Track 2: Doing LEED and Sustainable Design

Presenter | Kathleen Seeyle, Michele Peterson, and Mohit Mehta
Session Title | Lunch Ladies and LEED: Dining Facilities in Sustainable Design – A Case Study
Session Description:

Dining facilities demand excessive energy, are water intensive and produce much waste, complicating design, construction and operational program requirements when creating a sustainable building. At Fort Lewis College in Durango, the students, operators, administrators and design team have envisioned a new student union to be built in late 2010 that includes a foodservice facility which is energy-efficient, cost effective and environmentally responsible. Key members of the design team will discuss how challenges with energy modeling and promoting energy and water efficiency were overcome, including new technology for lessening ventilation energy needs and innovative design for plug load reduction that incorporates form, function and operations. Obstacles faced during LEED certification will also be addressed; most notable are inventive strategies for reducing the large amount of process water required for dining facilities. A representative from the college will discuss the benefits that the new student union will bring to the campus, as well as how sustainability has interconnected dining services, the student body and the local community. Local and sustainable food procurement practices will also be a topic of discussion, along with student involvement in composting and waste reduction; both aspects essential to design integration.
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Presenter | Gregg Adams and Todd Givler
Session Title | Increasing Reduction: The Light Pollution Reduction Credit
Session Description:

Widely considered one of the “easy” credits, Light Pollution Reduction is the second most rejected credit. Achieving this credit is often impacted by seemingly unrelated site design issues such as site selection, stormwater drainage, interior lighting, daylighting features, building glazing, bioswales and other landscape features. Successful coordination between the design disciplines can result in achieving this credit without an associated cost premium to the project. This session will explore these and other site design issues that impact awarding of the Light Pollution Reduction credit.
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Presenter | Mark Broyles and Paul Hutton
Session Title | Regionalism and you
Session Description:

Regionalism in architecture is about the design balance between precious and abundant resources and their direct influences on the adaptations of human society. The resources found in our region once shaped the life we were going to live. Now we have the ability to construct almost any type of building in any type of climate. This suggests a number of questions including how to better account for the regional and historical influences on building location and form, how we define ‘regional’ materials and how we analyze their true value. Regionalism should begin with the building program… Which manifests itself in unique building form… And that form is also influenced by the resources available to realize it…. Thus, how the building interacts with those resources that connect it with its environment and enable it to be sustainable. Perhaps the goal, regionally, could be to innovate using this broad base in conjunction with regional materials as regional priority credits? The achievement may be the creation of a new landscape which affects everything from the economy to urban planning to shipping patterns to air-conditioning habits. ‘A building made out of regional materials is not the same as a regionalist building!’
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Presenter | Clay Benson
Session Title | Building a Successful Process Map to LEED Platinum
Session Description:

Our interactive session will be presented in a “Lessons Learned” format identifying 10 bullet points that will help create a successful process map for LEED Platinum building design and construction. Mortenson constructed the LEED Platinum Certified National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) Science and Technology Facility in Golden, Colorado and is currently constructing the first LEED Platinum Certified (pending) High Rise Office Building in Denver. Lessons Learned from both projects will be presented to help attendees quickly create successful process maps for their own projects. Presented from a Contractor’s perspective, the presentation will include steps to successfully manage the LEED Platinum certification process along with the various design & construction techniques that may be followed towards the Platinum rating. Some examples of possible focus points are: -Clearly stated LEED requirements in the contract documents -Complete understanding of LEED requirements from ALL project team members -Designate a LEED strategy champion throughout the design and construction -Performing monthly audits during construction phase of LEED points obtained During our presentation we plan on utilizing the TurningPoint audience response system to better engage our audience and provide them with more interaction with us and our presentation. This session should provide much needed advice on achieving LEED Platinum design and construction solutions in a fun and engaging format.
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Presenter | Jeff Lakey
Session Title | Ecology of Landscapes: Influences on Site Design
Session Description:

This session is intended to introduce the patch-corridor-matrix model of landscape ecology and its essential components as a useful strategy for urban and site design aimed at optimizing ecological integrity. Landscape ecology is the study of the forms of, and interactions between, physical, chemical, and biological elements of the earth’s surface at a variety of spatial scales, and how they change through time. Its principles serve planners, designers, and managers and and help resolve pressing issues in conservation, planning, design, development, and management of land.
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Presenter | Curt D. Parker
Session Title | Low Impact Development-A Sustainable Approach to Drainage Design
Session Description:

Curt Parker’s presentation on Low Impact Design (LID) offers audiences a concise summary of the advantages realized when incorporating LID into the overall design of any development. Created for audiences of various experience levels, with regard to construction and development, the presentation highlights the conceptual basis of LID. It also explains different design options and the environmental and economic advantages of developers and municipalities who incorporate LID into the development process. Curt’s overriding message is that developers and builders should treat storm water as a resource, not a nuisance. Through a design that mimics natural hydrology, a developer can address water quality issues as well as create a more natural and appealing landscape that eliminates unattractive concrete lined channels and culverts. Surface runoff is mitigated in a visually appealing way, and pollution damage to lakes, streams and coastal waters is reduced.
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