Recently, I spent ten days on vacation in Chicago, Illinois, and in my customary fashion of travel, I tried to soak in as much as possible of what the city had to offer. Through visits to the top sites and attractions in town, stops through many of Chicago's architectural icons, and immersive pedestrian exploration through the urban fabric of the city, I discovered a fantastic metropolis bustling with infrastructure and amenities that befit a modern, advanced city. I began to notice how many of these items, set in motion by urban planners decades ago, paralleled aspects that urban planners advocate today for sustainable cities of the future. Among them:
1. Public, Urban Green Space - freely accessible by anyone, providing a vibrant gathering area for major events and general park use.
2. Integrated Network of Public Transportation - efficiently serving the central core, but also radiating outward toward numerous major suburban areas.
3. Exceedingly Convenient Walkability - especially around the Downtown area, everything is relatively close together, allowing a full experience of the city by its users even without public transportation.
4. Programmatic Diversity Within Urban Density - zoning of every type is located close together, often integrally woven into the city fabric, providing a host of amenities such as commercial, residential, civic and cultural centers to promote continued use, residence, and growth.
Amazingly, these items weren't the result of the recent surge in awareness of sustainable issues, but rather the foresight of urban planners decades ago. As early as the late nineteenth century, after the Great Fire of 1870, city leaders laying out the new organization of Chicago were already trying to mold it into a forward-thinking city that would be prepared for the demands of tomorrow. Daniel Burnham's 1909 Plan of Chicago crystallized these plans into written and diagrammatic form. It called for the preservation of public green space along Lake Michigan, development of automobile and rail arteries to accommodate various travel demands of an expanding city, expanded streets that integrate the coming of new automobiles while still preserving the pedestrian intimacy of a busy city, purchased parkland around the city to buffer decreasing density, and a cultural district that could bring art, science, and history to the masses.
Today, Chicago is a truly international city that is managed with sustainable goals in mind. Grant Park, and Millennium Park, among others, provide a "front lawn for the city" that draws citizens together with vitalizing concerts and public venues as well as a verdant escape from the harshness of a concrete, glass, and steel built environment. The Chicago Transit Authority operates a highly effective system of subways and elevated rail lines that bring Chicagoans into and around the heart of the city. The density and programmatic diversity of the Downtown core and the Magnificent Mile invite businessmen to work there and residents to live there, propagating a sustainable cycle that drives itself forward. And there is always action toward active environmentally friendly policies, such as water management, energy reduction, urban heat island effect mitigation, and much more.
But none of this would exist to its contemporary degree of success without that foresight of city planners a century ago. It takes time to implement this sort of infrastructure, and even more to allow it to grow and perform its function. This suggests that we must always think ahead when planning our next projects. We cannot simply calculate for the present time; we must also calculate for the future. And we'll undoubtedly require inherently sustainable principles to reach that point. Otherwise, even the best-laid plans will be outdated before the first ground is dug, and that would defeat the entire purpose of architecture and urban design. It would be the opposite of progress.
Albert Lam is a Technical Designer at California-based LPA Inc. He is a LEED accredited professional who specializes in the design and implementation of K-12 schools.
By Guest Blogger, Winston Bao, LEED AP
Have you ever thought about how much your campus is like a model of a city? From libraries to academic, recreational, performing arts, food service and administrative buildings, they are very civic in nature. Just on a smaller scale.
No city, or campus for that matter, is complete without its law enforcement facilities. Campus Police Stations also have the opportunity to connect the architectural language and fabric of your campus. They're buildings with a very public purpose and must function on the level of an actual police department.
CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY FULLERTION
The University Police Department at CSU Fullerton went from outdated portables to a new, 12,000-square-foot facility. Programs and amenities include:
- Administrative offices and meeting rooms
- Report writing rooms
- Showers, lockers and changing rooms
- Detention rooms in compliance with the requirements for law enforcement
- Evidence room and armory
- Dispatch Center with every new technology for monitoring the campus
- Emergency Operation Center (EOC), which in the event of an emergency, converts into a command center that operates independently of the University.
Durability is key. You'll want surfaces that can stand up to the wear and tear of gun belts, batons, and other gear, that will inevitably rub against your walls and finishes. Linoleum flooring is not only rapidly renewable, but friendly in terms of maintenance (i.e. soap, water and a mop). When guests from the community come for a parking pass or Live Scan fingerprinting, they enter into a space that is welcoming and bright and doesn't feel like a dreary detention facility.
Recycled steel and a floating V-shaped metal roof are durable, cost-effective and sustainable. Effective use of artificial lighting and direct/indirect daylight allow the building to glow, while clerestory windows, geometry and the ceiling plane are used as a reflector and daylight collector that maximize energy efficiency. Most, if not all, of the spaces have access to daylighting and views.
IRVINE VALLEY COLLEGE
A smaller version of the police station above, the IVC Campus Police building needed to stand out -and boost its presence next to a very utilitarian looking maintenance and operations warehouse. With a small budget, designers opted for a pre-fabricated building made unique by shaving off edges at an angle, exposing the structure, and creating little places where one side was open and the other, covered parking for police vehicles to dock and charge. Programmatically, this area was perfect for the Sally Port (a place to bring detainees in a private, more controlled environment).
Both of these buildings were designed as constant evolutions of each campus. They set new trends while acknowledging existing materials giving them a current, more relevant significance. Whether it was brick, glass, metal, or plaster, we used them deliberately in ways that were visually meaningful, functionally durable, and low or zero-maintenance.
To learn more about our design work at CSU Fullerton and Irvine Valley College, visit our Higher Education design portfolio. Winston Bao is an Associate and Interior Designer at California-based LPA Inc. He is a LEED Accredited Professional who has made sustainable design the focus of his career.
By LPA Blogger, Heidi Roseler, LEED AP
There are everyday ways I've discovered (ok, someone else discovered many of them, I'm just implementing) to make daily life more sustainable. Funny thing is, greening your life can have many money saving benefits as well. While no one person can do it all, we can each do our part. As an ode to Earthy Day, here are a few quick and easy places to get started or reenergize your existing sustainable lifestyle efforts.
Let's start with water saving ideas. Using indigenous plants, xeriscaping, and efficient irrigation are all ways to minimize your outdoor water usage. Sounds complicated? It's really not. The plants that are native to your area are adept to the local water patterns. Xeriscaping is simply planting slower growing plants that are drought tolerant. And how often do you see pools of water outside a house because someone's sprinkler is spraying all willy nilly? I know I do every day. Adjust your sprinkler heads so they get your plants, not the sidewalk. Time them so they don't over water. And please, turn them off when it rains.
Models vary, of course, but depending on the washer and dryer you buy, you can save more than 70 percent on water usage. Also, enjoy the added bonus of 80 percent more energy efficiency. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) also recommends turning off the faucet during your morning and evening tooth brushing, to save up to 240 gallons of water a month. Check out the EPA's Water Sense site for a few other ideas about how to tweak your daily routine to save water and in the long run, save you money.
And those single pane windows have got to go, or at least mine do. Dual pane will help retain heat in the winter and cool air in the summer. I've weather-stripped my doors and I can tell you from experience, it really helps.
EVERYDAY WAYS TO SAVE
- Use reusable containers or wash re-sealable bags, which generate less waste.
- Take your own bags to the grocery store and they'll usually give you a few cents off per bag.
- Hang your clothes to dry and save on your utility bill.
- Shower with your mate and use less water.
- Visit your local farmer's market, help your local economy and find some great unique foods.
- Grow your own vegetables, just because it's fun.
- Use a re-usable cup for water instead of bottled.
- When you forget your re-usable bags at the grocery store, get plastic and use the bag to pick up what the pooch leaves behind when you go for a walk. Ok, there's no real added benefit for this one, but you are leaving the trail nice for others. And make sure there are no holes in the bag.
For additional sustainable lifestyle topics, e-mail suggestions to hroseler[at]painc[dot]com.
By Guest Blogger, Steve Kendrick, AIA, LEED AP
Late last year you may have read Mr. Newsom's musings on the 2008 California Green Building Code (CALGreen Code) and its vagaries. Since then, the California Building Standards Commission is readying the 2010 CALGreen Code for publication, and they are quite proud of it.
Having worked closely with one of our clients to provide comments to the CBSC through the public review process, what is currently pending publication is essentially a re-organized 2008 code with more mandatory requirements. The 2010 CALGreen Code is scheduled for publication in June or July of this year and by State law becomes effective 180 days after publication. The proposed effective date is January 1, 2011.
MANDATORY HIGHLIGHTS
CALGreen defines the measures as either mandatory or voluntary, with voluntary having two tiers - CALGreen Tier 1 and CALGreen Tier 2.
Mandatory measures include components currently regulated by other agencies (i.e. stormwater pollution prevention (SWPPP), energy efficiency), and new components. Some mandatory highlights include bicycle parking and changing rooms, designated parking for fuel efficient vehicles, light pollution reduction, grading and paving design, water metering, water use and waste water reduction, plumbing fixture requirements, exterior water use, irrigation design, construction waste reduction and disposal, commissioning, reduction in material VOCs and elimination of Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and Halons. Quite a list.
For all of our projects processed through the Division of the State Architect (DSA), the list of mandatory measures is shorter and notably does not include the commissioning requirement. Good idea to always verify which measures the agency, which has jurisdiction, has adopted.
Agree with CALGreen or not, it is here and will be effective in a manner of months. As with any new or updated code we need to educate ourselves to try and alleviate any confusion about specific provisions. Have additional questions? I'd love to receive them. E-mail skendrick [at] lpainc [dot] com.
Steven Kendrick, AIA, LEED AP, is an LPA Principal with experience in recreation and corporate projects. An advocate for green building, he has presented for the U.S. Green Building Council, Urban Land Institute, American Institute of Architects, and CoreNet, to name a few.
As mentioned previously, LPA has developed 10 Sustainable Principles that help us think more globally about sustainability, integration and
sustainable design. Today's post is Principle #3: Challenge Convention.
LPA's 10 Principles of Absolute Design
- Inter + Act
- Do Less
- Challenge Convention
- Zoom Out
- Zoom In
- Build Smart
- Enrich Lives
- Create Value
- Prove It
- Step Up
LPA Sustainable Design Principle #3: Challenge Convention. Never assume. Never settle. Never accept the status quo. Keep an open mind and explore.
In reality, that's what we're trying to do here. Conventional thinking got us into some of the problems we're experiencing now. It's time to start thinking outside of the box in a creative and thoughtful manner. That's how we're going to solve some of the big issues that we're facing and some of the issues as they relate to water management and energy efficiency.
When it comes to energy, a really important part of "challenging convention" is to understand how energy is being used in your building. We are doing lots of energy audits for our clients these days. By understanding the source of their energy demands, they have a much better opportunity to tackle the problem, make some changes and experience the savings that go along with. To state it another way, if you can't measure it you can management it and managing energy costs is going to be more and more important going forward.
Challenging convention requires new ethical standards as well. It's a very exciting time to work in the building industry; there are many new challenges and opportunities. With these opportunities come great responsibility -to refuse to settle for the energy efficiency standards of the past or the unsustainable land and material choices of the 20th century.
Challenging all of these status quos is what we do every day at LPA. For us, it is yet another reason why we brought our engineering in house. We find that when architects and engineers work together everyone benefits from better data, usually energy related, earlier on in schematic design. It is fundamentally so different when your design partners are in-house. Informed design replaces that intuition or guesswork, we're practicing sustainability differently, and our work shows it.
Our industry has been permanently changed to esteem sustainability, and find ways for buildings to
do more with less. It just makes good business sense. Creating buildings that use less energy and water will be more and more valuable in the future. We do this by finding ways to use the unique aspects of each site.
There are some very practical reasons driving the need for sustainable building design in California.
One reason is the escalation in energy costs. According to the California Energy Commission, commercial sector retail electricity costs across the investor owned utilities (these are Pacific Gas and Electric, Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas and Electric) increased 1.6 percent annually on average from 1982-1998. Then, in 1998 the electricity markets in California were deregulated and since, electricity costs have increased by 5.2 percent annually on average from 1998-2008. This means that electricity costs have more than tripled based on these averages. In California, natural gas is the predominant fuel used for power generation and also provision of building heat. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, commercial sector retail natural gas costs have increased by 7.4 percent annually on average from 1998-2008.
Water, another critical resource to development in California is currently a political hot button issue, short in supply and escalating in price. Sustainable building design addresses some of the critical issues surrounding water use by focusing on efficient use of water inside the building, via efficient fixtures, outside the building, using drought tolerant landscape and surrounding the building, by seeking to reduce storm water runoff, using strategies such as permeable pavement and bioswales.
There are also numerous legal requirements in California that will direct the industry towards compliance with sustainable design practices. Taken historically, sustainable design is the next step that Californian's will take toward their commitment to energy efficiency, a process set in motion after the first oil shock of 1973.
A measure of success is that back in 1970, Californian's used roughly the same amount of electricity per capita as the rest of the nation, but currently use almost 50 percent less, and for a state that is the 12th largest energy consumer in the world, this makes a big difference.
As mentioned in a previous post, Three for Three: Cities and Stimulus Money, LPA is currently working on a Police Facility for the City of Hesperia which thanks to funding by the Federal stimulus package, will achieve grid neutrality. The sustainable quotient of this endeavor begins with the design of very efficient buildings. The federally funded solar energy project (renderings above) encompasses all factors needed to complete a turn-key solar electric system, approved by the California Solar Initiative. Photovoltaic panels will now reside on the police facility's roof and parking lot canopies in effect, providing for 87.5 percent of the building's energy requirements based upon Title 24 calculations (experience has shown systems perform better than design calculations).
With so many green features like lighting controls, use of products with recycled content, local material use, construction waste diversion, use of nontoxic, low VOC paint and water efficient fixtures now considered best practices, grid and carbon neutral buildings are going to be the measure of sustainability in the future.
And when I say real, I mean it's finally getting built. Seeing the countless hours of design, development, coordination and sometimes frustration finally come to fruition is one of the most unbelievable and rewarding feelings. Words can't really explain it.
Sound crazy? Not if you've burnt the midnight oil drawing and designing away.
In fact, just the other day, our Construction Administration Guru, Mike Henning, was away on vacation. Which I love ... only for the simple fact that it gives me the opportunity to fill in for him at construction meetings and step into the "real world," away from my computer screen, trace paper and niji pens. For once I didn't mind getting up at 4:30 a.m. to catch a plane headed for Oakland, Calif., eager to get a visual update on the Instructional Office Building (IOB) at Chabot College.
The Chabot IOB is a two-story, cast-in-place concrete structure with glass, tile and composite lumber as exterior infill materials. The building represents a living commitment, made by the College, to environmental responsibility and green building. Four division suites, faculty offices and instructional conference rooms are housed in the 36,950- square-foot facility, along with a new courtyard between two existing buildings. The repetitive nature of the programmatic elements allowed for an efficient floor plate while also minimizing building height.
The IOB takes advantage of the mild climate in the bay area and features a naturally ventilated lobby, designed as an extension and culmination of a new campus courtyard. Passive and active mechanical and electrical features maximize energy efficiency and allow the building to exceed California's stringent Title 24 requirements by more than 20 percent.
As I walked the building --up and down, end to end-- experiencing each space, I looked for details and ideas conceived by our team. And saw them now, as concrete moments not just lines on a screen. One learns so much by actually observing how things are put together, and how the contractor works and thinks. It ultimately makes you a better designer. As you can see below, the IOB puts to practice many sustainable concepts which will help it achieve a LEED certification. Which level you wonder? We'll keep that under wraps for now. It's an incentive to stay tuned for updates.
Sustainable Design Features:
- Construction waste management
- Drought tolerant planting
- Pervious paving
- Collection and storage of recyclables
- Reduced water consumption (low-flow fixtures)
- Natural light provided to 95% of occupied spaces
- Access to views provided to 95% of occupied spaces
- 90% of exterior surface (concrete and tile) will require no annual maintenance (reduction of building materials)
- Reflective cool roof material to reduce building heat gain
- Naturally-ventilated, two-story lobby
- Green housekeeping products and procedures
- Light pollution reduction
- Motion Sensor lighting systems
- Low emitting materials - minimizing VOC off-gassing
By Guest Blogger Jeremy Hart, LEED AP
According to the Department of Energy's website, more than $800 million has been awarded in Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants (EECBG). Were you one of the 700 cities that benefited from this funding? With more than $2.7 billion in formula grants available why not?
Toward the end of last year, our Civic teams worked with three different cities to help them realize their funding capabilities through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. We celebrated, along with them, when all three were approved for their monies.
For the City of Hesperia, they used their grant for a solar energy project for their new police station. Approved for more than $770,000 the add-on created 35 jobs and energy savings the city will absorb for years to come. Since police stations have high electricity demands around the clock to begin with, putting money toward making the Hesperia Police Station more efficient was a shrewd and strategic decision.
For the City of Laguna Niguel, they wanted to go greener with additional sustainable features for their new city hall. Residents are excited for this new 40,000-square-foot facility because they will finally have a civic center to call their own. The Laguna Niguel City Hall will feature a 3,860-square-foot photovoltaic system which will generate power during peak demands. Would these panels have been there had the city not received the $572,000 grant? We'll never know but they are thrilled for their future energy savings and the 10 jobs that were created.
For the City of Santa Clarita, they divided their grant amongst several projects and worked toward the aforementioned theme of energy efficiency. Newhall, an area ready for a renaissance, received more than $1 million for the Old Town Newhall Library. The library, designed to achieve LEED Silver certification, will save energy with a high efficiency HVAC system, high performance building envelope, and energy efficient lighting. Library stacks will be lit with LED lights and more than 20 jobs resulted from these measures.
In a sense, the federal government is now following similar energy efficiency policies enacted in California during the mid-1970s, and for good reason.
As a result of the Warren-Alquist California State Energy Resources Conservation & Development Act (1974), Californians use almost half of the electricity on a per capita basis as the rest of the nation. The electricity savings are estimated to be 15 percent of total 2003 Ca. demand. If we hadn't embarked on these efficiency programs and stuck to them, our state would have had to construct about 24 new power plants at 500 megawatts a piece, and this capital outlay would have made us less competitive economically.
Since these policies were put in place, Californians have increased GDP per unit electricity usage by 40 percent versus the eight percent increase achieved nationally. In the coming decades energy efficiency will continue to be the quiet hero, helping us conserve natural resources, maintain our financial standing and preserve our environment for generations to come.
Jeremy Hart is an architect and LEED Accredited Professional at LPA Inc. He has worked on more than 15 civic facilities, for more than a dozen California cities.