IES Blog

Earlier this year, AIA challenged its member to design a dream house for Barbie – yes, Ms. Barbra Millicent Roberts herself. The AIA Barbie® Dream House™ Design Competition is part of Mattel’s spotlight on architecture as its “Career of the Year” for Barbie.

And it looks like the competition was a success! With more than 30 entries, the design submitted by Ting Li, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP and Maja Paklar, Assoc. AIA, took home top honors.

This Mother Nature Network article, “A palace fit for a doll: Barbie gets new green digs in Malibu,” links to the winning design.

Now you would think with such a high-profile “character” as Barbie, this would be a positive for the architecture community. Unfortunately, some of the articles I’m seeing online actually think the architecture profession itself needs a makeover, not just a new spokeswoman.

In an opinion piece on The Christian Science Monitor, John Cary states‘’Architect Barbie’ builds a dream home, but her profession needs a makeover.’

According to the article, “The American Institute of Architects has announced the winners of its contest to build a dream home for the Mattel doll, ‘Architect Barbie.’ The contest misses the point that the severe gender gap in architecture is a problem of retaining women – not one of recruiting them.”

What do you think? Does the architecture community have an issue retaining women? And if you answer yes, is that an issue exclusive to architects, or all professional careers?

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Tags:AIA, Architects, Barbie, Building, careers, LEED

When browsing around various forums and discussion groups, one is always drawn to the “hot topics” on offer. Well what exactly makes a “hot topic”? It is usually a discussion that triggers a ton of responses and one that evokes a lot of passionate opinion. I came across one such topic last week on bldg-sim-onebuilding.org. The discussion was based around energy model cost for a LEED project, and was one that instigated some very interesting questions around the issue, such as:

• How many working hours should it take to complete energy modeling for a LEED project?
• At what stage should energy modeling take place and by whom?
• What makes a true modeling professional?
• Are modelers that are ticking the minimum required boxes for certification undervaluing the modeling process?

We believe that energy modeling and indeed analysis of other performance elements such as daylighting should be incorporated into the design or refurbishment process right from the earliest stages. This way team members can make informed, energy-conscious decisions throughout the process and also check against LEED or other voluntary rating system targets (e.g. BREEAM). 

One can gather from the questions being asked that this proposition is predominately not even on the radar of most. However, in order to assess performance and aesthetics at the same time, and move towards a more sustainable future we believe this is essential.

So the question becomes who should undertake modelling.  The same individual or team across the whole process, or different elements of the team dependent on the stage.  Arguably the skill sets are very different…

Early stage modelling is based on comparative reviews using standard data sets for ‘apple with apple’ comparisons. A ‘good’ model in this context delivers quick answers which are accurate in a relative sense, isolating the correct variables to drive the design in the ‘best’ performance direction. Making those essential decisions on form, fabric, layout and orientation etc. lay the ground work for significant energy reductions and the inclusion of low/zero-carbon technologies.

Detailed modelling at completion could also be characterized as ‘prescriptive guesswork’. It is based on design decisions and the best prediction of information across a number of parameters such as climate, occupancy profiles and material performance. Reality is simulated, but the data is not 100% real as we are still at the virtual stage. However, if you know what you are doing you can still predict to within a close percentage.

Alternatively you can calibrate models to match ‘reality’ using historical data from the building once built and in operation.  Or on refurbishments use this as a basis for your ‘prescriptive guesswork’.

Understanding which modeling techniques to employ at which stage, and working out how to implement this into current design practices is still in our mind the greatest challenge in this arena.

So what do you think? Give us your views…

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Tags:Add new tag, Building, LEED, Modeling, Sustainability

In this edition of our Q & AEC blog we will be responding to a question that has popped up quite a few times across our forums and social media pages…

“Does the LEED review panel accept IES-VE as an energy simulation engine? Has it passed the required ASHRAE 140 tests? And has the IES software been used for LEED accreditation of a project?”

Simply put, the answer to the questions above is a resounding yes. So let’s take a look at each question in more depth and shed some light on this area as we do so.

Ok firstly it is important to point out that the USGBC do not actually approve or certify software for LEED energy modelling. Instead, LEED depends upon previously established guidelines published by the energy modelling community, in this case the ASHRAE standard 90.1 and associated Appendix G Building Performance rating (PRM). These requirements provide two things for the building owner/developer and design team:

1. Ensures that software used to simulate buildings, in accordance with a set of general software requirements for thermal and energy modelling, includes a sufficient level of detail in terms of hourly dynamic thermal and energy simulation and is of appropriate quality and accuracy for the purposes of the PRM.

The VE has been tested in accordance with ASHRAE Standard 140 and meets or exceeds all requirements of this test. Plus it meets all general requirements of the ASHRAE Standard 90.1 PRM. Click here to download the results of the ASHRAE 140 test. You can also review our EPAct Qualification documents, which provide supplementary details on how we meet these requirements.

2. Facilitates HVAC systems design, control, and performance in accordance with ASHRAE standards and best practices, through a set of mandatory system design and modelling requirements provided by the ASHRAE standard 90.1 and associated Appendix G PRM.

The ApacheHVAC interface provides a stable, dynamic, and robust platform upon which nearly any HVAC system can be designed and modelled, including conventional VAV systems with state-of-the-art airside controls, highly tailored system controls and configurations, waterside free cooling, indirect-direct evaporative systems, desiccant wheels, hybrid hydronic/air systems, radiant chilled/heated floors and ceilings, displacement ventilation, underfloor air distribution, vented stack-effect double-skin facades, earth tubes, and mixed-mode systems that use integrated mechanical and natural ventilation.

In addition to the requirements of 90.1 and 140, Version 6.3 of the VE takes a new approach to assist with LEED Energy Modelling. We have introduced the ASHRAE 90.1 VE-Navigator and enhancements to ApacheHVAC that speed up the process of producing large HVAC networks. This latest version is available to download from our website.

Now let’s take a look at who has used our software to submit reports that have been accepted by the LEED review team. The project that catches the eye would have to be the Syracuse Centre of Excellence in Washington. The SyracuseCoE is a pioneering high-performance green building. It was opened in March 2010 and achieved a Platinum rating under the LEED program administered by the U.S. Green Building Council. This highly impressive rating was achieved by Ashley McGraw Architects with the application of the <VE> and is a project that is at the forefront of green building. They even had some nice things to say about us too – “I would definitely recommend IES to any firm that is interested in designing high performance buildings. IES is a comprehensive, fast, user-friendly package compared to the vast amount of convoluted software available”.

Another project that used our software to acquire LEED accreditation of a building development was the Peterson Elementary School, Oregon. The DLR Group applied the IES-VE as their analysis engine for this 60,000 SF elementary school and achieved LEED Silver certification. You can find some more excellent photos of the school here.

Ok so some of this may have been bordering on blowing our own trumpet but I hope we have given you assurance that our software is being used on LEED projects, in the process of such questionable behaviour!

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Tags:Accreditation, Architects, ASHRAE, Building, LEED, USGBC

Image Source: Philly.com

You might remember our post a couple of months back on the New Meadowlands Stadium in New Jersey, and how it did not seek LEED certification, despite an impressive list of green features.

Well, a hundred miles to the south, the Philadelphia Eagles are showing no such constraint with their home, Lincoln Financial Field. The team announced on November 18 that they will try to make it the “greenest stadium in the world.”

Constructed in 2003, “The Linc” was finished just before the green building boom really took off. The team’s owner, Jeffrey Lurie, launched the Eagles’ “Go Green” program in 2003, to “[incorporate] green initiatives, sustainable business practices and educational programs as our core operating principals.” Now, this new stadium initiative is set to be the crown jewel of the franchise’s efforts.

Among the features the team plans on installing:

• 2,500 solar panels on the roof
• 80 20-foot-tall wind turbines ringing the outside of the stadium
• A new power plant that runs on either biofuels or natural gas

When the $30 million retrofit is finished in September 2011, all these features will combine to produce at least 8.6 megawatts of electricity, much more than the stadium’s game day peak usage of 7 megawatts. The excess will be sold to a local utility company.

The end goal? To take the 70,000-seat stadium completely off the power grid through generating all of its own renewable power.

It looks as though, in America, green building is catching on quickly in the sports venue market. According to this Philadelphia Inquirer article, nine American stadiums have applied for LEED certification, and five more are considering it. The fact that these facilities are going with green retrofits to existing stadiums is a promising development for buildings that see the largest number of people gather at any one time in a given area, and thus, produce the most potential environmental waste. Now it seems they’re becoming almost as green as the grass on which their teams play.

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Tags:Building, LEED, Renewables, Sustainability

Is 2011 going to be another exciting year for sustainable design? We scanned the globe for some awe-inspiring projects as we welcome in the New Year.

Marina Bay Sands, Singapore: Dubbed a master class in green architecture, the lotus-inspired ArtScience Museum is a living, breathing embodiment of the ArtScience theme. The Museum will feature naturally illuminated galleries at its ‘fingertips,’ while a dish-like roof harvests rainwater for its 115 ft. waterfall.

Santiago, Chile: The Costanera Center, South America’s tallest towers to date, is aiming for LEED Gold with extensive sustainable design strategies. The center features a massive 30,000 square meter green roof and a natural cooling system that channels water from nearby San Carlos Canal.

Tainan, Taiwan: Also known as ‘The Magic School of Green Technology,’ The Y. S. Sun Green Building Research Center is Taiwan’s first and only zero-carbon building. Incorporating 13 green building design methods, it features the world’s first natural buoyancy ventilation system, which keeps an international conference hall cool in the summer and warm in the winter.

Florida, USA: A fantastic geodesic-inspired glass atrium in St. Petersburg, Florida is the new home to the surrealist artwork of Salvador Dalí. While its thick concrete walls were purposefully designed to withstand a Category 5 hurricane, its thermal mass doubles as a heat sink to minimize temperature highs and lows.

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Tags:Building, LEED, research, Sustainability, USA, Welcome

I landed back in the UK last month, and due to the usual backlog being at a show creates, the Christmas break, and to be honest it’s just been hard to find the time to sit down and reflect on last year’s show!  So here I am trying to turn all those conversations and discussions into a cohesive review of our experiences at the world’s largest green building show where an estimated 30,000 people came together to learn, share, discuss and network.

Last year Greenbuild returned to Chicago’s McCormick Place West, the site of Greenbuild 2007 – but with twice as much space!  If you didn’t make it along yourself, believe me the show was massive with an estimated 1,800 booths!!  Actually one could argue too large.  As an exhibitor at the show for the last 5 years we’ve seen it go through a number of changes; its size being the biggest.  Last year was a turning point; instead of it being a green building exhibition it felt as large and comprehensive as any conventional building show.

Maybe I’m a cynic but when I see the likes of Vinyl exhibiting it feels like the specialism and possibly some of the value has gone from the show floor – is this a bad thing when we want green building to become the norm for the sake of the planet?  Or is it just helping cloud the real issues with even more greenwash? Or greenmist?

There’s a show here in the UK called 100% Design that takes the unusual step of limiting the number of exhibitors and setting panel selection guidelines to keep the level of innovation and design quality high.  An idea for Greenbuild perhaps?

Comment below to let me know your thoughts…

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying it was a unsuccessful show, just that the volume of noise at the show which makes it hard to stand out as exhibitor must also make it hard for visitors to pick out the solutions of real interest.

However, on a different note, although I didn’t manage to get along to any, I heard the seminars were especially informative and inspirational.  The show has ended but we do have an opportunity to watch some videos online and hear from some of the speakers that rocked the show this year.

So what did we get up to last year?  Well with all the noise we’ve been making recently I’d sincerely hope you didn’t miss the launch of our ASHRAE 90.1 VE-Navigator solution which is designed to speed up and make LEED Energy Modeling easy.  Also, not to leave out the Architectural market, we doubled the analysis capabilities of our VE-Gaia early stage analysis tool and announced a partnership with Trelligence to incorporate IESVE analysis into their Affinity programming and schematic design tool.  Phew we’ve been busy!!  You can see Don our founder and CEO being video interviewed about this online at Buildaroo.

One of the most interesting announcements at the show from our perspective was from the USGBC regarding their new LEED Automation program designed to link LEED Online with third party technology companies offering better collaboration and a more streamlined document submission process for users seeking LEED certification.  Read more at Eco-Structure.

Plus, a first for us last year, we had a number of customers and partners spend their time with us on stand, presenting and talking about their experiences using our software and what we’re doing together.  Building Momentum Group, HGA and Trelligence were all excellent IESVE sales people, even if not on the payroll!!  While some of our key customers who have been testing the ASHRAE 90.1 VE-Navigator over the last 6 months as we’ve refined it were kind enough to let us know their thoughts.

Actually, I’d like to pick up on this point and say a BIG THANK YOU to them, as well as all of our valued customers who regularly wax lyrical about our products to their peers and give us valuable feedback that helps us stay at the cutting edge of Building Performance Analysis year on year.  Oh and I mustn’t forget our highly skilled consultants who regularly push the limits of the software on leading analysis projects around the globe – 7-years plus working with Wal-Mart on their store optimization plan now that’s something to talk about if only we could go into detail!

To wind up, I’d like to congratulate the USGBC Leadership Award winners and Brian Wolfe of HKS who was the winner of our very own VE-Gaia competition.  I blogged about it from the show here…

Edwina

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Tags:ASHRAE, Building, Greenbuild, Greenwash, LEED, software, USGBC

Are your kids going to a brand new LEED certified school? Probably not, but the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) recently announced a new program, the Center for Green Schools. This new initiative is encouraging both the construction of new schools to be LEED certified as well as existing schools to make repairs with sustainability as a main component. As this program looks to green our schools, it realizes it won’t be an overnight process so before making large scale changes it is offering some easier options for older schools, like using green cleaning products or changing air filters.

“The education sector is doing more in the way of green building than any other sector, more than health care, more than commercial, more than religious institutions. But we still have a really long way to go,” said Rachel Gutter, director of the USGBC’s new initiative.

Along with helping schools build a greener facility, the Center for Green Schools is also looking to educate teachers so they are able to implement sustainability lessons into their classes. The thought behind this is if students learn sustainability at a younger age, just as they do with languages, they will be able to retain the information more easily.

The USGBC is looking for all of our children to attend greener schools by the end of this generation. Do you think this is possible?

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Tags:Building, education, LEED, students, Sustainability, USGBC

We’re going to Greenbuild in Chicago next Tuesday, will we see you there? We are exhibiting at booth #516, where we will join hundreds of exhibitors in discussing our newest initiatives and showcasing our work.

The Future of LEED Energy Modeling is here! Find out all about our exciting new LEED Energy modeling tool, the VE-Navigator for ASHRAE 90.1. Designed by experts in the field and already live project tested by users, it streamlines the calculation and submission process. Don’t miss exclusive live demos from our booth #516, click here for more information.  Talk to our experts and find out how you can be the first to access this new tool!

ECO-FRIENDLY easy scan If you’re visiting our stand with a smart phone then download the Scanlife app from your appstore (compatible with Apple, Windows, Blackberry, Ovi and Android), but why I hear you cry? You’ll have to stop by our booth to see!

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Tags:ASHRAE, downloads, Greenbuild, LEED

Football season kicks off in the US this month, and the Big Apple has a brand new green home for its two teams.

2010 is the first season for the New Meadowlands Stadium, the new 82,000-seat home of the Giants and the Jets, in East Rutherford, NJ, just a few miles west of New York City.  The $1.6 billion venue was constructed right next to its now-demolished predecessor, Giants Stadium.  It has twice the square footage, holds more people, and boasts many more amenities than the old stadium.

Its builders say it’s “one of the greenest stadiums in America.”  Last year, the EPA signed an agreement with its owners to “incorporate eco-friendly materials and standards into [its] construction and operation.”

But did it apply for LEED certification?  No.

According to Sports Business Journal, the stadium would have been “one or two points shy” of the total needed to be LEED certified because of the glass used to enclose its 200 luxury suites.  The mullions that seal the insulated glass that they could have installed would have obstructed fans’ view of the field, so the stadium’s management chose less-insulated (and less energy-efficient) glass, and elected not to pursue LEED certification because they knew they would have come up short.

Still, there are plenty of features that would have given the New Meadowlands Stadium plenty of LEED points, including:

- The stadium is on a brownfield site in the New Jersey Meadowlands

- It was built with 60,000 tons of recycled steel, including some from old Giants Stadium

- The seats are made of recycled plastic and scrap iron

- A new rail service takes fans to and from the stadium, cutting down on auto traffic

- The men’s rooms have waterless urinals

The stadium has gotten plenty of positive publicity in the green community, and rightfully so.  Its builders went above and beyond to make it as green as possible, despite its lack of LEED certification.  But still, it’s a shame that windows are the obstacle preventing the new crown jewel of America’s favorite sport from really leading the way.

Besides, aren’t you supposed to watch the game outside anyway?

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Tags:communications, LEED, LEED Certification, recycle, recycling

(image: es74273 under Creative Commons)

When you think of green building in the last ten years, you think primarily of two verticals - housing and office space. So there is one massive vertical missing in the equation - retail.

Retail development has traditionally been the slowest to warm up to the whole concept of green building, but according to a recent article in Retail Traffic Magazine, retail developers are finally turning the corner.

In fact, green retail construction has moved ahead at an increasing pace, even despite the sour effects of the economy. Retail developers have recognized that not only is it the right thing to do, it can also help their bottom line, and that of their customers, in the long run.

LEED has gotten a boost in the retail market as well. According to the article, the USGBC reports that there are more than 2,600 projects registered for LEED in the retail sector. This is quite remarkable, especially when you consider that developers don’t even have a true LEED standard specifically for retail. After more than a half-decade of waiting, though, those standards should be released sometime this year.

The truth is, retail developers have always been looking to save money on water and power – after all, making money is what retail is all about. So they’ve been further ahead of the curve than even the USGBC.

There is still much work to be done, but another good thing is that the developers are not the only ones who see the value of LEED certification – so do the marketing guys, who now have a huge selling point for their customers. The savings get passed on to them, and thus, to the rest of us.

Now if we can only get them to ditch those darn plastic bags…

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Tags:Building, green retail construction, housing, LEED, LEED Certification, office