Projects Earn Awards and LEED Certifications; Seminars, On-Line Tools and Guide Books Offer Professional Education Opportunities

DLR designs Chicago’s first LEED firehouse. International Code Council prints guides to code changes. LaFarge unveils on-line LEED tool.

Chicago Fire Station is City’s First to Earn LEED Silver Certification

The City of Chicago’s Engine Co. 121 firehouse just achieved silver certification status through the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system. LEED is a way to gauge how well a building is designed, built and operated to reduce its impact on the natural environment while being a healthier place to work.

Although Engine Co. 121 was the eighth new firehouse opened in Chicago since 2002, it is the first to officially reach the Public Building Commission’s minimum goal of LEED silver certification.

DLR Group, the architect of record, started the green-design process with an urban and brownfield redevelopment site, then added a new 14,000-sq-ft building with green features such as solar thermal panels to preheat hot water for the building, low-flow plumbing fixtures that helped cut water use by 40%, and mechanical systems that beat ASHRAE standards by 20%.

The architects were also careful to use local and regional materials, and those with recycled content, both containing minimal volatile organic compounds so indoor air quality is not compromised.

“DLR Group and their client, the Public Building Commission of Chicago, worked closely to incorporate green building practices into this facility,” said Adam St. Cyr, the project manager of Engine 121 and senior associate at DLR Group. “The LEED system has since evolved into a new version, so we are going to holistically refine the prototype design with additional sustainable attributes and amenities to aim for the gold on the next one! We hope to substantially improve energy savings on the prototype, design a high performance building envelope and keep maintenance low for the city, while also focusing on longevity with quality,” he said.

Hoffman Designs Wisconsin Public Service Corp.’s First Green Service Center

Wisconsin Public Service Corp. (WPS) recently unveiled its new 76,000-sq-ft service center in Rhinelander, Wis. The service center is registered with the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) with the certification goal of LEED gold, was designed by Hoffman LLC, Appleton, Wis.

WPS, Green Bay, Wis., is a wholly owned subsidiary of Integrys Energy Group, Inc., is an electric and natural gas utility that has served northeastern and central Wisconsin and Upper Michigan for more than a century.

In developing its new service center, which consolidates functions previously performed in multiple buildings at two sites, WPS wanted the facility to be environmentally friendly.

Multiple sustainable features were incorporated in the design to provide an excellent work environment and maximize WPS’ long-term operational savings.

Key features include: Integrated design of building shell, lighting, and mechanical systems to provide comfort and energy cost savings. High clerestory windows in interior office space, the warehouse, and service areas to make use of daylight and reduce the energy used for lights. In-floor heating in garage and service areas. Motion sensors that turn off lighting and HVAC systems when spaces are unoccupied. Waterless urinals and dual-flush toilets are expected to reduce water usage by at least 40% from the LEED baseline. Hoffman says 45% of the building’s total material cost is composed of both pre-consumer and post-consumer recycled content.

A waste management plan diverted 90% of construction waste from the site, greatly reducing the amount of materials broughtto landfills. Native vegetation on site, including prairie grasses, helps conserve water, reduce maintenance, and improve the surrounding environment.

With a staff of about 50 employees, the new service center will provide office space, a vehicle service area and storage, as well as warehousing space for equipment.

Hoffman collaborated with the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) of Palo Alto, Calif., for the service center’s lighting design. In addition, Hoffman worked in partnership with the following sub-contractors on the project design: Larson Engineering, Inc. (structural), Muermann Engineering (electrical), Fredericksen Engineering (HVAC), CDH Energy Corporation (commissioning), and LGD & Associates, Inc. (plumbing and fire protection). Miron Construction was the project’s construction manager.

Bendheim’s Free On-Line Channel Glass Wall Systems Program Can Earn AIA Sustainable Design Credit

Bendheim Wall Systems Inc., Passaic, N.J. is offering a free, on-line educational program about channel-glass wall systems. Participating in the 1.5-hour program earns industry professionals 1.5 health, safety, and welfare learning units (HSW LU). The program also qualifies for sustainable design (AIA SD) credit, a new continuing- education requirement for AIA members.

The course, “Channel Glass Wall Systems: Enhancing Building Performance and Design” (AIA CES # AEC340), offers an in-depth review of the structural properties and design benefits of channel-glass wall systems. It includes sections on performance, installation, current standards, and case studies of channel glass in LEED-certified installations.

“The program is designed by Bendheim experts with extensive channel glass engineering and installation experience. We are eager to share our knowledge and experience with architects and designers,” says Robert Jayson, president of Bendheim.

The course is available online as a self-study program. It can be accessed through www.bendheimwall.com and www.aecdaily.com/en/1609039.

Harley Ellis Devereaux Wins Three Green Good Design Awards.

Three projects designed by Harley Ellis Devereaux have won Green Good Design awards sponsored by The European Centre for Architecture, Art, Design and Urban Studies and the Chicago Athenaeum.

The Good Design awards program, established for 60 years now, recognizes the most innovative and visionary new product designs worldwide. In 2008, more than 500 new product designs and graphics from over 33 nations were recognized with the award.

Sponsored by the European Centre for Architecture, Art, Design and Urban Studies and the Chicago Athenaeum, the Green Good Design awards focus on the most important new international products and buildings, as well as construction and planning projects that are leading the global way to a design that is fully sustainable and compatible with the highest standards of good environment.

In the 2009 awards, three projects designed by Harley Ellis Devereaux earned Green Good Design awards.

They are Henry Ford’s Ford Rouge Factory Tour Visitor Center, Dearborn, Mich.; the A. Alfred Taubman Student Services Center at Lawrence Technological University, Southfield, Mich., and the Wentworth Commons Apartments, Chicago.

The Henry Ford Rouge Factory Tour Visitor Center has earned LEED gold certification; the A. Alfred Taubman Student Services Center has earned LEED silver certification, and the Wentworth Commons Apartments are LEED certified.

The Ford Rouge Visitor Center features a rainwater collection cistern, photo-voltaic solar power systems, a bioswale system, low VOC interior finishes, electric vehicle charging stations, and a vegetative roof.

The new three-story, 42,000-sq-ft Taubman Student Center’s sustainable features include a vegetated green roof, geothermal heating, a photo-voltaic energy system, bioswale rainwater management, low e-glass skin and under-floor air distribution.

Wentworth Commons combines supportive affordable housing with environmental friendliness. The complex features a renewable energy source in its roof-mounted 33 KwH photo-voltaic solar energy system, which on a peak day, produces 25 percent of the building’s electricity. Wentworth Commons was the first multi-unit residential building to receive any type of LEED certification in Chicago, the State of Illinois and the entire Midwest.

To view a list of the other Green Good Design Awards recipients, visit www.europeanarch.eu.

Guides and Seminars Focus on Changes to 2009 I-Codes

Significant changes to the 2009 International Codes, a series of books that are an invaluable tool to help code officials, architects, engineers and other code users transition to the new codes, are available from the International Code Council. The books are the first support documents published for the 2009 I-Codes and are complimented by a series of seminars.

Each book offers a comprehensive, practical analysis of critical changes between the 2006 and 2009 editions of the I-Codes. The International Building, Residential and Fire codes are discussed in separate books. A fourth book addresses changes to the 2009 International Plumbing, Mechanical and Fuel Gas codes.

Changes are identified and then followed by in-depth discussion of how real-world application is affected. The books discuss provisions with special significance, including new and innovative design ideas and technologies, modern materials and methods of construction, and current approaches to safety and stability.

Authored by Code Council technical experts, the books include detailed color illustrations, and are jointly published with Cengage. To purchase the books and register for the seminars visit www.iccsafe.org/09changes / http://www.launchmailerpro.com/t/61690/ 31670872/23600626/0/. Seminar registration includes the related book.

The International Code Council, a membership association dedicated to building safety, fire prevention and energy efficiency, develops the codes used to construct residential and commercial buildings, including homes and schools. Most U.S. cities, counties and states choose the International Codes, building safety codes developed by the International Code Council.

Lafarge Launches Product Guide For LEED Project Certification

Lafarge announces a new online tool that helps design professionals, primarily architects and engineers, to find Lafarge products that can help meet green building requirements under the LEED rating system.

With just a project’s postal code, the guide allows the user to enter search criteria by product or LEED credit category.

Each listing includes a description of the product and an explanation of how that product can help contribute to achieving points in particular LEED credit categories.

While the guide currently features Lafarge cement and gypsum products, the company plans to add other Lafarge products soon.

The guide is available at the Lafarge Web site at www.lafarge-na.com. A link to the guide is located along the right-hand side of the home page.