The Quiet Hero The Quiet Hero Written andand Designed Written Designed
EvaEva Marie Koujikov by by Marie Koujikov
“A net zero energy building is one that can produce as much energy as it needs to operate. Net zero energy buildings get their power from renewable, non-fossil-fuel power sources, like solar panels.� -Craig Neyman Page 2
Acknowledgements This book is dedicated to my beautiful mother, Therese Sullivan
Koujikov, for always supporting me and inuencing me to be a better person. Without her and her endless, and sometimes unwanted, advice, I would not have taken such an interest in the Packard Foundation Headquarters and the amazing design of their net zero energy building. Much like the Foundation, my mom has always taught me that finding purpose in life will lead to finding happiness. I would also like to give special thanks to Craig Neyman, the Packard Foundation VP and CFO, for taking such an interest in my project and for supporting me throughout my journey. Also, thank you to Juan Uribe and Chris DeCardy for educating me on the values of the Foundation and how those values are reected in the design of the building. Lastly, thank you to Freestyle Academy.
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“The idea that a Net Zero Energy building exists and that people in the community see it is important. When people visit and observe, they realize that you can not only achieve an environmental goal, but it can also be beautiful. Hopefully, that inspires people.� - Chris DeCardy Page 4
Table of Contents Preface
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Introduction
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Chapter 1: The Lonely Giant
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Chapter 2: Go Green or Go Home...or Go Both Page 19 Chapter 3: Is Your Glass Half Full or Half Empty? Page 22 Chapter 4: Conclusion Meet the Author
Page 26 Back Cover
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Preface
In the summer of 2012, I was
a naive middle schooler, running around downtown Los Altos in my crayola-colored Vans sneakers, raising havoc. Also during 2012, the Packard Foundation’s Headquarters was being rebuilt from the ground up. I distinctly remember running up and down Second Street, perhaps chasing after boys or pouting about some birthday party I wasn’t invited to, when suddenly I looked up and noticed a new mountain of earth had risen up. Weeks later, like magic, the dirt hole was gone and in its place loomed a beautiful building. The building gleamed with reflections of the 7 o’clock sunset cascading over downtown Los Altos, hues of pink and gold bouncing off the glass windows and coppery surfaces. It radiated a futuristic idea. Now I have spent three whole years driving by this architecture, imagining what could be going on inside. Perhaps there were some fancy lawyers carrying around chic briefcases, or possibly some accountants calculating the mountains of money that Los Altos seemed to sit atop. Finally, I got curious enough to do some of my own research on
the building. I discovered that living inside this beautiful structure was a group of insightful individuals who spent their time evaluating real-world issues and how to solve them by funding charities and other worthy non-profit activities around the world. This building is home to a foundation which cares about global issues, and not just money and how to make it. More than that, the architecture itself was sending a message: it was saying “Here’s a model of an environmentally friendly place, the kind of place that people who care about the future of the world want to reside in. The new building is one way that the Packard Foundation not only “talks the walk, but walks the walk themselves,” according to VP Craig Neyman. The Packard Headquarters is a building which has been nationally recognized for reaching net zero energy, meaning that annually the building produces equivalent or more energy than it consumes (but more on this later). Finally, I thought to myself, “Here is a place in Los Altos where people are aware of global issues like climate change.” I was impressed that the Foundation was investing money
and time in energy conservation and changing behaviors so we don’t waste our natural resources. I learned that the Foundation wants to open a dialogue with the public about how our world is changing and about how we need to get in front of these changes and prepare ourselves for the effects they will bring. The Packard Foundation sees the future and wishes to model for our community and the wider world how to be proactive and engaged in creative ways to live in greater harmony with the environment. Or course, this is Silicon Valley, so the Foundation’s solutions are about using cutting edge technology, too. After getting to know some of the staff, I have realized that the impossible is possible and that it is up to my generation to carry their ideas forward. We cannot ignore threats like pollution, water shortages and climate change. But we shouldn’t just be made anxious by them; we should be energized to find solutions. So, even though I may be young and I may still have a lot to learn, through the Packard Foundation’s example, I believe that individual actions make a difference. It’s not too late to get to work changing the world. Page 7
“The Foundation wants to open a dialogue with the public about how our world is changing and about how we need to get in front of these changes and prepare ourselves for the effects they will bring.� -VP Craig Neyman Page 8
SNAV
VANS
“The Packard Foundation not only talks the walk, but walks the walk ourselves.” - VP Craig Neyman.
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“Initially making the transition to renewable energy sources like solar energy is expensive; but, in the end, it is more cost effective to spend money on the technology than to pay for fossil fuels to power your building monthly. The payback period for our solar panel investment is 10 years or less.” —Craig Neyman, VP and CFO
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Introduction Architecture is a form of human
expression. However, the ideas that buildings are expressing seem to be lost on people when we hurry by them. The architects and engineers responsible for the Packard Foundation building in downtown Los Altos have made an important and hopeful statement about energy conservation. When I delved into the details of how this building was designed and is being operated, I realized that– starting with just this one building – architecture is a powerful tool that can impact our world in a positive way. Throughout my research I have noticed that all my sources touch on one main topic: change. Our way of life needs to change in order to support and maintain our society and our natural resources. Quickly we have drained our supply of natural resources, and it is up to the next generation to find a solution to our selfish ways. America is an industrialized country filled with buildings. By changing the efficiency of these buildings we can
conserve energy and reduce carbon emissions and the resulting greenhouse gas heating of the planet.. There are many ways to adjust buildings: ventilation, lighting, windows, heating/cooling, etc. Although it is expensive to make all of these changes, over time you save money when you invest in green technology because you pay less in your monthly energy bill. You also feel good when you use less fossil fuel to support daily life. We all know that burning carbon fuels makes air dirty and creates a greenhouse effect that is warming the planet. Sufficient water and clean air are natural resources dwindling at a rapid rate. It is our duty to protect earth’s resources and find new and innovative ways to live. We all worry about the ability of humans to make the necessary changes fast enough to stop environmental destruction. Changing our buildings and the way we view architecture is one of the most powerful ways we can begin to turn things around.
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“We engineered this building to accommodate the comfort of our employees in an environmentally efficient way.” — Craig Neyman
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“The New Buildings Institute did a study in 2012 to identify all net zero buildings in the US, and there were only 20 buildings that have attained that status. The Packard Foundation Building is the largest of these at 5,000 square feet. In 2013, it generated an excess of 66 megawatt hours over the amount of energy that it consumed. In the second year of reporting it did better, exporting 81 megawatt hours back to the grid. In 2015, we are on track to do even better.� - Juan Uribe, Facilities Manager Page 14
Chapter 1: The Lonely Giant The Packard Foundation Building
looms over downtown Los Altos, a quiet Giant with a story which will astonish those willing to listen. He sits on a plot of land, 5000 square feet in size, spending his days basking in the sun, soaking up energy with the hundreds of solar panels sitting atop his brow. These solar panels are similar to the mitochondria of a cell. This is where the Giant’s energy is created. His friends call him a giver because he’s constantly creating enough energy to support his large frame and gives what he doesn’t need back to the grid (Neyman). The Giant doesn’t understand why people rely so much on the grid. He wishes others could be more like him and support themselves. That is why he idolizes the native plants which keep him company. They don’t need others to tend to them in order to survive (Neyman). Throughout the day the Giant provides the Packard’s employees with natural lighting rather than the standard fluorescents. He is able to do this because those who created him, green architects, use light like
any other building material. They fuss about how to position it, how to make it dance off walls, how to infuse it throughout a building until it is perfectly liveable. However, there is also a backup. At times when there is not enough natural light, the Giant will use his many solar panels to power an electric lighting system which is programmed to dim when no one is around. The Giant’s favorite time of day is 5 o’clock because the golden sun comes down to kiss him goodnight. Others can’t enjoy the sun’s love because they aren’t wearing special insulated windows which protect the giant from getting too hot. After the sun bids adieu to Second Street where he sits, the Giant begins to spray water into the air to cool himself off from a long day’s work. The air naturally cools the water. Once the giant is satisfied with the temperature, he collects the water into his water cooler to store for tomorrow’s work (Uribe). However if he gets too chilly the radiant system, which consists of hot water running through tubes buried below the surface of the floor, will keep him
toasty (http://www.uponor-usa.com). This system is much more efficient than traditional heating and cooling because it doesn’t use energy to blow air throughout the building. Instead, it heats and cools a small amount of water contained in plastic tubing that snakes through pipes under the floor and out into the earth below the drought-resistant landscaping. The heat and coolness manufactured in this way rises up and provides comfort to those inside. While he lays asleep, he dreams of the day he will live among other self sufficient giants. ‘Wishful thinking’ some call it. The lonely Giant doesn’t think so. He looks out on his town, filled with luxury vehicles driven by strangers with black ropes around their necks. He believes those black ropes are cutting off the air from their lungs otherwise they would’ve noticed him and all he can do by now. They would realize all that he and those like him are capable of and they would adopt their own giants. The lonely Giant is a modest hero who wishes to protect the living who accompany him on Earth, however he needs help to do so.
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The ground-source heat pump heats and cools a small amount of water contained in plastic tubing that snakes through pipes under the floor and out into the earth 5 to 7 feet below the drought-resistant landscaping. The heat and coolness manufactured in this way rises up and provides comfort to those inside.
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Chapter 2: Go Green or Go Home... or Go Both The Packard Foundation
was established by David and Lucile Packard in 1964. There are five qualities which the Packard Foundation tries to instill globally: integrity, commitment to effectiveness, capacity to think big, respect, and belief in individual leadership. The Foundation works to donate funds to nonprofits which support family values, reproductive health, and environmental conservation. It is important for the Foundation to not only “talk the walk but walk the walk themselves,” according to VP and Chief Financial Officer, Craig Neyman. A desire to model a respect for the environment is what inspired the transformation of the Packard Foundation headquarters into a net zero energy building. A net zero energy building is one that can produce as much energy as it needs to operate. Net zero energy buildings get their power from renewable, non-fossil-fuel power sources, like solar panels. Though they connect to the electric grid and pull power when the sun goes
down, they produce so much power when the sun is shining that, on a ‘net’ basis over the course of a year, the electricity produced is greater than that consumed (Neyman). By demonstrating that a modern office building can also be net zero energy, the Packard Foundation has shown the world that it is possible to live sustainably and in a comfortable way.
There are also more funding sources compared to other regions of the United States. Yet, although the Packard Foundation is a nationally recognized building, many residing in the town of Los Altos do not know the magnitude of this green building’s reputation or significance. They simply see a new and aesthetically pleasing architecture which resides among the many The Packard Foundation Building buildings crowding the streets of has been nationally recognized as downtown Los Altos. However, one of the largest net zero energy that needs to change. Once the buildings and given multiple community of Los Altos begins to awards. It has been awarded the realize what innovative technology highest level certification from lies at their fingertips, surely they the United States Green Building will begin to make adjustments. It Council (USGBC). This is evident is crucial that Los Altos, with all of from the Leadership in Energy and its money and educated people, the Environmental Design (LEED) becomes part of the change because Platinum plaque that hangs in the this will set the stage for a global lobby (www.integralgroup.com). It movement and influence others to make also has net zero certification from the International Living Future Institute. adjustments in order to be net zero. The Packard Foundation’s engineer Los Altos sits within San Francisco’s Juan Uribe wishes to expand these Bay Area Peninsula. It’s a part of technologies further than Los Altos: the place the rest of the world calls “I would like to take this technology Silicon Valley, where technology to the barrios and be able to impact trends are set and innovative ideas are expected of just about everyone. those kids.” Page 19
Green architects use light like any other building material. They fuss about how to position it, how to make it dance off walls,
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how to infuse it throughout a building. For times when there is not enough natural light, solar panels power an electric lighting system which is programmed to dim when no one is around.
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Chapter 3: Is Your Glass Half Full or Half Empty? Neither. The Packard Foundation
is not like other flashy Silicon Valley technology companies like Google, Apple or Facebook. It is an international nonprofit that strives to be a force for good around the world. Nonetheless, it would like others to understand the significance of this Net Zero Energy building, and it is very open to sharing more about all the technologies incorporated inside to make the Net Zero Energy goal possible. With this building, the Packard Foundation is playing an important new ‘hands-on’ role in the advancement of science, technology and protection of the environment - not just funding those causes. It doesn’t want to be a Quiet Giant on Second Street. It wants the building to start a conversation about sustainability and climate change. Climate change is the most important global threat we have. It threatens not only the environment Page 22
but everything else that’s important to us. In order to protect our future generations and the young generations existing today, we must be
willing to understand and accept that drilling for nonexistent solutions in the ground is not how we should be spending our precious time.
Burning fossil fuel negatively impacts development in places around the world where people are trying to eek out a living, and it impacts children in places like the California Central Valley where asthma rates are dramatically up.(DeCardy) It’s bad for the environment around you, and the environment inside of you. Air pollution from fossil fuels can “irritate the lungs, cause bronchitis, and pneumonia, and decrease resistance to respiratory infections.” (http://www.ucsusa. org) Every day we are breathing in toxic chemicals along with our air and if we could eliminate some of these poisons by switching to environmentally friendly energy, we would increase our standard of living. A metaphor commonly used in “The Upcycle” to represent how the world must come to think about the energy crisis is the question of the half full or
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half empty glass. If one says that the glass is half empty, they are labeled a pessimist, Say half full, and you’re an optimist. Neither of these assumptions are correct. You must take a step back and observe the glass and its contents for what they truly are, air and water. Then redesign the glass to accommodate what fills it in a more efficient way.
would’ve spent on fossil fuels. After these initial 10 years the solar panels will be producing energy cost-free, unlike electricity systems which need to be continuously paid for. The comparative cost is expected to keep coming down as solar technology gets better and panels get less costly to manufacture.
The Packard Foundation Net Zero Energy Building is an example of such ‘design thinking.’ The Packard Foundation wants smaller businesses and the community at large to make similar changes toward sustainable energy through its outreach programs. It wants others to understand that the economics of sustainable design make sense. For example, initially making the transition to renewable energy sources like solar energy is expensive; but, in the end, it is more cost effective to spend money on the technology than to pay for fossil fuels to power your building monthly.
Many do not realize that the gifts that Mother Nature has bestowed upon us will eventually run out. If we do not act now and in a resourceful way, the world will face catastrophe. But, simply being afraid of the changes to our world is not useful. Changing our mindsets and focusing less on material things and luxury, and more on sustainability and efficiency is the only option that will lead us to success, We need to change alongside our planet. Net Zero Energy and other sustainable practices require new thinking and new behaviors for the town of Los Altos and many other places in the world. That may intimidate some, but it energizes others, like the current leaders of the Packard Foundation.
Craig Neyman, the CFO of the Packard Foundation, says, “The payback period for our solar panel investment is 10 years or less.” This means that after 10 years you will have spent the same amount of money on solar panels that you
When you get to know the quiet giant on Second Street, you may be inspired to go green yourself, and realize countless benefits. Page 25
Chapter 4: Conclusion There is so much pressure on teenagers in the
Silicon Valley to be successful and, for some reason, success is measured by money and materials. However, this mindset is wrong. Success is being able to look back at your life and know that somehow, through all the little moments and mistakes, you’ve made a difference to someone. You will be remembered for what you’ve done for others. This same ideology is symbolized by the Packard Foundation. The Foundation devotes everything, every cent, every minute, to making the world a better place for the generations to come, for the people alive now, for the animals we accompany on earth, for everyone,
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because helping others and pursuing innovative solutions to world problems in order to create positive change is what is fundamentally important. Although many walk by Second Street and do not realize the full capacity of the wonder that stands before them, I hope some do. We should all take stock of what a gift the foundation is to the community of Los Altos, what a powerful symbol it is for our future, and what a good model it is for a positive way of life. True success is being able to find purpose and peace of mind through helping better the earth on which we live. That is the lesson I have taken away from the Packard Foundation.
“One of the hardest things about climate change is people rightly see it as a global problem and it can feel daunting. It can feel difficult to make an impact. ‘What can I do with my actions that can affect something as big as the globe?’ But the good thing is that all these things that feel like small things are adding up. So this building is one of many others going up around the world.” - Chris DeCardy
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Works Cited
"CalRecycle Home Page." CalRecycle Home Page. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Mar. 2015.
"David & Lucile Packard Foundation Headquarters." David & Lucile Packard Foundation Headquarters. N.p.,n.d. Web. 27 Mar. 2015. "David & Lucile Packard Foundation Headquarters." Integral Group Deep Green Engineering David Lucile Packard Foundation Headquarters Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Mar. 2015. "Green Building - Building the Future with Intention." Green Building - Building the Future with Intention. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Mar. 2015. "Interview with DeCardy Chris." Personal interview. 3 Mar. 2015. “Interview with Neyman, Craig.” Personal interview. 3 Mar. 2015. "Interview with Uribe, Juan." Personal interview. 3 Mar. 2015. "The Business Case for Green Building." WorldGBC 3. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Mar. 2015. McDonough, William, and Michael Braungart. The Upcycle. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print. "Union of Concerned Scientists." Union of Concerned Scientists. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Mar. 2015. "Uponor Solutions:Commercial Radiant Heating and Cooling." Radiant Systems: The Next Generation of Heating & Cooling. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Mar. 2015.
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BACK COVER
About the Author
These instructions should not appear in your exported pdf. Please be sure to complete your Pages design prior to creating your Cover template. The Page Count must be exact when creating your Cover template. Please note, all critical text and art should appear within this gray area. Any content outside this area may be unevenly trimmed or hidden when the book is bound. If you would like your artwork to extend to the very Evafinished Koujikov sixteen a bleed edge of your book is then pull youryears artworkyoung edge to and the red line. junior who attends Los Altos High School and
Freestyle Academy. She loves to aimlessly
Be sure to review your exported PDF in an outside program (like meander about hills with her friends andthese Adobe Reader) to ensurethe it appears correctly and without have philosophical talks. Eva is an avid dog instructions.
petter and part-time coffee connoisseur. Her hands are ridiculously small and she hates being wrong. In her few free hours Eva likes to spend time with her family and debate about episodes of Seinfeld over sushi. When Eva graduates Los Altos she hopes to attend college in the Pacific Northwest because “West coast is the best coast.� The end.
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