Sample Projects Please download my resumes for a more complete list
Micro-Energy Building – 2008 Olympic Village Beijing, China
I was the green design consultant to the team that developed the Micro Energy Building (MEB) in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Village. The building began its life as a mixed-use facility to accommodate the Olympic athletes and the Olympic Village development group. It includes generating ice cooling capability using off peak power for the heat pumps, extensive daylighting and natural ventilation, living roofs, and bio-remedial waste treatment that accommodates effluent from other buildings. The MEB was instrumental in the Beijing Olympic Village achieving one of the first LEED for Neighborhoods certification. It is now serving as a mixed-use K3 school and office building. I was the only US architectural design consultant on this project, sponsored by the US Department of Energy. My contribution included consulting on the energy, daylighting, natural ventilation, material and resource efficiency of the project using human ecology as a design determinant.
Conservation Consultants, Inc. Ann Jones Gerace Building – Pittsburgh. PA
Was project director and green design consultant for CCI Center which was designed to serve as an example of high-performance green building and architecture as pedagogy. Part of CCI’s mission is to provide K12 and higher education students hands on experience to learn about passive solar design, renewable energy systems, energy and water conservation, living roofs, urban gardening and allergy free nontoxic design. The Ann Jones Gerace Building achieves all of those goals and more. It was designed and constructed before LEED but has since received a LEED for Existing Buildings (EBOM) Gold certification. It has also evolved into a net zero energy building by expanding its original photovoltaic array and energy conservation system controls.
Sustainable Community Development - Rwanda
Consulted on several projects in Rwanda at the invitation of the Episcopal Diocese of the United States. Facilitated a two-day on-site design review of Sunrise School to critique the proposed school for the tenets of sustainable design and development as part of a larger, regional environmental stewardship initiative. I also participated in several consulting sessions involving the design and construction of low cost, sustainable housing and minimum impact land development strategies intended to protect the watershed surrounding Lac Berea.
Sustainability Master Plan – Hopital Albert Schweitzer - Haiti
Served as a green design consultant on the master plan of Albert Schweitzer Hospital in Deschapelles, Haiti. I participated at the invitation of Luke Desmone of Desmone and Associates, Architect in Pittsburgh, PA, and the Friends of Albert Schweitzer Hospital. This ongoing effort involves scores of architects, engineers, doctors and other professionals from around the world. The focus is on making the vision of Dr. Larry and Gwen Mellon self-supporting and sustainable in the future. The master plan is based on the tenets of sustainable design and development, community building, food production, self-sufficiency, job training and a variety of medical programs that are designed to break the cycle of environmental degradation and poverty. The basic premise is that medical treatment cannot be effective without attendant efforts in nutrition and education. This program is now being stewarded by the Friends of Albert Schweitzer Hospital. The plan integrates improvements to the hospital, energy and resource efficient housing, community services and education using permaculture, green design and local human resources. The goal is to increase the quality of care by making HAS an independent, off the grid facility and model sustainable community.
David L. Lawrence Convention Center – Pittsburgh, PA
Green design and LEED consultant to the Green Building Alliance between the beginning of the 1 million square feet, $380 million project and substantial completion of construction documents as required for LEED certification. Project achieved LEED for New Construction and LEED for Existing Buildings Gold Certifications. Primary team member firms were Raphael Vinoly, Architect, Burt Hill Kosar Rittelmann MEP Contractors, Lamm and Partners, Lighting Design Consultants, and Brian Ford of ARUP, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Consultant. The project features the largest column free space east of the Mississippi, extensive daylighting with dynamic, adjustable control, heat pumps served by ice storage generated USING off peak power, nontoxic, allergy free building materials, and terraces featuring living roofs open to the community for outdoor events.
Pine Jog Elementary School
PJ Environmental Education Center
Pine Jog Elementary Gardens
PJ Students growing food
West Palm Beach School District Consulting
Between 2005 and 2010 I facilitated an inter-departmental effort to rewrite the guidelines for WPBSD to align with the USGBC LEED for Schools rating system. This involved greening the culture of the school district by mentoring their sustainability officer, Pine Jog administrators and staff, and a number of architectural design teams contracted to the School District. Work included preparing and facilitating daylighting and acoustics workshops based on integrated design and LEED credit requirements.
In addition, I was the green design and LEED consultant on Pine Jog Elementary and Pine Jog Environmental Education Center, and numerous other K12 facilities in South Florida. Both Pine Jog facilities achieved LEED Gold certification, AIA Gold Medal Design recognition and numerous other design awards.
Before
After
Oberlin Environmental Studies Laboratory – Lewis Center Annex
Served as green design consultant to Joe Ferut Architects on the Oberlin Built Environment Residential Laboratory at Oberlin College, Ohio. The project is a renovation of an existing residence located next to the Adams Lewis Center and serves as a companion project in the Environmental Studies program. My responsibilities included working with the Oberlin staff and students on LEED related academic exercises, and how the systems – which include composting toilets, solar thermal, PV and grey water recycling - could be integrated into the curriculum. The facility is dedicated to architecture as pedagogy and using the science of building forensics to address high performance green building issues in a rigorous scientific manner. The photovoltaic system installed over the parking lot of in the Annex enabled the adjacent Lewis Center to become a net zero energy building.
The “Treehouse project” was intended to provide park visitors with tiny house accommodations for overnight stays that resonate with the natural surroundings and tranquility of the Park based on the tenets of sustainable design and development. These include energy and water conservation, direct gain passive solar, effective daylighting, nontoxic finishes, and minimal site impact. When the Park was privatized, the original owners moved the unit to another property where it still serves as tiny house accommodation for visitors who love nature.
