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| Green News
Heathman Hotel completes landfill-free The Heathman Hotel, Portland’s independent luxury arts hotel, will complete a 99-percent landfill-free remodel in late April. The renovation, involving the historic hotel’s 155 guest bathrooms, was planned in accordance with the property’s commitment to sustainability which includes ensuring energy efficiency, utilizing local resources, and re-using existing materials whenever possible. The renovation is projected to reduce gas usage by 20 percent and water consumption by 50 percent. Low flow showerheads and commodes, energy efficient lighting, recycled tile and Forest Stewardship Certified wood were incorporated into the design by Ankrom Moisan Associated Architects. Ninety-nine percent of construction debris was recycled through Portland’s Re-Building Center, the largest non-profit building materials resource in North America. Eco-remodel facts and figures:
The Heathman Hotel has a long-standing commitment to sustainability and was one of Portland’s first hotels to complete energy efficiency upgrades and receive financial incentives from the Energy Trust of Oregon. The Heathman Hotel is also a participant in Pacific Power’s nationally recognized Blue Sky program. Today, 30 percent of all electricity purchased by the hotel is from Blue Sky renewable energy. The Heathman Hotel is recognized locally and nationally for its ongoing sustainability and conservation efforts and was awarded Energy Trust’s prestigious Energy Leadership Award this year.
Healthy Buildings 2009, an international conference and exhibition showcasing innovations in indoor environmental quality and healthy and sustainable environmental technology, will be held in U.S. for the first time in 12 years, September 13-17, 2009. Hosted by the Syracuse Center of Excellence and Syracuse University, HB2009 will draw more than 1,000 researchers and professionals from the disciplines of architecture, building products and services, engineering, indoor environmental quality, public health, urban planning, and workplace performance from more than 42 different countries. The readers of Green Magazine will be particularly interested in remarkable plenary speakers such as Rick Fedrizzi, President and CEO of USGBC, and Dr. Carl-Gustaf Bornehag of Karlstad University in Sweden and Dr. Eduardo de Oliveira Fernandes of the University of Porto in Portugal, who have each conducted significant research on indoor air quality and healthy built environments. Relevant presentation topics include energy performance, sustainable buildings, green building rating systems, and much more. Additionally, the exhibition offers unique opportunities for strategic business to business networking. In today's uncertain economic and manufacturing climate, the benefit of international exchange and engagement is critical. HB2009 offers researchers and professionals a unique opportunity to think strategically about the direction of industry and technology through academic and industry collaboration in a world going green. The stimulus package recently passed by Congress has allotted billions of dollars to this industry. For more information about the conference and exhibition visit the Healthy Buildings 2009 website, or contact clmatthe@syr.edu for specific media inquiries.
A Pittsburgh-based convention services company, an innovative non-profit group, a Pennsylvania city and three community leaders in Western Pennsylvania have all been named winners of the 2009 Shades of Green Awards presented by the Green Building Alliance (GBA). The awardees will be honored at Green$ense 2009: Beyond Buildings, GBA’s annual conference being held March 30 – 31 at the Westin Convention Center Hotel and the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. “The Shades of Green Awards recognize the successful efforts of businesses, non-profits, government officials and individuals in Western Pennsylvania in green practices,” said Geoffrey Stillson, interim executive director, Green Building Alliance. “These groups and individuals have contributed to the region’s environmental transformation through green leadership within the built environment.” This year’s winners are Stetson Convention Services; Construction Junction; the City of Warren, Pa.; Alexander Graziani, executive director for the Smart Growth Partnership of Westmoreland County; Dr. Kenneth Borland, Northwest Pennsylvania STEM Regional contact; and Vivian Loftness, professor of Architecture at Carnegie Mellon University. Pittsburgh-based Stetson Convention Services, winner in the business category, is the nation’s leading environmentally responsible decorator within the convention, tradeshow and events industry. Stetson has taken the lead in their industry by being an advocate for green practices, as well as continually improving and changing standard practices. This year marks the sixth straight that the company will partner with the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) in presenting GreenBuild, the nation’s largest environmentally responsible tradeshow. Construction Junction, also based in Pittsburgh, is the winner in the non-profit category. The organization’s mission is to support and promote conservation through the reuse of building materials and keep them out of landfills. In turn, they provide these materials to the community at very low cost. A project of Pennsylvania Resources Council, Construction Junction is funded in part by the Heinz Endowment and private contributions. The City of Warren, Pa., is the winner in the government category. According to Warren’s mayor, Mark Phillips, the city is interested in becoming the greenest city in the state and by all measures they are off to a great start. The city’s major accomplishments include:
Alexander Graziani, the executive director of the Smart Growth Partnership of Westmoreland County, is the winner in the Community Leader - Laurel Highlands category. He is being recognized for his work in leading an organization whose mission is to enhance the viability, quality of life and long-term sustainability in the Laurel Highlands area. They do this by providing education and technical assistance, and by promoting smart growth principles. Dr. Kenneth Borland is the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s regional contact for the Northwest Pennsylvania Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education network and is the winner in the Community Leader - Northwest Pennsylvania category. STEM was formally established in April of 2008. Borland oversees a 12-county consortium including educators, workforce/economic development organizations, businesses and government agencies with a common interest in addressing the need for an increased focus on education and training opportunities. Borland, a former school superintendent, is working with local organizations and schools to better educate and prepare students in important subjects that are imperative for moving the region forward in the new green economy. Vivian Loftness, a professor of Architecture at Carnegie Mellon University, is the winner in Community Leader- Pittsburgh category. She is being honored for her more than 30-year career in environmental design and sustainability, advanced building systems and systems integration, climate and regionalism in architecture, as well as design for performance in the workplace of the future. An internationally recognized author, Loftness is a national spokesperson and resource for green buildings and building smarter. For more information about the Shades of Green Awardees, Green$ense and a complete schedule of speakers, breakout sessions and registration information, visit online at Green Buildin Alliance website, or contact Karen Puff at (412) 431-0709 or karenp@gbapgh.org to learn more and register for this event.
Citron WorkSpaces, Colorado’s environmentally-focused office furniture resource partner, completed the installation of a new corporate office interior for Innovative Openings, a leading window covering and shading solutions company with branch showrooms in Colorado. Working in collaboration with designer Juli Goodhue of Bethune/Goodhue and Associates, who provided the master planning for the project, Citron provided and installed new Teknion workstations and corporate office interiors in Innovative Openings’ newly expanded corporate headquarters at 637 S. Pierce Avenue, Louisville, as well as the company’s manufacturing division, Insolroll Solar Screen Shade Factory, located next door to its headquarters. The workstations were planned specifically for Innovative Openings’ workplace needs using the Teknion Leverage system, which features sectional tiled panel systems of fabric and glass that can be easily customized to suit the look and function of the workplace. The unique layout included modular cabinetwork, which can be either freestanding or wall-mounted, extra long workstations to handle oversized drawings, and included options for privacy such as sliding doors, and allowed for successful installation into Innovative Openings’ existing space while maintaining flexibility for potential growth. The project encompassed a total of 20,000 square feet of space and included interiors and workspaces in Innovative Openings accounting, sales and marketing departments, as well in the manufacturing facility’s installation, service and staging areas, and the storage area in the company’s resource library. A total of 30 workstations were installed in the two buildings. Citron also provided new chairs by SitOnIt Seating for Innovative Openings’ 16-seat customer presentation room and the company’s corporate café, which seats 24. Citron provided chairs by Hon Industries Hon Industries and SitOnIt Seating for Innovative Openings’ meeting rooms. Designer Goodhue worked with Citron to fine tune the workstation layouts to assure that the installation would work with Innovative’s parameters. Citron fulfilled and fine tuned all technical specifications to Goodhue’s master plan and provided support and follow up on the project. Goodhue, who guided and approved all finishes and colors, praised the Citron team, noting, “As a designer, they gave me a tremendous amount of support. Citron’s experts did all the fine tuning on the project specifications, and their presentation made it easy for the Innovative Openings team to visualize it before it was completed.” | |||||
