In February, President Obama announced the Better Buildings Initiative, a multi-pronged effort to make commercial buildings 20 percent more energy efficient over the next decade by encouraging private sector investment through incentives to upgrade schools, universities and municipal facilities, as well as offices, stores and other commercial buildings.
The initial cost of a roof system is typically 10 percent of the total building cost. However, over the life span the building the roof could account for nearly 60 percent of the building’s total maintenance costs.
Architectural Commissioning (ARCx), a more comprehensive term for Building Enclosure Commissioning (BECx), is a systematic process of ensuring that the exterior elements of a newly-constructed or renovated building provide effective environmental separation between the exterior environment and interior occupied space according to the building Owner’s Performance Requirements (OPR) for the intended use.
Energy efficiency, re-use, and recyclability are buzzwords in the roofing industry, and while such terms have a tendency to lose their meaning over time, some in the business take them very seriously. With landfill space at a premium, recycling has become much more than a fad. Instead, it is increasingly providing a cost-effective, environmentally friendly, and easy alternative to skyrocketing waste disposal rates.
In these financially strapped times, people are getting creative with their finances. Lake Tahoe Unified School District has been doing the same, with incredible results for its students and community. After putting together a District Facilities Master Plan in December 2007, the district prepared for a bond which passed in September of 2008.
Chicago has long been known as the Windy City. But Chicago is earning a new nickname - “Green Roof City.” Much of the credit goes to the Public Building Commission (PBC), which oversees public buildings across the city.
While sustainability is on the forefront of clients’ minds, it is often perceived as the more expensive option. In fact, a McGraw-Hill Construction study showed the largest obstacle to green construction is the perception of an increased cost. Educational institutions in particular are concerned with achieving sustainable design at a value, as they are often dealing with limited budgets and public money.
Something new may be learned from nearly every retrofit roofing project. Every roofing project is completed with different materials in different places on different structures and often with different clients. The renovation of the roof and parapet of the Green-Meldrim House in historic downtown Savannah, Ga., is one project that provided more than its share of lessons.
As global interest has increased in passive, energy-saving technologies, cool roofs have received a significant boost in awareness and research over the past year. In both commercial and residential applications, people are discovering the comfort, energy efficiency and climate change mitigation benefits of cool roofs.
George School in Bucks County, Pa., hadn’t constructed a new freestanding academic facility in 33 years. So when the time came to construct a new facility, the goal was to do it right for the students, faculty, community and environment.
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