November Luncheon:  Tour of Intuit Campus

Photo Credit:  Davitt Hewitt Anne Garrison Architectural Photography (www.hewittgarrison.com)

The San Diego Chapter was priviledged to tour the four building campus of Intuit in North San Diego, where their product Turbotax is developed.  Intuit has demonstrated its commitment to the environment throughout the construction of this new site and achieved LEED Silver Certification. 

To view a two page summary on this project and view images of the Intuit spaces, please click on this link.  To view an excellent summary of how Silver LEED Certification was achieved, please click on this link.  To view a table showing how LEED points were achieved, please click on this link.  

October Luncheon - LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance

Speaker Keith Schneringer, LEED AP

The President of the local chapter of the USGBC presented LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance.  Some of the topics Keith touched on were:

• Green is on everybodys mind,in media,on billboards
• A tent in the middle of nowhere is a good example of off the grid living.
• What are green buildings?
• LEED means?
• Leadership in Energy and Environmental
• LEED was invented by a commercial builder
• LEED is defining what makes a green building
• The difference between LEED EB and LEED EBOM

To view the speaker's presentation, please click on this link.

September Luncheon Meeting -  Drought: How did we get here and what now?

Speaker Teresa Penunuri

Our speaker Teresa Penunuri, Community Relations Rep for the San Diego County Water Authority (SDCWA), gave a rather sobering view of the water situation in San Diego and California.  Teresa stated that 1946 was the last year that San Diego County was self sufficient in water availability.  We now get only 15% from local sources and have to rely on 35% from Northern California and 50% from the Colorado River. 

The SDCWA is projecting to meet our needs in the year 2020 using the following sources: 29% from the Metropolitan Water District, 22% from transfers, 11% from conservation measures, 10% from desalinization of seawater, 9% by concrete lining acqueduct canals, 7% from local surface water sources, 6% from local ground water sources, and 6% from recycled water. 

Teresa stated that our water resources are in bad shape presently.  Lake Mead has shrunk 50% of what it use to be, and Lake Oroville has shrunken so much that a popular boat landing area can not be used any more.  Last June the Governor Schwarzenegger declared California is in a drought and asked for conservation.  Teresa told our members that unless something changes, she expects that we will be in mandatory rationing by this time next year. 

Teresa stressed to our members that 70% of our water usage goes to landscaping.  Thus she emphasized the use of drought tolerate plants, watering three or less times per week, watering before sunrise, watering by more frequent cycles but less duration for maximum absorption, checking your sprinklers frequently to ensure that the piping and heads are working correctly, and using more hardscape. 

Teresa stated that the SDCWA has many incentive programs to take advantage of for both home and work, including incentives for no or low cost installation of waterless urinals and replacement of more water efficient toilets.  She urged everyone to go to their website www.20gallonchallenge.com for details.

August Luncheon Meeting:  The Workplace Performance Index

Speaker Janet Pogue, AIA, IIDA, LEED AP
 

Janet Pogue, AIA, IIDA, LEED AP - Principal/Managing Director
Janet has 27 years of professional experience, 25 of which are
with Gensler in both Denver and Washington,DC. Prior to Gensler
she started her career in facilities management with RJR Nabisco
and has been a long-time IFMA member and speaker.

Janet is a co-leader of Gensler's firmwide Worplace practice area.
She was instrumental in Gensler's 2008 U.S. Workplace Survey and
in developing the Workplace Index too which measures workplace
effectiveness.  Janet takes an active role on key projects across the firm 
and is responsible for strategic planning, mobility studies, and innovative
workplace envirionments for a wide variety of client types, including corporate,
energy, financial, digital technologies, and government. Current clients include
3M, Goodyear, McDonalds, EnCana and WPP. 

Gensler...Architecture,Design & Planning Worldwide is a leading global design,
planning and strategic consulting firm with 3,200 employees and offices in 33 cities.
Gensler's San Diego office was established in 2004 and has 26 architects and designers.  

For a copy of a two page summary of the Workplace Performance Index, click on this link.
  

July Luncheon Meeting:  Re-Thinking Light

Cynthia L. Burke, LC & IALD, is an award winning and published architectural lighting designer.  Ms. Burke founded Burke Lighting Design 15 years ago as a firm specializing in Hospitality, Retail, Conference Facilities, Galleries, and High-end Residential.  Ms. Burke creates with an eye on the illuminated vision of the built environment.  Just some of her notable recent completed projects include: George’s at the Cove; Calvary Lutheran Church, and the Omni Conference Center.  Projects under construction include: AsiaSF Hollywood; Casa Azul (Executive Retreat in Baja Mexico); Hotel del Coronado (meeting rooms).

Cynthia reminded us that:

1. Most of what we see is reflected light
2. Lighting should mimic nature
3. Uneveness of lighting intensities is desirable
4. Lighting can enhance textures

Cynthia also spoke about the differences of lighting sources.  She described LED lights as a "wonderful source", given that they are very efficient with low heat generation, contain no mercury like fluorescent bulbs, have long life, can emit in all color wavelenghts, are available in dimmable applications, and can provide both point and ambient broad lighting. 

She then spoke about fluorescent bulbs, which she described as highly efficient, not subject to high frequency flickering like the old fluorescents in the past, are now available in warmer emitted light ranges than in the past, and are now more easily dimmable. Cynthia said that metal halides are highly efficient, have long bulb life, and are available in a wide range of beam spreads.  

Cynthia stressed that illumination has an impact on people, which the designer must be conscious of constantly.  According to her, "light is a communication tool".  It is important to use lighting to introduce texture, color, and movement into the environment.  

Normally we would post the speaker's presentation for you to download, but because Cynthia's presentation contained lots of beautiful photos, it is too large for downloading.  Anyone that would like to borrow the CD that Cynthia sent us containing her presentation should contact this webmaster Glen Best.

Cynthia demonstrating a strip of LED lights.
 

Debra thanking Cynthia for her presentation.

May Luncheon Meeting:  Tenant Improvements - How to Keep Costs Down

Speakers David Wilken, Jeffery Hurkes, Herb Krul, and President Debra Gutzmer

A panel of three highly experienced presenters covered tips to reduce costs to the end user of building space as the project process unfolds through leasing, design, and construction.  Our panel consisted of:

1) David Wilken, PE, CFM, principal of Wilken & Associates, providing project and construction management services as the owner’s / tenant’s representative.  Dave has over 25 years of PM services experience both as a consultant to multiple clients and within organizations such as Rohr, SDG&E, Sempra, National University and Staubach.

2) Jeffery Hurkes, CID, President of Hurkes/Harris Design Associates, providing commercial interior design, space planning, architecture and construction administration.  Jeff has over 25 years of experience in the interior design process, including projects for SAIC, E*TRADE Financial, California Bank & Trust, AIG, Associated General Contractors and GSA.

3) Herb Krul, Chief Operating Officer for Burger Construction, a general contactor specializing in the unique needs of tenant improvement construction.  Herb has over 30 years experience in all aspects of the construction industry. Herb’s significant recent TI clients include Accredited Home Lenders, APCD, Tachyon Networks, and various tenants in Koll Center and Symphony Towers.

Special May Evening Tour:  LEED CI Project at EDAW Offices

Sue Downs, Interior Designer & LEED A.P., gave an informative tour of the LEED Certified TI project at EDAW offices in downtown San Diego.  Sue talked about how the team took measures to accumulate points for LEED certification.  It started with gathering all the contractors together before the start of the project to figure out what they could achieve towards the certification requirements.  Points were achieved by:

1) sorting and palletizing construction debris for recycling,
2) sourcing materials made within a 500 mile radius,
3) using refurbished systems furniture from a local dealer,
4) working with the building owner to replace the many heat pumps with new CFC-free units,
5) implementing a green housekeeping system,
6) implementing a broader recycling program at each workstation/office,
7) installing waterless urinals, motion sensor faucets, and dual flush toilets,
8) reusing old doors as workstation tops for file cabinets.
9) providing task lighting that can be controlled at each workstation/office.


Sue Downs addressing the attendees.

Sue stated that they were able to get 26 points, qualifying as a LEED Certified project (they missed being a Silver Certified project by one point).  The project cost 6% more to achieve LEED Certification, but this certification was important to EDAW in order to show its clients that it "walks the talk" on environmental consciousness.  It did require lots of documentation and photos to support their submission. 

Also giving brief presentations of their contributions to this project included Sue Ann Mitchell of Haworth that demonstrated the Zody chair, which has 50% recycled materials content and comes with a guarantee that the manufacturer will fully recycle the chair when it comes to the end of its life.

 
Sue Ann showing the Zody chair.

Donna Shirley of DIRTT then spoke about the use of DIRTT moveable walls in the EDAW space, which are much more flexible for future space changes, thereby helping to reduce construction debris disposal.


Donna talking about the DIRTT moveable wall product