November 2011

project of the month
Schmidt Associates Office

Although not a formal project, the Schmidt Associates Office has been undergoing a transformation over the last year to address energy efficiency. 


History
Schmidt Associates has been located in the historic Wil-Fra-Mar building since 1987. At the time, the building was boarded up and had extensive damage to the interior. Schmidt Associates re-purposed the building into an office building while maintaining much of its historical integrity. Over time, the office expanded into the neighboring 415 building, and required an addition (Phi-Dan-Ste) in 1995 that extended to Massachusetts Avenue.

Sustainability
Schmidt Associates remains at the forefront of integrating sustainable design into their projects. As part of their efforts, the Schmidt Associates office is undergoing miscellaneous improvements to demonstrate sustainable design technologies and a commitment to "walk the talk".  Following are examples of a few sustainable design efforts integrated into the Schmidt Associates facility:

GREEN ROOF AREA: In 2004, a green roof was constructed on a portion
of the roof. The green roof area was subdivided to examine how
different soil mixes and fertilization would affect the plant growth. 

SOLAR CANOPY: In 2007, a solar canopy was constructed to replace a 
damaged fabric canopy. The canopy is another way Schmidt Associates 
is demonstrating our commitment to sustainable design. The canopy
brings in enough kilowatts to power a house for a year. 

GREEN ROOF AREA #2: To demonstrate alternative
systems, a 2nd  green roof area
was installed using pre-vegetated trays.
Schmidt employees each pitched in to
purchase the trays and were allowed to
personalize them if they wish
 - meet Rumpleschmidtskin.  

LED LIGHTING:
In 2011, LED light troffers replaced the
typical office 2 x 4 fluorescent light fixtures
in the Schmidt Associates Interiors area
to reduce energy consumption
and demonstrate
the light quality

                                                                                                 

NEW MECHANICAL UNIT AND CONTROLS: In fall of 2011,
a new high-efficiency rooftop mechanical unit was installed
in the Phi-Dan-Ste portion of the building, along with
enhanced controls. The improvements have
had an immediate impact on the comfort of
the users and the energy use of the facility.

EXTERIOR WINDOWS: In fall 2011, the exterior windows of the Wil-Fra-Mar
building were replaced with insulated windows with high-performance
glazing. It is expected that this will improve the thermal envelope
of the building substantially. 

These improvements, along with others not mentioned, have transformed Schmidt Associates from a standard office into a living lab that demonstrates advanced building systems to Owner. Planning is already underway for future office improvements that will continue to integrate high performance materials and systems into the facility and mark the improvement. 

news
Battle of the Buildings Update
On November 2, Energy Star's National Buildings Competition winners were announced. Schmidt Associates office was one of the 245 competitors. Overall, the competitors saved a combined total of 240 million kBtus of energy and $5.2 million in annual utility bills. For more information on the competition as whole, refer to the following link:
Energy Star Battle of the Buildings 
Through the competition, Schmidt Associates managed to reduce their energy bills by up to 15%.

You can see by the graph above, that Schmidt Associates' energy use really dropped in May. This can be attributed to when the news of the competition was first communicated to the staff, and people became more vigilant about their personal energy use. A conscientious effort was made to turn off computers, monitors, and lights when not in use. Area energy monitors were selected to help enforce the change in attitudes. This resulted in an immediate reduction in the office energy use. 


Facility improvements were implemented toward the end of the competition. including the following:

• LED lights in Interiors
• Motion sensors in restrooms
• A new mechanical unit in the Phi-Dan-Ste portion of the building
• New HVAC building controls in the Phi-Dan-Ste
• New insulated windows in the Wil-Fra-Mar 

The window replacement and the new HVAC unit and controls work occurred outside of the competition window, so the improvement in performance did not contribute to the final results. It is expected that these improvements will have a dramatic effect on the energy use of the office however.


Perhaps the greatest improvement that occurred at Schmidt Associates during the competition was communication.  Employees were updated weekly on their energy usage and upcoming energy reduction efforts via email, twitter and, The Sustainable Stan Journal. By continuously updating the staff on energy usage, it was easy for them to see how their efforts were making a difference.


Although the competition is over, Schmidt Associates is continuing its efforts to reduce energy, and looks forward to engaging in the competition again next year. 


Energy Fair 2011
Schmidt Associates conducted its first Energy Fair on November 8. The fair was held on the heals of the completion of the Energy Star's Battle of the Buildings (see above). 

Schmidt Associates employees learning about
photovoltaic cells and other energy saving products.

IPL demonstrated an electric car under
Schmidt Associates solar canopy.

 “Although a quarter of Schmidt Associates staff are LEED Accredited Professionals, we wanted to share information with all employees to encourage them to save energy at work and at home,” said Lisa Gomperts, a principal, education liaison and member of the sustainability committee with the firm.


The Energy Fair included presentations on Indiana’s energy use and renewable energy alternatives, plus information booths on residential energy efficiency, photovoltaic panels, renewable energy, LED interior light fixtures, recycling, the new downtown bike hub, and a Smart Car. 


Thanks to all of the vendors and sponsors that participated in this year's fair. Stan is hopeful that this year's success will allow the fair to grow next year.



events

• Carpool to work day - coming soon/date to be determined

opinion

Although the results compared to the other competitors may not show it, the energy reduction that was made at the office is very impressive. Not to make excuses, but Schmidt Associates really started the competition after it was halfway over. Energy Star's Battle of the Buildings looks at the reductions of a building energy over an entire year compared to the previous year's energy use.  So, although Schmidt Associates ended up with energy bills that were about 15% lower than last year's bills, when you factor in the first half of the year, where the bills were not any better than last year, you end up with results that are not as competitive. 


The improvements we made at the end of the competition and the changes we have made in our behavior have put us in good position to be a strong competitor next year. We are well on track to move our Energy Star score to allow us to seek LEED-EB certification for our facility.


December is Stan's month off, so see you next year.