Oregon Facilities Winter 2010

IN THIS ISSUE: Sustainable Building Operations Winter 2010

EDITOR’S LETTER As you may have noticed, Oregon Buildings is now Oregon Facilities. We have made this exciting change to more accurately reflect the magazine’s purpose, which is to help building owners and managers make informed decisions regarding the construction, modernization and management of their facilities.

Involved in a variety of disciplines, facility managers play a significant role in the realization of business objectives as well as the daily operations of buildings and the organizations that use them. Many of our readers are highlevel decision makers, contributing to strategic planning. Our publication will continue to offer a wide variety of content to assist building owners and managers in their profession.

In this issue of Oregon Facilities, Hal Ayotte of Fletcher Farr Ayotte, an architectural firm in Portland, talks about the rehabilitation of the White Stag Block, a turn-of-the-century, three-building block that was adapted from industrial buildings to commercial office and educational space for the University of Oregon Portland in a process called adaptive reuse. Another article spotlights the three Oregon Elementary Schools that have been LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) for Schools Certified, a program sponsored by the U.S. Green Building Council that promotes high-performance, healthful, durable, affordable and environmentally sound practices in buildings.

Oregon Facilities is here to inform and educate the entire commercial real estate management community. We invite experts within the industry to submit their suggestions, news items and articles. Our success depends on you!

4 CONTENTS 8 Space Planning

Building owners move to collaborative work spaces

10 12 15

Security Detailed contracts strengthen partnerships

Cool Roofing How cool is your roof?

Sustainable Building Operations What’s in your windshield?

16 21 22

LEED for Schools Three Oregon schools receive certification

Janitorial Integrated Pest Management Eliminate conducive conditions

On the cover: The interior of the White Stag Block.

Photo by Sally Painter.

Managing Editor Oregon Facilities

CONTACT US Publisher Travis Barrington travis@jengomedia.com

Managing Editor Kelly Lux kelly@jengomedia.com

Art Director

Contributing Writers Amanda Gilchrist Lee Cloney Christopher Sonnenberg Alan Dakessian Don Aslett Tim TenBrink

Oregon Facilities PO Box 970281, Orem, Utah 84097 Office: 801.224.5500 / Fax: 801.407.1602 JengoMedia.com

Doug Conboy

Oregon Facilities is a proud BOMA National Associate member.

The publisher is not responsible for the accuracy of the articles in Oregon Facilities. The information contained within has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable. Neither the publisher nor any other party assumes liability for loss or damage as a result of reliance on this material. Appropriate professional advice should be sought before making decisions.

Copyright 2010 Oregon Facilities Magazine. Oregon Facilities is a Trademark owned by Jengo Media LC

2 I OREGON FACILITIES WINTER 2010

OREGON BUILDINGS FALL 2010 I 23

Adaptive Reuse Applied in Renovation of Portland’s White Stag Block Building Managers Find Little Difference in Operating, Managing a Rehabilitated Building

B

uilt at the turn of the century and rehabilitated in 2008, the high ceilings, cast-iron columns, exposed brick walls and paint-stripped wood columns and beams of the White Stag Block are reflections of a bygone era. The White Stag Block, located in one of only two historic districts in the heart of Portland’s original downtown, was adapted from industrial buildings to house satellite programs for the University of Oregon Portland.

“The University of Oregon is sustainably obsessed,” said Hal Ayotte, a principal of Fletcher Farr Ayotte, the lead company for the design team for the White Stag Block rehabilitation project. “They were very, very conscientious of moving into the big city and wanted to fit in. This presented a great opportunity for them to save almost an entire block.”

Adaptive reuse, a process that adapts buildings for new uses while retaining

By Kelly Lux

Photo courtesy of Sally Painter

4 I OREGON FACILITIES WINTER 2010

Photo courtesy of Sally Painter

their historic features, was applied in the $37 million rehabilitation of the three-building White Stag Block. The industrial buildings, which are owned and managed by Venerable Properties, were combined internally to create one interior structure, totaling 143,000 square feet, while the original exterior historic character of the buildings was retained, giving the illusion of three separate buildings, originally the Bickel Block, the Skidmore Block and the White Stag/Hirsch-Weiss Building, said Ayotte.

“Adaptive reuse is our niche in Portland, as our name implies,” said Bob Spencer, maintenance supervisor and building engineer for Venerable Properties. “We cater toward the historic properties. We like working with this old architecture. We find it very gratifying to bring old buildings up to standard and reoccupy them.”

When workers uncovered the original cast-iron facade of the 1883

Bickel Block, Venerable decided to spend the $100,000 to restore the facade, bringing back the original architectural details. In addition, the storefront of the White Stag Building was replaced with wood systems, reflecting the original design.

The interior of the buildings, vacated years ago as empty warehouses, left the design team with a blank canvas. Venerable and the University of Oregon, which occupies 100,000 square feet of the complex, wanted to retain the historical flavor of the buildings while simultaneously allowing more natural light. Fletcher Farr Ayotte, who Venerable contracted with for space planning on the project, was able to turn a light well at the block’s center into a usable light court with a glass cover.

Additionally, the saw tooth light monitors in the White Stag building were restored to provide abundant natural light.

Staying with the industrial theme of

the buildings proved to be a challenge for the design team. Everything in the buildings, including the red brick walls, the wood columns and all of the systems, remained exposed. Extracted timber — “Clear, beautiful stuff that you can’t even buy nowadays,” Ayotte said — was sanded down and used as finishing materials in other parts of the building. Wavy glass that was found in the old offices of the warehouse building was re-purposed for the stair railings. The University of Oregon donated maple flooring from the Gerlinger hall gymnasium on their Eugene campus to be re-used in the White Stag Building.

“Anything we took out of the building, we reused,” Ayotte said. “We did a lot of adaptive reuse and sustainable design.”

Fletcher Farr Ayotte was also commissioned to design the 1,300 square feet of the White Stag Block

continued on page 6

OREGON FACILITIES WINTER 2010 I 5

continued from page 5 occupied by Everpower Renewables. The materials selected in the design of the space included recycled windshields for interior windows, FSC wood products, low-emitting materials and existing furniture.

Operating and managing the nowrestored, century-old buildings is no more challenging than operating a newly constructed property, Spencer said. The buildings were completely retro-fitted with modern technology, making the operations the same as those in a new structure. And although there were some challenges in the fit and finish of the building, Spencer said the structures have settled, eliminating that obstacle often occurring in new construction.

“There are pros and cons to having a 100-year-old building,” Spencer said.

“But this structure has proven itself.”

The adaptable reuse of the White Stag Block has encouraged the process among other building owners in the area, bringing new activity to Portland’s oldest

area and showing the region’s commitment to preserving its heritage, Ayotte said.

“We take great pride in keeping the heritage of what we are all about here,” Ayotte said. “We look at something and ask if it can be used for something else and saved. Then, our children’s children get to appreciate the architectural heritage of this city.”

The White Stag Block was one of 23 projects honored by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Art DeMuro, president of Venerable Group, was presented with the Preservation Honor Award in Austin, Texas, on Oct. 29. Corecipients of the award include Wendy Larson of the University of Oregon, Hal Ayotte of Fletcher Farr Ayotte Architects, Omid Nabipoor of Interface Engineer, Brent Parry of Bremik Construction, Blake Patsy of KPFF Consulting Engineers and Ralph DiNola of Green Building. OF

Photo courtesy of Sally Painter

30-Year-Old Warehouse Re-Purposed into Retail, Live/Work Space

Photo courtesy of Ken Aaron

The location and condition of the Arthur Cole Candy Building in Portland’s Alberta Arts District made it an ideal structure for adaptive reuse.

The concrete tilt-up warehouse was built in the 1980s to house the Arthur Cole Candy Company, which relocated in 2008, leaving behind a 7,000 square-foot building with a lot of potential, said Brad Fowler, principal of Fowler Andrews, the developer on the project and owner of the building. Fowler created Alberta Arts

Investors, LLC, and purchased the building in 2009 to re-purpose it as a retail, live/work center, blending it with the Alberta Corridor, which provides a mix of galleries, boutique retail shops, taverns and cuisine.

“I couldn’t really imagine, given the location of the building, using it for its original purpose,” Fowler said. “And, frankly, it seemed like kind of a waste to tear it down. … The chances of finding a concrete building in that type of

6 I OREGON FACILITIES WINTER 2010

Photo courtesy of Sally Painter

neighborhood is a once-in-a-lifetime type of thing.”

The goal was to leave the existing building intact while creating small, efficient spaces for local businesses.

With the help of Vallaster Corl Architects, Fowler Andrews was able to develop four in-line retail spaces, facing Alberta Street, a small cafe, six live/work units and a common courtyard on 14th Avenue, all while retaining the industrial character of the building. Large

Photo courtesy of Sally Painter

openings were cut into the concrete walls and filled with glass. Additional spaces were constructed in the former loading areas to reorient the property toward Alberta Street.

“We left a lot of the building intact and found a clever way to reuse it,” Fowler said, explaining that the project was constructed within the existing envelope. The walls, the roof and the trusses remained while Fowler Andrews filled the empty warehouse with usable space. Keeping with its industrial character, exposed mechanical and plumbing systems were installed, the existing concrete floor was stained, and heavy timber and exposed steel were used. Additionally, exposed Douglas fir decking was installed on the mezzanine areas.

The three, 900 square-foot retail units fronting Alberta have ADAcompliant restrooms with utility sinks, separate 3-phase electrical panels and a distribution of all systems, including HVAC. The ceilings in each unit are 22

feet high. And the storefronts are glazed with roll-up doors.

Working with a concrete tilt-up structure minimized the challenges of reusing the space, Fowler said.

Reorienting the property to primarily face Alberta street was the developer’s first obstacle. Additionally, Fowler Andrews had to account for extra load on the existing roof structure and make seismic upgrades to the building itself.

“There is always the challenge of changing one thing into something else, which is nothing unusual when you are talking about adaptive reuse,” Fowler said.

The remodel on the Arthur Cole Building was completed in February 2010 and opened with 100 percent occupancy.

The changes and upgrades in the building have made maintenance procedures akin to those in a newly built building, Fowler said. Once all of the systems were in place and running properly, management had no issues with operating the 30-year-old building. OF

Photo courtesy of Sally Painter

OREGON FACILITIES WINTER 2010 I 7

By Amanda Gilchrist

The Les Schwab Headquarters in Bend, Oregon. Photos courtesy Charlie Borland Photography.

‘T

here are three important things to consider for successful space planning,” says Mary Anne Galea, senior project manager for Environments, a contract furniture dealership in southeast Portland. “You have to create a solution that maximizes space, stays within budget and increases productivity.”

As a project manager and designer in the furniture industry for the past 17 years, Galea has seen the modern workplace continually evolve.

Companies are moving away from individualized work to a more collaborative environment, and space planning is becoming a priority as companies seek to grow while increasing efficiency.

“When people think of office buildings, they often picture large ‘cube farms’ with high panels,” says

Galea. “Companies are moving away from this planning module toward an open layout that inspires creativity.”

According to Contract Magazine, as companies adopt a team-based structure, privacy becomes less important. Managers are moving out of separate offices to interact with team members. Lower panel heights facilitate collaboration. Informal meeting areas and small conference rooms host impromptu brainstorming sessions.

“The workplace used to be about employees sitting in front of a computer and on the phone most of the time,” says Gina Zaharie, sales representative for Knoll. “Today, that’s not the case. Workplaces are becoming dynamic rather than static.”

Indeed, employees work much differently than they did 10 years ago, primarily using email, smart phones,

8 I OREGON FACILITIES WINTER 2010

virtual conferencing, and laptops. As electronic communication increases, employees need less work space and paper storage. Building and facilities managers can now maximize interior space by reducing the workstation footprint and including a variety of work zones in the layout.

“The standard 8-foot by 8-foot cube is becoming a thing of the past,” says Mary Carr, senior designer for Environments. “I’m seeing more 6foot by 6-foot cubes now. They’re getting smaller.”

Furniture manufacturers are designing products for integrated workplaces that combine focused work, idea sharing and teamwork. Low horizons increase accessibility, while breakout meeting areas encourage creative thinking. A wide range of product options for different work styles helps support dynamic planning.

space planning “We’re not salespeople, we’re problem solvers,” says Carr. “We provide creative furniture solutions that work within the constraints of a building to give customers what they want.”

Clients are increasingly thinking outside the box when it comes to space planning.

With rapid improvements in technology, companies want a layout that can adapt with their changing needs quickly and economically. Designers often use raised flooring to help reduce moving costs and make reconfiguration easier. Level floors allow for seamless furniture installation, and customers aren’t limited with power and data placement.

Sustainability also plays a big role in the design process. Today’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) building

requirements dictate panel heights, amount of natural light and use of sustainable materials and manufacturing processes. According to Healthcare Development Magazine, for every square foot of drywall used in conventional construction, one pound typically ends up as waste in a landfill.

As a result, some clients turn to modular wall systems to greatly reduce environmental impact. As an added plus, clients have the flexibility and freedom to change their layout as necessary.

Today’s modern offices represent an organization’s values. Les Schwab Tires broke free from tradition and embraced change when they moved their corporate headquarters from Prineville, Oregon, to an updated facility in Bend, Oregon. A recent article in The Oregonian showed how their new $33 million headquarters

reflects the company’s rapid growth from a regional Pacific Northwest company to a lucrative multi-billion dollar empire.

The company switched from a traditional office layout with high panels to a more open, modern aesthetic. Portland-based architecture firm GBD used creative space planning to design an organic environment that complements the natural beauty of the surrounding landscape. Raised flooring with ducting underneath increases ventilation and air quality. Lower panel heights and unconventional materials like open mesh screens allow more natural light into the space.

Special wedge-shaped work surfaces soften sharp corners and hard angles.

Not only is the layout conducive to teamwork and collaboration, the employees themselves had a voice in the design. The company gathered feedback and input from team members to ensure they had the tools needed to work efficiently.

Technology played a big role in the design process, with 3-D renderings and mock-ups allowing the client to visualize themselves in their new working environment.

Ultimately, investing in a welldesigned office space can increase employee retention. Creating an inspirational, inviting and beautiful work space contributes to employee satisfaction and helps reduce costly turnover.

“The goal is to create a place where employees are excited to come to work each day,” says Galea. “They spend so much time there, they want to be happy.”

Amanda Gilchrist is a project manager at Environments. She can be reached at 503.963.6205 or amandag@environmentsnw.com. OF

OREGON FACILITIES WINTER 2010 I 9

security

Detailed Contracts can Strengthen Partnerships with Guard Companies

By Lee Cloney

C

ontracts for security service, especially if you craft a proper foundation for a partnership, can be an efficient method for your management team to add resources that could benefit your company by more than just the actual security service.

ASIS International, which is the world’s largest organization for security management professionals, can provide you with information to identify critical security performance requirements and security contract requirements. Development of a detailed contract for security service, which includes a requirement for a monthly security evaluation process and a requirement for cost savings, can help you build a partnership that is beneficial for both you and the security provider. The key to a good partnership is a win-win strategy.

Most companies, when contracting for security services, do not include specific requirements in their contract for service. By specifying training requirements, duties, equipment and reports, you can create peace of mind, knowing you have defined what you want to be done and have identified your security goals. Building owners should define key performance indicators, which will help everyone involved understand what defines success, create a business process for regular evaluation of the security service and develop a continuous business process for evaluating and guiding the security team.

Key performance indicators are goals against which performance

measurements are to be compared so you and your security provider can identify gaps in performance and subsequently identify solutions for the improvement of service. For example, at one location, a 40-hour standing security position was eliminated and patrol inspections from a mobile patrol service provided several inspections during the removed security shift. This decision resulted in a cost savings of $43,000 per year. This is an example of a winwin for both the security provider and client company. No increase in security risks occurred at the client location as a result of that change.

In another example, the security provider identified in a monthly business meeting that too many temp badges were not being returned by visitors. The provider recommended the replacement of expensive proximity cards with inexpensive paper badges which bleed a red color onto the badge face after 24 hours.

Making that change saved the client company $10,000 in the next year.

In both examples above, the client partnered with the security provider and sought creative solutions for the security program. In the first example, the client asked for a strategy to improve service and to reduce cost.

The security provider, using extensive internal resources, which involved an internal mobile patrol service, a complex training program and security management expertise, was able to develop a strategy which met the service goals. This partnership strengthened both parties and brought

10 I OREGON FACILITIES WINTER 2010

resources to the security team so the property security program could remain intact.

In the second example, the monthly security business meetings were an opportunity to strengthen the partnership, evaluate costs and propose solutions. Start small and examine minor issues, then progress to more serious issues, constantly looking for continuous process improvement.

Have a structured security plan that specifically defines security goals and measures monthly performance.

Review the strategy monthly in a business meeting. Managing security in a structured format is respectful of all partners and can establish an open environment in which all facets of security can be transparent.

Transparent means you can see, on demand, how security officers have been trained, read security reports at any time, observe the results of performance audits and see documentation of what was inspected and when.

Not all problems can be solved as easily as the two examples referenced here. However, a strong partnership, which challenges both the security provider and the client to seek to use all resources and to have the courage to look at industry solutions, can be beneficial for both partners.

Lee Cloney is board certified in security management through ASIS International and is a region director of training and development with Securitas USA. OF

OREGON FACILITIES WINTER 2010 I 11

By Christopher Sonnenberg

‘Cool’ TPO membrane roof system

I

f I asked my teenage daughter, “What makes a ‘cool roof cool?” I would expect an answer that described the type of clothes the roof would have to wear or the type of accessories the roof coordinated with its outfit. In reality, this answer isn’t too far from the truth.

The outward appearance and roof system accessories can make the difference between a cool roof and an “un-cool” roof.

If I asked an engineer at the Cool Roof Rating Council (CRRC) the same question, my answer would be more along the lines of the definition found on the CRRC’s website, “A cool roof reflects and emits the sun’s heat back to the sky instead of transferring it to the building below.” Coolness is measured by two properties: solar reflectance and thermal emittance.

Both properties are measured from 0 to 1, and the higher the value, the cooler the roof.

Solar reflectance is the ability of

the roof ’s surface to reflect the visible solar spectrum of ultraviolet and infrared wavelengths of the sun.

Thermal emittance is the ability of the roof surface to radiate the nonreflected, or absorbed, energy back into the atmosphere. These two factors may seem somewhat technical, but their purpose is the same, to reduce heat transfer into the building from solar radiation.

Environmental Benefits of Cool Roofing One of the original intentions of cool roofing was to combat the effects of a phenomenon called an “urban heat island” (UHI). Urban heat islands occur in metropolitan areas where the presence of heat-absorbing infrastructure, such as black asphalt parking lots and roads and expansive black rooftops, can raise the urban temperature several degrees warmer than the surrounding rural areas.

The impacts of the elevated

12 I OREGON FACILITIES WINTER 2010

temperature patterns associated with UHI are still being studied, but some effects are apparent. Obviously, the increased temperature creates a greater demand for summer cooling, thereby increasing the carbon footprint. The meteorological implications are still being studied.

In the evening hours, the heat radiating from urban areas forms a sort of “bubble” around the city which creates an inversion layer trapping air pollutants and creating smog. The heat plumes created by UHI also affect wind patterns and local cloud and storm formation and associated rainfall. The alteration in wind patterns is speculated to influence the melting of the arctic ice packs as well, effectively changing ocean temperatures and currents.

None of the effects of UHI are beneficial for the environment or those who inhabit the cities where it occurs. While I believe the environmental consciousness of most

cool roofing in the commercial real estate world has been elevated in recent years, the fact still remains that most of our commercial buildings are investment properties. So the price tag associated with building improvements or upgrades will always be a consideration. This is where common cool roofing practices can truly shine.

Financial Benefits of Cool Roofing Everyone would like to be an environmental steward, but at what cost? We all have bottom lines to protect and stockholders and/or families to feed. The beauty of most cool roofing practices is that they are often the most cost-effective method of roofing. Today’s roofing industry is racing to develop the best valueengineered, environmentally-friendly roofing products and services. Not only can they be installed economically, they can also have a significant impact on your energy usage.

In the heat of the day, surface temperatures of black roofs can be up to 90 degrees warmer than the ambient temperature, with reflective cool roofs commonly posting readings 50 to 70 degrees cooler in the same environment. The reduced heat load associated with cool roofing creates numerous incentives including reduced building heat gain, 15 to 30 percent savings on summertime cooling expenses, enhanced life

Temperature measurement for a reflective membrane roof: 93 degree ambient temperature, 122 degree roof temperature. expectancy of roof and air conditioning equipment, improved thermal efficiency of roof insulation, reduced peak demand for electricity, reduced overall electrical demand by as much as 10 percent and reduced air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. The decision to install a cool roof on your building can often create enough savings in energy and equipment/roof maintenance to pay for your roofing investment before the roof warranty expires.

The technology associated with cool roofing combined with other energy saving roofing related accessories can truly transform your roof from a protective weather barrier to a money-producing environmental asset.

Cool Roofs in Cooler Climates What about cooler regions of the state? Cool roofs are great for the summer, but we have winter in some areas too. Are there drawbacks to installing a cool roof in areas that experience colder temperatures? First, the presence of a winter will not change the energy savings you will experience in the summer months.

Additionally, many of the roofs in these climates are covered with snow for some period of time, making the color of the roof membrane irrelevant.

The presence of that snow also creates a significant (although heavy) layer of insulation, helping to reduce winter heating expenses.

The “cool” accessories start to come into play here as well. The addition of insulation when installing your new roof can result in a roof that saves you money in the summer and winter.

More sophisticated energy saving calculators will take into consideration the benefits of insulation and reflectivity measured against the costs of both heating and cooling. This allows you to identify the point of diminished return on your roofing investment and have a clear understanding of your return on investment.

Making Your Roof Cooler Many cool roofing options have been around for decades and are

continued on page 18

Calculating the Financial Benefits While many different factors play a part in determining the actual pay back for installing a cool roof, the U.S. Department of Energy provides a basic calculator that can help you recognize the financial benefits of installing a cool roof. This calculator (www.ornl.gov/sci/roofs+walls/facts/CoolCalcEnergy.htm) figures the expected energy cost difference between a black surface roof and cool roof only and does not include other factors such as insulation, level of heating or cooling, amount of windows, etc. There are more sophisticated programs that can include numerous factors and produce an accurate estimate of energy usage and associated savings that accompany cool roofs. Most commercial roofing professionals should have access to such programs and be able to provide you with these reports at no charge.

OREGON FACILITIES WINTER 2010 I 13

continued from page 13 components of time-tested and proven roof systems when installed properly. Since reflectivity and emissivity are the two main factors considered by the CRRC, the roof membrane itself is the most important component. Highly reflective white membranes, such as TPO (thermoplastic polyolefin) and PVC (polyvinyl chloride) have been utilized for years and make up the lion’s share of reflective roof membranes. They also provide high emissivity ratings as well, making them rank high on the list of cool roofing options.

While TPO and PVC are good options when it is time to install a new roof, other options are available to provide similar performance on roofs that may not need to be replaced.

Numerous coating options are available that are approved by the

cool roofing CRRC as well as Energy Star and can provide the same reflectivity and solar emittance. Coatings can also extend the life of your current roof system by protecting it from future contact with ultraviolet and ozone degradation.

The reflective surface will reduce the amount of thermal shock the roof experiences on a daily basis as well.

In addition to insulation and coatings, other options such as daylighting skylights can also increase the “coolness” of your roof as well as the savings generated from energy conservation. Often there are unique opportunities for energy savings or increased low/no cost environmental upgrades that can apply to specific buildings or locations.

Next time you are evaluating your buildings energy expenses or the possible need for a new roof, ask your

14 I OREGON FACILITIES WINTER 2010

roofing professional what type of cool roof options are available for your building and what type of benefits can be expected from the proposed installation. Now is the best time to become part of the “cool crowd” and reap the environmental benefits and financial incentives that are associated with this roofing movement.

Chris Sonnenberg is the senior project manager for CentiMark Roofing’s Portland branch. He has worked with CentiMark in the commercial roof ing industry for more than 12 years in the Portland area and is responsible for all of Oregon and southern Washington. OF

building controls

Achieving Sustainable Building Operations: What’s In Your Windshield?

By Alan Dakessian

A

lot of progress was made in the last decade toward achieving sustainability in public, institutional and commercial buildings. Arguably one of the most notable achievements is the now widespread acceptance of sustainability as a necessary design goal for most new facilities. Using scoring systems such as LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) and Green Globes, building owners, designers and constructors now have a common language with which to communicate with each other. It’s becoming more common to utilize an integrated design approach in which the architect, mechanical and electrical engineers, and the building general contractor collaborate to achieve the desired goal.

What Opportunities Remain?

Although it’s not a requirement, it seems the more ambitious that the sustainability goals are, the more complex the building becomes. Heard of a “net-zero” or a “living” building? These designs strive to make buildings energy independent by aggressively reducing energy consumption and by providing on-site, renewable energy generation.

Once built, these complex buildings are turned over to a building operations and maintenance organization that is tasked with making things work reliably and efficiently. It has become more critical than ever to provide them with new tools to manage building performance.

One of the largest opportunities for improvement is the building automation system (BAS) which typically controls heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, and may also manage lighting, water, electronic security and other functions.

Dashboards: Not Just for Your Car Imagine that you had to drive a car without a dashboard. You wouldn’t know what speed you were traveling, how far you had traveled, whether your

engine was overheating or that you were dangerously low on oil. You might feel anxious about your chances of arriving safely at your destination.

In a similar sense, building operators are often asked to drive extremely sophisticated buildings with inadequate user interfaces. We expect them to deliver sustainable operations without the tools to monitor their progress.

While automatic controls help building operators by regulating temperature and other variables, they rarely present the critical information required by the building operator without having to flip across multiple pages of their user interface. There is an emerging trend in the building control industry toward development of a building dashboard as part of the user interface. A dashboard should quickly communicate five to 10 pieces of critical information to the building operator to let them know the condition of their systems. This list might include the current energy and water consumption versus the design targets, critical alarms, heating and cooling demand levels or overall comfort conditions. Dashboards can also be developed for other members of the facilities team. For example, the facility manager may want to keep tabs on how much of their total installed electrical power, heating and cooling capacities are being used so they can budget for necessary expansions.

Letting Your Tenants Drive Almost any ambitious sustainable building project will require, or benefit from, the active participation of the public. Whether it’s a tenant putting on a sweater in the winter, or a passer-by letting the building staff know when the lights are left on after-hours, an educated and informed public can be a great ally.

Another tool available to building owners trying to achieve new levels of sustainability is the energy efficiency educational dashboard. This is a special variety of dashboard that is designed for use by building tenants,visitors,and other

stakeholders. Oftentimes it is implemented as a wall or kiosk-mounted interactive touch-screen in a building lobby. The dashboard will include several educational screens focused on the sustainable features of the building, such as day-light harvesting or rainwater reclamation. Then, the dashboard will post real-time results for energy and water consumption in easily understood terms, such as the building’s current Energy Star score. Finally, the dashboard encourages the viewer to contribute to improving their building’s scores by taking specific actions. Some building owners have even used dashboards to encourage conservation through competitions between different departments.

Collaboration is the Key Using the power of a customizable, web-based graphical user interface, building owners and operators can achieve significant improvements in efficiency, reliability, comfort and life cycle costs. The key to this solution is not in the technology, but rather in the collaborative effort required to implement it. The dashboards must be conceived and designed early enough that all of the necessary instrumentation and interface programming can be incorporated into the building’s design.

This means that the architect, engineers, contractors and building operations staff must work together to define the functionality of the dashboard(s).

Extending the integrated design team to include the building automation system contractor and the building operations and maintenance staff is a great way to improve a building’s long-term sustainable operations.

Alan R. Dakessian, PE, is branch manager for Control Contractors, Inc., in Portland, Oregon. He has worked in the building automation industry for more than 27 years. Control Contractors is an independent systems integrator with a focus on sustainability and energy efficiency. OF

OREGON OREGON FACILITIES BUILDINGS WINTER FALL 2010 I 15

By Kelly Lux

Sue Buel Elementary photo courtesy Lincoln Barbour 16 I OREGON FACILITIES WINTER 2010

LEED

S

ue Buel Elementary, an 82,000-square-foot energyefficient and environmentally-responsible school in McMinnville, Oregon, was the first in the state to earn the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) for Schools Gold Certification through the U.S. Green Building Council. Rosedale Elementary in Hillsboro and William E. Miller Elementary in Bend were second and third to receive the LEED for Schools Gold designation, a unique, comprehensive rating system that addresses all the green building issues in a typical LEED building as well as classroom acoustics, mold prevention and environmental site assessment.

The LEED for Schools Rating System was developed by the USGBC to address new facilities and major renovations, ensuring schools are healthy for students, comfortable for teachers and cost-effective, according to GreenSchoolBuildings.org. Students learn better, teachers are more satisfied and schools run more efficiently in LEED-Certified schools.

“Green schools cost less to operate, freeing up resources to truly improve students’ education,” according to the USGBC. “Their carefully planned acoustics and abundant daylight make it easier and more comfortable for students to learn. Their clean indoor air cuts down sick days and gives our children a head start for a healthy, prosperous future. And their innovative design provides a wealth of hands-on learning opportunities.”

As of July 2010, 15 Oregon public schools were LEED Certified, and another 25 were registered to become LEED Certified, according to GreenSchoolBuildings.org. Of those registered, 13 are aiming for the LEED for Schools designation.

Sustainable building has become widespread in Oregon, especially in Portland, where the movement is

backed both publicly and privately, said Josh Hatch, a sustainable advisor at Brightworks, a company that worked with the architect on the project, Mahlum, to provide sustainable guidance for the LEED Certification of Rosedale Elementary and Sue Buel Elementary. Designers, architects and developers as well as city and state governments in Oregon have embraced the LEED system, Hatch explained.

Design teams understand sustainable strategies and have experience designing and constructing sustainable buildings. Government organizations have created policies that support sustainability and tax incentives for the development of sustainable buildings.

“In Oregon, there is a lot more momentum behind green buildings than in other states,” Hatch said.

“Communities are demanding sustainability.”

Kurt Zenner, project architect with Mahlum, would agree.

“The McMinnville School District was interested in sustainability but not ready to fund LEED. However, after a series of workshops with the community, they realized there was a ground swell of support for sustainability in their education environments,” Zenner said. “The District changed their position and funded the Sue Buel Elementary project for LEED for Schools Silver.

After we got into the construction, we quickly realized we had done enough groundwork that Gold was attainable.”

LEED Certification The Hillsboro community showed the same support in constructing the Rosedale Elementary as LEED Certified, said Rita Haberman, a sustainable advisor at Brightworks.

The district had already implemented green building practices in the construction of its most recent schools, so achieving LEED for Schools wasn’t a far stretch for the organization, she

said. By going one step further to obtain the certification, the district and the community were solidifying their commitment to the environment, Haberman said.

“The LEED for Schools framework provided a necessary check of our assumptions for Rosedale Elementary,” added Brian Frey, project architect for Mahlum. “It was a natural progression in the work the Hillsboro School District was already doing, but the LEED process made those goals measurable. Certification at a Silver level was the original plan, but once Gold was within reach, everyone looked for opportunities to obtain that level of certification, to the ultimate benefit of the students, teachers and staff. In the end, we received all 48 points submitted, four more than required for a Gold rating.”

The LEED Certification acts as an additional level of quality control for the construction and maintenance of buildings, Hatch explained. The process lays the groundwork for building owners to follow through with and commit to their sustainable plans. The certification shows that the project actually meets energy-saving requirements, he said.

At Bend-La-Pine Schools, the LEED for Schools Certification provided a guideline for the district to build the William E. Miller Elementary using sustainable methods that would improve operating costs and reduce the school’s impact on the environment, said Paul Eggleston, director of facilities at Bend-La-Pine.

The school uses 35 to 50 percent less water and 41 percent less energy than a non-sustainable school of the same size. Its 252 solar panels produce 14 percent of the energy needed to power the building.

Expenses of Sustainability Although sustainable upgrades

continued on page 18

OREGON FACILITIES WINTER 2010 I 17

U.S. Green Building Council Launches the Center for Green Schools Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced its newest initiative, The Center for Green Schools at USGBC. There are nearly 140,000 schools, colleges and universities in the United States; no one has ever counted the buildings, but thousands are barely built to code. The Center for Green Schools is how USGBC is working toward the ambitious goal of ensuring everyone has the opportunity to attend a green school within this generation.

“At USGBC, we understand the profound impact green buildings have on our lives and the innovation they have poured into the marketplace, and we believe no other market speaks more powerfully to the benefits and potential of green buildings than our schools,” said Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO and founding chair of USGBC. “The Center for Green Schools at USGBC is engaging educators in creating sustainable learning environments for their students and applying solid research to inform leadership – from school boards to college presidents – about the benefits of healthy, high-performing schools.”

The Center will drive USGBC’s efforts to change how schools are designed, constructed and operated so they enhance the learning experience for students and save money for school districts and higher education institutions. Green schools provide fresh and clean air that improves health, additional daylight that boosts concentration, comfortable temperatures that increase focus and improved acoustics that enable better communication. Green schools also use less water and energy, making them less expensive to operate.

The Center is building upon the leadership, partnerships and programming USGBC started through its Green Schools and Green Campus campaigns, by convening conversations with key decision makers, collaborating with leading education and environmental associations and creating tools and resources that help make green schools possible.

Through the Center, USGBC is escalating its work on green schools caucuses in the U.S. Congress and the 50 for 50 Initiative with state legislatures nationwide; the nationwide Mayors’ Alliance for Green Schools; and the Coalition for Green Schools, which represents more than 10 million members collectively and comprises organizations such as the National PTA, the National School Boards Association, the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers. The Center is creating new resources and advocacy tools to support USGBC Student Groups on college campuses and a nationwide network of more than 1,000 Green School Committee professional volunteers and is focused on providing trainings and helpful resources to those who need it most: K-12 schools serving lower-income families, underresourced institutions and community colleges.

18 I OREGON FACILITIES WINTER 2010

continued from page 17 such as solar panels can present a significant increase in upfront costs, Hatch said the cost to build green and to become LEED Certified can be offset in incentive programs and operational savings.

Additionally, Hatch said sustainable products, such as lowVOC (volatile organic compounds) paints and certified wood, are becoming more available, making them more affordable.

“The cost to do LEED has come down considerably in the last decade, making it more affordable,” Eggleston said. “We found that the costs had gone way below 10 percent of normal construction costs, so it was worth it to us.”

At Sue Buel, all team members worked together on environmental measures that would save energy, water and money, making the school a healthy, productive learning environment for its students. Through their efforts, the facility has experienced “significant” annual operational savings through its sustainable landscaping, lighting and plumbing features as well as its “sophisticated” HVAC system, mechanical system,

heating and cooling system and photovoltaic panels, said Ken Andrews of Milstead & Associates, the construction project manager for Sue Buel. The sustainable features accomplished the district’s goal of “having a building that had a good life cycle, was sustainable, required low maintenance and was energy efficient,” he said.

Green Operations The installation of green systems in a commercial building has little impact on operations and management other than creating more efficient processes, Haberman said. LEED projects go through a thorough commissioning process, allowing for better information exchange and more efficient facilities management. After seeing the results of the commissioning at Rosedale, Hillsboro School District has initiated a pilot program to explore applying the LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance rating system to improve operations, save on utility bills and create healthier learning environments in its portfolio of existing schools.

Rosedale Elementary photo courtesy Lincoln Barbour “By monitoring energy and water use in more than 30 schools, Hillsboro has been able to get a quick snapshot of energy use in their building portfolio, giving them perspective and a way to focus their efforts,” Haberman said.

“What goes unmonitored, goes unnoticed. It is a pretty simple thing to monitor, and it can help you streamline your management efforts and save money on utility bills.”

At Rosedale Elementary, the thermal envelope made up of rigid and batt insulation with an air space for thermal separation as well as the highefficiency heat recovery and cooling

systems, high performance windows, light-colored roof, radiant heat floors and natural daylight access and lighting controls made the school more energy efficient than other schools that meet the energy code minimum. The school’s highperformance energy-efficient design saves approximately $28,000 per year in operating costs.

LEED Features Aside from its thermal envelope, Rosedale Elementary earned LEED points through its ventilation system, rainwater harvesting for irrigation, low-

flow water fixtures and dual-flush toilets and its use of sustainable materials in the construction of the building. More than 90 percent of the waste generated during the construction of the facility was recycled.

Similar features were used at William E. Miller, including water- and energy-saving devices, certified lumber and low-emitting building materials, said Eggleston. The school also has “quite a solar array,” contributing to the school’s use of alternative energy.

Additionally, the floors were tiled with Marmoleum, a flooring made from renewable, natural materials.

Besides requiring the same sustainable measures as other LEED programs, LEED for Schools has additional requirements that recognize the unique aspects of school operations. These unique requirements include carefully planned acoustics, providing students with ideal learning spaces that allow for better communication, the use of lowemitting materials in flooring and furniture and water-efficient plumbing fixtures and kitchen equipment.

“It is quite an ordeal,” Eggleston said

continued on page 20

William E. Miller Elementary photo courtesy Michael Chilcoat

OREGON FACILITIES WINTER 2010 I 19

continued from page 19

of the certification process. “You can’t just do the things you want to do.There were pages and pages of criteria that need to be met in order to achieve enough points to receive the Gold rating.”

Sue Buel Elementary, which received 47 points, 3 above the threshold for LEED Gold, was built on reclaimed property and constructed with climate-sensitive building orientation, a 19.5 KW Photovoltaic Array, which was designed for future expansion to 52 KW, high-efficiency indoor light fixtures and controls and dual flush toilets. Drought-tolerant and native species were planted on the school grounds. Recycled materials were used in the construction of the building. Green products are used to clean the building. Additionally, green building and sustainable concepts were incorporated into the curriculum.

Green Education The sustainable design, construction and operations practices at Rosedale Elementary have been integrated into curriculum for each grade level. A signage program, which explains the sustainable features used in the construction and management of the building, has also been implemented.

The staff at William E. Miller also took steps to incorporate sustainable concepts into their curriculum. Each grade level has an environmental science unit, including alternative energy, composting and gardening, water conservation, indigenous plants and habitat or recycling, as part of their curriculum.The school has also planned visits to the Bend Science Station during the school year. In addition, the solar panels offer a unique educational experience for the students at Miller, where an interactive kiosk has a realtime solar panel display of the energy produced from the panels on the roof.

“We designed a curriculum that involves the kids in conserving and recycling, helping them understand what sustainability really is about and the difference it can make,” Eggleston said. “The kids love that. And the staff at Miller has taken it to heart.”

LEED in the Future By implementing sustainable practices in public schools, the next generation of architects, building owners, engineers and policy makers will better understand the benefits of green buildings, Hatch said. Students will see first-hand the economical impact of energy-efficient design and water conservation and apply those practices in their own lives.

“The new generation of consumers and students will come to expect green buildings in all walks of life,” Hatch said. “It is really kind of contagious and exciting.” OF

da Vinci Arts Middle School High-Performance Classroom Earns LEED Platinum Constructing the Evans-Harvard High Performance Classroom at the da Vinci Arts Middle School under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Certification was something of a test-run for Portland Public Schools.

The 1,500-square-foot building, which encompasses a music room, two practice rooms and an office with recording capacities, was designed to be net-zero energy with solar power, natural ventilation, passive heating and cooling system and natural daylighting features.

The lights in the building are on motion sensors, and the electric outlets use occupancy sensors. The stormwater is managed on site. In addition, low-VOC (volatile organic compounds) paints and interior products were used throughout the building. These and other features were instrumental in the U.S. Green Building Council certifying the school as LEED Platinum, making it the only K-12 public school building in Oregon to achieve this level of certification.

“It’s gratifying to have this project

recognized for its contribution as the highest caliber asset in Portland Public School’s inventory of educational facilities,” said Nancy Bond, the resource conservation specialist for Portland Public Schools. “This classroom provides an ongoing educational laboratory for students, educators, parents and administrators of what is possible with respect to resource efficiency.”

Portland Public Schools built the classroom to implement sustainability practices on a small scale before incorporating the measures throughout the district, said Bond.

“We saw this as an opportunity to try many new innovative features before

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upgrading and renovating our school building portfolio,” said Bond. “We wanted to test the most leading-edge strategies on a small scale before doing it on a full scale.”

The cost-savings and effectiveness of the LEED-Certified building are being closely monitored, Bond said. The district is communicating with students, teachers and the communities to receive feedback on the sustainable features. So far, Portland Public Schools has been pleased with the outcome.

“The community loves it. Students love it. Teachers love it,” said Bond. “It is a beautiful space. … We are really proud of this building. It was a wonderful collaborative effort, and it is definitely informing us as we move forward.”

Portland Public Schools is considering making LEED Gold the standard for future building projects. The maintenance staff, which is also pleased with the performance of the classroom, will continue to be trained on the new, environmentally-friendly systems.

janitorial

Cleaning Objectives Should be Guided by Health, Asset Preservation, Appearance

By Don Aslett

M

ake the floors look shiny.

Make the restrooms smell good.

Take out the trash.

Clean the fingerprints off the glass.

Get that spot out of the carpet.

These are the objectives of most cleaning companies. However, when the question is, “Is your building clean?” the answer is, “These objectives are important, but not the most important thing.” For most of us, cleaning is driven by three factors: appearance, complaints and budgets.

Appearance cleaning is like the old adage, “If it looks clean, it is clean.”

This may or may not be true. A building’s appearance is important.

People are happier in a clean-looking environment, and they perform better there. The problem is determining what appearance level we want and whose responsibility it is to make that determination. Is it up to each cleaning worker? The supervisor? The building administration? In most cases, all of the above.

The appearance cleaning objective is usually driven by the second factor, complaints. Complaint cleaning boils down to determining how many complaints we are willing to accept about our cleaning programs and attempting to clean to this level. As long as we’re not getting too many complaints, we must be doing OK. As you’re reading this, you might be thinking, “That’s not a very smart way to manage an important process like cleaning!” Well, you are right. The problem is that is exactly how your organization is doing it. A more acceptable way of defining your cleaning program is, “We use the budget we have available to clean to a

manageable level of complaints.”

Budget-based cleaning is a fact of life. We will always have financial constraints on our cleaning programs.

Our job is to show the financial department the impact of budget decisions. Over the past several years, cleaning budgets have been reduced, often dramatically, raising a number of questions. What are the consequences of this decision? Is it the right decision? How do we know?

In order to answer these questions, we need to redefine our cleaning priorities and replace our current driving factors of appearance, complaints and budget with health, asset preservation and appearance. We also need data to measure and support these new objectives.

Health seems like an obvious criterion. Cleaning for the well-being of the people who use our facilities should be our first priority.

People touch things, they breathe the air in them and they walk on the floors. We need to be sure we are meeting our responsibility to provide a safe environment for each of these actions. High on our list — and in the advent of swine flu — are human touch points. Recent testing data shows more than 60 percent of the common touch points in facilities fail to meet safe levels, even right after cleaning. This level of failure should not be acceptable.

Air quality is also a problem. Most of the vacuums we’ve tested are emitting dangerous levels of dust.

Those are our cleaning tools —tools that are not cleaning, but actually polluting. Plus we’re paying somebody to do this.

What about floors? Slips and falls

are a major problem in the United States. Again, testing data shows the majority of floors are not safe. They are shiny, but not safe.

Asset preservation means making sure our cleaning processes are not shortening the useful life of our capital assets — our buildings and their furnishings. The use of harsh chemicals and abrasives can do tremendous damage to these assets.

Premature replacement and the voiding of manufacturers’ warranties are just two of the direct ways this shows up our budgets.

Appearance is important. As mentioned earlier, a clean environment produces a greater sense of well-being and proven increased production. The important thing to remember is that appearance should be the third factor in our evaluations after health and asset preservation.

For each of these new standards, health, asset preservation and appearance, we need a way to measure our results. From internal inspections to third-party cleaning audits, there are ways to generate clear and objective data needed to track each of these cleaning objectives. If we don’t measure, we can’t manage.

Don Aslett, founder of Varsity Contractors, Inc., is an author, speaker, consultant, trainer and radio and TV presence in the building care industry. He has written more than 30 books relating to building maintenance. For additional information about cleaning process management, call the Clean Green World at 888.748.3535. OF

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integrated pest management

Eliminate Conducive Conditions to Rid Buildings of Unwanted Tenants

By Tim TenBrink

E

ver since people have built structures, they have had to contend with unwanted pests. Most buildings extend invitations to rodents, birds, bugs and wildlife unknowingly. Whether a new building or an aging building, pests are constantly laying siege due to the water, shelter and food opportunities buildings offer.

Integrated Pest Management Integrated pest management, a recent focus in the pest control industry, employs numerous strategies to eliminate pest problems. Thorough inspections, monitoring, follow up and continued maintenance are important keys to IPM, which goes hand-inhand with the green movement.

Solving a pest control problem in a timely fashion will always be the first priority, but the solution should have the lowest impact on the people who work in the building and on the surrounding environment.

If common problem areas of most buildings are properly inspected and monitored, a pest problem will rarely get out of control. Inspecting, monitoring and correcting conducive conditions become just as important as the actual treatment for the particular pest species when focusing on an IPM program.

The more accurate the inspection and monitoring of buildings becomes, the less pesticide is needed as it can be targeted directly to the problem area.

You no longer need a blanket treatment of pesticide or wasted trap placements. IPM, therefore, becomes a more green solution to pest conflicts since accurate monitoring can replace blind chemical applications.

Conducive Conditions The conducive condition that may

attract more pests than any other is moisture. Buildings should be inspected for standing water, excessive condensation, humidity and drainage.

An undetected leak down into a wall could attract carpenter ants or termites. Water in a crawlspace can make it easy for mice or rats to thrive without anyone knowing. If water pools on a roof, it could keep the neighborhood raccoons on a nightly route that includes a visit to your building. If moisture issues are corrected and monitored, pests are much less likely to be attracted to a structure.

Construction gaps are another conducive condition that sometimes go uncorrected until it leads to a pest problem. Gaps are open invitations to luxury crawlspace or attic living. No more cold, drafty leaf nests for the squirrels or raccoons. They now have discovered a temperature-controlled, calm and dry place to live. The convenient shelter caused by the construction gaps makes it easier for the pest to survive and reproduce.

Small gaps can also lead to mouse and bat problems as they enter a building and become established.

Birds are a constant problem in building management. The height of a building can attract birds that want to perch. Nice, flat ledges can quickly become stained with bird droppings.

Often this unsightly and unhealthy mess will occur by entryways, decks or on the sidewalk in front of a building.

Birds will actually nest on buildings when eaves and overhangs create shelter. Pigeons are notorious for nesting beneath a sheltered eave and then perching on nearby flat ledges. If birds become a problem on a building, the conducive conditions must be eliminated with a cleanup and disinfecting and exclusion work.

22 I OREGON FACILITIES WINTER 2010

Simply make sure the birds cannot get to their ideal nesting, perching or loafing areas.

Exercise caution when battling with birds, as all but three species are federally protected. Make sure a professional positively identifies the species before any bird nests are removed.

Elimination Sanitation also plays an important role when it comes to eliminating conditions that are attractive to pests.

Do not leave food or crumbs laying around a building, and make sure trash and recycling areas are kept clean and clutter free. Raccoons and rats love garbage. Most pests love clutter as it can create ideal shelter conditions that are hard to detect.

Upkeep of the grounds is also something to pay attention to. A branch laying on a roof is an easy path for a roof rat. A shrub touching a wall can create a bridge for trailing ants, even if the entire perimeter has been treated with pesticide. They simply avoid the treatment by going over it.

Actively keeping vegetation and tree branches away from buildings will lower the opportunities that some pests will discover your building.

Buildings will always be faced with pest pressure. Eliminating conducive conditions will reduce that pressure. As creative and thoughtful ways of preventing and eliminating pest problems emerge存 IPM and green pest management will continue to evolve as an effective approach to protecting people, property and the environment.

Tim TenBrink is with Critter Control of Portland, Oregon. He can be reached at 502.244.0993. OF

OREGON FACILITIES WINTER 2010 I 23

Oregon Facilities P. O. Box 970281 Orem, UT 84097-0281

24 I OREGON FACILITIES WINTER 2010