After months of speculation,Amazon announced last year that it had chosen Arlington, Virginia, as the site of its second U.S. headquarters.

For the current phase of the project, scheduled to be complete in 2023, the retail giant plans to build two 22-story office towers at the Metropolitan Park site in the Pentagon City neighborhood outside of Washington, D.C.The project team includes development partner JBG Smith, general contractor Clark Construction and ZGF Architects.

Clark began work on-site in mid-January with the demolition of existing warehouse structures.Here, Construction Dive talks with Clark Construction Senior Superintendent Monique Holley about working on such a high-profile project.

CONSTRUCTION DIVE: Please describe the work you are doing at the Amazon site.

Monique Holley: We are working on the successful delivery of two LEED-Platinumbuildings, 65,000 square feet of street-level retail and more than a half mile of protected bike lanes.Crews currently are working to remove and recycle construction materials an early first step in achieving the project team's goal of LEEDPlatinum certification. This spring, we will begin support of excavation, mass excavation and start work on the below-grade structure for the new office buildings.

Monique Holley

Permission granted by Clark Construction

In addition, Amazon is committed to ensuringthe community is engaged and informed throughout the construction effort and we share that commitment wholeheartedly. Our project team has already begun the process of getting better acquainted with area residents, businesses and civic associations. We are focused on being good stewards of the neighborhood, supporting local businesses and having a lasting positive impact on the surrounding community.

What is your role on the project?

HOLLEY: Specifically, my role is about motivating the people I work with to meet the tangible goals we create on-site each day. My responsibilities are tied to safety, quality control, planning and scheduling. While Im not sure Im supposed to have favorites, I really enjoy the safety and planning aspects of my work as theyre both integral to every facet of the job. Im passionate about safety and take my responsibility for maintaining a safe jobsite very personally.

Ultimately, I want everyone to go home as safe and healthy as they came to work that morning. Planning is intrinsically tied to that goal. I love to plan the work because it requires being innovative, thoroughly vetting ideas to identify new ways to make a process better and working collaboratively with people from all different disciplines to get the job done.

What are a few of the biggest challenges on this project?

HOLLEY:All construction projects have their challenges. Weve approached this job with the mindset that we need to be prepared for the challenges to come, but equally focused on capitalizing on the opportunities that lay ahead. Those opportunities come in many forms from integrating with the community around the jobsite to identifying new ways to innovate and build smarter to creating growth opportunities for small businesses or for individuals interested in building a career in our industry.

I continually challenge myself and my Clark team members, along with all of our trade partners, to present new ideas that will help us enhance the way we build, strengthen the community and ensure we deliver an experience and end product that exceeds our clients' expectations.

As a superintendent how do you motivate and inspire employees?

HOLLEY:As a leader, I greatly value communication, transparency, education and respect. I always try to be mindful of my actions and words, and work to eliminate roadblocks so that the people I work with can be successful. Ultimately, if the trades and my project team are successful, Im doing my job.

My own personal sense of pride and unwillingness to fail also remind me of how important it is to be a resource to all who need help. The best way to be that resource is to clearly communicate our work plan with all stakeholders, educate those who are managing or reviewing the quality control process, and continually look for better ways to plan the work and work the plan. I firmly believe if there is a foundation of respect in place on the jobsite, things like communication, transparency and education follow suit.

You were part of Clark's Field Development Group. How did it enhance your career?

HOLLEY:The Field Development Group (FDG) is Clark Constructions internal professional development program geared toward fine tuning the technical and leadership skills of the companys future superintendents. The program features a three-year curriculum that blends classroom learning, hands-on experience and mentoring.

I am a graduate of the FDG and currently lead our Mid-Atlantic division program, which has 55 participants spread across two classes. Being involved in the program is truly a passion of mine. The FDG gave me a better understanding of the technical skills needed to plan a job more efficiently, it helped me expand my Clark network and better leverage company resources, and ultimately helped me understand who I wanted to be as a field leader, which was an evolutionary process. I am so grateful for the experience.

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What's it like to kick off construction for Clark at Amazon's HQ2? - Construction Dive

The renovation and expansion of the Teller County Sheriffs Office has been a long time coming. In fact, the plans for remodeling and expansion of the former fire station have been in the works for more than 23 years.

Ground was broken in November 2019 and the first footings were poured Jan. 28 for the expanded 20,668-square-foot building, which is expected to open before years end.

It will encompass the existing 5,200-foot Harris Building at 11400 U.S. Highway 24 in Divide, adding to its footprint and expanding upward.

Its at the very grassroots level right now, said Bob Campbell, vice chairman of the Teller County Board of County Commissioners, of the buildings construction progress as of mid-February. Weve moved a lot of dirt and shoveled some piles around, but thats about it. Were in pre-mode.

Come spring itll start looking like a real building, a real development.

Teller County Public Works Director Fred Clifford agreed there wont be visible progress on building construction until late spring.

Were mainly doing demolition of the old building and some foundation work right now, he said in early February.

The building budget is just under $5.8 million, with the total project cost estimated at between $6.8 million and $7.2 million when all is said and done. Its too soon to determine the final figure, as unexpected building costs tend to come up in the construction phase, according to Campbell.

The atypical thing about these particular renovations is how theyre funded. The county has been saving since 2007 for this expense, Campbell said.

Also, El Paso-Teller County 911 has pledged half a million dollars toward the project.

Were not taking loans and borrowing money for this. Weve got a long-term capital plan, Campbell said. We didnt want to waste taxpayer money by taking loans.

He added, Were pretty proud of the fact that we already have a kitty going for the next project, whatever that may be.

Thats what happens when you get a bunch of non-government guys planning for the government, he said.

Its unusual to save for it and not go into debt. Business folks are community folks. We all came from private industry, Campbell said of the current three-man board of commissioners. Weve planned and engineers and talked this through. Plus, its not like the county is building new buildings every day. Look at the 115-year-old Teller County Courthouse.

Building history

The one-story building near the main crossroads in Divide was constructed by the Divide-Florissant Fire District in 1985 and named for fire chief Richard J. Harris.

In 1996, a second floor, sheriffs substation and holding cell were added while a new Divide fire department building was built on County Road 51, Clifford said.

The full building was dedicated to the Teller County Sheriffs Department, but it didnt take long for it to outgrow the space.

With the staffing levels at about 70-80, the building was just outdated, Clifford said.

Whats most exciting about the building expansion, according to Campbell, is the room.

Well actually have real space instead of being a converted fire department, where everything is jerry-rigged, Campbell said. Nobody had their own desk before.

In the new building there will be offices, control rooms, space for volunteers, a communications and dispatch center, training rooms, locker rooms, a conference room and an office for the coroner, who previously had none, he said.

None of that really existed before, Campbell noted. Itll have all the things youd typically see in a sheriffs office. And even a little bit of a lobby. Itll be a legitimate office building with a few modern tweaks and a real parking lot, paved.

The efficiency of the building, he said, is going to be amazing.

We built it for the future. There are a few spots that arent programmed into the plans so theres room for grow.

H.W. Houston Construction of Pueblo is the contractor for the building, which was designed by Keystone Associates Inc. architects of Colorado Springs.

In the fall of 2019, the administration of the sheriffs office moved into the adjacent Teller County Detentions Facility on Weaverville Road, so there would be public access not far from the original office. Other county facilities made room for other personnel, Clifford said.

The weathers been favorable to get some of the site work done, so were moving along nicely at this point, Clifford said in February. It is moving along. I think in the spring youll start seeing the steel and the structure come together.

A sign

While the building site was being prepped, the construction crew uncovered an old Gary Shoemaker sign buried in the dirt, Campbell said.

As harbingers go, this one was pretty cosmic.

Its this big old sign, maybe three-foot by four-foot, he said. Shoemaker was a former Teller County sheriff, who, coincidentally, the new building is being named after.

At a mid-December 2019 Teller County Board of County Commissioners meeting, Sheriff Jason Mikesell unveiled plans to name the renovated sheriffs office after Shoemaker, who served for two decades as county sheriff. He died at the age of 77 on Aug. 1, 2019.

His son, David Shoemaker, said in his fathers obituary, There is only one thing that can be said about my dad, Gary Shoemaker: He was tough on the outside, but had a soft spot in his heart for his family and friends, and the citizens of Teller County, and employees of the Teller County Sheriffs Department, (whom) he so faithfully served for his entire adult life and law enforcement career.

A formal building dedication is planned when construction is completed.

Excerpt from:
TELLER CO. GUIDE 2020 Teller County Sheriff's department looks ahead to a place of their own - Colorado Springs Gazette

Newly built 25 Kent Ave. has lots of eye-catching architectural details. Photo: Lore Croghan/Brooklyn Eagle

Eye on Real Estate: Normal people go to Winter Smorgasburg and Brooklyn Flea to eat fab food, browse through boxes of five-dollar vinyl records and try on $60 vintage hats.

Real estate nerds go so they can see the building where these tandem weekend events are held.

Thats why I was in Williamsburg on Saturday, up on the eighth floor of 25 Kent Ave. Of course, I stood in line for pork buns from Maos Bao and bought an ice cream cone from Bona Bona, which was topped with Italian meringue the vendor toasted with a blow torch.

But the main reason I was there was to check out the vast, high-ceilinged top floor of the job-generating office and industrial building at 25 Kent Ave. I also wanted the opportunity to see the stunning views of the Manhattan skyline, the East River, neighboring Greenpoint and the streets of Williamsburg from its floor-to-ceiling windows.

One of Smorgasburg and Brooklyn Fleas past winter locations was the jaw-dropping banking hall at the Williamsburgh Savings Bank Clocktower in Fort Greene, which is arguably Brooklyns most famous building. It was quite an experience to see the banking hall, which is an interior landmarksomething thats rare in Brooklyn.

Brand new 25 Kent Ave., where Smorgasburg and Brooklyn Flea are now held, is also a wonderful building in completely different ways.

It belongs to Toby Moskovitss development firm Heritage Equity Partners and real estate investor Rubenstein Partners. It occupies the entire block bounded by Kent Avenue, North 12th Street, Wythe Avenue and North 13th Street.

If youre planning to attend Smorgasburg and Brooklyn Flea, which run through March 29, the building entrance youre looking for is on North 12th Street.

There are a number of noteworthy buildings on Wythe Avenue. Ill show you some of the others later. First I want to focus on whats important about 25 Kent Ave.:

On the glass walls by the entrance doors to 25 Kent Ave.s two lobbies, a painted message reminds everybody the property is legally obligated to have manufacturing tenants. This business is subject to Industrial Business Incentive Area regulations which require a minimum amount of space to be provided for specific industrial uses, the message says.

There are two lobbies because the Kent Avenue building is actually two separate brick and glass buildings with a glass-clad connector linking its upper floors. Beneath the connector, theres a breezeway, which is like a pedestrian-only street.

I should pause my narrative about 25 Kent Ave. for a moment to mention that if you dont live within walking distance of the property, you can get there by taking the G train to its Nassau Avenue stop, which is just a few blocks away.

I should also mention that if you want to get a good look at 25 Kent Ave.s exterior, you should go to Vale Park. This publicly accessible green space is located on the roof of a low-rise retail building thats part of The William Vale. Ill tell you more about this hotel a bit later.

I first heard Moskovits, who is Heritage Equity Partners CEO, speak about her development plans for the Kent Avenue site at a real estate roundtable at the Brooklyn Historical Society in November 2013.

At a press briefing in February 2016, she told reporters she wanted the building to provide much-needed growth space for entrepreneurs in Williamsburg, where her family had done business for three generations.

Her immigrant grandfather had owned a business in the neighborhood and her fathers factory had been located there, she said. And her real estate firms office was located in Williamsburg.

The 25 Kent Ave. property went through the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure, or ULURP, process to be rezoned for office and industrial uses.

In December, a clothing maker and retailer named Kith signed on as 25 Kent Ave.s anchor tenant. The company is leasing 57,679 square feet of manufacturing space, which is about two-thirds of the buildings total manufacturing space.

Creating a makerspace in Williamsburg embodies the ideals we hold as a brand that include creating inclusive and innovative experiences in new exciting surroundings, Kith Founder Ronnie Fieg said in a joint announcement about the lease with building co-owner Rubenstein Partners.

The amount of rent Kith is paying was not disclosed. The company is relocating from Soho.

Another interesting industrial tenant has also signed a lease. Randolph Beer rented more than 12,000 square feet, some of it manufacturing space, for a restaurant, bar and brewery,Eater reported in February. The brewer will put its beer in cans for the first time.

An art exhibition called A Romantic Comedyis on display on the ground floor of 25 Kent Ave. through March 31. It features more than 50 works by emerging artists, curated by Sophia Sobers and Steven Pestana.

The exhibits themes are courtship, domesticity and the workplace what society presents to the world versus what is hidden, an online posting about it says.

The exhibition is at 25 Kent Ave. thanks to a business called Wallplay, which is programming and operating vacant retail and office space at 25 Kent Ave. until long-term tenants move into it.

By the way, Gensler was 25 Kent Ave.s design development architect. The designer was Hollwich Kushner.

After your visit to 25 Kent Ave., youll want to see other properties on Wythe Avenue. A good place to start is the eye-catching hotel called The William Vale (yes, they capitalize the T), which is across the street from 25 Kent Ave.

Vale Park is part of the hotel complex.

Zelig Weisss Riverside Developers built The William Vale, whose address is 111 North 12th St. The architecture firm that designed it was Albo Liberis. The 21-story buildings lower floors look like theyre standing on stilts.

I took a hard-hat tour of the building in 2015 with my colleague Rob Abruzzese, who snapped wonderful photos. Mordy Steinfeld, Riversides director of operations and development, told us all 183 guest rooms would have balconies.

In the 19th century, a man named William Vale owned the land where the hotel now stands. A branding firm hired by Riverside saw Vales name on an old map. Thats how the hotel got its name.

The William Vale opened in September 2016. Its rooftop bar, which is called Westlight, has stellar views of the Manhattan skyline at sunset. I took pictures there in February 2017.

The William Vale is one of four glam hotels on a short span of Wythe Avenue. The second one Im going to tell you about is the Wythe Hotel.

This hotel, which is located at 80 Wythe Ave. on the corner of North 11th Street, was the first of the four to open back in 2012.

Two Trees Management, the Walentas familys company, created the Wythe Hotel by adding modern floors to the top of an eye-catching factory called the Weidmann Cooperage, which is more than a century old. Distinguished architect of yesteryear Theobald Engelhardt designed the industrial building.

The 70-room hotel was one of the winners of the 2013 Building Brooklyn Awards, which are given out annually by the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce.

The third luxe lodging property here is the Williamsburg Hotel, which is at 96 Wythe Ave. on the corner of North 10th Street. Heritage Equity Partners built it. Michaelis Boyd Studio designed it.

Shortly after the eight-story, 147-room hotel opened in 2017, I slipped in one afternoon and ordered high tea in the lobby. It was great fun.

A visit to the hotels rooftop bar is on my to-do list. Its called the Water Tower because its a giant replica of a cylindrical wooden water tank.

Rooftop water tanks are a beloved element of New York Citys built environment. Theyre used to boost buildings water pressure.

Rosenwach Tank Co., a water-tower maker founded in the 1860s, owned property on the opposite side of Wythe Avenue from the Williamsburg Hotel. From 1924 to 2012, Rosenwach operated a wood mill at 87 North 9th St.

The company sold the property for $10 million in 2012, city Finance Department records indicate.

The Rosenwach wood-mill site is relevant to this story because thats where the fourth Wythe Avenue hotel was built. This 175-room hotel is the Hoxton, whose address is 97 Wythe Ave. It opened in 2018.

The Hoxton is an upscale British hotel chain.

The buyer of Rosenwachs property sold it to London-based developer Ennismore, which built the hotel.

If you step into the Hoxtons lobby, where people are hanging out on cushiony couches and armchairs, you might end your Wythe Avenue walk and stay so long youll wind up ordering dinner.

Those of you who continue strolling will see old fashioned brick rowhouses and pass a shop called Heatonist at 121 Wythe Ave. that sells hot sauces made in small batches. The store has a tasting room and employs experts called hot sauce sommeliers, its website says.

Just off the corner of Wythe Avenue and North 7th Street, Shelter Pizza has an eye-catching corrugated metal facade with a gigantic American flag painted on it and windows that reflect neighboring buildings.

On the corner of Wythe Avenue and North 6th Street, a mammoth mural on the brick facade of National Sawdusts building will get your attention. This is a nonprofit music performance venue and recording studio thats devoted to building audiences for classical and new music. The century-old property at 80 North 6th St. was a sawdust factory, the venues Facebook page says.

At this point on my Wythe Avenue stroll, shadows were lengthening and it was getting hard to take photos.

I turned down North 5th Street and headed to the East River shoreline so I could walk around the publicly accessible piers and catch the NYC Ferry, whose North Williamsburg dock is located there.

One of the most photogenic things on the piers is a stainless steel pipe and mesh sculpture called Crescendo designed by artist Mark Gibian.

Later, on my ferry ride down to DUMBO, I got a good look at Two Trees Domino Sugar Refinery shoreline development.

The gantry cranes in Domino Park caught my eye.

The white, precast concrete facade of Dominos new combination office and residential property glowed in the late-afternoon sun. COOKFOX Architects designed One South First, as its called because its address is 1 South First St. (Readers with long memories will recall that when its construction first got underway, the building was referred to by an alternate address, 260 Kent Ave.)

The residential portion of One South First is 45 stories tall and has 332 rental apartments. Asking rents for currently available units range from $3,392 per month for a studio to $6,577 per month for a two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment, the propertys website says.

Follow reporter Lore Croghan on Twitter.

Eye on Real Estate is veteran reporter Lore Croghans weekly column on Brooklyns built environment. Whether its old as Abraham Lincoln or so new it hasnt topped out yet, if a building is eye-catching, Eye will show it to you. Click here to read about some of my favorites for instance, the individual landmarks that are scattered around Williamsburg.

March 4 |Editorial Staff

March 4 |Noah Singer

March 4 |Walter Mosley and Alex Fennell

March 3 |Mary Frost

Read the rest here:
Explore Williamsburg's new office and industrial building, home to Winter Smorgasburg - Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Women have been making inroads into larger roles on construction sites, both as tradespeople and site managers, positions that always seemed a natural fit to Keri Woodring, a project manager with McHugh Construction, who became fascinated with construction at an early age.

But she has met plenty of skepticism along the way, especially near the beginning of her 20-year career in construction.

When I met people and told them I was in construction, many were like, what, no, why would you do that? Thats changing.

Courtesy of McHugh Construction

Keri Woodring atop the Curio Hotel at Navy Pier.

I always enjoyed building things, and helping my dad with construction and home improvement projects, she said.

That eventually led Woodring,who was raisedin Fremont, Indiana, a small town in the far northeastern corner of the state,to Purdue University and an engineering degree. And throughout her 20-year career in Chicago, including 16 years with McHugh, she has always worked with women, even in the early days.

It was something women were breaking into, she said.

Resistance to women on the job site hasnt completely evaporated. Woodring said there frequently seems to be a phase where she has to prove herself to the still male-dominated construction sites.

Its a normal thing on every project, she said. I do feel like when youre a woman, many of the guys dont take you seriously, but after a while, you get into a rhythm, and since its all about getting the job accomplished, they find women are capable of doing what the guys do.

Woodring is on the verge of completing her biggest job, the construction of the seven-story, 222-room Curio Collection by Hilton hotel on Chicagos Navy Pier. Developed by Maverick Hotels & Restaurants, the $95M project will open later this year.

Asproject manager, Woodring is on-site eight to 12 hours a day, acting as a go-between with ownership, the architectural team and tradespeople, as well as troubleshooting problems and overseeing the proper installment of finishes, building infrastructure and hundreds of other details.

Every day is different, but my ultimate responsibility is to bring projects in on time and under budget, she said.

Woodring needed all those skills to help reconstruct Chicagos historic New York Life building, built in the 1890s and designed by skyscraper pioneer William Le Baron Jenney, into The Gray Hotel. One of the earliest examples of steel-frame construction, the 14-story tower at 39 South LaSalle St. once occupied a place on Preservation Chicagos most endangered list.

But instead of meeting a wrecking ball, a McHugh team, armed with architectural and design plans from Gensler, New York-based Parts and Labor Designand Los Angeles-based Beleco, gut-rehabbed the structure, and by 2016, it became one of many aging downtown office buildings to get a second life as a boutique hotel.

Architectural plans are only the first step in any renovation, and it is up to project managers like Woodring and construction tradespeople to turn those visions into reality, a difficult task with a building from the dawn of the skyscraper age.

Courtesy of McHugh Construction

The Gray Hotel, 39 South LaSalle St.

It seemed like every time we opened up a wall, wed find something unexpected, Woodring said. It might be a column we didnt know was there, or some asbestos that you would have to mitigate.

Construction teams restored its many historic features, including the gray marble lobby and terra cotta and granite facade, and cut a hole in the roof to add an overhead retracting skylight for a top-floor lounge.

Confronting the unexpected is normal for a project manager. A few years ago, when McHugh was running the $26.5M project that replaced the piers giant Ferris wheel with the 525-ton Centennial Wheel, twice the weight of the old wheel and 50 feet taller, the senior project manager left, and the company tapped Woodring to take over.

I got the luck of the draw, she said.

Although she had never built a Ferris wheel before, that job was mostly about logistics, both making sure construction teams could safely operate in the midst of crowds drawn by one of Chicagos top tourist attractions, and correctly maneuvering heavy equipment on a pier with a limited load capacity.

All the skills of a project manager are transferrable, and its a set of skills that a lot of women already have, because its all about looking at the details, reviewing the drawings and managing the people.

Women are still in the minority on job sites, both as project managers and tradespeople, but she expects their ranks to keep growing, especially if schools that specialize in STEM education, such as Purdue, continue doing outreach to women, who, like Woodring, got started young.

A lot of girls are already hanging out like I did with their dads and moms doing construction, she said. There is also less of a stigma about it for women.

Although Woodring is about to finish up the biggest project of her career, she said whatever comes next doesnt have to be on the same or larger scale.

My career as a project manager has never been about the size of the project, for me its about the challenge.

Read more here:
'Why Would You Do That?' McHugh's Keri Woodring On The Diminishing Stigma Of Women In Construction - Bisnow

The new facility will be much larger than the 7,000-square-foot building that the company currently is using in Fargo.

Most of our offices are doubled up right now, so were out of space from that perspective, Enclave Companies co-founder Austin Morris said in a phone interview on Feb. 7 with Prairie Business. So itll be nice to have some extra space.

Morris and business partner Ben Meland opened their company in 2011, but in the past eight years they have moved four different times due to company growth and the need for more space. Morris said besides providing more room, the building now under construction will accommodate the company well into the future.

Were trying to plan longer term so we wont have to move again, Morris said. It will certainly accommodate us for the next decade and allow us to have more flexibility.

One tenant has already rented 25,000 square feet of space in the three-story building, Meland said, and the company will lease the remaining space on the second floor.

Construction of the new facility, whichthe partners said will feature expansive floor-to-ceiling windows, underground parking, timeless design and a variety of amenities including electronic charging stations, is expected to be finished by January 2020 or before. It will house between 250 and 300 people.

The business partners of Enclave, a fully integrated company that specializes in multi-family, commercial and industrial spaces, wanted to make their own space inviting and spacious, knowing that employees work better when they have room to stretch with various amenities and natural lighting.

One particular inviting feature of the building will be the open rooftop, Meland said, where employees can take their lunch breaks on the outdoor patio and use the provided grilling stations or firepit.

The building will have a fantastic lobby, Morris said, that spills into the outdoor space. There's a shared conference room overhanging the lobby on the second floor that can be used by any of the tenants and hopefully add value to everyone working there.

The owners said the future of their company looks bright literally with the facilitys natural light amenities, but also figuratively with many projects underway and years yet to grow.

Some of the companys current projects being developed include downtown Fargos 300 Lime, Fargo Center for Dermatology, MedPark Medical Center and the recently completed lifestyle center, Uptown and Main on Veterans Boulevard.

The company also recently expanded into the Twin Cities market with mixed-use and multi-family buildings currently under construction in Maple Grove, Shakopee and Savage, Minn.

Prairie Business Editor Andrew Weeks may be reached ataweeks@prairiebusinessmagazine.comor701-780-1276 | @PB_AndrewWeeks

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Enclave Companies is building a new home office in West Farg... - Prairie Business

Video footage of construction site thefts. ( Dolcefino Consulting )

AUSTIN, Texas - Representatives from a construction company building in Austinare speaking out concerning a "crime wave" of thefts that have cost the company "hundreds of thousands of dollars."

According to the Motivado Group, there have been 36 separate incidents of construction materials being stolen since January of 2019. "We have been begging for help daily, but the Mayor and Police Chief are simply not taking this seriously, says Jon Standley of the Motivado Group. This is a crime wave and these thefts are adding to the cost of building critically needed housing and office space in Austin.

According to Motivado Group,on at least three different thefts,surveillance video has been shared with police that identify the truck accused of taking the materials.

Every time there is a major theft of construction materials in this city a different investigator is assigned. In 34 cases, 17 different investigators. Austin Police and the Travis County Sheriffs Office are clearly not communicating, says Wayne Dolcefino, the President of Houston-based investigative media consulting firm Dolcefino Consulting.

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In one of the videos, an empty truck is seen coming into a construction site. Multiple suspects then use a forklift on site to load the truck with various bundles of construction material before they drive off.

According to the Motivado Group, there have been 36 separate incidents of construction materials being stolen since January of 2019.

Even after the videoswere shared with authorities no arrests have been made, according to the Motivado Group. They also stated that they have learned that suspects have been in handcuffs at least twice in the last year but received no charges.

Motivado Group is holding a press conference on Thursdayin hopes of what they say will get the authorities' attention.It is time for the City of Austin to take this seriously, says Standley. If we do not get help soon, we will be forced to hire teams of armed guards with directions to protect life and property.

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Construction company accuse police of inaction on construction site thefts - FOX 7 Austin

Amazon has leased another major office space in downtown Vancouver, albeit this space is intended to be temporary.

A new report by Bloombergindicates the Seattle-based multinational tech giant will temporarily occupy the entirety of the Spaces co-working office location within the new Deloitte Summit office tower, which is currently under construction at 400 West Georgia Street.

Spaces will sublease its 120,000-sq-ft space at the tower to Amazon, until the companys new permanent offices within QuadReal Propertys Canada Post redevelopment across the street is complete. It has leased the entirety of The Posts1.13 million sq. ft. of office space.

Artistic rendering of The Post redevelopment in downtown Vancouver. (MCM Partnership Architects / QuadReal)

This arrangement will allow Amazon to grow its Vancouver workforce until The Post is ready for occupation, similar to the companys years-long temporary tenancy within WeWorks locations within the Bentall Centre office complex as a stopgap measure until Oxford Properties new 402 Dunsmuir Street tower with 150,000 sq. ft. of office space reaches completion later in 2020.

Altogether, Deloitte Summit contains 370,000 sq. ft. of total floor area,with Deloitte occupying 117,000 sq. ft., Apple taking 60,000 sq. ft., and Boston-based Northeastern University occupying an unspecified but significant amount of space.

Construction progress on 400 West Georgia Street in downtown Vancouver on January 8, 2020. (Kenneth Chan / Daily Hive)

Deloitte is currently temporarily located within the Spaces co-working office location at the former Tom Lee building at 939 Granville Street. Previously located at Bentall Centre, it will relocate to the new office space within the namesake office tower developed by Westbank.

Deloitte Summit is scheduled for completion in early 2021.

Additionally, Amazon has leased 100,000 sq. ft. of office space within the newly built The Exchange tower at 475 Howe Street, and it has another 91,000 sq. ft. of space within the TELUS Garden office tower. Amazons workforce in downtown Vancouver is expected to grow to at least 5,000 people just before the middle of the decade.

Artistic rendering of the office tower at 400 West Georgia in downtown Vancouver. (OSO / Merrick Architecture / Westbank)

More here:
Amazon to lease office space in new Deloitte Summit tower in downtown Vancouver | Venture - Daily Hive

Leading Heated and Cooling Sports Bench Provider Brings the #1 Bench in Sports to Americas Pastime

Bourne Creations Inc., dba "Dragon Seats", the manufacturer and provider of patented heated and cooling sports benches to 19 NFL Member Clubs, 41 Division I college programs, 2 XFL franchises, and NHL Winter Classics has officially installed its first set of heated sports benches for the Iowa Hawkeyes mens baseball program within the home dugout at Duane Banks Field. The fully customized set of Dragon Seats heated seats includes three 12-foot sports benches and one six-foot sports bench, which will provide a continuous, temperature-controlled heated surface to keep players and coaches warm in the dugout.

Dragon Seats heated and portable sports benches are trusted by athletes across the country who play in both extremely cold and hot scenarios. During the first half of the Iowa baseball season, many games are played in below-freezing or near-freezing temperatures. Dragon Seats ergonomically designed heated sports benches provide a comfortable, heated surface to rest on, even in the most extreme conditions. With baseball, starters may sit for upwards of 10-15 minutes at a time before retaking the diamond or batters box, so staying warm and loose is imperative to stave off muscle tightness and prevent muscle injuries.

"The new year is off to an incredible start for Dragon Seats and we couldnt be happier to bring our player benches into a new sport at a top-tier baseball program that Coach Heller is building. The custom installation in the dugout is a major step forward for us," said New York City-based Franklin Floyd, chief operating officer at Dragon Seats. "Were confident that our sports benches will help reduce the risk of muscle injury, and keep the Hawkeye student-athletes loose and ready to play even in the coldest conditions."

Led by Coach Rick Heller, the Iowa Hawkeyes mens baseball team has grown into a perennial Big Ten Conference and NCAA championship contender. Much of the success can be attributed to Hellers efforts to inject new life into the Iowa baseball program and provide a holistic and exciting atmosphere for the team. This includes using best-in-class equipment that can help improve player safety, performance, and comfort.

"One area of focus is on providing the team with the best and highest-quality equipment so our players can be confident when they step into the batter's box or onto the field. Given the conditions we play in, Dragon Seats benches will play a critical role in giving our athletes that edge," Coach Heller said.

To learn more about Dragon Seats and their patented heating and cooling technology please click here. Dragon Seats can also be found on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.

About Dragon Seats

Based in Cleveland, Ohio, and with satellite offices in New York City and south Florida, Bourne Creation Inc. dba "Dragon Seats" started as the heated sideline bench provider for the Cleveland Browns in 2005 and now has a 15-year track record providing safety, performance, and comfort to athletes across the NFL, NCAA, XFL, and NHL. The companys patented heated and cooling portable sports bench technology has helped it become the #1 bench in sports. Dragon Seats sports benches can be found on the sidelines of 19 NFL Member Clubs, 41 NCAA Division I football programs, 2 XFL Clubs, NHL Winter Classics, hospitality spaces, and most recently in baseball dugouts. In total Dragon Seats provides over 400 portable heated and cooling benches in 75 locations across the United States at all levels of competition. To learn more visit http://www.dragonseats.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200303005224/en/

Contacts

Dragon Seats Franklin Floyd, COOPhone: 216.286.5042Email: press@dragonseats.com

Iowa HawkeyesName: Rick Heller, Head Baseball Coach for the Iowa HawkeyesPhone: 319-335-9259Email: rick-heller@iowabaseball.com

Originally posted here:
Dragon Seats Announces Partnership with University of Iowa Baseball Program; Hawkeyes are First to Install Custom, Heated Benches in Dugout - Yahoo...

Smart buildings are not just buildings equipped with separate applications that can turn on the lights in response to vocal instructions or adjust room temperatures as the weather changes. Rather, in a smart building, various systems heating, ventilation, lighting and security are connected to each other to facilitate efficient and environmentally sound operations. Indeed, it is already possible to establish a system via the Internet of Things (IoT) that interconnects several smart buildings. New applications in space management, environmental monitoring, asset management, hygiene management and other emerging areas are forecasted to create US$ 2 billion in software and services revenues by 2026.

These connected devices generate valuable data, which owners and operators can aggregate, analyze and apply not only to improve building performance and understand occupants needs, but to predict larger market trends.

On the other hand, smart buildings raise operational cybersecurity issues since any entity that connects into a system can, if compromised, become a vector for an attack. The massive volumes of data generated by connected devices also bring with them serious concerns: not only operational issues, involving sensors, network connectivity, and storage power, but concerns about analytics understanding what all the data means and about security protecting all of that data from those who want to steal and misuse it.

To address these risks, some companies have started embracing modern-scale technology as part of their everyday operations, with a particular focus on the security, privacy and reliability of their IoT devices. Meanwhile, regulators are entering the arena, expressing concerns about the potential threat to valuable personal data, and calling for heightened accountability for the property owners and operators of smart buildings.

In this article, we analyze the legal implications of operating smart buildings.

Smart buildings are smart

In a smart building system, a network of devices, empowered by sensing, processing, and communication units, detects real-world events, exchanges data, and reacts to the outside environment, monitoring certain processes and making corresponding decisions without human intervention. The data generated from such a network is a valuable asset that can be used to guide future management decisions and provide a foundation for even stronger building performance.

For example, many developers now offer myriad amenities to occupants of office buildings, such as multimedia entertainment rooms, rooftop decks, fitness centers and bars. They install and maintain such amenities not because they are following fads but because data analytics indicate their tenants or employees want them and will use and enjoy them. Long gone are the days when companies made decisions based on subjective thinking, guesswork, or the majority votes of senior managers. More and more often, real estate companies are relying on sensors and devices installed in their buildings to determine whether the amenities they provide represent the optimal use of building space. These devices give property managers real-time occupancy rates and historical usage data. A smart building system can also send notifications to occupants, unlock doors, and provide guidance in the event of an emergency by managing access control, security systems, and camera systems. Other smart building features include automatic control of routine maintenance tasks, such as ordering new light bulbs, optimizing HVAC systems by instantly streamlining heating and cooling of a space, detecting malfunctions and defects, and measuring and adjusting energy consumption via artificial intelligence-based machine learning. Smart buildings facilitate real-time data collection and provide automatic and remote control mechanisms, working far beyond the capabilities of conventional building control systems.

PropTech-equipped smart building systems resolve security and privacy issues

Such interconnected systems, however, make smart buildings more vulnerable to cyberattacks. One example is a 2017 incident in a Las Vegas casino, which was hacked via an Internet-connected thermometer in a lobby fish tank. Sensors in the fish tank, connected to the casinos computer network, monitored the temperature, food levels, and cleanliness of the tank. The network connection, however, gave hackers a gateway into the casinos main database, through which they were able to access high rollers personal information.

These cyber incidents may become more common as buildings incorporate technology and connected equipment to automate building operations. And, to make things worse, todays hackers are going beyond basic ransomware (which holds a system hostage until a ransom is paid) to deploy siegeware software that can take control of smart building devices, shutting down critical operations such as HVAC, lighting or security systems, and denying physical access to and from the building by occupants and, in such siegeware cases, the control wont be rescinded unless the hackers receive a ransom.

The typical responses to such cyberattacks include deploying a cyber-response team and carrying cyber-risk insurance to compensate for business losses that occur in the wake of a breach. In addition to these conventional methods, propTech-equipped companies are taking proactive steps, strengthening their IoT security by using heightened and advanced identity and access systems.

Networks are vulnerable to hacking mainly because of single points of gateway access. Emerging technology such as blockchain uses a distributed ledger to store recorded data, thereby decentralizing and securing data independently and lessening the range and degree of risk even if one of the interconnected devices is hacked. Further, blockchains resistance to data alteration significantly blocks attempts at IP address forgery, so that hackers cannot mask their identities and malicious intent by using fake access identities or otherwise temper a networks setting. In terms of data privacy, all transactions stored on the blockchain are encrypted and are protected by a secure authentication mechanism to restrict data access. This zero knowledge technology ensures a verifiable proof of the private datas validity without revealing any additional information other than the truth of the verified property. Thus, any usage or data is not easily traceable to sensitive personal information or the identity of a particular person. Highly confidential information can be stored off-chain and only transaction IDs (hashes) are recorded on the blockchain for verification purposes, providing a higher level of privacy for purposes of authorizing and issuing restricted permissions.

Smart tech, smart regulations

As new technologies are emerging, so, too, are new regulations and guidelines which largely focus on accountability and liability, given concerns that the collection and storage of digitized building data may disclose sensitive personal data. Unlike the European Union, the United States has not yet implemented comprehensive privacy and data protection laws. With a few exceptions (as noted in the below FTC recap), issues of privacy and the security of personal information are primarily regulated at the state level. There is currently no federal-level privacy law that would preempt state privacy laws. Many states have implemented laws regarding safeguarding data, disposal of data, privacy policies, appropriate use of personal information, and data breach notification.

State privacy laws

The most significant state privacy law is the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (CCPA), effective January 1, 2020. The CCPA imposes substantial requirements on the collection, use, and disclosure of personal information. CCPA applies to any business that collects personal data about California residents. CCPA defines a business as a for-profit legal entity that collects and determines how California residents personal data is processed and meets one of the following requirements: (1) has annual gross revenue in excess of $25 million (revenue of the company in total, not solely revenue derived from California); (2) annually buys, sells, receives, or shares the personal data of 50,000 California residents; or (3) derives 50 percent of its annual revenues from selling California residents personal data. A business also includes any entity that is controlled by the business and shares common branding. CCPA requires businesses to provide a detailed notice to California residents that describes the businesss personal data processing and rights. Businesses are required to provide California residents, upon request, detailed descriptions of how the business discloses their personal data to service providers and third parties.

California IoT law

Californias Internet of Things (IoT) Security Law went into effect on January 1, 2020 (SB-327). It is the first IoT-specific security law in the United States, requiring manufacturers of connected devices that sell their products in California to incorporate reasonable security features appropriate to the nature and function of the device and the information it may collect or transmit. The law is designed to protect the device and any information from unauthorized access, destruction, use, modification or disclosure, wherever the device is made.

Both manufacturing companies and companies contracted to manufacture IoT devices sold in California need to comply with the new law. The law does contain several exclusions, including security vulnerabilities caused by user installation of third-party software although, since the interconnectivity of third-party software may be the source of a security breach, it remains uncertain whether manufacturers are liable for connected device interactions with such third-party software. A connected device is defined quite broadly and means any device or other physical object that is capable of connecting to the internet (even by being paired with another device) and assigned an IP or Bluetooth address. The law is not limited to mere consumer devices. This definition potentially covers features used in a smart building, such as smart thermostats, keycard readers, security cameras, environmental control panels and light bulbs.

The reasonable security features requirement also includes broad standards. But SB-327 offers some clarifications. If the device is subject to authentication outside a local area network, then the law clarifies that reasonable security means the device should contain a unique preprogrammed password or require a user to generate a new means of authentication prior to initial access being granted. For devices without means for authentication outside a local area network, the standard will be industry- and device-specific, recognizing the ever-evolving nature of cybersecurity technologies by requiring features appropriate to the nature of the device and the information it collects. But note that this guidance relates only to the authentication aspect of the device. The remaining requirements of the law still mandate broadly defined reasonable security features beyond just authentication.

State breach notification laws

All 50 states plus two territories and the District of Columbia in the United States have enacted mandatory data breach notification laws. Such laws apply if certain data elements are accessed or acquired by unauthorized parties. In the event of a data security breach, the state laws require data owners to provide written notification to affected individuals. Several states laws require notification to be made within a certain time period and require the notifications to include specific information about the security breach. Approximately half of the states also require notice to a state regulator.

States that require notices to include certain content typically require the notice to individuals to include: (i) the identity of the notifying entity, including contact information; (ii) a description of the incident, including the date it was discovered; (iii) the categories of personal data affected; (iv) steps the individual can take to protect themselves against identity theft; and (v) contact information for the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the national consumer reporting agencies. The majority of state data security breach notification laws also provide a safe harbor from the laws notification requirements if the personal data affected by the security breach was encrypted and the encryption key was not affected by the security breach.

Certain states, such as Maryland, extend the liable parties to those who maintain the data. The Maryland Personal Information Protection Act Amendment (effective October 1, 2019) extends the states existing data breach requirements to personal information maintained by a business in addition to personal information owned or licensed by a business. Those businesses that simply maintain personal data may not charge the owner or licensee a fee for providing the information needed to notify Maryland residents.

State data security laws

Several state laws require data owners to implement reasonable proactive security measures to protect the personal data they collect from their states residents. These laws generally require a data owner to implement reasonable security procedures and practices appropriate to the nature of the information, and to protect the personal data from unauthorized access, destruction, use, modification or disclosure and apply in the context of information maintained about both customers and employees.

New Yorks Stop Hacks and Improve Electronic Data Security Act (the first four provisions went into effect on October 23, 2019, while the last one mandating security requirements goes into effect on March 21, 2020) expands the states current data breach law and imposes affirmative cybersecurity obligations on covered entities. It expands the scope of information subject to the current data breach notification law to include biometric information and email addresses and their corresponding passwords or security questions and answers. Further, it broadens the definition of a data breach to include unauthorized access to private information. It applies the notification requirement to any business with private information of a New York resident, not just to those that conduct business in New York State.

The Maryland Personal Information Protection Act requires businesses to conduct, in good faith, a reasonable and prompt investigation following a data breach to determine the likelihood that personal information of the individual has been or will be misused as a result of the breach.

Massachusetts law requires companies to maintain an preventative incident response plan that addresses how a company would respond to a cybersecurity incident.

Certain states, in addition to requiring an entity to maintain appropriate security measures, extend contractual obligations and liabilities to covered third-party entities. For example, Massachusetts data security regulations require that contracts with third-party service providers should, at a minimum, require the provider to implement and maintain reasonable security procedures and practices appropriate to the nature of the information and to protect the personal data from unauthorized access, destruction, use, modification or disclosure; and require the third-party provider to notify the data owner in the event of a security breach so the data owner can comply with the state data security breach notification requirements.

More and more real estate companies have started adding data protection and privacy provisions to their property management agreements and third party vendor agreements and imposing obligations upon property managers to comply with such regulations and implement appropriate security measures.

The privacy or security practice may be subject to FTCs unfair and deceptive trade practices

At the federal level, the FTC which has trade and regulatory jurisdiction over non-bank financial institutions expects data owners to implement and maintain reasonable security procedures and practices appropriate to the nature of the personal data they collect and to protect the personal data from unauthorized access, destruction, use, modification or disclosure. To this end, the FTC has released a set of guidelines for businesses to follow to better protect consumer privacy and security. In recent years, the FTC has focused more on security measures, emphasizing that companies should take measures to safeguard personal data, maintain cyber response processes, and train on those processes.

For companies security measures, the FTC uses Section 5 of the FTC Acts prohibition on unfair and deceptive trade practices as the basis of enforcement for privacy- and data security-related issues. When alleging that a privacy or security practice is deceptive, the FTC reviews the representations that a company makes (or fails to make) to consumers about its privacy or security practices. A statement is deceptive if there is a representation, omission or practice that is likely to mislead the consumer acting reasonably in the circumstances, to the consumers detriment. Under Section 5 of the FTC Act and the FTCs guidance, a company must provide accurate and complete disclosures to, and for certain practices, obtain consent from, consumers regarding the companys collection, use and disclosure of personal data. The FTC has enforced its guidance against companies that did not follow such guidance or that engaged in practices similar to those found to be unfair or deceptive in prior consent decrees.

In addition to the federal FTC Act, each state has also enacted so-called mini-FTC Acts that provide state regulators with the ability to take actions against unfair and deceptive trade practices, which state regulators use to address privacy and data security related issues.

Getting there

Historically, the three most important concerns in the real estate industry were location, location and location. Now location, data and security is becoming the new norm. Real estate companies can enjoy a competitive advantage in setting up data-driven services, but need to be mindful that data security and privacy will have a decisive impact on the success of their new business models.

The manufacturers and technology companies who design and implement IoT and the building owners and operators who contract with such IoT services in their smart buildings are being called upon to ensure greater transparency and accountability transparency about how occupants data and information is used and accountability for actions to safeguard privacy.

In the coming years, we will see advanced standards for IoT device security and development of system-wide cybersecurity for smart buildings to ensure that all connected devices can communicate securely. We will also see rapid change in the data security and privacy legal landscape that regulates technology companies, owners and operators.

Prudent owners and operators of smart buildings are already taking important and necessary steps in this direction by implementing protocols to safeguard electronic data and enforcing data management guidelines that include clarity on whos managing the data, what the data will be used for, and whether it will be sold to third parties.

But more work remains to be done. Such measures will require a comprehensive implementation strategy adopted by businesses to monitor data flow, enhance security measures, conduct periodic risk evaluations, minimize the collection and sharing of personal data, and prevent unauthorized use of personal and sensitive information. And any such successful strategy will require a systematic mechanism to identify vulnerabilities through the supply chain and reduce the potential for harm to the owners and operators systems.

See the original post:
PropTech in the United States - where we're heading Part 3: Smart buildings - data is the new gold. Keep it secure. - Lexology

Deep energy retrofit can be defined as an energy conservation measure in an existing building, leading to overall improvement in the performance of the building.

It is a whole-building analysis and construction process that aims at achieving on-site energy use minimisation in a building by 50% or more, compared to the baseline energy use calculated through the analysis of utility bills, by making use of latest technologies, materials and good construction practices.

Deep energy retrofit also involves remodelling the building to achieve harmony in energy, indoor air quality, durability, and thermal comfort. An integrated project delivery method is recommended for a deep energy retrofit project.

Deep Retrofit is the significant upgrade of building towards the near zero energy requirement, which is practically feasible and achievable.

By going for deep energy retrofit we can create most value out of investments in the long-term because of the saving potential.

Conventional energy retrofits focus on isolated system upgrades (lighting and HVAC equipment, pumps and motors, ventilation system etc).

These retrofits are generally simple and fast, but they often miss opportunity for saving more energy cost effectively.

Deep energy retrofits require a systems-thinking approach rather than the traditional approach followed for a conventional retrofit.

A systems thinking approach is evaluating the interaction between different isolated components in the building.

For example, Home Performance with Energy Star offers a comprehensive, whole-house approach to improving your homes energy efficiency, comfort and safety while helping to reduce the energy costs by 15%-20%.

In addition to the efficiency measures taken for a building, a deep energy retrofit requires occupants proactive role in energy conservation to understand energy uses in the home, as well as the activities of the occupants.

Most retrofit approaches are considered light because they focus only on upgrading lighting equipment and adding new motors to the heating and cooling systems.

This leaves out bigger savings stemming from deeper measures, like new windows, which can reduce heating and cooling loads to the point where big-dollar value equipments can be reduced in size and cost.

Such interventions are typically not considered because of high up-front cost and perceived higher risk. Those implementing a deep energy retrofit consider all major capital needed in the building over the next several years and plan interventions to this business-as-usual scenario to create higher efficiencies.

Deep energy retrofit can significantly reduce household energy consumption by taking into consideration space heating and cooling, hot water, lighting, appliances and electric loads as part of retrofit.

Studying the utility bills covering at least one year, and preferably more, is a good start and it acts as the base line.

Blower-door testing, Infra-Red imaging and duct-blaster testing offer valuable information about current energy consumption pattern. An assessment of existing conditions of the building envelope is also important.

A deep energy retrofit probably will include changes to the entire building envelope as well as heating and cooling equipment. Moisture must also be carefully managed by adding perimeter drains in the basement.

Exhaust fans in the kitchen and bathroom, or a whole-house ventilation system, where those features are lacking, play critical roles too. Both the site and the structure should be examined with an eye toward adding rooftop- or ground-mounted solar-energy installations, solar hot water collectors, or a wind turbine.

With a sharp reduction in heating and cooling loads it might be possible to downsize or even eliminate some heating and cooling equipment.

Most of the living spaces will be involved in retrofitting, so its important to minimise the disruption by starting from the outside of the house and then moving inside.

Approaching the project from outside also makes it easier to keep the insulation and air barrier continuous. If air leaks in at the bottom of the house, it leaks out at the top, which makes the house cold and drafty in winter.

A poorly insulated roof can also make a house hot in summer. Insulate the slab and walls and provide air sealing.

Replace doors and windows with energy-efficient joinery, and specify glazing based on the houses exposure to the sun. Old windows are like big holes in the walls and often leak both air and water while functioning poorly.

Properly installed, Energy Star (or better) windows seal the holes in the walls to keep out water and weather extremes.

Filling empty wall cavities with cellulose is a cheap, easy, effective way to warm up an old house.

Blowing cellulose into existing wall cavities is an art. In fact, there are now inexpensive ways to check with Infra-Red cameras to make sure that all voids have been filled without disturbing the existing plaster or sheathing on outside walls.

Use high-efficiency mechanical equipment and heat pumps where possible with appropriate controls. Also, provide proper ventilation for combustion equipment.

Replacing window air conditioners/split units, with a central system wherever possible can also save energy right away, as long as the ductwork has been placed in the conditioned space.

Reconfigure plumbing to distribute hot water efficiently with proper insulation of water pipes, and choose a high-efficiency water heater.

All the sanitary wares and fixtures should be chosen as per the Energy Conservation and Building Code guidelines. Use low flow fixtures as far as possible.

Increase natural daylighting wherever it is possible. Install energy-efficient lighting systems and controls. Replace CFL with LED lights of same the luminosity.

Fixtures, appliances, and lighting once you have reduced space conditioning and water-heating loads, the lighting, appliance, and plug load is the next big-ticket energy item.

A new Energy Star refrigerator will use 15% less energy than a standard model. Replacing old light fixtures with LED fixtures helps to lower electricity bills by up to 25%-30%.

Once your energy consumption has been reduced significantly, it becomes reasonable to produce energy at site with systems such as photovoltaics, wind power, hybrid system(wind and solar) or hydro, if you have a water stream nearby.

Until you slash energy usage, though, its not worth the investment in renewable power sources. Conservation is still the cheapest game in town.

One of the most common barriers facing the energy retrofit market is the lack of accountable information and benchmarks to assist energy experts and consultants in creating a clear-cut financial case to demonstrate that investing in energy reduction measures can provide profitable growth.

A few governments/energy research institutes have started taking lead in this field. Deep energy retrofit requires a multi-disciplinary team with a can-do attitude where the disciplines can constructively collaborate with each other.

Design professionals, in particular, should be experienced with integrative design.

In the end I would like to summarise that a successful deep energy retrofit can produce a long-term strategy to phase out energy use in a building to make it super efficient, more desirable to its occupants, and more valuable to owners.

Our endeavour should be to transition from near zero energy buildings to zero energy buildings, and further to energy plus buildings, which will produce surplus energy than what is required in the building.

Reach Ashok by sending an email to ashokjha@universalvoltas.com.

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Studying utility bills covering at least one year, or more, is a good start and it acts as the base line... - MEP MiddleEast