COVER STORY, JANUARY 2010

SUSTAINABLE STRUCTURE
Sustainable construction is redefined with new structural advances.
Leslie Clark

The trend toward green buildings has gained significant momentum in recent years with rising awareness about environmental issues. In the non-residential sector of the building construction industry, the concern about energy, air and water conservation—and indications of climate change and global warming—have led to more environmentally conscious designs, materials and operating systems. On-site construction practices also favor the recycling of construction waste rather than landfill disposal.

The goal to produce more energy-efficient buildings—the cornerstone of the green building movement—took root after the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries’ oil embargo of 1973 spiked prices for all forms of fuel, including those used to heat and cool the nation’s buildings. However, it took the emergence of “Sick Building Syndrome” as a health issue and the more ominous issue of global warming to find the entire building design and construction process on the cusp of major changes. Many of these improvements may ultimately influence public policy and revise building codes.

Both LEED-certified facilities and others designed to that program’s criteria are found in the Midwest. In one recent case, a retailer’s commitment to developing a sustainable project helped to overcome local resistance to the project. Rockwell Collins, an avionics and communications company, stipulated LEED certification for two engineering buildings on the company’s 100-acre corporate campus in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Ryan Companies US Inc. and OPN Architects Inc. worked as a team to develop the LEED Gold Certified building programs. The first more than 100,000-square-foot facility was produced for less than $100 per square foot, dispelling misconceptions about the cost of LEED-based construction.

Blain’s Farm & Fleet acquired the site of a former assisted living center in Verona, Wisconsin, to build the first big-box store in the community. The proposal met a chilly reception from the city until the company proposed a prototype green building with architectural features that would instill curb appeal. Having earned the nod from local officials, this prototype could reshape the regional retailer’s future stores. Metal building systems were combined with pre-insulated concrete wall panels to create a hybrid structure. The hybrid structure allowed flexibility in the project’s design, which, in turn, created more green elements, including five clerestory elements that increased interior natural lighting. Additionally, the new roof line created more architectural appeal for the project.

Advocates of sustainability place an emphasis on recycled materials, energy and water conservation and site enhancements. For this project, Kansas City, Missouri-based Butler Manufacturing used 65 percent recycled content in the steel used to fabricate the structurals and standing seam metal roof. More than 120 trees at the building site were moved and replanted, including 35 that now serve as a buffer between the store and a public park. Moreover, 300 truckloads of rubble cleared for the project were used as backfill at the site rather than absorbing space in the community’s landfill.

Inside, the eco-friendly measures include waterless urinals that save approximately 40,000 gallons of water a year per fixture. More than 160 GPS-controlled skylights cut energy use by 30 percent, enhanced by occupancy and light-level sensors that automatically shut off the high-performance lighting whenever areas are unoccupied or the desired level of natural light reaches the retail floor. The HVAC is a high-efficiency system augmented by large circulating fans in the area and 50 percent more insulation than code requirements. The retailer goes further by collecting oil in the automotive service bays and using it to fuel a boiler heating that area.

Even larger companies than Blain’s Farm & Fleet have adopted sustainable construction as corporate policy, either having projects designed to LEED criteria or having the building formally certified. This now holds true for the federal government’s Sustainable Design Program, which is based on USGBC LEED criteria. Although the Department of Defense sidesteps formal LEED certification, a pair of child development centers at Fort Riley, Kansas, were designed to LEED Silver guidelines by Lenexa, Kansas-based BNB Design LLC. The U.S. Navy went further with the program for the new Atlantic Fleet Drill Hall at Camp John Paul Jones in Great Lakes, Illinois. Designed by Darien, Illinois-based Wight & Company, the custom engineered building was intended to meet LEED Silver standards but was formally certified as LEED Gold. Like other projects that incorporate metal building system assemblies, these buildings gained an inherent advantage from metal building construction, which is customarily eligible for four credits. Currently being considered and tested in a pilot program by the USGBC, metal building systems projects may potentially qualify for a fifth credit.

Another private-sector project in Lafayette, Indiana, developed by a heavy equipment manufacturer provides an excellent example of a global company’s interest in adopting LEED-certified construction. Logansport, Indiana-based Steinberger Construction Inc. led the design/build program for what originated as a basic office facility until the company decided to upgrade the office building project to LEED Silver Certification.

The project was already fully designed and a month away from groundbreaking when a LEED consultant was hired and the specifications reviewed and amended for LEED compliance. Changes included energy-use modeling, highest efficiency lighting, twin 30-ton Trane HVAC units with a heat-recovery feature and automated control systems, and higher performance plumbing fixtures that reduce water consumption by 40 percent. Low-VOC interior finishes further contributed to a comfortable, healthy working environment. The 9 inches of insulation in the building’s standing seam metal roof assembly, which was covered with cool roof reflective coating, were enhanced by an additional 4-inch fiberglass barrier laid down above the suspended ceiling to achieve R-45. The 6-inch, pre-insulated Koreteck wall panel system contributed a complementary R-24.8 in the wall construction. LEED credits also were earned from the stormwater control across the site using engineered soils that filter the runoff and by putting shade tree plantings and drought-resistant landscaping. Additionally, the project provided bicycle racks, a changing room, and designated parking for HOV and formally recognized fuel-efficient employee vehicles. The contractor also earned credits by diverting 98 percent of the waste to materials recyclers or for power plant fuel instead of landfill disposal.

Instead of LEED Silver Certification, the owner earned the enviable LEED Gold certification, the second highest USGBC rating. These and other projects demonstrate the growing acceptance of green buildings by those who design, construct—and own—them.

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