News from Professional Firms

Beardsley Architects + Engineers News Naber Joins Beardsley

Beardsley Architects + Engineers announced that Michael S. Naber, E.I.T., has joined the firm as Structural Engineer.

Michael S. Naber, EIT

Mr. Naber is a 2016 graduate of Clarkson University with a degree in civil engineering. He comes to Beardsley by way of Fredericksburg, VA, where he served as department manager and staff engineer with a focus on construction materials testing, special inspection, and small-scale engineering design for commercial and residential projects. With 5 years of experience, Mr. Naber brings his diverse experience in both design and management. Mr. Naber will be working on commercial and parks and recreation projects. q

HUNT Engineers, Architects, Land Surveyors News

A Look at the New Mixed-Use Housing & Retail Model - by Senior Project Manager Tom Bailey

Affordable infill housing and targeted have embraced this housing and his Auburn retail outlets with limited square parking garage as a way of taking University footage will be the community the Commons and residential life degree and development model for the next there to another level”. post-college 10-15 years, according to HUNT Engineers and Architects’ Senior Project Manager, Tom Bailey, AIA. “Even in mid-sized cities like Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse, the developers have come close to exhausting the available old manufacturing buildings and are already building residential units in what were Class A office spaces as recently as five to ten years ago,” asserts Bailey. Bailey and their partners at Vecino Inc. are at work on a multi-story, infill project in Ithaca, NY that is immediately adjacent to the Ithaca Commons and Center Ithaca. The initial phase is a four-story addition to the existing Green Street garage creating a sustainable facility with EV charging stations, car-share parking spaces, and an “emptyspace-locating” light system. Phase II will include retail space “If you look at the development in the Washington Beltway and New York City’s boroughs you can get a real feel for where we are all going. Young adults and families want the neighborhood feel and to be within a train or bus ride of work and worldclass entertainment”. Before joining HUNT, Bailey was a key retail designer and architect at Rochester’s Bergmann Associates and Smith Associates, and he also brings planning and national mixeduse development experience to his perspective. “Our local development partners like the DiMarco Group and JADD Mgmt. are reporting that with the right mix of retail offerings their strip plazas are becoming vibrant community centers”. DiMarco’s BayTowne Plaza in Webster is a dramatic example career in the southeast. As a founder of the planning department in Kissimmee, FL, he developed regulations to help control development created by the opening of Disney World, as well as initiating the Downtown Historic program and the design for Kissimmee Lakefront Park. From there, he led regional and national design and development efforts for GM, Ford, Goodyear, NASCAR, and the Robert Lee & Associates petroleum retail design group. His ability to bring together this eclectic mix of interests came to fruition as Planning Director in Valdosta, Georgia, where he spearheaded the development of an 1,100-acre, multi-use residential development that included a 400- acre, man-made lake. on the ground floor, a convention of Bailey’s vision, where the At the Rochester office, his musiccenter, and a twelve -story housing developers have literally broken loving colleagues will tell you they development. through an existing building and are equally intrigued by Bailey’s “The Vecino Group’s and Ithaca’s reputation for thoughtful and progressive development is welldeserved”, reports Bailey, “and despite its fairly dramatic size, they created a main-street-style retail venue capped by a pocket park. A Fairport resident for 25 years, Bailey holds onto a tinge of a southern drawl that underlines role as President of the Fiddlers of the Genesee, founding member of “Sawgrass” bluegrass band, and host of bluegrass jams at a downtown music shop. q

professional firms employee news | news from professional firms SEPTEMBER 2020 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 19

News From Professional Firms

Bergmann Associates News Bergmann to conduct indoor air quality audit for St. John Fisher College

National architecture, engineering and planning firm Bergmann was awarded one of a limited number of contracts from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) to perform Energy Efficient Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) audits for three clients, including St. John Fisher College. This fast-track project is an extension of the College’s Campus Reopening Task Force’s plan for a full campus reopening this fall. Bergmann has begun to conduct building surveys and audits of mechanical equipment to evaluate the existing conditions of HVAC systems within 12 of the 20 academic buildings, with the goal of identifying ways to improve air quality without increasing utility costs. “The Campus Reopening Task Force is working every day to ensure the safety and well-being of students, faculty, and staff in response to COVID-19,” said George Stooks, Director of Facilities Planning and Construction Administration, St. John Fisher College. “As air quality and circulation can have major health impacts, this study is an important component of our planning process and we look forward to Bergmann’s recommendations for ensuring our HVAC systems meet our current and future needs in a cost-effective manner.” Throughout the process, Bergmann will continuously provide updates and short-term guidance, alerting College officials to any urgent concerns and immediate changes that should be made. Upon completion of the study, Bergmann will provide the College with a comprehensive report that describes existing HVAC/ mechanical conditions, evaluates those systems against the proposed guidance from New York State, provides recommendations on what changes can be made to achieve better compliance, and assesses the costs associated with each enhancement. These recommendations might include ways to increase filtration, bring in more outside air, and achieve greater air turnover.

“From the onset of this crisis, Bergmann’s approach has been to identify solutions to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19 on campuses today and help clients prepare for similar future disruptive events,” said Valerie Christianson, Education Markets Principal, Bergmann. “We look forward to working with St. John Fisher College to provide recommendations for addressing those immediate and long-term challenges.” HVAC system evaluation is just one element of Bergmann’s Resilient Design Team's program developed specifically for education facilities. The firm’s experience with research labs and cleanrooms has uncovered best practices that can be applied to classrooms and education spaces to vastly reduce the transmission of viruses and kill bacteria.

“Quality HVAC systems are important in mitigating airborne infections. We appreciate the opportunity to bring this important program to St. John Fisher College and support its campus reopening plans with proposed energy efficient solutions for creating a safe environment,” said Charles Bertuch, PE, LEED AP, CEM, Principal, Bergmann. As part of the NYSERDA program, Bergmann will also conduct IAQ audits for The Harley School in Rochester and AXA Towers in Syracuse, New York. q

Barton & Loguidice News Barton & Loguidice Recognized as a "Hot Firm" in 2020

Barton & Loguidice (B&L), an engineering, planning, environmental and landscape architecture firm with over 300 employees throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, has been recognized as one of the 100 fastest-growing Architect/ Engineering/Construction (AEC) firms in the US and Canada. B&L landed at #71 on the “Hot Firms” List, compiled by the Zweig Group – a leading industry research and benchmarking firm. This list honors the fastest growing firms in the AEC industry. Firms are ranked based on three-year growth in revenue, by both percentage and dollar growth. This recognition comes on the heels of also being recognized as one of the “Best Firms to Work For” in the AEC industry for the third year in a row. According to Barton & Loguidice President and CEO John F. Brusa, Jr., “Being recognized as one of the fastest growing firms in the industry is a

20

| The ROCHESTER ENGINEER SEPTEMBER 2020 reflection of the continued hard work and dedication by our employees. Given the current economic climate, we understand the importance of growing revenue, creating jobs and providing opportunity while continually striving to remain an employer of choice.” Winners will be honored at the 2020 Elevate AEC Conference in September. The complete list of 2020 Hot Firms can be accessed here: https://www.

zweiggroup.com/2020-hot-firm-list/

news from professional firms