Oregon and Washington are among the top three states when it comes to USGBC LEED certification, an indication of the region’s dedication to the environment. LEED certification has long been held as a symbol of a building’s commitment to sustainability, not to mention a means of satisfying local regulations requiring compliance, such as Seattle’s Sustainable Building Policy enacted in 2000. Photo: Optimum Energy The property managers for Aventine, a business complex in La Jolla, Calif., used ENERGY STAR to assess energy usage, revealing that upgrades to the HVAC system would result in significant energy savings with minimal investment. +Image Upgrading
If Oregon and Washington follow California in regulating off-road diesel nitrogen oxide and fine particulate matter emissions, contractors may need to install pollution controls on their equipment or purchase replacements, according to warnings from The Associated General Contractors of America. Photo: Tudor Van Hampton If Oregon and Washington follow California’s lead in the regulation of off-road diesel emissions, smoke-filled exhaust from heavy construction equipment may be a thing of the past. Photo: Tudor Van Hampton Related Links: Above and Beyond “There are a lot of different things in play, but in terms of actual, on-the-ground requirements, we haven’t seen them
Completion of a new water treatment plant in Port Angeles, Wash. in December was one of the final projects necessary for the start of the largest dam removal project in the United States. Photo: John Korsmo Construction These chemical injection pumps are part of the $25.5-million Port Angeles Water Treatment Plant built by Watts/Korsmo A JV that will help filter the extra thousands of cu yds of silt that will flow down the Elwha River when the National Park Service completes its dam removal project. Photo: NPS Congress approved removal of the Elwha River and Glines Canyon Dams in 1993.
Spiking oil prices, soaring utility costs and worries about global warming have sprung energy efficiency from obscurity onto the list of new directions in design and construction. Photo: DKA Located near Broadway and 15th Avenue East on Capitol Hill, the Capital Park renovation added energy efficiency plus improved fixtures and finishes. Related Links: Fan Service: Firm Retrofits Energy-Saving FANWALLS into Manufacturing Plant Case Study: Aventine Complex LEEDs the Way to Energy Savings High-end, expensive green projects have always captured the attention of the nation. But as the nation focuses more on maximizing resources and minimizing waste, and the costs associated
As part of its quest to conserve energy and operate a more efficient facility, Maxim Integrated Products of Beaverton, Ore., has installed the first of several FANWALL® arrays, retrofitting existing air-supply units. Photo: EC Co. EC Co. crews install a FANWALL array at Maxim Integrated Products, a silicone wafer manufacturer in Beaverton, Ore. EC Co. crews removed the old air-handler fan and installed a FANWALL within a 12-hour window. Related Links: Energy Efficiency: Once Overlooked, Now an Area of Growth Case Study: Aventine Complex LEEDs the Way to Energy Savings “We’re doing it to save energy, and we looked to
The North Spokane Corridor project will receive $35 million under the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant program. The grant is one of 51 transportation projects funded by the $1.5 billion U.S. Department of Transportation program, set up to quickly create jobs and boost local economies while investing in improving transportation. Photo: WSDOT Washington Governor Chris Gregoire discussed the North Spokane Freeway grant during a press conference announcing another TIGER grant for Mercer Corridor Redevelopment in Seattle. �This is a huge win for a project that has long been the centerpiece of efforts to boost Spokane�s economy and create
The Oregon and Washington departments of transportation have drafted recommendations to scale back plans for a replacement Columbia River Crossing bridge.
Facebook broke ground on a new $188 million data center in Prineville. The 147,000-sq-ft facility is expected to create more than 200 jobs during its 12-month construction phase, led by the joint venture general contractor team of Redwood City, Calif.-based DPR Construction Inc. and Portland-based Fortis Construction. Photos courtesy Sheehan Partners Photos courtesy Sheehan Partners Photos courtesy Sheehan Partners For its first building of this type, Facebook found that Prineville offered “a suitable climate for environmental cooling, renewable power resources, available land, talented regional workforce and supportive business environment,” says Tom Furlong, the company’s director of site operations. The custom
The residential real estate market is making gains as sales increase in many areas. We have witnessed this as we have sold out of our finished home inventory in several communities and we are starting to see many of our communities enter into presale agreements to build homes for delivery in 2010. While pre-sales are just beginning to pick up, this is an important indicator in terms of economic recovery, along with the stronger home sales. This is all good news for homebuilders, and it�s important to take note of what the return to pre-sales could mean for the real
Northwest Construction launched the Legacy Awards at the 2009 Best of breakfast, to recognize individuals who have made a lasting change in the local construction industry. The 2009 award went to Jack Rafn, Rafn Co., Bellevue, who sat on the original steering committee that contacted Associated Builders & Contractors (ABC) National and requested chapter-in-formation status. Photo Credit: ABC Jack Rafn worked to maintain cooperative relationships with all project team members, a controversial idea when he started his company in 1978. Rafn Company lost a job they had been low bidder on, solely because of their open shop status. This discrimination