2015 May-June

Elevating Design Performance

2015 May-June, LEED ON

[vc_row][vc_column width="1/1"][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_single_image image="19695" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width="1/4"][vc_single_image image="19692" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_column_text] Andy Cohen, FAIA Co-CEO, Gensler [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width="3/4"][vc_column_text] [dropcaps type='normal' color='' background_color='' border_color='']A[/dropcaps]s we approach Gensler’s 50th anniversary, we look back at many important and transformational collaborations with global-shift thinkers. In particular, we celebrate our tremendous partnership with the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). USGBC’s tools are integral components to our firm’s everyday practice, which currently includes more than 800 LEED certified projects and nearly 1,300 LEED Accredited Professionals. Whether we’re designing a new workplace interior for an up-and-coming law firm, or finishing one of the world’s tallest high-rises in the Shanghai Tower, the sustainable design partnership with USGBC has been extremely valuable to Gensler and our clients. The Shanghai Tower broke various records and far exceeds expectations for design excellence and user experience—but its LEED Gold target was a vital measure of success from the project’s inception. Our founder, Art Gensler, was instrumental in the dialogue that gave birth to many of the green building programs that have become a cornerstone of the industry. Since then, our firm has partnered with many developers and investors to realize the life cycle value of LEED as a return...

Forward Thinking

2015 May-June, COMMUNITY

[vc_row][vc_column width="1/1"][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_single_image image="18094" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_single_image image="19698" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_column_text]By Jeff Harder ADVANCE offers low-cost strategies with high-impact results when greening our communities. [/vc_column_text][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_single_image image="19703" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="large"][vc_column_text]Associate director of the USGBC Illinois Chapter Katie Kalunzy works with ADVANCE volunteers. Photo: Marc PoKempner[/vc_column_text][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_column_text] [dropcaps type='normal' color='' background_color='' border_color='']I[/dropcaps]n between changing out light bulbs and installing photovoltaic arrays, sustainability runs along an entire spectrum. And maybe, says Ryan Snow, a member of the U. S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Community Advancement Team, an organization needs a little guidance to move from recycling program to lighting retrofit to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design-(LEED) certified building. “Maybe they have an interest in sustainability, but they need to have a few wins along the way to say, ‘There’s something here—there’s value to this,’” says Snow. Tangible progress and integrated sustainability underpin ADVANCE, a new platform focused on audiences that stand to benefit from the same practices that LEED-certified building science professionals have long understood. By engaging with partners, tapping into volunteers’ expertise, and hashing out low-cost strategies to deliver high-impact results, ADVANCE furthers USGBC’s grand ambitions of green buildings for all within a generation by...

Beyond Platinum

2015 May-June, climate change

[vc_row][vc_column width="1/1"][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_single_image image="17531" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_single_image image="19718" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_column_text] By Kiley Jacques [/vc_column_text][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width="1/1"][vc_column_text] [caption id="attachment_19720" align="alignright" width="500"] Dr. Cornelius B. Murphy, Jr., outside the Gateway Center at SUNY’s College of Environmental Science and Forestry.[/caption] SUNY’s College of Environmental Science and Forestry opens the doors to its Gateway Center—an unparalleled model of green building design. I remember telling them the building had to be beyond Platinum,” says Dr. Cornelius “Neil” B. Murphy, Jr., senior fellow for environmental and sustainable systems at SUNY’s College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) in Syracuse, New York. In 2008, when interested parties began laying out what they envisioned for the school’s new Gateway Center, they met with Architerra, a Boston-based boutique firm specializing in high-performance sustainable building design. “We were considering architects,” recalls Murphy, who was ESF president at the time the building was planned and constructed, “and I remember the discussion of what we would require as a minimum for the building: ‘Given you are the College of Environmental Science and Forestry, it’s likely you’ll want a green building.’” Yes, the planning committee agreed, it needs to be green. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification was subsequently proposed. “I remember...

Keeping Pace

2015 May-June, green economy

[vc_row][vc_column width="1/3"][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_single_image image="17498" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_single_image image="19743" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_column_text] By Dan Overbey Unlocking the potential of the green economy through energy efficiency. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width="2/3" css=".vc_custom_1424103118408{margin-top: 15px !important;margin-bottom: 15px !important;}"][vc_single_image image="19759" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_column_text css=".vc_custom_1430425377116{margin-top: 10px !important;}"]The lobby bar in the DusitD2 Constance Pasadena hotel in Pasadena, California, used a $6.8 million PACE bond to finance an energy upgrade.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type="row" type="full_width" text_align="left" padding_top="15"][vc_column width="1/1"][vc_column_text] The residual effect of the recession has exposed the flaws in our current economic models. Domestically, the building design and construction industry has been disrupted, and as various sectors have struggled for recovery, many are taking a closer look at the broader notion of a “green economy,” one that simultaneously promotes environmental responsibility and economic growth. The potential of the green economy is staggering. According to a recent study by the Rockefeller Foundation and DB Climate Change Advisors, the United States is at the cusp of a $280 billion investment opportunity over the next decade—an opportunity that could yield more than $1 trillion in energy savings. If maximized, retrofits and building upgrades could generate over 3 million jobs and save the atmosphere from 600 million metric tons of carbon emissions per year. An environmentally conscious investment...

Peer Power

2015 May-June, energy

[vc_row row_type="row" type="full_width" text_align="left"][vc_column width="1/1"][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_column_text][/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type="row" type="full_width" text_align="left"][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_column_text] Peer Power [/vc_column_text][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_column_text] USGBC’s Performance Excellence in Electricity Renewal (PEER) program takes LEED-like strides toward transforming power systems. By Kiley Jacques[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=".vc_custom_1431113353381{margin-top: 25px !important;}"][dropcaps type='normal' color='' background_color='' border_color='']"P[/dropcaps]EER came out of an effort led by Bob Galvin who used to run Motorola,” explains PEER Program lead John F. Kelly. “The 2003 Northeast blackout made people aware of how important electricity is to the economy, to the whole country.” The bottom line: The power industry was in need of major transformation, much like the building industry of the late 1990s. Hence development of the Performance Excellence in Electricity Renewal program—the nation’s first comprehensive, consumer-centric, data-driven system designed to measure performance and improve the regulation, design, and operation of sustainable power. Galvin assembled a team of industry leaders who initially thought policy reform was the ticket. Ultimately, however, they realized it was beyond difficult, given integral changes would need to be made on a state-by-state basis. At that point, they looked to LEED as an example of industry[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_single_image image="19777" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_column_text]John F. Kelly, PEER Program lead. Photo: Marc PoKempner[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=".vc_custom_1430490957173{margin-top: 25px !important;}" row_type="row" type="full_width" text_align="left"][vc_column...

Product Innovation

2015 May-June, production innovation

[vc_row][vc_column width="1/1"][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_single_image image="18627" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=".vc_custom_1424122673580{padding: 30px !important;}" row_type="row" type="full_width" text_align="left" padding_top="50" padding_bottom="50"][vc_column width="1/4"][vc_single_image image="19798" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="medium"][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="15"][/vc_column][vc_column width="3/4"][vc_column_text] TouchTour by Engrain Engrain is at the forefront of touch technology for commercial real estate. We collaborate with leaders in the industry to craft an interactive experience—making property information more visual, more meaningful, and more accessible. Our award-winning TouchTour® systems serve as the focal point of an integrated “information ecosystem.” We offer increased visibility through custom design, branded websites, email-and SMS-based information sharing, and compatibility with property management, lead tracking, and other software systems. Engrain www.engrain.com [/vc_column_text][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=".vc_custom_1424122673580{padding: 30px !important;}" row_type="row" type="full_width" text_align="left" padding_top="50" padding_bottom="50"][vc_column width="1/4"][vc_single_image image="20047" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="15"][/vc_column][vc_column width="3/4"][vc_column_text] LiveRoof® system With its unique patent pending Soil Elevators™ and Moisture Portals™, the LiveRoof® system gives you the monolithic look and function of a mature conventional plant-in-place green roof system with the turn-key benefits of a modular system. LiveRoof® is an integrated system designed by growers in conjunction with experts in the field of architecture, roofing, logistics, and ergonomics. LiveRoof Texas, LLC http://liverooftexas.com [/vc_column_text][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="70"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=".vc_custom_1424122673580{padding: 30px !important;}" row_type="row" type="full_width" text_align="left" padding_top="50" padding_bottom="50"][vc_column width="1/4"][vc_single_image image="19812" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="medium" alignment="right"][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="15"][/vc_column][vc_column...

Q&A with Helen Kessler

2015 May-June, local pulse

[vc_row row_type="row" type="full_width" text_align="left" padding_top="50"][vc_column width="1/3"][vc_single_image image="19825" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_column_text] Illustration by Melissa McGill [/vc_column_text][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="20"][vc_single_image image="19828" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_column_text css=".vc_custom_1430494071011{margin-top: 20px !important;}"]Helen is addicted to continuous learning, has been a leader of green building projects for over 30 years, and currently runs a sustainability consulting practice that focuses on green building, LEED, and energy efficiency. She is a past USGBC Illinois Chapter Board member and has received numerous awards, including the chapter’s prestigious “Intent to Matter” and Chapter Leader awards. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width="2/3"][vc_column_text]Q.How and why did you get into green building and LEED? My final project in architecture school in the mid 1970s was a solar house and my first job after graduation included doing research on passive solar heating and cooling systems and designing passive homes. In 1991, I became deeply involved with the nascent American Institute of Architects Chicago Committee on the Environment. At the time, I was consulting on energy efficiency and lighting design projects. As a committee, we actively debated green building and, more than anything, we wanted to work on a green building project. Eventually we had the opportunity to work on the first municipal LEED Platinum project in the country. Q.What is the coolest project you’ve worked...

This Issue

features

LEED impact categories

departments