Money in the Bank
By Bob Massaro
What if every time you opened a bank account there was already money there waiting for you, ready for you to use? Such is the case for those who choose to renovate, restore or adapt and reuse structures of historical significance. Those with initiative and vision who practice historic preservation sustainably are able to capture and "reuse" the embodied energy of these structures, in effect to collect this "money in the bank."
Embodied energy is the energy required to harvest, manufacture, transport, fabricate and install the materials of construction. Twenty percent of the energy that buildings consume in their lifetime is the energy associated with the original construction of the building. Those of us who practice sustainable design and construction work hard to choose materials and methods of construction that have low embodied energy. If the building is already built, its embodied energy already exists, and thus would not have to be "consumed" again.
For many years I was enamored with classic yachts and boats (actually, I still am). Their gleaming mahogany or teak brite work, plumb bows, round bottoms and bronze hardware are movable works of historic art. But they lack many of the technological features of modern yachts and boats. The classic yachting aficionado gives up modern comforts for classic beauty.
The classic beauty of historic buildings present similar rewards and challenges. Some, though not all, were poorly insulated, drafty and leaky. Their old wood structure and trim features were prone to dry rot. Windows were often single glazed and poorly waterproofed. Fireplaces would suck combustion air from distant rooms, making them colder. Lighting, heating and cooling could be of poor quality or inefficient.
However, the preservation world now realizes that there are sustainable solutions to all of these issues. Classic homes and historic buildings can be beautifully restored in a sustainable manner. Spray foam insulation (e.g., Demilac or Icynene), new dual-glazed window packages installed in classic window sash, fireplace inserts with outside combustible air intakes, epoxied and other composite repair of rotted wood, sistered repairs of shagging floors and ceiling joists, zero-VOC paints and stains and more are all among some of the solutions that reduce energy consumption and improve the overall sustainability of historic structures. Lastly, beyond the physical sustainability of reusing older buildings, those who choose to take on such a project, and to do it sustainably, are contributing to the continuity and quality of life in their community.
I must confess that I did not always appreciate the opportunities presented by capitalizing on the embodied energy of historic structures. It was only through the efforts of three women in my community, three historic preservationists, who made the effort to educate me, and sometimes hit me upside the head, that I came to acknowledge and appreciate the benefits of historic preservation.
But once I opened my eyes and ears, I realized that true environmentalists look at every opportunity to fire their passion, even if this opportunity has been waiting for decades.
For additional information about sustainable historic preservation, please visit californiapreservation.org.
November 2008 Builder Architect Edition Issue
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Set Aside the Ego
By Bob Massaro
The green rating systems that are now available to all of us in this profession improve and proliferate continually. LEED, Built It Green's GreenPoint Rated, Green Globes and their many first and distant cousins bring value to the design and construction industry. Perhaps one of the most important, if sometimes overlooked, feature of the rating systems is the emphasis on the interdisciplinary nature of the design process.
For the rating systems to function as designed, all the members of the design and engineering team must implement them in a collaborative manner. It is such an important success factor for any project that when we at Healthy Buildings manage a project, we make it a contract requirement that all consultants attend a monthly project meeting (either in person or via teleconference) starting from early on in schematic design.
New consultants sometimes ask why such meetings are important. Bringing them into the interdisciplinary fold forces them out of their "single point of view" comfort zone. The hardest part of building an interdisciplinary approach is getting team members to listen to others, step back from "their way of doing it" and begin the process of incorporating unfamiliar ideas. It typically takes about three meetings for a group of diverse experts to become a real team, expanding individual knowledge and creating a superior end product. When consultants are encouraged to think outside the box, a "sustainability event" occurs. This event can equate to achieving multiple rating points for one design feature as well as ultimately elevating the work product of all consultants participating on the design team.
A project we are currently working on will generate significant demolition waste that we want to divert from landfills. Standing seam metal roofing and steel support members can be readily recycled, but the challenge put to all on the team was to reuse these deconstructed materials on site and thus eliminate transportation entirely. The team's novel solution took about 20 minutes to emerge and owed its life to the collective brainstorming of the architect, landscape architect, structural engineer, contractor and owner's representative. The idea was to deconstruct the members and reconstruct them as signage, an entry element and as a public art element. In doing so, the cost of transportation will be avoided, new component costs will be reduced, recycled credits are anticipated and a public art fund fee will be avoided - all of this positive impact resulting from five people from five different disciplines spending 20 minutes kicking around an idea. It was fun and beneficial for the environment, team morale and the creative flow of all involved.
So, the next time you are part of a collaborative design/build team, remember the teachings of the immortal martial artist, Bruce Lee, who taught: "One can only learn when he comes with an empty cup and leaves his ego behind."
September 2008 Builder Architect Edition Issue
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Lessons from the Lunar Surface
By Bob Massaro
Over 20 years ago, I was attending a party in Los Angeles - one of those parties where everyone tries to impress everyone else, or at least hold their own. At that time, I had been building for about five years, and, in the naiveté of my early years, was most impressed with how well our projects had turned out. I commented to all those nearby that one of the things I was most proud of was the fact that my projects "would last for at least 50 years, if not more." A grayhaired fellow within earshot, perhaps 25 years my senior, commented that he also was most proud of how long the things he had built would last. Thinking he, too, was a builder, I asked him what his last project was. His response forever taught me two lessons when he answered: "The Lunar Landing Modules. I work for NASA."
Lesson No. 1: As good as you think you design, engineer or build, you can always do better. One way to become better is to be open to ideas coming from unexpected places.
Throughout the years, all of our buildings have improved as we continue to absorb important ideas from other disciplines. We changed to panelized, cold-formed steel fram- ing with a high recycled content after viewing fabrication facilities in Idaho. We brought Pex plumbing into our projects after investigating its success in heavy industry. Now, we are incorporating indoor air quality monitoring and control systems to regulate energy use and further improve energy efficiency. Every building industry professional can and must constantly strive to make each building better than their last.
Lesson No. 2: When you design, engineer or build, think about it as a 100-year opportunity. The expectation used to be that buildings would last for at least 100 years. As construction professionals, we are confronted with the fact that a building's current average lifespan is now approximately half that be- fore it is demolished or undergoes a major renovation. The consequences of this ever-shortening building lifespan are significant - for the owner's or investor's bottom line, for the occupant's well being and for the environment.
If your practice is focused on sustainability, you have the opportunity to push this statistical average higher. The 100-year building would be constructed of materials that age with time and interact with the environment instead of confronting it. It would be designed such that it is considered beautiful when completed, and will be perceived as beautiful by future generations. Add to that buildings that are carbon neutral, consume zero net energy, are built using sustainable materials and methods of construction and are happy, healthy places to live, work or learn. The result: a better designed, engineered and built 100-year building.
Be it 100 years or more, when the time has come for the building's life to end, it is best that you have designed, engineered or built it so that it is not destroyed, but rather deconstructed, and all of its body parts redirected to find new life in a new building.
By then, all of our successors - the architects, designers, engineers, contractors and builders two generations hence - will have elevated the bar. Perhaps the 200-year building will then be the norm. Yet, still, the new paradigm may be the five-year building when structures become so fluid that they can morph as needed, and in doing so, never die.
No matter, as long as the end products are environmentally, economically and socially sustainable buildings, we shall all win, and our planet will thrive.
So, the next time you look up at the moon, think about all of the lunar landers still there; then, consider the 100-year opportunity that you will be given with your next project. Embrace it. Maximize it. Enjoy it.
August 2008 Builder Architect Edition Issue