“1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8, I believe it’s not too late!  Together we can change the world.”  These were the words sung by PS41 Senior Songbirds at the Opening Ceremony on September 21, 2012 for New York PS41 Greenroof Environmental Literacy Laboratory (GELL).  GELL is a 9,000 square-foot roof atop the Greenwich Village Elementary School.  After playing an important role in developing curriculum for the school’s Urban Eco-Club enrichment class, I was excited to join Emerging Professional members Mariah Howard Porath, Chad Ondrusek, and Rollie Jones at the opening ceremony.

Last spring, Urban Green Council’s Emerging Professionals partnered with Vicki Sando (PS41 science teacher and Founder of GELL) and her colleagues to help create a special curriculum aimed at teaching students about environmental building practices. EP volunteers also collaborated on the delivery of these lessons over the course of the eight-week program.  One activity had the students experimenting with the water retention and heat absorption benefits of a green roof through the use of a hand-made model of the school.  Later in the lesson series, students interacted with a game that allowed them to create dream [green] homes in various climates around the world.  The EP volunteers hope that this connection will support a lasting partnership between New York City’s educational providers and Urban Green Council’s emerging green building experts.

Also at the ceremony were the policy makers, donors, sponsors, and project management team.  Jonathan F.P. Rose of Jonathan Rose Companies praised both Sando and Kelly Shannon (PS41 Principal) for their dedication and perseverance that lasted throughout the six years it took to bring the project from inception to completion.  Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer and State Senator Tom Duane emphasized that the laborious planning, fundraising, evaluation and construction process will serve as a prototype for other schools and communities interested in installing something similar.

New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn was thrilled that the green roof would serve as a supplemental classroom, giving young students a place to be excited by science.  The outdoor garden will allow children to be taught through demonstration, supplementing the verbal learning that more typically dominates a classroom and transforming their educational experience.  Lessons in ecology, chemistry, biology, mathematics, nutrition, and fine arts will become more integrated with every student’s curriculum through the GELL Project.

It was clear that those in attendance at the opening ceremony believe that GELL will help pave the way for future projects with similar environmental and educational benefits.   Also important though, is to recognize the potential in this project to make our children and future generations better stewards of our planet.

The following was blogged live from our Fall Conference on September 18, 2012 – “Cooling on Climate Change: Designing the Message.” Panelist Dan Probst, Chairman of Energy and Sustainability Services at Jones Lang LaSalle, discusses the role of the green building industry in addressing global climate change.

The following was blogged live from our Fall Conference on September 18, 2012 – Cooling on Climate Change: Designing the Message. Panelist Doug Hocking, Principal at Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, emphasizes the importance of using data and sound architectural design to construct truly sustainable buildings.

The media coverage of the earthquake that devastated Haiti and the city of Port au Prince on January 12, 2010 stopped long ago, creating a silence that allows many of us to remove the event from the list of immediately pressing concerns.

For a moment, let us think back to 2010 when initial reports stated that the total cost of the earthquake was between $8 billion and $14 billion and the death toll was approximately 316,000.   Later, in June 2011, the International Organization for Migration reported that an estimated 634,000 people were still living in displacement camps (New York Times).  Now, two and a half years after the natural disaster, hundreds of thousands are still living without safe housing and much of the infrastructure in Port au Price remains in disrepair.  Tent camps and damaged buildings provide unstable housing for those remaining in the city, while others have moved to the countryside to build homes with tarps and sheet metal. The crisis is far from over, and the need to build more permanent housing and infrastructure in Haiti still persists.

During times like these, it seems that our role as architects, engineers, developers, and builders is obvious.  The concepts of social entrepreneurship, social architecture, or social engineering have been around for a long time, all of which revolve around the goal of mitigating a social problem through conscious organization, planning, or design.  Shortly after news of Haiti’s earthquake reached this country, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) committed to helping the people of Haiti rebuild and recover from the disaster.  The current USGBC-led initiative, Project Haiti, is an effort to build a LEED-certified orphanage in Port au Prince.  Once complete, the Orphanage and Children’s Center will provide shelter and safety, immediate care, and a hopeful future for children.

Upon hearing about USGBC’s effort to raise money for this noteworthy project, the Urban Green Council Emerging Professionals came on board to support the cause.  At a fundraiser on August 15, 2012, the group raised over $1,700 to be donated to USGBC and used exclusively for expenses related to the design and construction of Haiti Orphanage and Children’s Center.  The evening was a cultural celebration with a brief presentation of the project and a performance by local Haitian drumming group, La Troupe Makandal.  A generous donation of raffle prizes from the Four Seasons Restaurant, TJ Allan, Rachel Goldfarb, Volta, Alexandra Weiss Designs, and Urban Green Council contributed to the funds raised.  See photos from the event here.

This project has been designed as a model for high-performance green building practices that can be tailored to any culture.  As sustainable builders, we cannot just rebuild buildings and infrastructure; we must “rebuild them better”. Project Haiti aims to inspire and teach how construction can both minimize impacts on the environment and, through maximizing energy and water conservation, be financially sustainable.  Sponsored by USGBC with partnership from the Foundation L’enfant Jesus and pro-bono design by HOK, Project Haiti has been recognized as a Commitment Maker by the Clinton Global Initiative.

The Urban Green Council Emerging Professionals are a dedicated group of young professionals who work to create a network of leaders in the field of sustainability.  Led by a core group of volunteer leaders, they develop opportunities for involvement through Urban Green Council to further generate momentum for the green building industry.

Want to learn more about how the green building industry is practicing “social design”?  Urban Green Council’s conference Cooling on Climate Change: Designing the Message on September 18, will examine how the green building industry should be responding to climate change by asking questions such as: How can the green building movement better communicate the threats of climate change?  What role do designers, developers, operators, and other real estate professionals have in climate change activism?  What role does marketing play regarding climate change in the green building industry?  How are marketing strategies adjusted for clients who are uninterested in mitigating climate change?

“Cracking the Energy Code training was excellent. The departure from the ‘bullet point slideshow with code clauses’ was refreshing…. the course manual is an extremely well thought out, graphically clear product, which I have already referenced a dozen times since the training.”

This is quite a statement for a course outlining code material!  We’re happy to say it’s consistent with other feedback from students who have taken Cracking the Energy Code, which Urban Green developed with the New York Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA).  Data compiled from the 44 courses delivered since last September show that 85% of students feel that the course has met or exceeded their expectations.

The Course was funded by New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and gives an overview of the 2010 Energy Conservation Construction Code of New York State (ECCCNYS-2010), including compliance methods.  It also covers some of the fundamentals of low energy design.

Wanting some insight from an insider, I asked instructor Paul Reale to share his thoughts on why Cracking the Energy Code is keeping students revved up and excited to learn.

Jessica Cooper: How long have you been teaching Cracking the Energy Code?

Paul Reale: The first time I ‘cracked it’ was March 6^th and I’ve taught another five since.

JC: Who is your primary audience for the course?

PR: The main target audience is architects, building engineers, lighting designers and code officials, but I believe the course helps lots of people working in or with the building industry: sustainability service providers, policy makers, building inspectors and even to some degree environmentalists. Thus far, the vast majority of students have been architects, but so many more can benefit from it.

JC: How does this course compare  to similar courses?

PR: Umm, have you ever read any energy conservation construction codes?  Let’s put it this way – it’s good material for your nightstand if you’re an insomniac.  Yet the vast majority of students that have taken this course find it excellent.

JC: What are the biggest areas of concern for students?

PR: Roughly speaking, the level of code requirements, administration, and scrutiny by code officials has increased by an order of magnitude.  This is definitely a “wow, I’m glad I learned this” kind of class!

JC: Any personal favorites in the curriculum?

PR: I particularly like the practical parts about thermal bridging in a building envelope as well as techniques for energy efficient lighting.  And the heat wheel slide? I’ve gotten some pretty good reactions from that one.  It’s like a 2-minute rock concert to an engineer.

JC: So where do you see this code having the biggest impact?

PR: There are three main areas addressed: building envelope, mechanicals (like HVAC equipment) and lighting.  It’s hard to pick one of the three because they’re all addressed to a great degree, though perhaps the longest-term impact is on the envelope, because an envelope retrofit is not easy.  You really need to try to get it right from the very beginning, and the effects last for the life of the building.

JC: Do you have any insights on future policy in energy conservation and/or sustainable building? 

PR: Ok, serious question so let’s close on a serious note.  As much as the new code will tighten energy consumption (and greenhouse gas emissions, for that matter) resulting from buildings, it’s still a far cry from a sustainable energy and emissions budget.  In the not-so-distant future, our buildings will have to be much more efficient, and you can’t get there without an incredibly tight, well-insulated envelope.  That’s fundamentally incompatible with a glass tower.  There – I said it.  But if you come take the class, I’ll tell you how it’s possible to use a lot of glass yet still comply with the current code!
Cracking the Energy Code sessions are being scheduled in New York City and throughout New York State through November 13, 2012.  Register on NYSERDA’s website (more Course dates coming soon) or e-mail us if you want Cracking the Energy Code offered near you. 

Paul is teaching his next session is Thursday, August 9 at the Center for Architecture.  Sign up today!

Today, the NYC Mayor’s Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability released the first annual New York City Benchmarking Report. This landmark effort is required by Local Law 84, the first law enacted by the Green, Greater Buildings Plan (GGBP), and covers 12,565 private properties (municipal buildings began benchmarking a year earlier and their first report was issued in November 2011).

The report is the result of a foresighted and heroic effort. According to the report, of all the buildings benchmarked by law in the US, Local Law 84 alone accounts for about 61% of the impacted square footage! The data will eventually be available publicly (although the first year of data collection for each building type – municipal, non-residential, and residential – is not), which will be a treasure trove of information for the analysis of the built environment. Overall, the report is a fantastic 30,000-foot view of the city’s large buildings, boiling down complexity into clear, easily digestible chunks.

Buildings’ energy use ranges widely – even within similar building types

Among the more fascinating analyses in the report is a consideration of the factors that contribute to energy consumption. Multifamily building energy use intensity does not vary much, perhaps because they have more similar use patterns to each other. On the other hand, building use intensity for office buildings varies widely.

Several factors appear to correlate with office energy use intensity. For example, higher density of occupants and longer operating hours correspond to higher energy usage. Larger office buildings tend to use more energy per square foot than smaller ones, but it’s not immediately clear if this is due to the intrinsic nature of large building construction (inability to use natural ventilation, simultaneous heating and cooling, and complex systems) or other factors.

Another correlation is with construction date. The report splits building ages by twenty-year increments, and finds that energy intensity has steadily increased over each 20-year period. In fact, offices built since 1990 use almost 40% more energy per square foot than offices built before 1930!

There are a few possible reasons why this might be the case:

1. Tenant Profiles

Tenants with high computer use or other advanced technology needs might select newer buildings. If so, actual end uses would have to made more efficient to see improvements. Building infrastructure changes wouldn’t be the answer. In commercial buildings, since 70% of energy use is typically from tenant spaces, this warrants serious future study.

2. Increase in building system capacity

Newer building systems tend to have more lighting and HVAC than older ones do. A 1920s-era office building may struggle to keep up with HVAC needs on a hot day, whereas a brand new office building may have overcapacity all the time, causing AC units to run less efficiently. This can be improved in new construction through better building load projection during the design process, ensuring the building is geared to actual loads and not “rule of thumb” overestimates, as addressed by the Green Codes Task Force recommendation EE-2 Improve Analysis of Heating & Cooling Needs During Design).

3. Building system complexity

New buildings are more complex than older ones, with computer management systems controlling advanced, interrelated technologies. Sometimes these advancements save energy, but paradoxically, these complex buildings sometimes perform worse than their simpler brethren. Programs like GPRO, Building Operator Certification, Building Performance Institute Multifamily, and others address this maintenance and operations issue. In this case, we do have a hope of improving these buildings over time, as more emphasis is put on energy-efficient maintenance and operations. Benchmarking can help in this regard, since as tenants become more informed and look for the energy score of prospective spaces before leasing, owners will hopefully respond and attempt to improve their buildings’ performance.

4. Building envelope

Building envelope styles change over the decades. Newer buildings with high vision glass curtainwall construction may exhibit worse energy performance than older, masonry buildings with less window area. And though window energy performance has improved over time, we’ve given back those gains through greater increases in vision glazing area. This is one of the reasons the Green Codes Task Force is hoping to address new building envelope u-values in recommendation EF-3 Limit Heat Loss Through Exterior Walls).

More on this topic may become clear when benchmarking data is released in September. Nevertheless, the fact remains that there is a wide variability in energy use intensity, due to age and many factors, even among similar building types. This demonstrates the improvement that is possible in the City’s building stock – although as the report’s authors state, the City as a whole is not currently moving fast enough to meet the 2030 goal of 30% citywide greenhouse gas reduction.

It’s impressive how much work went into the report. The benchmarking data will be a great source for analyses that will ultimately help New York City and the nation create and implement strategies to cut energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. Congratulations are due to all who contributed to this effort.

This spring, Urban Green Council’s Emerging Professionals embarked on a special partnership with Public School 41 in the West Village to bring green building practices into the classroom.  Working closely with 2nd-4th grade science teachers Vicki Sando, Joaquin Rodriguez and Allison MacCallum, a few EP members volunteered to help develop lesson plans for the school’s Urban Eco-Club enrichment classes. The EP volunteers worked with the teachers to create experiments, worksheets and games incorporating environmental architecture for a class of 30 students.
The partnership was a product of two separate endeavors to improve sustainability education in New York schools. Six years ago Vicki Sando, a science teacher and parent of two former students, spearheaded a green roof project for the school and helped raise the needed funds. She now oversees the maintenance and planning for the green roof, which Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer has called a prototype that could be implemented in other public schools. In addition to providing several environmental benefits, the roof serves as hands-on classroom for the school.

Last year, EP Member and USGBC Emerging Professionals Leadership Academy participant Mariah Porath began developing a curriculum proposal to inspire New York City area schools to teach children about environmental building and LEED certification. The EP Leadership Academy is a unique program that brings local members of national Emerging Professional groups together to enhance their leadership skills; individual participants are tasked with developing a community project for their local chapter. Mariah’s project focused on an integral part of the USGBC Center for Green Schools’ overall mission and was an opportunity for EP members to get a chance to share their knowledge with the next generation.

Connecting the school and EP brought about a great pilot program that we hope will forge a strong ongoing partnership with education providers and Urban Green Council’s Emerging Professionals. Classes included Stormwater & Heat Island experiments, a Dream Green Home interactive game, and presentations by leading experts in the areas of urban farming, architecture, engineering and more!

On Thursday, June 28, the first annual EBie Awards were held at the Hard Rock Café in Times Square. The EBies are a nationwide, juried competition that celebrates increased sustainability in existing buildings (thus, EBies) and the people behind these improvements. Close to 70 competitors submitted entries, from every region of the country, and the finalists gathered in New York City to down “EBie Elixirs” and wait breathlessly to hear the winners announced (between banter among local and national green building luminaries).

The stated point of the competition is to recognize unsung heroes – but let me tell you, after last night, those heroes have been sung! As a building geek (and speaking for all the other building geeks in the room), it was heartwarming to hear the applause and cheers for all the people working their chillers off to reduce energy and water use in existing buildings. While the “sexy” focus is often on the construction of fancy new structures, in order to reduce the overall impact of our built environment we must also greatly improve our existing buildings.

And while all the hardworking people doing this will tell you they don’t care, I think the truth is that people are motivated by the recognition of their peers (and let’s face it – the chance to have a Broadway star sing to you, as Emily Padgett did). It also helps the recognition of the profession overall to have an Oscar-like production celebrating existing building efforts.

Finalists were from all walks of building management life, including owners, engineers (yes, there were many engineer jokes at the EBies), and in one case, the principal of Rosa Parks Elementary School (Lexington, KY), Leslie Thomas. Leslie stole the show when she described how her team involved the kids in her school in the process of creating energy retrofits – and the kids came up with great ideas, helping the team walk away with a Reformed Gas Guzzler EBie.

In the end, we’re all winners, since reducing energy and water use helps all of us. Ultimately, victory will be defined by all buildings performing like EBie winners. But for now, the green carpet, the Times Square marquee, the fancy drinks, the wild applause, and all the glitz surrounding the EBies should encourage folks to dream how they might be up on stage themselves next year.

When the EBie Awards™ moved from conception to reality almost a year ago, we felt strongly that the program had to be exceptional on many fronts—the award criteria, the jury, and the winner’s trophy, to name a few.

Retrofit projects aren’t necessarily glamorous, but they’re incredibly important and impactful. We needed an award with these same qualities—and a dash of sophistication.

We started from a good place, when Fiona Cousins of Arup fleshed out the EBie award categories and came up with a great name. Now we had to pull it all together with branding that was celebratory but still weighty.

We sought advice from some great design professionals, but chose Mark Pernice of Matic to do the EBie logo, website, and award. Said Mark:

“We wanted something beautiful in its simplicity, something familiar but progressive, of the earth but ethereal, organic in material but not in aesthetic. The cube represents many of this with significant meaning to the human psyche.

The award design is about how different people approach similar challenges with totally different solutions. The award cubes have the exact same shape and construction, but positioned differently they appear distinct from each other.

We looked to Bioresin for its affordability, soft smoky aesthetic, and unique material.  Each year we can change the color to create a series—furthering the message of sustainable design for years to come.”

Once we had a working design (see 3D rendering below), we had to some investigative work on the suggested material, Bioresin. We’d already ruled out glass due to its significantly higher cost for making a custom award.

Urban Green Board Member and SOM Technical Director Nick Holt ran it by SOM’s Specifications Team. The verdict?

“As an improvement to the resin family, Bioresin appears to be a very good step forward—reduced, though not eliminated toxicity, rapidly renewable, biodegradable–which is a story that has worth.”

Here at Urban Green, we often talk about how sustainability isn’t about holding out for the best solution, but demanding increasingly better ones. We think Bioresin fits the bill.

More important, we hope it inspires you to win an EBie.