Monday, January 31, 2011

January 2011

project of the month
Ivy Tech University - Fall Creek Campus
View north from Illinois and Fall Creek  
Cafeteria/Commons area
The Ivy Tech University - Fall Creek Campus building takes the vacated St. Vincent's Hospital and adapts it for reuse as a classrooms facility. The project totals 204,000 square feet of new and renovated area.  The existing historic facade of the hospital will be restored as part of the project.


Besides restoring portions of the original building, the project integrates other sustainable aspects to help it achieve a LEED Silver certification level.  The HVAC system for the project will consist of a Variable Refrigerant Volume (VRV) system which is much more efficient than a conventional 4-pipe system. 


Many points were achieved for this facility just by being located in downtown Indianapolis, where it has access to many amenities within walking distance and mass transit. Other notable high-performance features include a green roof area over the cafeteria. Studies were performed during design to maximize natural light for the building yet provide adequate shading from direct sunlight.  As a result vertical fins are provided along the east and west facades to shade the windows.


This is an exciting project that will be a landmark facility for Ivy Tech and the City of Indianapolis. It is great that sustainable design was incorporated into the design early in the design process.  We are looking forward to completion of this facility December 2011.


news

Sustainable Stan Award Winners
Ron Fisher, AIA, LEED AP
Andrea Graves, IIDA, LEED GA

Sustainable Stan Award winners for the last 2 months are Ron Fisher and Andrea Graves.

December - Ron Fisher is a principal in the firm and Director of Operations. He has been involved in several renewable energy projects throughout the State of Indiana and has continued to challenge others to look for more energy-efficient solutions.

January - Andrea Graves is one of Schmidt talented interior designers. Andrea recently passed the LEED GA exam to become another accredited sustainable designer in the office.  Andrea's recent second child maternity leave allowed her to study for the exam and pass on the first attempt once she returned to work. Make sure to congratulate Andrea when you see her.

Boot Campers review
Many of you may remember summer 2010's LEED Boot Camp.  We have had 3 boot campers go on to pass the LEED GA exam so far. Stan would like to re-energize the campers to take their exam by providing some  LEED mock exam sessions in early March.  Look for invites soon.

Schmidt Wellness
With the new year has come a resolution by Schmidt Associates employees to become healthier. A 4 month long weight loss competition is underway in the office.  As a part of this Stan would like to remind everyone that a good way to exercise is to ride your bike when the weather is nicer or run, walk, etc. Try to use you automobile less and exercise more by using alternative means of transportation to get to work, the store, the neighbors, wherever you are going.  It's better for you and the environment. 

events
  • Schmidt Chili cook-off: February 25 - Awards and  given for best sustainabowl, and green power cookies available 
  • 2011 Indianapolis Sustainability Awards: March 24 - SustainIndy.org
  • Plant swap - this spring
  • Carpool to work Day - coming soon

opinion
I appreciate everyone giving me the month of December off. I would like to say though that 2010 was a great year for us. Schmidt Associates made some great strides towards sustainability over the year. 
  • The Sustainability Committee added some new members and gained momentum
  • Schmidt Associates signed up for the 2030 Challenge which has set some lofty goals for our day to day operations and the projects we are working on.
  • The Sustainable Stan Awards have increased in popularity (no scientific poll was conducted to determine this - but we can just tell) 
  • Schmidt Associates has been using new analysis tools to determine designs' energy usage earlier in the process and influencing decisions that impact building performance.
  • Energy Solutions is helping to push the envelope for renewable energy in the State.
  • We have started this monthly journal to keep you involved with what's going on.
These are just some highlights too. Overall we have had a successful year and we plan to keep it going this year. I have enjoyed putting this Journal out once a month - but I would really appreciate if you readers gave some comments every now then, it let's me know this is being read by someone. 

Thanks,

Sustainable Stan