AIA Asks for Carbon Neutral Action Plans

This sounds like a smart program for AIA members, Energy Engineers, Facility Managers and Plant Managers to implement today! Thanks to AIA for reaching out to its membership. This type of action plan should reach a wide audience of commercial and residential building owners and managers. For businesses it may be a good first step to assign a team to the task. Empower this group to analyze current energy usage and then develop the multi-year action plans for owners, managers and employees to follow with the carbon neutral goal always in mind. Read below and start your action plan!
AIA Announces Results of First Year of Projected Energy Use Data from Firms Participating in 2030 Commitment Program
For immediate release:
New Orleans – May 12, 2011 –In 2009 the American Institute of Architects (AIA) introduced the 2030 Commitment Program, a voluntary initiative for AIA member firms and other entities in the built environment that asks these organizations to make a pledge, develop multi-year action plans, and implement steps that can advance AIA's goal of carbon neutral buildings by the year 2030.  At the end of the 2010 calendar year, firms were asked to submit an assessment of their 2010 design work using a toolreleased by the AIA last year.

"The findings are a good first step to see where we are as an industry in reaching the ultimate goal of achieving carbon neutrality in buildings by 2030.  It is encouraging to see the number of participating firms in this program and the large amount of real estate that their projects account for," said AIA EVP/Chief Executive Officer, Robert Ivy, FAIA.  "That said it is also a wake-up call for the profession that we need to be more steadfast in the prediction of energy usage in design projects, as well as collecting actual post-occupancy performance data."

A new report, Measuring Industry Progress towards AIA 2030 Carbon Reduction Goal, includes data from 56 firms accounting for nearly 385 million gross square feet (GSF) nationwide.  The key findings include:

• Firms reported a combined average 35.1% predicted energy use intensity (PEUI) reduction from the national average EUI.
• The largest PEUI reduction reported by a firm is 70.6%
• The smallest PEUI reduction reported by a firm is 11.6%
• The combined firms design portfolio that is meeting the current goal of a 60% reduction in carbon emissions reduction from the national average is 12.1%
• The largest percentage of GSF of active projects meeting goal reported by one firm is 69.8%
• The smallest percentage of GSF of active projects meeting goal reported by one firm is 0% (reported by multiple firms)
• GSF of projects currently being energy modeled is 58%
• The percentage of projects that will collect actual data is 38%

The full report also contains participating firm demographics, energy reduction initiatives undertaken by firms and anecdotal accounts of the challenges and lessons learned through participating in the 2030 Commitment Program.
About The American Institute of Architects
For over 150 years, members of the American Institute of Architects have worked with each other and their communities to create more valuable, healthy, secure, and sustainable buildings and cityscapes. Members adhere to a code of ethics and professional conduct to ensure the highest standards in professional practice. Embracing their responsibility to serve society, AIA members engage civic and government leaders and the public in helping find needed solutions to pressing issues facing our communities, institutions, nation and world. Visit http://www.aia.org/.

This blog post was approved by http://www.igreenbuild.com/, a New Venture Communications web property.

IBM Acquisition Accerates Focus on Green Building

IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced a definitive agreement to acquire privately-held TRIRIGA, Inc., a Las Vegas, Nevada-based provider of facility and real estate management software solutions. The move aims to accelerate IBM's smarter buildings initiatives by adding advanced intelligence that improves real estate performance, capital project management and the outcomes of sustainability initiatives. Financial terms were not disclosed.

TRIRIGA software helps clients make strategic decisions regarding space usage, evaluate alternative real estate initiatives, generate higher returns from capital projects, and assess environmental impact investments.
Greater efficiencies around the operations and management of real estate are critical for organizations with multiple facilities.  Property and real estate typically represents the second-largest expense on a company's income statement, after employee compensation.  Facilities investments and operating costs can be more than 30 percent of corporate annual spending.  Fifty percent of the lifetime ownership costs of a facility can be driven from its ongoing operation.

IBM is working with thousands of organizations globally to optimize the energy usage and equipment efficiency in office buildings, campuses, resorts, hospitals and cities using IBM smarter buildings software, which includes analytics, automation and IBM Maximo Asset Management.

Today many facilities managers, real estate managers and C-level executives rely on separate products from multiple vendors to optimize their facility infrastructure, lease administration, utility consumption, space and occupancy, and facility condition assessment. Each product used by different departments holds silos of information, making it difficult, if not impossible, to share across different operating functions. Similarly, business processes that span multiple groups cannot easily be accomplished when those groups are using different products.

"The combination of TRIRIGA and IBM smarter building solutions will deliver the industry's most comprehensive capabilities that span the needs of all industries for managing facilities and real estate portfolios," said Florence Hudson, energy and environment executive, IBM.  "Having one view of building operations worldwide will be a powerful tool to help organizations control and optimize their second-largest corporate expense -- property."

More than 200 clients and thousands of users -- including over one-third of Fortune 100 corporations across every major industry, as well as seven of the 15 federal executive departments of the U.S. government -- use TRIRIGA software to reduce operational costs, increase return on real estate assets and mitigate environmental regulatory risks.

As a leader in the workplace management market, TRIRIGA will strengthen IBM smarter buildings solutions by adding these key functions:

• Real Estate Portfolio Management, including strategic portfolio planning and lease management --TRIRIGA allows companies to optimize building use, reduce occupancy costs and improve lease administration. TRIRIGA software helps companies evaluate future space requirements and make long term planning decisions. For example, using solutions from TRIRIGA, managers can determine future space and growth needs and choose the most financially beneficial options among lease or buy alternatives.

• Capital Project Management, such as condition assessment, budgeting, construction estimating and project management -- Effectively evaluating building condition and prioritizing investments are important in maximizing a facility's lifetime value at the lowest cost possible.  For example, managers can assess whether to replace a roof on a building versus replacing the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment by helping determine which is a better return-on-investment and assessing trade-offs in identifying investment priorities.

• Energy and Environmental Sustainability, such as monitoring utility costs and consumption, analyzing environmental investments and setting carbon management strategies -- Tracking and managing utility costs, including electricity, gas and water, is the first step companies must take in driving those costs down. For example, using TRIRIGA software, a company can monitor and track its carbon footprint and reduce greenhouse gases from underperforming facilities. Companies can evaluate the financial and environmental benefit of capital investment decisions focused on energy and environmental efficiency strategies, such as a building retrofit or updating to a more efficient HVAC system.

"Together, IBM and TRIRIGA will offer the most comprehensive facility and real estate management solution for clients around the world," said George Ahn, president and CEO of TRIRIGA.  "By combining our intellectual capital with the global reach of IBM, we can help clients dramatically improve their buildings' operations to become more sustainable and cost efficient."

TRIRIGA will be integrated into IBM Tivoli Software and IBM Global Business Services.  The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2011, subject to regulatory approval and the satisfaction of customary closing conditions.  TRIRIGA employs approximately 200 people worldwide.
The acquisition of TRIRIGA will help accelerate IBM's growth in the smarter buildings market, a key initiative in IBM's Smarter Planet work.  Earlier this month, IBM said Smarter Planet projects are estimated to drive $10 billion in revenue for IBM by 2015.
For more information, please visit http://www.ibm.com/software/tivoli/welcome/tririga

About IBM Smarter Buildings
Since launching its Smarter Buildings initiative in February 2010, IBM has created a portfolio of smarter buildings solutions that integrate with building automation software from across the industry.  IBM's real-time monitoring and analysis, facilities and space management capabilities, and advanced dynamic dashboards helps property owners and managers reduce facilities operations and energy expense, and improve asset management and reliability. For more information, visit: http://www.ibm.com/smarterplanet/us/en/green_buildings/ideas/index.html?re=sph

About TRIRIGA, Inc.
Named by foremost industry analyst firms as the leader in sustainability software and in Integrated Workplace Management Systems, TRIRIGA provides enterprise sustainability, real estate and facilities management solutions. TRIRIGA has delivered the industry's most advanced capabilities such as configurable workflow and performance analytics engines to reduce operating costs, increase return on assets and achieve sustainability goals for mid- and large-sized commercial and public enterprises, including more than one-third of the Fortune 100.

Gen. Colin Powell's Speech at GreenBuild Now Available On-Line

General Colin Powell delivered an inspiring speech at the USGBC's Green Build Conference and Expo in Chicago yesterday. Powell, a former Secretary of State and Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of staff addressed an audience of over 10,000 people at the annual green building event.

“Leadership has to be passionate. Each person involved must believe they have a purpose,”  said Powell.

In addition to Powell's keynote, the morning session included a discussion between political pundits and husband and wife Mary Matalin and James Carville. USGBC President, CEO and Founding Chair Rick Fedrizzi also addressed the group.
According to Fedrizzi, “The leadership of the green building community is at the heart of Greenbuild,” said Fedrizzi. “This year us all about Generation Green: Redefining Our Future – and today, I see that we are collectively the most important catalysts for the change that will result in the greatest consumer, cultural and market revolution in America."
"Together we deliver through the built environment immediate and measurable improvements in our overall quality of life,” Fedrizzi added.

If you were not at Green Build, you can watch the speech from the USGBC site.
To view Powell's speech, click here.

iGreenBuild’s Top 10 Premier Green Buildings

Thanks to everyone who submitted nominations for our inaugural iGreenBuild Top 10 Premier Green Buildings Contest. While every nominee deserves recognition for their innovative use of sustainable materials, their commitment to energy efficiency and preservation of natural resources, and in many cases their focus on building with a purpose, these 10 stand out. Here are our picks for the Top 10 Premier Green Buildings. Each twitter nominator will receive a copy of the book Leading With Marketing, by Brian Gallagher and Kimberly Kayler. Over the next month, we will profile each of these buildings, so check back often for details and insight into each of these exciting projects and some of the people behind them:

1. The Frontier Project- Rancho Cucamonga, CA
2. TC Williams High School- Alexandria, VA
3. Elgin Academy- Elgin, IL
4. Boston Consulting Group’s (BCG) office at Saint Anne’s Court; Dallas, TX
5. The King Pavilion@ ISU College of Design- Ames, IA
6. Genzyme Corporation- Cambridge, MA
7. Battery-Powered House- West Lancaster, CA
8. Refract House- Santa Clara, CA
9. Hawaii Preparatory Academy’s Energy Lab- Kamuela, HI
10. Jacob Burns Film Center’s Media Arts Lab- Westchester County, NY

We hope you enjoy the list, and we know you’ll enjoy getting to know these buildings. We’d love your comments on the list (even if you disagree!) and keep sending cool projects our way. You can follow us Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.