The First Facility Management Blog

The Future is in the Balance

In a continuing effort to support research, education and the dissemination of information important to the building industry, the RCI Foundation, in conjunction with Oak Ridge National Laboratory, National Institute of Building Sciences , and the National Research Council Canada is issuing a call for papers concerning sustainable building envelope design. The two-day symposium will focus on evolving philosophies concerning the most cost-effective methods to address construction of sustainable building envelopes. This is an opportunity to share your knowledge of this important subject and make a difference in our industry.

The deadline for submitting proposals for consideration is November 1, 2007.

Proposals should be submitted as a 250-word abstract. A committee comprised of members from the symposium sponsors will review all abstracts. Please e-mail abstracts and/or questions to: CJ Walters, RCI Foundation, 1500 Sunday Drive, Suite 204, Raleigh, NC 27607-5041 (phone: 800-828-1902 / e-mail: cjwalters@rci-online.org).

The mission of this symposium is to identify potential conflicts in the expanded role of the building envelope and to identify strategies that optimize building sustainability and occupant security. Examples of topics to be explored include:

• Sustainable Systems — New approaches to building envelope systems, including building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV), garden roofing, and cool roofing.
• Sustainable Materials — New and emerging building envelope materials that offer increased sustainability.
• Sustainable Practices — New approaches to the manufacture, installation, maintenance, removal and recycling of building envelope materials.
• Sustainability Metrics — New approaches to measuring and classifying sustainable materials, systems, and practices, including life-cycle costing.
• Design Issues — Examination of critical design issues affected by new sustainable building envelope materials, including fire safety, long-term weathering and durability, wind and storm resistance, moisture migration and mitigation, thermal design, and alternative approaches.

Yesterday at the United Nations building in New York City (which will be undergoing a major overhaul over the next few years), phosogene–a hazardous chemical associated with Sadam Hussein’s regime in Iraq–was found in a most unlikely place.

Here’s a snippet from an article by Robert D. McFadden in today’s New York Times (8/31/07):

The substance, a colorless liquid suspended in oil in a container the size of a soda can that was sealed in a plastic bag, was unmarked except for an inventory number, and nobody knew what it was. A check of records indicated that the chemical was phosgene that had been taken by United Nations inspectors in 1996 from Iraq’s chemical weapons facility at Al Muthanna, near Samarra.

The sample was discovered in a steel box last Friday (8/26/07) by personnel cleaning out files and old boxes in a weapons inspection agency that is to be closed soon, said Ewen Buchanan, a spokesman for the agency.

The rest of the story can be found here (registration required).

OSRAM Opto Semiconductors, a world leader in light-emitting diode (LED) technology, and the Lighting Science Group Corporation a leading designer and manufacturer of super energy-efficient LED lighting solutions, today announced that OSRAM Opto Semiconductors’ Golden DRAGON® lighting product will be utilized in low bay fixtures from Lighting Science for a special lighting project for the City of Raleigh, North Carolina.

Lighting Science Group’s Optimized Digital Lighting® (ODL®) low bay fixtures, with OSRAM Golden DRAGON LEDs, will replace 12 metal halide lamps that are currently being used by the City of Raleigh to illuminate a pedestrian tunnel that runs from the Avery C. Upchurch Government Complex to the municipal parking garage behind the complex. These fixtures will offer a direct alternative to metal halide or high intensity discharge (HID) lamps. Each Lighting Science ODL low bay fixture will contain 112 OSRAM Golden DRAGON LED light sources.

“OSRAM is pleased to be involved in the lighting project for the City of Raleigh, and to be part of another successful collaboration with Lighting Science Group,” Tom Shottes, president and CEO, OSRAM Opto Semiconductors Inc., said. “With Lighting Science’s fixtures, we are able to extend the use of OSRAM’s advanced LED technology in its Golden DRAGON product into the industrial and commercial lighting markets.”

“The collaboration between OSRAM and Lighting Science is a timely response to escalating concerns over rising energy costs and environmental quality,” said Ron Lusk, Lighting Science Group’s chairman and CEO. “This lighting project with OSRAM Opto Semiconductors enables us to bring energy-efficient lighting to the City of Raleigh, NC, and hopefully expand market adoption of LED lighting to other cities around the world.”

The City of Raleigh is at the forefront of LED adoption into lighting applications which include garage and parking lot lights, tunnel lighting, streetlights, architectural and accent lighting, portable lighting, and pedestrian walkway lighting. The City expects to complete this LED lighting project by this fall.

This little clip is politically incorrect on so many levels, but those of you who have been subjected to troubleshooting calls with someone halfway around the world may appreciate the not so subtle humor. Clip courtesy of YourTechTV.com.

A report released late last night (8/29/07) which analyzes the events of this year’s shooting rampage at Virginia Tech is highly critical of the slow response from campus security. More specific details can be found here.

In the aftermath of the shooting, many campuses, cities, and other densely populated areas are considering a cell phone alert system that would automatically share breaking news with residents who may be affected by the situation.

Such a system was strongly suggested after the fatal fire at the Deutsche Bank at Ground Zero in NYC. Residents in the area complained about unclear messages and potential dangers that could occur if they stayed in a potentially disastrous area.

If you manage a facility that houses a large population, have you considered an automated emergency notification system?

According to a report today (8/30/07) in CNN.Money, operations managers have the potential to earn some pretty hefty paychecks.

As the demand for manufacturing has grown in the past two years, so have the number of listings for operations managers, vice presidents of quality control, and general managers.

Operations managers typically run plant maintenance, quality control, purchasing and the technical aspects of product manufacturing. Depending on the size of their firm, they can make between $110,000 and $140,000, said Greg Lee, managing partner of WorldBridge Partners, a member firm of the MRINetwork.

Vice presidents of quality control with certification in Quality Management Systems and Lean Manufacturing, which streamlines production flow, boosts quality and reduces costs, can make $150,000 and up.

General managers, meanwhile, oversee purchasing, materials, manufacturing, engineering and quality control. For their efforts, they are paid between $120,000 and $200,000.

Read the full report here.

The first-ever retrospective of the life and works of this 20th century architect comes from Europe to the United States this November. The first stop is Bloomfield Hills, MI.

ASSA ABLOY, a global company providing door opening solutions, is the global sponsor of “Eero Saarinen: Shaping the Future.”

Saarinen, one of the more celebrated designers of the modern era, is best known for his post-war masterpieces including the 630-foot tall stainless steel St. Louis Gateway Arch, the TWA terminal at New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport, numerous university campus plans and buildings, and the General Motors Technology Center near Detroit, MI.

The exhibition’s arrival in Bloomfield Hills, MI this fall follows a European tour that began October 2006 in Finland–Saarinen’s native country.

After opening to architectural acclaim in Helsinki, the tour moved to Oslo, Norway and Brussels, Belgium. Confirmed U.S. tour stops include: The Cranbrook Art Museum in Bloomfield Hills, MI; The National Building Museum in Washington, DC; Minneapolis Institute of Arts and Walker Art Center at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts in Minneapolis, MN; and Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum at Washington University in St. Louis, MO. The tour concludes at the Yale School of Architecture in New Haven, Connecticut in 2010. Additional tour information may be found at www.eerosaarinen.net.

ASSA ABLOY Group brands, whose commercial door and hardware solutions include Besam, Ceco, Curries, Corbin Russwin, Graham, Rixson, Sargent, and Yale, embraced the opportunity to be a part of such an exciting exhibition that celebrates design. “We feel we at ASSA ABLOY provide architects with just one small building block in the complex art of creating and designing the foundation and spirit of a community,” noted ASSA ABLOY Americas President and CEO Thanasis Molokotos. “Our brands strive to offer openings solutions that provide both a design continuum that complements the architect’s aesthetic ambitions and an integration ability that addresses a building’s need for security and life-safety.”

As part of the global sponsorship, ASSA ABLOY Group companies will hold special events and promotions throughout the exhibition timeframe.

About Eero Saarinen: Shaping the Future
The exhibition is organized by the Finnish Cultural Institute in New York, the Museum of Finnish Architecture, Helsinki and the National Building Museum, Washington, D.C., with the support of the Yale University School of Architecture. The exhibition is accompanied by a book of the same title, published by Yale University Press and edited by Eeva-Liisa Pelkonen and Donald Albrecht. The patron of the exhibition is Her Excellency Tarja Halonen, President of the Republic of Finland.

Toxic Heavy Metals Can be in “Clean” Laundered Rental Shop Towels

Something as common as a rental shop towel can raise a health and safety issue for workers, according to an independent study.

The study results are summarized in a report from Kimberly-Clark Professional, which can be obtained by visiting the company’s Web site.

The study revealed that “clean” shop towel samples tested contained elevated levels of toxic heavy metals. According to the study, rental shop towels can retain measurable levels of heavy metals – such as lead, cadmium, and antimony – even after washing.

The study also found that it is possible for the metals to travel from rental shop towels to the hands of workers and, ultimately, the mouth. Using just 2.5 towels a day, workers may ingest unacceptable amounts of toxic heavy metals, according to the study, which was conducted by the Gradient Corporation. The amount of lead that someone might accidentally ingest from the shop towels may exceed California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA) Proposition 65† limits (based on 2.5 towels per day)1.

The full study can also be downloaded here.

Shop towel users looking for a cleaner, safer alternative to laundered rental shop towels have an option with WypAll* Wipers from Kimberly-Clark Professional. Fresh WypAll* Wipers contain no toxic heavy metals, oils or greases. They are manufactured without chemical binders or other agents that could harm workers or work processes.

† California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA) Proposition 65 limits are exposure limits based on potential health risks such as cancer or reproductive effects. If a chemical exposure exceeds the limit, manufacturers may be required to notify the public of this exceedance.

1. Data pulled from “Evaluation of Potential Exposure to Metals in Laundered Shop Towels,” INJ, Winter, 2003

Earlier this month (8/8/07), Bette Fears, Accredited Residential Manager® (ARM®) and honored member of the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM®), was tragically murdered in the line of duty while serving as an apartment community manager in Coeur d’Alene, ID. Fears was killed by an allegedly disgruntled tenant who then took her own life.

In recognition of Fears’ contributions to the real estate management profession, IREM® Foundation, together with IREM’s Spokane, WA-based Inland Northwest Chapter No. 49, with which Bette was affiliated, have launched the Bette Fears, ARM®, Memorial Scholarship Fund.

In announcing the new fund, IREM® Foundation President, E. Craig Suhrbier, CPM®, stated: “Bette touched so many IREM® lives locally, regionally and across the country because she valued greatly her interaction with others. As a member of the IREM® Foundation’s Scholarship Committee, she cared deeply for all scholarship applicants because of their desire to further their career and enhance their professionalism.”

Fears, 67, lived at the ParkPlace Apartments, which is managed by Tomlinson Black Management, Inc., AMO, Spokane, WA. She was resident manager of the complex for over a decade.

The Bette Fears, ARM®, Memorial Scholarship Fund will join three other programs – the Paul H. Rittle Sr. Memorial Scholarship, the Donald M. Furbush Scholarship, and the George M. Brooker Collegiate Scholarship for Minorities – that Bette helped to advance over many years. Contributions, which are tax deductible, should be made payable to the IREM Foundation and mailed to foundation headquarters at 430 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60611. Donors will receive a letter from the foundation acknowledging their gift.

In other news, falsely accused security guard Richard Jewell—associated with the Atlanta Centennial Olympic Park bombings in 1996—died yesterday (8/29/07) at age 44 after suffering through a long series of illnesses. Jewell, who initially spotted the suspicious backpack in the park and saved the lives of many in attendance was eventually cleared of all wrongdoing, but not until after his name and reputation were permanently tarnished by the misdirected investigation. More on the Jewell story can be found here.

The New Orleans Mission Family Center, which opened earlier this week, is expected to receive LEED Silver level certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. The new 4,400 square foot, two-story building was built to assist and house many transitionally homeless people in the city. HomeAid, a leading national non-profit provider of housing for homeless people, runs the facility.

Two years after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and their aftermaths, devastated the city, this facility serves as a tangible example of how to rebuild greener, smarter, and more efficiently for the future.

Located at 1819 Clio Street in the Central City District, the New Orleans Family Center will house single women with children, single men with children, and families with married parents displaced by the hurricane. The project was designed by students at Tulane University’s School of Architecture and was privately funded through donations made to HomeAid’s Gulf Coast Rebuilding Fund (GCRF) in the aftermath of the hurricanes of 2005. The Family Center’s completion follows the re-opening of the renovated Women’s Center, which was completed by HomeAid as part of the GCRF in 2006.

“We are thrilled to have two amazing new facilities on the New Orleans Mission campus and hope that it will serve as both a place where people in need can come to rebuild their lives, and as a catalyst for the revitalization of the Central City neighborhood,” said Ron Gonzales, executive director of the New Orleans Mission. “We are extremely grateful for the talented and visionary team that came together to make this historic green building project a reality.”

New Orleans-based JaRoy Construction, Inc. built the project, while Perez APC served as the project’s architect of record, working in conjunction with Tulane University and Rodney Dionisio, a local architect and former Tulane School of Architecture graduate.

“While devastating to the City, Hurricane Katrina created a unique opportunity to rebuild in a sustainable, efficient and environmentally friendly way that is unprecedented in this community,” said Stephen Braquet, vice president of Perez APC and the 2006 president of the New Orleans chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). “The Family Center project is a shining example of the City’s architectural, building, educational and non-profit communities coming together to set a standard for re-building in New Orleans.”

Along with Tulane University, HomeAid has registered the Family Center project with the U.S. Green Council’s LEED program.

Sustainable materials used in the home include bamboo flooring on the first floor; cork flooring on the second floor; “EcoSurfaces” in the children’s playroom, a material made of recycled tires and other post-consumer waste plastics; “3-Form” wall panels, an Eco-resin composite that enables a closed-loop recycling process, and can be broken down and re-used an infinite number of times; and HardiPlank exterior siding, a recycled wood fiber and cement-based composite impervious to water and insects.

The Family Center also incorporates Georgia-Pacific’s DensArmor Plus(r) paperless drywall, which incorporates fiberglass mats instead of paper facings front and back and moisture-resistant core that prevents potential mold growth. In addition, Energy Star kitchen appliances were donated by GE Consumer & Industrial.

The facility is equipped with efficient energy systems, including a geothermal HVAC system; strategic glazing on the building to minimize sun exposure and reduce internal heat loads and energy requirements; and stack ventilation in each second-floor bedroom that includes a sloping, high ceiling that enables hot air to rise and escape through operable windows.

Even the garden will be eco-friendly. The project consists of a large landscaped yard that utilizes many different plants, including several native to Louisiana, and large amounts of bamboo, a rapidly growing grass that is extremely renewable.

“As a national developer of housing for homeless families and individuals, HomeAid was in a unique position to respond to the housing crisis caused by Hurricane Katrina, and we are proud to announce the completion this remarkable build project,” said Genette Eaton, chief executive officer of HomeAid. “It is an honor to be part of such a significant and historical project in the great City of New Orleans.”

Corporate partners in the Gulf Coast Rebuilding Fund include: Georgia-Pacific Corporation; GE Consumer & Industrial; Beazer Homes; Pella Corporation; James Hardie; CALPASC; Shea Homes; Hovnanian Enterprises, Inc.; MBK Homes; Taylor Woodrow Homes; Crestwood Communities; Suncoast Post-Tension; Goodman Manufacturing; David Weekley Homes; Tilson Home Corporation; Doyle Stuckey Homes; Green Mountain Building Co.; Bassenian/Lagoni Architects; Masco Corporate Foundation and Owens Corning Foundation, Inc.