ECO-STRUCTURE THE 2010 EVERGREEN AWARDS
THE 2010 EVERGREEN AWARDS
NEW HEIGHTS NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010
ECO-STRUCTURE.COM NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010
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Circle no. 91 or http://ecostructure.hotims.com
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Ned Cramer ncramer@hanleywood.com EDITOR Katie Weeks kweeks@hanleywood.com MANAGING EDITOR Greig O’Brien gobrien@hanleywood.com SENIOR ART DIRECTOR Aubrey Altmann aaltmann@hanleywood.com ASSOCIATE ART DIRECTOR Marcy Ryan mryan@hanleywood.com
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Lidia Berger, HDR Inc. Carlie Bullock-Jones, Ecoworks Studio Eric Corey Freed, organicARCHITECT Michael Deane, Turner Construction Bert Gregory, Mithun Sean O’Malley, SWA Group Tom Paladino, Paladino & Co. Patrick Thibaudeau, HGA Gregory Thomas, Performance Systems Development
DIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION/ PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGIES Cathy Underwood cunderwood@hanleywood.com PRODUCTION/AD TRAFFIC MANAGER Paige S. Hirsch phirsch@hanleywood.com PREPRESS MANAGER Fred Weisskopf PREPRESS COORDINATOR Betty Kerwin
The Environmental Defense Fund Paper Calculator (papercalculator.org) estimates that eco-structure will save the following resources by using recycled-content cover stock and paper over the course of 2010: 232 trees ▪ 711 million Btu of energy ▪ 37,133 lbs. CO2 equiv. ▪ 92,928 gallons of wastewater ▪ 9,884 lbs. of solid waste
Vol. 8, No. 7. Nov/Dec 2010. eco-structure® (ISSN 1556-3596; USPS 022-816) is published seven times per year (Jan/Feb, Mar/April, May/June, July/Aug, September, October, and Nov/Dec) by Hanley Wood LLC, One Thomas Circle N.W., Suite 600, Washington, D.C. 20005. Subscriptions are free to qualified recipients. Publisher reserves the right to determine recipient qualification. Annual subscription rates for nonqualified recipients in the U.S. $15, Canada $64 (U.S. funds), all other countries $192 (U.S. funds). Back copy price: $10 for U.S. residents. Copyright 2010 by Hanley Wood LLC. Reproduction in whole or in part prohibited without written authorization. All rights reserved. Printed in the USA. Periodicals postage paid at Washington, D.C., and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to eco-structure, P.O. Box 3494, Northbrook, IL 60065-9831. Canada Post Registration #40612608/G.S.T. number: R-120931738. Canadian return address: Pitney Bowes Inc., P.O. Box 25542, London, ON N6C 6B2. TM
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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR COMMERCIAL DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION Patrick J. Carroll pcarroll@hanleywood.com PUBLISHER, COMMERCIAL DESIGN Russell S. Ellis rellis@hanleywood.com; 202.736.3310 NATIONAL SALES MANAGER Nick Hayman nhayman@hanleywood.com; 202.736.3457
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NEW ENGLAND, GEORGIA, FLORIDA, INDIANA, OHIO Dan Colunio dcolunio@hanleywood.com; 617.304.7297 NORTHEAST/SOUTHEAST Michael Lesko mlesko@hanleywood.com; 203.445.1484 MIDWEST Michael Gilbert mgilbert@hanleywood.com; 773.824.2435 LIGHTING, NATIONAL Cliff Smith csmith@hanleywood.com; 846.642.9598 WEST COAST Mark Weinstein mweinstein@hanleywood.com; 562.598.5650 CANADA D. John Magner jmagner@yorkmedia.net; 416.598.0101, x220 UNITED KINGDOM/EUROPE Stuart Smith stuart.smith@ssm.co.uk
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All contents of this issue of ECO-STRUCTURE are copyrighted by Hanley Wood LLC. Reproduction in whole or in part prohibited without written authorization. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States. ECO-STRUCTURE is the independent, unbiased source for green-building information. The magazine intends to foster an open dialogue about today’s vital green-building issues.
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DISCLOSURE / ECO-STRUCTURE occasionally will write about companies in which its parent organization, Hanley Wood LLC, has an investment interest. When it does, the magazine will fully disclose that relationship. PRIVACY OF MAILING LIST / Sometimes we share our subscriber mailing list with reputable companies we think you’ll find interesting. However, if you do not wish to be included, please call us at 888.269.8410.
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CONTENTS November/December 2010
48
FEATURES The 2010 Evergreen Awards Ecommercial Winner 48
The Atrium School in Watertown, Mass., designed by Maryann Thompson Architects.
Ecommercial Honorable Mention 54 Twelve | West in Portland, Ore., designed by Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects.
Greenhouse Winner 58
Virginia Point, a Houston, Texas, residence designed by Adams Architects.
On the Boards Winner 62
Digital Media City Landmark Tower in Seoul, South Korea, designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.
Perspective Winner 66
Peter Busby of Busby Perkins+Will.
58
66
On the Cover: Digital Media City Landmark Tower, the 2010 Evergreen Awards On the Boards winner, designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM). Rendering by SOM. NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010 ECO-STRUCTURE 7
CONTENTS
DEPARTMENTS Viewpoint 10 Greenscene 12 Products 39 Deep Green 19
Technology 25
19
Two engineers discuss the benefits of using BIM to project —and modify — sustainable initiatives and building operations.
Flashback 31
Through its design and modified operations and maintenance practices, the William J. Clinton Presidential Center & Park achieved LEED certification twice.
Ecocentric 72
This net-zero playhouse is serious about the environment.
72
ECO-STRUCTURE.COM
Go online for more news, projects, products, and essays. Among this month’s highlights: Awards: Extended coverage of the 2010 Evergreen Awards and the award luncheon from Greenbuild Conference & Expo. Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/ecostructure Become a Facebook fan at facebook.com
31 8 ECO-STRUCTURE.COM
This page, top to bottom: Henry Obasi; David Heath; © Albert Vecerka/Esto Previous page,clockwise from top: Anton Grassl/Esto; William Anthony; Joe Aker, Aker/Zvonkovic Photography.
One of HOK’s sustainable-design specialists describes the process of searching for and incorporating green building incentives into projects.
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Performance Issues
Shortly before this issue of eco-structure went to press, a tremor shook the green building community. On Oct. 8, an attorney acting on behalf of Henry Gifford, president of New York–based Gifford Fuel Saving, filed a class-action lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York against the USGBC, alleging fraud, unfair competition, and deceptive trade practices. In addition to naming the USGBC as a defendant, the suit also specifically named David Gottfried, founder and first president of the USGBC; USGBC founding chairman, and current president and CEO Richard Fedrizzi; and past USGBC founding chairman Robert Watson as defendants. Gifford alleges that the USGBC is misleading consumers and misrepresenting the energy performance of LEED-certified buildings, among other charges. (View a PDF of the complaint at eco-structure.com.) If you ask me, while increased discussion on post-occupancy performance is needed in the industry, I am not sure that a courtroom is the most productive venue for it. At eco-structure, we strive to provide a lesslitigious environment in which to examine building performance and sustainable design. (Not that we’re casting aside the legal implications of going green: Less than one month prior to Gifford’s lawsuit, eco-structure explored the issue of green building rating–related litigation, dubbed “LEEDigation” in our September 2010 Deep Green column. Check it out at eco-structure.com.) Our November/December edition, which celebrates the 2010 Evergreen Awards, continues our focus on performance. In fact, it was a driving factor in the competition’s jury deliberations. Judging a sustainable design competition is understandably a tough assignment (and one for which we owe great thanks to our jurors, who are spotlighted on page 68). After all, there is no set answer as to what constitutes excellence. Is it a certain level of LEED certification? Is it energy use that is, at minimum, a specific percentage below code? Is it reuse of existing infrastructure, rather than new construction? As we all know, 10 ECO-STRUCTURE.COM
depending on each of our personal filters, it can be a combination of the above and much more. In reviewing nearly 200 entries in our building categories (Ecommercial, Greenhouse, and On the Boards), our jurors repeatedly came back to two questions: One, does the structure perform? And two, does it stand out from an architectural point of view? A “no” vote to either query helped filter out finalists for a more in-depth discussion. What the jury sought most from each entry was performance data, something that still seems to fall to the wayside once a project is handed over to the client. “We’re all good with thinking in terms of design expressions,” noted one of our jurors. “It’s trying to get designers to think about energy that is the challenge.” The yearning for performance data is a sentiment that I hear repeatedly, and the industry certainly is taking steps to be more diligent in its information collection. Before Gifford filed his lawsuit, the USGBC was already taking steps to better integrate performance-data collection and analysis into future versions of the LEED rating systems, and the International Living Building Institute requires at least 12 months of performance data for its Living Building Challenge—read about the first official Living Buildings on page 12. Still, a vast amount of data is missing. What’s the holdup on measurement becoming a natural step in a project? Could it be blamed on the economy, or a lack of initiative and incentive? As our Perspective winner, Peter Busby of Busby Perkins+Will, notes in our Q&A on page 66, it’s not often that an architecture firm is paid to go back and measure building performance. One of the keys to acquiring more data, he thinks, is to establish better benchmarks and measurements that will not only hold the building industry accountable, but also will help filter the good design from the not-so-good (and certainly from the bad). As an example, he referenced energy labeling practices in Europe, where building owners must provide building performance data as part of the sale of a building. As noted above, our Evergreen Awards jury also examined whether each entry stood out from an
architectural point of view—which, in a way, adds a twist to the idea of building performance: Does it perform aesthetically? In this case, the jury sought examples of gracefully integrated sustainable strategies. They took note of retrofits that successfully addressed the relationship between new and old, and questioned how urban projects acknowledged their surroundings. They looked at sustainable efforts—solar, wind, geothermal, access to daylight and the outdoors, green roofs, and use of recycled and renewable materials—with an eye on how they were integrated into a project. Were these characteristics treated as a design element or were they more of a big “I’m green!” statement? (They preferred when it was the former.) As an example, they applauded the technologies employed in Twelve | West, our Ecommercial honorable mention, but wondered whether the wind turbines on the building’s roof could have been more subtly integrated into the structure. While we will have to wait to see how Gifford’s lawsuit will be resolved, in the spirit of open-ended discussion, I invite you to browse our Evergreen coverage, starting on page 46 and continued online at eco-structure.com, and send us your feedback.
Mike Morgan
VIEWPOINT
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creating better environments
GREENSCENE Eco-Sense
The Omega Center for Sustainable Living
They’re Alive!
TWO PROJECTS EARN LIVING BUILDING CERTIFICATION, AND A THIRD PROJECT EARNS PARTIAL PROGRAM CERTIFICATION FROM THE INTERNATIONAL LIVING BUILDING INSTITUTE.
Text ECO-STRUCTURE STAFF
12 ECO-STRUCTURE.COM
Three projects have completed the first full set of third-party audits for the Living Building Challenge from the International Living Building Institute (ILBI). The Omega Center for Sustainable Living in Rhinebeck, N.Y., designed by BNIM, and Tyson Living Learning Center in Eureka, Mo., designed by Hellmuth+Bicknese Architects, each earned full certification as Living Buildings. Eco-Sense, a private residence in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, designed by its owners, earned partial certification for completing four of a total six performance areas—dubbed petals —in the Living Building Challenge, version 1.3. The Living Building Challenge was launched in 2006 and the ILBI reports that more than 70
projects are aiming to meet its targets. To be certified as a Living Building, a project must meet all program requirements through a full year of operation. The building must be built only on grayfields or brownfields, and set aside an equal amount of land for habitat exchange in return for each hectare of development; must generate all of its own energy through renewable resources; must capture and treat its own water through ecologically sound techniques; must incorporate only nontoxic, appropriately sourced materials; must operate efficiently; and must be built for maximum beauty. Projects meeting a minimum of three of the six petals, such as Eco-Sense, are eligible for Petal Recognition. “The Living Building Challenge calls for a fundamental shift in how we conceive of the built environment,” says Jason F. McLennan, CEO of the ILBI. “These three projects have demonstrated that we have all of the skills and technology we need to completely transform the built environment. These are quite simply the greenest buildings in the world. If the building industry follows the example set by these pioneering teams, we can begin healing our ecosystems and creating a future in which all life can thrive.” ▪ To learn more about the three projects, visit ilbi.org/lbc/ certified. To read a profile on the Tyson Living Learning Center, visit eco-structure.com.
Clockwise from left: Courtesy the Omega Institute for Holistic Studies; Ann and Gord Baird; Joe Angeles/WUSTL photographer, courtesy Hellmuth+Bicknese
Tyson Living Learning Center
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Rhode Island Adopts IGCC Rhode Island is the first state to adopt the International Green Construction Code (IGCC). Under the Rhode Island Green Buildings Act, all public agency major facility projects must be designed and constructed as green buildings, and the IGCC is now identified as an equivalent standard in compliance with this requirement. The rules and regulations to implement the act took effect in October. In August, Richland, Wash., became the first city to adopt the IGCC as a nonmandatory document for commercial buildings.
The Rhode Island Green Buildings Act applies to any public project that is owned, leased, or controlled by the state, including new construction projects larger than 5,000 gross square feet, or renovations involving more than 10,000 gross square feet of occupied or conditioned space. Other standards recognized under the legislation include the USGBC’s LEED rating system and the Northeast Collaborative for High-Performance Schools Protocol. The act was passed by Rhode Island’s General Assembly and was signed into law by the governor in late 2009, and applies to buildings that entered the design phase after Jan. 1, 2010. Under the act, the state’s Department of Administration is required to publish an annual report documenting operational savings resulting from the legislation. The IGCC was released for public review in March 2010, with a goal of final publication in 2012. It applies to new and existing commercial buildings. The requirements of the 2012 International Energy Conservation Codes provide a baseline energy provision for the IGCC, and ASHRAE Standard 189.1-2009 for the Design of High-Performance Green Buildings, Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings is integrated into the IGCC’s technical content as an alternative compliance path. ▪
CIRCLE NO. 96 or http://ecostructure.hotims.com
Longest Indoor Living Wall Opens Topping out with a total surface area of 4,072 square feet, the new green wall at the recently opened East Conservatory Plaza of Longwood Gardens, a horticultural center in Kennett Square, Pa., is the longest indoor green wall in North America. Designed by British landscape architect Kim Wilkie Associates, the green wall features a panel wall system from GSky Plant Systems of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, that supports more than 47,000 plants from 25 plant species, the majority of which are varieties of ferns. Its surface area makes the new wall more than 50 percent larger than the next-largest indoor green wall, located at the PNC Bank building in Pittsburgh, which measures 2,380 square feet. The plants of the Longwood wall are planted in 3,590 panels, which were started at a nursery for 32 weeks before installation, and then were transported to the site in three climate-controlled trucks. Twenty-four irrigation zones and 3,900 linear feet of irrigation drip line maintain the plants. It is estimated that the wall will provide an annual amount of oxygen equivalent to that produced by 90 14-foot-tall trees and will clean more than 15,000 pounds of dust and toxins from the air per year. The living wall lines a glass-roofed corridor that forms a spine between two rows of 17 domed underground lavatories of the new East Conservatory Plaza, also designed by Wilkie in collaboration with London-based architect Michaelis Boyd Architects; Princeton, N.J.–based Farewell Mills Gatsch Architects; and Philadelphia-based landscape architecture firm Wells Appel. The new plaza acts as an arrival point for conservatory visitors and is structured as five tiered terraces that are meant to appear as steps in the site’s landscape. ▪ To read a more detailed article on the green wall technology employed at Longwood Gardens from the November 2010 issue of architect magazine, visit eco-structure.com.
Longwood Gardens/L. Albee
Doing business in today’s market means knowing how to “go green”. Visit the GREENSITE area of the show floor located in the Central Hall. There you will find exhibitors showcasing green build technologies along with displays, video presentations and limitless information about this exciting new aspect of the construction industry. Learn how to integrate green strategies into your business by registering for a Green Building 90-minute seminar: MO-113 NEW! Cementitious Blends and Their Impact on Sustainable Construction MO-114 NEW! Creating Sustainable Concrete Through Performance-Based Cementitious Systems TU-115 NEW! Introduction to Sustainable Design and BIM (Building Information Modeling) WE-116 NEW! Sustainable Concrete & You: How to Survive and Thrive in the Green Revolution TH-117 NEW! The Concrete Home as a System—The Building Science Behind the Benefits TH-118 NEW! Pervious Mix Designs and Testing
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GREENSITE Luncheon & Forum Sponsored by Thursday, January 20, 12:00–2:00 pm Many contractors are fearful that “green” techniques can reduce profit margins, require additional capital equipment, or involve excessive documentation. With the growing demand for greener construction techniques, this luncheon connects interested contractors with experienced green professionals who have surpassed these challenges. Topics include: t 6QEBUF PO UIF SPMF PG TQFDJmDBUJPOT JO TVTUBJOBCMF EFTJHO t )PX DPOTUSVDUJPO ESBXJOHT TVQQPSU -&&% TQFDJmDBUJPO SFRVJSFNFOUT t )PX DPOUSBDUPST DBO MFBSO PG HSFFO QSPKFDUT JO UIFJS BSFB t *OTJHIU PO IPX UP JODMVEF NPSF SFDZDMFE NBUFSJBM JO DPOTUSVDUJPO t /FX UPPMT BOE TPGUXBSF UIBU NBLF UIF TFMFDUJPO BOE EPDVNFOUBUJPO process simple yet effective
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DEEP GREEN
Money Matters
ONE OF HOK’S SUSTAINABLE-DESIGN SPECIALISTS DESCRIBES THE PROCESS OF SEARCHING FOR AND INCORPORATING GREEN BUILDING INCENTIVES INTO PROJECTS.
Text Anica Landreneau Illustration Henry Obasi
As a sustainable-design practice leader in HOK’s Washington, D.C., office, I’m part of a network of sustainable design specialists spread across the firm that constantly seeks out and shares information about green incentives, rebates, and benefits. How do we stay on top of it all to find the best options for each project? Where We Look Our first stop is the Web. To make sure everyone in our network is aware of all the federal, state, local, and utility incentives related to energy performance, our starting point is the easily searchable U.S. Department of Energy– funded Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency (DSIRE) at dsireusa.org. It’s updated regularly— there’s a “What’s New?” page for quick reference— and we search by sector, state, or technology. Though DSIRE’s database includes some American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funding opportunities, these options are covered more extensively on the U.S. Department of Energy’s website (energy.gov/recovery/funding .htm). In addition, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s and USGBC’s websites (epa .gov/greenbuilding/tools/funding.htm and usgbc .org, respectively) are helpful. (For more sources, see eco-structure’s September 2009 story on green project incentives at eco-structure.com/ greenincentives2009.) NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010 ECO-STRUCTURE 19
DEEP GREEN
Next, we often check with utility companies, as they may provide their own rebates and incentives. Offering their larger customers incentives for energy-efficient initiatives and renewable energy systems helps the utilities shave peak usage, maintain enough capacity to meet peak demand, and postpone the need to build costly new power plants. Also, many water utilities offer incentives for water conservation, and municipalities across the country offer rebates for water-saving products such as aerators for faucets, showerheads, and toilets. Speaking of municipalities, we regularly look at the local level. Across the country, cities
are coaxing the building industry into making environmentally friendly choices by enacting new codes or legislation and creating incentive programs to make building green more appealing. For example, many cities with older infrastructure systems are experiencing combined sewer overflow problems. Here, stormwater can wash sewage into local waterways during heavy rain. Repairing this infrastructure could cost a municipality billions of dollars and take many years to complete; so one way that they’re combating this problem is by providing low-impact development (LID) incentives. In Washington, D.C., the District of Columbia Department of the Environment (DDOE) offers rebates of $5 to $7 per square foot for green roof installations and other LID incentives. The District’s goal is to encourage building owners to keep stormwater on green roofs or infiltrated in site landscape features, rather than having it run directly into municipal storm sewers. LID features also include landscape elements such as bioswales and rain gardens. As a specific example, at the new 351,000-gross-square-foot Consolidated Forensic Laboratory, HOK’s team is channeling runoff water into rain garden planter boxes instead of the street so that it can be absorbed on the site instead of entering the District’s stormwater system. Complementing these efforts on the code side of the equation, the District’s building codes now require 75 percent of a new building’s roof to be a vegetated or cool roof (either reflective or limestone ballasted), and a project that is built from lot line to lot line can avoid installing structural stormwater management features if at least half of the roof is vegetated with an approved system. For owners, stormwater fees are based on a site’s impervious surface area — the lower the percentage of impervious surface, the lower the fees. Thus, in addition to the green roof rebate and up-front savings on structural stormwater features, buildings with green roofs can save money during operations. Most cities have green building, planning, and permitting agencies. You can get to know staff members by participating in your local USGBC chapter or other building industry associations. In my office, we have developed relationships with the staff at the DDOE, so that we can contact them to explain our projects and inquire about green incentives, and they often send us e-mails announcing new programs. Agencies such as DDOE often consult with firms like ours about pending stormwater legislation, fees, or building code changes, to get feedback and determine if they are pushing the envelope environmentally without discouraging people from building in the District. When We Start Researching and targeting possible opportunities should start early. Green incentives typically aren’t mutually exclusive — we have found that we can
CIRCLE NO. 31 or http://ecostructure.hotims.com
“A practical demonstration of a sustainable way of building.”
Adèle Naudé Santos, Architect and Urban Planner, Professor at the MIT in Cambridge (USA) and Head of the Holcim Awards jury 2008 North America, on the prize-winning Center for freshwater restoration and research, Sudbury, Canada.
Develop new perspectives for our future: 3 rd International Holcim Awards competition for projects in sustainable construction. Prize money totals USD 2 million. www.holcimawards.org In partnership with the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich), Switzerland; the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, USA; Tongji University, Shanghai, China; Universidad Iberoamericana, Mexico City; and the Ecole Supérieure d’Architecture de Casablanca, Morocco. The universities lead the independent juries in five regions of the world. Entries at www.holcimawards.org close March 23, 2011. The Holcim Awards competition is an initiative of the Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction. Based in Switzerland, the foundation is supported by Holcim Ltd and its Group companies and affiliates in more than 70 countries. Holcim is one of the world’s leading suppliers of cement and aggregates as well as further activities such as ready-mix concrete and asphalt including services.
Circle no. 20 or http://ecostructure.hotims.com
DEEP GREEN
Cities are coaxing the green building industry into making environmentally friendly choices by enacting new codes or legislation and creating incentive programs.
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combine several if a project qualifies. At HOK, once we identify an incentive, we rely on our client’s financial analysts and tax specialists to determine whether they are desirable. If there will be additional up-front costs involved in designing a more energy-efficient envelope or HVAC system, for example, the client helps calculate whether the payback is worth the initial investment. Many organizations also take into account the marketing and public relations benefits of occupying an innovative green building. If the incentives are deemed attractive, we meet with the client to chart out exactly what the project team needs to do to qualify for them. It’s helpful to identify incentives early to address any effects on compensation. For example, many green incentives are tax-based. However, since a public school or public agency does not pay taxes, those projects cannot get the tax benefits available for energy-efficient commercial buildings. The good news is that some tax benefits for public projects can be transferred to the professional design firm. In that case, a school district or government agency could negotiate to transfer the tax benefit to the primary architect in exchange for designing an energy-efficient building. The architect then gets that tax benefit or rebate as a bonus and, in return, charges the owner a reduced design fee. This, naturally, makes negotiating the architect’s professional compensation trickier, so these incentives should be identified as soon as possible. Incentives also can be used to help secure project financing. We are working with a local developer who is planning an 800,000-squarefoot mixed-use project to anchor an eco-district in D.C.’s southeast quadrant. The team is exploring strategies that could result in a building that uses 50 percent less energy than that mandated in the ASHRAE 90.1 standard. Meeting this will make the project eligible for up to $1.80 per square foot in federal tax incentives under the Energy Policy Act of 2005. In addition, some technologies under consideration for the project, such as highpressure gas microturbines and photovoltaics (PV), will be eligible for local rebates and incentives. PV and wind energy installations can earn up to $3 per watt in rebates from the District. The local electric utility is offering rebates for enhanced commissioning, and LID strategies such as green roofs will earn up to $7 per square foot through the Anacostia Watershed Society. Our hope is that the advanced environmental attributes included in the building design will help our client obtain the leverage it needs to secure construction financing in today’s difficult market—while still providing an acceptable return on investment. ▪ Anica Landreneau is a sustainable design practice leader in HOK’s Washington, D.C., office. She can be reached at anica.landreneau@hok.com.
Circle no. 61 or http://ecostructure.hotims.com
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TECHNOLOGY
BIM: As Green As Users Make It TWO ENGINEERS DISCUSS THE BENEFITS OF USING BIM TO PROJECT—AND MODIFY— SUSTAINABLE INITIATIVES AND BUILDING OPERATIONS.
Text Bungane Mehlomakulu and Natalia Khaldi Illustration Jameson Simpson
At IBE Consulting Engineers, we were designing the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) systems for a courthouse in California, when we noticed an unusual spike in energy consumed for cooling in the late summer weeks. As engineers devoted to sustainability, we run frequent load calculations and space analyses that are based upon standard Building Information Modeling (BIM) software. Seeing the increase, we turned to the BIM model to examine the cause of this spike, which was too high to be explained by hot weather alone. One benefit of BIM is the ease in which we can relate a building’s orientation to the sun’s seasonal paths across the sky, and plot the resulting energy use given factors such as the building’s geometry, orientation, fenestration, and U-values (insulating properties) of its walls. Prior to BIM, validating performance model inputs was time consuming and produced more opportunities for misinterpretation of information. For this project’s analysis we used Autodesk Revit and exported data to Trace for load and energy-use calculations. Reviewing the results produced from the analysis obtained using BIM, and focusing on the suspected hot room in the courthouse, we found the reason behind the spike: There was a window NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010 ECO-STRUCTURE 25
TECHNOLOGY
into which sunlight poured directly for only a few hours each day during only a few weeks each year. We consulted with the architect, and were able to arrive at a solution well before the design process was mature. This behind-the-scenes ability to locate and fix problem areas early is an often overlooked aspect of sustainable design, but in the long run it can save time, materials, and money. The energy spike in the courthouse, and the resulting fix, underline several strengths of BIM as it relates to sustainable initiatives. Energy calculations performed as often as necessary can inform owners and architects early of potential problems. Also, what-if scenarios can be fruitfully explored. Studying sun paths and the resulting
As BIM matures, more clients are becoming familiar with its attributes. That should lead to greater use of BIM, and earlier insertion of … sustainable initiatives into the design and construction process. But, like most tools, BIM is only as good as the people who use it.
LOWERS FO OTPR INT S . RA ISES PRO FILE S .
energy loads is just one area that lends itself well to using BIM to explore possible solutions. On a larger level, coordination among engineers, architects, and owners in the design stage means that green initiatives are embedded early into the building design process, thus minimizing conflict with other building goals. We are beginning to see that green initiatives are not seen as supplemental, but as intrinsic, to a project. Increasingly, building owners seize on green initiatives in an effort to cut gas and electric bills. Beyond the design stage, BIM aids communication with all parties, including contractors who benefit from seeing the design in a more concrete, less abstract way. It can also aid in the reduction of jobsite material waste through better scheduling and construction management. Early proper placement of mechanical equipment and rooms —allowing for ease of access, future upgrades, and reduced system disruption—is another result. IBE supplements BIM with Trace, a program that calculates a building’s probable energy consumption. We export certain data from BIM— such as building size, orientation, and U-values — to Trace to run load or energy-consumption calculations. We do this because BIM software does
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CIRCLE NO. 36 or http://ecostructure.hotims.com
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TECHNOLOGY
not directly calculate probable building energy consumption. From an engineer’s perspective, the ideal—perhaps an on-screen box that presents projected energy consumption as design changes are made — is not yet a reality. Software developers have made advances in providing rapid feedback for early prototyping, but these platforms still lack the detail and flexibility to explore nontraditional systems and design alternatives. As it stands, several software developers have developed plug-ins that integrate into Revit to allow information in a model to be exported to the secondary platform for further calculation. Some of these calculations can then be populated back into BIM for use in design layouts. But technology alone is not a panacea. Rational, nuanced thought, the kind BIM cannot do, is required. Both architectural and systems designers must be experienced enough to know the various passive, active, and environmental factors that can influence the building’s energy use over time. The next steps should be to take BIM beyond the design and construction phases and place it in the hands of the owners, who could then use the information to remodel, maintain, and operate the building long after the designers and builders have left the site. Integration with an owner’s maintenance and controls systems would add
an additional level of management, but it also would provide facilities with greater insight and a single source for complete building information. While some owners are making this integration now, it is not yet at a plug-and-play level. In the very near future, however, building performance, maintenance information, and controls will become an integral part of BIM. This will yield buildings that are not only designed with a sustainable and integrated approach, but are also run efficiently, with continual monitoring and opportunities for incremental upgrades as new opportunities arise. As BIM matures, more clients are becoming familiar with its attributes. That should lead to greater use of BIM, and earlier insertion of MEP engineers and sustainable initiatives into the design and construction process. But, like most tools, BIM is only as good as the people who use it. ▪ Bungane Mehlomakulu, IBE Consulting Engineers principal, specializes in advanced building systems, design technologies, and radiant, displacement, and passive mechanical systems. Natalia Khaldi, IBE Consulting Engineers’ BIM manager, trains MEP engineers in BIM, and manages the delivery of engineering design drawings and BIM models to clients. Visit IBE Consulting Engineers at ibece.com.
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CIRCLE NO. 8 or http://ecostructure.hotims.com
CIRCLE NO. 19 or http://ecostructure.hotims.com
Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s always a
FLASHBACK
Bridge of Possibilities
The William J. Clinton Presidential Center in Little Rock, Ark., has won several awards including an AIA National Honor Award for Architecture in 2006, an AIA/Committee on the Environment Top Ten Green Projects honorable mention in 2007, and an AIA/American Library Association Building Award in 2007.
THROUGH ITS DESIGN AND MODIFIED OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE PRACTICES, THE WILLIAM J. CLINTON PRESIDENTIAL CENTER & PARK ACHIEVED LEED CERTIFICATION TWICE.
© Albert Vecerka/Esto
Text David R. Macaulay
Around Little Rock, Ark., they call it “Bill’s Bridge.” In a lush setting that was once a brownfield and reaches out towards the Arkansas River, the William J. Clinton Presidential Center & Park is reminiscent of Little Rock’s six bridges that cross the river nearby, its modern design emblematic of a “bridge to the 21st century.” The center, which opened in November 2004, is home to the William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Museum. Designed to LEED Silver certification by Ennead Architects (formerly Polshek Partnership) of New York, the center’s main museum wing rises over a 27-acre city park that stretches along the south bank of the river. Nearby, the refurbished Choctaw Station, a 111-year-old train depot, houses the
William J. Clinton Foundation offices and the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service. The library elevated its status further in 2007 when it received Platinum LEED for Existing Buildings (LEED-EB) certification, becoming the only federally maintained facility to earn this recognition. Collaboration on the building’s concept became a clear theme for architects James Polshek, Richard Olcott, and Kevin McClurkan upon their invitation to the White House in 1999 by then-President Clinton. The president had been impressed with the firm’s cultural and educational projects, particularly the design of the Rose planetarium at New York’s American Museum of Natural History and the NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010 ECO-STRUCTURE 31
FLASHBACK
art museum at Stanford University. Clinton had given considerable thought to his own presidential library, picturing a public and archival space as an exemplar of sustainable design. Olcott, a founding partner and design principal, recalls, “You won’t find many clients as enlightened as President Clinton. It’s not like we had to convince him to make a green building. It was quite the other way around— he was leading the charge.” Site Development The project designers met with Clinton every six weeks over the course of a year. Site selection, led by the former president, focused on a longabandoned rail yard and old warehouses near downtown. “Here, he chose to make a bigger impact by cleaning up this derelict site, to use this urban locale as a catalyst for enlightened development,” Olcott notes. “He immediately saw the possibilities there that others didn’t.” On site, Clinton envisioned bicycling and pedestrian paths, as well as restoration of the old train station and adjacent railroad bridge. In addition to a public park, today the area features nearly a dozen new office buildings. Natural light represents another signature element in the building’s design and orientation.
CIRCLE NO. 35 or http://ecostructure.hotims.com
After visiting the libraries of several former presidents, the architects better understood Clinton’s desire to emphasize openness, accessibility, and light. The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) dictates requirements for protecting and preserving the artifacts and documents from a presidency, and the rest of the building serves as an active meeting place and policy think tank. “He didn’t want archivists laboring in a dark, vault-like environment,” Olcott says. Yet prominent use of daylight presented a challenge in such a hot, humid climate. Olcott recalls thinking: “We’ve got a glass bridge that’s facing west. How are we going to keep the sun off it?” The designers first considered placing a system of louvers over the glass, but later opted for a curtain-wall system that incorporates a floating glass scrim, with a sun-screening interlayer and coatings, to reduce solar heat gain by half. Whereas the designers predicted energy performance at 25 percent better than ASHRAE 90.1–1999, the center currently uses 34 percent less energy than comparable code-compliant buildings. Likewise, potable water reduction strategies total 23 percent less than that permitted by code, for a savings of approximately 324,000 gallons annually.
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FLASHBACK
Continued Progress Hailed by the press upon its opening, the Clinton Presidential Center has since attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. But the president and his foundation elected to green the three-building complex further. Through a detailed LEED-EB certification process, consultants at Leonardo Academy of Madison, Wis., identified a series of performance improvements. Among them: updated operating procedures for erosion and sedimentation control, as well as updated procedures for green site and building exterior management, and the addition of low-VOC purchasing practices and green cleaning policies. Ninety-four percent of the center’s waste is now recycled and carbon neutrality was achieved via Green-e certified renewable energy credits. In addition to staff and contractor training, Leonardo Academy also managed the procurement process to install a 5,000-square-foot green roof over the library and oversaw the application for recertification under LEED-EB. The results were recognized with LEED Platinum certification in November 2007. Olcott takes pride in realizing the president’s original vision as an award-winning green building. “For us, the bridge metaphor captures the spirit of Bill Clinton and his presidency,” he says. “I can’t think of another client we could convince to build a building like that. Certainly an ambitious undertaking for anyone, but it captured his imagination —and it was all new to us then, too.” ▪ David R. Macaulay is the author of Integrated Design: Mithun and the blog Green ArchiTEXT, greenarchitext.com.
CIRCLE NO. 95 or http://ecostructure.hotims.com
Timothy Hursley
Natural light was a key design element as President Clinton sought to emphasize openness, accessibility, and light. The west-facing glass bridge, however, proved challenging in Little Rock’s hot, humid climate. The solution to controlling solar heat gain was a floating glass scrim with a sun-screening interlayer and coating.
FLASHBACK
LESSONS LEARNED To create transformative change in the built environment of Little Rock, Ark., and the surrounding region, stands as one of the primary goals for the design and construction of the Clinton Presidential Center. “President Clinton’s vision was to create ripples within Arkansas in terms of challenging people, government, and other NGOs to pursue this sort of sustainable construction,” says Jordan Johnson of the Clinton Foundation. Meeting LEED Silver and then LEED Platinum requirements for the library and museum resulted in several lessons. According to Richard Olcott of Ennead Architects and Michael
In the future buildings will sell energy, not buy it.
Arny of the Leonardo Academy, these included:
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• Broaden use of recycled and reclaimed
One day, buildings will be incredibly
a series of compromises in material selection,
air-tight and energy efficient – so
today’s choices are greater than ever (i.e.,
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carpets made of recycled plastics); the center’s
net energy and even sell energy
structure includes 100 percent recycled steel.
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materials. While green design once called for
The center’s main wing rises out over a 27-acre city park alongside the south bank of the Arkansas River that was previously home to an abandoned rail yard and old warehouses.
• Future-proof buildings. Although Ennead’s design originally included a green roof, at the time the client decided to use white gravel instead to improve reflectivity (and earn a LEED
powered by millions of tiny graphite
point). Reaching for LEED-EB Platinum made it
particles that act as infrared absorbers
possible to complete the green roof, which now
and heat reflectors, for an R-value that
provides habitat, reduces stormwater runoff,
practically goes through the roof. It’s
and improves energy efficiency.
tomorrow’s smarter technology, today.
• Reconcile green and federal standards. Gaining approval for a water-retaining green roof and locating the right system proved a bigger challenge than anticipated, Arny says, due to strict National Archives and Records Administration requirements that are in place to protect records against fire, flood, and other threats. • Continually improve building performance. Other than a green roof, the project’s Platinum certification involved no new sustainable
1.888.415.6449 l logixicf.com CIRCLE NO. 30 or http://ecostructure.hotims.com
building components; rather, its optimized performance may be credited largely to the addition of green building and site operating protocols that comply with LEED-EB standards.
Timothy Hursley
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Kawneer Co. has introduced Versoleil SunShades, designed to easily integrate into building envelopes. Beginning with the Single Blade SunShade System, the line’s options are designed to be mounted in either horizontal or vertical configurations. Horizontal blades can be tilted at eight different angles in five-degree increments, while vertical blades can be oriented in 15 angles in five-degree increments. Depths from 6 inches to 14 inches are available, and finish options include Permanodic anodized finishes as well as standard and custom paint finishes. The line can contribute to LEED points in three categories. kawneer.com; 770.449.5555. Circle 100 ecostructure.hotims.com NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010 ECO-STRUCTURE 39
Accoya wood is a solid wood product for outdoor applications such as cladding and decking. It is dimensionally stable, reducing shrink and swell by 75 percent, and can last up to 50 years above-ground and 25 years in-ground. The wood is Cradle-to-Cradle certified Gold and uses Forest Stewardship Council– certified, Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification–certified, and other regionally certified woods. In addition, it acts as a barrier to insects, including termites. accoya.com; 972.233.6565. Circle 101 ecostructure.hotims.com
PRODUCTS
Siding Knight Wall Systems has launched CI-Girt, a rainscreen system that accommodates continuous rigid insulation on the exterior to increase a structure’s energy efficiency. The adaptable system eliminates the need to manually cut and fit insulation around girts and allows for cladding attachment over continuous insulation. knightwallsystems .com; 509.262.0104. Circle 102 ecostructure.hotims.com
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The Dimension Walls line by MDC Wallcoverings offers 3D wallcovering options that create distinct accents and add texture to a room. Two new additions to the zeroVOC line —Elliptical and Hammered—bring the total texture options up to nine. Designers can choose from 28 standard finishes, some of which are half postindustrial recycled content. The panels have an overlapping lip to create an almost seamless wall application. mdcwall.com; 847.437.4000. Circle 103 ecostructure.hotims.com
Wallcoverings The Brasilia wallpaper collection from Wallquest draws inspiration from leaves, grasses, tree bark, and other natural elements. The pulp is derived from renewable resource forests or recycled sources, and the production process relies on solvent-free, water-based inks. Any water used during production is filtered and cleaned before being returned to the environment. Textures are produced using special inks that raise the surface of the patterns for an embossed or etched texture. wallquest.com; 888.425.9255. Circle 104 ecostructure.hotims.com
Waterfall Damask from Cirqa captures the richness of natural fibers through 12 saturated colors ranging from complex neutrals to mid-tones. Colors incorporate a glint of metallic gold or silver that pays homage to antique royal textures. The wallcovering is available with 20 percent recycled content as part of Versa’s Second-Look technology, which recycles post-consumer vinyl wallcovering into new product. Made of low-VOC type II vinyl with Osnaburg backing, the wallcovering measures 52 inches by 54 inches, and uses water-based inks and adhesives. cirqawallcovering.com; 502.458.1502. Circle 105 ecostructure.hotims.com
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THE PURSUIT OF
EXCELLENCE
In the ever-growing realm of green building, what constitutes a noteworthy project? We offer one set of examples with the winners of the 2010 Evergreen Awards, eco-structure’s third-annual competition recognizing innovation in environmental performance and design. Showcased on the pages that follow, this year’s winners, plus one honorable mention, span four categories — Ecommercial, Greenhouse, On the Boards (which recognizes unbuilt work), and Perspective (which spotlights an industry champion). The winners share a core attribute: They make projects work both technically and aesthetically, marrying admirable environmental performance that pushes beyond baseline measurements with innovative and thoughtful architecture. These projects (or, in the case of our Perspective winner, his portfolio and industry leadership) are further support in striking down the argument that good design may need to be sacrificed for green design, or vice versa.
As our jury discussed in mulling over this year’s entries, there should no longer be a viable excuse for not combining sustainability and outstanding aesthetics in any space. The industry and its clients deserve—and should demand—excellence across the board. Charged with filtering this year’s winners out of a sizeable entry field were Marc J. Cohen, director of sustainable design at MVE Institutional in Irvine, Calif.; Narada Golden, senior sustainability manager at YRG in Boulder, Colo.; Daniel J. Kaplan, senior partner at FXFowle Architects in New York; Patrick Thibaudeau, vice president at HGA in Minneapolis; and William J. Worthen, vice president at Simon & Associates in San Francisco and director, resource architect for sustainability for the American Institute of Architects. The 2010 winners will be recognized at a lunch during Greenbuild International Conference and Expo. For more information on the awards and the event, visit eco-structure.com ▪
ECOMMERCIAL WINNER
SECOND LIFE
Text David Sokol Photos Anton Grassl/Esto
Project: Atrium School Location: Watertown, Mass. GREEN TEAM Architect, interior designer, lighting designer: Maryann Thompson Architects, maryannthompson.com Client/owner: Atrium School, atrium.org MEP engineer: Wozny/Barbar & Associates, wbaengineers.com Structural engineer: Richmond So Engineers, richmondso.com Civil engineer: Gala Simon Associates, gsadesign.com Construction manager, general contractor: Bowdoin Construction Corp., bowdoinconstruction.com Landscape architect: Landworks Studio, landworksstudio.com Green engineer: The Green Engineer, greenengineer.com MATERIALS AND SOURCES Acoustical system, ceiling: Decoustics, decoustics.ca Flooring: Forbo Flooring Systems, forboflooringna.com Millwork: Environ Biocomposites, environbiocomposites.com HVAC: FabricAir, fabricair.com Lighting: B-K Lighting, bklighting.com; Lightolier by Philips, lightolier.com; LSI Industries, lsi-industries.com; Teka Illumination, teka-illumination.com Metal: Von Duprin, vonduprin.com Paints and finishes: The Sherwin-Williams Co., sherwin-williams.com Plumbing and water systems: Excel Dryer, exceldryer.com; Haws Corp., hawsco.com; Toto USA, totousa.com Signage: Montana Lettering, signlettersource.com Windows and doors: EFCO Corp., efcocorp.com; Kamco Supply Corp., kamco.com; Modulex Interior Products, www.modulexinc.com; Schweiss Doors, bifold.com
The whole-child education mission of the Atrium School is not just the stuff of blackboards and gym class. In addition to academic and cognitive growth, the 120-student, K–6 school in Watertown, Mass., emphasizes social development, dialogue across age groups, and environmental awareness. Atrium’s methods for achieving progressive results include weekly school-wide assemblies and common curricula. In all, its approach could have been adapted from the Quaker playbook. While Atrium’s current pedagogy may coincidentally reference historic educational precedents, its building concretely merges past and present. Since the 2006–2007 academic year, the institution has occupied a 20,000-square-foot warehouse that Maryann Thompson Architects remade as a contemporary learning space and a lesson in sustainable design. The Cambridge, Mass.–based firm accomplished this feat in spite of a lean budget of $110 per square foot. The project required a vow of eeciency: In August 2005, the Watertown municipality claimed Atrium’s old building in eminent domain, and gave the school 13 months to vacate. School oecials promptly leased a former Wordsworth Books storage facility as a new site. Still, restrictions of time and money dissuaded several of Maryann Thompson’s colleagues from competing for the job, she recalls, adding that initial glimpses of the 1920s-era warehouse caused shudders: “That first walkthrough was a little intimidating. The building has an amazing truss system, but it was painted all black and there were no windows.” It may have been scary, but it also was sound. The structure, brick on concrete block, was in excellent condition, and the roof membrane required only minimal patching. Thompson’s team removed the “flimsy stage-set partitions” that had divided the interior when the building was a warehouse, and inserted skylights and double-glazed windows —with 85-percent recycled-content aluminum frames —where there would be eight classrooms, five administrative oeces, and communal spaces. The firm then set about transforming the interior from black to white. “We sprayed the whole interior in low-VOC white paint. The trusses are beautiful, like a spiderweb, and [the paint] allows the children to see how the structural systems work,” Thompson says. Acknowledging that an 18-foot-tall warehouse filled with kids could be noisy, the design team installed white linen–covered acoustical tiles liberally. Minimizing intervention became the rule of thumb. Waterless urinals and low-flow toilets, which are largely responsible for a yearly water consumption of roughly 5.2 gallons per square foot—a figure that is on the low end of the water use range of high-performance schools in the High Performance Buildings Database —were added without moving plumbing lines. Similarly, Thompson “wove the school around” the existing electrical infrastructure. Ductwork was inserted inconspicuously—made of a washable white cloth, it expands and contracts according to use. One main change, however, dealt with perception. The warehouse originally faced a light-industrial section of Watertown, while its rear elevation and expansive parking lot opened to a residential area. Thompson achieved the zoning change required to flip those faces. “Setting the school’s entrance toward what would seem to be the rear of the building was a deliberate choice to engage the kids in their natural world as their first interaction with the school,” says Jim Newman, chair of the Atrium School’s Board of Trustees. Now, students start their day by passing through a landscape of undulating landforms designed by Michael Blier of Boston-based landscape firm Landworks Studio. This playground is a community amenity that is open to residents. It also conceals basins beneath the mounds that retain stormwater to reduce site runoff and refill the aquifer. The design team also reinstituted grass, trees, and natural drainage on site, decreasing the impervious area from 89 percent to 51 percent. Thompson designed diagonal wood screens that cover portions of the south-facing brick masonry. These expanses of western red cedar soften the former warehouse’s sharp edges and, Thompson says, “they provide Atrium with an iconographic image.” The move is a gesture toward the residential neighborhood and an exercise in branding. One portion rises above the roofline to form a light well for the multipurpose space below—which acts as a gymnasium, assembly area, theater, and afterschool-program venue— and it expedites natural ventilation in that space by the stack effect. The light well, other skylights, and windows work in tandem with interior luminaires that are activated by motion and daylight sensors. As a result, the school consumes only 14.24 kBtu per square foot. Factoring in a high-intensity boiler and other mechanical systems, total energy consumption is 38.51 kBtu per square foot, or 25 percent less than comparable schools in the High Performance Buildings Database. The south-facing multipurpose space exemplifies Thompson’s diverse sustainability strategy. In addition to using daylighting and natural ventilation, the building has concrete floors that provide excellent thermal mass; perimeter casework that was fabricated from recycled wheatboard; and a dramatic garage door that emphasizes students’ connections to the outdoors. While the multipurpose space bookends the building’s southern end, a library forms the northern terminus. Between these two rooms, Thompson threaded classrooms, a faculty lounge, and administrative oeces around the existing infrastructure to create an undulating double-loaded corridor that promotes a sense of discovery. More generally, Thompson calls the Atrium School a personal turning point. “Atrium showed me that you could make an adaptive-reuse project beautiful and emotionally interesting,” she says. “Now I think of adaptive reuse as almost a holy thing. It is the most profound form of recycling.” ▪ David Sokol writes about architecture from Beacon, N.Y. For all Evergreen Awards coverage, visit eco-structure.com.
48 ECO-STRUCTURE.COM
Now: The new entrance to the Atrium School
Before: The streetside warehouse entrance
Before: The warehouse rear view
Before: The warehouse side view NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010 ECO-STRUCTURE 49
ATRIUM SCHOOL ECOMMERCIAL WINNER
The entry landscape, hiding a stormwater storage basin 50 ECO-STRUCTURE.COM
The entry canopy’s side view
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ATRIUM SCHOOL ECOMMERCIAL WINNER
Multipurpose space and reception area
Corridor woven between classrooms and administrative offices 52 ECO-STRUCTURE.COM
Flexible multipurpose spaces
A classroom brightened up with a new skylight and white paint NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010 ECO-STRUCTURE 53
Twelve | West 54 ECO-STRUCTURE.COM
ECOMMERCIAL HONORABLE MENTION
FORWARD MOMENTUM
Text KJ Fields Photos Basil Childers, Pete Eckert, and Nick Merrick
Project: Twelve | West Location: Portland, Ore. GREEN TEAM: Architect, interior designer, landscape architect, green consultant, LEED consultant: Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects, zgf.com Client/owner, construction manager: Gerding Edlen Development Co., gerdingedlen.com Mechanical engineer, electrical engineer, lighting designer: Glumac, glumac.com; Total Mechanical, totalmechanical.com Structural engineer: KPFF, kpff.com Civil engineer: David Evans and Associates, deainc.com Geotechnical engineer: GeoDesign, geodesigninc.com General contractor: Hoffman Construction Co., hoffmancorp.com MATERIALS AND SOURCES: Building management systems and services: Siemens, buildingtechnologies.siemens.com Cladding: Cold Spring Granite, coldspringgranite.com; Dri-Design, dri-design.com; Streimer Sheet Metal Works, streimer.com; Swisspearl, swisspearl.com Curtain walls: Benson Industries, bensonglobal.com Glass: Viracon, viracon.com HVAC: Total Mechanical Lighting control systems: Lutron Electronics Co., lutron.com Lighting: Architectural Lighting Works, archltgworks.com; Artemide, artemide.us; Bartco Lighting, bartcolighting.com; Designplan Lighting, designplan.com; Focal Point, focal pointlights.com; Haworth, haworth.com; ilight Technology, ilight-tech.com; iol Lighting Services; Kurt Versen Co., kurtversen.com; Ledalite, ledalite.com; Lightolier by Philips, lightolier.com; Lithonia Lighting, lithonia.com; Louis Poulsen, louispoulsen.com; Sistemalux, sistemalux.com; Visual Lighting Technologies, visual-lighting.com; Vode Lighting, vode.com; Zumtobel, zumtobel.com Plumbing and water systems: Construction Products, contech-cpi.com; Contech Total Mechanical; Siemens Renewable energy systems: Southwest Windpower, windenergy.com; Trox, trox.us Roofing: Snyder Roofing and Sheet Metal, snyderroofing.com Windows and doors: Bamboo Revolution, bamboorevolution .com; Benson Industries; Grand View Glass & Metal, grand
In many ways, the Twelve | West building in downtown Portland, Ore., is about energy—its generation, conservation, and participation—on a district scale. But the energy that drove the 23-story project was a desire to bring new life to a neglected area of the city core. For local project designers Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects (ZGF ), the solution lay in transparency. “We wanted Twelve | West to be an urban catalyst that bridged a major thoroughfare to the vibrant aesthetic of Portland’s Pearl District,” explains ZGF principal John Breshears. ZGF’s interest in the project’s success was personal. The company occupies four floors inside the 550,000-square-foot structure, which also includes 17 stories of apartments, five levels of below-grade parking, and three roof-level terraces and gardens. “By making the building transparent, we could reveal the vitality inside,” Breshears says, “but transparency and sustainable performance can be in direct conflict with each other.” In order to resolve the competing goals of visual openness and environmental stewardship, the designers first sought to optimize the mechanical systems. The team employed computer modeling and design predictions to control lighting in the space and worked with a local curtain-wall fabricator to find the exact glass needed to control thermal gain. ZGF’s office space is served by underfloor air distribution and overhead passive chilled beams that cool the space through a natural convention loop, as well as heat recovery at the air handling units and demand-driven airflow control. The team also exposed the concrete ceilings and structure, which provide thermal mass to moderate temperature swings. In the apartments, the HVAC system includes extremely efficient motors and equipment, and a district utility in the Pearl District extended its service area to provide chilled water for Twelve | West. On the top of the building, four wind turbines serve as an open-air experiment on wind power generation in an urban environment and are projected to produce nearly 10,000 kWh per year, enough electricity to offset that used by the building’s elevators. More renewable power comes from 1,360 square feet of flat-plate solar hot-water panels on the roof, which provide 24 percent of the energy needed to heat the domestic hot water in the building. Energy models predict that Twelve | West will exceed current 2030 Challenge benchmarks for energy use and achieve a 46 percent savings over code baseline. Breshears says that project materials for the office space were painstakingly researched, and lowemitting materials and finishes were used throughout the building. In the office lobby, white metal ceiling panels are coated with a water-based, solvent-free finish that was not available from the panel manufacturer, so the designers paired two companies together to create the custom product. Recycled materials include 100 percent corn-fiber curtains, linoleum flooring, recycled-denim insulation, and 96 percent recycled, locally manufactured gypsum wallboard. Locally sourced concrete and natural materials also were specified throughout the building. More than half of the wood used in the office space is Forest Stewardship Council certified. The designers selected bamboo for veneers on doors, casework, flooring, and cabinets, and the office lobby’s wood siding was salvaged from an old trolley barn. An artist crafted the reception desk from wood salvaged from a 270-year-old walnut tree that was felled in Salem, Ore., because it was diseased. One lobby wall showcases a collection of old photographic slides of past projects that were mounted and backlit to create a portfolio display. Twelve | West’s vegetated roof contains an unusually deep plant medium of 18 to 24 inches, which allowed the team to incorporate plants that will grow tall, some up to 20 feet, to create a lush garden. The deeper substrate also offers a substantial stormwater benefit. Excess rainwater is collected in a 23,000-gallon tank. Combined with cooling coil condensate in the summer months, the rainwater provides all of the project’s irrigation needs and approximately 90 percent of the offices’ toilet flushing needs. In response to the amount of waste diverted from the local sewer system, the city of Portland agreed to offset system development charges for the stormwater retention system, offsetting 91 percent of the system’s total cost, and the system saves a projected 286,225 gallons of potable water annually. Opened in 2009, the project achieved two LEED Platinum certifications, one under LEED for New Construction and another under LEED for Commercial Interiors for the office floors. At press time, a comprehensive energy performance review was being conducted, as well as metering of the building’s overall energy use and submetering of the office lighting and plug loads, total domestic hot-water use, heating, cooling, and electrical use in the residences. In addition, the wind resources and energy production will be measured by ZGF in conjunction with outside partners, including the building’s construction manager, electrical and mechanical engineer, and the National Wind Technology Center, for five years against predictions. Similarly, researchers at the Center for the Built Environment at the University of California at Berkeley, have partnered with the design team to study glare, daylighting controls, and rollerblind effectiveness to better understand the impact of the high-transparency façade on both occupants and energy use. “We’re benchmarking our energy performance and we launched a measurement and verification plan,” Breshears says. “We want to share what we’ve learned with others to promote more sustainable buildings everywhere.” ▪
viewglass.com; Kawneer, kawneer.com; Oregon Door, oregondoor.com; Quantum Windows, quantumwindows.com For more, visit eco-structure.com
KJ Fields writes about sustainability and architecture from Portland, Ore. To see a slide show of Twelve | West, as well as extended coverage of this year’s Evergreen Award winners, visit eco-structure.com. NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010 ECO-STRUCTURE 55
r i produce W h of electricity per ring of wind conditions performance will improve or future projects.
TWELVE | WEST HONORABLE MENTION
al panels heat 24% used in the building, tural gas use. ns clean, detain and filter d significantly reduce atures in warmer months. s admits 55% of visible reflects 70% o f the eat, reducing energy use nd space cooling. Re -use in toilet flushing floors, and to irrigate ofs, reduces use of city ,00 0 gallons per year. ient Plumbing Fix tures water use by more than
Four wind turbines
Operable windows
Solar thermal panels
Daylight sensors
Roof gardens
Exposed concrete
Low-E glass
Passive/chilled beams
Rainwater reuse in toilet flushing
Underfloor air distribution
Water-efficient plumbing fixtures
Water storage tank
Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects’ (ZGF) offices 56 ECO-STRUCTURE.COM
Efficient central cooling
Rainwater harvesting
Condensation from air handler system
ZGF’s offices NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010 ECO-STRUCTURE 57
GREENHOUSE WINNER
LONE STAR
Text Lydia Lee Photos Joe Aker, Aker/Zvonkovic Photography
Project: Virginia Point Location: Houston, Texas GREEN TEAM Architect: Adams Architects, adamsarchitectshouston.com Interior designer: Tokerud & Co. Client/owner: Daniel and Adele Hedges Structural engineer, geotechnical engineer: Gessner Engineering, gessnerengineering.com Construction manager, general contractor: Chris Fry, Dovetail Builders, dovetailbuild.com Landscape architect: Asakura Robinson Co., asakurarobinson.com Lighting designer: Bernard Woolf, Lighting Unlimited, lulighting.com LEED consultant: Contects Consultants & Architects, contects.com MATERIALS AND SOURCES Appliances: General Electric Co., geappliances.com Building management systems and services: Lutron Electronics Co., lutron.com Cladding: Galvalume, galvalume.com Curtainwalls: HRCG, hrcgonline.com Flooring: EcoTimber, ecotimber.com; Plyboo by Smith & Fong Co., plyboo.com; Teragren, teragren.com; HVAC: WaterFurnace International, waterfurnace.com Lighting: American Lighting, americanlighting.com; Elco Lighting, elcolighting.com; Eurofase Lighting, eurofase .com; Halo by Cooper Lighting, haloltg.com; Hydrel, hydrel .com; Jesco Lighting Group, jescolighting.com; LBL Lighting, lbllighting.com; Louis Poulsen, louispoulsen.com; Lumiere by Cooper Lighting, lumiere-lighting.com; Lutron Electronics Co.; Matthews Fan Co., matthewsfanco.com; The Modern Fan Co., modernfan.com; Panasonic, panasonic.com; Rotaliana, rotaliana.it; Techlight, techlightusa.com; Tech Lighting, techlighting.com; Visual Lighting Technologies, visual-lighting.com; WAC Lighting, waclighting.com Paints and finishes: The Sherwin-Williams Co., sherwin-williams.com Photovoltaics: Sharp Electronics Corp., sharpusa.com Plumbing and water systems: PexSupply, pexsupply.com Rainwater recovery system: SparkleTap Water Co., sparkletap.com
For many people, the ideal home looks a lot like Daniel and Adele Hedges’ old house: a two-story vision of Georgian graciousness with brick walls and crown molding. But the Hedgeses have made it their mission to completely change that ideal, using the full force of modern architecture and technology. Their new home, dubbed Virginia Point and located in Houston, gleams with cobalt-blue solar panels, galvanized aluminum, and the force of their convictions. It is the first house in the city to receive LEED Platinum certification and is a net-zero consumer of energy. “It’s the most radical project we’ve done,” says architect Joe Adams of Adams Architects, a local firm. The Hedgeses wanted to make a statement, not simply build a new house. “Houston is the energy capital of the U.S., so what better place to have a home that produces its own energy?” says Daniel Hedges. He and wife Adele are both part of the political establishment—he’s a former U.S. attorney and she is a state judge —and they now consider themselves “environmental evangelists,” opening up their home for public tours. “It’s a very warm and comfortable house. You expect you’re going to come into a hard, cold place, but it’s anything but that,” Daniel Hedges says. Joe and Gail Adams were family friends of the Hedgeses with a 30-year architecture practice and had built off-the-grid houses in remote locations. When the Hedgeses asked them to go all out on the sustainability front, the Adamses designed a house specifically to maximize solar collection. The process started with the site selection itself. The Adamses helped the Hedgeses pick a prominent corner lot, with its long side facing south. The two-story house’s form then followed suit: It is shaped like a simple shed, with a roof that is pitched south at the optimum angle for the region (30 degrees) and holds most of the home’s 140 170W solar panels (which generate a total output of 23.8 kW). The orientation also allows for a long row of north-facing clerestory windows, which bring soft, diffuse light into the house and minimize the need for artificial lighting. “Texas is graced with a lot of natural light, but most people don’t know what to do with it,” Joe Adams says. “We are taking the brunt of the hot sun and making power out of it, and using the cooler northern lighting for living.” The Adamses also designed a second volume, enclosed in glass, to create a show-stopping doubleheight entryway. With its solar panels tilted west, toward the street, the architects made a point of showcasing these very unique roofing tiles. “I believe that one of the biggest impediments to the green revolution is nostalgia and sentimentality in architecture,” Joe Adams says. “Once you tie your building to a preordained style, you’re going to cut yourself off from a lot of the most sustainable things you can do.” The house is about 3,500 square feet, with an additional 1,500 square feet of shaded outdoor space. Because the Houston area is prone to flooding, the primary living spaces are on the second level, which features an open living and dining area, along with a master suite and a kitchen. The contemporary design also incorporates traditional passive cooling techniques. The upper floor has a long screened-in porch, built with decking fabricated from recycled plastics, where the Hedgeses frequently take their meals. “To engage the outdoors in Houston is really unheard of,” notes Adams. On the first level, a dogtrot — a covered breezeway — separates the garage from a wing of guest bedrooms. The shady spot is a favorite hangout of the Hedges family dogs. Contributing to the home’s mechanical efficiency, a geothermal system (with four 2-ton heat pumps and 10 300-feet-deep wells that house cooling loops) takes care of the heating and cooling, contributing to a Home Energy Rating (HERS) index performance of negative 11. (The HERS index is a 100-point scale based off of a reference home built to the 2006 International Energy Conservation Code, where a score of zero equates to being net-zero energy.) A 7,000-gallon rainwater cistern stored underground supplies all of the house’s potable water needs—the stored water is purified using ultraviolet radiation before use. These measures also were financially efficient: The geothermal materials and system installation costs, along with the house’s solar system, inverters, and backup battery system, were eligible for federal tax credits. The rainwater system helps contribute to a near-net-zero water utility bill (not zero, as the Hedgeses still pay for a sewer connection). The home’s architecture of efficiency also meant that building materials and finishes were picked for their extreme durability; in addition to floods, the area is regularly beset by hurricanes. The rooftop solar panels are integrated with the home’s steel framing and have withstood one hurricane already without incident. A battery backup system lets the home function free from the electrical grid in dramatic weather. When it came to the exterior, the Hedgeses were tired of having to repaint trim and replace windows on their Georgian, and the Adamses responded with a zero-maintenance structure that has exposed galvanized steel framing and galvanized aluminum siding in large, medium, and fine textures to distinguish the different volumes of the building. Inside, the first floor is covered with polished concrete, while the second floor features warm bamboo flooring and cabinetry. The interiors reveal the house’s structure, with framing and bracing clearly visible within the lofty spaces. “This building has a realness to it that even a lot of modernist architecture doesn’t have,” Joe Adams says. “It’s not a pristine white box, which you have to do a lot of shenanigans to achieve, by the way. But I think this house is beautiful in its own way.” ▪ Lydia Lee writes about architecture and design from Menlo Park, Calif. To see a slide show of Virginia Point, as well as additional coverage of the 2010 Evergreen Awards, visit eco-structure.com.
58 ECO-STRUCTURE.COM
Aerial view
South Elevation
North Elevation
Ambient daylighting South-facing solar array
Rain harvest cistern
Entry
Geothermal heat pump HVAC system
VIRGINIA POINT GREENHOUSE WINNER
Living room 60 ECO-STRUCTURE.COM
Kitchen
Dining area and living room
Second-floor porch and master bedroom NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010 ECO-STRUCTURE 61
Digital Media City Tower 62 ECO-STRUCTURE.COM
ON THE BOARDS WINNER
JOLLY GREEN GIANT
Text Mimi Zeiger Renderings Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
Project: Digital Media City Landmark Tower Location: Seoul, South Korea GREEN TEAM: Design architect: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, som.com Architect of record: SAMOO Architects & Engineers, www.samoo.com/eng Client/owner: Seoul Light AMC MEP engineer: Syska Hennessy Group, syska.com Structural engineer: SOM Structures Landscape architect: Thomas Balsley Associates, tbany.com Lighting designer: SBLD, sbldstudio.com Sustainable design: Buro Happold, burohappold.com Fire and life safety: Aon Fire Protection Engineering Corp., aonfpe.com Vertical transportation: VDA, vdassoc.com
The 20th and 21st centuries are dotted with iconic skyscrapers by the architecture and engineering firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM). The Hancock Tower, the Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower), the Burj Khalifa, and the still-under-construction One World Trade Center all soar heavenwards as feats of design and engineering. And some 40 years into designing super-tall structures, the firm is continuing to innovate. Its Digital Media City Landmark Tower in southwestern Seoul, South Korea, brings sustainable design skyward. At 2,100 feet tall (133 stories), the mixed-use tower hosts a collection of green technologies, including solar panels, wind turbines, enhanced daylighting, and living walls. SOM anticipates that these strategies will reduce overall building energy use by 66 percent. “Original constraints on super-tall buildings were vertical transportation and structural requirements,” explains SOM design partner Mustafa Abadan. “Today, those requirements have become easier to solve with technological advancements, but sustainability needs to be addressed. We’ve shifted our priorities to environmental issues.” Located on a 37,208-square-meter (401,278-square-foot) site west of downtown Seoul and north of the Han River, in an area slated for development as a technology and media hub, the super high-rise is designed to be a beacon for the region—literally. LED lights integrated into the façade will be programmed to correspond to sky color and come on at sunset, creating a dynamic light display. Yet the building’s environmental responsiveness is not just for show. The tower promotes urban density. A micro-city in itself, its mixed-use program includes an eight-story retail podium, 39 office floors, a 16-floor hotel with a double-height lobby, 19 serviced apartment floors, 39 residential floors, one restaurant floor, three observation decks, and eight mechanical floors. One of Seoul’s major train stations is within walking distance. Despite the symbolic display, the tower’s spectacle comes in its forward-thinking production of renewable energy. SOM’s team reconfigured the standard super-tall building footprint, where the core is usually taken up with structural supports and vertical transportation. About halfway up the building—at the hotel lobby — the more-traditional core is replaced by a 1,000-foot-tall vertical void. Roughly 60 feet wide by 100 feet long, the void is based on the principles of a solar updraft tower. Using the stack effect, air will be drawn into a collection area, where it will be heated naturally by the sun before it rises up through the tower to drive six horizontal-axis wind turbines, each 3 meters (about 10 feet) in diameter. SOM predicts that this “solar engine” will provide 3 to 5 percent of the building’s overall energy. “Tall buildings naturally act as chimneys,” Abadan explains. “There is a natural draw of air that, up until now, we’ve had to fight. In this tower we’ve embraced this phenomenon. Super-tall towers have always been designed around structural concerns, but we’ve also recognized that other forces acting on the building can be harnessed in a different way.” Additionally, there are plans to capture methane from an adjacent landfill and convert it to fuel. Nicholas Holt, a director at SOM, projects that the gas given off from decomposing trash combined with wind turbines installed on land south of the site could supply 20 percent of the entire building’s power. Integrated systems are key to maintaining an efficient super-tall building. For example, the structure’s electrical and mechanical systems are optimized with high-efficiency lighting fixtures, chilled beam cooling in the office spaces, and radiant flooring in all residential and hotel guest room spaces. The exterior façade is designed to generate both shade and energy. The southern façade will be outfitted with horizontal shading fins, while the eastern and western façades will have a combination of horizontal and vertical fins. Discussions are under way to install photovoltaic (PV) panels on a to-be-determined mix of fins on all three sides. It is anticipated that the PV panels will be installed on the lower portion of the building for easy maintenance and will generate 1,400 mWh of energy to be fed back into the site or sold back to the grid. Around the central atrium, glass panels will allow natural light to filter deep into the floor plates. SOM’s ability to stay on the cutting edge of performance technologies comes from in-house research and advanced computational power. By using a combination of software packages, the team is able to empirically model complex environmental systems such as heat gain, solar incidence, and thermal dynamics. In fact, prototypical development done in partnership with the Center for Architecture, Science, and Ecology (CASE), which is a research entity co-hosted by SOM New York and the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, led to the tower’s “lungs.” CASE had designed an Active Modular Phytoremediation System (which won a 2009 R+D Award from architffct magazine) and, for the tower, collaborated with SOM to improve existing green wall technology. Up to 90,000 square feet have been allocated within two U-shaped perimeter voids—one on the building’s north side, one on the south—to house green walls. Each void will be broken into three stacked segments and in the upper segments of each U, the green walls will cleanse air by drawing it across the plant leaves, roots, and rhizomes, which together filter out VOCs and toxins. The walls also will pre-cool the air, reducing the amount of energy needed to cool the apartments. Grown hydroponically, the green walls will be supported by the building’s graywater reclamation system. Although the Digital Media City Landmark Tower is just out of schematic design and completion is anticipated in 2014, it represents the future of super-tall architecture. “We’ve incorporated a level of environmental enhancement that goes beyond what has been thought of up until now,” Abadan says. No longer will it be enough to race upwards solely on feats of structural engineering, it’s now sustainability’s turn to scrape the sky. ▪ Mimi Zeiger writes about architecture from Brooklyn, N.Y. See more Evergreen Awards coverage at eco-structure.com. NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010 ECO-STRUCTURE 63
Office space
Perimeter Atria
Turbines
Fresh Air
Central Void
Central Void
Returned Air
Solar Engine Air Intake
Daylight, energy, and fresh air pathways 64 ECO-STRUCTURE.COM
DIGITAL CITY MEDIA LANDMARK TOWER ON THE BOARDS WINNER
Ventilation at the Spire
Summer sun angle
Winter sun angle
Heliostat
Wind turbine
Roof
Office entry NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010 ECO-STRUCTURE 65
PERSPECTIVE WINNER
PETER BUSBY
Interview Katie Weeks Portrait William Anthony
What constitutes green design? For Peter Busby, sustainable design is an ever-evolving entity with one constant: Green design is an inherent part of good design. This perspective can be traced back to the University of Toronto where Busby received a Bachelors of Arts degree in political philosophy in 1974. “I studied morals and ethics and came away from my first degree with a strong opinion about doing the right thing and finding a career path that would allow me to do something inherently good,” he explains. “I turned to architecture as a vehicle to do good and to build the right things for people.” As Busby studied architecture at the University of British Columbia and ventured into practice, doing good via architecture grew to incorporate sustainability. “I studied under Ray Cole, who brought a lot of sustainable design trends over from the United Kingdom,” he recalls. “Then I went to work in Europe … At [Norman] Foster’s office, I was able to work on projects in Europe and Asia that were pretty green. This was 30-odd years ago.” The green-design-is-good-design perspective has served Busby well. His firm—founded in Vancouver in 1984 as Peter Busby Architects and renamed Busby Perkins+Will in 2004—has raked in accolades including two AIA Committee on the Environment Top 10 Awards (one in 2004 for the City of White Rock Operations Building in White Rock, British Columbia, and one in 2009 for Dockside Green in Vancouver, British Columbia); an AIA What Makes It Green? Award (for Dockside Green); and recognition as the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada’s 2005 firm of the year and as one of Canada’s top 50 green employers for 2009 and 2010. Busby’s dedication to sustainability continues to drive him. As a managing director at Perkins+Will, he serves as high-level adviser for the firm’s Sustainable Design Initiative, overseeing internal operations and strategic plans to elevate the firm’s green design practice. On a personal level, he earmarks 20 percent of his time for environmental advocacy. He is a past chairperson for the Sustainable Buildings Canada Committee, a co-founder of the Canada Green Building Council, the first architect to sit on the board of BC Hydro, and a participant in several local task forces and the USGBC. Now in the mix of honors: the 2010 Evergreen Award in the Perspective category, bestowed in recognition of Busby’s continued dedication to fostering innovation in environmental performance and architecture. eco-structure recently spoke with Busby about current challenges in sustainable design.
How would you define your philosophy on what it means to design green? The only consistent aspect of our approach to designing a sustainable building is that it is always changing. There is no ultimate textbook on sustainable design. There is no list of what you must do and what you must not do. It’s a constantly evolving position. Each year, we learn more. For example, we’re now working with the Living Building Challenge and learning about material composition in buildings. We’re not chemists. It’s a whole new chapter in sustainable design. In this vein, you can go back over the past 25 years and find things we learned each year. We’re constantly striving to learn more, do better work, and move toward realizing what the word “sustainability” really means. In terms of the environmental impact of buildings, what do you consider to be the most pressing challenges facing architects, designers, and other allied professionals today? I think in the early days of sustainable design—say, when the LEED tools were just coming out—people found it pretty easy to obtain a level of sustainable or green design. The hard part is coming now, when we really have to improve the energy performance of our buildings. We have to build better envelopes and encourage our clients to make better investments in the hard physical aspects of their buildings. The price of energy is going to rise and the real estate industry is competitive, so having a building consume less energy makes it more marketable. Landlords are starting to press architects and engineers for true building performance, but I think there is still a lot to be learned, particularly by the mainstream public, about better envelopes and better performance. If you look at building standards in parts of Europe, they get the envelope right first, and then work on other elements. In North America and Asia, we tend not to do that. We essentially build cheap buildings and we’ve got to stop. We have to invest in the envelope, and that’s going to be a big challenge over the next three to four years.
Architects and engineers are just now beginning to understand what is a reasonable level of energy consumption in a given building type per square foot or square meter per year, and we’re just starting to get comfortable with those numbers. In Europe, there have been laws in place by building type regarding the maximum amount of energy that should be consumed per square meter per year per building. We’re slow off the mark here. In Europe, there are laws requiring building owners to post the energy consumption of a building before they lease or sell it. We need those kinds of things in North America in order to force people to address the issue of energy consumption. When it comes to sustainable design, are there any common misconceptions that you see? For example, there often seems to be confusion regarding the costs associated with going green. I’m always asked how much it will cost. I haven’t been to a meeting with people considering doing a green building where someone doesn’t want to know how much it costs. The truth is that when designed properly, there should be little to no cost for most building types with reasonably aggressive solutions. When you get into sophisticated solutions like net-zero energy, carbon-free buildings, or living buildings, then there is a cost, but usually those types of buildings are trying to do other things that make them more expensive in their very nature. I always remind people, however, that even if there is a 7 percent premium for a high-performing green building, that’s [the same percentage] we pay our real estate agents to sell a building. It’s lasting value that pays back over 40 to 50 years and is incredibly good value for the money. But because a lot of buildings are developed on spec and we hand off the operational costs to tenants or purchasers, our system has no inherent mechanism for reconciliation. The builder often doesn’t carry the long-term costs of his operational decisions. We need a method that allows this to happen. Another challenge is greenwashing. There’s hardly a building advertiser, architect, builder, or
engineer whose buildings are not green today, but if you look at the final product, it looks the same as buildings that were built 10 years ago. So, either we’re snowing each other, or nothing’s changing, and I think that’s troubling. When we get to measuring buildings, where you label a building and understand how it performs, then the truth will come out as to what is a good building and what is not. It’s time for the industry to have measurements and be accountable for what it does—it’s past time. Do you regularly check back in on projects to see how they are performing? We have done some post-occupancy reviews over the past five years, but to tell you the truth, it’s hard to do. No one pays you to do it, so you have to be rigorous and go back. We’re in the process of trying to inventory all of our buildings across Perkins+Will to benchmark them. What do you think will be the biggest factors to influence sustainable design and construction in the next five years? Once again, the biggest challenge will be understanding actual energy performance. At the moment, the LEED process requires energy modeling, but it’s often done at the end of a project and done as a result of the USGBC requiring it for certification submissions. We should be doing energy models at the beginning of the process and they should influence how we design our buildings. They should be done in real time so that as we make design decisions, we can see the energy impact. The second challenge will be in the material realm: understanding the carbon content of our materials, their environmental impact, and what they’re made of. We’ve got to take it much farther beyond LEED and VOC-type standards for interior finishes and remove all poisons and carcinogens from the materials surrounding us. We spend most of our time in buildings. They should be healthy. ▪
Log on to eco-structure.com to see all coverage of the 2010 Evergreen Award winners. NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010 ECO-STRUCTURE 67
JURY
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1. Marc J. Cohen
With more than 23 years of experience in architecture, facility planning and management, and sustainable design consulting, Marc J. Cohen joined MVE Institutional in Irvine, Calif., in January 2010 as director of sustainable design. As such, he leads the firm’s sustainable design program and oversees project planning, design, scheduling, cost estimating, specification preparation, subcontractor coordination, and client briefings. Cohen is a faculty member of the USGBC, and leads programs on green building basics, LEED core concepts and strategies, and LEED technical workshops.
2. Narada Golden
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Senior sustainability manager and the design and construction team lead at YRG Sustainability in Boulder, Colo., Narada Golden has over 10 years of experience in architectural design, construction administration, LEED project management, and leadership in the field of green building, and has worked on commercial, educational, cultural, laboratory, and residential projects. Golden is currently an ambassador for the Cascadia Green Building Council, gives presentations on the Living Building Challenge, and is developing a toolkit to train a national network of Cascadia Ambassadors. He also is on the Rocky Mountain Earth Institute steering committee for the Northwest Earth Institute, has started over 100 courses on personal sustainability in Portland, Ore., and Denver, is trained in the Natural Step, and helped to organize Natural Step trainings in Portland.
3. Daniel J. Kaplan
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68 ECO-STRUCTURE.COM
Daniel J. Kaplan is a senior partner in the New York office of FXFowle Architects, and design director of the firm’s Urban Studio. He has more than 26 years of experience in the industry, 23 of which have been served at FXFowle. Projects currently under his direction include the HealthCare Chaplaincy’s palliative care campus in New York City that combines residential, medical, and educational uses; Eleven Times Square, a LEED Gold–certified corporate office tower in Manhattan; the Clinical Sciences Center at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, N.Y.; Atasehir Renaissance Tower in
Istanbul; and the Science Applications International Corp. headquarters in McLean, Va. Kaplan is a visiting critic at Cornell University’s College of Architecture, Art & Planning New York center, where he is teaching a master’s design studio. In 2009, he co-taught a graduate-level course at Cornell that explored the marriage of design invention with environmental performance in the building envelope.
4. Patrick Thibaudeau
As vice president, sustainable design, at Minneapolis, Minn.–based HGA, Patrick Thibaudeau is responsible for the firm’s sustainable design practice and also oversees cost estimating, construction administration, and operating councils. He was an early member of the AIA’s Committee on the Environment (COTE), worked on the AIA’s Environmental Resource Guide, and was instrumental in forming AIA Minnesota’s COTE. Under Thibaudeau’s leadership, HGA received the 2007 National Construction Specification Institute (CSI) Environmental Stewardship Award and the 2006 CSI Minneapolis–St. Paul Chapter Rebecca L. Foss Environmental Stewardship Award. He is a current member of eec-ostresrte’s editorial advisory board.
5. William J. Worthen
William J. Worthen is director, resource architect for sustainability for the American Institute of Architects. In this role, he is a staff subject matter expert on sustainability to identify, guide, and facilitate smooth access to information, knowledge, and practice tools for architects. In addition, Worthen is a vice president of Simon & Associates in San Francisco. He is a member of the USGBC’s Implementation Advisory Committee (National LEED Advisory Board), sits on the San Francisco Mayor’s Task Force on Green Building, has advised California’s Attorney General on green building, and is a technical advisor on the implementation of San Francisco’s Green Building Ordinance and a member of the AIA California Council.
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CON G RAT UL AT IO N S to Hanley Wood’s Jesse H. Neal Award Winners
BUILDER
Winner, Best Educational Content, 2010 Finalist, Best Single-Theme Issue, 2009 Finalist, Best Online Article, 2009 Finalist, Best Subject-Related Series of Articles, 2008 Finalist, Best How-To Article, 2008 Finalist, Best News Coverage, 2008 Finalist, Best Single-Theme Issue, 2008 Finalist, Best Subject-Related Series of Articles, 2007 Finalist, Best How-To Article, 2007 Winner, Best Single Issue, 2006 Finalist, Best Web Site, 2004 Finalist, Best Subject-Related Series of Articles, 2004 Finalist, Best Single Issue, 2004 Finalist, Best Staff-Written Editorials, 2004 Finalist, Best How-To Article, 2004
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POOL & SPA NEWS Finalist, Best Technical Content, 2010 Winner, Best Single Article, 2006
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Finalist, Best Single Article, 2010 Finalist, Best Commentary, 2010 Finalist, Best Single Issue, 2010 Finalist, Best Single Issue, 2009
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PUBLIC WORKS
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residential architect Finalist, Best Single-Theme Issue, 2008 Finalist, Best Single-Theme Issue, 2007 Finalist, Best Single-Theme Issue, 2006 Finalist, Best Staff-Written Editorials, 2005 Finalist, Best Single-Theme Issue, 2004 Winner, Best Staff-Written Editorials, 2003
MULTIFAMILY EXECUTIVE
Winner, Best Subject-Related Series of Articles, 2009 Finalist, Best How-To Article, 2009 Finalist, Best Online Article, 2009 Finalist, Best Feature Series, 2006 Finalist, Best Single-Theme Issue, 2005 Finalist, Best News Coverage, 2005
TOOLS OF THE TRADE
Finalist, Best How-To Article, 2005 Winner, Best Department or Column, 2002
BIG BUILDER
Winner, Best Department, 2009 Finalist, Best Single Article, 2009 Finalist, Best Single Issue, 2009 Finalist, Best Single Issue, 2007 Finalist, Best Single Issue, 2005 Finalist, Best Single-Theme Issue, 2005
Hanley Wood is committed to publishing quality content that serves the information needs of the construction industry professionals. Our editors have once again been honored by the most prestigious editorial awards program. Join us in congratulating them.
AFFORDABLE HOUSING FINANCE Winner, Best Subject-Related Series of Articles, 2008 Winner, Best Single Issue, 2008 Finalist, Best Single-Theme Issue, 2007
REPLACEMENT CONTRACTOR Finalist, Best Single Issue, 2007
Publication Title: Eco-Structure Publication Number: 022-816 Filing Date: 9/27/10 Issue of Frequency: Seven times per year (Jan/Feb, March/April, May/June, July/August, September, October, Nov/Dec) Number of Issues Published Annually: 7 “Annual Subscription Price: Free To Qualified Non qual = $15” Complete Mailing Address of Known Office of Publication (Not Printer): One Thomas Circle, NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20005 Complete Mailing Address of Headquarters or General Business Office of Publisher (Not Printer): One Thomas Circle, NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20005 Full Names and Complete Mailing Addresses of Publisher, Editor, and Managing Editor – Publisher: Russell Ellis, One Thomas Circle, NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20005; Editor: Katie Weeks, One Thomas Circle, NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20005; Managing Editor: Greig O’Brien, One Thomas Circle, NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20005 Owner – Full name: FSC Holdings, LLC; J.P. Morgan Partners (BHCA), L.P.; J.P. Morgan Partners Global Investors, L.P; J.P. Morgan Partners Global Investors (Cayman), L.P.; J.P Morgan Partners Global Investors (Cayman) II, L.P.; J.P. Morgan Partners Global Investors (Selldown), L.P.; JPMP Global Fund/Hanley, L.P.; JPMP Global Fund/Hanley A, L.P.; JPMP Global Fund/Hanley/Selldown, L.P.; USEP II HW Acquisition, LLC; Apollo Investment Corporation; HW Co-Investors, LLC; Co-Investment Partners, L.P.; Michael Wood; Frank Anton; Peter Goldstone; Galen Poss; One Thomas Circle, NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20005 Known Bondholders, Mortgagees, and Other Security Holders Owning or Holding 1 Percent or More of Total Amount of Bonds, Mortgages or Other Securities: None Publication Title: Eco-Structure Issue Date for Circulation Data Below: July/August 2010 Average No. Copies Each Issue No. Copies of Single Issue During Preceding 12 Months Published Nearest to Filing Date Extent and Nature of Circulation a. Total Number of Copies (Net press run) 31,003 29,109 b. Legitimate Paid and/or Requested Distribution (1) Outside County Paid/Requested Mail subscriptions stated on PS Form 3541. 23,001 23,350 (2) In-County Paid/Requested Mail Subscriptions stated on PS Form 3541. 0 0 (3) Sales Through Dealers and Carriers, Street Vendors, Counter Sales, and Other Paid or Requested Distribution Outside USPS ® 661 33 (4) Requested Copies Distributed by Other Mail Classes Through the USPS 0 0 c. Total Paid and/or Requested Circulation [Sum of 15b 1, 2, 3 & 4] 23,662 23,383 d. Nonrequested Distribution (1) Outside Country Nonrequested Copies Stated on PS From 3541 5,359 5,023 (2) In-Country Nonrequested Copies Stated on PS From 3541 0 0 (3) Nonrequested Copies Distributed Through the USPS by Other Classes of Mail 0 0 (4) Nonrequested Copies Distributed Outside the Mail 824 0 e. Total Nonrequested Distribution ((Sum of 15d (1), (2), (3), and (4)) 6,183 5,023 f. Total Distribution (Sum of 15c and 15e) 29,845 28,406 g. Copies not Distributed 1,158 703 h. Total (Sum of 15f and 15g) 31,003 29,109 i. Percent Paid and/or Requested Circulation 79.3% 82.3% 16. Publication of Statement of Ownership for a Requester Publication is required and will be printed in the Nov/Dec 2010 issue of this publication. 17. I certify that all information furnished on this form is true and complete. Signature and title of Editor, Publisher, Business Manager, or Owner – Mary Leiphart, Group Circulation Manager, 9/27/10
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Playing House
THIS NET-ZERO PLAYHOUSE IS SERIOUS ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT.
Text Murrye Bernard Photo David Heath
72 ECO-STRUCTURE.COM
Each summer, a village of palatial playhouses materializes in southern California. Teams of architects, engineers, and product manufacturers donate their time and resources to Project Playhouse, a fundraiser that benefits HomeAid Orange County, a nonprofit organization that builds and renovates shelters for the homeless. The playhouses are predictably small, each with an 8-foot-by-10-foot footprint, but they are more intricately detailed than most full-sized homes. Each of the seven playhouses on view at the Irvine Spectrum Center this year featured a theme, chosen by the design teams, from a firehouse and a Craftsman-style home to a Nantucket beach house. The Ocean Adventure Lab stood out as the lone modern design. It also was crafted to be a sustainable, net-zero showcase. Project team members —Turner Construction Co., LPA, ProRepro, and Tangram Interiors —all share a sustainable mindset. Working off of this commonality, they partnered with the Ocean Institute —a nonprofit organization based in Dana Point, Calif., that is dedicated to ocean preservation through education— to create an environment to teach kids of all ages about oceanography and green building principles. Since all materials were donated, the resulting color palette was eclectic, which was fitting for a playhouse promoting adventure, explains LPA team member Keith Hempel. The exterior is clad in durable Trespa Meteon panels in ochre, silver, and
wood tones, as well as blue plexiglass panels and Trex Accents siding. The “truth wall,” an interior wall covered in acrylic instead of gypsum board, reveals the playhouse’s construction, including 100 percent natural wool insulation and a wood structure. Large sliding doors make up two walls, providing natural ventilation and daylight. Other sustainable features of the playhouse include salvaged materials and those made from recycled content, such as Extira panels for millwork and IceStone countertops, as well as native and water-efficient vegetation on the viewing deck and around the playhouse, energy efficient LED lighting, and Suntech Black Label photovoltaic solar modules, which can be viewed up close from the roof deck. As Project Playhouse’s first netzero playhouse in its 19-year history, the Ocean Adventure Lab received an honorary certification from the USGBC’s Orange County chapter. In addition to learning about sustainable design, visitors to the Lab also were invited to experiment with a wave-generating tank and play the role of oceanographer using microscopes, lab coats, and books provided by the Ocean Institute. It’s obvious that visitors and team members alike were entertained—LPA even created its own mockumentary of the design and construction process. (View it online at eco-structure.com.) Following the summer exhibition, the playhouses were auctioned off, with proceeds of the auction going to HomeAid. ▪
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