September 2011

project(s) of the month
Alternative methods to address stormwater
This month we wanted to highlight several projects that utilize alternative methods to reduce stormwater quantity. With building projects, stormwater is a tricky design issue to work out. Typically, the building area and surrounding hardscape areas will increase the flow of the stormwater. Often detention or retention ponds are added to the site to hold the stormwater until the sewer system is able to accept the volume. These ponds often take up valuable land area and are costly to construct and maintain.  Alternative methods to address stormwater have been gaining popularity and help reduce the development footprint of a project.  Examples of alternative methods are as follows:

• Green roofs
• Rain Gardens
• Pervious paving (pavers or poured concrete)
• Rainwater cisterns
• Underground structures

Schmidt Associates has employed several of these alternative methods projects - each having unique conditions to address.

3 Mass - rooftop view

3Mass Condominiums: 11 story condominium project in downtown Indianapolis. The urban environment provided little area to collect stormwater.  Schmidt Associates designed a green roof to eliminate the need for an under-the-street catchment chamber. One of the first green roof projects in Indianapolis, it utilizes intensive and extensive green roof areas as patio areas for condos. See http://www.3mass.com/

Munster H.S. Green roof

Munster H.S. Pool: This addition to the existing Munster High School is located on a portion of the campus with site constraints making traditional detention impractical. Extensive green roof area (tray system - Live Roof) and pervious pavers in the vehicular circulation areas were provided to eliminate the requirement for any pond areas.

Decatur H.S. - pervious concrete

Decatur H.S.: The bus staging and student parking area utilized pervious concrete to allow water to drain through the surface instead of sheeting off to area drains.

Athenaeum rain garden

Athenaeum Rain Garden: It is no secret that Indianapolis has a combined sewer overflow problem. Pipes in large parts of the city carry both sewage and stormwater to the wastewater plant where it is treated. In larger rain events, the extra stormwater overwhelms the capacity of the pipe system causing overflow of untreated sewage into local waterways. Diverting the stormwater that doesn't need treatment away from sewage, is a goal of using rain gardens as part of the City's green infrastructure. This project was constructed as a public demonstration of a rain garden's function. It's location in a very urban environment necessitated it to be built in a public right-of-way.  New procedures for permitting this type of project were developed in conjunction with the City of Indianapolis during the design process. This popular community destination will now help educate the public on the benefits of this type of green infrastructure. 

These projects are just a few examples of how sustainable practices can succeed in addressing stormwater and positively effect a project. 

news
September Sustainable Stan Award Winner:

Corrie Meyer, AICP, RLA, LEED AP was this month's recipient of the Sustainable Stan Award at Schmidt Associates, Inc. Corrie is currently involved with the Massachusetts Avenue tree lighting project. 


In 2008, the Riley Area Development and Schmidt Associates embarked on creating a Placemaking Plan for Mass Ave from the 300 block to the 800 block. 



The goals of the plan are to: 

•  Engage users with entertainment and art
•  Increase circulation
•  Improve lighting
•  Increase density
•  and Improve the quality of everyone's experience.

Schmidt Associates Mass Ave entrance with tree

Since the completion of the plan, a small group has been working on implementing strategic projects to accomplish the goals. One project involved the installation of LED lights on the tree in front of the Schmidt Associates Mass Ave entrance to serve as an example for future installations.  The project was well-received by the community, and the City of Indianapolis has installed conduit and power to all the other trees on the avenue for similar lighting installation as part of the Rebuild Indy campaign. Eli Lilly Co.'s Lilly Day of Service event this year will occur on Thursday, October 6, and will involve stringing the bottom half of the trees with lights.  


All of the lights will be LED, resulting in a minimal impact on the energy consumption.


This project will make Mass Ave an even more vibrant hub of activity for Indianapolis.






Battle of the Buildings Update
Schmidt Associates energy reduction was much improved for the month of August compared to that of July's, but still not as great as that achieved in June.  It is believed that the energy fluctuation experienced is reflective of the cooling loads driven by the outdoor temperatures.  The average high-temperature in August was 87 degrees compared to July's average high-temperature of 91.7 degrees (Whew - glad we're finally getting some relief from the heat)

We are looking forward to seeing the results after the new mechanical unit and controls have been installed in the Phi-Dan-Ste portion of the building.  For more information on how other contestants in the contest are doing, make sure to visit Energy Stars website: National Building Competition


events

• Energy Fair - November 8
• 11:00-12:00: 1st Session - Presentations by Vince Griffin and Dan Schmidt/Booths open
• 12:00 - 12:15: Box lunches available to attendees
• 12:15-1:15: 2nd Session - Presentations by Vince Griffin and Dan Schmidt/Booths open 
• Random Acts of Greenness - coming soon
• Carpool to work/Mass Transit Day - coming soon

opinion

Although others may disagree, autumn is the best time of year; the air gets crisper, we leaves change colors, and the air conditioners get turned off! Since we have started monitoring our energy-use closer, it is amazing to see how much energy our building uses to keep us cool in the summer. It really puts into focus the importance of designing high-performance building envelopes and energy-efficient mechanical systems. As technology continues to progress, our building systems are getting smarter and more complex. Controls are available to: turn lights on and off when we leave a room, turn on the air when a certain CO2 level is reached, dim lights when natural lighting is present, etc.  All of these innovations are becoming more mainstream especially on new projects. 


For existing buildings, it is a slower changeover.  Many Owners realize there are energy savings they could implement, but it comes with a cost.  Often to improve energy efficiency an Owner may need to change out equipment that still has many years of use left. Really, the sustainable thing to do is not to replace things as soon as a better technology comes along.  It is a tricky decision to determine when it makes the most sense to improve your facility's infrastructure.  Probably the best tool to use to help make these decisions is the life-cycle cost analysis to determine the payback period for the investment. If changing out your HVAC equipment to a more efficient model will reduce your energy costs by 25%, but equates to 15 years to get back the money it costs to make the switch, it might not be the decision that best suits the Owner's goals at that time.


We need to remember that progress doesn't always happen overnight. Steps towards meeting goals are just as important as reaching the goals. And as long as we keep working to achieve the goals, we will be improving.


I'm not changing colors yet, I'm still green.  Enjoy the fall.