JL Architects

Green Building

The Benefits of Living Walls

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Between COVID and climate change, we have all become more conscious of our well-being and its relationship to the environment that we live and work in. In response, architects, engineers, and designers are creating new platforms for a healthier living and working space.  The use of living walls is one method growing in popularity for both its physical and mental health benefits.  A living wall is a carefully selected and designed arrangement of plants, flowers, soil, and a water delivery system that is incorporated into an interior wall.

Living Walls Offer Many Health Benefits:

  • Plants improve the quality of indoor air. They absorb and reduce airborne volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and convert them into a compound which plants use for food
  • Plants increase oxygen levels in the air by absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen during photosynthesis
  • Plants can reduce indoor dust by up to 20%
  • Plants release water vapor into the air, which increases humidity, and this can help improve respiratory and skin health by offsetting the drying effects of heating systems
  • In offices where there is plenty of greenery, there is a noticeable decrease in absence due to illness

Living Walls Boost Productivity:

  • Plants have a proven positive effect on employee satisfaction and productivity
  • Increased oxygenation can improve our mood, energy, and mental focus
  • A living wall acts as a sound barrier to the building. It absorbs more sound than a traditional facade resulting in a reduction of noise. Employees gain focus with less distractions, allowing for more efficient decision-making on complex tasks
  • Studies have found that when people have indoor plants in their office space, their work performance improved

Living Walls Create a Pleasant and Comfortable Environment:

  • Installing living walls and maximizing natural light is a great way to bring the outdoors inside
  • Humans have a strong connection to nature and bringing nature into your immediate surroundings makes you feel calmer, more content and helps decrease stress and anxiety
  • Living walls can act as an additional layer of insulation and help reduce the overall temperature in a space
  • Plants absorb sunlight which helps to create a cooler and more pleasant climate during summertime. This means less air conditioning is required, which in turn means more energy savings.
  • Living walls are like a piece of artwork, providing an aesthetic component to your office or home

Living walls are a great addition to any space and offer many health benefits to the occupants.  Considering adding a living wall to your office, restaurant, or multi-family residence?  Contact us at JL Architects and we can help!

-Amy Estrella

Environmentally Friendly Multi-Family Fights Suburban Sprawl

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In today’s environment, multifamily is one of the most active construction sectors.  Moving out of urban centers to find space and affordable housing has become even more desirable during the current age of COVID, yet it is also often associated with the negative connotations of suburban sprawl.  Our JL video above shares a recent case study of the developing ideas and approvals for a suburban multifamily site. With JL Architects’ help, what was thought to be a potential 60 apartment property turned into over 220 units. Located outside of Philadelphia, it is suburban without negatively impacting the environment and social fabric of the area.

We are proud of our teams vision, commitment and skill that will lead to a new, attractive, centrally located apartment development with great amenities and connectivity that will also be certified by a nationally recognized sustainability protocol, Green Globes or LEED.

What I Learned at the GBI/Green Globes User Summit

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Industry meetings are a wonderful way to become familiar with and immersed in the organization’s mission. There are also presentations to increase awareness of new products and research.  These are 4 of my takeaways from the Green Building Initiative User Summit held Atlanta this year.

  1. Everything is Iterative

Iterations and revisions lead to better solutions.  The more we consider a challenge the more detail we add to the solution. That is what we mean by iterative solutions.

With each step towards a building design or efficiency strategy, we add detail.  Areas of consideration include:

  1. Building design aesthetic
  2. Technical drawing production
  3. Energy analysis
  4. Budgets
  5. Value propositions

Each iteration makes the decision clearer and helps to understand the building idea on a granular level.  Greater understanding and detail results in greater success.

  1. Leverage and The Payback Myth

Even for the home owner, success in real estate depends on debt and leverage. No one buys their home for cash, nor does an investment group buy an office or apartment building for cash.  They put money down and borrow the rest.  So why are decisions on building performance based on the “payback period?”  The better metric is cash flow.

The process of certifying a building is a commitment to a better performing building. The cost of the certification is a one-time expense which can be paid for over the life of ownership and the mortgage.  Consider the following simplified case: If a building upgrade costs $1,000 and saves $400 per year the quick analysis is that it will take 2.5 years to pay for itself. However, most investments are paid as part of the project financing, not in cash.  Therefore, the correct analysis is based on cash flow.

Saving $40/year means we save 33.33 per month. If that improvement adds 24.00 to the monthly debt, then the monthly savings (cash flow improvement) is $6.67 per month. Extending that over the life of a 30-year mortgage will result in a $12,000 savings for the $1,000 investment starting on day one.

  1. Value Engineering and Cove.tool

Value Engineering is often used as code for “cut the budget”.  Looking for the highest value, one must compare operating and capital costs.  There is a great tool on the market, Cove.tool (www.covetool.com).  It can be used as a plug in to AutoCAD and REVIT.  It can be used very early in a project, starting with very fundamental decisions such as orientation and building shape. As the project progresses, more detail is added. All along the way, on demand, the cost/benefit of decisions can be quantified relative to building performance.  The program comes with baseline estimated costs which can be updated with actual in-market information.

Cove.Tool is just getting started and has a very promising future.

  1. Energy Model Accuracy

While I have been a lifelong promoter of energy conservation, I was still skeptical of the Energy Model.  I have long been a full believer in the science and always wanted more information about relative vs. predicted performance.  The User Summit included a presentation by Chris Baker, AIA, PE, BEMP, BEAP, LEED AP BD&C and Dana Kose, LEED Fellow, GGP of Willdan (www.willdan.com) comparing projected to actual energy consumption. Rushing to the bottom line, the actual averaged better performance than projected. This is attributed to a greater awareness on the part of users.  Awareness is what changes behaviors and is the single greatest tool of the conservation movement.

I have attended 3 GBI User Summits, and each has exposed me to new thoughts and considerations.   I bring those new thoughts back to JLA so we can best support and advance your projects priorities and agendas.

-John W. Lister, Principal

Designing with the Environment in Mind

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The environment and climate change are big topics in today’s world.  These topics are important to architects who are designing new homes and buildings every day.  As more and more people commit to environmental and energy conservation, they are looking for more sustainable options when it comes to building their homes and renovating their offices.  Consequently, Energy Positive buildings and Net Zero Energy structures are on the rise.

Generally speaking, Energy Positive buildings generate more energy from renewable sources than they consume. Net Zero Energy buildings are similar except their energy surplus also covers the energy used during the construction phase.  According to a study conducted by the USGS, the construction industry is responsible for about 75% of the consumption of earth’s natural resources.  Additionally, construction sites themselves generate enormous quantities of waste, whether through construction, demolition, or remodeling.

A Norway-based group of engineers, architects and designers called Powerhouse is championing the development of Energy Positive buildings, with the help of solar roof panels, efficient ventilation and geothermal power. Powerhouse’s Brattørkaia is the biggest new energy-positive building in Norway and will generate more energy in its operational phase than it consumed through the production of building materials, construction, operation and disposal of waste.  Brattørkaia is an eight-story office building that will produce 485,000 kWh annually. For reference, the average Norwegian home uses about 20,000 kWh of power a year. (In the U.S., the yearly household average is 10,399 kWh). Brattørkaia will, in effect, become a mini-power plant that can supply electricity to Norway’s publicly owned grid.

Over 80% of the world’s population lives in countries that use more resources than their own ecosystems can renew.  At this rate, many natural resources are going to be depleted within the next 30-40 years.  Sustainable development will significantly help to slow down the depletion of our natural resources with the reuse, recovery and recycling of materials, as well as producing buildings that generate more energy than consumed.

Amy Estrella

Greater West Chester Area Moves Ahead with Renewable Energy Plans

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The West Chester Area Council of Governments (WCACOG) consists of elected officials from 7 municipalities: East Bradford, East Goshen, Thornbury, West Chester, West Goshen, West Whiteland, and Westtown which make up a total population of about 100,000. These Southeastern PA municipalities have adopted the goals of achieving 100% renewable energy electricity by 2035 and 100% renewable energy for all uses, including heat, transportation, and powerplants, by 2050.  The WCACOG has hired Cadmus, a Boston-based consulting firm specializing in regional energy planning, to provide a customized Energy Transition Plan that includes an understanding of the context and conditions in southeastern Pennsylvania.

WCACOG recently held its first public meeting to create the path forward in achieving their municipalities’ energy goals.  Attendees met with representatives from Cadmus to ask questions and provide the local input needed to envision success, set priorities, and anticipate obstacles as the region transitions to clean, renewable energy.

Consideration of the economic, political, and social context of the region will create an equitable and inclusive energy transition plan.  Preferences and common barriers shared by the seven communities are being identified. In addition, each municipality will have the opportunity to work individually with Cadmus to convey their specific goals such as reducing energy costs, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and strengthening local economic development.

JL Architects is excited to be based in one of the 7 WCACOG communities that is moving towards 100% sustainable energy.  As an architecture firm and community member, we are committed to clean, renewable energy and have worked on many sustainable projects.  Our firm’s principal, John Lister, is a member of Green Building Initiative’s  Board of Directors and project manager, Kipp Happ, sits on the East Goshen Township Sustainability Advisory Committee.  If you need help designing your sustainable project, call the experts at JLA.

 

Photo Credit: Smart Energy

Kipp Happ, Green Globes Professional

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JL Architects is proud to congratulate Kipp Happ, in earning his Green Globes Professional certificate, and in his appointment to the East Goshen Township Sustainability Advisory Committee.

Kipp Happ

Green Globes is an environmental assessment and certification program for commercial buildings. Made up of an online and on-site program; it is the flexible and affordable building rating system for all commercial properties.

Kipp was also appointed to the East Goshen Township Sustainability Advisory Committee.  The committee’s mission is to develop, in partnership with the Board of Supervisors, residents, and businesses, a culture of (environmental, economic, & social) sustainability in East Goshen Township by utilizing innovation, education, communication, and comprehensive and strategic planning.

We are grateful for Kipp’s drive to foster growth, improvement, and excellence while servicing his JLA clients, and his community.

-Alex Schleicher