Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

After taking nearly 70 percent of the new downtown Seattle office space that opened last year, Amazon is heading toward a similar growth track in 2017.

Seattle Times business reporter

Amazon is leasing all 11 floors of office space in the new Tilt49 building in South Lake Union, adding another 300,000 square feet to the companys rapidly expanding footprint in the area.

Seattle-based Touchstone began construction in 2015 on the project, at Boren Avenue and Stewart Street, and expects to finish the work later this year. The site also includes a 41-story residential tower and ground-floor retail.

An Amazon spokesman said the company will take over the office portion of the development and begin moving in early 2018. Amazon employees already work at a couple other offices within a block or two, and the bulk of the companys workforce is centered in clusters of towers and mid-rises a half-mile to the west and a half-mile to the north.

Amazon already has about 7.3 million square feet of office in the neighborhood, up from 4 million just two years ago, with plans to top 10 million by the end of the decade, according to the Downtown Seattle Association.

The company took 69 percent of the new office space that opened across downtown last year, according to the downtown associations data. Amazon is already the largest private tenant in the citys history.

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Amazon gobbles up yet another office building in South Lake Union - The Seattle Times

From rehabilitation to adaptive reuse to portfolio realignment, some of the most noteworthy turnaround efforts in the real estate industry are the ones that take an ugly duckling facility and turn it into something better, brighter, and more profitable. Hobbs Brook Management (HBM) successfully transformed an abandoned Rhode Island property into a LEED Gold-certified, Class A office building masterpiece.

Built in 1973, the 305,600-square-foot building at 1301 Atwood Avenue in Johnston, RI had been vacant since 2009. The building was not a marketable property. However, it was in a great location, so HBM made the decision to create an investment property rather than selling it.

The existing concrete office building had elements of the Brutalist architectural style, with dark interiors that resulted from deep overhangs that extended one foot from the exterior walls. With outdated, inefficient electrical systems, single-pane glass, and very few amenities, HBM had little choice but to renovate the building or tear it down. It was determined that gutting the structure and then rebuilding the interior and exterior would be less expensive and more environmentally friendly than tearing everything down and starting from scratch.

Collaborating with Margulies Perruzzi Architects (MPA), a Boston-based architecture firm with whom HBM had previously collaborated on several award-winning projects, the building was transformed into the Northwoods Office Park. MPAs repositioning of 1301 Atwood consisted of a complete replacement of the buildings original exterior and the addition of 33,000 square feet of rentable space to the buildings footprint by infilling the existing overhangs with concrete and moving the external walls. The new building envelope features a unitized metal and glass curtain wall, providing high thermal efficiency and allowing daylight to filter deep into the buildings interior. The design concept supported and extended the exterior, while also integrating metal panels to modernize the exterior aesthetics.

The most significant challenge that the project team faced during this project were the unknown conditions within the existing structure. The building had undergone several renovations since its original construction, which werent documented in the building drawings. Yet, HBM wanted to fast track this project. While the project team could have taken the approach of demolishing the building down to the structure to uncover the hidden aspects and then start re-designing, that would have taken too much time. The project team accepted that they would encounter unforeseen conditions. As a result, unexpected challenges arose during demolition that required extensive field coordination among the team to resolve.

The project team successfully kept the project moving and made changes as new information arose, occasionally returning to the drawing board. The teams ability to work well together, communicate, and remain flexible throughout the project were key to the projects success especially during the early demolition and design phases.

HBM has been incorporating energy efficiency and sound green building practices in the construction and renovation of its properties for more than three decades. With sustainability as HBMs main focus for this project, all aspects of the building materials, systems, landscape, and operations were designed sustainably to achieve LEED Gold for Building Design and Construction (BD+C). Virtually all aspects of the building are now new, with the exception of the pre-stressed concrete beam structure. The building also includes a new roof, elevators, bathrooms, and site work. Sustainable features include:

As part of the repositioning of the three-story structure, MPA designed three independent entrances, allowing for single or multi-tenant occupancy. The two-story entrances feature abundant natural light and provide inviting, convenient access via elegant monumental stairs. Large, unobstructed floor plates look out onto a landscaped campus setting with a walking path and picturesque pond. Ample parking is provided near each access point.

The building features many desirable amenities, including a full-service corporate dining facility with a landscaped deck, a fitness center with showers and locker rooms, and state-of-the-art data connectivity. As an additional bonus for tenants, MPA designed a multi-use conference center with audiovisual capability that can accommodate up to 150 people.

This repositioning project transformed the existing 1301 Atwood Ave. facility into a 338,600-square-foothigh-performance and amenity-rich Class A office building featuring new energy efficient mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems and recycled materials. Today, the Northwoods property represents a significant return on investment for HBM and the substantial gains in energy efficiency have also provided significant savings for HBM.

HBM did not know for sure if it would be able to transform the existing aged structure at 1301 Atwood Ave. into one that could achieve LEED certification. However, MPA has taken an older building and completely re-positioned it, designing a vibrant building that fits beautifully into the landscape while maintaining our high standards for sustainability and efficiency, said Kevin Casey, vice president and chief operating officer of Hobbs Brook Management LLC. The end result has exceeded expectations for HBM, earning LEED Gold certification and succeeding in bringing in new tenants.

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Outdated Concrete Building Transformed Into Gold - Facility Executive Magazine

Arriving back on Grounds following spring break, University of Virginia students have discovered a grand surprise waiting for them at 1515 University Ave. The three-story building, which has served in numerous capacities in its 120-year history including housing UVA students at one point and most recently operating as a bookstore and gift shop will officially be unveiled as a new student center on St. Patricks Day.

Located in the heart of the UVA Corner district, the building bears the simple name 1515.

Transforming the building into a student center has unfolded over the past two years, with students involved in every step of the process. From structural changes to paint colors to furniture styles, student voices have been central to discussions and decision-making.

One of the great things about 1515 is that it offers such a variety of spaces and opportunities depending on what you are looking for, says fourth-year student John Bond, who has devoted hundreds of hours to the project. Whether youre looking for a place to watch the big game with your friends, or you need a venue for your a capella group to practice or perform, or you want a convenient place to meet for your group project, or you want career advice, or you just want to grab a snack on your way home from the library, 1515 has you covered.

[Read the 1515 fact sheet.]

Each of the buildings three floors exhibits a distinctive personality, a feature that was evident from the beginning of the project. Allowing the building itself to speak to those personalities, say those involved in the planning, helped to shape the use and design of each floor.

Personally, Ive developed a deeper appreciation for great design, says fourth-year student Yae Ji Cha, who has served on the 1515 planning committee with Bond and several other students. Every decision weve made for physical aesthetics came out of a mindful discussion over the purpose and emotion those details should reflect about the space.

Student priorities for the building revolved around meeting and rehearsal space, areas to relax and unwind, and a venue for weekend and late-night events. The space is also alcohol-free, answering the need for a large space easily accessible to students for socializing into the early morning hours without the presence of alcohol. 1515 will be open most days from 9 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. (Students already in the building when the doors lock at 1:30 may stay until 2 a.m.) Several security measures are in place, including cameras and the requirement to swipe in with a UVA ID after 7 p.m.

The ground floor, opening onto University Avenue, includes a corner stage for performances and a large open area where tables and open seating are available for meetings, studying or simply taking a break. A display of student artwork lines one wall. Overhead, tin-embossed ceilings preserved from an earlier time add additional character to the space, along with ceiling fans running from front to back. Dark hardwood flooring adds a touch of hominess and suggests a mid-20th-century commercial space. Crumbs on the Corner, a caf featuring gourmet desserts and snacks, is located in a far back corner and will be open in the evenings. The caf, operated by ARAMARK, will offer products with ties to alumni and the local area, such as Lumi Juice and Commonwealth Joe coffee.

Quickly drawing attention on the main floor is a spiral staircase a feature that initially posed a design challenge, especially in terms of placement. Alumnus Robert Nalls, project architect and a key individual in the transformation of 1515, led the committee in solving this challenge along with numerous others. The staircase is now a focal point, creating a sense of movement among the three floors and pulling in a stream of natural light from a third-floor skylight. Nalls and members of his architectural firm provided design expertise throughout the project, sparking and then implementing many of the ideas generated by students.

High energy characterizes the Basement, where games ranging from foosball and air hockey to Dance Dance Revolution and pinball are available free to students. A glass-walled space, accented by a wall painted heartthrob red, is where a cappella or other performing groups can rehearse. Four high-mounted televisions can be tuned to UVA sports or other crowd-drawing events. Red and black accents, interspersed with silver corrugated metal wall panels, add to the high-energy, clubby feel of the space. Like the other floors, elements of the past have been incorporated into the design, including rough-sawn floor joists from the first floor, repurposed as wall paneling.

The second floor bears a homelike atmosphere. Student apartments lined the hallway at one time, and this layout remained in place even when usage of the building became commercially oriented. Although some walls were removed in the 1515 renovation, the long corridor with rooms flowing off it remains.

Thanks to student ingenuity, each room carries a theme and name that suggests its use or personality. The Garage is an open space with a chalkboard wall opposite a wall painted a vivid shade of violet. In The Sunroom, three walls are painted bright yellow while every inch of the fourth wall is filled with faux boxwood. The Reflection Room, painted a soothing blue-gray shade, offers a space for mindfulness practices. The largest room on this floor, The Studio, sits at the front of the building and, with its tall windows, offers a bright spot for rehearsals, dance, yoga, meetings or student receptions. Also located on this floor is space for the UVA Career Center to conduct advising sessions during the day with students. In the evening, the space is available for studying or small-group meetings.

In addition to students imprint throughout the space, the building also reflects the craftsmanship of UVA employees. The Project Services team, a unit within Facilities Management, served as contractor for the renovation and completed the bulk of the work.

Long before the naming of rooms or the selection of paint colors, students enrolled in the inaugural class of the UVA Meriwether Lewis Institute for Citizen Leadership took on the study of 1515 as a group project in the summer of 2014, seeking to help the University determine how the space could be used for the maximum benefit of students.

Bond was among the inaugural class members. In addition to being a Lewis Fellow, he co-chairs the University Programs Council, which is now responsible for evening programming within the building.

Working on 1515 has given me real insight into the biggest needs and wants of students around Grounds, Bond said. Every aspect of the building was designed in order to address a specific desire we identified from the student body, like the need for more convenient meeting spaces, or more rehearsal space for performance groups, or a place for people who don't feel like drinking on any given night to go and just hang out. I loved being able to help address those concerns.

Fourth-years Sam Baughan and Dakota Lipscombe, also Lewis Fellows and planning committee members, cited similar benefits of 1515 in solving space and programming issues for students. Lipscombe said he gained a greater understanding of University operations and expressed appreciation for the opportunity to work alongside a group of dedicated administrators who are eager for student input.

Other students involved with the planning agreed. Weve been given a rare opportunity to work with administrators and contractors and architects to create a new student center, fourth-year student and planning committee member Brittany Hsieh said. Its been quite the learning experience working with such a variety of people and understanding what is needed to make this project successful.

Hsieh said she is especially excited about highlighting student art at 1515, as well as incorporating sustainable practices into the space by using repurposed materials.

Cha, who works closely with the Career Center as chair of the Career Peer Educators, believes 1515 will be special because of a focus on student culture. I see 1515 as a signal of commitment to not only student self-governance, but to the well-being of all students, she said. I believe 1515 can and should be an integral piece of student culture, and one that is versatile to change with each new student body. 1515 is conceptually a space open to interpretation and Im excited to see how current and future Hoos make meaning of it.

Student groups are being introduced to 1515 with tours and receptions this week. To officially usher in the new space, the grand opening will take place on Friday evening. The night will include performances by student groups, games, crafts, March Madness-watching, and a variety of activities throughout the 15,000-square-foot space.

Once into a normal routine, University Programs Council members will collaborate with student groups across the University to schedule after-hours programming. Student employees will staff the building, with administrative oversight provided by the Newcomb Centers & Services unit within the Office of the Dean of Students.

Faculty and staff are invited to visit 1515 for a community-wide Open House on March 23 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Light refreshments will be served.

Reflecting on his own use of 1515, Bond said, Personally Im most excited about hanging out on a couch by the front window and listening to up-and-coming student artists perform on the stage, but I hope that people will quickly find their own favorite spot in the building.

More than anything I want 1515 to be a comfortable space and a welcoming space, one that truly feels like a second home for students.

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New Student Space on the Corner, '1515,' Set to Open Friday - UVA Today (press release) (registration)

LONDON Mobile operator Vodafone will create 2,100 new customer service jobs across Britain in the next two years as part of an investment drive to improve operations in its home market.

The world's second biggest mobile operator, which competes with BT's EE, Telefonica's O2 and Hutchison's Three in Britain, has been struggling in the market with a move to a new billing system disrupting subscriber additions.

It has also slipped behind rivals who can offer bundles of pay-TV, mobile and fixed-line services, while Vodafone has delayed rolling out a TV service until it has improved its core mobile service.

In its latest quarterly results to the end of December, organic service revenue in Britain fell 3.2 percent, compared with an overall group performance of 0.7 percent growth.

Vodafone has invested 2 billion pounds ($2.4 billion) in its British network in recent years and is in the middle of a new 2 billion pound investment phase running from 2016-19 to improve its customer offering for its around 18 million British customers.

Many large companies had warned that Britain's vote to leave the European Union could hit the economy but the jobs market has remained resilient, with major tech firms such as Amazon announcing large hiring programs.

Vodafone said it would create the new roles in the Midlands, in the north of England, Scotland and Wales.

(Reporting by Kate Holton; Editing by Susan Fenton)

TOKYO Shares in Toshiba Tec Corp rose more than 6 percent in early Monday trading after a report that Toshiba Corp , the parent, is considering selling shares in the company.

AUSTIN, Texas The newest tool for internationally acclaimed organizing guru Marie Kondo in her global battle against messy rooms is an app.

LONDON A British intelligence agency has told political parties to protect themselves against potential cyber attacks, citing allegations that Russian hackers tried to influence last year's U.S. presidential election.

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Vodafone to add over 2000 British jobs to improve services - Reuters

By Melissa Kossler Dutton

Associated Press

Dwain Livengood can save money on his home renovation project by doing the work himself. But he also knows that do-it-yourself projects in historic homes like his 100-year-old farmhouse require extra planning and research, and that mistakes can be costly.

Self-awareness is pretty huge, says Livengood, who grew up in the house in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and is the third generation of his family to own it. Saving money isnt worth it if in the end it looks like an amateur did it.

He is planning the first major renovations to the property, including a new kitchen, hardwood floor restorations and window repair.

DIY fails in historic homes can do more than look bad; they can seriously damage a homes structure and character, says Jody Robinson, historic preservation officer for the city of Bellevue, Kentucky. DIY has a place in historic home renovation, she says, but it needs to be well-researched.

If your home or neighborhood has a historical designation, there probably are restrictions on what you can do, particularly to exteriors. Consult with local authorities before initiating projects or hiring contractors.

The difference with a historic home is the materials used and how they were constructed, Robinson says.

Slate roofs, wood gutters, weight-and-pulley windows, plaster walls and old building materials require special attention, experts say. Luckily, there are numerous places where owners of historic homes can find information about which projects they should and shouldnt attempt on their own.

Cities, preservations societies, restoration enthusiasts, and even businesses that specialize in historic renovation offer workshops and classes. Window repair, plastering, basic fireplace fixes and tiling are among the most popular subjects.

Understanding your homes construction and appreciating historic renovation methods are the first step, says Benjamin Curran, department head for historic preservation at Savannah Technical College in Georgia. Through its Historic Homeowners Academy, the school teaches classes geared to the do-it-yourselfer.

When homeowners try to apply modern solutions to old homes a remodel can easily turn into a re-muddle, Curran says. For example, using the wrong mortar can damage old bricks.

He recommends taking a class and consulting with a professional or historical preservationist.

From there, its a question of what is achievable. What is the breadth of your skill set? Where might you stretch yourself and learn more? Curran says.

Jim Wigton, president of the Monrovia (California) Historic Preservation Group, says it was formed nearly 40 years ago by residents who were restoring homes and wanted to share knowledge.

At the beginning of the organization, we invited craftspeople in to share how to do things, says Wigton, adding that group also offers a home tour and works on city-wide preservation projects.

Livengood, who has experience restoring antique carriage and tractors, plans on repairing the 40 wood windows in his foursquare house this spring. Using tips from a professional restoration company, he will replace the rope that holds the cast-iron weights that allow the windows to move up and down, and will paint the windows interiors. Hes hired a professional to tackle the exterior. He anticipates the work he does will reduce the repair costs by $200 per window.

Windows are a good DIY project because the work is more time-consuming than difficult, says Danielle Keperling, who with her parents and husband owns Historic Restorations in Lancaster. Her company is open to teaching the how-tos in order to reduce project costs, she says.

To maintain a homes historical character, repairing old windows rather than installing new ones makes a big difference, says Keperling.

Windows show the age of the house, she says.

Whenever Doug Heavilin hires a professional to work on his 1902 Queen Anne Victorian in Franklin, Indiana, he shadows the person, soaking up as much information as he can.

Ive learned 90 percent of what I know about plumbing by sitting there and watching a plumber, says Heavilin, who is restoring the 4,700-square-foot house with his wife, Amy. Theyve finished five of the homes 22 rooms.

During their restoration journey, theyve learned to install tile, hang wallpaper and drywall, repair plaster, and match stain and paint. He once engineered a solution to create rounded replacement pieces for their homes turret.

The Heavilins read books and magazines, watch videos, take classes and swap tips with other homeowners before starting a project.

But they also know things might not go as planned, and say its important to be flexible. You never know what youre going to find, says Amy Heavilin, recalling the time they discovered that their dining room chandelier was wired to a pipe with a coat hanger.

Were at the point where Im pretty comfortable with whatever we find, Doug Heavilin adds. Im not always happy, but Im comfortable.

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DIY work on older houses takes extra know-how, flexibility - Troy Daily News

Jessica Wehrman Dispatch Washington Bureau @JessicaWehrman

WASHINGTON In dueling appearances on talk shows Sunday morning, Ohio Gov. John Kasich and U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan demonstrated the wide range of concerns varying wings of the GOP have with the current Obamacare replacement bill working its way through the House.

While Kasich urged Republicans and Democrats to work to fix the current system in order to prevent low-income Ohioans from losing access to health care, Jordan, an Urbana Republican, warned against offering subsidies to those with no tax liability and vowed to fight any extension of the current Medicaid expansion.

Taken together, the two offer a window into the very real problems that the GOP will have in passing this bill: One part of the party is concerned it goes too far, the other worries it doesnt go far enough.

Look, the bill needs fixed, said Kasich on NBCs Meet the Press with Chuck Todd. The current system doesn't work. That's why it's possible to get Democrats involved. But you don't want to throw the baby out with the bathwater.

He calls for enlisting Democrats, saying that Republicans now are trying to jam through the bill without Democrats a mistake that he said Democrats made back in 2010 with Obamacare.

Kasich, who expanded Medicaid under the 2010 law despite concerns from some in his own party, said that expansion has covered some 700,000 in the state, including a large population of the mentally ill, the drug addicted and those with chronic diseases. They tend to move off that program, he said, but then head to an exchange that is broken.

The exchange needs to be fixed, he said, but don't kill Medicaid expansion.

The governor said the current bill does not provide adequate resources for the drug addicted, mentally ill and chronically ill to see a doctor.

If I put you on an exchange for your family and I give you a $4,000 tax credit or a $3,000 tax credit, what kind of insurance are you going to buy for $3,000? he asked.

Kasich said he believes the current bill will pass the House, but he is hopeful it will be changed in the Senate. Among those who have expressed concerns about the current bills impact on the Medicaid population is Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio. The Republican Governors Association, of which Kasich is a part, has been working with the Senate.

Jordan, meanwhile, has called for a clean repeal of the 2010 Affordable Care Act, saying the current bill does not fulfill the promises that Republicans made to voter during last years election cycle.

We told then we were going to repeal Obamacare and replace it with something thats going to bring down cost of insurance, he said on Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace. The current bill doesnt do that.

If Jordan has his say, the bill in its current form will not pass the House. He is the co-founder of the conservative Freedom Caucus, which has nearly 40 members. If more than half unite in opposition to the bill, its chances of passing the House will be grim.

Wallace asked Jordan if he was prepared to be part of what could be a death blow to the early days of the Trump presidency. Trump has been a leading supporter of the bill.

But Jordan said it was a false choice. Wed like a chance to amend it, change it and make it consistent with the message we told the voters we were going to accomplish, he said.

Both Jordan and Kasich say they believe Trump is open to negotiation, though Jordan, pressed by Wallace, would not list what the Freedom Caucus demands are. Were working on that, he said. He and other Freedom Caucus members head to the White House on Tuesday to speak to Trump.

I think that he's very open to compromise, Kasich said of Trump, saying the two have talked about drug costs. I have no doubt about that he would be flexible. He just wants to get something through."

He criticized Republicans for being too focused on fulfilling campaign promises at the risk of hurting some of the very constituents they serve.

If all you focus on in life is what's in it for me, you're a loser, he said. You are a big time loser. And this country better be careful we're not losing the soul of our country because we play politics and we forget people who are in need.

jwehrman@dispatch.com

@jessica_wehrman

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Jordan, Kasich both unhappy with Obamacare replacement bill, but for different reasons - The Columbus Dispatch

STATE LINE, Pa. A few years ago, Foster Souders bought a home in the Cedarbrook development in southern Antrim Township, Pa., as a retirement investment, and renting the house to his stepson made the situation all the more attractive.

That was until someone began shooting out all of the second-story windows on one side of the home in an otherwise quiet State Line-area neighborhood.

Since spring 2015, the four windows have been damaged by gunfire four times, with the latest being two weeks ago.

Souders expects his bills for replacement of the glass to reach $5,000 with the current repairs that are needed to the home off U.S. 11 north of State Line.

This time, we're going to try something different with the glass, and it will run upward of $1,200 to $1,500, he said.We are thinking we need to put some protection over the glass itself. That's the next step.

In addition to the cost of repairs, the matter of safety is of prime concern to the family.

I'm not scared physically, said Chris Churchill, who moved his family from Hagerstown so his 10-year-old daughter could attend Greencastle-Antrim schools.But it's constantly on my mind. I check the windows each morning.Could they do something worse? I wouldn't think, but who knows?

While no one in the family has been injured, Churchill's daughter has moved out of her bedroom.

The first time it happened, it was spring, and I was on vacation doing things around the house, Churchill said. We went upstairs around 9 o'clock, and the window in the bathroom had been shot out. All four windows on that side of the house have been shot out multiple times.

My daughter couldn't sleep at night, so we had to change her to another room. She was my biggest concern. Since she's been out of the room, she's fine.

Souders did more than repair the damage by adding motion-activated surveillance cameras to the property. So far, the lens has not picked up anything.

Pennsylvania State Police were called to investigate after each shooting, including the latest in early March. Telephone calls from Herald-Mail Media to state police weren't returned.

We didn't know if it was kids or what, Churchill said of the first incident. We asked around the neighborhood. We didn't have any issues with anybody. A neighbor across the street said the windows had gotten shot out before we moved in.

"There were issues over dogs. We do have dogs who bark sometimes, but they stay in the fenced yard.

The gunshots never have penetrated the home's inner window, but pellets have remained in between window panes.

The shots have, in some cases, caused the whole window to shatter and, in one case, it eventually fell into the adjacent bathroom.

The sides of the family's swimming pool in the backyard also have been sprayed with gunshots.

I don't know what to do, Souders said. I have looked into solid glass, but the price is exorbitant. And that's still not bulletproof. It's going to chip off if they keep shooting at it.

The worse part is that, emotionally, it's taken its toll on our granddaughter more than anybody.

Churchill said the family has considered moving.

Maybe somebody knows something that they haven't told anybody, Souders said. I have thought about offering a reward. I don't have an endless supply of money, but when I think of what I've already spent, if I had put that $4,000 or $5,000 into a reward, I may have gotten somebody to come forward.

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Antrim Township family fed up after windows repeatedly shot out - Herald-Mail Media

Fivefactors are holding back the energy transition to a zero emissions Europe by 2050, writes Thomas Nowak.

Thomas Nowak is Secretary-General of the European Heat Pump Association (EHPA).

The way we use energy in our society needs to change if we want to keep global warming well below 2C, as stipulated at COP21 in Paris. This transition needs to include decision-makers on all levels and must above all include citizens.

A world without fossil fuels seems daunting, but the energy transformation is already happening: its entering peoples psyches, production cost is going down, and its cleaning out our grids: in 2016, 86% of the new capacity built across Europe came from renewables, thats 21.1GW of new clean energy power entering our system.

This is true for electricity, but where is heating and cooling? The sector is responsible for 51% of final energy use in Europe and about 27% of CO2 emissions. Decarbonising heating and cooling is a tremendous challenge: even in new buildings, the market uptake of low emission technologies is too slow and the renovation sub-sector is suffering from an even lower renovation rate.

Heating and cooling is a sector governed by tradition. If you need heat, you burn something this is common practice, understood and mostly unchanged since our early forefathers lived in caves. Cooling started with ice and quickly moved to electricity, using the refrigerant cycle. Important in everybodys daily lives, heating and cooling technology is hidden in basements and on rooftops connected via pipes and tubes to radiators, floor heating systems or ceiling boxes.

A good heating/cooling system is a working system out of sight, out of mind. On commercial levels and in industrial processes, the same applies on a much larger scale. Functionality and reliability have too often been prioritised over innovation: why change a running system? Heating and cooling is not characterised by short innovation cycles and many systems are operated even past their expected useful life. Yet, we do need to increase the speed of change and we need it to happen fast if we are to get to zero emissions by 2050, only 33 years away.

The energy transformation implies an overhaul of the entire value chain, from research and development to manufacturing to installation and maintenance. Todays heating industry is still dominated by fossil fuels with market shares of green heating solutions not even close to the level needed for reaching zero emissions.

But there is a bright side to it: technologies for a decarbonised sector exist and manufacturers know how to make and deploy low-to-zero emission 2050-ready heating solutions, air conditioning systems and cooling equipment. In the construction sector, the know-how to build, refurbish or renovate a building to near zero energy standards exists. And industry is experimenting with circular economy concepts that include reusing energy.

If technologies exist, what is the problem? Five key factors are inhibiting green solutions from being the most cost efficient and most easily deployed:

Addressing these points will help to unleash the power of individual, corporate, and municipal investments in favour of a more fully decarbonised heating and cooling system. This can be re-enforced further. Policymakers must give a strong signal to end-users and industries on the need for change and the incompatibility of fossil-based solutions with the 2050 goals to reach a zero emissions economy for Europe.

This years #DecarbHeat forumwill lay the groundwork for how to achieve that by taking stock of best practices in residential, commercial and industrial applications.

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The keys to decarbonising Europe's heating and cooling - EurActiv

J.C. Penney has started selling products such as bathtubs and power toolsonline and is expanding its services in some markets withbasicbathroomremodels, The Dallas Morning News reports.

The department store forayed into home improvementin 2016by selling kitchen and laundry appliances in 500 stores and later partnering with Trane to offerheating, ventilation and air conditioningsystems.

J.C. Penney CEO Marvin Ellison saysthese new ventures will help [the company] grow and de-emphasize the department stores dependence on apparel, according toThe Dallas Morning News.

CNBCreports that theinstallation services will be available through100 stores and will include bathroom remodeling, home heating and cooling systems, quick-ship and installed blinds, whole home water solutions, awnings and smart home technology.

Its a $300 billion market that we believe we have the opportunity to pick up some significant market share, Ellison says in theCNBCcoverage.

In addition, J.C. Penney will add 100 more appliance showrooms in 2017and begin offeringmore appliance brands, according to theDallas Business Journal.

The changes follow announcements that the retailer is closing 140 store locations and trimming its workforce by offering early retirement to thousands of employees.

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JC Penney Sees More Opportunities in Home Improvement - Hardware Retailing

Who says you can't come home?

J.C. Penney ( jcp ) is making a big bet on home remodel servicesa new arena for the retailerto help revive what had been a promising turnaround.

In a 100-store test that is likely to presage a rollout to hundreds more stores, the department store this spring will start offering services like bathroom remodeling and blinds installation, and selling and installing awnings, water systems, and smart home technology. It's a major departure for a retailer better known for its apparel and soft home goods like towels and sheets.

The six new service groups, being tested at stores in San Diego, San Antonio and Tampa, are branded together under the "JCPenney Home Services" rubric and will also include heating and cooling systems.

The incursion, coming on the heels of a disappointing holiday season for Penney, will take the retailer straight onto the turf of such well-established rivals in these areas as The Home Depot ( hd ) , Lowe's ( low ) and Best Buy ( bby ) .

The move could be risky, since customers have never thought of Penney as the go-to retailer to provide these services.

But Penney has its eyes squarely set on a more direct competitor that is a big player in these areas, Sears , with which Penney goes head-to-head in 400 malls. Penney is looking to poach sales and lift its sales per square foot with big ticket items like appliances and HVAC systems. Sears' comparable sales were down 12.3% during the holiday quarter, continuing a long sales hemorrhage. In addition, the recent hhgregg bankruptcy is also freeing up some market opportunity in appliances and services.

"We don't have aspirations to be #1 in market share in appliances, smart home or window installation," J.C. Penney CEO Marvin Ellison told Fortune as he gave us an exclusive tour of the home area at a store in East Elmhurst, N.Y. "We have a large competitor, larger than us, in the mall, that is struggling, and there is market share up for grabs."

Expanding on an appliance revival

Each group of services will have its own display and signage inside Penney's home goods departments at the test stores. A web site, jcpenneyhomeservices.com, will serve as a portal with information as well as the ability to ask for a consultation and set up a home visit with an authorized contractor to get a project estimate.

As with appliances, Penney will not take actual possession of goods, and thus will minimize risk. For instance, in the case of the HVAC systems, Penney is teaming up with supplier Trane, whose products are primarily sold by local distributors. And the smart home systems are offered by Samsung. Penney is essentially renting out its space to these suppliers and service providers, and taking a cut of their sales.

These new services are also meant as the logical extension of and complement to Penney's return to appliances last year after 33 years. Together, they're part of an effort to diversify away from apparel, its largest category but a struggling one (Penney expects comparable sales in apparel to fall 5% this year), and to ramp up offerings that will be tough to replicate for purely online stores.

Ellison, who became CEO in August 2015, has made a point of reducing Penney's reliance on apparel sales to focus more on home goods, soft and hard alike. That category generates only 12% or so of Penney's sales, down from 21% just a decade ago.

What's more, sales per square foot in Penney's home goods section lag the store average dramaticallyabout $100 per square foot per year, compared to the store average of some $170. But by some estimates, the home areas of stores that sell appliances generate anywhere from $600 to $1,000 per square foot. (The appliance departments, which the company says have not required much capital, have now been rolled out to 500 stores, and Penney will add them at 100 more this year.)

Ellison says he wants a piece of the consumer spending that has shifted to home improvement (and away from apparel), and he may be onto something: The Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University recently reported that the residential remodeling market reached an all-time high of $340 billion in 2015, and forecast it would grow 2% a year through 2025.

The bet on home services comes at a tough time for Penney. Its comparable sales were unchanged for the fiscal year that ended in January , and even fell during the holiday season. That was a far cry from the 3% annual pace through 2019 that Ellison and his team promised Wall Street, and a disappointment compared to 2014 and 2015 numbers. Investors have been losing faith too: Shares have fallen by nearly half since hitting a 52-week high of $11.85 nearly a year ago. And Penney recently announced it would close about 140 of its 1,020 stores.

As chronicled last month in a Fortune examination of the travails of department stores , Penney, like rivals Macy's ( m ) and Kohl's ( kss ) , is grappling with too much overlap and sameness among their offerings, leaving discounting as their only tool to stoke sales.

In addition to the new services, J.C. Penney will be introducing a JCPenney Home Services credit card that will offer higher credit limits than its regular store cards, reflecting the higher overall prices of such projects. The card will be a crucial tool for collecting data on customers, an area where Penney lags Macy's and Kohl's.

The new categories play to Ellison's strengths, given the 13 years he spent a The Home Depot , including some time overseeing its appliances business. But it also harkens back to a time when Penney offered everything for hunting rifles to washing machines and was a national leader in things like window treatments. In its heyday, Penney reportedly provided one-third of U.S. homes their blinds, shades and curtains.

One stat Ellison likes to cite is that 70% of Penney customers are women, and 70% are homeowners. And so he sees a natural fit. He dismissed the idea that big appliances and services would hurt visit frequency, since people don't get a new fridge every year but do freshen up towels sets and get coffee machines more often.

"We are not as concerned that the customer will buy a washer and dryer, then we won't see them again for five years," he said. "Next year it will be a dishwasher." And if his hunch is right, an HVAC system the year after that.

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JC Penney Wants to Remodel Your House - Fortune