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GENSLER REIMAGINED THIS FORMER INDUSTRIAL SITE TO MAKE AN INCREDIBLE WORKSPACE
TRANSFORMING COMMERCIAL SPACES WITH LIGHTING DESIGN
P. 76
BEHIND THE GENIUS R&D OF ASSA ABLOY
What makes an old building worth saving?
In This Issue May+June 2019 Volume 10, Issue 56
Like Tetris
This Georgia home is full of light and has surprising sustainable elements at every turn.
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G I L L E T T E S TA D I U M
S T E P U P YO U R G A M E . When the New England Patriots wanted to upgrade the restrooms in their VIP hospitality areas, they went with the newest innovation in restroom design. The D|13 Sink System — featuring the new XLERATORsync® Hand Dryer — creates the ultimate user experience and is the most hygienic, sustainable and cost-effective way to wash and dry hands. Design Your Custom Sink System Today!
8 8 8 . 6 7 0 . 3 1 0 7 d 1 3 g r o u p . c o m
Radiant Solutions
Barcol-Air is changing the way we think about heating and cooling in the U.S.
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Table of Contents Products
Projects
Practice
14 Next-Level HVAC Coatings
46 The Spruce Goose Hangar Flies Again
100 Ask the Expert
Heresite Protective Coatings protect equipment from corrosive conditions.
18 Rock of Ages
Materials Marketing uses natural stone to enhance spaces for years to come.
70 A Reflection of Light
22 How to Pick the Perfect Outdoor Fire Feature Fire Pits Direct offers services to help choose a product that will spark conversation.
26 An Expert’s Guide to Pleated Air Filters
34 An Expert’s Guide to Wood Stoves
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Pacific Energy is taking the industry to new levels.
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For residents of Anaha, nature and urban lifestyles go hand in hand.
Features 76 What makes an old building worth saving?
Filtration Group’s innovative air filters promise quality and comfort.
A famous aircraft’s former home now houses a different legend.
Overtone Acoustics answers, “How can I improve acoustic control without sacrificing aesthetics?”
114 Architect to Watch: Brian Bell, BLDGS
The Atlanta-based architect has forged an innovative approach to adaptive reuse.
118 Architect to Watch: Kristen Scott, Weber Thompson This Seattle architect is spearheading exciting new commercial projects across the city.
How former warehouses have been transformed into modern offices.
88 7 Things to Look for in a Consulting Engineering Firm
The experts at Altieri share what to consider before your next big project.
Plus 9 News 122 Event Previews
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GREEN BUILDING & DESIGN
WHO KNEW A BRICK COULD HAVE FEATURES WORTH POINTING OUT?
Patented built-in alignment guide speeds application.
25-year warranty.*
NewBrick is available in standard and custom colors and finishes.
High-tech core reduces weight, improves energy efficiency.
With so many advantages over old brick, NewBrick is building a reputation as the ideal solution for the future of brick construction.
Learn more at newbrick.com, or call 1-833-NEWBRIK.
* When installed over any NewBrick CI System.
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Contributors
gb&d Green Building & Design gbdmagazine.com EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Christopher Howe
Ashley Eusey (“How do we make a business case for sustainability?”) is an architectural engineer who champions Hoefer Wysocki’s sustainability team. Eusey has led sustainable design for a variety of the firm’s projects, including large VA projects. As an accredited professional, Eusey oversees the firm’s sustainability initiatives, pursuing designations such as LEED, WELL, and Green Globes. PG. 110
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER
Laura Heidenreich
MANAGING EDITOR
Laura Rote
DIGITAL EDITOR
Stephen Gossett ART DIRECTOR
Kristina Walton Zapata ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE
Julie Veternick
ACCOUNT MANAGERS
Briagenn Adams, Ciara Gomez, Christian Van Epps EDITORIAL INTERNS
Ella Lee, Jessica Smith GRAPHIC DESIGNER INTERNS
Emma Perdue, Logan Pilger
Margaret Poe is a freelance writer and content strategist in Chicago. She got her journalistic start in newspapers and eventually made her way into print magazines and digital content of all kinds. Nothing makes her happier than digging deep into the details of sustainable design—well, except for landing a seat on one of Chicago’s finest patios, cool drink in hand.
CONTRIBUTORS
Christine Bruckner, Hilary Daninhirsch, Colleen DeHart, Kate Griffith, Zack Harold, Maura Keller, David Miller, Margaret Poe, Julia Stone, Mike Thomas, Matt Watson EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD
Anthony Brower, Gensler; Jason F. McLennan, International Living Future Institute MAIL
Green Building & Design 1765 N. Elston Ave., Suite 202 Chicago, IL 60642 Printed in the USA. © 2019 by Green Advocacy Partners, LLC. All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the consent of the publisher. The publisher is not responsible for product claims and representations.
Zack Harold (“Rock of Life”) is managing editor of WV Living and Wonderful West Virginia magazines. Before going into magazines, he worked as a daily newspaper reporter. He lives just outside Charleston, West Virginia with his wife Whitney and their ill-tempered cat Minka. In his spare time, Zack enjoys traveling in Europe and playing guitar with his band, The Sycomores. PG. 18
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The Green Building & Design logo is a registered trademark of Green Advocacy Partners, LLC. Green Building & Design (gb&d) magazine is printed in the United States using only soy-based inks. Please recycle this magazine. The magazine is also available in digital formats at gbdmagazine.com/current-issue.
Green Building & Design is a certified B Corp. B Corp is to business what Fair Trade certification is to coffee or USDA Organic certification is to milk. B Corps are certified by the nonprofit BLab to meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency.
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Aquastorm Permeable paver Making urban flooding a thing of the past! Aquastorm offers flexibility, aesthetic appeal and outstanding performance. Integrated spacers facilitate installation, maintain consistent joint widths and provide infiltration rates of nearly 2,400 in./hr. Designed for pedestrian and vehicular traffic, the voids of this 4-inch (100mm) thick paving stone can be filled with a variety of aggregate or turf options. The result is a low-maintenance, permeable solution that makes green initiatives as eyecatching as they are eco-friendly.
Explore Aquastorm and our collection of permeable pavers here: www.techo-bloc.com/aquastorm/GBD
AQUASTORM / GREY
INSTITUTIONAL + COMMERCIAL + INDUSTRIAL + RESIDENTIAL
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S LABS / PAVERS / EDGES / WA LLS / CA PS / STEPS / OUTDOOR FEATURES
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Editors’ Note Share your comments on this issue. Tweet us @gbd_mag
G R E E N B U I L D I N G M AY+J U N E 2 019
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GENSLER REIMAGINED THIS FORMER INDUSTRIAL SITE TO MAKE AN INCREDIBLE WORKSPACE
TRANSFORMING COMMERCIAL SPACES WITH LIGHTING DESIGN
P. 76
BEHIND THE GENIUS R&D OF ASSA ABLOY
What makes an old building worth saving?
ON THE COVER
Gensler transformed an old slaughterhouse and took advantage of a massive floor plate by stitching together three buildings—namely by breaking through the thick masonry walls that once divided the spaces—to make a beautiful new home for Fitzco, Momentum, and Weber Shandwick in Atlanta. Photo by Garrett Rowland, Courtesy of Gensler
5 Things We Learned During the Making of This Issue infamous Spruce Goose plane— whose former hangar was transformed into Google offices— only flew once, on November 2, 1947, more than two years after the end of World War II, for which it was commissioned. ZGF ARCHITECTS, PG. 46
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Slack’s new Vancouver office is part of a cluster of Leckieled, post-industrial adaptive reuse projects, including Karameller, a sweets shop with a modernist design partially inspired by a Damien Hirst installation. LECKIE STUDIO
ARCHITECTURE + DESIGN, PG. 76
Mackenzie, which converted a former paper mill into Autodesk offices, has a history of renovating historic Portland structures. They also remodeled the Iron Fireman Collective building, which dates back to 1920, into a flexible maker space. MACKENZIE AR-
CHITECTS, PG. 76
Did you know that a radiant system offers up an average of 30% savings compared to conventional all air systems? It also offers an average 27% less electrical peak power demand. BARCOL-AIR, PG. 30
Swedishowned lock manufacturer ASSA ABLOY has a seriously impressive R&D process, resulting in more than 150 products in development at any one time. The global company has been repeatedly recognized by Forbes as one of the world’s most innovative companies.
PHOTO: CONNIE ZHOU
Howard Hughes’
ASSA ABLOY, PG. 84
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Editors’ Picks News
The Farmhouse
RENDERINGS: COURTESY OF FEI & STUDIO PRECHT
Tired of the disconnect between people and the food they consume, Precht is taking urban farming to the next level with The Farmhouse. The building will be created using a fully modular building system filled with vertical farms. Inspired by traditional A-frame houses, each home is separated by angled walls, which allows for plentiful natural light and ventilation. Each unit will be connected to the farms, and residents can use the space to grow their own food or sell it to the community in the first-floor farmers’ market. The building will take advantage of its byproducts, recycling them for various purposes. For example, the already-large amount of heat buildings put out into the world will be redirected to help grow warmer-climate foods like potatoes, nuts, and beans, and food waste will become compost to help grow new foods. precht.at/the-farmhouse
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“Print Your City”
PHOTOS: STEFANOS TSAKIRIS
The New Raw is turning its conceptual “Print Your City” initiative into reality with the company’s first Zero Waste Lab in Greece. There, Greek citizens will be able to bring in their plastic waste and use it to design and create custom, fully functional furniture. In addition to furniture designing, the lab will also provide learning materials around recycling plastic and the circular economy. Since the launch of the project’s website in December 2018, more than 3,000 designs have been submitted. thenewraw.org
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The Shellworks Your leftover scraps from a gourmet lobster meal may no longer go to waste; four designers at the Royal College of Art and the Imperial College in London have created a new process that transforms seafood waste into recyclable and biodegradable bioplastic. When the design group realized chemically extracting one of their product’s main ingredients—chitin, found in crustaceans, insects, and fungi—was far too expensive and time consuming, they created three new machines to help with the process: the Dippy, Vaccy, and Sheety. Each is used to manufacture the bioplastic in different ways, and as such, the bioplastic can be adjusted by flexibility, clarity, and thickness. theshellworks.com
GUNRID curtain
PHOTOS, CLOCKWISE: COURTESY OF THE SHELLWORKS; IKEA
IKEA is taking steps to reduce indoor air pollution with its newest creation, the GUNRID curtain, which purifies the air. The purification process utilizes both indoor and outdoor light to trigger the breakdown of harmful chemicals and is similar to that of photosynthesis. Citing the global issue of indoor pollution, IKEA says it hopes to raise awareness of the issue with GUNRID and aims to pave the way for future technologies that can help eliminate the problem, too. The curtains are expected to hit the market in 2020. ikea.com
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Humanscale RECKONstruct Exhibit Humanscale is representing U.S. sustainable design at the XXII International Exhibition of La Triennale Milano with three new sustainable stools. Called RECKONstruct, the exhibit utilizes the stools to explore design possibilities for a greener future. The first stool’s design focuses on the circular economy, and the result is a high-design chair created entirely of landfill-ready waste. To create the second stool, the designers looked to biomimicry, focusing in on a deep sea sponge’s natural design. The sponge’s framework provides surprising strength with little material, and the second stool’s design achieves the same. Designers working on the final stool examined the biofabrication of natural materials like fungi and yeast. The final product was not manufactured, but grown out of mycelium mushroom material. reckonstruct.org
BETTER SPACES START WITH BETTER MATERIALS
PHOTO: COURTESY OF HUMANSCALE
The Sustain® portfolio offers the broadest selection of sustainable panels, grid, trims, and transitions in the industry. Each product meets the most stringent industry sustainability standards – including LEED® v4, WELL Building Standard™, FitWell®, and Living Building Challenge 3.0. And we commit to making it simple by providing transparency in our material disclosures with Declare labels, HPDs (Health Product Declarations), EPDs (Environmental Product Declarations), and UL GreenGuard Low Emissions Certification. See how easy it is to create better spaces at armstrongceilings.com/sustain
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Directory
INTERESTED IN ADVERTISING? Contact Laura Heidenreich at laura@gbdmagazine.com for more information about advertising in our print magazine, online, and newsletter, as well as custom media.
WHO KNEW A BRICK COULD HAVE FEATURES Altieri, 88 WORTH POINTING OUT? altieriseborwieber.com 203.866.5538
Heresite Protective Coatings, LLC, 14 heresite.com 920.684.6646
APV Engineered Coatings, 108 apvcoatings.com 800.772.3452
IDEAL INDUSTRIES, 94 audacywireless.com 800.273.9989 NewBrick is available in standard and custom colors and finishes.
Patented built-in alignment
Armstrong Commercial Ceiling & Wall, 9 guide speeds application. armstrongceilings.com/sustain 877.276.7876
ASSA ABLOY Door Security Solutions, 84 assaabloydss.com 25-year warranty.* 203.603.5919
High-tech core reduces weight, improves energy efficiency.
Barcol-Air, 30 barcolairusa.com With so many advantages over old brick, NewBrick is building a reputation as the ideal solution for the future of brick construction. 413.564.5509
Laurel Custom Grating, LLC, 104 laurelcustomgrating.com 855.520.5178
Materials Marketing, 18 materials-marketing.com 210.731.8453
Mermet, 44 mermetusa.com 866.902.9647
Learn more at newbrick.com, or call 1-833-NEWBRIK.
D|13 Group, 3 d13group.com * When installed over any NewBrick CI System. 888.670.3107
EZ-Access, 114 ezaccess.com 800.258.8503
Dryvit-35954-WhoKnew 8375x10675-GB&D.indd 1
Newforma, Inc., 38 newforma.com 877.875.8252
3/15/19 10:10 AM
Fabcon, 40 fabconprecast.com 800.727.4444
Overtone Acoustics, 100 overtoneacoustics.com 415.855.4950
Filtration Group HVAC, 26 hvac.filtrationgroup.com 800.739.4600
Pacific Energy Fireplace Products, 34 pacificenergy.net 250.748.1184
Fire Pits Direct, 22 firepitsdirect.com 877.374.6777
Shaw Sports Turf, 112 shawsportsturf.com 866.703.4004
GCP Applied Technologies, 42 gcpat.com 617.876.1400
Techo-Bloc, 7 techo-bloc.com 877.832.4625
Green Sports Alliance, 123 greensportsalliance.org/summit 877.203.9566
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NewBrick, 5 newbrick.com 833.639.2745
Wilsonart, 124 wilsonart.com 800.433.3222
NEW CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL ADDITIO DESIGNED FOR HEALING may–june 2019 13
PRODUCTS
Heresite Protective Coatings offers countless benefits to important equipment, from prolonging longevity to protecting against chemicals and salt spray.
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Next-level HVAC Coatings Heresite Protective Coatings protect equipment from the toughest environments. By Laura Rote Heresite Protective Coatings has been solving corrosion problems for commercial heating, cooling, refrigeration, and other industrial process coils for more than 50 years. This leader in innovative HVAC coatings also has unmatched solutions for related components like copper piping exposed to corrosive conditions. “This company was the first to develop a coating and an application process for HVAC condenser and evaporator coils,” says Peter Hellman, president of Heresite Protective Coatings. The world of HVAC coatings is unique, including considering how you’ll treat various kinds of metals on the same part. “You’re dealing with coils and units with aluminum, copper, and galvanized construction, as well as painted surfaces,” Hellman says. The geometry of heat exchangers with intricate internal surfaces, including microchannels, is also distinctive for this market. The coating process and coating itself has to be designed for these market-specific factors and also has to be an extremely thin film to not affect the unit’s efficiency. The experts at Heresite specialize in all this and more. Heresite recently expanded its product line with new spray-applied options, following the release of an improved version of its popular full immersion P-413. P-413—a thin film, high-performance coating—is used principally for coil and radiator heat exchangers, and it’s the first HVAC-R coil and radiator coating to meet the ISO 12944-9 Standard for severe offshore marine environments (C5I, C5M, CX). It significantly extends the service life of HVAC-R and other heat transfer equipment. Consider these additional benefits of Heresite’s standout product line. > gb&d
PHOTO: COURTESY OF HERESITE PROTECTIVE COATINGS
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Treat more than coils with spray.
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF HERESITE PROTECTIVE COATINGS
In 2019, Heresite launched ES-600, a spray-applied coating for HVAC-R coils, cabinets, and components. ES-600 is designed for use as a standalone spray for coils, cabinets, and components (like copper piping); or for use with Heresite’s P-413 full immersion coil coating on components, which cannot be oven-cured. Hellman says that while spray-application is not as robust of a process as the Heresite P-413, it is a very robust option when logistics don’t allow for a full immersion process. “The ES-600 also complements the P-413 well, in that it adds to our options and capabilities for protecting units beyond the evaporator and/condensor coils.” ES-600 has been tested to ensure some of the highest corrosion/environment resistant performance, including some of the same ISO standards as P-413. It’s also been fully tested on aluminum, copper, and galvanized and has been found to deliver an unsurpassed direct-to-metal performance with just cleaning. No primers are needed.
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Extend equipment life. Even if you have HVAC-R equipment with a long life, you need to consider the equipment’s operating environment and be prepared for the toughest conditions. Consider, for example, an industrial complex in a humid marine environment. Now you’ve got chemicals and salt spray. “If you have a wastewater plant in proximity to marine or salt air environments, or a refinery or something with potentially corrosive fumes but it also happens to be along the sea, you’re really looking at combined corrosive elements that accelerate the attack,” Hellman says. “A lot of the world’s population lives in these coastal areas, and this brings industry in close proximity as well. It is these environments that dictate our testing protocols, using cyclic versus static testing and incorporating multivariate elements like humidity, UV, and chemical resistance.” Heresite has a Chemical Resistance Guide featuring 400 chemicals for clients to reference. Hellman says Heresite is often asked: How long will the product work in this kind of environment? “On average you’re going to get two to three times the life versus an uncoated unit in our market.” He says it’s difficult to be more specific because, even within 100 miles, you can have chloride deposition rates that differ by a factor of four times—not all marine environments are the same. Heresite tests its coatings in all environments, incorporating elements like humidity, UV, and chemical resistance.
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF HERESITE PROTECTIVE COATINGS
Rest easy with proven testing. Equipment owners need to have the most relevant data at the ready when considering coatings that may be exposed in harsh environments. Heresite goes beyond traditional static salt-spray testing, or ASTM-B117. The company does more intensive cyclic testing, too. Consider Florida, where you have salt air exposure but also sun and rain. Heresite’s use of the ISO 12944-9/ISO 20340 procedure cycles the coating through salt spray, sunlight, and freezing weekly for 25 weeks. “A coating that performs well with static ASTM B-117 salt spray doesn’t necessarily pass this test,” Hellman says. “The ASTM B-117 test has no correlation to the real world.”
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Rock of Ages When it comes to looks that last, nothing beats natural stone. By Zack Harold
If you want the best, you have to go straight to the source. That’s the idea behind Materials Marketing. Headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, Materials Marketing not only manufactures its own architectural stone and tile products, it also owns the quarry where the stone is pulled from the heart of the earth. It all goes back to founder Don Rymer—a man who believed that if he wanted something done right, he needed to do it himself. Rymer founded Materials Marketing in 1962 to import Saltillo tile from Mexico to the U.S. The family expanded its product lines as the business grew and, in the 1980s, purchased its manufacturing facilities and later added quarry operations to deliver the highest level of quality control over its products. Today the company is the U.S.’s largest, oldest, and only fully integrated manufacturer of hand-carved architectural and dimensional stone and tile. Materials Marketing works with limestone, marble, sandstone, and travertine, each of which requires a different approach to manufacturing. The company’s team of designers and artisan carvers has years of experience and knows just how to make clients’ wishes come true. “If you can dream it, we can make it,” says Roger Ramirez, Materials Marketing’s vice president. > This project incorporated a door surround in Riviera Beige (with a Honed finish) Limestone. The flooring is in Latte (with a French Quarter finish) Travertine.
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PHOTO: CHUCK WILLIAMS PHOTOGRAPHY
PRODUCTS
PRODUCTS
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Some materials require special sealing and treatments to keep them looking their best. However, the maintenance is minimal for most stones, and the product is made to last a lifetime. After all, it’s earth’s oldest and most durable building material, Ramirez says. “Stone is timeless. Stone was used in Mexico by the Aztecs and the Mayans for hundreds and hundreds of years.”
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Stone does show its age over the years, but unlike other materials, time only enhances its character. “Either you appreciate it or you don’t,” Ramirez says. “The same people that appreciate a really nice hardwood floor appreciate stone with a nice patina.” PHOTOS: COURTESY OF MATERIALS MARKETING
Strength and Durability
Versatility Because Materials Marketing owns its manufacturing facilities, customers are not limited to the 4-inch-square or 6-inch-square tiles they
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PRODUCTS
PHOTOS: MIKE CREWS; CHUCK WILLIAMS PHOTOGRAPHY
Materials Marketing has nine showrooms— including the new, award-winning showroom in Chicago, where the company will host special after-hours events during NeoCon in June 2019.
might get elsewhere. The company’s artisan carvers can produce custom window and door surrounds, stair treads, and balustrades, up to large features like fireplaces and even kitchen hoods. “We like to say we’re not a tile company. We’re not a stone company. We’re a project company,” Ramirez says. In-house designers help customers craft a plan for their spaces, providing valuable feedback and ideas. “We understand what the stone will allow us to do. That’s from years of experience.”
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Aesthetics When some people think of stone, they think of rustic decor. Others think of Old World elegance. But Materials Marketing can adapt designs to clients’ tastes—whether that means a Western-style lodge or a mid-century space filled with clean lines. “It’s almost like the stone itself is the canvas and our clients are the painters,” Ramirez says. And because Materials Marketing has direct ties with the quarries that unearth
the stone, the company has access to colors other suppliers can’t get. In addition to this natural palette, more than 19 finishes can be applied to the tile.
Easy Installation Materials Marketing doesn’t do installations—“We stick with what we know best,” Ramirez says—but does provide detailed information for builders who are tasked with turning boxes of tile into treasured designs that will last a lifetime.
To make things easy, Materials Marketing provides customers with a computerdesigned plan so builders know where each stone goes. Every piece is also numbered to avoid any possible confusion. If a builder for any reason still gets stumped, Materials Marketing has an
in-house support staff that’s ready to help. “We speak a lot of languages in our business,” says Jim Fanning, president and CEO at Materials Marketing. “We speak the architect’s language. We speak design, construction, and installation.” gb&d
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How to Pick the Perfect Outdoor Fire Feature Fire Pits Direct answers burning questions about selecting the best outdoor fire features. By Ella Lee
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PRODUCTS
The outdoor living market is rapidly growing, and fire features are at the center of it all. Fire pits and
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF E.T TECHTONICS
outdoor fireplaces became the most popular outdoor design elements in 2018, with up to 66% of consumers asking to have the features installed, according to a survey by the American Society of Landscape Architects. With the rise in interest comes an influx of options, often making it hard to choose. That’s where Fire Pits Direct comes in. The e-commerce company offers customers dozens of premium brands to choose from and direct assistance from heat and fire experts. “It’s really that personalized experience when you’re buying goods online,” says Adam Kahler, director of sales and marketing at Fire Pits Direct. “We literally spend hours reviewing renderings and drawings with our customers to achieve the best possible outcome.” Kahler adds that, considering contractors make up a high percentage of their customer base, product knowledge is of utmost importance. Product expertise, depth of assortment, and speed of delivery fuels Fire Pits Direct’s success. “Many people who choose to add fire features are looking to restore the timeless scene of sitting around the fire. We sell fire, of course, but more importantly, what we aim to do for our clients is create environments intended to inspire conversation.”
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PHOTO: COURTESY OF FIRE PITS DIRECT
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Flashy Features The right fire pit can be a real showstopper, and Fire Pits Direct is set to help you find the best fit—from fire pit tables to outdoor fireplaces and torches to fire glass. “Our experts consult on everything from fire pit makeovers to complete outdoor renovations, and our extensive product offering ensures we have something for every design and budget.”
Built to Last
KNOW BEFORE YOU BUY 4 tips to ensure total satisfaction before you purchase your outdoor fire feature.
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FOR HEAT OR HEAD TURNS? Knowing whether the feature is for practicality or perception is important—particularly for businesses. “We do really well with fire features that bring the customer base in,” Kahler says. “Because that’s what they’re used to at home. They want to be able to eat and dine at a facility that feels like home—with heat, with warmth, and with conversation.”
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PROPER GAS SUPPLY Customers often sell their project short by not checking gas supply compatibility with their feature. “The outcome can be bleak: Improper supply can lead to problems ranging from annoying whistling or whooshing sounds to an anemic flame.”
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PHOTOS: COURTESY OF FIRE PITS DIRECT
One of Fire Pits Direct’s newest additions is glass fiber reinforced concrete (GFRC) fire features. “Most concrete is going to swell and crack in extreme temperature changes, whereas GFRC is more forgiving and adapts to environmental changes,” Kahler says. “If your ambient temperature is really cold, you want to be able to ignite a gas fire feature and not have to worry about the integrity of the actual enclosure itself.” Ultra-modern and unmatched in design, fire pits made with GFRC provide extreme durability.
PRODUCTS
Smart Technology As homes get smarter, the things that make them unique—like fire features—do, too. Fire Pits Direct has seen a steady increase in fire features remotely controlled by Bluetooth and other smart home technology. Fire Pits Direct offers this type of technology with electronic ignition fire pit kits. The kit offers remote electronic ignition with Hi/Lo flame options, natural gas or propane application, and a flame sensing system that will close the gas valve if the flame blows out. Fire Pits Direct recommends this kit to tech-savvy residential customers, commercial clients, and any application where the highest of safety standards and ultimate convenience are desired.
High Design Your outdoor centerpiece is sure to be eye-catching, but it can also be chic. If a customer wants to add a little artistic flare, naturally aging carbon steel fire pits offer a look designed by nature itself. Alternatively, choosing an unfinished (ready-to-finish) fire pit enclosure allows customers the flexibility to customize the appearance. Various finishes from stone to stucco can help match the new feature to the rest of your outdoor space. “Every fire pit is handcrafted and is truly like a piece of art,” Kahler says.
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF FIRE PITS DIRECT
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LOCAL CODE Fire Pits Direct emphasizes safety as the top priority when helping customers choose the perfect feature. “The whole mantra of ‘act first, beg for forgiveness later’ really doesn’t work with fire,” Kahler says. “You need to consult your local codes.”
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THINK LONG-TERM Though big-box stores may offer fire features for less, Kahler says consulting the experts at Fire Pits Direct ensures you buy accurately the first time. “When you invest into the knowledge of buying the best products, your frequency of purchase is not as often and the outcome is worth every dollar.”
Contractor & Business Account Benefits The Fire Pits Direct Business Account Program is available for industry professionals looking to partner with Fire Pits Direct for their expertise and add profit to every project. It’s free to sign up, has no minimums, and offers preferred pricing and free shipping. firepitsdirect.com/ business-accounts
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An Expert’s Guide Pleated Air Filters By David Miller
PHOTO: PIXABAY
Filtration Group’s complete line of filters improves air quality and occupant comfort.
The World Health Organization recently estimated that in 2016 as many as 4.2 million premature deaths occurred worldwide as a result of air pollution, and the EPA says prolonged exposure to poor indoor air quality can result in a slew of debilitating maladies—including respiratory dysfunction, heart disease, and cancer. It’s all part of why global manufacturing company Filtration Group takes building cutting-edge air filters so seriously—pushing the envelope on a product that, in the past, has often been considered little more than a mass market commodity. “The primary concern of many customers is the up-front price of the filter,” says Michael Bruce, director of product and channel marketing at Filtration Group. “But that’s only because they are uneducated about so many other factors that go into air filtration.” The factors Bruce refers to are manifold, including cost implications of energy usage, filter life expectancy, and removal and disposal. There are additional factors relating to Indoor Air Quality (IAQ), such as the filters’ MERV (Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value)—a metric established by ASHRAE to measure air filtration efficiency. Filtration Group manufactures an extensive line of pleated air filters, which use folds in their media to pack more surface area into a single frame, allowing for a higher dust holding capacity (DHC) that results in better filtration and a longer product lifespan. And while this labyrinth of considerations may seem daunting, Filtration Group’s diverse line of products offers a solution for every application, meaning that customers can breathe easy. gb&d
PHOTO: COURTESY OF FILTRATION GROUP
MERV 10 NOVAPLEAT® X Most prominent among Filtration Group’s suite of options is its new MERV 10 NOVAPLEAT X self-supported filter, released in March 2019. Compared to Filtration Group’s MERV 8 NOVAPLEAT, the new NOVAPLEAT X promises to capture 20% more particles in the ASHRAE spectrum. In other words, the NOVAPLEAT X not only protects HVAC equipment more effectively; it can make downstream efficiency filters last longer, and do so without losses in energy efficiency while improving Indoor Air Quality (IAQ). The NOVAPLEAT X is also designed for automation, meaning it’s machine-made using a streamlined process. While air filters have traditionally been built with wirebacked grid to support their form, beginning in the late 1990s, self-supported filters emerged on the market. As environmental pressures increased over the subsequent decades, it became clear that these air filters also offered another benefit: waste reduction. The galvanized steel used to build wirebacked filters can contain toxic heavy metals that often wind up in a landfill, but self-supported filters are fully incinerable. All the same, self-supported filters didn’t come without their drawbacks. Due to the stiffer media required to allow the filters to hold their shapes without a wire backing, airflow resistance was increased, resulting in what’s called a high pressure drop. Given that energy costs can make up as much as 90% of a filter’s total cost of ownership, the small savings on the initial filter price were hardly worth it, particularly may–june 2019
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in markets with high electricity rates, like the northeastern U.S. However, technology has come a long way since those days, and the new NOVAPLEAT X filter promises to provide all the benefits of a self-supported filter while side-stepping the disadvantages similar products have been plagued by in the past. The trick is in Filtration Group’s innovative synthetic media, which uses smaller fibers that are more densely aligned in order to beat the odds. According to Dave Heritage, head of sales for national accounts at Filtration Group, it was the company’s access to other technologies within the filtration space, the result of a series of private equity acquisitions, that allowed their technology to move forward so rapidly. “It’s logical to think that as you go up in MERV, you also go up in resis-
tance, and until recently that has generally been the case,” he says. “What’s going on now is that, as a result of R&D investments that have happened over the past two decades, we’re seeing the last of the buggy manufacturers and the first of the car manufacturers.”
MERV 8 ENDUROPLEAT® Beyond their low total cost of ownership and environmental benefits, self-supported pleats have another advantage: durability.
While typical wirebacked filters may get crushed or bent out of shape during shipment, self-supported filters easily retain their original form, even after being crushed or battered. Moreover, sharp tips of wire that become exposed on damaged wirebacked filters prior to disposal can create a safety hazard for laborers, a non-issue with self-supported filters. But for the most rugged applications wirebacked filters may still be best, and to serve those needs, Filtration Group offers another product—the MERV 8 ENDURO-PLEAT. The ENDURO-PLEAT is a wirebacked filter built using ultra-strong beverage board and heavier or thicker steel as well as a specialty media with a higher DHC than other models to prolong its lifespan and allow it to withstand extreme conditions. The filter’s hearty construction and high-capacity media can grant it a lifespan of anywhere between six to 12 months, meaning customers who invest in the ENDURO-PLEAT can expect to better protect their equipment, spend less money on labor and disposal, and lower their environmental footprint. “A standard pleated filter might work well in a lab environment, but when it’s installed on a rooftop in Chicago and it’s pelted with snow, it could collapse,” Heritage says. “A filter that lasts three months in a relatively calm environment might last three weeks in a chaotic one. If we can put in a filter that lasts three times as long, that makes a significant difference to customers.”
While MERV 8 and MERV 10 filters are a strong option for residential and commercial properties alike, those looking to get closer to LEED certification may want to purchase a filter with a rating of MERV 13 or higher, a designation best served by Filtration Group’s wirebacked Aerostar® GREEN PLEAT filter. The GREEN PLEAT attracts ultra-small particles by using electret-charged media, a technology that pulls in dust in much the same way static electricity makes hair cling to a balloon when it’s rubbed on someone’s head.
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PHOTOS: COURTESY OF FILTRATION GROUP
MERV 13 GREEN PLEAT
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By utilizing this media, the GREEN PLEAT can allow particulate matter smaller than 2.5 microns—PM 2.5 for short—to be removed from the air with up to 90% efficiency. To grant some perspective, even a grain of salt is a full 70 microns in size. At 1/30th the size of a human hair, thousands of particles in the PM 2.5 range could fit within a single period at the end of this sentence. “Particles that are bigger than PM 2.5 get stopped by your human filters—either the nose or the bronchial tubes,” Bruce says. “But when we talk about PM 2.5 and below, these are particles that can get into your bloodstream and are linkable to health issues defined by sick building syndrome.” And while these health concerns alone might be enough to convince many to upgrade to a MERV 13 filter, sick building syndrome—the tendency for workers to experience headaches, fatigue, and other health effects when exposed to unhealthy indoor environments—has an impact on more than individual well-being. A Harvard study published in 2015 linked poor indoor air quality to lower productivity, further proving that the air we breathe in offices has a big effect on how well we work.
The GREEN PLEAT pulls in dust in much the same way static electricity makes hair cling to a balloon.
The ENDUROPLEAT is a wirebacked filter with a long lifespan.
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF FILTRATION GROUP
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MORE SPECIAL PLEATS In addition to the core product line, Filtration Group also offers several filters for specialty applications that have become increasingly important in industrial settings and areas with wildfires, like California. These include the Series 550 Odor Removal Pleat and the Series 750 Plus Carbon Pleat. The Series 550 Odor Removal Pleat is also popular in casinos looking to remove smoke from their atmosphere and hospitality settings interested in creating an optimal environment for their patrons. Heritage says that as time presses on, the winds of change will continue to blow, and Filtration Group will keep diversifying its product line. “We will continue to push efficiencies higher and resistance lower,” he says. “There is a perfect state out there in which every particle is captured with zero resistance. That might not exist, but we’re going to continue getting closer.” gb&d may–june 2019
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An Expert’s Guide Radiant Solutions By Maura Keller
Forced air systems have been a common heating and air conditioning method in commercial and industrial buildings for decades—until now. As architects and designers seek energy-efficient, design-friendly radiant systems, they increasingly recognize the benefits that radiant heating and cooling systems offer. Barcol-Air’s first-class heating and cooling systems are defining the architecture of a space like never before. Radiant solutions have long been popular in Europe, even as they continue to gain steam in the U.S. Barcol-Air itself has been a large part of the excitement. The company has celebrated a long, well-earned reputation in Europe, having been founded in Switzerland in 1979 as a leading manufacturer of radiant heating and cooling systems and active beams. After years of extensive research, the company refined its concept of radiant heating and cooling technology, making it available for commercial applications. The company’s products are known for their style and performance, according to Michael O’Rourke, national sales manager at Barcol-Air. “No matter how ambitious the concept, our team will work to create custom designed systems that perfectly complement the owner’s or designer’s vision,” he says. In fact, today’s highend architecture teams and designers committed to net-zero projects turn to Barcol-Air’s radiant solutions for a myriad of reasons—especially aesthetics and energy savings. 30
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PHOTO: RYAN GOBUTY
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Gensler’s office in San Diego, California is a great example of waves applied in an open space for both the aesthetic and functional advantages they provide.
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BARCOL-AIR
Aluminum Panel
IN ACTION Heat Conducting Rails (HCR)
Drexel Metals roofing lasts up to three times longer than asphalt roofs. Copper Tube
Bonding
UNIQUE SYSTEM APPLICATIONS
Barcol-Air manufactures premium radiant heating and cooling systems that deliver optimal comfort using advanced thermal exchange methods. Entire system solutions are at the core of the company’s product offerings. “Radiant can be used for sensible loads—both heating and cooling—and to offset any radiant asymmetry due to cold or hot walls or glass facades in the space,” O’Rourke says. “But it’s not appropriate for fresh air or dehumidification requirements.” Therefore, the company Radiant cooling is a transfer of offers advanced Active Chilled Beam energy, mainly through raditechnology to provide each space with ation, based on temperature an additional level of ventilation and differences between space surdehumidification, creating fully intefaces and occupants. grated heating and cooling Essentially, radiation can operations that positively travel through a vacuum at contribute to the building’s LEED accreditation. the speed of light, so it’s not A radiant panel is dependent on air movement Barcol-Air’s Active Beam made up of a flat application offers signifto transfer heat loads. Solid copper coil that’s icant space savings, too, objects of different temperamechanically pressed tures transfer energy withthanks to smaller ductwork or welded onto strips of aluminum that are out operating on the air in requirements. It can be inthermally bonded to between, so technically, the stalled tight up against the the back of a regular distance between the objects slab, resulting in reduced metal Lay-In or Torsion floor-to-floor heights and has no bearing on the radiSpring ceiling panel. ant portion of the energy reduced construction costs transfer. Each Barcol-Air syson new buildings. In addition to low maintenance tem runs on hydronic enerrequirements, Active Beam systems gy and is designed with energy savings and sustainability in mind. The result? also use the same water temperatures More efficient heating and cooling at a used in radiant panels and exude low fraction of the cost of forced air systems. noise levels.
What is Radiant Cooling?
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What is a Radiant Ceiling? Radiant ceiling systems are ideal for both new and renovated buildings. Radiant ceilings are available in custom configurations and should be considered any time there is an asymmetric radiant load, like an exterior wall, and especially in high glass areas. They are also ideal where energy savings are important, as they can reduce the amount of recirculating air—saving fan power energy and reducing HVAC system energy use by 30 to 40%. “Radiant should also be considered on projects with high envelope integrity and/or low E glass,” O’Rourke says. “One of the limitations is that most radiant systems don’t have a high per square foot output, therefore leaky buildings or high energy loss buildings may require excessive areas of the ceiling covered by radiant and/or higher amounts of air from the air system.”
AESTHETICS & DESIGN CAPABILITY Although radiant doesn’t eliminate the need for an air system, it does significantly reduce the gbdmagazine.com
ILLUSTRATION: COURTESY OF BARCOL-AIR
Barcol-Air’s climate control technique has improved buildings all over the U.S., from the Nike World Headquarters and Gensler’s San Diego building to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. At Gensler, Barcol-Air helped the Gensler and Glumac project team bring their vision to life, including implementing passive natural ventilation as well as radiant waves and chilled beams, improving the health and comfort of the building’s occupants. At Nike, the architectural design team incorporated Barcol-Air’s radiant ceiling panels among other sustainable elements. Both projects incorporated the Barcol Radiant Wave (BRW) for its innovative and visually appealing design. It’s virtually maintenance-free, provides thermal comfort by radiation, and acts as a heat exchanger. “We’re constantly advancing our technology and methods and have recently adopted Active Beam technology to help our clients create beautiful spaces with all-encompassing heating and cooling operations,” O’Rourke Says. “These fully integrated heating and cooling operations further enhance a building’s LEED accreditation.”
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amount of air being moved in the building —so ductwork is decreased by as much as 60 to 70%. “Water is a much better energy transfer medium than air,” O’Rourke says. “While you still have to supply outside fresh air for ventilation and dehumidification, the ductwork is significantly smaller since only the outside fresh air is required and not all the recirculated air of a standard air system.” In addition to the reduced ductwork, the ceiling panels offered within the Barcol-Air system can be selected based on the architectural design of a space, allowing for easy accommodation of lighting equipment, fire protection systems, support grid systems, and hidden support systems.
LONG-TERM PERFORMANCE When compared to a variable air volume (VAV) system, Barcol-Air’s radiant systems offer maximum energy savings while also providing architectural freedom and minimal space requirements. Obviously cost savings vary depending on the location of the project energy costs and the construction and design of the project itself, but most projects see energy savings of 30 to 40%. Here’s why: The specific heat capacity of water is four times higher than air. To remove a given amount of heat from a building, less than 25% of the transport energy is required to remove the same amount of heat compared to an all-air system. Barcol’s radiant ceiling systems operate at higher cooling water temperatures than all-air systems, allowing for heat pumps and chillers with very high coefficients of performance. “Because a radiant system has very few moving parts, maintenance is very minimal, resulting in saved operating costs,” O’Rourke says. “As energy costs become greater, the savings accrued will also increase.”
The Active Beam system maintains copper tubes and aluminum as opposed constant control of humidity and guarto embedded tubes in floors or ceilings. antees minimum fresh air delivery. In These low mass systems respond quickly addition, the control system allows for to interior or exterior load changes. room dew point monitoring with the Even more importantly, these systems help of small, high-quality can react quickly to changes sensors that can be located in radiant loads on exterior A combination of in the room rather than in walls and fenestration. waves and ceiling This low mass feature also the ceiling. panels are used By separating the sensible allows it to respond quickly in Nike’s world airside loads and treating in the case of buildings headquarters them directly—especially using operable windows, in Oregon to in areas wit h radiant as are many times used meet mechanical requirements and the with LEED design projects. asymmetry—there are much architect’s vision. higher levels of comfort for Water supply to the cooling building occupants. “By panels can be shut down when windows open and reducing the amount of air reach room temperature movement in the space, we also make the space much within three to five minutes, quieter,” O’Rourke says. “Indoor air avoiding any potential for condensation. quality is enhanced as well, since we During its 40-year history, Barcolare only bringing in fresh air and Air has consistently advanced its exhausting internal building/room technology to become the leading air, providing exceptional ventilation provider of radiant heating and cooling effectiveness.” systems and active beams. By blending modern, custom design with superior ABOUT performance, the company helps create systems that not only look great, BARCOL-AIR but provide an environment building occupants find comfortable and can offer exceptional energy savings. In In 2007, the fully independent Barcol-Air USA was established by the company’s fact, Barcol-Air radiant systems provide original founder, offering the U.S. an average 30% in energy savings over market the exceptional radiant systems conventional air systems, offer 27% less average electrical peak power and active beam products Europe has embraced for decades. Barcol-Air demand, and require 35% less plenum systems are “low mass” systems, using space. gb&d
PHOTO: GARRETT ROWLAND
HEALTH BENEFITS The so-called “sick building system” is simply nonexistent in buildings with radiant systems thanks to the elimination of recirculated air. People with allergies often prefer radiant heat because it doesn’t distribute allergens like forcedair systems can. In fact, Barcol-Air’s system offers a wealth of control considerations so air quality can be maintained. gb&d
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Pacific Energy’s catalytic-free wood stoves test under the 2-gram standard required by the EPA in 2020.
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An Expert’s Guide Wood Stoves By Jessica Smith
Pacific Energy is pushing the industry forward with innovative, environmentally friendly solutions.
Imagine a cozy fireplace warming a family on a cold night, smoke billowing up the chimney and out into the winter sky. Today we know what’s wrong with this scene. The smoke from burning wood can be harmful, the fine particulates contribute to pollution levels and raise health concerns. But that doesn’t mean a wood fireplace is a bad choice for your home. Wood is a completely renewable energy and, with access to fairly priced firewood, one of the cheapest ways to heat a house. Modern wood burning fireplaces and stoves have evolved well past their heavy polluting predecessors. “With a modern wood stove and dry wood, you don’t see smoke. That’s the bottom line,” says Cory Iversen, sales manager for Pacific Energy. It wasn’t long ago that this was far from the case. In the 1970s, when the EPA was founded, a wood stove emitted around 60 to 70 grams of particulate per hour. By 2020 the EPA is enforcing a two-gram particulate emission standard. The current standard is four-and-a-half grams, and the industry’s scramble to cut emissions in half has begun. Fortunately, Pacific Energy is ahead of the game. They set their sights on the goal two years ago, when the 2020 standard was still talk. Today their products are already testing under the 2-gram standard, and they’ve managed to do it the hard way—without catalytic technology. A catalyst device is often added to wood burning systems to lower emissions by burning the particulates at a higher temperature through a chemical reaction before they disperse. Iversen argues that a catalytic system is a fast fix but isn’t the best solution for long-term performance. “A lot of the products currently out there are going to be turned into catalytic because that is by far the easiest way to get it to pass the new standard. Not the best way, but it is the easiest way,” he says. Pacific Energy has focused its energy and resources into developing catalytic-free technology because they believe it’s the best choice for consumers and the environment. Their innovation and quality of products resonates as a company that refuses to settle. gb&d
PHOTO: COURTESY OF PACIFIC ENERGY
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ARE CATALYTIC COMBUSTORS A SHORT-TERM SOLUTION? “There’s really nothing wrong with the theory,” Iversen says regarding catalytic technology. “Where the challenge comes in is usability.” The catalyst itself is a ceramic and honeycomb shaped plate coated with metal. With the plate heated to a high temperature, smoke and ash passes through its pores, where they are ignited and burned off, creating more heat while less particles escape to the outside. Not only is the concept simple, it can be added to already existing products—making it especially attractive to manufacturers keeping up with developing emission regulations.
In practice, a catalytic stove works degrade over time. Iversen says there’s less effectively than it does in the a lot of misinformation on how test lab. Wood is considered a highly fast that can happen. While some manufacturers might state a 10-year variable fuel; its quality, the moisture content, and even its species, all play warranty on their catalytic, suppliers a part in how it burns. Users might and manufacturers advertise a catalyst even throw in treated is only effective for two wood, coal, or colored and to five years without user glossy paper as fire starters. error. “There’s really no way Pacific Energy’s stoves All of these things reduce for the consumer to tell,” are durable, userthe effectiveness of a he says. “How many end up friendly, and clean. catalyst and might lead to being used when they aren’t necessary maintenance or working properly?” replacement of the piece Pacific Energy has cut entirely. The catalyst also out manufacturing with catalysts entirely. Iversen says their requires a bypass, while starting or reteam investigated the issue many loading the appliance you must bypass times as technology changed, and the catalytic, this not only creates usability issues for the customer but they’ve never been convinced it’s the if not used properly or left open can right direction. Their catalytic-free severely impact the efficiency and stoves use secondary burn systems— the injection of clean preheated air emissions of the appliance. into the unburned particulate of Even when a catalytic stove is the fire. Like a catalytic version, the operated correctly, the catalyst will particulates are reignited and burned again before they escape. While many agree catalytic-free stoves are more durable and user-friendly, historically catalytics tested cleaner in a laboratory setting. Today that is no longer true.
HOW WILL THE 2020 STANDARD AFFECT THE Pacific Energy knows getting down to a 2-gram particulate regulation isn’t easy. It’s even harder to do without a catalyst. Existing testing labs will feel the strain of an entire industry upgrading their products at once. It’s likely that a significant amount of products in the industry will be taken off the market. In other words, their sales either won’t warrant retesting, or the product simply won’t be able to meet the new standard. Of the products left, many will evolve into catalytic systems. Despite controversy on reliability, durability, and usability, a catalyst is still the simplest way to upgrade a product to meet emission standards. But Iversen cautions that a better testing stove doesn’t always translate into a better performing stove in the real world. “It’s going to be a real change in the industry,” he says. “You don’t necessarily have a better selection of high-performance products. You just have products that manage to pass a test.” The desire to regulate emission
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PHOTO: COURTESY OF PACIFIC ENERGY
INDUSTRY?
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CHANGING THE INDUSTRY
standards is understandable, though some argue a greater focus should be placed on discarding the old stoves already in existence. Some states have already implemented change-out programs where removing an old stove results in a credit toward a new one. “You have one whole stove that’s not highly engineered, and it will wipe out the gains of the next 20,” says Iversen.
HOW DOES
The True North line offers entry-level products that meet the 2020 regulations at even more accessible prices.
Non-catalytic technology isn’t exclusive to Pacific Energy, but you’d be hardpressed to find a manufacturer that has done more to drive its development. Over the course of 40 years, the company’s endless innovation has resulted in a new standard for secondary burn systems. Also unique to Pacific Energy products is their f loating firebox system. In most stoves, a firebox is vulnerable to premature fatigue or failure. The floating design allows parts to expand and contract without wearing on the metal. Overall, the system can add years to a stove’s life. During that time, users will enjoy a creosote-free viewing window, too. Pacific Energy was the first to effectively use an air wash manifold system, where combustion air flows across the glass’s surface to keep it clean. Pacific Energy has continuously refined the airwash design and offers up some of the cleanest viewing glass in the industry. Today, Pacific Energy continues to develop new ways to heat with wood, and with a long history of innovation, they are confident they can keep developing products that customers can enjoy, are easy to operate, and meet the latest EPA regulations. gb&d
NON-CATALYTIC
PHOTO: COURTESY OF PACIFIC ENERGY
WORK? A non-catalytic stove uses perforated steel tubes or a perforated baffle across the top of the firebox to introduce air across the top of the stove. The air mixes with the rising gases; maximizing the combustion. Traditionally Pacific Energy products use a hollow baffle system—a unique choice. Though many agree the baffle is more reliable and can be more useful for medium to high burns, tubes tend to be easier for testing and cheaper to manufacture. Baffle systems also come at a higher price and manufacturers often steer away from the expense. For this reason, Pacific launched its True North line—stoves and inserts that utilize the tube system to offer a lower cost entry-level product. The line offers catalytic-free systems that meet 2020 regulations at even more accessible prices.
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Aaron Kivett Technical Manager for Strategic Partnerships, Newforma
Ask the Expert How can I improve my product workflow?
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The first thing to understand about project teams is that they’re made of people, and there are things that are unique to how designers in this industry work. Their processes are fluid. Project teams usually only come together once. They’re building one-off structures so it can be difficult to develop repeatable processes and workflows. To top it off, designers
like to design their own solutions. In this space, technology software is your friend. It makes lives easier to access and organize project data, collaborate with project team members, and manage construction projects from inception to delivery. But not all software is equal, and it’s crucial to get things right. The best application for this matter will solve project
workflow pain points without disrupting the way people work. One of Newforma’s biggest strengths is that it doesn’t force teams to change their workflow. Project team members don’t have to learn a new system, and you don’t have to file things a certain way. A key aspect of this approach is our connector strategy. We know Newforma can’t provide software that does everything—there are other tools out there that are very good at what they do, like Bluebeam for viewing and marking up PDFs. Rather than replace or fight against a favorite system, we’ve integrated programs like Bluebeam into how we work so everyone can keep using the tools
they like. We just make them an integrated part of the project process. Email management is a core piece of what we do. Design teams work on a project basis, and they need to organize emails by project. You also have people on the team who need access to those emails. Companies usually have policies for managing and filing emails, but that maintenance takes time—and people often just don’t do it. Newforma automates this aspect. Identify the project an email belongs to and our software eliminates 98% of the administrative pain.
Read more from Newforma in the July/ August issue of gb&d, when Kivett looks at reducing project risks.
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PHOTOS: COURTESY OF NEWFORMA
Throughout the timeline of any project—big or small—architects, engineers, contractors, clients, and industry professionals must juggle data, manage expectations, and solve problems from concept to completion. It’s work that needs the right kind of flow to keep tasks moving forward. For creatives, task management can be tough, but automation can help. Aaron Kivett has been helping to solve this problem for 20 years in the AEC industry. As part of leading project information management software company Newforma, he shares what it takes to manage team communication and the tech that can help your team stay on track.
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Newforma’s submittal log not only tracks submittal information; it also automatically logs each step in the review workflow. Companies like Corgan have turned to Newforma to streamline their process.
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Dave Stanton Regional Sales Manager, Fabcon
Fabcon helped this EchoPark Automotive in Texas go up more efficiently.
Ask the Expert Why is building quicker better?
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Time saves money. Once a building owner has financial approval to build, they are paying on that loan. The quicker they can open, the quicker they can make money. When you as a general contractor are able to have that meeting with the owner and say, “Your schedule’s not being impacted,” they see the value. Their return on investment is very quick—within months.
Fabcon helps buildings go up fast in part because weather has no impact on us. There’s no time delay because precast is manufactured in a controlled facility. We’re producing walls while the foundations are being completed, and when we hit the job site, we have enough product to continuously erect the building. Precast is the least labor intensive of wall systems, too,
as much of the labor it took to create those walls was done offsite. It’s not completely labor-free—we still need people in our facilities—but onsite it’s minimal labor. Also with precast, no curing happens outside. There’s no structural grout needed. Because of that, again, temperatures have no impact on our erection sequence. We can even do it in rain or snow. In summer, when projects are being designed, it’s easy to forget about winter. But when you’re building a project on paper, if there’s any delay or early weather, construction slides into winter. If you’re building with site-cast masonry, you’re paying more than
what you may pay for a premium like precast. That doesn’t happen with us. One job in particular in Columbus, Ohio was designed site-cast. As the project’s timeline slipped into winter, they took a second look and decided on precast. Now their building is not being impacted. Fabcon also has its own erection crews. We don’t rely on sub-contracting out erection of our precast, like many precasters do across the country. From design to punchlist, we are one of the few turnkey companies in the country.
Read more from Fabcon in the July+August issue of gb&d, when Stanton tackles R-values.
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PHOTOS: COURTESY OF FABCON
Fabcon’s precast concrete wall panels save projects time and money while being durable and efficient. As the largest structural precast wall manufacturer in the U.S., Fabcon engineers and produces its panels in one of four U.S. production facilities and ships the finished product to the job site in as little as eight weeks, whereas a smaller outfit could take months. The modular concrete panels themselves make buildings stronger while also easier to install. Here, Fabcon Regional Sales Manager Dave Stanton explains how building quickly and efficiently cuts costs and equals a better project all around.
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Fabcon has also built for MacQueen Equipment Group in St. Paul, Minnesota.
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Kim Shaw Senior Project Manager, GCP
Ask the Expert How does GCP work with architects to drive durable construction?
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Architects are highly trained in the overall aesthetics and performance of projects. GCP supports the architect’s vision, providing the granular details of constructing a building or a piece of infrastructure, such as the types of building materials, technologies, and systems used. Given the hundreds if not thousands of building products specified in each project, it would be impossible for architects to be experts in
all areas. Through GCP’s Blue360 Design Advantage program, we work closely with architects throughout the job, from inception to project completion, to ensure they deliver the best possible end product for their clients. This includes ensuring maximum performance of waterproofing and air barrier systems, which can have a critical impact on the durability of a project. One recent example is our work on the
fireproofing, waterproofing, and air barrier portions of a football stadium. We began the job by ensuring product specifications were outlined correctly early on, thus reducing the time it took to review requests for substitution products. This helped streamline the process for the architect, as the team was well informed on material compatibility. We then worked with the general contractor, not only during the design stage but also during the bidding stage, suggesting a singlesource approach that helped save time and resources by reducing back-and-forth between multiple suppliers. Once the subcontractors were awarded their respective packages, GCP assisted in pre-
paring submittals for products and worked with the general contractor to resolve technical issues upfront. During the application stage, we utilized our Blue360 Design Advantage capabilities for technical training at the job site while streamlining communications and decision-making across project teams. By working closely with the architect, the general contractor, and all subcontractors on such a massive endeavor, GCP was able to help accelerate the construction process and facilitate the delivery of the best project to the client.
Read more about GCP and its transit concrete management system in the July+August issue of gb&d.
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PHOTOS: PIXABAY; COURTESY OF GCP
When designing a building or an infrastructure project, the architect’s challenge is to delicately balance the often conflicting principles of form and function to create an attractive, comfortable, and usable finished product. How do architects reconcile these needs? That’s where Kim Shaw’s expertise comes in. As a Design Advantage Project Manager at GCP Applied Technologies, Shaw helps architects focus on the design aspect of their plans by assisting with the technical details like product selection, material compatibility, and system performance that ensure a project is both durable and sustainable. Here, Shaw explains how GCP works with architects and their teams to promote best practices in concrete construction.
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The Blue360 Design Advantage program lets GCP work closely with architects throughout the job, ensuring maximum performance of waterproofing and air barrier systems, and more.
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UP FRONT
Colin Blackford, Director of Strategy & Innovation, Mermet USA
The amount of sunlight that makes it into a space depends in part on fabric weave and composition.
Ask the Expert What should architects consider before specifying a shade project?
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Before selecting a shade, you have to ask yourself: What am I looking to achieve? In other words, why am I putting up a shade in the first place? To help answer this question, consider the three main benefits that drive shade installation: thermal performance, aesthetics, and comfort. You can achieve all three of these to some extent, but by determining
your number-one priority, you’ll be in a better position to choose the right shade and hardware to meet your needs. When considering thermal performance, you have to first take into account the windows themselves. As the first line of defense against the sun, they will determine how much light is transmitted and reflected into the space. The shade, then, picks
up where the glass leaves off in order to protect the building’s occupants from those rays. The amount of sunlight that makes it through will determine the fabric weave and composition that’s right for the room. Aesthetics and comfort intersect in several ways. For one, a room with reduced glare will surely feel more comfortable, and the color of the fabric determines the glare-reducing properties. Black fabrics typically do a great job of reducing glare, as opposed to lighter materials. White fabrics, on the other hand, don’t typically absorb and re-radiate heat
as much as a darker fabric would. And the less a fabric re-radiates, the more comfortable you’ll feel if you’re seated near it. There are, of course, next-generation fabrics that work around these generalizations, but it’s important to have a baseline of knowledge going into the selection process. By understanding your needs and working with a true professional, you can ensure you’re selecting the ideal shades for your project.
Learn more about how Mermet fabrics create comfortable spaces in the July+August issue of gb&d.
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PHOTOS: KRIS DECKER & FIREWATER PHOTOGRAPHY
After earning a degree in architecture and working in the field for a few years, both on residential and commercial projects, Colin Blackford took his career in a different direction. He first found himself doing building information modeling at a curtain wall manufacturer, then moved on to a glass manufacturer. He eventually took his experience to Mermet USA, where he now drives innovation for world-class shade fabric manufacturing. As a result, he understands both the technical expectations and the aesthetic ones clients bring to their search for a shade solution. Here, Blackford walks us through what to consider.
UP FRONT
In terms of sunlight control, thermal performance, and occupant comfort, Mermet’s shade fabric, M Screen Deco 5%, was a well-crafted solution for the extensive Sierra Nevada Mills River Brewery project.
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The Spruce Goose Hangar Flies Again ZGF Architects teamed up with Google to transform the former home of Howard Hughes’ famous aircraft into an office space unlike any other.
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Opening Things Up Wanting to emphasize
natural light, ZGF restored the building’s clerestory windows, which had been closed up when the hangar was used for a time as a film studio. They also added strategically positioned skylights, along with supplemental task lighting in the workspaces and conference rooms below. In terms of sound control, ZGF added acoustics-managing floor plates of varying sizes and positioned enclosed spaces like conference rooms to run alongside open workspaces, shielding them from outside noise.
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Howard Hughes’ H-4 Hercules flying boat is the stuff of aviation legend. The colossal aircraft—known commonly as the Spruce Goose—was made almost entirely of wood due to wartime restrictions on critical materials like steel and aluminum, and the hulking prototype’s wingspan stretched an astounding 320 feet—six yards longer than the length of a football field, and the longest span of any aircraft to take flight, even if only once. Though far more practical, the hangar that once housed Hughes’ infamous plane is also an enormous, awe-inspiring wooden design—one that now stands among the most noteworthy office-space adaptive reuse projects of recent years. After roughly two years of work, ZGF Architects in November 2018 completed renovating the site into offices for Google, now the third office building in the tech company’s growing Playa Vista campus. The project is textbook renovation meets preservation on a grand scale. The team built four new levels inside the hangar; at the same time, they preserved the space’s dramatic glulam arches and wood siding. They now nestle 450,000 square feet of office space around the site’s original central “spine,” which runs the 750-foot length of the building. It’s “arguably one of the world’s most spectacular workplaces,” says ZGF partner Ted Hyman, one that “has vastly minimized environmental and community impact compared to demolition and new construction.” Unless you’re peering through one of the hangar’s majestic clerestory windows, the ingb&d
dustrial exterior gives little hint of the innovative design inside—what Hyman refers to as a “building within a building.” The inner “building,” likened by some observers to a ship with its nautical white sheen and tiered design, is offset from the timber envelope, giving the lower floor a long promenade around the perimeter. The floor planes recede in scale as you move up the levels, keeping the space open. Like the statement design, the renovation process was hardly typical. Kristi Paulson, a principal at ZGF and the lead project designer, describes the process as “highly iterative,” and one of “test and learn exploration.” Indeed, the project had to balance not only aesthetics and preservation but a host of functional concerns, including the incorporation of major mechanical and electrical systems into the high-tech office environment. The office houses employees of both Google and YouTube, which the tech giant acquired in 2006. Though the company remains forever associated with the Bay Area, it now has some 1,000 employees working in and around Los Angeles. And in this latest development, the company has not only salvaged a historic site that dates back to 1943 from disuse, but it’s done so in way that explicitly ties its ambitious spirit with those of the past—reflecting “Google’s creative culture in the context of the hangar’s rich history of innovation,” Hyman says. may–june 2019
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Complementing the Lead
The new office’s main attraction is undoubtedly the wooden atrium, which looms 75 feet aboveground at its highest point. In order to let the timber finish shine, the design team favored a restrained aesthetic: matte finishes, brushed metal wall coverings, windows framed by black steel, abundant plant life, and wood panels and soft white walls—all intended to complement rather than compete with the restored arches. Gray concrete floors, like the one in this café space, exemplify the intended soft materials touch.
Showing Some Spine During
the site’s original aircraft-storage life, the long “spine” that bisects it held engineers’ offices. Google and ZGF wanted to make sure that extensive backbone opened up the area and fostered interaction, so they reserved it for breakout rooms and dining spots, which spill out into the open-office plan under the atrium. In order to preserve the spine, the team reinforced it with steel and concrete then covered it with wood reclaimed from the roof. Other salvaged wood went into furniture construction for the office.
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Honoring History The new offices honor the site’s aviation history in its interior design, too. Many phone rooms and meeting spaces are air- or sky-themed, including rooms with butterfly, zephyr, and Andromeda concepts. An abstract cloud design overlooks this open-environment workspace, and the tiered staircases and open walkways throughout the upper levels lend a sense of elevation. “Together we created an intelligent and engaging new office space that acknowledges yet remains independent of its historic envelope,” says Paulson, of the team’s work with Google.
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Project: Google, Spruce Goose Location: Playa Vista, CA Completion: 2018 Size: 450,000 square feet Architect: ZGF Architects MEP, Structural, and Civil Engineering: Arup General Contractor: Matt Construction
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An Office That Bears Repeating Lemay’s green, open-plan design for BDO is being replicated across more than a dozen of the company’s Canadian offices.
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Acoustical Control The site’s high ceilings were an attractive design element, but the extensive height needed to be strategically reduced in certain places in order to create better working environments. Lemay added suspended acoustical clouds and integrated lighting over all the workspaces, boardrooms, and meeting rooms, leaving open ceilings and exposed piping and ductwork throughout the circulation areas.
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If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, BDO’s Canadian national offices must be blushing. The accounting firm’s Toronto headquarters, designed by Lemay architects and completed in 2018, weds a flexible, open-office plan with comprehensive biophilic and indoor-outdoor design—and now the same conceptual guidelines that drove the project are guiding Lemay’s designs for their regional offices across Canada. The office—which occupies the third, fourth, and fifth levels of a 62-story, LEED Gold–certified skyscraper in downtown Toronto—is designed to encourage employee mobility. The core has enclosed offices, for those who prefer private workspaces, which give way to open, sit-stand workstations with unassigned seating, which in turn give way to “interior park” perimeters, flush with natural light, plant life, and soft, wooden separations. “For us, the biophilic strategy isn’t just about the plants; it’s the integration of natural materials, the textures, the wood, the plants, the art—it’s all a combination of biophilic elements. These connections to nature were critical for the health and well-being of BDO employees,” says Sandra Neill, an associate partner at Lemay and an interior design strategist with the firm. On BDO’s uppermost level, an exterior balcony furthers the link to nature. It flows from the so-called Center of Excellence, a multi-use
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level that includes executive space, plus boardrooms, client meeting rooms, and dining areas—all of which can be made contiguous by opening partitions and moving modular furniture. The center serves as a training ground for employees from all across Canada, eliminating the need for off-site rentals and saving money and resources. Another notable feature is the eye-catching, no-maintenance moss wall, which links BDO’s two top levels. “It was a way to bring in green elements without spending a lot of money, both initially and over the lifetime of the space,” Neill says. The moss adheres to the standard humidity conditions of the office, and therefore doesn’t need constant upkeep. The new office design expanded BDO’s usable area by some 2,000 square feet over its previous site, but across the same number of floors. A combination of fewer closed offices, more open workstations, and a smaller workstation footprint led to the reduced footprint—and 16% real estate savings, according to Lemay. Now, from Winnipeg to Waterloo, 14 BDO offices in Canada have either finished similar design undertakings or are in the process. They won’t be identical, but the green strategy and focus on mobility will be the guiding principle for the future.
Project: BDO National Office Location: Toronto Completion: July 2018 Size: 43,500 square feet Architect: Lemay Mechanical & Electrical Engineer: HIDI Group Structural Engineers: Jablonsky, Ast and Partners Audiovisual & Acoustic Engineer: sparkAV General Contractor: Govan Brown, Greenferd Construction
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Flexible Spaces The kitchen area flows into a
meeting room, which flows to the boardroom. Spaces are separated by telescoping folding walls from Skyfold that fold up like an accordian into the ceiling. One side is custom-skinned with a writable surface; the other has wood veneer. “When you’re in the kitchen and the wall’s down, it’s a biophilic element interacting with natural light and plants. It’s the Cadillac of doors in terms of function and acoustics,” Neill says. Tables flip up and move out, and electrical connections lie flat. “They can really open up the space for events and let people circulate between the three rooms and exterior terrace.”
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Fourth Floor Plan
Fifth Floor Plan
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Getaway Space Unlike BDO Toronto’s
top floor, the level directly below doesn’t have a balcony, per se, but Lemay was able to conceive a windowside park space that provides a sense of natural peace. “Just slightly away from the work zones, these perimeters really cater to someone who maybe just needs to sit down, take a call, or read a document away from their desk, or have a small one-on-one meeting, or just reflect away from one’s regular regular work area,” Neill says.
Greenery for All (Opposite) Lightweight wireframes suspended from the ceiling allow for more plant life in a way that breaks up the open space and makes the greenery feel more incorporated overall. “When I first started working with BDO, I noticed plants everywhere, on individual desks, or a potted plant in the corner. So for a noassigned-seating open plan, we devised a more collective arrangement” that simultaneously varies the ceiling heights, Neill says. Plants are easy to replace in the frames, so, unlike the permanent moss, allow for more seasonality.
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White Coats & Green Design Biophilia meets biopharmacy at AstraZeneca’s sustainable San Francisco facility. BY ST E P H E N G O S S E T T P H OTO S B Y DAV I D WA K E LY
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Put a Cork in It The design team used rapidly renewable materials like this eye-catching cork wall in a breakout area. “The general design for those spaces are quite homey; they move away from a typical corporate, commercial look and feel, to something a lot more comfortable,” says Daniel Herriott, director of interior design for HOK’s San Francisco office.
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From research institutions to life science facilities, laboratories of all stripes tend to use disproportionately high amounts of energy relative to their square footage. So the bar was inherently high for HOK when they were tasked to design the interiors for AstraZeneca’s center for West Coast operations in San Francisco, an ambitious facility that positions research and development labs adjacent to administrative and creative staff in open-plan office spaces. Both HOK and their biopharmaceutical client wanted to not only slash energy usage but also warm up the traditional “sterile lab environment,” as Daniel Herriott, director of interior design at HOK’s San Francisco office, describes it. The result checks both boxes: energy-efficient, LEED Platinum–certified interiors that prioritize employee connectedness and comfort, with an added emphasis on daylighting. Indeed, nearly 100% of work areas are positioned in natural-lit zones, and the lab environments are outfitted with large windows that look out into breakout spaces and the outdoors beyond. That openness also promotes interaction and a sense of discovery. “One of our main objectives was to put science on display the moment you walk in the door and also create a user experience that was equaled between labs and [non-lab] workplaces,” Herriott says. That sense of interaction is particularly unique in the West Coast center, which brings together four AstraZeneca organizations in the same building. R&D labs are traditionally cordoned off from administrative and other staff in separate facilities. Here, not only do they share a roof, but strategic, green design elements bring
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them even closer. In addition to the large lab windows, there are wooden ceiling panels that join the central lab core with cross-circulation points and breakout spaces. HOK also dramatically opened up a staircase, going from minimum-egress to monumental, simultaneously reducing elevator load, promoting well-being, and fostering exchange. In terms of energy reduction, the design cut out unnecessary lab equipment, improved the core and shell, and reduced the site’s mechanical system capacity. The team paid great attention to the center’s plug load, as well, notes Erin Ezell, an HOK senior sustainable design specialist. All the research refrigeration equipment was replaced with the highest efficiency models available; all lights run on occupancy and daylight controls; and daylight harvesting systems and automated shades are installed around the perimeter. Water efficiency, locally sourced materials, and centralizing freezers into an efficient “farm” further add to energy savings. Beyond the design, the tenants themselves are focused on sustainability. The company aims to be energy-, carbon-, and water-neutral by 2025, and, at the San Francisco site, submetering and measurement and verification programs will further the goal of efficiency into the future. “So they’ll continue to monitor and optimize energy and water use going forward,” Ezell says.
Project: AstraZeneca West Coast Center Location: San Francisco Size: 105,000 square feet Interior Designer: HOK MEP, Fire Protection, and Structural Engineer: HOK Mechanical Contractor: Therma Electrical Contractor: Decker Electric
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Sense of Place HOK directly nodded to the Bay
Area and its native flora in its art and wayfinding choices. Topographic designs along glass walls namecheck local sites like Half Moon Bay and Crissy Field Marsh, and artwork references California plants that contain medicinal qualities. The references change from floor to floor, providing subtle, almost subconscious designations of space. “If a building’s too samey, too coherent, it can be confusing,” Herriott says.
Seen but Not Heard AstraZeneca wanted its labs at the San Francisco center to be visible and accessible showcases, but the work done within couldn’t be disruptive to nearby employees, so acoustic control was imperative. A lab located directly off the reception area includes a cyclone machine used in the development of inhalant medicines that suspends particulates in the air. It “sounds like a jet engine,” but thanks to smart sound control, the volume stays inside, says Herriott, who brought acoustic knowledge from having designed TV and radio sets for the BBC. Level 1
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Lab Flora The center is dotted with planters and greenery throughout the office space, but bringing live plants inside a lab setting is “always a concern” due to contamination fears, Ezell says. But the transparent design allows scientists to view plants in the adjacent office space plus look out to the nearby San Francisco Bay. Inside the lab, 3form material safely combines plant matter with acrylic material, “so those plants can be expressed without contaminating the space as well,” Ezell says.
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Like Tetris A Georgia architect sets out to build his family’s dream home. BY ELLA LEE P H OTO S B Y ALEXANDER HERRING
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Up and Down
The design for the home’s main staircase did not come easily. “The staircase, believe it or not, I did the most versions on of anything in the entire house,” Architect David Goldschmidt says. “There were a million different iterations.” Goldschmidt knew he wanted to maintain the clean details of minimalism and found inspiration in M.C. Escher; Escher’s upsidedown stairs have always fascinated him. The staircase’s final design was imagined around the idea that “when you cut something—even the exterior—it becomes a different material.” The white sides can be viewed as the original subject, and when you cut into it, the wooden stairs are exposed. This concept is displayed all around the house’s interior and exterior.
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Whimsical Windows Lots of thought went into the placement of the home’s windows, which were manufactured by Western Window Systems. In an effort to avoid the “repetitive, static, more traditional way where they’re all ducked in a row,” the whimsical windows throughout the house are more than visually captivating; each has a specific purpose. The window in the dining room is placed at sitting level, so anyone seated at the table has a clear view outside. In the master bedroom, the windows are placed so you can see the outdoors from bed.
When architect David Goldschmidt and his family moved to Atlanta nearly a decade ago, they wanted a home for two working parents and three kids that served as an escape from the craziness of day-to-day life, but they never quite found the right place. “It took longer than we thought,” says Goldschmidt, principal of DiG Architects. “We wanted to build something—or I did, as an architect. My wife—I dragged her along for the ride.” They bought an existing house and knocked it down. Almost three years later, the property had a new, distinctive design: a split, stacked house. The minimalist house started out as a 22-foot-wide box before Goldschmidt divided it into two major sections—public and private— splitting the box into two Tetris-like shapes. He then rotated the private section 90 degrees to increase visibility of the surrounding woods. Goldschmidt also had sustainability in mind when building the house. The primary exerior, crafted with fiber cement board panels, was designed to minimize product waste. Six skylights and low-emissivity windows lessen the need for electricity during the day, and green roofs reduce stormwater runoff and improve air quality. Built on a steep hill, the house’s location had a big influence over how Goldschmidt saw the project. “The context had a lot to do with the whole idea of the stacking,” he says. “I didn’t want to do the typical extruded, rectangular box; I didn’t feel like that felt right for the site, gb&d
just in terms of the rolling hills, and how to integrate that into the building.” The plot created a lot of challenges during the building process. When it rained, Goldschmidt says water would cascade down the hill, making it muddy and difficult to work. “The hill coming down was a challenge,” he says. “We talked about doing different things with it—having a bridge come across or something—but my wife wasn’t super excited about any of those.” The solution the family finally settled on was a descending “stair garden,” which eventually morphs into the house’s concrete base. But the most important lesson Goldschmidt says he learned throughout the process didn’t come from the building itself. “Working with your family on a project is different than working with a client because you have a different relationship,” he says. “If you disagree with your client, you both go home—go your separate ways. But when it’s your family’s project, and your kids have influence and your wife has influence, it’s a totally different dynamic.” To solve the inevitable disagreements he and his wife had throughout the project, Goldschmidt jokes that he came up with the perfect solution: “We did it democratically,” he says. “My wife had a vote, I had a vote, and the tying vote went to the architect.” may–june 2019
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Level 1
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Seeing Green In creating the home’s split effect, part of the building’s roof ended up wholly visable to bypassers. Goldschmidt says standing on the street and looking down, all you could see was the roof’s white TPO. “I hate when you’re in houses or buildings and have this beautiful window, and you look out and see some awful roof, which actually happens a lot.” The green roof appeased Goldschmidt’s aesthetic desires and was also great for the environment, as it reduced stormwater runoff and energy consumption and improved air quality.
Level 3
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Let There Be Light The skylights
were designed with the hope of maximizing natural light and minimizing the need for electricity. “We never use electricity for any lights except for in the basement and certain spots where there are no windows,” Goldschmidt says. In warmer months, they can be opened to provide a natural flow of cool air throughout the home.
Project: Split Box House Location: Atlanta Completion: 2018 Size: 4,878 square feet Architect: DiG Architects Structural Engineer: PEC Structural Engineering Civil Engineer: Crescent View Engineering Contractor: Post + Beam Builders Landscape Architect: CORE Landscape Lighting: Lighting Loft Green Roof: James Greenroofs
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A Reflection of Light This residential tower celebrates the best of Hawaiian nature.
BY ELLA LEE P H OTO S B Y NIC LEHOUX
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Making Waves The glass that creates the building’s wave-like facade presented Architect Strachan Forgan one of the biggest obstacles—but ultimately greatest successes. To create the gentle exterior curves, the glass needed to be radiused to present as soft and flowing. But given the sunny climate in Hawaii, it also needed to be incredibly high performing to reduce the amount of heat entering the building. To find the perfect glass, Forgan and his team had to look to cutting-edge glass technology. “When the glass panels were put on, you could finally get a sense of the softness and the interlocking form,” he says. “They almost instantly transformed the building, and it was everything we’d hoped for.”
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Axonometric View
Floor Plan, Roof Garden
Nature is a crucial part of existence in Hawaii, and Solomon Cordwell Buenz (SCB)’s new 40-floor residential tower in Honolulu,
DRAWINGS: COURTESY SOLOMON CORDWELL BUENZ
called Anaha, is inspired by just that. “We work on towers in a lot of different contexts around the country but still try to make them feel like they are of that place,” says Strachan Forgan, principal architect at SCB. At Anaha, Forgan and team found creative ways to reimagine the nearby ocean waves throughout the project’s design. “Anaha” means “the reflection of light” in Hawaiian, and Forgan aimed to exemplify that with a wavy facade that allows light to transform the building throughout the day. “We really wanted to capture that spirit of looking out toward the ocean if you’re surfing and catching the light shimmering on the caps of the wave.” Anaha is split into two buildings—the tall, wavy structure and a shorter, podium-like building—and each connects with its surroundings differently. While the podium aligns with the urban streets, encouraging retail shopping and vibrant streetlife, the gb&d
tower’s views bring unmatched access to the ocean and mountains. Anaha itself is a small part of a much bigger project. The structure is the first of many future buildings to make up Honolulu’s Ward Village, a project that’s set to become the country’s largest LEED-ND Platinum district when completed. For Forgan, that meant sustainability had to be at the forefront of design. “The client was really committed to trying something that had never been tried before, to get the whole of the master plan LEED-certified at a high level,” he says. The project emphasizes the adapted reuse of urban sites, connection to transit, walkable streets, and overall energy efficiency. “We had a very inspiring client and very interesting project brief that really came together in a unique building,” Forgan says. “This is certainly one of those projects that really stands out to me in my career.” may–june 2019
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Full of Life The large green wall in
the building’s lobby further connects building residents to nature. “We’re really conscious when we make these buildings that they are great places to live,” Forgan says. “Adding that type of softness and vegetation inside the building gave it a uniquely welcoming feeling.” The wall is made up of nearly 8,000 plants, he says, and is one of the largest green walls in Hawaii, if not the country.
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Picture-Perfect Forgan wanted to
add a dramatic feature at Anaha. The pool hangs 18 feet in the air off the edge of the building, and its glass front makes it nearly impossible to differentiate where the pool ends and the ocean begins. “This is the first time I’ve ever worked on a building where the building itself has become sort of an Instagram star,” Forgan says. “The Anaha pool has been trending on Instagram for a while now, and I love going on there and seeing people having fun in the pool and taking cool shots.”
Project: Anaha Location: Honolulu, Hawaii Completion: 2018 Size: 857,000 square feet Lead Architect: Solomon Cordwell Buenz Architect of Record: Benjamin Woo Architects Landscape Architect: Surface Design Green Wall Manufacturer: Green Living Technologies Subcontractor: 1st Look Exteriors
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Architecture firm Gensler stitched together three buildings to transform an old industrial site in Atlanta into spacious offices for three media agencies.
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FROM BLUE COLLAR TO WHITE Why do old industrial sites make such good new offices? BY STEPHEN GOSSETT
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Natural light pours through the atrium at the Fitzco / Momentum / Weber Shandwick office. The site is a 100-year-old former slaughterhouse in Stockyards Atlanta, converted into office space.
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TYPOLOGY
When you’re talking office design, it doesn’t take long before the conversation turns to the concept of office hell.
PHOTO, PREVIOUS PAGE AND SPREAD: GARRETT ROWLAND
Fewer than 10 minutes into our recent chat, Michael Leckie, the principal architect at Leckie Studio Architecture + Design, invokes the twin pop-cultural totems of soul-crushing workplaces: The Office and Office Space. “Unfortunately, the standard so-called office space throughout the majority of North America became a very dystopic environment: acoustic T-bar ceiling, cubicles, and just no feeling or character.” It’s no wonder then that businesses—especially those in creative industries—gravitated toward renovating older industrial buildings, rich with history and personality, and eschewed cookie-cutter ground-ups when developing their office environments. At the same time, these old spaces would hardly make strong candidates for office-space adaptive reuse if their only selling point were charm; they need to deliver functionally. So what makes an old warehouse—or in one recent conversion, an old slaughterhouse—good fodder for contemporary office space?
ENDLESS POSSIBILITY Leckie in 2016 completed the transformation of an old Vancouver warehouse into the regional offices for Slack Technologies, the cloud-based messaging service that, in its own way, has changed the way a lot of work gets done. He points to early 20th century industrial sites’ durability and penchant for open spaces in particular as standout reuse selling points. “Traditional warehouse spaces were designed in a very robust manner,” he says. “They were originally designed to be flexible and adaptable, with large spans between beams. Because we’re in the Pacific Northwest, we see a lot of beautiful heavy timber beams. In other industrialized cities, you see a similar thing, but maybe with concrete or brick or load-bearing masonry. Regardless of the materiality, the nature of the gb&d
space and its intended use was always the same; there was a flexibility, large scale of space, and robust structure.” And it’s vital that offices facilitate employee mobility, Leckie says. “Most creative workplaces are highly collaborative environments, so the design fundamentally starts with the open-plan concept. When you have spaces that were originally designed to be large and open, you can see the natural synergy that happens.”
UP FOR THE CHALLENGE A few hundred miles south from Vancouver down Highway 5, you’ll find the regional offices of Autodesk, a company that builds software for architecture, engineering, and construction. The Portland office resides in the historic Towne Storage Building, a former paper mill that dates back to 1916. Dietrich Wieland, a principal architect and director of sustainability at Mackenzie Architects, which constructed the office’s interiors, is blunt with a counterargument: “[Industrial sites] are often inherently not great candidates [for adaptive reuse].” Noise control in particular is a challenge. “A lot of these buildings are all woodframed, which makes for a beautiful structure but is technically challenging from an acoustical perspective.” The project also needed new MEPFS, seismic upgrades, and core and shell renovations, which were completed by LRS Architects. But when you consider the potential alternative—the historic building had stability issues and likely needed major structural fixes to avoid future teardown—the investment makes sense. And there were indeed functional boons embedded within the structure, including abundant daylight and good floor-to-floor heights. The need for unrestricted space was also key for Erin Greer, studio director for Gensler, when asked about the firm’s recent adaptive reuse proj-
P R OJ E CT NAME Fitzco / Momentum / Weber Shandwick LOCATION Atlanta COMPLETION 2017 SIZE 53,404 square feet ARCHITECT Gensler MECHANICAL ENGINEER Newcomb & Boyd STRUCTURAL ENGINEER M2 Structural CONTRACTOR Gay Construction Company LIGHTING One Lux Studio
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PHOTOS, CLOCKWISE: EMA PETER, GARRETT ROWLAND, CHRISTIAN COLUMBRES
TYPOLOGY
CLOCKWISE: Cloud-like pendants light up the statement bleacher staircase at Slack. Gensler favored a “hospitality-forward” approach for Fitzco / Momentum / Weber Shandwick office, with shared meeting spaces to complement the open-plan workspaces. Mackenzie Architects transformed a former paper mill for Autodesk.
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SLACK Third Floor
Fourth Floor FITZCO / MOMENTUM / WEBER SHANDWICK
PHOTO: EMA PETER
Level 1
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P R OJ E CT NAME Autodesk LOCATION Portland, OR COMPLETION 2018 SIZE 60,000 square feet ARCHITECTS Mackenzie Architects, LRS Architects MEP Glumac CONTRACTOR Fortis Construction
P R OJ E CT NAME Slack LOCATION Vancouver COMPLETION June 2016 SIZE 12,000 square feet ARCHITECT Leckie Studio Architecture + Design CONTRACTORS Powers Construction, CDC Construction LIGHTING FIXTURES Molo Design MECHANICAL & ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT Integral
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ect for media agencies Fitzco, Momentum, and Weber Shandwick in Atlanta. The team transformed an old slaughterhouse that had long ago fallen into disrepair, taking advantage of a massive floor plate by stitching together three buildings—namely by breaking through the thick masonry walls that once divided the spaces. That barrier-free expansiveness is vital to operations. “Research shows the more people can see and be seen, the more interactions they have with colleagues, which leads to increased collaboration, which leads directly to more innovation,” Greer says. The brands that operate in the building are sister agencies, and they conduct business side by side in a pooled-together space. In a sense, it literalizes the way the media industry has evolved recently. “As larger holding companies acquire boutique firms and look to leverage their collective power, there’s been a shift to more holistic campaigns,” Greer says. “Smaller agencies have recognized the need to break down silos of formerly separate workflows in order to stay ahead of the curve.” Hence the position of each firm adjacent to one another within a contiguous space. The project—which won a Best of the Best Award from the Georgia chapter of the International Interior Design Association—furthers the sense of communalism with a welcoming front porch, open reception area and café, collaborative conference spaces near the central atrium, and a shared floor for hosting clients. The massive atrium allows daylight to pour through and reach each. Not coincidentally, Slack similarly pursued a non-sequestered setup to help foster interaction, and also to break down any sense of a pecking order, according to Leckie. Even Founder Stewart Butterfield works from a standard desk within the open office environment, alongside other employees. The building sports an ambitious architectural insert that spans all three floors, plus large-scale bleacher seating, the aforementioned open plan, and a kitchen/bar area strategically positioned at the top—“the nicest spot in the space”—to promote employee circulation—all elements designed to prevent silo effects and resist hierarchies.
A SENSE OF PLACE But aside from strict functionalism, the benefits of industrial-to-commercial reuse is undeniable for Greer. So much competition exists between employers for qualified candidates in creative fields—there’s “a war for talent,” she says—that fostering “that sense of creativity and authenticity becomes really important” when companies look to attract and keep elite talent. “You want to bring out creativity, make people feel like they’re in an environment that’s different, that isn’t a glass office building, but has a fabric of history … The juxtaposition of old and new is really exciting for employees,” she says. Of course, no building exists in a vacuum, and
these projects all illustrate how the relationship between history, neighborhood, and design can become entangled within a site. The Slack office, for instance, is part of a broader, long-term transformation of its Yaletown neighborhood—a onetime industrial hotbed that was the westernmost stop on the Canadian Pacific Railway—that dates back to at least 1986, when the area hosted the World’s Fair. A number of post-industrial adaptive reuse projects cluster immediately around the office, including several by Leckie: Karameller, across the street from Slack, located inside a very similar, former industrial building, and the Small Victory Bakery, around the corner, which features heavy timber left exposed by the firm. “The connection details, materiality, all these things, they make up the kind of space people want to be in. There’s a deeper appreciation for these spaces and the experience they provide,” Leckie says. Gensler’s media agency project also takes up residence in a historic railroad focal point, at the foot of the Howell Interlocking Historic District, a convergence point of four rail lines that abuts the Marietta Street Artery neighborhood—a former industrial area that continues to be adapted into urban amenities. Such transitions are hardly uncommon in major metros, but the preservationist instinct in Atlanta may have deeper significance than just following a trend. The city’s architectural style is difficult to pin down, and retaining the built environment’s character feels even more crucial. “A lot of newer products coming online, they’re not what you’d think of as iconic architecture or architecture that represents place, so you layer onto Atlanta’s uniqueness of different neighborhoods and communities,” Greer says. Further underscoring the old-meets-new nature of the site is its position near the Atlanta Beltline—the extensive rail-to-trail conversion of the miles-long railroad corridor that encircles the city’s core and represents one of the biggest urban redevelopment/public parks programs in the country. There was a similar drive by Leckie and Mackenzie to instill a sense of place into their Slack and Autodesk designs. Mackenzie made a conscious effort to promote Portland’s local artisan culture within the Autodesk project, bringing in local makers to assist on branding and graphics, custom furniture, and lighting; and tiny house– themed conference rooms nod to the city’s famous craft movement, Wieland notes. At the Slack office, the team left timber materials exposed, brought in a statement piece moss wall, and installed cloud-shaped MOLO lights above the bleacher stairs—nods to the temperate rainforest environment of the Pacific Northwest. That combination of open-plan utility, historic character, and environmental acknowledgement proves potent when considering an old industrial site’s contemporary office potential. “There’s a soulfulness in the character you just can’t imitate,” Leckie says. gb&d. gbdmagazine.com
TYPOLOGY
AUTODESK Second Floor
PHOTOS: CHRISTIAN COLUMBRES
Portland’s historic Towne Storage Building was converted into beautiful office space for Autodesk with clever seating and breakout areas.
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ASSA ABLOY WiFi locks and exit devices provide complete access control in locations where it would be difficult or cost-prohibitive to install a wired lock. With no wires to run, installation time is significantly reduced— simply install the device on the door and configure it to communicate with the wireless network.
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DEVELOPING THE BEST PRODUCTS MEANS FINDING PROBLEMS BEFORE THEY’RE A C T U A L LY
It means knowing the person who’s going to use the product. It means a lot of research, and it’s something Swedish-owned lock manufacturer ASSA ABLOY has down to a science. The world’s largest manufacturer of door opening solutions has well over 150 products in development at any one time—all of which go through an intense research and development process. By the time the final product makes it to the consumer, ASSA ABLOY’s engineers know exactly how it will function and what it takes for the product to fail. The company’s qualitative approach means not only understanding the products and how they work, but truly comprehending the needs of customers. “It’s great to have a Cadillac of a product, but if it’s missing a mark with the customer and not really
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helping to take care of their needs, then we haven’t succeeded,” says Dan Picard, director of innovation at ASSA ABLOY Americas. “We have to be very close with our customers and end users. Walk in their shoes, understand their pain points. We want to understand every point in the chain.” This hands-on approach is what sets the company apart. “At the end of the day, we and our peers in the industry are doing a good job with traditional security and safety, but what differentiates us is how we understand our customers and how they operate,” says Peter Boriskin, chief technology officer for the Americas. ASSA ABLOY was formed in 1994 and has since grown to an international company operating in more than 70 countries. It has been named four times as one of Forbes’ World’s Most Innovative Companies.
PHOTO, THIS PAGE AND PREVIOUS SPREAD: COURTESY OF ASSA ABLOY
PROBLEMS.
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EMPLOYING EMPATHY The first stage of the R&D process is empathy with the customer. ASSA ABLOY’s teams get into the trenches, examining every detail. They spend time observing how their products are being used—and in some cases abused—listening to the needs and concerns of customers and end users and interacting directly with the product in the consumer setting. The company’s “Voice of the Customer” research team constantly gathers feedback through roundtable discussions, interviews, and immersion research. They take into account every aspect—from ease of installation, maintenance, safety, and security to sustainability and overall functionality. “We try to get as many different points of view as possible with every type of product we are developing,” says Lee Griswold, industrial design manager for the Americas. “We do deep dives into learning as much as we can ahead of developing a product.” ASSA ABLOY responds to requests from customers while also looking to uncover needs that have not yet been discovered. “If we can develop a solution to a problem that the end user is not even aware of yet, that’s great,” Griswold says. Part of Griswold’s job is to work on aesthetics, incorporating the lock hardware into a room. He spends a lot of time learning about the look and finishes customers seek while keeping functionality, security, and longevity at the forefront. “Door hardware, in general, is part of a system. The hardware is part of a room—a room which is part of a building, a building that is part of a community. This is why it’s important we develop products that not only accommodate the needs of the system, but are timeless in their appearance.”
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF ASSA ABLOY
EXPERT COLLABORATION Each of ASSA ABLOY’s divisions has its own R&D department, allowing them to focus specifically on their market and category. Having specialized departments means each product has its own team of experts to work on design and manufacturing. It also means collaboration is just a phone call away. “Engineering teams can work side by side with manufacturing teams. It is critical to solving problems more efficiently,” Griswold says. ASSA ABLOY encourages cross-company communication to create total door solutions. Weak points in the systems are more easily identified by having many specialized R&D departments work together, rather than having one overarching department. “The goal of the multiple R&D teams collaborating is to develop a holistic solution, where the sum of the parts is greater than the whole,” Picard says. It’s a hybrid approach. “You have that collaboration when you need multiple argb&d
The McKinney Concealed Hinges feature 3D adjustability for easy installation and door alteration.
eas of expertise,” Picard says. “But it’s also good to have some separation so you have more subject matter experts. Each product engineer becomes very familiar with the specific product they are working on. It’s their bread and butter.”
TESTING AND RE-TESTING Once a need is identified and a prototype is designed, the development process is far from over. ASSA ABLOY puts all products through a rigorous testing process. Depending on the product, it’s tested for durability, strength, safety, security, and/or fire rating. Door locks are put through a full mechanical-cycle test where the door is opened and closed to the point of failure. “There is a lot that has to be considered when developing a product and making sure it conforms to industry standards,” Picard says. The bare minimum is never enough for ASSA ABLOY. The company holds all its products to the highest possible standards. Depending on the individual product application, the testing process may take several months. “There is no rule of thumb for how long the testing process takes,” Boriskin says. “Even if the engineering process is short, we make sure to really test and validate our products before launch.” As a global company, ASSA ABLOY has to consider environmental conditions from all over the world. Many of its products are tested for high winds and other severe weather.
SUSTAINABLE INNOVATION Transparency and sustainability are top priorities for ASSA ABLOY. Development teams look closely at suppliers and the chemicals used in products, avoiding potentially harmful substances wherever possible. “Customers want to know what’s in the product,” Picard says. “We pride ourselves on having the safest, most secure, and sustainable products.” All products are designed with longevity and end-recyclability in mind. “We think about the whole life cycle of the product.” Many products carry Environmental Product Declarations, Health Product Declarations, Declare labels, GREENGUARD Gold certifications, and are designed to increase energy efficiency. Careful attention is paid to how each product can help customers earn credits for green building programs like LEED and WELL, too. And the company recently developed two energy-harvesting lock products. ASSA ABLOY does more than talk the talk. Its manufacturing plants are focused on reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions, improving water and waste management, and phasing out hazardous chemicals. One of its plants generates more than 50% of its power from renewable energy sources. “Not only is it the right thing to do, but the reality is, at the end of the day, these are the places we live, we work, and we play,” Boriskin says. gb&d may–june 2019
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7 TH INGS TO LOOK FOR IN A
CONSU LTING
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FIRM I N D U S T RY EXPERTS A LT I E R I SHARE THE TOP AT T R I B U T E S YO U S H O U L D CONSIDER B E F O R E YO U R NEXT BIG P R O J E C T. BY C O L L E E N D E H A R T
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PHOTO: SUSAN FISHER PLOTNER
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Altieri frequently works with the American Museum of Natural History, including many projects at the Rose Center for Earth and Space.
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The engineers
1. KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERTISE
It’s important for engineers to have the expertise for the environment they will work in. Altieri special-
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izes in spaces with stringent requirements. “Different spaces have different challenges. It’s important these challenges are understood early in the process,” Steiner says. Having the right expertise allows for more creativity. Chris Couse, founding principal at KPMB Architects, hired Altieri to work on the renovation of Yale University’s Adams Center for Musical Arts. The building was constructed in the late 1900s, presenting many design challenges. Altieri reduced energy consumption, limited the ductwork needed, and provided an acoustically sensitive solution. “There is a nimbleness to their design thinking and ability to foresee long-range implications and consequences of design directions that have been invaluable to us in addressing very complex design problems and implementing better energy strategies.” Altieri looks ahead to identify and resolve challenges before they grow in scope. This is especially critical for projects with aggressive aspirations like critical environmental controls or extreme energy conservation. Glenstone Museum, for example, wanted to build a 100year building. This was a challenge, as equipment only lasts 20 to 30 years. On these and other projects,
Altieri’s expertise was critical. “We are looking for consultants who are good with problem solving,” says Philip Chen, principal and president of Ann Beha Architects.
2. HANDS-ON LEADERSHIP
The Rose Center for Earth and Space at the American Museum of Natural History
Altieri understands managers are not just managers. “First and foremost, we are engineers,” Steiner
PHOTOS: SUSAN FISHER PLOTNER
at consulting engineering firm Altieri have been referred to as “engineers with the souls of architects.” It’s kept clients coming back for 60 years. “If you look at our portfolio, you see buildings that are remarkable for their architecture. They are remarkable, also, because you don’t see our work,” says Philip Steiner, principal and managing director. When engineering air systems for Corning Museum of Glass, Altieri wanted to be sympathetic to the design. That was a challenge, considering the thick cast concrete walls holding up the glass roof of the new space dedicated to the presentation of contemporary art glass. The engineers came up with inventive solutions to keep air outlets out of sight. “We pay attention to the project intentions and the architecture and get creative,” Steiner says. It’s that passion for design that has attracted Michael A. Nieminen, partner at Kliment Halsband Architects, for 15 years. “They always support our design efforts and are sensitive to the implications of the systems they design,” he says. Altieri is the proven leader in architectural engineering solutions for highly controlled building environments. It’s their mission to engineer solutions that enhance the architectural vision by fostering a culture of creativity. Their projects include The National WWII Museum, The Getty Center, Philadelphia Museum of Art, New England Conservatory of Music, and the Williams College Sawyer Library, to name a few. The experts at Altieri say these are just some of the things you should consider before choosing a consulting engineering firm.
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Altieri reduced energy consumption and limited the ductwork needed at the Yale Adams Center performing arts building.
3. CLIENT RESPONSIVENESS
PHOTOS: SUSAN FISHER PLOTNER; MICHAEL FRELIECH
Altieri helped the Glenstone Museum achieve their goal of building a 100-year-old building.
says. Even the company’s most senior principals get their hands dirty in the design process. That’s why Altieri operates in a studio format, rather than by department. The 55-person office is split into four design studios where mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection engineers and designers at all levels collaborate.
Understanding a client’s vision is something Altieri engineers make a priority. “There are many very good engineers who become dogmatic in their application of engineering principles. We try not to be. We try to customize our work to our clients. We need to keep architect and client goals first,” Steiner says. Altieri engineers don’t tell clients they have to do something; they offer options and work with the client to determine the best solution.
Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine turned to Altieri for their expertise at this academic building.
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Altieri’s 55-person office is split into four design studios where mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection engineers and designers at all levels collaborate. Altieri offers the top solutions for highly controlled building environments.
When hiring a firm, it’s crucial to ensure the staff holds professional engineering licenses. It can also be beneficial to hire a firm with additional certifications. Altieri engineers have LEED, fire protection (NICET SET), and IT (RCDD) certifications. The firm is one of the first to have staff with the Passive House certification.
5. BUDGET COMMITMENT
Budget issues can make or break a project. Consider a firm’s track record. Budgets should be presented at the beginning of a project with a commitment to stay as close to goal as possible. “Building owners want to know if you are sensitive to the budget requirements for a given program. We are constantly factoring design and budget toward the same place,” Steiner says.
6. STABILITY
A project could be in development for years depending on design complexity. Having the same staff on the project through its entirety helps things run smoothly. “A great firm will have consistent staff on
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Altieri has worked on buildings old and new at the Clark Art Institute museum campus.
the project from start to finish and still have that staff available when that client calls again for the next project,” says Kari A. Nystrom, principal at Altieri.
7. COMMITTED TO SUSTAINABILITY
Hiring a firm that’s committed to sustainable goals and has LEED experience can be invaluable. Sustainable design has always been a priority for Altieri. The firm designed building systems for the Mark Twain House & Museum. In 2004, the museum became the first in the U.S. to receive LEED certification. “It’s important not only to seek engineering firms that embrace a sustainable approach but, more importantly, to seek those firms that have a proven record of applying environmentally conscious practices,” Steiner says. gb&d
PHOTOS: SUSAN FISHER PLOTNER; ANDREW J. SEBOR
4. NEXT-LEVEL CERTIFICATIONS
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The new Audacy Wireless Lighting Control System makes it easy to control the light in your workplace.
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A NEW LIGHT How the Audacy Wireless Lighting Control System makes for better design. By Hilary Daninhirsch
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Sometimes you don’t realize it until 2am. With traditional lighting systems, this may mean a facilities manager has to shuffle back to the building to physically turn off the lights. With the new Audacy Wireless Lighting Control System from IDEAL INDUSTRIES, INC., a simple touch of a button from a remote device will control the lighting from anywhere with an Internet connection. That alone can save a middle of the night “lights off” call as well as provide peace of mind for facility owners and managers. “Audacy is a truly wireless control system,” says Nolan Bello, business unit manager of Audacy Wireless Solutions, a division of the Illinois-based IDEAL. “Many
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systems out there say they’re wireless, but many components still need to be wired for power. Our solution’s sensors and switches are battery-operated; no wires go into the switches themselves,” he says, adding that the battery life is up to 25 years, so you can “set it and forget it” for a couple of decades.
Flexibility
The Audacy Wireless Lighting Control System is a revolutionary concept. The system is cloud-based with dedicated IOS and Android platforms and can be controlled from anywhere in the world. The system’s proven tag line is that it brings you the right amount of light at the right place at the right time: The
The cloud-based system with dedicated IOS and Android platforms can be controlled from anywhere in the world.
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PHOTO, THIS PAGE AND PREVIOUS SPREAD: COURTESY OF AUDACY
Invariably, someone will forget to turn off the lights.
FEATURES
lighting solution can be zoned in areas that need different lighting solutions at different times of day. “You can control one individual light or control every fixture. There’s a lot of degree of freedom to control every aspect of your space from a lighting standpoint,” Bello says. Bello says the Audacy system literally puts the power back in the hands of facility managers who want to rearrange the layout, with a minimal amount of effort. “If they have a multipurpose room but tomorrow wanted to reconfigure it to be three rooms, that can easily be reconfigured by the app or web interface,” Bello says. “That’s a big plus and one of the things that sets us apart in the industry.” And not only is the system easy to install on the company’s part, it’s also straightforward when it comes to training end users.
Cost & Energy Savings
The Audacy System in Action
When Wrigley Field built a new clubhouse, the project called for the Audacy system, as flexibility was a must: They needed lighting that was reconfigurable and scalable. The Audacy team installed the underground system in the 30,000-square-foot, two-story facility that included the clubhouse, locker rooms, training facility, and concessions area. The Wrigley team was so satisfied they contracted with IDEAL again, when Wrigley needed to build more office space and renovate hospitality and box suites in the stadium. “It has been a pretty significant expansion of the Audacy product within the campus,” Bello says. An architectural firm in Minneapolis also wanted the built-in flexibility the Audacy system provides. The open concept building already harvested natural daylight, so the managers at Perkins + Will installed the system to customize certain work zones according to the usage of
those zones. This perfectly suited the busy firm, whose employees had varied work schedules.
Shedding Light
While it’s ideal to install Audacy Wireless Controls during a building’s construction phase, the system can be retrofitted into existing spaces, too; its interoperability means it can be integrated with other existing systems. And while large buildings like stadiums and universities benefit greatly from the system’s f lexibility, integration into larger systems, and the consistency of one person controlling a large space at their fingertips, means small spaces benefit from this system as well. “If it’s easy to physically install and can bring energy savings into a space, why wouldn’t we want to do that?” Bello says. “I think it empowers those who are at the facility to be able to have more control over their environment,” Bello adds. “There are studies that link lighting to productivity. Facility managers, landlords, and companies are trying to find ways to make occupants more productive, healthy, and happier, and lighting is an ever-increasing part of that.” gb&d
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF AUDACY
The Audacy Solution is akin to an energy savings bank; the system is designed to cut lighting energy costs up to 50%. Moreover, the quick installation gets the system up and running 85% faster than traditional wired systems due to the lack of wires. “Studies show that electrical lighting can account for up
to 40% of a building’s electrical load; with simple lighting control strategy, you can save up to 60% of that 40%, but you can save roughly half of your lighting bill,” Bello says.
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Christine Bruckner Director, M Moser Associates The M Moser office in Hong Kong blends indoor and outdoor with optimized natural light.
How do details of light improve life in commercial spaces?
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It’s no secret that spaces with natural light and outdoor views improve quality of life. Research from doctors highlighting the interconnection of our circadian rhythms with the amount of daylight we see has led the International WELL Building Standard to require at least four hours of natural light each day be provided in interior environ-
ments. Designing clerestory zones with unobstructed windows around a space is a solution M Moser not only offers to clients but also implements in its own offices to allow the natural light needed into interiors, thereby reducing stress while raising spirits—individually and collectively. This uplifting spatial experience has a direct impact on well-being at a
spiritual and physical level, both of which are directly correlated with human performance and happiness in a space. Studying architectural “details of lightness” in design—something I have personally pursued for decades—has infused our work through transformative projects of all scales. In addition to maximizing the quantity and melanopic-color quality of light to enhance multiple human systems like sleep, immunity, and engagement, the architectural integration of light plays a powerful role in uplifting the soul. When light is introduced to seemingly float a roof, dematerialize a corner, or flow through the interstices between elements, these details serve to open and release traditional spatial enclosure. As a consequence, details
of light can imbue freedom, stimulate self-reflection, and empower people. These architectural details—complemented by the design of energy-efficient sensor-integrated, full-color rendition dimmable lighting—can be fully integrated to maintain a glare-free environment that both augments natural light and supports various lighting levels, spanning from brighter workplace options to dimmer renewal spaces that are critical to reducing stress and improving well-being. Read more in the July/August issue to understand how the invisible details of sound are equally important to consider in the design, construction, and operation of environments that enable people and businesses to meet their needs and exceed their potential. gbdmagazine.com
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF M MOSER ASSOCIATES
Ask the Expert
As director of M Moser Associates, Christine Bruckner brings her experience with urban integration, revitalization, and design excellence to guide the development of our built environment at all scales. The 2018 WSLA recipient is an architect actively supporting best practice, sustainability, and wellness in design. Here, she looks at how creating subtle, uplifting experiences for people within a space improve health and well-being as well as productivity.
PUNCH PRACTICE LIST
The M Moser office in Guangzhou, China is LEED- and WELL-certified.
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Brad Turpin CEO, Overtone Acoustics
Ask the Expert How can I improve acoustic control without sacrificing aesthetics?
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Traditionally speaking, acoustics haven’t been “pretty.” The solutions successfully worked to absorb sound and reduce echo, but their appearance left much to be desired. Overtone has set out to change that with its fully customizable, handcrafted acoustic panels. So, how should architects, interior designers, or others approach acoustical considerations
with aesthetics in mind? The most important thing you can do is consider acoustics during the design phase—not afterward. Not only will this give you more control over how you tackle noise concerns in a way that complements the overall design, but it will also save you money. Between custom panels adorned with art, perforated wood veneer, or fabrics of any kind,
Overtone offers the ideal solution for any space. It just comes down to picking the right approach. For example, when we led an overhaul of the acoustics at the Hard Rock Live arena in Atlantic City, our team considered the logistical considerations of such a high-density space. The facility previously had standard white ceiling tiles, which not only added no sound control value but also distracted from what should be the real focus—what’s happening onstage. The solution was a theater tile covered in dark fabric to completely black out the ceiling while providing acoustical control. That’s the power of a customizable
acoustical panel: You can make it look however you want. The fabric is acoustically transparent, which means sound can travel through it to be absorbed by the panels’ acoustical core. But even if you don’t address acoustics at the outset, you can still vastly improve your surroundings by creating solutions retroactively. And because panels can be customized, you can seamlessly add in a layer of acoustical protection. Now that’s sound design.
Read more from Overtone Acoustics in the July+August issue of gb&d, when Turpin explores sound’s effect on workplace productivity.
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PHOTOS: COURTESY OF OVERTONE ACOUSTICS
It’s a classic story, and one that never gets old: The business that started in the garage. It’s how Brad Turpin got his foothold in the acoustic treatment industry. Today the business he founded in 2011, Overtone Acoustics, is forging new paths in the way businesses, organizations, and individuals manage sound in their spaces. Back in his garage, Turpin discovered how to transform materials into acoustical panels he used to turn his spare bedroom into a recording studio. That experience inspired him to help others in need of smart and stylish solutions. His business has transformed over the years, but one core value has remained constant: the need to fuse form and function.
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Theater tile covered in dark fabric blacked out the ceiling while providing acoustical control at Hard Rock Live in Atlantic City.
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Don Everard CEO, EZ-ACCESS
Read more in the July+August issue of gb&d, when Everard further explores aluminum ramps.
Ask the Expert What type of ramp works best for my building?
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) presents a set of federal building guidelines and legal requirements to ensure public and commercial spaces are accessible to all. But different types of buildings
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have different requirements.
BUILT For already built structures, the ADA requires you to make reasonable accommodations. The ADA won’t make you tear your building down or
remove all your parking to build a ramp, but you will need to make modifications to remove barriers. Your reasonable accommodation could be anything from placing threshold ramps at entrances to create a smooth transition through doorways with raised thresholds to modular, semi-permanent ramps to portable ramps that can be set up quickly for an individual and then stored in a closet. We find all of these to be great, simple options depending on your building’s configuration. For instances where structures cannot be completely retrofitted,
such as a historic building, we find the most practical solution for implementing ease of access is an aluminum ramp system, due to its non-permanent nature that doesn’t interfere with the structural components of the building. These historic building solutions usually require the most creativity—we often cover the otherwise easy to install aluminum ramp with a colored powder coating to blend in better with the historical site. Popular colors are bronze, black, and ivory.
NEW BUILD Full ADA compliance is required
for all new commercial and public buildings. The most common tactic is to either build the structure level with the ground or construct an entry ramp using materials like wood or concrete. Concrete is highly permanent, yet can deteriorate over time. EZ-ACCESS ends up replacing degraded wood, concrete, and steel ramps with aluminum a few years later. Wood has traditionally been a popular first choice material, especially for schools, but it’s also one of the least accommodating because of high maintenance costs and wear and tear.
REMODEL/ TEMPORARY When doing a commercial or public space remodel, it’s likely some sort of temporary building will be utilized onsite. Temporary buildings set up for construction projects will need access for the duration of their use, and there are cost effective, reusable solutions, especially in modular aluminum ramps for this exact function. It’s also important not to forget about access accommodations for temporary structures like modular buildings and event spaces.
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PHOTOS: COURTESY OF EZ-ACCESS
Don Everard knows a thing or two about fitting buildings for accessibility-focused solutions. The CEO of EZ-ACCESS, the leading aluminum ramp company, has been working to make buildings accessible to people of all walks since 1988. That’s two years before President George H.W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) into law, prohibiting discrimination against individuals with disabilities in public and commercial spaces throughout the U.S. Since EZ-ACCESS was founded as a division of his family’s business, Homecare Products Inc., Everard and his team have installed aluminum ramps for buildings new and old all over the country. Everard explains how to make ADA work for your type of building.
PUNCHPRACTICE LIST
The most practical solution for implementing ease of access is an aluminum ramp system.
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Bill Adams Sales Team Lead, LCG
Ask the Expert How can steel grating be customized for high performance?
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Before diving into custom options, a little background on the basics of grating design: A bearing bar is the primary load-carrying element; it’s a flat bar of virtually any height or thickness. Bearing bars have consistent spacing between them, based on a project’s needs. Crossbars are welded to the bearing bars.
Design options are abundant for steel grating. LCG can meet practically any open-air requirements by adjusting the bearing bar size and spacing. Heavy duty steel grating usually comes in standard widths, but if a customer needs a little bit of wiggle room, anywhere from a quarter-inch to several inches, our welders can
manipulate the bearing bars as needed. During the fabrication process, welders can extend the bars out, or make certain cutouts to allow the grating to fit in a specific trench or platform. They can also adjust the grating to fit around fixtures like steam pipes or drain pipes. Crossbars can be customized to increase load-bearing capabilities. In a roadway application, if traffic goes in the direction of the crossbars, a rectangular crossbar offers better load distribution than a standard smooth round crossbar. Bottom crossbars can also be added for
more load-bearing support. If you need additional traction or skid resistance, the product can be customized to have a serrated grating surface. Customization options are limitless—from hopper covers and heavy material-handling screens to radio frequency screens for national security installations. LCG can also customize grates for cast in-place drainage boxes and troughs, ideal for the precast industry.
Read more from LCG in the July+August issue of gb&d, when Adams looks at the best uses of heavyduty steel grating.
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PHOTOS: COURTESY OF LAUREL CUSTOM GRATING
Unlike many steel manufacturers, Laurel Custom Grating (LCG) always takes on custom products for its customers to best serve their individual project needs. LCG has been manufacturing specialized items like special alloy high impact-resistant grates and other complex application-specific grates since its founding in 1983. The company is also able to provide customized gratings to contractors who need products heavy enough to withstand vehicle loads while still complying with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act. Bill Adams, sales team lead at LCG, recently outlined the vast custom options for steel grating.
PUNCH PRACTICE LIST
LCG can meet practically any openair requirements by adjusting the bearing bar size and spacing.
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Mary Acciani Senior Project Manager, AKF Group
Children play in the schoolyard under a section of the AKF-designed roofmounted 597.2 kW photovoltaic array consisting of 2,023 panels.
Will your sustainable building meet expectations?
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As architects and engineers, we design our projects hoping that, once constructed, they’ll reach the sustainability goals we’ve designed them to meet. So many advances have been made in sustainable building design—from LED lighting to electrochromatic glazing to new approaches to HVAC. But there’s a learning curve to incorporating and operating these innovative
technologies well. Unfortunately as we all know, designs can be compromised during construction and buildings can be operated contrary to design intent. It’s essential that different technologies be coordinated during the design process so finished systems work well together. Contractors must understand the design intent so that when they look to substitute materials and
equipment, sustainable qualities aren’t compromised. They also need to understand how systems are supposed to work, together and apart, to install them properly and train owners adequately. Engaging enhanced and monitoring based (E&M) commissioning is critical. With E&M commissioning, the commissioning agent reviews contractor submittals and provides another set of eyes to guarantee what’s provided is what was specified. They also assist designers with requirements for measuring and metering to generate invaluable information for fine-tuning and troubleshooting systems—at start-up and beyond. To further certify that
a building operates as designed, the agent develops monitoring-based procedures and conducts a review of building operations 10 months after completion. The building’s initial occupancy period is often challenging, as occupants learn to adjust to new surroundings with features that may also be new to them. Building operators may be learning to work with complicated systems. Owners should consider having the project design team host workshops to educate about green features. Providing a building user’s guide is also a good idea, as is including a dashboard system to monitor and track energy consumption, gbdmagazine.com
PHOTOS: JAMES EWING / OTTO
Ask the Expert
Mary Acciani is a licensed professional engineer, certified energy manager, and certified green building engineer with more than 35 years of experience in architectural engineering. She is currently a senior project manager at AKF Group, an award-winning global engineering firm offering MEP/FP design and energy and sustainability services along with analysis and testing, architectural code consulting, building controls, commissioning, critical systems, fire and life safety, infrastructure, IT/ AV/Security, lighting, and special inspections.
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AKF designed sustainable MEP/ FP systems for New York City’s first net zero energy school—P.S. 62 The Kathleen Grimm School of Leadership and Sustainability. The school is intended as a living laboratory for teaching students about energy, with custom dashboards where students can learn energy facts and track building energy consumption.
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Lon Bauer, Product Development Manager, APV Engineered Coatings
Ask the Expert How can I extend the life of my building’s facade?
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Depending on the region where a building is located, from hot and sunny to cold with frequent precipitation, you may need to repaint every several years. And that can get expensive. With APV’s NeverFade, which comes with an uncommon 15-year color fade warranty, you’ll only need to paint once. That’s the
product’s true value, and there are plenty of success stories. Here’s one: Nine years ago we coated a stucco plaza in Cave Creek, Arizona, where it’s hot, dry, and dirty. The structure had originally been painted brown, but by the time its owners decided to invest in facade protection, the original surface paint had totally
eroded from longterm exposure to intense UV rays, and a condition called “chalking” was apparent. In that case, we ended up applying W-1500 Primer and NeverFade Original Topcoat to bare stucco. But here’s the real kicker: Thanks to complex inorganic pigments and the PVDF polymer technology, the building still looks beautiful, as though it was recently coated. And that’s not because it’s been cleaned. Not manually, anyway. Mere rainwater, though less than frequent in that region, rinses dirt, mold, and mildew from what’s essentially a self-cleaning surface. Here’s another illustrative case
study, also about nine years old: The owners of a residential vacation property in hot, humid, and hurricane-prone Sanibel Island, Florida had some serious issues with mold and mildew growth on their building’s stucco facade. This was their second home, and they wanted it to be as maintenance-free as possible. Eliminating the need to invest in annual pressure washing was part of that. Once again, NeverFade solved the problem—and not just for the shortterm. Revisiting the property a year or so ago, it was striking to see how well the facade has aged. Striking, but unsurprising. It’s not called NeverFade for nothing. gbdmagazine.com
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF APV ENGINEERED COATINGS
Extending the life of a building’s facade is no easy task. The climate in which a structure is located, environmental damage from harsh UV rays, windblown sand, frigid winters, and other factors can all necessitate frequent re-coating. Chemical and thermal factors come into play, too. But NeverFade® coatings from APV Engineered Coatings are a game changer for metal and non-metal surfaces alike, performing consistently well on stucco, brick, cement, awnings, window profiles, roofs, and more. Developed using Kynar Aquatec® PVDF, its standout qualities include resistance to color-fading, chalking, mildew, mold, and dirt pickup. APV’s product development manager Lon Bauer explains how.
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NeverFade eliminated the need for this house in Sanibel Island, Florida to have to be pressure washed annually.
Read about PVDF coatings from APV in the July+August issue of gb&d.
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Ashley Eusey Architectural Engineer Hoefer Wysocki
The LEED Silver VA PFC Floyd K. Lindstrom outpatient clinic in Colorado Springs
How do we make a business case for sustainability?
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Although gaining credibility, bias and misconception surround sustainability. High costs, lack of necessity, and negative socio-political associations are among the objections raised when green design alternatives are presented. But these objections can be overcome. What’s the best way to make this happen? First, do your research. What performance met-
rics matter to your client? Although statistics—like more thermal insulation increases productivity by 9%, or abundant daylight equals fewer sick days—can be compelling, they’re only effective if they resonate with the owner’s goals. For example, employee benefits are irrelevant to a developer looking to lease or sell off a building soon. They may want to hear that sustainable
buildings deliver higher rent and longer-term leases, which in turn attract a higher sale price. On the retail side, while employees are a consideration, driving sales is paramount. For these businesses, statistics on sustainability’s impact on buyer behavior, which have proven to drive sales, will be heard loud and clear. Millennials, for example, will pay a premium for goods for brands that show environmental stewardship. Additionally, more than 90% of global consumers want to see more brands support environmental issues. Hospitals focus on recovery times, and schools value test scores and knowledge retention. Presenting clear data
about sustainable design’s impact on relevant outcomes makes a sound business case. Be ready to back up your recommendations with research, past experience, or case studies. Organizations like USGBC and Living Building Institute have searchable case study databases. Sustainable product manufacturers have data to illustrate the financial benefits. Respect your audience, listen to their concerns and values. Present the data and let them draw conclusions and make decisions. As more performance data is generated year-over-year, owners are increasingly realizing the benefits of green building. gbdmagazine.com
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF HOEFER WYSOCKI
Ask the Expert
Architectural Engineer Ashley Eusey leads Hoefer Wysocki‘s sustainability team. Eusey has led sustainable design for many of the firm’s projects, including the Department of Veterans Affairs health care clinic in Chattanooga and the Department of Veterans Affairs’ outpatient clinic in San Jose. She is currently leading sustainable design components of the $91 million, 274,000-square-foot Department of Veterans Affairs community-based outpatient clinic in Phoenix, among others. Founded in 1996, Hoefer Wysocki is an interdisciplinary architecture, planning, and interior design firm known for collaborating with clients to create performance-driven solutions.
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Ashley Eusey worked as the sustainability manager on the San Jose, California VA Hospital project and was instrumental in obtaining a LEED Silver certification on the building. Water use was reduced by 35.10%, energy use was reduced by 38.1%, and 75.81% of the project’s waste was diverted from landfills.
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Philipe Aldahir Director of Turf Research and Innovation, Shaw Sports Turf
Ask the Expert Why should I consider turf for my next project?
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Artificial turf has evolved as a system, and these days, the playability it offers can be comparable to natural grass. I don’t think high performance was a possibility with turf back in the day. Now it’s demonstrably better than what it was 10 years ago. Considering that and the functionality of artificial turf, it can’t be overlooked. The number one thing to consider is
the functionality of having a consistent field. If you think about your average municipal field, sportsplex, high school, or community center—if those fields are natural grass, they may not receive the maintenance they need to remain a good playing surface. Artificial turf offers a big advantage over those kinds of systems because it provides that consistency of play, instead of be-
coming a mudhole, weedy, or agronomically unsafe. If you have to grow grass, you’re at the mercy of Mother Nature, but with synthetic turf, the consistency is already there. But not all turf is made to perform as well as Shaw Sports Turf. With Shaw, you can design turf systems with entry-level playability, advanced playability, or with world-class elite playability. The way you do that is by turning the knobs of the components you install—what type of subbase, underlayment, turf fiber, and infill. You can have extreme performance in artificial turf. Our professional teams gravitate toward those systems, and they play very close to natural grass. I’m understanding and dispelling
turf myths as I work in this industry. I used to be a natural grass specialist, and now that I’m on the other side with artificial turf, I’m learning a lot. When I was in natural grass, turf was an afterthought. It was there, but it wasn’t the focus. I think that has changed because the popularity and performance of the systems have increased greatly. We have been dedicating a lot of research, development, and innovation resources toward this. I don’t see it as grass versus turf anymore; I see it as grass and turf. They coexist.
Read more from Shaw Sports Turf in the July+August issue of gb&d, when Aldahir explains what makes their turf safer and stronger.
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PHOTOS: COURTESY OF SHAW SPORTS TURF
With more than 3,000 successful installations, Shaw Sports Turf is leading the way toward a future where synthetic turf athletic fields outnumber natural ones. Given the versatility of different turf systems, they pride themselves on helping customers pick the best fit for their field throughout the entire process. As a former natural grass specialist, Philipe Aldahir has been on the other team. But now, as the company’s director of research and innovation, he knows turf deserves a chance to be king of the court. Here, Aldahir explains why turf may be the perfect fit for your next project.
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With Shaw, you can design turf systems with entry-level playability, advanced playability, or with world-class elite playability.
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Architects to Watch Brian Bell, BLDGS
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The Atlanta-based architect has forged an innovative approach to adaptive reuse. BY STEPHEN GOSSETT
BRIAN BELL ,
one of two principal architects behind the emerging firm in Atlanta, never set out to focus on adaptive reuse. But whether it’s due to the region’s surplus of old industrial buildings or the firm’s knack for responding well to constraints and contingencies, adaptive reuse has come to largely define its instantly recognizable portfolio. Bell has developed some strong opinions and approaches when it comes to repurposing old structures. “We’re trying to come away with something that feels robust and has an internal strength that people might associate with a groundup project,” Bell says. “A lot of adaptive reuse projects we see don’t take that challenge … The goal is to create something new that feels new and old simultaneously. We want to heighten that experience of surprise at the proximity of old and new.” BLDGS
PHOTO: COURTESY OF BRIAN BELL
Brian Bell cofounded BLDGS with fellow principal David Yocum in 2006. Their work spans the spectrum of categories, including commercial, academic, residential, and civic projects.
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Villa de Murph A prime adaptive reuse example is right beneath Bell’s feet much of the day: Villa de Murph, the firm’s work studio and also their first project. The former auto shop from the 1940s is now a live/work space defined by three distinct areas: the canopy-covered exterior, which flows into a courtyard (encased by walls but no roof), which gives way to the office—where skylights and a dramatic wall of glass create a seamless sense of movement. The dialogue between past and present is unmistakable. “Most people who come here, they get it. It doesn’t take an elaborate theoretical description,” Bell says.
Project Details Location: Atlanta, GA Completion: 2004 Size: 1,800 square feet
PHOTOS: DWIGHT ESCHLIMAN
Engineer: CFD Structural Engineering
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Congregation Or Hadash Synagogue A converted auto repair facility,
Congregation Or Hadash Synagogue keeps with the theme of former automotive buildings (car-crazy Georgia has its fair share). Once again, Bell notes how three distinct spaces (in this case a courtyard, social hall, and sanctuary) “flow into each other and focus your attention in different ways.” One of the most striking features is the courtyard design, where roof planes almost seem to be slipping off, which creates a portico effect, Bell points out. “It also focuses your attention on the opening of the sky at the courtyard.” Project Details Location: Sandy Springs, GA Completion: 2013 Size: 24,400 square feet MEP & Fire Protection Engineer: Minick Engineering Civil Engineer: Travis Pruitt & Associates Structural Engineer: CFD Structural Engineering
PHOTOS: FREDRIK BRAUER; JONATHAN HILLYER (2)
General Contractor: The Conlan Company
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PHOTOS: COURTESY OF BLDGS
Ansley Glass House A third notable project exists in the preservationist ballpark, but it’s something new as well. For the Ansley Glass House, Bell embraced juxtaposition, building a new, contemporary-looking, glass-and-zinc box right alongside a 1910-era house (which was renovated but kept “of its era”). The interior experiences of each structure are as unique as the exterior feel. Located at Atlanta’s Piedmont forest, the glass house leaves guests feeling “immersed in the trees” with views of midtown. Go to the adjoining, older structure, and one feels the warmth of a traditional room-and-hallways-based building, Bell says. Traversing the two, one experiences “how to shut one type of space off the other and create a unique living experience.” Project Details Location: Atlanta, GA Completion: 2008 Size: 5,800 square feet Structural Engineer: Palmer Engineering Company General Contractor: Brownlow & Sons Co., Inc. Mechanical Engineer: Minick Engineering
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Architects to Watch Kristen Scott, Weber Thompson
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Whether skipping HVAC or adding biofiltration, Weber Thompson’s office designs break the mold. The head of the Seattle firm’s commercial office team spotlights three hometown faves. BY STEPHEN GOSSETT
WEBER THOMPSON
is no rookie in the sustainable architecture industry. The firm celebrated its 30th anniversary last summer, and KRISTEN SCOTT has helped guide the Seattle company for nearly that entire duration, since joining in 1993. Scott—who heads WT’s commercial office team—and her co-principals have built some of the most notable green commercial spaces of the last 10 years—ones that also incorporate creative interiors and some truly innovative landscaping elements. “We love it when we can approach projects in an integrated fashion,” she says. “It makes for a much stronger design solution when you can bring all those different perspectives to bear on a project.” Here are three of Scott’s office projects—two completed and one in the works—that surely fit the bill.
PHOTO: KRISTA WELCH CREATIVE/ WEBER THOMPSON
Kristen Scott has been a LEED AP since 2007. She’s managing partner of Weber Thompson, which was named one of Architect magazine’s Top 50 Firms in 2016.
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The Terry Thomas This four-story building, which Weber Thompson designed between 2004 and 2005 and also calls home, is probably most notable for what it lacks—it has no central air conditioning. That purposeful omission drove the building’s design, which includes a central public courtyard, creating a chimney effect that cools the building passively while dramatically improving daylighting. There’s also automated louvers, fixed shades, and a reflective roof to control heat gain and reduce glare. The building—which is LEED Gold–certified for core and shell, with LEED Platinum–certified commercial interiors in the WT office—consumes 56% less energy than a comparable building. The team worked with engineers to pinpoint the minimum floor-to-floor height that still offered plentiful daylight in order to save on exterior walls. Also, a prominent exterior stair/gathering space, which employees have dubbed “our fifth conference room,” according to Scott, discourages elevator use and further saves energy.
Project Details Location: Seattle Completion: April 2008 Size: 40,000 square feet Mechanical Engineer: Stantec Consulting Civil and Structural Engineer: DCI Engineers
PHOTOS: GABE HANSON; LARA SWIMMER PHOTOGRAPHY; RENDERING: COURTESY OF WEBER THOMPSON
General Contractor: RAFN
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DATA 1 Scott calls DATA 1 “the next evolution” beyond the Terry Thomas building. The LEED Gold building also incorporates a large courtyard that facilitates daylighting, but adds outdoor decks on three floors and a large-scale roof deck. The HVAC system is mechanical, but extremely energy-efficient. The variable refrigerant flow uses smaller ducts that allow for fine-tuned, zoned control of heating and cooling. It’s also easily modifiable, an important design detail for open office plans that prize flexibility, Scott notes. The building, which houses Tableau Software, is positioned along Seattle’s major biking path, so architects built in ample bike parking along with a shower complex and locker rooms to accommodate the bicycle-loving staff. But its most impressive element might be its stormwater treatment, which will be expanded upon by its future neighbor, Watershed.
PHOTOS: BUILT WORK PHOTOGRAPHY
Project Details Location: Seattle Completion: July 2017 Size: 195,000 gross square feet Structural Engineer: DCI Engineers Civil Engineer: KPFF Energy Engineer: WSP General Contractor: Pennon Construction
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Watershed Like DATA 1 does, Watershed will stand in the shadow of Seattle’s aging Aurora Bridge, from which thousands of gallons of toxic rainwater falls annually before settling into salmon-rich Lake Union. To help preserve the water and its ecosystem, Weber Thompson included biofiltration swales beneath new sidewalks and terraces in order to clean up the runoff before it reaches the lake, a design that will be expanded with Watershed. The building, which follows the guidelines of Seattle’s Living Building Pilot Program and is slated to be completed in late 2019, will also collect 200,000 gallons of roof water to reuse onsite. Also notable: the use of electrochromic glass along the exterior, which dramatically reduces light and heat intake as the source intensifies. Think selftinting sunglasses, but for buildings.
Project Details Location: Seattle Completion: December 2019 Size: 72,405 square feet RENDERINGS: KILOGRAPH / WEBER THOMPSON
MEP and Energy Engineer: WSP Structural Engineer: DCI Civil Engineer: KPFF General Contractor: Turner Construction
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Event Preview Spring 2019 By Ella Lee
DETAILS LIGHTFAIR INTERNATIONAL 2019 Celebrating 30 years of innovation, When May 21-23 Lightfair International 2019 will host Where Philadelphia more than 500 exhibitors and offer as Web lightfair.com many as 200 hours of accredited courses across five days. Caleb Harper, whose Open Agriculture Initiative at MIT Media Lab aims to create a more efficient and collaborative food system, will deliver the keynote speech.
AIA CONFERENCE DETAILS ON ARCHITECTURE When June 6-8 With the theme “Blueprint for a Where Las Vegas Better Future,” this year’s AIA ConferWeb conferenceonarchitecture.com ence on Architecture will help cities all over the world be better equipped for the future by meeting modern design challenges head-on. The conference will feature more than 500 sessions and expos by more than 750 leaders in architecture. Attendees will also get a chance to tour more than 150 historic and prolific Las Vegas sites.
NEOCON Since 1969 NeoCon has attracted DETAILS thousands of industry professionals When June 10-12 looking to network and learn from each Where Chicago other at The Mart in Chicago. NeoCon’s Web neocon.com 51st edition will showcase 500 exhibitors spread across 10 floors, with elaborate exhibits showcasing the latest in office furniture, fabrics, tile, tech, and so much more. NeoCon will also offer student programs for interior design and architecture students.
BOMA INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE & EXPO DETAILS BOMA International Conference When June 22-25 & Expo gets the top commercial Where Salt Lake City real estate professionals together Web bomaconvention.org in one place so buildings can run more effectively. In more than 40 educational sessions, attendees will learn how to retain tenants and be more efficient by utilizing the latest technologies. Keynote speaker Amy Webb, a leading futurist and best-selling author, will discuss how technology affects everyone in the industry personally and professionally—and how to make sure you keep up.
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PHOTOS: COURTESY OF NEOCON
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JOIN US AT THE 2019 GREEN SPORTS ALLIANCE SUMMIT
SEE YOU IN PHILADELPHIA! June 19-20, 2019 Lincoln Financial Field Let’s come together to remember why we play, and why we work for greener fields and stadiums, and healthier cities and communities, locally and globally. Join us in Philadelphia – birthplace of the green sports movement 15 years ago – to reflect on our collective accomplishments and make a renewed commitment to future generations through exciting new initiatives that that leverage the immense cultural influence of sports to make positive change.
Find out more and register today at greensportsalliance.org/summit Use the discount code ‘GBD’ to save 20% on Summit tickets
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VIRTUAL DESIGN LIBRARY | RECON OLIVE Y0568
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