LHB Green Team: SAGE Electrochromics breaks ground for a new High Volume Manufacturing facility

LHB Green Team: SAGE Electrochromics breaks ground for a new High Volume Manufacturing facility

SAGE Electrochromics breaks ground for a new High Volume Manufacturing facility

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (February 16, 2011) – Dynamic glass developer SAGE Electrochromics has broken ground on the world’s first large-scale electrochromic glass manufacturing facility which is expected to bring more than 160 new green technology jobs and 200 construction jobs to the area. The new eco-friendly High Volume Manufacturing (HVM-1) facility project is designed and spearheaded by LHB.

SAGE manufactures the world’s most energy-efficient window glass. SageGlass^® is an electronically tintable glass for use in windows and skylights in buildings. The glass can be switched from clear to darkly tinted at the touch of a button or programmed to respond to changing sunlight and heat conditions. This revolutionary technology significantly reduces energy consumption and associated costs.

SAGE and LHB are pursuing LEED-NC Silver Certification for HVM-1, which means the facility will be energy efficient, high performance, and constructed utilizing environmentally friendly building practices. The HVM-1 building will be completed in 2011, and plant start-up will occur in 2012. SAGE and LHB designed the HVM-1 facility to fit into its existing environment and incorporate innovative features that improve each employee's daily experience.

LHB is a multi-disciplinary engineering, architecture, and planning firm known for its design leadership and loyalty to clients. LHB goes beyond good intentions and focuses on measurable performance. They are experts in: public works, pipeline, industrial, housing, healthcare, government, education, and commercial. LHB is dedicated to being environmentally responsible, reducing long term operating costs, and improving the quality of life for their clients. For more information or to schedule an interview, contact Rick Carter at 612.752.6923, Rick.Carter@LHBcorp.com or visit www.LHBcorp.com. 

LHB welcomes Craig Churchward, ASLA

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (January 7, 2011) – LHB is pleased to announce the addition of Craig Churchward, ASLA, Transportation Landscape Architect, to its Minneapolis office.

Craig has over 30 years of national experience developing highways that are sensitive to the environment and social fabric of the communities they serve.  He is leading a research study for the National Academy of Science on how state departments of transportation can improve their methods for conducting visual impact assessments.  A member of the Transportation Research Board’s Committee on Landscape and Environmental Design, Craig serves on a panel overseeing research into how highway rights-of-way can contribute to biomass production and carbon sequestration. He co-authored the chapter Context Sensitive Solutions—a method for working with communities and regulatory agencies to develop complex and controversial highways—in Landscape Architectural Graphic Standards.

Prior to LHB, Craig managed the visual character of several award-winning projects in Salt Lake City (Legacy Parkway), Indianapolis (Accelerate I-465), Toledo (I-75/I-475 Interchange), Dallas (NTTA), and Charlotte (NCTA) as National Director of Context Sensitive Solutions for one of the nation’s largest consulting engineering firms.  While working for Mn/DOT he authored a Visual Impact Assessment (VIA) process used across the country to assess visual impacts for highways, dams, pipelines, and wind farms.  His work for Mn/DOT included the architectural treatments of bridges in Cloquet, Mantorville, Sauk Rapids, and Bemidji. He also defined the visual character of the recent reconstruction of I-35W in Minneapolis and Richfield. Craig managed the planning for the reconstruction of The Edge of the Wilderness Scenic Byway through Chippewa National Forest north of Grand Rapids, and developed a plan to preserve the character of Historic Route 66 in Illinois. He was an adjunct faculty member, teaching landscape architecture design and theory at the University of Minnesota, for 19 years and has lectured at universities and professional meetings throughout the United States.

LHB is a multi-disciplinary engineering architecture, and planning firm known for our design leadership and loyalty to our clients. We go beyond good intentions and focus on measurable performance. We are experts in: public works, pipeline, industrial, housing, healthcare, government, education, and commercial. LHB is dedicated to being environmentally responsible, reducing long term operating costs, and improving the quality of life for our clients. For more information or to schedule an interview, contact Rick Carter at 612.752.6923, Rick.Carter@LHBcorp.com or visit www.LHBcorp.com.

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Rick Carter's Greenbuild 2010 comments

GREENBUILD 2010

Rick Carter

I had the opportunity to attend GreenBuild again this year, as the President of the Minnesota Chapter of the US Green Building Council (USGBCMN) and on behalf of LHB.  I wanted to document some of the trends I have seen regarding the measurement of actual performance data, considering GreenBuild to be the best source.

Three years ago, in May, 2007, LHB began collecting the actual energy and water use of the buildings we have designed.  Based on the advice of our engineers and some outside research, we have been keeping track of whole building energy use in kBtu/sf/year and water usage in gallons/occupant/day.  In addition, we have researched benchmarks (comparable uses) and have modeled predicated (simulated) use.  Because of that, when I went to GreenBuild in 2008, I tried to find sessions on collecting actual data.  I was only able to find one.  It was good, but only one building’s data was presented and the session was mostly about why doing this would be a good idea.  In early 2009, I discovered Kim Fowler, a researcher at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) who helped us determine how we could find comparable data for water consumption.  I looked again while at GreenBuild in 2009 and only found one relevant session where Kim and another woman, Vivian Loftness from Carnegie Mellon presented a fair amount of actual data collected for GSA on public office buildings.

This year was kind of an explosion of performance data sessions.  I found five or six sessions that appeared to cover that subject and I attended four that had good information.  They were put on by PNNL, AIA, USGBC and ASHRAE, respectively.  Below, I give a brief summary of each, and add a conclusion of where I think LHB is today and what specific steps we should take going forward.  Each of these is essentially a program for collecting actual energy use.  They are all similar in some ways and different in others.  They all primarily focus on whole building energy use, in kBtu/sf/years as the first and most important metric.  Also, most include whole building water use in gallons/occupant/day or consider it a next step.  They all have future plans for deeper data collection and comparable data of some kind.

AIA 2030 COMMITMENT: REAL FIRMS MEETING THE REAL CHALLENGE OF CLIMATE CHANGE

This is a system created by the AIA that goes a bit further than simply taking the 2030 Challenge (which LHB has done) by checking a box on a website and committing to doing some measuring.   It requires a participating firm to write a letter of commitment from its CEO, appoint a leader, collect and submit information.  The required information includes the number of projects completed in square foot area, the percent of projects where modeling is done, the Lighting Power Density (LPD) and Predicated Energy Use Intensity (PEUI) in kBtu/sf/year for the modeled projects.  The information is located at www.aia.org/2030committment.  The system generates reports using aggregate data.

The AIA hopes eventually to include the following: actual whole building energy use, regional targets, carbon conversions and water use.  We are doing all of these today for most of our buildings, using the MN SB 2030 tool that we are helping to create and develop case studies for.  I suggest we have someone do a little research and if it is not too time consuming, sign up.  We have most of the information required already.

WHAT DOES GREEN MEAN?  PERFORMANCE METRICS FOR SUSTAINABILITY

This was a presentation by several folks from the Pacific National Lab (PNNL), including Kim Fowler, mentioned above.   As I learned last year, they have been doing a significant amount of data collection on Federal buildings, primarily GSA office buildings.  They are gathering information on six metrics; energy use, water use, maintenance cost per sf, IAQ (measured in % satisfaction), waste generated and transportation (commuting miles).  Most interesting was Kim’s indication that there are three levels of data gathering; Informative (gathering and reporting information), Investigative (analyzing and comparing the data) and Diagnostic (taking corrective action based on the data).  This and the next two programs all had a similar three level approach to data collection.  Since Kim’s program is based primarily on existing (not new or recently renovated) buildings, their primary goal is to fix buildings.

I don’t think there is a lot we can take directly from this system.  I have downloaded a lot of their information in the past.  Mainly, I think Kim is a great resource. I will  reconnect with her and let her know what we are currently doing.  She has been very willing to help in the past.

USGBC’S BUILDING PERFORMANCE PARTNERSHIP (BPP)

This is a program developed by staff at USGBC.  The new version of LEED-NC 2009, requires the owner to agree to collect data.  This is essentially a way to make that as easy as possible. The USGBC has also requested that past version users submit voluntarily.  We have received requests on several of our LEED Certified projects.  The participants are being asked to submit actual whole building energy use in kBtus/sf/year and whole building water use in gallons/occupant/day.    There are currently 220 buildings included who have “opted in” voluntarily.  The program generates a report that shows the use compared to a national benchmark (using CBECS or code driven comparable EUI).  They consider this to be Phase I (like Investigative above) and plan Phase II to include finer grain reporting like monthly and energy normalized results. 

We were asked by the speaker to consider this as the beginning of where LEED is headed.  Two of the main catagories of credits (energy and water) will be collected first, then the others (Materials, IEQ, Site) eventually.  This is being driven towards the owners, so I think we should assist a couple of our owners (like QBP), where we know the data is good, and get our projects in the system.  They also provide customized reports for the specific building to the owner and publish aggregate data to the web

NEW ASHRAE PERFORMANCE METRIC PROTOCAL

This is a relatively new system created by ASHRAE.  Initially, the system is promoting the collection of data in six areas: whole building energy and water use, and four Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) metrics; Thermal Comfort, Indoor Air Quality, Lighting and Acoustics.  The energy and water data are actual metered data, calculated like the other systems above.  The four IEQ metrics are based primarily on occupant surveys and spot measurements.  Like the two above, this is also a three level process.  The three levels are Basic or Indicative (collecting basic data), Intermediate or Diagnostic (deeper data and more fine grained reporting) and Advanced or Investigative (using the data to solve problems).

The document published recently (David just obtained one for LHB) is called “Performance Measurement Protocols for Commercial Buildings”.  I am a bit more skeptical of this program.  The energy and water metrics are the same as two of the other three and the IEQ emphasis is based on testing of spaces (expensive) and surveying occupants.  I will talk more below about how we might approach these metrics.  I think we should review the publication for this system.  They are also about to publish a companion piece called “Best Practices for Evaluating and Improving the Performance of Commercial Buildings”.  We should keep an eye out for that and get it as well.

LHB CEO Receives Lifetime Achievement Award

Duluth, Minn. (June 14, 2010) –LHB Chief Executive Officer, William D. Bennett received the  American Council of Engineering Companies of Minnesota’s (ACEC/MN) 2010 Lifetime Achievement Award on May 21. The Tom Roche Lifetime Achievement Award is presented to an individual who has contributed a great deal over the course of their career to the engineering profession, ACEC/MN and the community.  

Bennett was ACEC/MN’s Board President in 2007 and serves on their Legislative, Transportation, and Membership Committees. A strong supporter of ACEC/MN’s newly formed Political Action Committee; Bennett annually meets with legislators to bring awareness to engineering and local economic issues. He recently created ACEC/MN’s Emerging Professionals Committee, a forum for younger engineers to network, socialize, and understand the engineering and legislative process. To encourage future engineers, he currently serves on the University of Minnesota Duluth’s Swenson College of Science and Engineering External Advisory Board and chairs their Civil Engineering External Advisory Board.

A strong advocate for local economic development, Bennett is a member of the Area Partnership for Economic Expansion (APEX); chaired the Duluth Chamber of Commerce’s Public Affairs Division and led their Military Affairs Committee. Bennett is currently on the advisory boards for the Local Initiatives Support Coalition (LISC), and the Memorial Blood Center.  He also served as Board Chair for the Greater Downtown Council (GDC); and as a Board member for the United Way. In addition, he is an active volunteer for the Beargrease Sled Dog Race, and is a Past President of the Duluth Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

In 2001, LHB received ACEC/MN’s Firm of the Year Award. Under his leadership, the firm has nearly doubled in personnel size and revenues. Bennett was instrumental in establishing LHB’s Core Values of Quality Documents, Design Excellence, and High Performance.

LHB is a multi-disciplinary engineering and architectural firm with 160 employees, with offices throughout the Midwest. Founded in 1966, we serve a broad range of market sectors including Public Works and Structures, Pipeline, Industrial, Housing, Healthcare, Government, Education, and Commercial. LHB is dedicated to being environmentally responsible, reducing long term operating costs, and improving the quality of life for our clients. For more information or to schedule an interview, contact Rick Carter at 612-752-6923, Rick.Carter@LHBcorp.com or visit www.LHBcorp.com.

LHB's Rick Carter elevated to AIA Fellow

Duluth, Minn. (May 14, 2010) –The 2010 Jury of Fellows from The American Institute of Architects (AIA) in Washington, D.C., elevated LHB’s Senior Vice President, Rick Carter, to its prestigious College of Fellows. Since his time with LHB, Carter has made significant contributions to the architecture profession. Becoming a Fellow is a great honor; fewer than two percent of all registered architects in the United States are elected to fellowship in the AIA. Carter was one of 134 national recipients to achieve this recognition.

As a principal at LHB, Carter designed Habitat for Humanity’s first-ever home for new construction in 1989. LHB then began developing affordable designs for healthy homes and was commissioned by the American Lung Association (ALA) to design the nation’s first Health House, which the ALA certified nationwide. In 2008, the ALA declared Health House a success, citing the program’s influence on sustainable design guidelines including the Builder’s Challenge, Energy Star, LEED®, Environments for Living, and EarthCraft. Social responsibility in the form of healthy, low cost, and energy efficient housing has been fundamental to Carter’s career and a core value of LHB.

In addition to affordable and healthy homes, Carter was recognized for his participation and continual development of LHB's philosophy to maintain accountability through sustainable design with measurable outcomes. Carter developed LHB’s Performance Metrics™ system that determines actual returns on investments for clients interested in sustainable design. Carter has been integral on many of LHB's projects that have significantly advanced sustainable design in the region including two, National AIA Committee on the Environment (COTE) Top Ten award projects in the same year. He is now leading LHB's effort to create case studies for the Minnesota Sustainable 2030 policy, a cutting edge, national, model working towards designing zero carbon buildings.

LHB is a multi-disciplinary engineering and architectural firm with 160 employees, with offices throughout the Midwest. Founded in 1966, we serve a broad range of market sectors including Public Works and Structures, Pipeline, Industrial, Housing, Healthcare, Government, Education, and Commercial. LHB is dedicated to being environmentally responsible, reducing long term operating costs, and improving the quality of life for our clients. For more information or to schedule an interview, contact Bill Bennett at 218.279.2450, Bill.Bennett@LHBcorp.com or visit www.LHBcorp.com.

Miami City Hall Greening