Real Estate Journal — Owners, Developers & Managers — August 29 - September 11, 2014 — 7B
www.marejournal.com
M id A tlantic
O wners , D evelopers & M anagers By William Amann, PE, DCEP, LEED AP, M&E Engineers Changing the conversation: high performance buildings
A
fter hurricane Sandy, a shocked nation de- manded answers and
building owners have a bottom line responsibility today that typically trumps ideals. Many of the terms that we take for granted have negative connota- tions among large segments of society. We also have to battle political machines who have co- opted green concepts and goals and rendered them so extreme, on both the left and the right, that they bear little resemblance to the practical implementation of green building and sustain- ability that we propose. But changing the conversation and reengaging that passion for a resilient and sustainable future doesn’t require a new
disaster or the next Sandy and it certainly doesn’t require a particular political alignment. It requires a concept that is appealing to the masses. As a country founded on ambition and innovation, the United States has always strived for biggest, fastest, best in quality, quantity, and performance. We have come to demand high per- formance in every other aspect of our lives. Whether it’s having the newest smart phone or the fastest vehicle in the driveway, Americans not only demand high performance, when we are engaged and inspired to achieve it, we create amazing things.
Yet despite the American desire for the best, we have accepted mediocrity from our buildings. As a result, we spend 90% of our lives in buildings that are inefficient, expensive to maintain, and often are con- tributing factors to illness and poor productivity. And worse, instead of addressing this rather shocking dichotomy, Americans in general tend to be apathetic to the concept of the green building. America is ready for the High Performance Building and as members of the design/develop/ build community, it is incum- bent upon us to educate clients,
appeal to their desire to achieve the highest level of performance, and ignite that competitive spirit which will result in build- ing owners and entire commu- nities competing for bragging rights. That means that we need to think of the promotion of sustainability and resiliency in the same way that other industries have promoted high performance in their products. Ex c e r p t f r om Wi l l i am Amann’s upcoming book: High Performance Buildings avail- able October 2014. WilliamAmann, PE, DCEP, LEED AP is president of M&E Engineers. n
s o l u t i o n s . How can we imp l eme n t changes that will protect our residents and communi- ties from the next disaster? How can we
William Amann
insure that critical services and our infrastructure are protected and maintained in times of extraordinary need? How can we design and build homes, businesses, and other buildings that protect our families and assets? In response, government officials, politicians, educators, and architects, engineers, and real estate developers vowed to work together and use the trag- edy to rebuild stronger, safer, and smarter. But, we live in a time of collec- tive “attention deficit disorder.” In a rapid-fire news cycle, we are hit with a constant streamof new information, opinions, and crises. Impassioned pledges by politicians, community leaders, and building owners to demand resilient and sustainable build- ings after a disaster like Sandy, dissipate as the shock wears off and the news focus turns to some other crisis. We then find ourselves little better off when the next disaster hits. Today, the “green” conversa- tion has changed. The forward momentumand zealousness has faded, replaced in large part by “extreme positioning syndrome.” The media rewards those with themost extreme positions with column inches and televised sound bites. So the tens of thou- sands of “regular” buildings in the US achieving LEED certifi- cation are rarely profiled outside of industry news. Instead, the mainstream media focuses on the most extreme designs and radical personalities and posi- tions. This has resulted in sus- tainability and “green” building becoming polarizing issues. But we simply can’t afford to allow the goal of a resilient, sustainable future to become marginalized by politicos and talking heads. I believe that the way forward requires that we reengage with the community, the business owner and the homeowner, without the jargon, jive, or judgment. We have to recognize that while we may be passionate about combating climate change, developers and
Distinguished Engineering Award
M&E Engineers is an award winning Mechanical & Electrical Engineering firm specializing in energy efficient, High Performance buildings. www.MEengineers.com
PSE&G Customer Service Center - New Brunswick
Recent Awards & Recognition include:
USGBC - Best Mid-Sized Engineering Firm (nominated) PSE&G Customer Service Center New Brunswick, NJ - LEED Silver PSE&G Customer Service Center Jersey City, NJ - LEED Gold (current evaluation) Bolger Community Center Midland Park, NJ - LEED Gold Wyndham Worldwide Parsippany, NJ - Double LEED Silver Sandvik North American Headquarters - Distinguished Engineer Award Economic Vitality Award - Somerset County Business Partnership
Made with FlippingBook HTML5