JL Architects

energy efficiency

Corporate Office Design Changes Protect Employees

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According to the Society of Human Resources, 77% of organizations in 2017 did not allow full time work from home for employees. Though current statistics are not available on the number of employees working from home, we can look at our local community. Philadelphia, and its surrounding suburbs entered the green phase of reopening a month ago, yet the large employers have not brought their staff back into the office. With the continued rise of COVID-19 cases in our country, going back to the corporate office is a moving target.

Check out our video highlighting the updates, and improvements to a suburban Philadelphia corporate building that JL Architects is working on. The property was purchased with the idea of modernizing and repositioning the building for new tenants. With COVID-19, new enhancements and ideas have also emerged.

Will We Ever Go Back to an Office Space?

When states began to shut down and businesses sent employees home, some companies determined workers did not need an office to work. Employees found enhanced freedom and new-found activities replacing commuting to result in greater productivity and satisfaction.  Yet, as endless zoom calls and online meetings continue, workers have come full circle. We realize that the satisfaction was not in working from home, it was having the flexibility to work from home or an office on different days provided the greatest satisfaction.

The bottom line is that the office is not dead. But the chances that we will return to a pre-COVID look are slim.

The New Normal

While we previously tried to maximize square-feet-per-worker, maintaining safety through social distancing in the workplace has reversed that attitude. Our office set-ups will begin to include more “elbow-room” for employees. That also means shared work spaces and hoteling desks will change. Employees now need their own sanitized spaces to prevent the spread.

Company culture and interpersonal relationships are becoming more proactive–instead of having a casual conversation while you sit next to each other, coworkers need to make an effort to engage online or in a socially distant environment.

These relationships have been buoyed by the same tools that allow workers to be productive remotely. With increased flexibility in your work location, you’ll be able to stay at home when you have a cold instead of dragging yourself into the office. The choice is no longer between missing a day or completing the task on time, it is to complete the task from home or the office.  We’ll all benefit from it.

Working from an office does not have to mean the same office. Technology that made remote working possible, makes it easier for people to work in different places on different days. That includes in-home work spaces and satellite suburban offices supporting a main office in the same market (a hub and spoke configuration).  For the workforce, this means:

  1. Fewer workers in a single location and reduced chance for cross-infection,
  2. Shorter commute times resulting in economic and time savings, stress reduction, and improved air quality
  3. Greater options for suburban locations, including amenities, walkability, connectivity

Businesses can experience increased savings from the cost of renting a smaller urban location and encouraging an increased presence in lower rent suburban areas. Hopefully, this will result in increased retention and higher employee satisfaction.

In terms of interior office space, we are continually working to reduce common touch spots like doors, faucets, and elevators. Office spaces need to install increased proximity and motion activation rather than a switch, button, or leaver. Conversations that took place at the water cooler, coffee station, and lunch table will gradually return. Those places will be cleaner due to improved ventilation, better cleaning, and antiviral and antibacterial materials.

Finally, wearing masks is normalized.  We realize that while it may be uncomfortable, wearing a mask when ill helps to maintain a healthy population.

Each day we hear someone say these are strange times–and they are!  I take comfort in the conviction that humans adapt. The hardships that we experience now are already leading to greater innovation and resilience, greater appreciation of what we have, and more awareness of our collective health and well-being.

John Lister, Principal

Architects in Action – Responding When Tragedy Strikes

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Bushfires in Australia, tsunamis in Japan, earthquakes in Nepal, and the fire of Notre Dame in Paris; these are just some of the natural disasters that have wreaked recent devastation. In these tragedies that have disrupted whole communities, many humanitarian architects, such as Shigeru Ban, have found ways to aid the displaced by blending beauty with fast functionality.

Bushfires in Australia

The bushfires in Australia have been on everyone’s minds recently. In response, over 100 Australian architects have joined Architect Assist, providing free design and planning assistance to create new resilient and sustainable structures for the community.

Architects in Action2

Earthquakes in Nepal

Shigeru Ban won the Pritzker Prize in 2014 for his work in disaster relief architecture. Ban utilizes found materials such as cardboard tubes and beer crates into his designs. He has created temporary homes out of shipping containers for those displaced by earthquakes in Japan and built a temporary place of worship in New Zealand out of cardboard and stained-glass panels after the original was destroyed by an earthquake.  One of his many disaster relief projects was the work he did for the people of Nepal after two devastating earthquakes in 2015. Ban utilized the brick rubble from destroyed homes to fill in plywood frames. He used plastic sheeting and thatching for the roof. The modest design used in Nepal also holds up against Japanese earthquake standards.

Ban builds with materials that are readily available in each country. This allows not only for them to be constructed as quickly and efficiently as possible, but also allows for the people in that country to emulate his techniques. His ability to work with the people and the materials of each country he helps, is what makes him the archetype for “disaster architect”.

 “If they’re involved in the construction, if the structure needs maintenance, they will know how to do it themselves” -Shigeru Ban

Architecture is meant to serve the common good, and many in the field use their skills to go above and beyond to help when disaster strikes. In serving the common good, architects are being called to action not just for when tragedy strikes, but also called to action by utilizing sustainable and resilient design methods, attempting to prevent future catastrophic climate events.

-Hannah Helmes

Architectural Designer

Sources:

https://www.dezeen.com/2020/01/07/australian-architects-assist-bushfire-crisis-news/

https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/australia-fires-design-world-response

http://www.shigerubanarchitects.com/works/2015_nepal_earthquake-2/index.html

https://www.reuters.com/article/nepal-quake-architecture/famed-architect-shigeru-ban-builds-quake-proof-homes-from-rubble-in-nepal-idUSKBN0UC05820151229

The Best Reason to Have An All-Electric Building

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When you must make a choice between electricity or natural gas, it’s clear that electricity is better for the environment and maybe for your checkbook, too.

Maybe you’ve heard the rumblings coming out of the environmental and building science crowd.  Maybe not. But it’s getting louder lately. The rumbling I’m alluding to is the move to switch from natural gas to electricity as the energy carrier of choice for buildings.

There are several reasons for doing so. Combustion safety is a big one. Your natural gas roof top heating unit will never poison you with carbon monoxide in your office or retail store if it’s running on electricity. Also, heat pumps can carry the load, even in cold climates. And depending on where you live, getting rid of gas may save you money on your energy bills.

The big picture

But the biggest reason, in my opinion, is related to the big picture. To see it, let’s look at the most recent energy flow diagram from the Lawrence Livermore National Lab (LLNL). Here it is:

All Electric Building 2

It’s a complex diagram showing the inputs on the left, with the size of the line proportional to the amount of energy. But let’s ignore most of the data shown here and focus just on electricity generation.

In 2018, the US used 38.2 quadrillion BTUs (Quads) of energy to generate electricity. The three biggest inputs were coal (12.1 Quads), natural gas (11.0 Quads), and nuclear power (8.44 Quads).  Coal, the dirtiest fuel we use, accounted for 32% of the fuel used in generating electricity. Solar (0.61 Quads) and wind (2.53 Quads) together account for 8%.

All Electric Building 3

The total source energy that went into electricity generation ten years earlier was 39.97 Quads, or about 5% higher than it was in 2018. That’s not the interesting part, though. The portion of electricity that came from coal in 2008 was 51%.

Coal dropped from 51% to 32% as the source energy for US electricity. We decreased our coal use by more than 8 Quads in ten years. Yes, the amount of natural gas we used went up in those ten years, but only by about 4 Quads. Nuclear was flat, hydro gained a small amount, but the biggest gainers were solar and wind, which increased from 0.52 Quads to 3.14 Quads. So about half of the reduction in coal use was made up by solar and wind.

Another big change happened even earlier

Now let’s go back a bit further in time. Here’s the US energy flows diagram for 1978.

All Electric Building 4

Aside from the improvement in chart quality, there’s another significant improvement we can see here. Coal accounted for about half of the energy that went into electricity generation (10.4 out of 20.4 Quads). But the biggest change that’s happened since the 1970s was the near elimination of petroleum and natural gas liquids (NGL) from electricity generation. It went from 18.9% to 0.6% in 40 years.

The number one reason is…

The big takeaway from these data is clear: Electricity keeps getting cleaner. We’ve gotten petroleum out almost completely. We’re now seeing coal disappear rapidly. And solar and wind are beginning to take off.

When you must make a choice of electricity or natural gas, it’s clear that electricity is the better choice for the environment. Gas, on the other hand, is not getting cleaner. And with all the problems associated with fracking, gas has probably gotten worse.

In addition to being better for the environment, electricity may well be better for your pocketbook, too. A new whitepaper from Pecan Street, a research and policy organization, finds that converting from natural gas space heating to a heat pump could save Northeast homeowners from $57 to $452 per year.

Finally, of course, having an all-electric building makes it easier to offset your energy use with site-generated solar power if you install photovoltaic modules. I’m going for net zero energy use with my house I just bought, and I’ve already changed out the old natural gas furnace with a beautiful new high efficiency heat pump.

So the next time someone tells you that electric cars or heat pumps or water heaters don’t help because they use dirty coal, you can respond by saying, yes, coal is still part of the mix but it’s decreasing rapidly. Electricity is getting cleaner all the time.

-Kipp Happ, Project Manager

What I Learned at the GBI/Green Globes User Summit

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Industry meetings are a wonderful way to become familiar with and immersed in the organization’s mission. There are also presentations to increase awareness of new products and research.  These are 4 of my takeaways from the Green Building Initiative User Summit held Atlanta this year.

  1. Everything is Iterative

Iterations and revisions lead to better solutions.  The more we consider a challenge the more detail we add to the solution. That is what we mean by iterative solutions.

With each step towards a building design or efficiency strategy, we add detail.  Areas of consideration include:

  1. Building design aesthetic
  2. Technical drawing production
  3. Energy analysis
  4. Budgets
  5. Value propositions

Each iteration makes the decision clearer and helps to understand the building idea on a granular level.  Greater understanding and detail results in greater success.

  1. Leverage and The Payback Myth

Even for the home owner, success in real estate depends on debt and leverage. No one buys their home for cash, nor does an investment group buy an office or apartment building for cash.  They put money down and borrow the rest.  So why are decisions on building performance based on the “payback period?”  The better metric is cash flow.

The process of certifying a building is a commitment to a better performing building. The cost of the certification is a one-time expense which can be paid for over the life of ownership and the mortgage.  Consider the following simplified case: If a building upgrade costs $1,000 and saves $400 per year the quick analysis is that it will take 2.5 years to pay for itself. However, most investments are paid as part of the project financing, not in cash.  Therefore, the correct analysis is based on cash flow.

Saving $40/year means we save 33.33 per month. If that improvement adds 24.00 to the monthly debt, then the monthly savings (cash flow improvement) is $6.67 per month. Extending that over the life of a 30-year mortgage will result in a $12,000 savings for the $1,000 investment starting on day one.

  1. Value Engineering and Cove.tool

Value Engineering is often used as code for “cut the budget”.  Looking for the highest value, one must compare operating and capital costs.  There is a great tool on the market, Cove.tool (www.covetool.com).  It can be used as a plug in to AutoCAD and REVIT.  It can be used very early in a project, starting with very fundamental decisions such as orientation and building shape. As the project progresses, more detail is added. All along the way, on demand, the cost/benefit of decisions can be quantified relative to building performance.  The program comes with baseline estimated costs which can be updated with actual in-market information.

Cove.Tool is just getting started and has a very promising future.

  1. Energy Model Accuracy

While I have been a lifelong promoter of energy conservation, I was still skeptical of the Energy Model.  I have long been a full believer in the science and always wanted more information about relative vs. predicted performance.  The User Summit included a presentation by Chris Baker, AIA, PE, BEMP, BEAP, LEED AP BD&C and Dana Kose, LEED Fellow, GGP of Willdan (www.willdan.com) comparing projected to actual energy consumption. Rushing to the bottom line, the actual averaged better performance than projected. This is attributed to a greater awareness on the part of users.  Awareness is what changes behaviors and is the single greatest tool of the conservation movement.

I have attended 3 GBI User Summits, and each has exposed me to new thoughts and considerations.   I bring those new thoughts back to JLA so we can best support and advance your projects priorities and agendas.

-John W. Lister, Principal

Designing with the Environment in Mind

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The environment and climate change are big topics in today’s world.  These topics are important to architects who are designing new homes and buildings every day.  As more and more people commit to environmental and energy conservation, they are looking for more sustainable options when it comes to building their homes and renovating their offices.  Consequently, Energy Positive buildings and Net Zero Energy structures are on the rise.

Generally speaking, Energy Positive buildings generate more energy from renewable sources than they consume. Net Zero Energy buildings are similar except their energy surplus also covers the energy used during the construction phase.  According to a study conducted by the USGS, the construction industry is responsible for about 75% of the consumption of earth’s natural resources.  Additionally, construction sites themselves generate enormous quantities of waste, whether through construction, demolition, or remodeling.

A Norway-based group of engineers, architects and designers called Powerhouse is championing the development of Energy Positive buildings, with the help of solar roof panels, efficient ventilation and geothermal power. Powerhouse’s Brattørkaia is the biggest new energy-positive building in Norway and will generate more energy in its operational phase than it consumed through the production of building materials, construction, operation and disposal of waste.  Brattørkaia is an eight-story office building that will produce 485,000 kWh annually. For reference, the average Norwegian home uses about 20,000 kWh of power a year. (In the U.S., the yearly household average is 10,399 kWh). Brattørkaia will, in effect, become a mini-power plant that can supply electricity to Norway’s publicly owned grid.

Over 80% of the world’s population lives in countries that use more resources than their own ecosystems can renew.  At this rate, many natural resources are going to be depleted within the next 30-40 years.  Sustainable development will significantly help to slow down the depletion of our natural resources with the reuse, recovery and recycling of materials, as well as producing buildings that generate more energy than consumed.

Amy Estrella

Greater West Chester Area Moves Ahead with Renewable Energy Plans

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The West Chester Area Council of Governments (WCACOG) consists of elected officials from 7 municipalities: East Bradford, East Goshen, Thornbury, West Chester, West Goshen, West Whiteland, and Westtown which make up a total population of about 100,000. These Southeastern PA municipalities have adopted the goals of achieving 100% renewable energy electricity by 2035 and 100% renewable energy for all uses, including heat, transportation, and powerplants, by 2050.  The WCACOG has hired Cadmus, a Boston-based consulting firm specializing in regional energy planning, to provide a customized Energy Transition Plan that includes an understanding of the context and conditions in southeastern Pennsylvania.

WCACOG recently held its first public meeting to create the path forward in achieving their municipalities’ energy goals.  Attendees met with representatives from Cadmus to ask questions and provide the local input needed to envision success, set priorities, and anticipate obstacles as the region transitions to clean, renewable energy.

Consideration of the economic, political, and social context of the region will create an equitable and inclusive energy transition plan.  Preferences and common barriers shared by the seven communities are being identified. In addition, each municipality will have the opportunity to work individually with Cadmus to convey their specific goals such as reducing energy costs, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and strengthening local economic development.

JL Architects is excited to be based in one of the 7 WCACOG communities that is moving towards 100% sustainable energy.  As an architecture firm and community member, we are committed to clean, renewable energy and have worked on many sustainable projects.  Our firm’s principal, John Lister, is a member of Green Building Initiative’s  Board of Directors and project manager, Kipp Happ, sits on the East Goshen Township Sustainability Advisory Committee.  If you need help designing your sustainable project, call the experts at JLA.

 

Photo Credit: Smart Energy