April 2008 -- More Innovation in Facilities Design: Sustainable Materials and Systems

[Sue Klein Lebeck]

April 2008

More Innovation in Facilities Design:
Sustainable Materials and Systems
Panelists: Gary Shamshoian, Rick Rios, Danny Beesley
Moderator: Sue Lebeck, SVII


We continue our theme of Innovation in Facilities Design with a look at the integration of systems-level and component-level innovation in the sustainable building space. Join us as Gary Shamshoian, Rick Rios and Danny Beesley share their perspectives.

Gary Shamshoian, P.E. is a mechanical engineer focused on industrial facility design. Gary provides expertise for large labs and cleanroom design and construction projects, and is a contributor to Labs21, which provides education to industry on high performance lab, cleanroom and data center deisgn issues. Gary's designs and technologies deliver both sustainability improvements and cost savings.

Rick Rios is CEO and president of Verde Development Incorporated. Verde Development strives to make a global difference by focusing on the procurement, training, management and use of energy-efficient products, procedures, tools and environmental services relating to the construction industry as a whole. Verde is also the Northern CA distributor and training provider for the Apex Block, the latest generation of insulating concrete forms made from recycled expanded polystyrene.

Danny Beesley is a certified green building professional, and an external development strategist for the Green Building Exchange, a Bay Area eco-hub at the forefront of the green economy. Danny, a home builder from a young age, noticed early on that the conventional approach to the built environment was in part responsible for major ecological and human health impacts. Today, he pulls together together the many facets of the green building industry, building partnerships with key people and organizations.

This collaborative exploration of sustainable building innovation is sure to enlighten.

Join us for the conversation!

[Sue Klein Lebeck]

Notes and Gems....

April 2008

More Innovation in Facilities Design:
Sustainable Materials and Systems
Panelists: Gary Shamshoian, Danny Beesley

During our panelists’ feature presentation,
I noted these observations on innovation, and these interesting products and facts that exemplify them.

From Gary:
Innovation is needed due to changing parameters in an established industry.
- 40% of energy consumption is in buildings; 38% of CO2 emissions are from buildings. As a result, the cost-benefit ratios have changed since the last century.
- the “rules of thumb” are what’s taught to most facilities developers, not the physics. The “rules of thumb” are out of date and are needing to change.

Environmental – Social – Economic benefits are all linked.
- Environmental improvements tend to include built-in social benefits – people in more healthful environments, working better together.

Sustainability innovation is measured against a progressive scale of benchmarks.
- Long-term design tradeoffs versus short-term
- Energy-star buildings (first-costs reduced due to smaller HVAC* needs)
- Sustainable buildings (actually improve the environment)
- Green buildings (slightly more costly now; will soon be cost-neutral)
- High performance buildings (costs less and a better value overall) -- this goal has the strongest case.

Cross-system interaction is key.
- The engineering industries at large tend to look at systems separately; the need is to look at them interdependently
- Advanced glazing on windows, plus heat recovery systems, plus additional options together address a full range of temperatures, allowing you to downsize the primary HVAC system greatly.
- Thermal interaction experts can influence the architects and their architectural design.
- There is a building in Dubai (see www.dynamicarchitecture.net) which actually generates energy
- Less HVAC not only costs less, but frees floor space for other purposes
- Innovation gains increase as you go from component innovation -> system innovation -> facility innovation

Improved tools are changing the game.
- 3-D CAD, energy modeling, new models – a real opportunity is here.
- As we’ve learned with electronics innovation, both components and systems can become cheaper due to better design

Obstacles to innovation.
- There are many institutional codes in place that green building.
- Policies are changing, but it is a slow process.

Moving the norm toward a “Living Building”.
- Solar and wind power integrated well can reduce or eliminate the need for HVAC.
- A greater tolerance for temperature variances within a building is an important element of this.
- “Natural Step” is a living system developed in Sweden, which sustainability experts everywhere are adopting

Need to change thinking to include use and lifecycle thinking.
- A 10% return on energy cost can also generate
a 100% return on maintenance cost and even
a 1000% return on removing the need to shut down an industrial shift due to maintenance requirements


from Danny:
Inspiration to become an innovator sometimes comes early
- became green in young carpentry days
- observed alarmist communication of indoor air-quality dangers; saw the need for a calmer voice to be communicating these important subjects

Innovators create programs where they don’t yet exist
- crafted together a green building “degree” for himself before there was one.
- serendipitously found the Green Building Exchange (GBE) at www.craigslist.org. GBE is itself an innovative concept, with a business plan that has not been tested by anyone else.

Innovative services at the Green Building Exchange
- permanent trade show, which is represented by GBE staff so that the vendor need not be present
- green remodeling and interior design products
- hosts green projects – bring a project to them, and they’ll get back to you with 3 bids
- green transportation event: 50-60 vehicles: Providing exposure to new technologies which don’t have the $ to market’
there are many electric car innovation in the Bay Area, because the big car players are not stepping up
- A green building incubator is coming soon.

Green Building is both a technical innovation and a social innovation
- working with the many-faceted building industry is dealing with human systems
- So: green building classes, alliances with other organizations, green career consulting, more

Green building product innovations
- the “GreenSpecDirectory” is a great resource: see www.buildinggreen.com
- sample residential innovations: Lots of residential solutions at the Green Building Exchange
- “Sempo” is a lego-block like building material; Society member Rick Rios has a better version, the Apex Block
- sample industrial facilities innovations:
- “DuctSox” – a fabric duct, very low cost to produce, transport, install
- UniSolar – “peel and stick” solar for metal roofs. Also reduces glare/reflection off buildings.
- BigAss fans – industrial fans with passive cooling effect. Beautiful start-like design. Feels 8-16 degrees cooler.
- Lumi-wall – glass absorbs solar by day, and uses energy to power LEDs by night
- Smartwrap – may replace all interior and exterior surfaces. To the market in 2-3 years
- Hempcrete – can make plastic, clothes, rope, and fuel out of hemp. Hemp can also be used to make a concrete replacement that requires only 10% cement; more elastic, durable, and regulates thermal qualities; has a nice finish
- More: Smit-grow mini solar panels; ecoveil window shade; humdinger wind generator; vertical landscapes


Question -- What support would make your work easier?
Gary: shareholder pressure to create more value in facilities design
Danny: feels supported by the overall industry, but could use a few internsJ


* HVAC stands for Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning

Enjoy!