Alley 24 Interior Receives LEED Gold Certification
Seattle

The building was designed by NBBJ and build by Skanska.

In addition to constructing Alley24, Skanska built-out its own 25,000-sq-ft single-floor office within the mixed-use complex as well as NBBJ’s, 70,000-sqe-ft space that occupies the first three floors. NBBJ was the project architect, interior designer, lighting designer and environmental graphic designer of its own office space, Skanska’s and Alley24.

The certification process was accelerated by Alley24 co-owner and developer, Vulcan Real Estate, and co-owner PEMCO Insurance, who required the building core and shell to be certified LEED Silver.

The offices share many of the same core sustainable elements such as motorized sunscreens that track the sun’s rays, low energy fixtures, eco-friendly finishes and recycled and/or locally sourced materials. One of the most innovative energy saving solutions utilized in both spaces is the hybrid HVAC system that includes both operable windows and an underfloor heating and cooling system. In addition, each floor has operable windows with the ability for fan-assisted natural ventilation that could conceivably eliminate the need for air conditioning altogether.

Green Roof Performance Report Released by ASLA
Washington, DC

The American Society of Landscape Architects’ (ASLA) green roof retained thousands of gallons of stormwater, reduced building energy costs by hundreds of dollars a month, and significantly lowered outdoor air temperature according to a report from the association. The report examined various components of ASLA’s green roof demonstration project, ranging from water and temperature monitoring to individual plant performance.

In 2006, ASLA replaced the conventional roof on its downtown Washington, DC headquarters with a green roof, installing equipment to gather data on stormwater runoff, water quality, and temperature.

From July 2006 to May 2007, ASLA’s green roof prevented 27,500 gallons of stormwater nearly 75 percent of all precipitation on the roof from flowing into Washington, DC’s overburdened sewer and stormwater system.

ASLA’s green roof lowered air temperature by as much as 32 degrees in the summer when compared to a neighboring tarred roof, helping mitigate the urban heat island effect.

Interface Introduced Thermal Imaging
Portland

Interface Engineering, a full-service mechanical and electrical consulting firm in Portland, recently purchased thermal energy equipment to study heat loss in buildings.

Using this technology, Interface can literally see energy loss from a building like a multi-colored aura beautiful, but rather wasteful. “As we apply more advanced energy strategies to high performance buildings, it becomes increasingly important to verify the performance of these buildings and their systems. Consequently, more advanced tools are required for this level of performance verification and Interface is committed to investing in these advanced tools,” says Interface president, Omid Nabipoor.

CH2MHill Wins Green Award for Refinery Work
Seattle

BP, CH2M HILL and Matrix Constructors have received a Distinguished Project Award from the Northwest Construction Consumer Council for the API (American Petroleum Institute) Separator Lids Project at BP’s Cherry Point Refinery in Blaine, Wash.

API separators at the BP refinery collect runoff from the refinery’s oily water sewer system. This project replaced large aluminum covers with permanent, cast-in-place concrete lids that eliminate leaks of volatile organic compounds and significantly reduce maintenance costs. The project was finished ahead of schedule, 28 percent under budget and completed with a perfect safety record. The old aluminum covers were cleaned and recycled.

CH2M HILL, was the engineer on the project. Among CH2M HILL’s innovations was an unusual concrete design to ensure adequate strength while minimizing porosity. Due to the size of the lids, a special structural profile was created to reduce weight and displacement as well as promote constructability. Matrix served as the key constructor on the project.