Something we didn't think about......

As we thought about the economic justification for building a green building, we were able to quantify the value of energy savings due to the improved design of the buildings. For instance, we know that our energy bill will be at least $20,000 a year less than it would have been in a standard design building. That makes the decision to integrate green building design into our project a "no brainer".

But at a meeting of foundations last week, former Vice President Al Gore dropped by to talk about the emerging economic changes that are occurring globally as a result of the imperative to decrease carbon emissions. Gore urged us to look at our investment portfolios for "hidden carbon liabilities". "How many companies in your portfolio have business models based on the idea that it's free to dump billions of tons of carbon dioxide in the air? How confident are you that the world will continue to allow that? What will be the impact on these companies?"

Gore and his business partner David Blood (they co-founded Generation Investments) made a compelling argument that considering carbon emissions in investment decisions is no longer a social imperative, but a business one as well. They believe that the market value of companies that depend on the right to dump carbon at will may be wildly overstated. One can only imagine that this will lead to price increases on goods and services from these companies (particularly energy providers) as they absorb the costs of alternative methods of disposing of carbon.

If they're right, and I suspect they may well be, the decision to build a green building may be an even better business call than we might have thought.

Check out this video of our construction manager, Eric Burkey, talking about the Superior Walls we're using as part of the foundation's foundation.

Congratulations to Berks County's newest LEED AP

Congratulations to Berks County's newest LEED AP The US Green Building Council doesn't just accredit buildings, it accredits people as well. The LEED AP (Accredited Professional) accreditation is awarded to professionals in the design and construction industries. To achieve this prestigious credential, they must pass a rigorous test measuring their knowledge of green building technology.

Congratulations to Eric Burkey of Burkey Construction. Eric passed his test last week and now adds to the capacity of Berks County to start building smarter, more efficient buildings.

FSC Certified Wood

The US Green Building Council' s Materials and Resources Technical Advisory Group requires that FSC-certified wood be used throughout a green home.

What does FSC mean?
In 1992 at the Earth Summit held in Rio, the attendees focused on threats to the world's natural resources. Land use and climate changes, combined with pollution, war, poverty, and cultural practices, threatened and continue to devastate resources such as minerals, water, forests, and air.

While very little was accomplished at that conference, there was one significant outcome. In 1993 a group of scientists, environmentalists, foresters, economists, and sociologists convened and formed the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). The FSC is a non-governmental, non-profit organization established "to promote the responsible management of the world's forests and to improve forest management worldwide."

The international headquarters of FSC are located in Bonn, Germany and there are national offices in over forty countries. In 1995, FSC-US was created as the American chapter of FSC and its headquarters are located in Washington, D.C. FSC has established standards for forest management that are recognized in 57 countries.

In April 2008, the Unites States Green Building Council (which sets the standards required for a structure to be LEED-certified) issued very specific guidelines for builders to use related to lumber.

All of the wood being used in our green home is FSC-labeled and certified according to these regulations. That wood originated in FSC-certified forests and has not been mixed with non-FSC wood or wood products. From the framing to the cabinetry, all the wood must pass these standards.

It is logical to assume that a world-wide system of well-managed forests will continue to provide that natural resource to future generations. It is the responsibility of all of us to insist on only using FSC-certified wood for all home improvement projects and new construction.

And suddenly, there were walls.......

Yesterday, over the course of a few brief hours, walls went up that formed the foundation for the building. In a move that reduced concrete use by about 75%, we installed a relatively new product called Superior Walls, a prefabricated wall product. It's less expensive than concrete foundation walls, uses much less material and has a higher "R-Value" which will give us better energy savings.

The walls came pre-made, and simply slid into place between the columns that Burkey Construction had already erected. Large bolts will hold them in place and the team from Burkey will caulk and waterseal the seams today.

This is one of those learning experiences. On the other side of town, Carolyn and Jerry Holleran are using Superior Walls for their new home. And it looks like a great choice for residential use.

Our design team probably wouldn't use them again. It seems like our building may be the first commercial use of them and there were extensive design and engineering challenges in getting them integrated into our building.

We have a great design and engineering team, and we know that the walls will ultimately serve us well, but they didn't save time on this project.

It's a lesson learned, but boy........was it cool watching them being installed.

Stop by the site at 3rd and Court Streets to check them out.

Congratulations Penn State!

Congratulations to Penn State for their decision to build a LEED certified building at the Berks Campus!

Education buildings, both by higher education institutions and by public schools set a tone for the rest of the community. Penn State is joining a few other educational institutions in setting a leadership tone for the community.

Here's hoping that the other school districts and colleges will join in!