EPA Issues Second Annual Ranking of U.S. Cities with the Most Energy Efficient Buildings

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a list of U.S. metropolitan areas with the largest number of energy efficient buildings that earned EPA’s Energy Star in 2009. The list is headed by Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Denver, Chicago, Houston, Lakeland, Dallas-Fort Worth, Atlanta and New York. Energy efficiency saves building owners money and fights climate change.


"These cities see the importance of taking action on climate change," said Gina McCarthy, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation. “Communities from Los Angeles to Louisville are reducing greenhouse gases and cutting energy bills with buildings that have earned EPA's Energy Star."

EPA first issued its ranking of cities with the most Energy Star labeled buildings last year. This year, Los Angeles remains in first place; the District of Columbia picks up second; Denver and Chicago move into the top five; and Lakeland and New York City are new to the top 10.

Continuing the impressive growth of the past several years, in 2009 nearly 3,900 commercial buildings earned the Energy Star, representing annual savings of more than $900 million in utility bills and more than 4.7 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions.

Since EPA awarded the first Energy Star to a building in 1999, nearly 9,000 buildings across America have earned the Energy Star as of the end of 2009, representing more than a 40 percent increase over last year’s total. Overall annual utility savings have climbed to nearly $1.6 billion and greenhouse gas emissions equal to the emissions of more than 1 million homes a year have been prevented.

Energy use in commercial buildings accounts for 17 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions at a cost of over $100 billion per year. EPA awards the Energy Star to commercial buildings that perform in the top 25 percent of buildings nationwide compared to similar buildings. Thirteen types of buildings can earn the Energy Star, including schools, hospitals, office buildings, retail stores and supermarkets.


View a list of the Top 25 Cities in 2009 with Energy Star labeled buildings: http://www.energystar.gov/ia/business/downloads/2009_Top_25_cities_chart.pdf


Access EPA’s real-time registry of all Energy Star labeled buildings 1999-present:

http://energystar.gov/buildinglist


Learn more about earning the Energy Star for commercial buildings:

http://energystar.gov/labeledbuildings

Energy Film Uses Nanoparticle Technology to Save Energy

The U.S. Department of Energy has stated that 60% of a rooms heat load in summer is due to solar heat through the windows. They have also stated that 25% of energy loss in winter is through the windows. Energy Film is a cost-effective solution to saving energy by reducing heat gain in summer and reducing heat loss in winter. To read full article, click here.

Construction Backlog Indicator (CBI) Down 9 Percent in January

Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) today reports that its Construction Backlog Indicator (CBI) sharply declined by 9 percent between November 2009 and January 2010. CBI has slipped 16.3 percent during the last year and currently stands at 5.5 months, the lowest point reported in the 15 months ABC has gathered data. CBI is a forward-looking indicator that measures the amount of construction work under contract to be completed in the future.


"The fact that the CBI is now at its lowest point since ABC began measuring the statistic in November 2008 indicates that the nation's nonresidential construction industry remains mired in its own recession," said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu.

"Nonresidential construction tends to lag the overall economy by 12 to 24 months. With the broader economy having been in a slow recovery for roughly three quarters, and with the stimulus package still having an impact, the hope had been that some signs of backlog stability would be apparent by now. However, all indications continue to point toward an ongoing decline in the commercial and industrial construction industry."

Regional Highlights

Between January 2009 and January 2010, average backlog was down in each of the geographic regions, except for the Middle States.

Particularly sharp declines occurred in the Northeast and the South, which have both experienced declines of roughly half a month of backlog during the past two months.

The sharpest regional decline occurred in the South, falling from 8.12 months in January 2009 to 6.03 months in January 2010.

Analysis

"While most regions experienced a decline in average backlog during the latest two-month period, with the exception of the Middle States, the pace of decline was quite modest. Overall, the data are consistent with the notion that while the pace of decline continues to slow, the downward trend is evident in virtually every region of the nation."

Industry Highlights

The average backlog fell in all three industry segments – commercial, industrial and infrastructure – between January 2009 and January 2010.

Between November 2009 and January 2010, average backlog in the infrastructure category fell by precisely two months.

At 5.3 months, backlog in the commercial and institutional category now stands at its lowest level in the survey's history.

Analysis

"The data indicate that infrastructure-related work, attributable to the stimulus package passed in February 2009, is no longer generating substantial new backlog now that the funds have largely been obligated to current projects under way. The elevated backlog readings of previous months are associated with substantial levels of ongoing construction, but the decline in backlog signals an eventual downturn in infrastructure-related construction spending."


Highlights by Company Size

With the exception of firms in the $30 million to $50 million category, average backlog declined for every size category.

No firm in the $75 million to $100 million category reported an average backlog of more than five months, and many reported backlog between three and four months.

Firms with annual revenues in excess of $100 million reported the lengthiest backlog, although backlog for this group has been declining overall in recent months.

Analysis

"Average backlog is now at its lowest level in both the $50 million to $75 million and the $75 million to $100 million categories. Many of these firms appear to be general contractors that continue to be underbid by larger firms with greater resources and greater capacity to undertake projects with little or no profit margin built into their bids. Larger firms also may be more likely to maintain productive banking relationships, allowing them to more nimbly access available contractual opportunities."

To read more about the latest CBI, click here.

Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) is a national association with 77 chapters representing 25,000 merit shop construction and construction-related firms with two million employees. Visit ABC at http://www.abc.org/

AIA Billing Index Shows Slight Increase in Demand

According to the American Institute of Architects, the Architecture Billings Index (ABI) moved slightly higher in February. The index for last month was 44.8, compared to 42.5 in January. The February index indicates a continued decline in demand for design services. Any reading above 50 indicates an increase in billings.

The ABI is widely viewed as a leading economic indicator of construction activity. The ABI tyoically reflects an approximate nine to 12 month lag time between architecture billings and construction spending.

"We continue to hear that funding dedicated for construction projects in the stimulus package has not yet been awarded, resulting in a bottleneck of potential projects that could help jump-start the economy," said Kermit Baker, PhD, Hon. AIA, chief economist at the American Institute of Architects, which compiles the ABI. "That, coupled with a persistently rigid credit market for private sector projects, is a key reason why the design and construction industry continue to suffer at near historic levels in terms of job losses." The AIA conducts a monthly survey of architectural firms to build the index.

Key February 2010 ABI highlights:

Regional averages: Midwest (49.4), Northeast (44.1), West (43.6), South (40.7)

Sector index breakdown: multi-family residential (47.3), institutional (44.2), mixed practice (43.3), commercial / industrial (43.2)

About the Architecture Billings Index

The Architecture Billings Index (ABI) is a diffusion index derived from the monthly Work-on-the-Boards survey, conducted by the AIA Economics & Market Research Group. The ABI serves as a leading economic indicator that leads nonresidential construction activity by approximately 9-12 months. The indexes are developed from the monthly Work-on-the-Boards survey panel where participants are asked whether their billings increased, decreased, or stayed the same in the month that just ended. According to the proportion of respondents choosing each option, a score is generated, which represents an index value for each month.

IceStone Announces Contest

IceStone, the NY-based maker of green, durable surfaces used for countertops, bar-tops, bathrooms, flooring and other applications, annouced a contest for commercial installations. The Annual IceStone Installation Competition – showcasing ecofriendly, green, sustainable surfaces and how 100% recycled glass and concrete surfaces can help make our environment a better place.

Owners and contractors that have completed an IceStone commericial installation shot could be eligible to win a trip for two to Arctic Norway. For more information on the contest, visit the iGreenBuild.com IceStone Contest Page. The contest ends April 30, 2010; Winner will be announced in May 2010.



Judges:

We are proud to have on our 2nd Installation Competition panel the following pioneers and thought leaders:

- Rick Cook, Principal, Cook + Fox

- Rick Fedrizzi, President, United States Green Building Council (USGBC)

- Eric Corey Freed, Founder, OrganicArchitect

- Lisa Foster, Founder, One Bag at a Time

- Sven Lindblad, President, Lindblad Expeditions

- Tish Tablan, Environmental Manager, McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry

IGCC Introduces New Green Code

A new code designed to reguate the construction of new and existing commercial buildings was recently released by the International Green Construction Code (IGCC). The announcement of a Green Building code addresses a major issue faced by designers, the lack of a standard code.

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) and ASTM International collaborated to launch the initiative in 2009. Several other industry leading associations also supported the development of code.

“We talked to communities who indicate that their voluntary green building programs reach only, but an important, 30 percent of the built environment,” Code Council CEO Richard P. Weiland said. “This means that there is a clear need for a regulatory tool to establish a baseline to help jurisdictions meet their sustainability goals.”

According to the IGCC, enforcement of the code will improve indoor air quality, and support the use of energy-efficient appliances, renewable energy systems, water resource conservation, rainwater collection and distribution systems, and the recovery of used water (graywater).

Though ASTM, IGCC believes there will be voluntary consensus standards recognized by industry, code officials, and other stakeholders for their high-degree of technical quality, relevance and their suitability to contribute to more sustainable and environmentally improved buildings.

According to AIA Executive Vice President/CEO Christine McEntee, “The IGCC reinforces the role of the architect as a key leader in shaping the set of decisions that result in a truly green building and underlines the fact that good design matters. The AIA committed its resources to providing a strong presence at the drafting sessions to ensure that this code would truly be useful to our members and other stakeholders, and to ensure that the regulatory landscape was structured to facilitate the advancement beyond the AIA’s 2030 energy reduction goals for carbon neutral buildings. We are very pleased with the release of this initial public version and are committed to working with the ICC as the code moves forward through the review and adoption process.”

“We are proud of the valuable role that ASTM technical committees play in contributing to green building and construction initiatives,” said James A. Thomas, President, ASTM International. “Over 20 ASTM test methods, performance specifications, guides and practices are referenced in IGCC Public Version 1.0 in areas such as solar technology, environmental site assessment, and environmental aspects of cement and concrete. ASTM International looks forward to continuing these important efforts through the development of new standards that enable innovation and the environmentally improved commercial buildings of the future.”

Additional associations supported the ICC/AIA/ASTM team in developing the IGCC. These associations included: the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and the Illuminating Engineers Society (IES). The IGCC will now reference the ANSI/ASHRAE/USGBC/IES

“Green building codes and standards working complementary to one another is a critical step towards advancing green building,” said Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO & Founding Chair, USGBC. “This collaboration will accelerate the adoption of green building codes and standards developed jointly by ICC, ASHRAE, USGBC and IES, across the country and around the globe as we work collectively towards transforming building design, construction and operations to green practices.”

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. The International Codes also serve as the basis for construction of federal properties around the world, and as a reference for many nations outside the United States.

Modular Building and the USGBC’s LEED ™ Version 3.0 2009 Building Rating System

The Modular Building Institute (MBI) has commissioned a report that provides the overview of how the commercial modular construction industry’s current practices can benefit from an awareness of the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED™) Building Rating System. It covers LEED for New Construction and Major Renovations, applied to commercial construction, and LEED for Schools. It is a best attempt to align the modular building industry with the Prerequisite and Credit requirements imbedded in LEED V 3.0 2009.

The report was compiled by Robert Kobet, AIA, LEED-AP. The paper highlights areas where modular construction processes, in particular, have an advantage over site-build construction for LEED ratings. Below is a summary of the report’s overall conclusions concerning modular construction and sustainability as it relates to the LEED prerequisite and credit categories, as well as the new category for LEED 2009, Regional Priority.

Sustainable Sites

Proper siting or placement of modular units can contribute to improved day lighting, natural ventilation, better storm water management, more efficient site lighting and a host of other sustainable design and development improvements that contribute to a more energy, material and resource efficient project. This category also rewards construction techniques that limit site disturbance and keep disturbed areas to within the areas immediately adjacent to the building footprint.

Water Efficiency

Water conservation and the LEED Water Efficiency credits are gaining in priority and application as the awareness of the importance of water and, in some cases, growing shortages emerge. Water conservation is one of the hallmarks of high performance green buildings and one area where modular construction can enjoy the same benefits as conventional construction.

Energy and Atmosphere

Increasing energy costs and growing concern about energy availability and security are sure to keep the interest in energy conservation and renewable or alternative energy sources in the forefront of the high performance green building movement. Modular construction has a number of potential advantages — it uses structural insulated panels (SIPS) that can produce relatively high R-values, steel and aluminum stud frame construction can produce energy-efficient units and high-performance windows contribute to the pursuit of high-performance building envelopes.

Materials and Resources

Modular construction by nature is material and resource efficient. One of the great economies of modular construction is the ability to assemble repetitive units in controlled conditions. Another is to minimize material waste associated with conventional construction due to weather intrusion and construction site theft. Whole modular units — largely finished prior to arriving at the construction site — can significantly limit construction waste generated at the site and contribute directly to construction site waste management.

Indoor Environmental Quality

Superior indoor environmental quality (IEQ) is one of the most desirable and important attributes of high performance. At this time, the modular industry can provide both environmentally conscious buildings and eco-friendly building materials because it has control over both. This is evidenced by the creative and inspirational responses produced by manufacturers who have participated in green building design challenges.

Innovation and Design Process and LEED

Perhaps the best feature of the LEED building rating system is the invitation to be innovative. Modular construction capitalizes on the ability to move product in controlled manufacturing conditions, tight inventory control and project schedules. It is inherently waste conscious and can have minimum site impact if delivered carefully and strategically with respect to site constraints. Modular units purchased within 500 miles of the construction site offer other LEED point opportunities.

Regional Priority

The Regional Priority Credits category is new to LEED 2009. The Regional Bonus Credit Category contains four possible Regional Specific Environmental Priority credits. A database of the credits is available on the USGBC Web site, www.usgbc.org. It is recognized that modular building components and finished modular building units can be a part of any LEED design and construction effort, and as such, regional priority credits can also be obtained. The evolution of LEED is a reflection of the changing market forces. There is every opportunity for the modular building industry to identify with and achieve the value added in energy, material and resource efficient qualities and attributes of high performance buildings. At the same time the modular building industry offers the best strategies for construction waste management, material efficiencies and superior air quality.

Access the MBI Report

ABC Offers Green Contractor Certification Program

For contractors interested in sustainability and green construction, the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) offers a Green Contractor Certification program. According to ABC, the programs documents the efforts of merit shop construction firms that are developing a sustainable workplace environment and to recognize those ABC members that are leaders in the green industry.

The process starts by submitting an application detailing green efforts and undergoing a third-party onsite assessment to achieve certification from ABC’s National Green Building Committee. ABC’s Certified Green Contractor program focuses on the green initiatives ABC member firms undertake in the workplace, not on construction practices, and it certifies companies, not individuals.

“ABC members have been on the forefront of the green building movement since its inception, but ABC also believes in stretching green achievements beyond the construction process and into the workplace,” said W. Brewster Earle, chairman of the ABC National Green Building Committee and president of Comfort Systems USA Energy Services, in Hartford, Conn. “The Green Contractor Certification program is another step in ABC’s goal to provide support and recognition for those firms that are setting an example for the industry by promoting green practices within the company and those that would like to create sustainability in the workplace as well as in construction practices.”

Twelve prerequisites ranging from the electronic distribution of documents to establishing an aggressive recycling program must be completed by each company. In addition, companies are required to fulfill at least 12 out of 36 elective items that include conducting a professional energy audit, engaging in water conservation efforts and providing incentives for carpooling or using public transportation. Each company also must achieve four education and training benchmarks, such as instructing employees on sustainability issues and requiring at least 25 percent of eligible managers to receive green building awareness education. For more information, visit ABC’s green website http://www.greenconstructionatwork.com//.

Pharmaceutical Manufacturing FacilityFeatures Sustainable Design

Integrating manufacturing research and office environments was a key objective of United Therapeutics Corporation (UT) for their recently completed facility. To meet its objective, UT turned to O’Neal, Inc. to provide master planning and detailed design for the pharmaceutical solid dose manufacturing and research and development facility in the Research Triangle Park, NC.   

Form truly meets function in UT’s breathtaking facility. UT was interested in producing a state-of-art facility that reflected the company mission of “Medicines for Life.” During programming, O’Neal worked with UT and created the “Circle of Life” and “Betterment of Mankind” through UT medicines themes that were reflected within the design and layout of the building. Manufacturing is at the core of the building, with all other functions acting as “spokes” in the wheel.

According to David Zaccardelli, Vice President Pharmaceutical Development, the project was “something far from ordinary that integrated manufacturing within the office environment.”

In addition to manufacturing and R&D, the 203,000-square-foot facility serves as office space for administration, marketing and management functions. The project scope for O’Neal consisted of master planning of a 54-acre site in the RTP. The master plan was developed for the project to be constructed over a two and a half year period. O’Neal’s expertise and experience in potent compound solid dose pharmaceutical manufacturing design were key criteria in the selection process. “O'Neal provided exceptional input into the architectural and manufacturing design while maintaining energy efficiency, and creative land use to create a world class facility," said Zaccardelli.

The programming and detailed design services for Phase I of the master plan included a facility to house solid dosage manufacturing facilities, packaging, a 40,000-square-foot warehouse, and 95,000 square feet of corporate office space that includes a central data center, auditorium, and cafeteria. The facility also includes R&D laboratories, QA/QC laboratories and a fully integrated formulation pilot plant.

Several unique building elements were included in the design, including: curved panels that wrap around the structure, extensive natural daylight, a glass-encased entry lobby with a 38’ tall saltwater aquarium, and 258 rooftop solar panels.

The building incorporates green and sustainable design elements, and was designed following LEED standards. In addition, the facility was designed through the Durham Country Storm Water and Erosion Control Division to reduce environmental impact and to control soil erosion, waterway sedimentation and airborne dust generation. Low-emitting materials, such as carpet and adhesives, that meet requirements of the Green Label program were used. In addition, the building features extensive glass for natural daylight. Bike storage spaces and changing and shower rooms were incorporated to encourage alternative transportation. Water efficient landscaping was accomplished by utilizing reverse osmosis reject water for re-use in the plant and grass irrigation system.

O’Neal proactively worked with UT to deliver several value engineering items that resulted in significant savings. O’Neal worked closely with DPR Construction of Raleigh during construction of the project. Overall, the project was delivered three weeks early on a twenty-two and half month schedule.

Getting a Piece of the Renewable Market

The current issue of CE News features a great article on how engineering firms can capture a piece of the renawable energy market.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) 2010 Energy outlook, the United States can expect moderate growth in energy consumption, a greater use of renewables, and reduced oil and natural gas imports. Renewable energy refers to wind power; solar energy; geothermal energy; hydropower and ocean power; biomass energy, fuels, and products; and waste-to-energy.

The article, by Theresa M. Casey, FSMPS, CPSM of OnTarget Communications, specifically address the solar, wind, geothermal and alternative fuel market. To view the article, visit. CE NEWS.