14B — October 24 - November 13, 2014 — Green Buildings — M id A tlantic
Real Estate Journal
www.marejournal.com
G reen B uildings President of M&E Engineers talks “High Performance Buildings” Twenty Questions with Movers & Shakers: William Amann discusses sustainable energy
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totype, so it is not feasible to foresee and document every detail. Owners that understand that and manage the risk can be successful with either de- livery process. Some Owners don’t want to manage risk, so they attempt to shift the risk to a design-build team. While that works, they also give up some control over the process, and may have to accept some shortcomings in the finished product. If they want the project de- signed and built for a fair price, the designers and contractors can work together as a team. If the designer and contrac- tors are selected on the basis of low bid, the relationship can quickly become adversarial. 13. M&E also provides some services pro bono for charity and community organizations. What pro bono project has been most inspiring? Elijah’s Promise is a soup kitchen in New Brunswick, NJ which we designed. But you know the old adage, if you give a man a fish….. Well Elijah’s Promise is also a culinary school, where they aimto break the cycle of poverty by training people and getting them jobs in area restaurants. They really have a great program. 14. If you could be a super hero, whowould yoube and why? I think I associatemost close- ly with Popeye. But if I could chose, I would wield Thor’s hammer, which had the power to change the weather. 15. You have a lot of em- ployeeswhohave beenwith the firm for more than ten years. How do you inspire such loyalty when the av- erage employee changes jobs every 3-4 years? How do you make sure that long term employees stay on the cutting edge? We work to support our fami- lies, so family always comes first. But our work is also part of our identity, so we need to enjoy and see value in what we do. We give our engineers the time, tools and training they need to do an excellent job and grow to handle newand greater challenges. We are constantly updating our software and en- gineering tools, and do training so our engineers are always ahead of the curve. 16. What misconception about sustainability do you find most frustrating?
That it is more expensive. Our industry has used the “throw it over the fence” ap- proach to design for decades. Integrated design is a radical departure from what people are used to, so they try to layer “green” on top of projects they designed by the old process. That inherently adds cost, and fails to capitalize on the econo- mies that are achieved by inte- grated design. When done well, a sustainably designed project will cost less than a traditional design. We have seen that with projects such as PNCBank and the River Resource Center. 17. Do you have a longev- ity plan for your business? What happens when you retire? We have great people, andwe continue to train and develop them. They can really run the business now without me, but I don’t plan to retire anytime soon. I love what I do. 18. What do you hope to achieve professionally be- fore you retire? I really don’t have any per- sonal ambitions because I have already achievedmy goals. But I do hope to see a more radical change in the waywe build and power our buildings. While our industry is “less bad” than it used to be, it is still a far way from actually being beneficial to the planet. 19. What type of music to you listen to and do you play any instruments? I listen to a mixture of coun- try, folk, jazz and some I don’t know how to classify. While I enjoy a lot of old stuff like Jackson Browne and Crosby Still Nash, there are a lot of new singer songwriters and groups making great music. I have my drums set up, but need more spare time to play. 20. What one piece of ad- vice would you give some- one who wanted to follow in your footsteps? Be inquisitive, be imagina- tive, and stay focused on the problem at hand. The simplest solution is always the best, but not all solutions are simple. To interviewWilliamAmann or find outmore about hiswork, contact Alexandrea Merrell at Orndee Omnimedia. Orndee handles public relations and brand management for some of the most well-known names in real estate development, engineering, architecture and construction. www.Orndee.com 212-203-0363. n
called Verizon and asked that we get temporary systems run- ning by September 17th, so that Wall Street could re-open. It was an amazing teamof people that made that happen. 5. What project in your career has made you per- sonally, the most proud? It’s very hard to pick just one. I have designed a lot of data centers, but in the early 1980’s I designed a data center for Mutual Benefit Life Insurance. I developed a redundant loop glycol cooling system that used “free cooling” and heat recovery simultaneously. Until that time, the common belief was that these two approacheswere mutually exclusive. I found a way to achieve both, which provided tremendous energy savings. And those systems never failed once in more than 30 years of operation. That proj- ect was way ahead of its time. 6. With what project do you wish that you had been involved? The National Renewable Energy Research Support Fa- cility in Golden Colorado is probably the coolest project I know of. It is very efficient and has achieved its net zero energy goal. 7. Where do you feel the most significant growth will occur in engineering in the next two years and how will M&E manage those changes? I think we will see smart technologies get more into the mainstream to make systems more efficient and effective. The electric grid is going to change drastically to accom- modate distributed generation and renewable energy storage, and increasing demand for high speed web connectivity will continue to push the expansion of IT. Our decades of experience in these specialty areas gives us a huge advantage in our ability to deploy the latest technologies and ensure the highest degree of reliability. 8. Are you most inspired by the challenges of retrofit- ting an existing building or working with an architec- ture firm to collaboratively design a new building? I get excited about both cir- cumstances. They each have their challenges. A new build- ing obviously has the potential to be optimized for energy, natural ventilation, daylight- ing and views. Unfortunately, most architects are still design-
ing the way they have for the past 30 years, with very little regard for these features. Older existing buildings are quite often built better than some newer buildings, but of course often have limited slab to slab heights or other impediments that limit duct and pipe sizes. 9. What one word would you like others use to de- scribe you? What word would you use to describe yourself? I hope that people consider me earnest. I can think of a lot of words to describemyself, but I think the best is dedicated. I am dedicated to my family, to my employees, and tomywork. 10. Are you a glass half full or a glass half empty person? I’m an engineer, so I have to have to say the glass is over- designed. In the broader sense, I am very seriously concerned about our democracy and our planet, but I am forever opti- mistic about people and our ability to do the right thing. 11. I understand that you arequite selective about the projects for whichM&E de- signs.What types of projects are you most interested in pursuing and why? Unfortunately many in our industry consider engineering design to be a commodity in- stead of a professional service. Some firms adjust to that by using shortcuts in the design process. That is probably why so many buildings have prob- lems with comfort complaints, IAQ problems and excessive energy use. We don’t take on a project if we can’t do it properly. I don’t know how to lower my standards. Any project we de- sign has tomeet my standards, otherwise it does not go out the door. We only pursue projects which are technically chal- lenging in some way, or have some other intrinsic value. The technically challenging ones are typically mission-critical Telcom and data centers, or fa- cilities that are striving for high performance energy efficiency. We also support non-profit or- ganizations that contribute to our community. 12. I understand M&E provides traditional design- bid-build projects, as well as design-build. What do you see as the advantages to each? Doing any project involves risk. Every project is a pro-
i l l iam Amann, PE, LEED AP, DCEP , and presi-
dent of M&E Engineers has spent 30 years creat- i n g “H i g h Performance Bu i l d i ngs ” using cutting edge technol- ogy and in-
William Amann
novation, a firm foundation of specialized expertise, and a deep commitment to sustain- able energy. He is the former chairman of the USGBC-NJ and current Chairman of the SomersetCountyEnergyCoun- cil. 1. Was there a single inci- dent or event that inspired you to become an engineer? As long as I can remember, I was interested in how things worked, so I knew in High School I wanted to be an engi- neer. But onMarch 28th, 1979, the nuclear reactor at 3 Mile Islandwent critical, and I knew that endangering the lives of millions of people to create electricity was crazy, and that we had to find smarter ways to use and produce energy. That was the day I decided to spend my life doing what I could to change that paradigm. 2. Other than family, who has inspired you the most in your career? I had some really bad ex- periences early in my career with engineers in high level positions that were pretty incompetent. Then I met Don Campbell, who had started M&E Engineers. He was what I would call a “Master” Engi- neer, which combines technical abilitywith practical sense and know-how. 3. When did you first feel that you had “made it” pro- fessionally? I would have to say it was when I took over control and ownership of M&E Engineers in 1990. But I still learn some- thing new everyday. 4. What project in your career has been the most humbling? Two days after 9-11-2001 I received a call from Verizon to help them restore their build- ing at 140 West Street, which was heavily damaged by the collapse of the World Trade Towers. There is no way to describe the feeling I had stand- ing beside the piles of twisted steel and dust. President Bush
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