain screen
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INSIDE THE PEGGY RYAN WILLIAMS CENTER. The building incorporates regionally harvested, manufactured, and recycled materials (previous page); Daylighting controls played a key role in reaching the project’s sustainability goals (this page, center left); Green roofs, porous pavement, and low-maintenance native grasses were used to
maximize the building’s eco-friendly design (top right); Scenic views of the campus and landscape can be glimpsed through the building’s many windows (center right); The firm specializes in higher-education projects such as this center, which serves as the gateway to Ithaca College for prospective students (bottom). Photos: Tom Watson.
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“While there are dramatic features... virtually every element of the [Peggy Ryan Williams Center] had to be assessed for potential contribution to the overall sustainability goal.”
Healthcare has focused more specifically on energy savings and indoor air quality, but it is no less important,” O’Brien says, noting that private developers and smaller non-profits also appreciate the marketability of a green building. “These are clients who share our commitment to quality construction, design excellence, sustainability, and serving the greater good.”
—Robert J. O’Brien, Principal
rainwater is captured and piped to a 12,000-gallon underground tank to be used as flush water for the building’s toilet fixtures,” he notes. To achieve the LEED Platinum rating, the first for the firm, HOLT Architects had to employ a broad range of sustainable practices. “While there are dramatic features—like the geothermal HVAC, the daylighting controls, and the storm-water harvesting systems—virtually every element of the project had to be assessed for potential contribution to the overall sustainability goal,” O’Brien says. Achieving this kind of holistic design is the goal of HOLT Architects, providing services in line with its principles— not only for clients but also for the community and the environment. It strives to select projects and clients that are compatible with its core values, which include a desire for quality, an appreciation of design, a commitment to sustainability, and service of the greater good. “We strive to bring value to our clients in everything we do,” O’Brien says. “We employ a socially and environmentally responsible approach to our work by establishing sustainability as a core principle of our design.”
In addition to applying high standards to its projects, HOLT Architects also practices what it preaches in its own office, to which it recently added a high-albedo Energy Star TPO membrane. “Our office is located in a reclaimed and repurposed building, which in 1916, as the Crescent Theater, was the first silent movie house in Ithaca,” O’Brien says. “Whenever we have the opportunity to upgrade a system, we strive to improve the level of sustainability.” gb&d
GIE NIAGARA ENGINEERING INC.
The firm specializes in the higher education and healthcare sectors, with up to 80 percent of its projects divided between those two categories. The remaining balance consists of multiple dwellings, commercial, and civic structures. HOLT Architects became serious about sustainable design roughly eight years ago, and even its first projects complied with New York State’s Executive Order 111, which mandated a 20-percent improvement in energy efficiency and the equivalent of LEED certified, he says. Nearly all of the firm’s work is for public and private nonprofit clients. In addition to Ithaca College, the team has worked with institutions like Binghamton University, Cazenovia College, Cornell University, SUNY Cortland, Upstate Medial University, and Wells College. Healthcare clients include Auburn Memorial Hospital, Canton-Potsdam Hospital, Cayuga Medical Center at Ithaca, and Rome Memorial Hospital. “In higher education, sustainable design experience is almost a prerequisite.
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GIE Niagara Engineering Inc. (GIE) provides energy efficient and environmentally sensitive engineering design services for institutional and industrial Clients, focusing on power, steam, chilled water and electricity projects. GIE provides a comprehensive range of multi-discipline services including mechanical, electrical, civil and instrumentation & control, able to undertake projects from concept through development & planning, design, construction, commissioning, startup, testing and training. We work seamlessly as a team to deliver a project that meets the Client’s objectives. Contact us to find out how we can assist with your next project! GIE NIAGARA ENGINEERING INC. 4th FLOOR, 80 KING STREET, ST. CATHARINES, ONTARIO, CANADA L2R 7G1 Phone: (905) 984-8682 Fax: (905) 984-8818 E-Mail: gie@gie.ca
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HEALTH & WELLNESS CENTER
cultivating a green mentality Through planning and pro bono work, Frank Architects Inc. is leading the city of Laredo, TX, to a more sustainable future by Thalia Aurinko-Mostow
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Laredo, Texas, has one green roof. At least it did for a time. There may be more in progress, perhaps even finished now, but where there was once none, this past year the city gained one. And that one green roof was the work of Frank Architects Inc., who for the past 14 years has been a growing multidisciplinary, full-service architectural firm that focuses on community facilities, institutional and commercial design, historic-preservation restoration work, as well as planning, site, and landscape design. The eight-person firm also provides site evaluations, needs assessments, site locating, cost estimating, project management, master planning, and feasibility studies. Frank Architects, conscious of the environment since its inception in 1996, is a member of the USGBC and employs one LEED AP, believing that sustainable design is the key to successful operation and maintenance of building design. Viviana Frank, AIA, one of two
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spaces/heal principals at the firm, knows the company’s future is tied to its green efforts. “The environment is today’s paramount issue. While we have always practiced with basic passive solar principles in our work, we are happy to do more,” she says. “We are under construction with the first building in Laredo to utilize green practices.” Frank and her team are proud to credit themselves with the first green roof in Laredo. The firm just finished work on the 45,000-square-foot Haynes Health and Wellness Center for the city. Inside is a double gymnasium; a cardio-fitness and weight-training area; a dance studio, media room, lounge, and health-food concession stand; an upper-level walking and jogging track; locker rooms, and special needs rooms. Outside: a swimming pool, community garden, jogging track, bathroom facilities, and a recycling and composting center. “The facility was planned as a multiuse activity center designed around the idea that recreation and environment go hand in hand in the health of an individual and a community,” Frank says. The project is a response to a new precedent set by the City of Laredo Open Space Master Plan Indoor Recreational Priorities, and to meet the standards and further raise the bar, the building includes ecosystem restoration and xeriscaping; rainwater-collection systems; and a community garden, which provides individual plots for seasonal planting of fruits and vegetables by individuals, families, or clubs. The composting center recycles plant material for use in the garden, greenhouse, and landscaping of the park.
Frank Architects Inc.
“Laredo is a small community, our work is our best marketing tool.” –Viviana Frank, Principal
PREVIOUS PAGE: The Haynes Health and Wellness Center boasts the first green roof in Laredo, and was designed around the idea that recreation and environment go hand in hand. BELOW: The health center spans 45,000 square feet and includes a gym, dance studio, swimming pool, community garden, recycling and composting center, and more.
One of Frank Architects’ goals for the project was to design every element with green-building practices in mind. It was important that all components of the center, including the user, participate in the ecology of the site; they wanted there to be a relationship between the building, the user, and the environment. After all, relationships have been the lifeblood of the firm. In 1999, Frank Architects became a certified minority-owned, Historically Underutilized Business. The firm prides itself on its diversity and ability to serve the community. Not long ago, it started the Laredo Main Street Program, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the economic diversification of downtown Laredo and surrounding neighborhoods while preserving its historic resources, and it does pro bono work for the area as well. As to the success this has brought, Frank says the closeness her firm shares with the community—and especially clients—is key. “Each project is cultivated by understanding the needs of the owner or occupant by developing a well-defined building program and site orientation and the technical application of sustainable practices,” she says. “Laredo is a small community; our work is our best marketing tool.” In the next couple of years, Frank Architects hopes to continue its green work, with more of an emphasis on private development. Though it’s totaled more than $3.25 million in total construction costs over the years, the firm is anxious for more growth in the field. Just as another partner, Frank Rotnofsky, AIA, portrays the firm’s work, “Our projects, when complete, are programmatically well sighted within a layered yet unrealized blueprint of future growth,” he is also describing what has made Frank Architects the thriving business it is today. gb&d
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spaces/heal HOSPITAL ADDITION
rural diversity Urban areas are known for attracting a variety of people and ideas, but for Lack + Strosser Architecture, keeping things diverse is crucial
by Joyce Finn
In rural areas, firms such as Lack + Strosser Architecture know that survival depends on their ability to diversify across a wide range of sectors. According to Ted Strosser, AIA, LEED AP, and partner, “We haven’t done prisons or federal government work, but we’ll do anything and everything else—from a screened porch addition to a $10 million industrial site. We let the client and the site context inform the design response. Because of our market, we have a willingness to be flexible with our services.” The firm recently completed the Central Susquehanna Community Foundation, which is pending LEED Silver certification. This 6,000-square-foot, one-story office building sits on a triangular site at a heavily trafficked intersection in Berwick, Pennsylvania. Because of nearby traffic, mitigating the sound of traffic noise was an issue in the design process and addressed with a full masonry building and additional sound insulation. Other sustainable features included in this project were a partial geothermal system, Interface carpets (recycled and recyclable), thermal insulation, a shower, and bike racks. Countertops were composed of Environ bio-composites made of sunflower-seed hulls known as Dakota Burl.
Lack + Strosser Architecture, founded in 1984 and based in rural Pennsylvania, is licensed in New York and Maryland, yet most of its projects are within a two-hour radius of its Lewisburg office. During the recession, the quantity of projects decreased, but the firm had enough significant projects that they were able to add staff. Revenue in 2009 exceded $1 million, an increase from 2008. The firm recently opened up a second office in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania. “We’re comfortable at the scale we are, but if we decide to grow larger, it’ll require a conscious change in our structure,” Strosser says. “We do hire a lot of interns since mentoring in an area that’s geographically rural is a necessity for us. They also keep us young and hungry and vibrant.” When asked about client reaction to sustainable practices, Strosser says, “Making the case for sustainable elements is easier to make nowadays, but convincing our clients to go for full LEED certification is still difficult.” Local contractors are also learning how to take advantage of recycling of construction waste so it reduces cost. As for sustainability products, “From a materials standpoint, using regional materials is one of the benefits of being in Pennsylvania. We usually don’t have to think about the steel or brick or even the drip drywall,” he says. “So many manufacturers are within the LEED radius requirements they’re inherently regional.”
BELOW: The new Emergency Department for the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hospital is a modern addition to an existing historic 1940s hospital, expanding its size by a formidable 25,000 square feet.
The Emergency Department for the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hospital in Wellsboro, though a new building, is attached to an existing, historic 1940s hospital. The $10 million, two-story addition will increase the hospital’s size by 25,000 square feet. Along with the usual challenges of designing a new hospital building in the 21st century, Lack + Strosser was tasked with the challenge of fitting the new addition to the existing structure. One of the difficult decisions facing the client was the site of the new addition, which ultimately was built on the hospital’s front lawn, its primary green space. Lack + Strosser has won awards for preservation. “Adaptive reuse is what got me into architecture and sustainability,” Strosser says. “I grew up loving old buildings and history. I’m fascinated by the uncovered layers of history masked by later renovations. It’s amazing what you can uncover.” In 2007, the firm won the Initiative Award in Communication from the Preservation PA for the Carlisle Historic Design Guidelines. The same document won a national award from the National Association of Preservation. In 2009, the firm was recognized in American School & University for Interior Design Excellence of the renovation of Lycoming Hall at Bloomsburg University. In the same magazine, the firm received recognition for Columbia Hall at Bloomsburg University in 2010. gb&d
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Creating the environment for your project. Proud to be a supporter of Lack + Strosser Architecture as a member of their Sustainable Design Team for the last 10 years. In-House Engineering Disciplines : Mechanical Electrical Plumbing Structural Civil
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solutions
Walk the talk Though sustainability is a fixture at New England’s Abernathy Lighting Design, the firm’s vocabulary—and behavior— extends beyond trendy LEDs
T he introduction of LED technology forever changed the lighting market. These new lights can be found in nearly every application, from traffic signals to televisions to holiday decorations. Katherine Abernathy, LC, IALD, and principal lighting designer at Abernathy Lighting Design, appreciates the advancements made by LED technologies, but she is also realistic about how far they can actually take us from a design perspective. “There is a learning and experience curve to deal with,” she says, “and LEDs bring a whole new vocabulary to the table.” Abernathy mentions the US Department of Energy’s CALiPER program, which is testing LED performance in the marketplace, and working toward implementing industry standards on testing and reporting of what LED lighting systems are capable of. “LEDs are great sources in the right application, and they are improving every day,” she admits, “but they are certainly not perfect for every situation.”
Fact: the DOE caLiPER program began testing SSL luminaires in august 2007. conducting three rounds of testing each year, more than 250 products have been tested for reliable, unbiased product performance.
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Abernathy Lighting Design was founded by Abernathy in 2001 and currently has three full-time staff members as well as a part-time employee; the group includes both LEED APs and Lighting Certified Professionals. It is a full-service, creativelighting-design firm, a certified MWBE in the state of Rhode Island, and a member of the International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD) and the USGBC. “We work with exhibit designers, architects, engineers, interior designers, and owners to develop a design approach based on the unique needs of a given project. On any given project, we generate plans, specifications, light-level calculations, concept renderings; we facilitate mock-ups of potential design ideas, again all depending on the needs and requirements of each project,” Abernathy explains, “And then, when it comes to the final look of an installed project, we will often spend time
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Abernathy Lighting Design
ABOVE: Ripley’s BELIEVE IT OR NOT! in London. Exhibit design and photos: Jack Rouse Associates.
RiPLEy’S BELiEvE it OR NOt! London, UK / the 23,000-square-foot project was a retrofit of an existing building in Piccadilly Square. / a tight budget caused all luminaire choices to be made with a focus on balancing performance and cost. / Working within the constraints, abernathy was able to further reduce the energy consumption by using the lowest available lamp wattages (20W and 35W MR-16 lamps). / the design included exterior lighting that used LED-based, colorchanging wash luminaires and a preprogrammed lighting controller with an astronomical time clock to regulate hours of operation.
on site working with the design team to ensure that all of the luminaires have been aimed correctly and to direct the installation of any filters or accessories as well as the programming of all control systems.” Abernathy has found that their most successful projects are always the ones where they are deeply involved throughout the design, construction, and final adjusting process. Being a green business has always been a source of pride for Abernathy, who knows that even an act as seemingly small as recycling soda cans in the office makes a big difference. “It can be design choices you weren’t specifically asked for but you do anyway because it’s the right thing to do, or it can be making simple common sense decisions from a business-operations standpoint—like plotting draft copies of large format drawings on the backside of out-of-date prints instead of simply recycling every old drawing the second it’s revised. If everyone kept the little stuff in mind, it could make a big difference,” Abernathy says. Yet Abernathy Lighting Design’s biggest eco-friendly practice is its work.
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Sustainable lighting has been a fixture almost since the company’s inception, and to Jason Rainone LEED AP, BD+C, Associate IALD, and associate lighting designer at the firm, it means taking a multifaceted approach. “It addresses human needs by supporting visibility and productivity; economic needs by minimizing initial equipment cost and reducing operation costs; environmental needs by reducing carbon emissions and hazardous waste and by controlling outdoor light pollution; and aesthetic needs by ensuring that, throughout all of this, a high quality of light is maintained,” Rainone says. The future of sustainable lighting goes further than LED technology, the people at Abernathy Lighting Design believe, and it likewise extends past further advancements in low wattage metal halide lamps. For energy-efficient lighting to continue flourishing and to continue to be of interest to designers and the public alike, Rainone believes well-written and industry-evaluated energy codes—and a further emphasis on daylighting strategies in all aspects of architecture and design—will have to become the norm. “If the proper placement of windows and
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skylights means that you can run your lighting systems at half the wattage during the day (or even better, not turn them on at all) then artificial lighting becomes a supplement for times when the sun isn’t shining,” he adds. The biggest trend Abernathy Lighting Design has seen lately has been in the realm of controls. “Just because a luminaire is installed on a project doesn’t mean that it needs to be left on 24/7,” explains Melissa Sparks, Associate IALD and assistant lighting designer, “and just because you turn a light on doesn’t mean that it needs to come on to full power.” Controlling the light—using it in combination with natural daylight or sensors so energy isn’t used when the space isn’t occupied—can help reduce how much energy an installed lighting system draws and can move people in the direction of responsible energy usage. Abernathy has focused on responsibility since she opened the firm, and through work on major projects like The Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum and The New World of Coca-Cola, in Atlanta. Abernathy Lighting Design is bringing sustainable practices to the masses, hopefully opening the eyes of many toward the future of eco-friendly design and technologies beyond LED Christmas lights.
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Soefker Services, LLC Soefker Services,LLC. | Soefker Automation,LLC.
—by Thalia Aurinko-Mostow
Proudly Serving You For Over 60 Years!
A MESSAGE FROM COOPER LIGHTING Offering the broadest selection of products in the industry, Cooper Lighting’s dedication to sustainable product solutions is the core of its business. As lighting technologies have advanced, Cooper has been at the forefront of the industry in helping businesses and communities leverage the latest technologies to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and meet environmental concerns. Last year, the company opened a 60,000-square-foot Innovation Center, home to the research, design, validation and manufacturing of proprietary LED, and other advanced lighting technologies. Cooper’s uncompromising commitment to innovation, quality, and value has resulted in an impressive line of award-winning, patented product designs.
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Soefker Services, LLC is a mechanical contracting, service and controls company serving Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas. Our goal is to provide the highest value in mechanical services to our customers in a timely manner and at a competitive price. We are pledged to follow ethical and professional standards to assure quality results and full compliance with all applicable codes, standards and regulations.
Safety, Experience, Value and Quality 1568 Panama Street Phone: 901-386-6723 Fax: 901-386-8092 Memphis, TN 38108 Toll Free: 877-386-6723 www.wasoefker.com
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solutions/hvac installation
backgrounder/ Traditional data rooms are designed so that air is blown out of vents in the floor to cool the whole room. But this, Harvey says, isn’t energy efficient, because the whole room doesn’t need to be cooled—only the air going into the servers does. As a result, modern, energy-efficient data rooms are designed with cold aisles and hot aisles. Servers face the cold aisles, which allows them to take in cold air and keep from overheating. Hot air is then expelled out the backs of the servers into the hot aisles.
Fact: according to Pike Research, investments in greener data centers will grow expansively over the next five years, increasing from $7.5 billion in global revenue to $41.4 billion by 2015.
learning to read the data “We set ourselves apart by being a high-quality contractor,” says Steve Harvey, service manager for Soefker Services, LLC—which installs, maintains, and services HVAC systems. “Our philosophy isn’t to be the cheapest, but to be the best, so we thoroughly analyze a client’s needs and do what needs to be done. As a result, we do not work in the business spec market; everything we do is negotiated.” Soefker Services’ newest arena is greening data rooms, which may be the next wave of the green movement. The reason, Harvey says, is that designing data rooms the right way can save energy—and quite a lot of it.
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“It saves energy, because it doesn’t cool the whole room; it cools only what needs to be cooled, which are the servers,” Harvey explains. This is critically important because a company’s data room or center is typically its largest user of electricity per square foot—which means making the data center energy efficient can save a lot of money. In fact, energy costs are typically reduced by 20–30 percent with a typical upgrade, Harvey notes. But that number can still be much higher.
assignment/ Upgrade the system at Morgan Keegan & Co., a Memphis-based brokerage with 300 offices and more than 4,400 employees spread across 19 states.
solution/ “This project is a remodel, so the system installs within a row of data center equipment racks, providing precision cooling close to the server heat source for the most efficient and effective operation,” Harvey says of the 3,500-square-foot, $800,000 project, which utilized a Liebert CRV cooling system. “It’s going cut the company’s cooling-related energy costs by 50 percent.” Soefker Services has seen significant growth as a result of its venture into the
data-room arena. In 1990, Harvey, who had been working for another Memphis heating and cooling business, was hired by heating-and-cooling contractor W.A. Soefker & Son Inc., to launch Soefker Services (as well as Soefker Automation, which provides building automation system design and maintenance). Today, data rooms bring in around $2 million out of Soefker Services’ $7–8 million in total annual revenue, he estimates. Harvey says that it seems as if companies are not eagerly embracing energy-efficient data rooms. That, however, is most likely because there’s so much work involved in a changeover. “As people need to replace their data-room systems, most are going with energy-efficient models,” he says. “So I see this field taking off.” —by Julie Schaeffer
NEW tOOL FOR MEaSURiNg PERFORMaNcE the first step in improving performance is measuring performance— and the purchase of an air-monitoring system called air advice in December 2009 has helped Soefker Services’ sister company, Soefker automation, do just that. “air advice measures a building’s temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide, and amperage,” says Steve Harvey, service manager for Soefker Services. “We put that data directly into the government’s Energy Star website to obtain an Energy Star rating and give our client an idea of what it needs to do in order to improve its energy efficiency.”
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solutions/cabinetry
A BreAth of fresh Business Frank Tommasini is proof that sustainability isn’t just for the young. He started his most recent company, Breathe Easy Cabinetry, which distributes environmentally friendly cabinetry, five years ago—when he was well into his eighties. “I’m a health nut,” gushes Tommasini, when asked what motivated him to make such a big change at such an advanced age. “I’ve subscribed to health newsletters for more than 30 years, so I’m concerned about air quality and its impact on healthy breathing. When I first started hearing about the green movement and how it could prevent those problems, I got really enthused.”
ABOVE: The kitchen of the Nevin’s Street residence, Brooklyn, NY.
backgrounder/ Breathe Easy Cabinetry is a distributor of cabinets built to its quality and sustainability specifications by two partnering manufacturing facilities. assignment/ Participate in—and therefore further bolster—the movement for healthier indoor home furnishings. For Breathe Easy Cabinetry, this involved creating cabinets from formaldehyde-free plywood, non-toxic glues, stains, and sealants, and sustainably forested woods.
off-gassing of construction products and carpeting in a home) can irritate the eyes, nose, throat, lungs and skin, and possibly lead to cancer. The Environmental Protection Agency has more cautiously concluded that formaldehyde “may cause cancer in humans.” “There’s no 100 percent formaldehydefree plywood, because everything—from our skin to our clothes—has a little naturally occurring formaldehyde,” Tommasini explains. “But our plywood, which comes from Columbia Forest Products, has no added formaldehyde.”
solution/ To facilitate the desire and need for sustainability in its cabinets, Breathe Easy Cabinetry’s chose two partners—based in New Hyde Park, New York; and Piqua, Ohio—to manufacture the products. These sites are intentional: “To get LEED credits, you have to manufacture cabinets within 500 miles of a building site,” Tommasini says.
Fact: as of March 2010, more than 125 million hectares of forest worldwide were certified to FSc standards, and the FSc had given out over 16,000 certifications to businesses involved in the forest product supply chain.
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Piece by piece, the company has created sustainably superior cabinets. First, they are formaldehyde free. Formaldehyde is widely considered carcinogenic. In 2004, the International Agency for Research on Cancer concluded that high concentrations in wood dust (or simply from the
All glues are non-toxic and water-based, and stains and paints, including clear topcoats, are low-VOC and certified by GreenGuard or Green Seal. Examples of products include Benjamin Moore EcoSpec paint and Agualente topcoats. Cabinet doors and drawer fronts are constructed from bamboo, solid woods harvested from managed forests, or woodveneered multi-density fiberboard. In the past, Breathe Easy Cabinetry’s clients have been primarily residential, but the company has now expanded into the commercial market. Recent projects include cabinets for the Holistic Clinic of
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Breathe Easy Cabinetry
New York in New York City; the American Lung Association headquarters in Brooklyn, New York; and Health House at 93 Nevins Street in Brooklyn (Green Depot supplied the Breathe Easy Cabinetry for the Nevins Street project). Tommasini says Breathe Easy Cabinetry sets itself apart by offering its cabinets at the same price as traditional cabinets of the same quality—but getting clients to understand this sometimes takes some work. “You can’t compare our deluxe cabinets, which have ¾-inch plywood boxes and soft-close doors, to stock cabinets from Home Depot,” Tommasini says. “But clients try to do that, and they blame the cost difference on our cabinets being green. If you really want to compare apples to apples, you have to compare our cabinets to another deluxe cabinet.”
ABOVE: A kids room of the Nevin’s Street residence.
Right now, only three of 20 prospects choose green cabinets over traditional cabinets—but Tommasini expects that to change. “We’re coming out of an economic downturn, and more and more companies are offering green products,” he explains. “So once people get over the idea that you have to pay more to be green, things will change.” —by Julie Schaeffer
CABINETRY, INC cabinetry for indoor air quality
BREatHE EaSy caBiNEt SPEcS cabinet boxes/ 3/4-inch formaldehyde-free maple plywood (colombia Forest PureBond) interiors/ Maple-finished formaldehyde-free plywood shelves/ 3/4-inch formaldehyde-free plywood finished on two sides with matching veneer edges drawers & fronts/ 3/4-inch sold wood, bamboo or approved MDF core with veneer finishes/ Low-vOc water-based stain or approved oil-based stain with agualente topcoat or Benjamin Moore Eco-Spec low-vOc paint
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Breathe Easy Cabinetry meets the requirements for LEED® credits and LEED® certification Multiple unit projects quoted on request Visit our web site at: www.BreatheEasyCabinetry.com Or call us at: 516-877-0006 for more information
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Looking for Performance?
GO TUBELESS! The EDM P5 & P6 (patent pending) with its ability to drill under large volumes of water is quickly becoming the hammer of choice in Geothermal Drilling Applications. Don’t be held hostage to foreign manufacturers’ inferior hammers that require special bits not always readily available. No Foot Valve — Runs with Any Standard QL5 & QL6 Bit Unparalleled Performance takes the guesswork out of buying your next hammer No Hammer Flood-Out — Efficiently Handles Large Volumes of Water High Frequency for Smoother Operation Made in America with American Steel by Americans
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solutions/geothermal energy backgrounder/ Geothermal systems take one of nature’s basic principles—that heat moves from warm to cold—and uses it to heat and cool buildings. Geothermal heat pumps are like refrigerators in this regard. Compressors, heat pumps, and underground piping perform the work of moving or replacing the heat. The process works the same whether there is one heat pump or a hundred and has a Co-efficiency of Performance (COP) three times better than electricity or natural gas.
FactS: the Geysers project in San Francisco was the United States’ first commercial geothermal site 50 years ago. the IGa reports in 2010 that 10,715 MW of geothermal power were online and generated 67,246 GWh of electricity.
Trading Sun for EarTh Once upon a time, Morrison Geothermal Inc. was Morrison Solar Inc. It was 1980. Solar panels were on the roof of the White House. Jimmy Carter was president. Spurred on by a 40-percent tax break, consumers all over the country were exploring solar power as an energy option. Harry Morrison, Jr. and Mike Rash, a former science teacher, were optimistic as they launched their business. But winter days in Central Pennsylvania, where Morrison Geothermal is located, are both cold and short. Some days the sun shines for only a few hours. Morrison and Rash learned that no amount of tax incentives would make the sun shine more than nature told it to. Undeterred, they stayed in the energy business. They just transitioned into a different— though still cutting-edge—technology: geothermal.
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For consumers, the most appealing aspect of geothermal energy is its cost. Installing the system costs as much as any other heating system, but, with the cost of fossil fuels going continually rising (and showing no signs of stopping), the operating costs can be four or five times cheaper than oil or natural gas. Consumers also earn a 30-percent tax credit on the costs of installing the system. Of the dozens of jobs Morrison Geothermal has in the works at any one time, all but a few are full geothermal systems. Another key benefit of a geothermal heating system is that, since there are no fossil fuels involved in the process, there are zero carbon emissions.
people think, it’s better for us to hit rock when we drill,” Rash explains. “That means the ground is solid enough to install piping.” Having been at it for so long, there aren’t too many situations that Rash’s team has not encountered. This is just one of the reasons Morrison Geothermal has an edge on its ever-growing competition. The other is the fact they are able to do everything— drill, supply, and build—in a job from start to finish. They rarely bring in outside contractors. The competition can’t necessarily say that. As long as the cost of electricity and fossil fuels keeps escalating at their present rate, Rash doesn’t expect much to change for Morrison Geothermal. The company, established in 1981,has grown steadily in its nearly 30 years of operation. In fact, geothermal energy has never been more popular than it is now. Not that Rash, vice president, didn’t see it coming. “It takes about 10 or 15 years for a new technology to catch on with the public,” he says. Looking ahead, Rash says he’d like to see the company expand its territory, perhaps into Ohio and Virginia. With the value that Morrison Geothermal brings its customers, the goal should soon be reality. —by Shawn Drury
Many of the company’s commercial projects have come through public bidding— schools, nursing facilities, and government offices are among its most common clients. A majority of them are “plan and spec,” according to Rash. “We work closely with engineers on the commercial side of the business,” he says.
assignment/ Install a geothermal system for Green Valley Elementary School, in Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania.
solution/ Green Valley required 160 holes to be drilled 450 feet into the ground, a couple of hundred feet deeper than the usual 250. The difficulty of any given job will often depend on the consistency of the ground into which the company is drilling. Stability is preferred. “Contrary to what most
A MESSAGE FROM EASTERN DRILLERS MANUFACTURING Jump on the opportunity to go greem with the use of Eastern Drillers Manufacturing’s GeoThermal P5 and P6 hammers. The P5 and P6 are the latest addition to our hammer line products. These hammers are fast and efficient, and operate with any QL5 and QL6 bit. P5 and P6 have been tested and run extremely well when encountering large volumes of water, and there is no hammer flood out. This feature alone makes these hammers a great choice for geothermal applications. The tubeless design eliminates needless down time due to broken foot valves, and a triple-lead thread design which allows for easy bit changing. When searching for a driller to install a geothermal system for you make sure they are using hammers and bits manufactured by Eastern Drillers Manufacturing to be the most efficient and cost effective for your dollar. Our products are American made with American steel.
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architect to watch
Stacey McMahan Architecture for Humanityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new liaison to Haiti plans for a grueling, but incomparable experience by Peter Fretty
Photo: Stephen Parezo.
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architect to watch
Stacey McMahan
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architect to watch When tragedy struck Haiti in January 2010, the world instantaneously came together, volunteering millions of manhours to deliver life-saving supplies and vital medical assistance to help those in need. However, this urgent rescue phase was just the start. As with any tragedy, the need continues as the poverty-stricken nation works to rebuild and regain a sense of normalcy for the homeless masses. Rarely as professionals are we afforded the opportunity to truly turn our passion into action and ultimately help an entire society move forward. But Stacey McMahan, AIA, LEED AP, and principal at Koch Hazard Architects, is one of the chosen ones. She was recently selected to serve a one-year fellowship based in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. In this once-in-a-lifetime position, the environmentally minded McMahan will work collaboratively with a diverse team of professionals and volunteers to reconstruct the nation. Before she boarded the flight to Haiti, McMahan took a moment to chat with gb&d about the journey that awaits her. The Architecture for Humanity Sustainable Design Fellowship is a joint venture between the USGBC and the AIA, and it focuses on promoting key principles of green building including smart material usage, structural integrity, higher energy and water efficiency, and better ventilation quality for occupants.
PAST PROJECTS A peek inside some of Stacey McMahan’s recent works in the US 1/ Exterior of Sioux Falls, SD’s Museum of Visual Materials. 2/ Interior stairwell of the Courthouse Square office-and-retail building, in Sioux Falls. 3/ Exterior of Courthouse Square. 4/ Exhibit space at the Museum of Visual Materials. Photos: Stephen Parezo.
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My passion for sustainability goes back to my upbringing in a small Kansas town. It has to do with awareness and things like being around a garden all the time, seeing the summer wheat harvest brought to the co-op elevator, and dealing with definite seasons. My passion has continuously evolved throughout the years. However, I would like to see a more profound connection between the educational environment and the use of sustainable practices in the real world. During architecture school at Kansas State University, my projects included environmental considerations such as good site orientation, passive solar strategies, etc. But there needs to be a stronger connection between what people learn in the classroom and how they practice professionally, possibly through integrating studies with other professions such as mechanical and environmental engineering or carrying design through to construction and measuring energy outcomes. LEED has helped realistically apply sustainable strategies to professional practice. After first reading about LEED in 1999, a light bulb came on (a CFL of course), and I recognized the rating system was a realistic bridge between the environment and how buildings were actually designed and constructed, which largely seemed to ignore the environment. The LEED rating system is a great tool for breaking down environmental strategies for clients and serving as a goal-setting framework. Working on projects and possibly making substantial contributions to a lesser impact on the environment floats my boat. LEED buildings serve as a real example for the next better/greener building—building fabric builds on building fabric. I love being a part of a positive movement.
There is a ton of work to do in Haiti— literally. Working with foreign governments can be tricky to navigate. Fortunately, AFH is very respectful and understands that it takes time to do things right. Good processes are underway, which promote owner accountability and involvement. There is funding available to do a lot of work, but it doesn’t do much good to throw money at buildings without a solid process in place to work with the local culture and government. Volume will most definitely be a big challenge, but big challenges are knocked down one step at a time, and I’m definitely working with a great organization building a great process. I will be doing something different every day in Haiti with AFH. I’ll become immersed with the work already going on at AFH’s Rebuilding Center. Sustainability will be part of it but will look different because it is a different geography with simpler buildings. If buildings were LEED rated, most of them would be Gold or Platinum because they use little or no energy or water and most materials are locally manufactured and simply made. I’m going to learn a lot, share what I can, and hopefully help some people move forward. The partnership between AIA/USGBC/ AFH is brilliant, and this fellowship may initiate other further collaborations. Being in a position that is completely immersed in a new culture will be a true learning experience that can only enhance my problem-solving and people skills. My goal is to make a difference and learn some things along the way. I’ve waited more than 20 years to scratch an itch, and the time was right to do it. gb&d
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material world
DRAWING STRAWS Architects and builders practicing straw-bale construction are used to misconceptions, but many no longer feel they’re drawing the short straw
Every building material has its positive and negative attributes. Some lack strength, flexibility, or durability while others are far too expensive or hazardous. However, few materials suffer from as many misconceptions (see sidebar, right) as straw bales, despite that it has stood the test of time—some structures have remained intact for decades. “It’s unfortunate that even in large jurisdictions many building officials still do not know enough about straw,” says Lisa Swan, principal of Design Forward LLC. “Fortunately, most are still open to hearing the arguments. While they may not let you build out of straw without problems, there is at least the opportunity to mitigate the misconceptions.” Although the practice has been around since the 1800s, straw-bale construction saw its resurgence in the 1980s when the state of California outlawed the burning of fields. “Farmers needed to find a way to dispose of excess straw coming off of their fields,” Swan explains. “The amazing thing that has come out of building with straw is that it is readily available, somewhat inexpensive, energy efficient with R-values as high as R60, and it’s a fun building material. This blends well with the desire to save money and energy. “ Most of Swan’s homes are in more rural areas when people have acreage and can spread out rather than go up. “You can’t go too high with straw, considering its weight of 70–80 pounds per bale,” Swan says. “However this does not mean that commercial applications are out of the picture. For instance, the 70,000-square-foot transit center in
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Santa Clarita is a prime example of a largescale straw utilization because it is more sprawling.” Of course, straw does have one primary challenge—moisture. Professor P.J. Walker, director of the Building Research Establishment’s Centre for Innovative Building Materials at the University of Bath, says overcoming the moisture concern is all about approach. “You can always find fault with any building material, but with the proper perspective you can also find suitable uses,” he says. “The benefit is that producing straw for building purposes is not turning valuable land over from food production. It is very low carbon, and since it actually stores carbon, people can consider it carbon negative.” The best results occur when prefabricated options are embraced, allowing straw panels to be built under cover, Walker explains. “This route essentially eliminates the dryness worries,” he says. “However, they still need to design and build the structures correctly so that water does not impact the straw-filled structure and create future structur[al] issues.” Walker’s team at the University of Bath has been active in testing Modcell panels on a two-story test house against fire and wind— ultimately showing the true durability associated with straw construction. With the Modcell approach, straw is pre-compressed and framed in a unique solid timber enclosure to reduce settlement and provide retention against fire risk by removing air from the material. Walker also employed his knowledge on the design of a prefabricated, two-story
THE TRUTH ABOUT BUILDING WITH STRAW BALES Lisa Swan, principal of Design Forward LLC, debunks some common misconceptions surrounding straw-bale construction. Fire Susceptibility/ Bales are compacted to a point that they do not combust, Swan explains. “The outside will smolder and catch fire, but typically burn out,” she says. “Usually if there are problems it is while a building is under construction and the bales are loose.” Rodent Attraction/ Straw is the leftover material from growing other crops; it has no nutritional value to it whatsoever. “It isn’t hay, so it doesn’t attract the pests,” Swan says. Durability Concerns/ This is especially true in California, where earthquakes dictate building-material selection. However, straw has proven to do quite well in shake tests. Understandably, the plaster breaks, but the bales stay together.
project in York. The EcoDepot utilizes the insulation properties of the straw to achieve a 76-percent reduction in energy use when compared to traditional counterparts. Though the initial temptation may be to fully encapsulate the straw—thus avoiding any potential water penetration—this approach would be a mistake, Swan says, since straw bales inherently include anywhere from 8 to 20 percent water. “This is the primary reason
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This Eastern Sierra home by Arkin Tilt Architects (right) has a secret that is helping its owners shave thousands of dollars off cooling and heating bills over time: Walls insulated with straw bales (see close up below). The wall finish—an earth-cement featuring soil excavated at the site—works with the bales to provide ample insulation as well as thermal mass. Photos: Edward Caldwell.
“The benefit is that producing straw for building purposes is not turning valuable land over from food production.” —Professor P.J. Walker, Director, BRE Centre for Innovative Building Materials
we usually use water porous lime plaster with a small amount of concrete as the building exterior—so moisture can move out of the system,” she explains. “You want the wall system to breathe, especially in the instance that water does penetrate the system.” Instead, the focus should be on including large overhangs to keep water off of the walls. In fact many of Swan’s designs include threeor four-foot overhangs, or she will wrap the entire structure with porches. Straw provides a number of creative ways to frame out windows and doors, whether inside or outside the two-foot opening. “The resulting variations in looks often include a host of curves, angles, or splaying. These configurations add character, flair, and fun that do not accompany many other materials,” she says. “Understanding how to address the potential issues encourages you to increasingly find interesting and creative designs.” Utilizing the same straw-building tactics Swan promotes— lime plaster on the interior and exterior of the perimeter wall—the ultra-efficient Santa Clarita building demonstrates the fun aspect of building with straw through its modern design aesthetic. “The focus on energy efficiency is here to stay, and as a result we are moving toward the inclusion of more green-building techniques as standard codes,” Swan says. “Straw is definitely a piece of the equation. It is not the solution for every building but can be a wonderful alternative for one- or two-story facilities or homes.” —by Peter Fretty
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last look
in tune with nature Two of this issue’s design minds share more than just a first name; Ron Culver of C/ARC (p.60) and Ron Harwood of Illuminating Concepts (p.52) share a history of music: Culver was chief percussionist of the Vancouver Philharmonic and the latter, Harwood, the manager of blues artist Sippie Wallace and the founder of the American Music Research Foundation. gb&d wanted to honor the legacy that has so inspired them with our own inspiration: a playlist of the best environmental songs recorded in the past 60 years. Whether you’re young or old, into folk or hip hop, musical artists continue to lead us toward a more sustainable society.
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“Don’t Go Near the Water” by The Beach Boys from Surf’s Up, 1971 The group’s warning against polluted water—caused by humans—is juxtaposed brilliantly against its popular surf rock “(Nothing But) Flowers” by Talking Heads from Naked, 1988 Facetious wordplay laments an apocalyptic world where all the great things of the past—like fast-food restaurants— are gone “With My Own Two Hands/War [Live]” by Ben Harper from Live at the Hollywood Bowl EP, 2003 Two parts empowering and one part political, the activist songwriter performs his sprawling reggae tune and inserts a snippet of Bob Marley’s “War” “Plus Rien” by Les Cowboys Fringants from La Grand-Messe, 2004 Known as much for environmental lyrics as their Québécois style, here the band tells the tale of a man who can’t even remember a clean, healthy planet “The Blue Light of the Underwater Sun” by Moby from Everytime You Touch Me, 1995 This chaotic piece of little-known electronica begins with the short narrative of a dolphin that enjoys his tranquil life—until it gets trapped in a net
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“Rhinestone Eyes” by Gorillaz from Plastic Beach, 2010 Damon Albarn’s repertoire of lyrics is full of impassioned imagery, like this line: “Drive on engines ‘til they weep / with future pixels in factories far away”
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“The Dream Reborn (My President iz Green)” by Doo Dat single, 2009 This young hip-hop artist uses blunt, 21st-century language: “Got a message for the hood / we’ve gotta go green / the food ain’t fresh and the air ain’t clean” “The Landscape is Changing” by Depeche Mode from Construction Time Again, 1983 This New Wave staple continues the environmentalism of the previous decade by asking tough questions: “Can we be blamed for the security of ignorance?” “Where Do the Children Play” by Cat Stevens from Tea for the Tillerman, 1970 The song is a cool-headed examination of pavement and progress: “I know we’ve come a long way / we’re changing day to day / but tell me, where do the children play?” “Skagit Valley Forever” by Melvina Reynolds from Ear to the Ground, released 2000, written 1971 Forgoing broad descriptions of a planet in peril, Reynolds’ personal, passionate petition against more nuclear power plants helped win the battle
*IN THE NEXT ISSUE... The reclaimed revolution is here to stay. Or is it? We chat with the creative forces behind this new movement to discover whether discarded materials have lasting appeal. PLUS...What does the future have in store for Portland, OR? An exclusive peek at groundbreaking projects catapulting the capital of green building to new heights.
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GBD FEB2011_18AUG2010
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Seite 1
Light for Liveable Cities
A sustainable city will increasingly use a few well-chosen landmarks to represent the city view. Lighting such icons is an integral responsibility, so that they compete in terms of design and not brightness in the urban nocturnal scene. East Falls Bridge. Philadelphia. Lighting Design: Grenald Waldron Associates.
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WE-EF LIGHTING Tel. 412 749 1600 Fax. 412 749 1670 info.usa@we-ef.com www.we-ef.com
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