Warmest thoughts and best wishes for a joyous holiday and very happy new year!  Want to see what we’ve been up to this year?  Check out our Year in Review Newsletter. Cheers!

Something I hadn’t thought of before… I wonder if I can apply and/or get a grant for going for a LEED new construction home?  There are some tax rebates and other promotions out there, but what about grants?  Another thing to add to the research list…

Last week these columns featured Wal-Mart and its silencing of critics via green and sustainable business practices.  Are they really saving energy compared to their peers?  Skylights, dimming fluorescent lights, and LED refrigerated case lights triggered by occupancy sensors – but what’s the totality?

Lexus makes hybrid vehicles.  One is a $110,000 sedan with a 5 liter V8 with fighter-jet horsepower weighing in at 20 miles per gallon.  A Caterpillar earth mover may get that kind of highway mileage.  The point is, a facility / organization can be green in name only.  Note that in no way am I inferring Wal-Mart stores are Caterpillar earth movers.

I think to a large extent the sustainability of many facilities and organizations are like those presents under the tree in the food court at the mall that I used to go to in the 1980s.  It looks good, but you know there’s nothing in there.  Conversely, a wrapped present under our office tree that looks like a 12 pack of beer is a 12 pack of beer!  Believe me when I tell you that when a guy whose name is drawn has a choice between a concealed package that looks like beer and one that could contain clothing or worse, like some knickknack, the beer-looking one will be snapped up like my dogs on cheese.

This one always cracks me up: “We are going to follow the LEED® method, but we’re not going to pay for the certification”.  This is foolish.  If an organization is honestly going to follow LEED, the price of registration, documentation, and certification is minimal – like less than buying the custom mats for the new car.  The LEED wannabe process is toothless.  Anything that is worthwhile has a high risk of getting dropped: energy modeling, efficient design, and components that achieve efficiency, and commissioning.  Decent commissioning costs 75 cents per square foot depending on the type of facility.  You’re going to spend $75,000 on commissioning and jump through all kinds of other hoops but skip the few thousand dollars for certification?  This is like getting enough credits to graduate but skipping the degree.  Try explaining that one to the state examining board when you try to get your professional engineering license.

LEED isn’t flawless or bullet proof, but it does serve as a hammer to get people to move and it forces the owner and other stakeholders to make difficult decisions rather than just throwing things out if they are too expensive or difficult.

For energy efficiency, a good rating system similar to the EPA gas mileage ratings is the ENERGY STAR® Label for Commercial Buildings.  Why?  Because it is based on actual energy consumption comparing to peer facilities (on a square foot basis) in the same climate zone.  Earning the ENERGY STAR means the building uses less energy per square foot than 75% of peer buildings.  In addition, ENERGY STAR requires a building inspection by a licensed engineer to ensure the owner isn’t cheating by not providing sufficient ventilation or enough light for required tasks or by letting air conditions drift out of the comfort zone, which believe it or not is well defined.  Registration is free.  The only cost is for the engineering services.  If energy efficiency improvements are needed, there are extra costs for that of course, but there is a return on that investment.

Finally, we at Michaels have developed a custom energy efficiency program that uses actual savings demonstrated by energy bills before and after implementation.  Rather than just doing studies, assisting clients with implementation and moving on to the next project, we monitor savings once after a few months and again after a full year of post-implementation operation.  We don’t run away from results, sweep it under the rug (watch the hand), or just hope for the best.  We embrace real results because we want to know things are working right, and demonstrated success sells more success.  If I’m buying, I want facts and references, not a dog and pony show where promises are made with no follow through on comprehensive savings.

Salesman, get away from me, and no, I don’t want your dopey maintenance plan.

written by Jeffrey L. Ihnen, P.E., LEED AP

Southern Builders v. Shaw has surfaced as one of the first major lawsuits regarding LEED certification. The suit illustrates the critical importance of clear contract language for each stakeholder on a green construction project.

The lawsuit concerns the construction of a $7.5 million, 23-unit condominium project in Crisfield, Maryland, called the Captain’s Galley, which was completed back in 2006. The development includes a number of green design features that were intended to garner enough points to receive a LEED Silver rating.

Southern Builders foreclosed on the project. Shaw Development then countersued, partly because the building did not receive the expected LEED rating it was supposed to, which meant that Shaw lost green-tax credits under Maryland’s green building program.

Maryland offers state tax credits of up to 8 percent of a project’s total cost for buildings greater than 20,000 square feet. Only LEED projects are eligible to apply for the credits. The program requires applicants to first submit an Initial Credit Certificate Application to the Maryland Energy Administration. MEA then reviews the application and issues an Initial Credit Certificate, which sets forth the project’s maximum credit amount and sets an expiration date by which the project must receive a Final Credit Certificate.

Projects can only apply for the Final Credit Certificate upon receiving a certificate of occupancy after construction is complete, and a LEED AP must submit an Eligibility Certificate to MEA stating that the building meets the criteria necessary to receive the tax credit (i.e., it meets the requirements to qualify for a LEED Silver rating). However, if the Initial Credit Certificate expires prior to the project obtaining its Final Credit Certificate, the available credits are put back into the program’s pool, the project slides back in line, and must reapply to MEA.

It does not appear that there was language in the contract documents obligating Southern to secure any formal certification from USGBC. With respect to the tax credits, Southern was required to deliver a Certificate of Occupancy within 336 calendar days from the date of the agreement.

In the countersuit, Shaw alleged claims in both negligence and breach of contract against Southern for, among other failures, the contractor’s failure to “construct an environmentally sound ‘green building’ in conformance with the LEED rating system.” However, there was no detail in Shaw’s papers describing precisely how Southern was responsible for the $635,000.00 in lost tax credits.

Presumably, Southern failed to deliver the project to Shaw such that the latter could obtain a certificate of occupancy by the date specified in the Initial Credit Certificate; according to Shaw’s papers, the project remained incomplete “[n]early nine (9) months after the required completion date” (i.e., the 336 calendars specified in the A101).

The total amount in damages that Shaw sought was approximately $1.3 million. The damages it sought for the lost tax credits were the largest under any of its claims.

Though the Circuit Court judge did set the case for trial sometime in August of 2007, it appears that the matter has since settled out of court. Since no official decision was made, a precedent has not been set.

The critical lesson from the lawsuit is that there is no one-size-fits-all form agreement for a green construction project. What was needed here was a thorough understanding of existing state legislation. This legislation, when properly upheld, leads to tax credit in the case of a LEED project. Note to all contractors and project managers: do your research on any state or local legislation that requires a particular order of events prior to LEED certification. You will want to follow the necessary steps to achieve your certification, tax credit, or any other incentive.

This is the headline of the latest email from the Atlanta Board of Realtors.  Well, not exactly.  The headline is “Council Rejects Expensive Building Code Mandates” which to me says something much different.  The email applauds the vote which shelved an ordinance that they say would have “crippled” the commercial real estate industry.  The Sustainable Building Ordinance would have mandated the use of sustainable building principles, practices, and materials for new construction as well as renovations and tenant improvements for existing buildings.  Is that such a bad thing?  I’d go so far as to say that would be a great thing, a great direction for the City of Atlanta and the industry as a whole, not to mention the people that are going to be inhabiting those buildings and paying the energy bills, but let’s not worry about that.

Here is a link to the article:  http://www.abr.org/index.aspx?page_id=3&resource_id=5478

Green and modern rarely have married so well as they do in the Shorecrest house of Robert Diago and Greg Hawthorne.This tony
neighborhood lies east of Love Field Airport and is full of charmers, but not so many contemporary and even fewer green homes.

So when the couple bought the 1950s ranch in 2003, their vision was broad: take it down to the studs to create something beautifully contemporary that minimizes the space used, maximizes the light, and accommodates their lifestyle. All this while meeting the highest environmental standards. >>read about Green Labron

Green Roof Dashboard
from Davis Center at University of Vermont

With a son who is a sophomore in college and a daughter as a high school senior, I have managed to spend a lot of time visiting college campuses over the past few years. One of the things that I have paid particular attention to (and seen an huge increase in during the past two years) is the focus on sustainability. My strong hunch is that schools are incorporating sustainable technologies because this generation of smart, college age youth demand it.

Many college campuses now sport LEED certification on at least one building – my son’s dorm at the University of Richmond (Lakeview Hall) is LEED registered and undergoing certification. It is one of nine buildings at the University which is either certified, or in process of being certified as LEED with the USGBC. Locally, Vanderbilt University completed the LEED certified The Commons at Vanderbilt residential housing complex in 2008. As I have traversed the country and seen what must be dozens of (mostly) smaller liberal arts colleges, I have seen organic gardens and solar panels at Whitman College, windmills and biomass generators at Middlebury, local and organic foods at Skidmore, a unique “homestead” intentional environmental community at Denison, beautiful rain gardens at Emory and the list goes on.

I also found a interesting resource online called the College Sustainability Report Card for 2010 (www.greenreportcard.org), This report card basically looks at environmental sustainability at over 325 colleges and universities in the United States and Canada based on 48 indicators used to evaluate performance within four categories.

One of those categories is “green building”. It was heartening to see that 44% of the schools have had at least one LEED-certified green building or are in process of constructing one and a whopping three-quarters of all of the schools have adopted green building policies that specify minimum performance levels such as LEED certification for new construction.

I was particularly interested in taking a closer look at some of the successes that I have witnessed at several of the schools that I have visited especially as they relate to green infrastructure. I found some additional information on Emory, Allegheny, Middlebury, University of Vermont and Macalester.

WATER CONSERVATION

As a part of Emory University in Atlanta’s overall commitment to sustainability (with over 1 million square feet in LEED certified buildings), Emory has incorporated many innovative water-conservation technologies.. Particularly impressive to me was their implementation of rainwater harvesting and condensate recovery, especially in light of the fact that Atlanta suffered an historic drought event in the summer of 2007. On Emory’s whole campus they have to date included 6 cisterns with a collective size of over 350,000 gallons for both toilet flushing and for irrigation as well as a condensate recovery technology for over 4 million gallons of water per year.

In their new freshman residence complex including Ignatius Few Hall and Lettie Pate Whitehead Evans Hall, rainwater and condensate collection is diverted to an 89,000 gallon reservoir underground which can provide adequate volume to provide 2170 gallons per day needed to flush all toilets int eh buildings. The rainwater is collected form the roof, then filtered and slowed through a bioswale system outsde of the building and then into the below grade cistern. The condensate harvest provides a reliable source of water to supplement rainfall during those months from May through September. It is estimated that the condensate harvests is adding 300,000 gallons per year to the system.

At the nearby Whitehead Biomedical Research Facility Building, completed in 2001, the engineers devised a system of piping condensate back into nearby cooling towers to use as make-up water. This system conserves water AND diverts 2.5 million (that’s 2,500,000) gallons a year from the sanitary sewer system.

Video About Emory University’s Sustainability Efforts

GREEN ROOFS

It seems to me that many, many schools are incorporating green roofs as that technology provides one of the most visible elements to show-off sustainable design. In every school we visited, if there WAS a green roof, it was highlighted on the student led campus tours. The green roof were touted for their well-documented benefits such as longer roof life, reduced cost of heating and cooling, stormwater runoff reduction and habitat.

Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania impressed me with the well designed green roof on the Vukovich Center for Communication Arts. It is located within the topography of the campus site allowing for a fully accessible roof (entering the building at the green roof on the high side and entering on a lower level to the main campus commons or quad –type area. The roof includes extensive and semi-intensive depths and features lawn space as well as sedums and native grasses with an interesting incorporation of stones and cedar decking through the rooftop.

University of Vermont, just on the edge of downtown Burlington, Vermont, recently completed the 186,000 s.f. Dudley H. Davis Center. The Center features a 19,000 s.f. green roof.

Middlebury College, also in Vermont, provided a sloped green roof above the Atwater Dining Hall. I was interested in seeing their notation that in addition to the traditional green roof benefits that I have seen listed in may locations, Middlebury includes improved acoustical insulation, noting that green roof systems can reduce airborne sound levels by 40 to 50 decibels.

Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota impressed me, not in size but in determination. The two green roofs on campus were the result of student designs and even some student labor! The first green roof at Macalester was a 300 s.f. tray system installed above a walkway between tow residence halls and the newer 1350 s.f. green roof on Kagin Commons. I happened to be on campus the day the Kagin Commons green roof was unveiled.

I believe the influence of these campuses and so many others will influence the bright minds of our next generation of decision makers and leaders.

Ok… The bones of the project – the internal structure.  I’m currently considering a green pre-fab company called “Blu Homes” out of Waltham, MA (near where I live) – http://www.bluhomes.com/.  Funny thing that I ran into their website developer at a party last weekend, but that’s another story…  I also looked into a company called Peapod out of Wisconsin (http://www.peapodhomes.com/).  Their thing is to use solar and earth heating and cooling, to minimize if not completely get rid of heating and cooling bills.  Called the passive solar double envelope.  I wish they’d talk about it more on their website…  Nevertheless, I’m leaning towards Peapod due to their solid construction, proximity to where we live, and due to the quality designs of a newly acquired design partner Michelle Kaufmann out of CA.  Yes I am interested in the design and look of the home…

You hear that modern pre-fab construction is ”greener” than traditional construction, though to be honest I haven’t read up on it.  Time to do some research…  it is true, though, that a controlled environment while building can lead to a much tighter home, with better insulation, seals, etc., and a better construction overall.  I’ll also have to look into what I can get for LEED points for the wood, pre-fab, etc.  I’ll have to see if I can get the frame built with FSC certified wood or some other green standard.  It is a quicker build though as well.  If I get it moving in January, I should have a home to live in by June.

Blu Homes has an interesting folding technology to cut the shipping costs.  From what I’ve heard, it can take a couple months to build the home in their factory, and something like 2-3 weeks to get it fully installed.  What they do is they build it with a steel frame (hopefully recycled steel), with standard wood framing inside of the steel frame.  Then they have big hinges on the steel, and when they prepare it to ship, they literally fold it up and put it on a normal semi versus a wide load semi.  That way they can cut down on the transport costs, and also make the homes larger.  Check out this video and article about the folding: http://www.boston.com/realestate/news/articles/2009/11/15/as_some_prefab_companies_fold_others_jump_on_a_down_market/

Anyways, so that’s what I’m leaning towards… the evolution design (2 story, 1500 sq ft, 3 bedroom, 2 bath), with a separate origin in-law studio separate from the main house (1 story, 400 sq ft, 1 bedroom, 1 bath).  I’ve got a lot of work to go…

Awareness and Education – 2 points achieved out of 3 points available::

So if you’ve been following our project then you know what we’ve done for both education and awareness. But we did go through extensive trainings with each of our key subcontractors like Newport Geothermal for our HVAC system and Robert Saglio Audio Video for our home, lighting, entertainment, irrigation and energy systems. I spent hours with John Carter understanding what it would take to keep our lawn healthy by minimizing water, eliminating chemicals and using organic fertilizers and treatments.

Our homeowners manual is more than 6” thick and covers every system and subsystem in our house, outlines the warranties and maintenance programs and lets us know who to call for help.

Our public awareness, well, you be the judge. We have blogged about the project or a topic relating to green building every single day since October 2008. We have had more than 60,000 people to our blog during that time and even earned an AllTop rating for best green blogs. We’ve been covered in local, regional and national media. We’ve always had signage on the home, and on December 12th we hosted our fourth and final open house on the project.

With a final rating of LEED-H GOLD, with a score of 92.5, I am proud of what we accomplished. I hope you enjoyed our project as much as we did and know that our goal now is to follow and find other projects, cover other case studies and help homeowners find the best products for their project. Feel free to submit your ideas!

Posted by KDL | follow me on Twitter: newscaster

Manitoba Hydro Place, the new headquarters of the fourth largest energy utility in Canada, recently opened its doors in downtown Winnipeg. The 22-storey office tower with LEED Platinum target was designed by Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects (Toronto) with Smith Carter Architects (Winnipeg) and climate engineers Transsolar (Stuttgart). According to the architects, Manitoba Hydro Place offers a model for extreme climate responsive design drawing on local passive energy sources, while providing 100% fresh air and the highest quality of human comfort.

Recently, the design also has gained world attention with the prestigious “Best Tall Building in the Americas Award” granted by the CTBUH, the world’s leading body dedicated to the field of tall buildings and urban habitat.

“Manitoba Hydro’s vision to consolidate 2,000 employees from 15 different offices in the suburbs into one location in downtown Winnipeg created a real opportunity to give back to the community and spearhead the revitalization of Winnipeg’s downtown,” explains Tom Gouldsborough, Division Manager of Corporate Services and Project Manager for Manitoba Hydro. “Since opening 50% of Manitoba Hydro staff has converted to public transit after a lifetime of driving to work.”

Manitoba Hydro set ambitious goals for a supportive workplace and urban regeneration, inclusive of 60% less energy consumption than Canada’s Model National Energy Code for Buildings in an extreme climate that fluctuates from -35 degrees C in the winter to +35 degrees C in the summer. To meet these, Manitoba Hydro mandated a formal Integrated Design Process developed by National Resources Canada. An international search was held for the design architect with eight finalists from whom KPMB was selected, followed by the selection of Smith Carter Architects + Engineers as executive architects and Transsolar as climate engineers to form the core IDP Team.
Read the full article at Detail.de – Portal for Architecture ..

X:\USGBC LEED Ref Library\LEED-2009 Supporting Information\LEED 2009_MPR Supplemental.pdf

On December 16th, the Ohio House of Representatives passed HB 7, legislation “[t]o enact section 153.013 of the Revised Code to require a building or structure constructed using state capital budget moneys to adhere to certain energy efficiency and building standards and to encourage the use of Ohio-produced products.” More specifically, the proposed code provision would require (with certain exemptions) buildings constructed with state capital budget moneys to achieve either LEED Silver certification or two Green Globes (while leaving open the possibility for the development and application of another national green building rating standard), or higher, AND either exceed 30% energy savings beyond the most current ASHRAE energy efficiency standard or achieve an Energy Star energy performance rating of 77% or higher. The bill now moves to the Senate for consideration.

If passed, the bill would obviously have an affect on the architects, contractors, engineers, and others that compose the building community. Considering the proposed legislation, Intern Architect Josh Loyd, of Philip Markwood Architects, Inc., noted:

“I think it is a good move on the state’s part to require energy efficiency standards.  It will help save the tax payers money in the long run with reduced energy costs over the life of the building.  Which for a building owner like the state who holds onto the buildings for a very long time, the utility costs will far outweigh the cost of construction.  Plus it will also push some of our architects & engineers to design better,  more durable buildings that will stand the test of time.”

Indoor Environmental Quality :: 13 points achieved out of 21 points available ::

We followed the prescriptive path for Indoor Air Quality and I have to say of all the section I actually thought this was the toughest.  IEQ measures the moisture control, outdoor air ventilation, distribution heating and cooling, use of low emitting materials, air filtering and contaminant control during construction.

We achieved 2 points for installation and the performance of our dual environmental recovery systems (ERVs). Our enhanced local exhaust which was based on occupancy sensors that exhaust air to the outdoors as well as the continuous operation of one of the ERVs, achieved an additional two for the points.

We also achieved additional points by installing a Vacuflo central vacuum system (which is awesome and so easy to use!), designing and installing a gorgeous and uber efficient mudroom to store shoes, reducing household contaminants and installing filters with a MRV 10 rating. We did really well in minimizing pollutants from the garage through our spray foam insulation, CO2 detectors, and painting of the garage walls, as well as the installation of an exhaust fan which turns on based on an occupancy sensor installed in the garage.

With the goal of really improving our home’s indoor air quality to keep our house free of allergens, contaminants and VOCs, I’m pleased with performance of the systems we’ve installed.

Posted by KDL | follow me on Twitter: newscaster

Hollow on the Square Hotel

Located in the beautiful city of Cape Town, Hollow on The Square is a 4 star city hotel designed by M&B Architects & Interiors offering 114 luxuriously appointed rooms and suites, all designed for comfort and tranquility.  The newly added eco-friendly rooms were conceived using nature as inspiration and incorporate materials that reflect natural comfort.

M&B chose Wicanders Corkcomfort products as an innate fit for this project.  Over 8,600 square feet of Wicanders Cork flooring cover the guest rooms, hallways and elevators, earning praise from a number of visiting guests.  Products used include Corkcomfort HPS Identity Spice, HPS Identity Chestnut and WRT Linn Sepia.  

The elegance of these materials and others used at the Hollow on The Square, M&B House, as well as the suave colors and distinctive décor, bring in a sense of total serenity, persuading visitors to enjoy an unforgettable stay.

View more projects using Wicanders Cork Flooring by visiting our Press Room.

Good question.  In order for us to understand each other, I want to let you know what “green” means to me.  It means “doing the best I can for environmental protection and conservation for the long-term”.  I want to leave the earth at least as good for my son as it was for me growing up.  Yet there are several factors that would reduce the environmental benefits of what I am trying to accomplish.  Those are cost, comfort, features and benefits, and a healthy dose of reality.

Costs are a factor.  Both in the construction, and in the maintenance.  I am expecting that the maintenance, upkeep and ongoing expenses will be less with a green home than with a traditional construction, due to reduced energy costs, reduced water and sewage costs, reduced garbage, etc.  Not only do I expect, but I KNOW, though, that this home will cost more upfront.  I’m expecting that it will run roughly 20-40% more for the construction itself than for a traditional home.  And I’m going to go for LEED for Homes certification, so expect another 10-20% more for that (more on that later).  But I’m also expecting it to look MUCH cooler… it will not look like the neighbor’s homes, but will be better designed, more attention to detail, and great features that they do not have.

Comfort is a factor.  My family and I will live in this house for several years (both “just because”, and also to take advantage of the lower maintenance and upkeep costs).  Big rocks would be perfectly environmentally friendly chairs, but I’m not going to sit on a rock.  There will be enough lighting, enough heating and cooling, enough ventilation, enough cushioning and soft features, enough room (square footage), and a good flow through the house so that we can feel comfortable there for many years.

Features and benefits are a factor.  There will be enough features and benefits (as a techie) that I can feel like there is everything I need.  Sure things like wired networks and other systems like that may be good, but wireless has come a long way in the past 10 years and I feel like I can get beyond that.  My point is that if I have a need for something that isn’t necessarily environmental, I will likely get it, as long as I feel that it is something that the home will need.  An example is a wood fireplace… I still have to research that one…

The biggest thing will be to have a healthy dose of reality.  If something looks really bad but is better than another alternative, if an alternative costs more but is better, or if the lifetime of a product is unknown, it is not a cut and dry decision.  I hope to use this blog as a sounding point for some of my decisions, and will use some of your comments to help me keep grounded.  That and my wife.  I’m sure she’ll keep me grounded…

So to summarize, I will be environmentally friendly, but there are other factors that may steer some decisions toward other directions.  We’ll have to see.  LEED will help I think.  Keep me pushing towards the environmentally friendly decisions…

With any adventure you have to start at the beginning.  It’s not truly the beginning for me because I’ve looked into the potential for owning a green home for several years now.  And I’ve pursued it more actively for the past several months.  But it will be the beginning of the blog at least.  Nothing is set in stone yet, and even though I have some general technologies and approaches I’m focusing on, I haven’t signed any contracts yet or broken any ground.  I definitely still have research to do and decisions to make.

What I hope to accomplish with this blog is a chronicling of what I have done to make a “green” home (definition to come), and hopefully some of you out there will join me in this and offer suggestions or do some research into particular areas as well.  I want others to understand what I’m doing and what I accomplish, and if I can show what I did, perhaps even influence some others to move in this direction as well.  I’m not terribly confident in the government’s ability to take care of the environment, so I’m going to try to do my part to help.

I consider myself an intelligent, reasonable, centrist and environmentalist.  I am not a fanatic, though, so if you’re looking at ways to make a mud and straw house, this isn’t the place.  I’m interested in some traditional construction techniques and some new ones, new technologies and maybe some old ones.  Whatever gets the job done.  I have a family and have some priorities due to that, and plan on living in my home for many years to come.

To me this isn’t an experiment.  I have to live in this place.  And I have to be comfortable with the technologies that I choose (even if they are very new), that they will last and provide both economical and environmental benefits in the long-term.

Thanks for looking, and I hope that you participate, and that we both learn something from this process.  I’ll try to post daily even if it’s just some random thoughts versus something significant…

Materials and Resources ::  12.5 points achieved out of 16 points available::

With the intent of designing durable buildings and limiting waste, MR 1 addresses the framing order waste factor, of which we achieved less than 10%.  We also used framing efficiencies which included extensive pre-cut framing packages sizing headers for loads, blocking for the installation of drywall and cabinetry, and other high performance building techniques. We did not get points for our detailed framing documents because we did not have detailed designs for every wall including interiors and due to this, we forfeited 1.3 which is detailed cut lists and lumber orders – although I have to give a call out to Dave Pearson of Pearson Woodworking, Jay Smith of Smith Ingram and Mike Anderson of Anderson Woodfloors for their incredible use of materials. Dave and Jay achieved a less than 2% waste on interior finish wood work, creative using extra boards to build custom closets, shelves, and even cubbies for my kids’ rooms. Mike did an amazing job with managing waste from our Carlisle wood floor installation. We had so little waste, that we were able to install wood floors in the mud room, wine cellar and AV equipment use with assumed waste factor. Amazing and it brought my cost per sq/ft down incredibly!

MR 2.2 addresses Environmentally Preferable Products (EPP) which in addition to FSC certified products, really addresses product certifications, VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) content and local production or products used inside the home.  This following is the breakdown of what we applied for, surpassing the maximum of 8 points in this section.

1. Exterior wall: framing — FSC Wood 92% from National Lumber, COC listed on orders – ½ pt EPP
2. Exterior wall: siding – 100% FSC White CEDAR shingles from Liberty Cedar, COC supplied — ½ pt EPP
3. Flooring: Carlisle, reclaimed hardwood floors of 3150 sq/ft plus 100 sq ft, for 71 % of floor, finished with low VOC compliant umber stain and Tung oil finish, factory applied. Additional ½ point for all LOW VOC for all flooring including Fireclay Debris tile (50% recycled materials), Marmoleum which is SCS FloorScore certified. – ½ pt EPP  and – ½ pt low emission
4. Carpet: Mohawk CSI Green Label Plus Certified “green” low VOC, recycled content, BiOH Low VOC eco pad, recycled content – ½ pt low emission
5. Floor Framing: Engineering floor system from Boise Wood – see VOC reports – ½ pt low emission
6. Foundation: Cement with up to 30% flyash for all poured foundation, footings produced by Richmond Ready Mix in Wyoming, RI. – ½ pt EPP and ½ pt local
7. Interior Wall Framing: 100% of interior 2×4s used were FSC certified from National Lumber -– ½ pt EPP
8. Interior wall, ceiling, millwork: paint — All interior surface coatings for primer and paint were Sherwin Williams ZERO VOC Harmony paint — – ½ pt low emission
9. Landscape: 100% of front and rear porch and decking is made from Accoya FSC certified wood – – ½ pt EPP
10. Cabinets: Cabinets locally made by Crownpoint cabinetry using locally harvested 100% FSC maple, zero UREA formaldehyde (Kitchen and bath) — – ½ pt EPP; – ½ pt low emission and – ½ pt local production
11. Counters: Paperstone kitchen counters made from 100% recycled content, ZERO urea formaldehyde. EcoTop bathroom counters with recycled content and ZERO urea formaldehyde, reclaimed hardwood countertop with ZERO urea formaldehyde, bathrooms counters with integral sinks are Kohler cast iron made of 93% recycled iron with no urea formaldehyde — – ½ pt EPP
12. Doors – Installed all Masonite FSC- certified 2 panel interior doors – ½ pt EPP
13. Trim – 100% of millwork and wood trim was FSC-certified pine, also used FSC certified Centurion for board and batten and beadboard, and wood ceiling in media room — – ½ pt EPP
14. Adhesives and sealants – 100% of all adhesives and sealants on the project from wood floor glue to calk, to putty to mastic to sealers were require by the subcontractor to meet the LOW VOC requirements. Support documents included. (We would spot check materials regularly) — – ½ pt low emission
15. Window Framing – All window framing was built using FSC certified framing lumber with COC. — – ½ pt EPP
16. Insulation — Western GacoGreen 052 Wall Foam with VOC of 30.4 g/L — – ½ pt low emission
17. Sheathing: 100% of our sheathing was Advantech which SFI certified (competitive to FSC and same exacting standards) –should count. – but no points because it’s not FSC, but I thought Advantech deserved it.

The last portion of materials and resources included our construction waste reduction program. We had a fairly intense waste program onsite include, at all times a wood recycling and mixed waste bin. Throughout the job we also brought in metal recycling (during HVAC) and cardboard which we would bring to the site when we needed it, stacking and storing cardboard in the garage to minimize the dumpsters onsite and the soil compaction. Over the building period of 14 months, we only sent two 15-yard mixed waste dumpsters to the landfill, in total diverting 87% of our construction debris to recycling. This totaled just 1.2 lbs of waste per finished area (average is 4.5 lbs).

Had we not achieved all of our Innovation & Design points, we could have applied for an additional 1.5 point for Exemplary performance in MR 2.2, but we only applied for .5.

Posted by KDL | follow me on Twitter: newscaster

This article recently appeared on the home page of www.earth-list.com.

Easton Gardner – LEEDing the Way to a New Era of Sustainability
By Julie Gengo

As a self-proclaimed nerd when it comes to all things “green,” this LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) AP is making a difference as a business woman and environmental steward. Easton Gardner is the Director of Commercial Advisory at Greener Dawn, a small but growing company that specializes in carbon footprint analysis, sustainability and LEED consulting and management. Easton works with owners and tenants on developing sustainability initiatives and focuses on strategies that set parameters for how to integrate green into both business and lifestyles.

This is not just a job for this vibrant citizen of the world, but a mission: Easton grew up among nature and is passionate about preserving it from environmental destruction. Her work allows her to take an active role in keeping nature in its natural state so that everyone can benefit. She receives great inspiration from her clients and calls this the  “green light bulb moment.” These moments occur when the client gets the “call to action” to become more sustainable; it usually happens when their children catch them in environmental no-no’s.

It is no surprise that she has chosen this career path. Having spent her first eleven years on a family farm in Deming, New Mexico, Easton observed and analyzed nature in its finest state. But it wasn’t until she came acrosscross a book about green roofs in Taipei Taiwan, that she opened her eyes to the world. “I was pretty obsessed with ancient building techniques and the idea of green roofs across cityscapes to improve air quality and access to outdoor space,” she recalls. It also opened her mind to the concept of green building practices.

Easton’s family relocated to Sedona, Arizona and she went on to obtain her Bachelors Degree in Business Management & Entrepreneurship from Arizona State University. During this time she opted to study Spanish in Spain where she experienced the vegetative rooftops of Barcelona and basked in the wonders of Spanish architecture.

During college, Easton started a business in real estate with her family where she stayed in tune with her great love of the history of architecture and innovative design. Her career path also included working in Aspen for the US Forest Service where she was once again up close and personal with the elements.

Shortly after moving to the San Diego region, Easton pursued her LEED Accreditation and has since become Co-Chair of the Education Committee and Secretary of the Steering Committee for the local San Diego USGBC (United States Green Building Council) chapter. In this capacity she is able to inspire future LEED Associates in their quest to support green building practices.

On the horizon Easton envisions magnetic freeways where cars are moved by the pull of magnetic tracks. According to Easton, we are living in an era of The Jetsons where technology can help people coexist in a sustainable way, if we can truly determine sustainability.

When Easton is not working you may find her on her yoga mat or hiking with her dog Tabor enjoying North County Coastal San Diego where she now lives.

Do you have cubicles in your office that are old, out-dated, and just plain ugly but don’t have the money for all new office furniture?  Renu-Space is a brilliant new product that gives an eco-friendly & economic solution to updating office furniture.  With Renu-Space you take your existing monolithic panels to create the segmented look of new office furniture.

We have Renu-Space installed on workstation in our Intereum showroom.  Scott from Renu-Space stopped by the other day to give us a demo and show us how the system works.

When Renu-Space is installed in an office environment there is less money spent on labor because the panels can be installed on some systems without removing work-surfaces and components.  In fact, Renu-Space is so easy to install that it can be installed by your employees.  When Renu-Space is being installed there is no need to disconnect phones, computer or power from the panel system so there is zero employee downtime.

Renu-Space is relevant to many LEED points on new construction or major remodeling projects. Traditional methods of reupholstering office furniture often require the older fabric to be removed and disposed of. Renu-Space is fastened over existing fabric, completely preventing the old fabric from being sent to a landfill.

]]> http://kryhul.wordpress.com/2009/12/15/pizzazz-with-purpose-torontos-newest-office-tower-was-designed-to-express-the-telus-brand/ Tue, 15 Dec 2009 15:15:48 +0000 angelakryhul http://kryhul.wordpress.com/2009/12/15/pizzazz-with-purpose-torontos-newest-office-tower-was-designed-to-express-the-telus-brand/

Telus has a new high-tech office tower in downtown Toronto that is designed to express the telecommunications giant’s brand, impress corporate and institutional clients, and attract and retain top talent. I was given a private tour of the building by executives of Telus, Menkes Developments and Sweeny Sterling Finlayson & Co. Architects. Here is my article, published in today’s Globe and Mail newspaper:

Telus shores up the city core

Telecommunications company puts its corporate stamp on new worker-friendly tower in downtown Toronto

ANGELA KRYHUL | Special to The Globe and Mail | Dec. 15, 2009

Trish Clarry is only half joking when she says people who’ve toured the new Telus office tower in downtown Toronto usually want to hand her their résumés. A few minutes walk to public transit, spectacular city views and on-site massage therapy make it an appealing place to spend the workweek.

The 30-story glass tower, at 25 York Street, has a lot of pizzazz. But it’s pizzazz with a purpose. The building was carefully and strategically crafted to communicate the Telus brand to corporate and institutional clients. It’s also meant to attract talented people. Think of this office building as a very large human resources recruitment and retention tool.

Ms. Clarry’s responsibilities reflect this marriage of corporate real estate and human resources strategy. As executive director, real estate and enterprise services, she oversees corporate real estate, human resources and the Telus national health and wellness program.

It’s all about valuing an employee’s contribution, Ms. Clarry explains. “A more engaged employee is a more productive employee, and that’s really what we’re trying to create.”

The 30-floor Telus office tower in downtown Toronto is designed to express the Telus corporate brand, impress corporate and institutional clients, and attract and retain the telecommunication sector's top talent (Photo ©KRYHUL MEDIA GROUP)

The Telus building – the last of three new office towers to come on stream in Toronto this year – is designed to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) core and shell gold standards. And while construction is mostly complete, the interior still needs finishing touches; furniture will be delivered and many of the key public areas will be decorated with the signature flora and fauna of Telus’s brand images. Employees are just starting to move in, and by the end of April, the Vancouver-based telecommunications giant will have consolidated 1,600 people from 15 offices across the Greater Toronto Area.

Telus has signed a 15-year lease for about 450,000 square feet with landlord Menkes Union Tower Ltd., a joint venture partnership between Menkes Developments Ltd., Hospitals of Ontario Pension Plan and Halcyon Real Estate Partners Fund. Other tenants in the building include Kinross Gold Corp., ACE INA Insurance and the Society of Management Accountants of Ontario. The building is 85 per cent leased.

Joe Nestic, senior vice-president of Menkes Developments, says that, back in 2005 before responding to Telus’s proposal for new office space, it interviewed corporate tenants, architects and engineers about the future of office building design. “We asked them, ‘What do you want?’ and then came up with a Top 10 list,” Mr. Nestic says. “It was all tenant-focused. It had nothing to do with development.”

One of the biggest drivers behind new office building design is human comfort, explains Dermot Sweeny, whose firm, Sweeny Sterling Finlayson & Co. Architects Inc., worked with lead architect Adamson Associates Architects.

At 25 York Street, human comfort translates into features such as 11-foot, floor-to-ceiling glass windows that offer better access to natural light, and individual workstation airflow and temperature controls. There is also a Telus Wellness Centre featuring an aerobics studio, and massage and physiotherapy treatment rooms. A gourmet kitchen on the “Team Telus” floor is where staff will take part in team-building sessions and nutrition classes. An adjacent relaxation space features a fireplace and comfy chairs, and a walk-out to a spacious outdoor patio. Some of the roof spaces will be greened with plants, and an herb garden will supply the team kitchen.

Even the elevators are designed to make people feel good: 10-foot-high cab ceilings (compared with seven- to nine-foot heights in older buildings) make people feel more comfortable, Mr. Nestic says. The elevators are programmed to reduce annoying wait times and to save electricity.

Highly mobile staff, armed with smart phones and laptops, have the option of working at home as well as almost anywhere in the building. “We really try to create very experiential spaces for our team members. When they come to the office we want them to engage with their teammates … have fun and really engage with the Telus brand,” Ms. Clarry explains.

When corporate and institutional clients visit they will get what was once known as the red carpet treatment, but these days it might be called a Telus brand experience.

The third-floor reception area is a spectacular open space that runs the entire north-south length of the building and is deliberately impressive. “We really wanted to play off the Telus brand – clean, simple, very elegant and timeless. We created it as our customers’ first view of our space,” Ms. Clarry explains.

The brand experience continues as VIPs are guided to the executive boardroom where they can enjoy panoramic views of the city. Next, they will glide down to the second floor level in a private, glass-walled elevator, for a tour of the Innovation Centre.

This is where customers from sectors such as finance, oil and gas, health care and government will see Telus technologies and solutions in action via a series of “vignettes,” Ms. Clarry says. For example, there will be a conference room to showcase video-conferencing technology and a hospital room or nursing station to demonstrate Telus Health Solutions products and services.

Why did Telus choose downtown when it could have leased anywhere in the Greater Toronto Area? Ms. Clarry says Telus wanted highly visible building signage that trumpets its presence in the market “in a big way.” Easy access to public transit was a way to help reduce staff commute times and “we really wanted to make a commitment to the downtown,” she says.

Mr. Sweeny describes 25 York as “the most public of all the buildings built [in downtown Toronto] in a long time. It’s all about an interface with the city.” The building, estimated to cost $250-million in 2006, is situated on land that had sat idle for years.

The main lobby, with its soaring, 30-foot ceiling, is a grand public space very much in the spirit of New York architectural icons such as Rockefeller Center, Mr. Sweeny says. In fact, the lobby will see heavy pedestrian traffic because it’s part of Toronto’s PATH labyrinth of sheltered and underground walkways. The building is adjacent to the Air Canada Centre and Maple Leaf Square; and Union Station – the hub for Via Rail, GO Transit and the city subway system – is less than five minutes away.

The idea now percolating within the corporate executive suite is that companies must invest in the city core if it is to remain vibrant and viable, Mr. Sweeny says. “I think this building … is starting to take back ownership of employment and financial growth in the core.”

Special to the Globe & Mail | Angela Kryhul © KRYHUL MEDIA GROUP

COST CUTTERS

The gross annual cost of occupancy at 25 York Street is about $55 a square foot, Mr. Nestic says. This reflects operating and other costs such as rent, tax and employee benefit programs, as well as such things as lower staff turnover, lower absenteeism, improved productivity and the ability to attract and retain top talent. The comparative figure for some older downtown office buildings is more than $60 a square foot, he says.

Other cost-saving features at Telus’s new building:

RAISED FLOOR

An 18-inch raised floor that houses heating, ventilation and cooling systems as well as voice, data and power cables means lower leasehold setup and later reconfiguration costs. It also eliminated the need for a 3.5-foot drop ceiling, which meant Menkes was able to save about a foot in height per floor of construction. “If you can save one foot per floor … that’s a lot of money that gets reinvested in better and smarter systems in the building,” Mr. Sweeny explains.

LAKE COOLING

A 20-year contract with the Enwave Deep Lake Water Cooling system features locked-in terms, so the cost of cooling the building won’t be affected by fluctuating commodity prices.

AIR FLOW

The building’s return-air system follows a natural flow, which requires only one fan per floor to assist circulation, compared with as many as 40 fans per floor in older buildings.

DIMMED LIGHTS

Auto-dimming reduces the need for artificial light during the day, and occupancy sensors turn lights on and off as cleaning crews move through the building at night.

Special to the Globe & Mail | Angela Kryhul © KRYHUL MEDIA GROUP

Energy and Atmosphere: 21.5 points achieved out of 36 points available::

The overall goal of EA is to optimize energy performance of the building. We opted to follow the performance path which meant our world be rated according to the ENERGY STAR for home standards (the document can be found here). ENERGY STAR was simply the pre-requisite which everyone in LEED-H is required to meet; your points only begin to accumulate for exceptional energy performance. HERS stands for Home Energy Rating Standard and is based on a performance scale of 100. Based on a 100 point scale which is an average home, a home achieving HERS 85 is 15% more efficient. If you are familiar to the term NET ZERO, it is a similar scale, where NET ZERO means the home consumes zero percent more energy than it produces annually.

In our case, our preliminary HERS rating based on our building envelope leakage rate of less than 4%, our windows, our solar gain, our roof’s solar reflective index (SRI), our sprayfoam insulation, our geothermal HVAC system, and all of the design elements placed us at a HERS of 58, making our home 42% more efficient than an average home. This achieved us 19.5 points under EA 1. In addition we achieved 2 points for the efficient design of our hot water system which included compact plumbing runs achieved thorugh back-to-back bathrooms and a superheater added to our hot water tanks.

Posted by KDL | follow me on Twitter: newscaster

Seeking LEED Gold, 901 K St.’s new, D.C. office building attracts attention, while conserving resources

Designed and built to achieve LEED® Gold Certification through the U.S. Green Building Council, the 260,000-square-foot property, 901 K Street, fills a unique, triangular-shaped space in Washington, D.C.’s office landscape, both in its design and location.

The 12-story, $60 million dollar development designed by SmithGroup met its daylighting and energy-efficiency objectives, aided by Wausau Window and Wall Systems. The project and its team were recognized on December 11, as part of Mid-Atlantic Construction magazine’s “Best of 2009″ office building awards. Occupants began moving in this autumn, less than a year after the building’s curtainwall installation began.

901 K Street, D.C.

“In a tough economy, property owners are doing all they can to attract and retain occupants. In a world of diminishing natural resources and global climate change, building owners also are constructing and managing their properties with environmentally-friendly practices,” says Kevin Robbins, Wausau’s regional sales manager. “Carr Properties has addressed all of these issues with 901 K Street.”

Bob Carr, the managing partner of the company’s development affiliate, was quoted in the Washington Business Journal as saying: “901 K Street represents our firm’s serious commitment to LEED construction and energy conservation. Our world needs it. The momentum towards sustainability in our industry is growing exponentially, and we’re excited to be part of it.”

Also excited to be a part of the project, Robbins adds, “Green office buildings are not a new trend. They are becoming the new standard. Like property owners, occupants also are more sophisticated about their wants and needs in an office space.”

Wausau's custom sun shades

With its goals clearly in mind, Carr Properties developed this prominent office and retail space in a desirable location in D.C. The sustainable attributes of 901 K Street include green roofs to minimize the urban heat-island effect, water-conserving plumbing fixtures and low-emitting interior materials, and low-VOC finishes. In addition, the building’s energy-efficient lighting system and high-performance, non-CFC HVAC system are complemented by curtainwall systems and sun shades provided by Wausau. The floor-to-ceiling windows allow 60% of the building’s interior space to receive natural light.

Wausau worked closely with D.C-based contractors at Clark Construction Group, specialty contractors at Icon Exterior Building Solutions and architects at SmithGroup. Together, they sought to meet all of 901 K Street’s requirements. Beyond the LEED Gold criteria, the project also needed to address security with consideration of the neighboring government buildings and the surrounding community.

“We’re not only familiar with how to address the property’s goals, but also in working in this area. We have two other projects literally across the street from 901 K Street development: Embassy Suites and 1050 K Street. 1050 K Street also is under development and pursuing LEED Gold certification,” says Mark Gedney, Wausau’s manufacturer’s representative and president of Advanced Building Concepts, Inc.

The south side of the building faces K Street, affording occupants expansive views of the historic neighborhood and downtown Washington. With respect to the nearby community, 901 K Street’s northeast elevation on Massachusetts Avenue was designed with a softer façade of terracotta paneling and ornamental accents. “We designed a curved terracotta rain screen façade facing Massachusetts Avenue that relates to the context of the adjacent smaller scale masonry buildings,” said Christopher Woody, project architect with SmithGroup. “This represents one of the first uses of this type of cladding system in the District of Columbia.”

Woody continued, “One of the major project challenges was coordinating the design and installation of the terracotta and the curtainwall façade. Wausau’s team collaborated with us from the beginning to reach a successful solution that integrated the façade’s diverse materials. The system we chose fit well within the design intent while keeping within the budget. “

"...one of the first uses of this type of cladding system in the District of Columbia."

Blending the building’s style and systems, the exposed aluminum framing was painted by Linetec to match the terracotta. Aside from the terracotta rain screen, the three-side support, glass sun shades were a first for Wausau, according to Wausau’s project manager, Carl Wanta. “These are both decorative and functional, helping contribute to the building’s solar control for energy management and related LEED requirements.”

“Wausau was instrumental in coordinating all the LEED submission information for us. Utilizing post-consumer content for the aluminum extrusions, the reduction of VOC emissions during the painting process at Linetec, and Wausau’s expertise and experience helped us achieve our LEED goals,” says Curt Johnson, partner with Icon Exterior Building Solutions.

“Given the amount of glass on the building, we were able to use Viracon’s high-performance, radiant low-e line of VRE glass, which helped us achieve the heating and cooling loads we needed for the building,” says Woody.

“Large southern exposures require thoughtful planning to maximize daylighting and views, while managing energy costs,” explains Wanta. “Effectively-engineered, modern curtainwall systems not only keep energy costs down by managing unwanted solar heat gain, which reduces the load on the HVAC systems, they keep people more comfortable, which means they’re more productive in an office setting.”

“Wausau has extensive experience with LEED projects that must find this balance, including its own LEED Silver-certified manufacturing center,” says Gedney. “It’s fitting that the high-performance products fabricated for hundreds of building projects each year come from a green facility.”

He adds, “Meeting LEED building criteria does not mean compromising on materials and finishes. Green does not have to mean dull and utilitarian.” As evidence, Gedney points to the terracotta rain screen, the custom glass, sun shades from Wausau, and the dramatic, east lobby’s five-story atrium containing Ambarino marble, Peribonka granite and maple paneling.

Wausau's glazing systems help connect visually, physically with surroundings

Relying on Wausau’s high-performance systems and Viracon’s glass, the lobby’s finishes are protected from fading, while its occupants enjoy a comfortable interior climate. The transparency of 901 K Street’s curtainwall system also keeps guests connected with their surrounding environment. The building also physically connects 901 K to the neighboring Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church. The 1917 neoclassical church plays a prominent part of the historic neighborhood.

“We know that the neighborhood is pleased with the building. It’s nice to be acknowledged by our peers, too,” says Robbins, referring to 901 K Street’s Mid-Atlantic Construction magazine’s Best of 2009 Award of Merit in the Office category. An independent jury selected winners based on the building teams’ established goals, challenges overcome, innovative approaches, exceptional design and craftsmanship and teamwork. “The 901 K Street property is an exceptional project, a trophy building, and many people’s effort came together to make it happen.”

Photos by Anne Gummerson, courtesy of Icon Exterior Building Systems.

Download a PDF of the full success story by clicking here and see Wausau’s online Green Building section for more project examples and resources.