Living Building Challenge Alive and Rising in Seattle

Posted March 21, 2012 By Lucas Hamilton and has no comments yet.

Lucas Hamilton

Lucas Hamilton is Manager, Building Science Applications for CertainTeed Corporation

In the early days of my blogging, I talked about the Living Building Challenge and the early adoption taking place in Portland, Oregon. The Challenge aims to certify green buildings around seven performance areas: site, water, energy, health, materials, equity and beauty. It is so comprehensive that it is “whole-istic”. Sorry.

An exciting “Living Building” project is currently underway in Seattle that was highlighted in U.S News on MSNBC  on March 20, 2012. This could be a true showcase for the ultimate in sustainable office buildings. There is also a slide presentation in the link that is worth reviewing.

Denis Hayes, who co-founded Earth Day with Gaylord Nelson, now heads the Seattle-based Bullitt Foundation.  He is partnering with architect Jason McLennan, who is CEO of the International Living Future Institute on this project.

With everything from harvested rainwater to geothermal wells, solar energy and lots of natural light, this building has no parking lot on the premises but is accessible by bus, bike or on foot. One day this could truly become the standard for new urban construction but in the meantime it can also provide valuable data to fuel the movement on retrofitting existing buildings.

Great project with great potential!

About Lucas Hamilton

Lucas Hamilton is Manager, Building Science Applications for CertainTeed

Sustainability Gaining Momentum for Government Managed Buildings

Posted March 16, 2012 By Lucas Hamilton and has 1 comment.

Lucas Hamilton

Lucas Hamilton is Manager, Building Science Applications for CertainTeed Corporation

I recently had the pleasure of doing a presentation to the General Services Administration (GSA) region 3 office in Philadelphia.  I was invited by a GSA architect who had participated in a previous seminar I had conducted for the American Institute of Architects (AIA).  The presentation was also simulcast to other GSA offices as well as employees who were telecommuting.

What I was not aware of prior to my visit is that GSA in responsible for public buildings that are non-military, non-postal service or other organizations that control their own real estate around the county. Not only do they have continuing education requirements within their organization they have a strong emphasis on sustainability. That’s exactly what you want to hear from government.

GSA serves as the property managers for many of the buildings around us every day. Given that at least 90 percent of our building inventory needs to be upgraded for energy efficiency, it was reassuring to see that the folks who are responsible for government controlled public buildings are on board with sustainability and are staying on the leading edge of knowledge. I was especially pleased to learn that the emphasis of sustainability doesn’t simply stop at how a building is designed and constructed but goes all the way through the way the GSA operates and procures for these buildings.

It was great to see that the culture of GSA is entrenched in sustainability.  That, for me, sends a message that we are on the right track of a very long road toward significant improvements in reducing the carbon footprint of our building inventory.

About Lucas Hamilton

Lucas Hamilton is Manager, Building Science Applications for CertainTeed

Categories:
 Building Science

A Cautionary Tale Regarding Storm Water Runoff

Posted March 9, 2012 By Lucas Hamilton and has 2 comments.
 

Lucas Hamilton

Lucas Hamilton is Manager, Building Science Applications for CertainTeed Corporation

I recently read a story about a small manufacturer in Philadelphia whose water bill doubled from one month to the next.  He questioned the bill and discovered that it traced back to a notice he received from the city the previous year stating that if he did not take measures to reduce the storm water runoff on his property the city would increase his water bill. 

Here is a situation where a municipality is developing alternative funding strategies for needed infrastructure upgrades.  We hear more cases where building owners and businesses are being rewarded by municipalities for the doing the right things. Maybe that’s “the carrot”. Get ready for “the stick” if you don’t take the carrot.

Most likely this is a property owner with a large amount of impervious surfaces causing the rainwater hitting the building and ground to runoff into the storm sewer system for the city. Many older municipalities have co-mingled storm and sewer water management and these systems are often overloaded by significant rain events. It is better to have the water percolate into the ground, return to the water table and be filtered by natural processes. This allows nature to do the filtration as opposed to using electricity and infrastructure to do the work.

Philadelphia, it appears, is taking a very aggressive stance, with financial implications, to get rain water out of the storm sewer system and back into the ground by encouraging the elimination of impervious surfaces. Interesting tactic!

So if you own a three acre parking lot, are not using it and are in the city of Philadelphia, you may soon get a water bill! Guess what; they know who you are: http://www.phila.gov/water/swmap.

About Lucas Hamilton

Lucas Hamilton is Manager, Building Science Applications for CertainTeed

Categories:
 Building Science

Building Hope for the Future with Habitat for Humanity

Posted March 2, 2012 By Vicky Gallagher and has no comments yet.
We all know that homeownership is considered the cornerstone of the American dream.  But many of us take that dream for granted.  I was reminded of this when I attended the dedication and blessing of a home with Habitat for Humanity in Chester, Pennsylvania outside of Philadelphia.

As a corporate sponsor of what we have come to refer to as the “CertainTeed House” because of the many CertainTeed products incorporated into the building envelop of this two-family house, I participated in the dedication and blessing of the house.  The family, a single mother with two daughters who will occupy half of the house, seemed simultaneously overwhelmed and excited.

The group of family, friends, sponsors and supporters clustered into what would soon be the family’s living room as the Reverend began the dedication and blessing.  The group traveled from room to room with the family carrying a candle as each area was given a special blessing – from the kitchen where nourishment is prepared to the dining room where bread is broken and shared to the bedrooms where sleeping safe and secure is desired.  Once the blessing was completed, the keys were presented to the family marking the final transformation of this building from simply a house into a home.

It was beautiful!

But there was an added sense of pride that I felt standing in this completed house that would be the dream home for this family. Over ten weeks during the building of this house approximately 80 of my co-workers volunteered time on the site to help with the build.  The opportunity to gain hands-on experience with CertainTeed roofing shingles, housewrap, vinyl siding and railing, insulation and gypsum products was as valuable as the satisfaction of giving back to the community in this very special way.  In some cases it brought employees together whose paths would not cross at work and in other cases departmental teams used this as a teambuilding exercise.

In the end, it was a learning experience for all and a lesson in community that has no equal.

About Vicky Gallagher

Vicky Gallagher is Communications Manager for CertainTeed Corporation


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