Auditing an Office Park for Site, Architecture, and Energy Improvements
What started as an energy audit to quantify and improve operational energy and carbon emissions grew into a more holistic effort to encompass site and architectural features of the Palisades Office Park campus. Read More
By Ramana Koti, BEMP, LEED Fellow, GGP, and Joshua Gassman, RA, LEED AP BD+C May 27, 2022
Sustainability in Multifamily Housing: Energy and Carbon
According to reporting in mid-2021, new-home construction has lagged historic trend for more than two decades, and it is estimated that supply is now behind demand by 6.8 million units. While all types of housing are important, we see greater uptake of multifamily in urban areas due to scarcity of land and people’s need to live and work closer to basic services. Similarly, while there are several facets to sustainability in housing, the magnitude of construction expected in the next 40 years makes related embodied and operational carbon emissions vital to architecture’s role in fighting climate change. For these reasons, this post will focus on multifamily housing, specifically on energy and carbon. Read More
By Ramana Koti, BEMP, LEED Fellow, GGP; Jim Nicolow FAIA, LEED Fellow; Travis Ridenbaugh RA; and Christopher Fender May 04, 2022
A Living Building Project Journey, Part-18
There is no shortage of coverage on the lack of gender diversity and representation in the Architecture Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry. We are proud of the diversity present not only within our firm, but also in the composition of the project team of the Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design at Georgia Tech. Given the diverse set of skills and disciplines brought together for this project, we thought it worthwhile to survey team members to see if we could learn lessons that would help guide future work and celebrate their accomplishments. Read More
By Alissa Kingsley, RA, LEED AP, and Ramana Koti, BEMP, LEED AP BD+C October 03, 2019
Renewables Rising
Renewable electricity production exceeded electricity produced in coal-fired power plants for the first time in U.S. history last month, with the Energy Information Administration estimating renewables outperformed coal by 16%. Read More
By Jim Nicolow, FAIA, LEED Fellow May 09, 2019
A Living Building Project Journey, Part-17
The Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design, currently under construction, is close to installing its photovoltaic (PV) system, which includes solar panels and the balance of system components. Read More
By Ramana Koti, BEMP, LEED AP BD+C and Sol Haroon, MSc (EE) March 26, 2019
Exploring the notion of regenerative design - II
In the first post on this topic last month, we tried to define ‘regenerative design’ in simple terms and identified its link to culture and psychology. The emphasis was on developing the required ‘state of mind’ first. Read More
By Ramana Koti, BEMP, LEED AP BD+C October 23, 2018
Exploring the notion of regenerative design
It is easy to read descriptions of regenerative design and wonder if they could have been expressed in simpler, less confusing terms. The answer may very well be ‘no’ but the idea is definitely worth exploring. One thing that is easy to grasp is that regenerative design places life – human and other forms – at the center and seeks to promote it. Read More
By Ramana Koti, BEMP, LEED AP BD+C September 11, 2018
A Living Building Project Journey, Part-16
As one of the most rigorous proven performance frameworks for buildings, the Living Building Challenge has many standards to be followed. One of these is the Net Positive Waste Imperative of the Living Building Challenge (LBC), which stipulates that ‘all projects must feature at least one salvaged material per 5,380 square feet of gross building area or be an adaptive reuse of an existing structure.’ For new construction, such as The Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design at Georgia Tech, this means that the project must use at least seven different salvaged materials. Read More
By Ramana Koti, BEMP, LEED AP BD+C, and Jimmy Mitchell, LEED AP BD+C, Skanska August 08, 2018
A Living Building Project Journey, Part-15
Construction is underway at the Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design at Georgia Tech University—a project poised to become the most environmentally advanced education and research building ever constructed in the Southeast. The building is a large-scale experiment in ‘net-zero’ environmental impact featuring a green roof, a solar panel canopy, cisterns for rainwater collection and reuse, and integrated plantings around the site to provide food for students throughout the year. Its construction puts the most demanding requirements of sustainable construction into practice. Read on for a summary of the building’s innovative features and a link to the construction live camera feed.Read More
By Ramana Koti, BEMP, LEED AP BD+C, and Jimmy Mitchell, LEED AP BD+C, Skanska June 11, 2018
LAS at Living Future
The 12th annual Living Future unConference, the leading event for regenerative design, will be held next month in Portland. Hosted by the International Living Futures Institute, the organization behind the Living Building Challenge, the unConference provides a forum for leading minds in the green building movement to make strides for a healthy future for all. This year’s theme is “Authenticity & Action” and Lord Aeck Sargent’s sustainability leaders Jim Nicolow, FAIA, LEED Fellow, and Joshua Gassman, RA, LEED AP BD+C are excited to once again be invited to present. Read More
By Jim Nicolow, FAIA, LEED Fellow April 26, 2018
A Living Building Project Journey, Part-14
The word “window” originates from the Old Norse ‘vindauga,’ literally meaning an eye for wind. Modern windows serve many purposes; if operable, they connect us to the outdoors in the Old Norse meaning, while keeping us comfortable and secure. While their contribution to energy performance often gets the most scrutiny from architects and engineers, their impact on indoor environmental quality (ventilation, daylight, views, thermal comfort, occupant control, etc.) often has a much more tangible impact on a building’s occupants. Read More
By Ramana Koti, BEMP, LEED AP BD+C, with Research Assistance from Deborah Ploski, University of Michigan March 23, 2018
domestiCITY [an affordable atlanta] Competition
“The finalists selected are a representation of just how visionary affordable housing should be. DomestiCITY is the first of many initiatives to find new ways to design and build affordable housing on a broad scale in Atlanta but also across the country and internationally through pioneering designs. Affordable housing is a universal challenge and it’s time that we approach it with beautiful design in mind.” – Tim Keane, Commissioner of the Department of City Planning. Read More
By Niti Gajjar, AICP; Alissa Kingsley, RA, LEED AP; & Ai-Lien Vuong February 02, 2018
Video: Looking Back to Look Forward
Perspectives from Launch Read More
By Libby Palmer January 30, 2018
A Living Building Project Journey, Part-13
As we conclude the design phase, we have asked design team members representing several key disciplines (Architecture, MEP, Landscape, Water Systems and Construction Management) to look back at the design process. Read More
By Ramana Koti, BEMP, LEED AP BD+C January 26, 2018
How to design sustainability into an architectural practice
In most cases, it’s clients who drive the ambitions of deep-green buildings. But how can architectural firms lay the groundwork for more projects that push the boundaries of sustainability? Read More
By Ramana Koti, BEMP, LEED AP BD+C December 18, 2017
A Living Building Project Journey, Part-12
In late September, the design team presented the project at the 2017 ASHRAE Building Performance Analysis conference under the title, ‘Net-Positive Energy Performance in the Southeast through an Integrative Design Process’. The conference focused on the role of building performance analysis in design, operation, and policymaking. This post shares select design questions evaluated through building performance analysis since then as compiled for our technical presentation at the ASHRAE conference. Read More
By Ramana Koti, BEMP, LEED AP BD+C, and Jim Nicolow, AIA, LEED Fellow October 23, 2017
A Living Building Project Journey, Part-11
As building performance has grown in importance, the incorporation of quantitative analysis and research in architectural practice is gaining increased traction. A typical project delivery process might occasionally dabble with research in a limited fashion to answer particular design questions, but research is yet to have a formal place and role in most practices. A logical and philosophical question to ask would be: “What is the distinction between research and design?” Read More
By Ramana Koti, BEMP, LEED AP BD+C September 13, 2017
Learning Through Doing, Recognizing Student Work
Many college degree programs require students to work in their field, whether through practical courses or internships, before they graduate. Architecture is no different, but the possible paths to fulfilling that requirement are seemingly endless. Whitney Ashley, an Intern Architect in Lord Aeck Sargent’s Science & Technology practice area, shares her hands-on experience gained working on a design-build project while earning her Master of Science in Architecture from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2015. Read More
By Whitney Ashley August 04, 2017
A Living Building Project Journey, Part-10
The Living Building Challenge’s (LBC) Net Positive Water imperative stipulates that a project’s “water use and release must work in harmony with the natural water flows of the site and its surroundings.” For the Living Building at Georgia Tech, this means mimicking the Piedmont forest in the way it absorbs and releases water. Read More
By Lauren Mandel, Andropogon, Erin English, Biohabitats, and Andrew Pankopp, Long Engineering; Compiled by Ramana Koti, LAS July 14, 2017
A Living Building Project Journey, Part-9
The late architectural historian Peter Blundell Jones suggested that the interaction between people and their habitat is much more complex than ‘form follows function’. A more meaningful definition of architecture, he argued, would also include the social, spiritual, and cultural aspects. Read More
By Ramana Koti, BEMP, LEED AP BD+C, and Jim Nicolow, AIA, LEED Fellow May 05, 2017
A Living Building Project Journey, Part-8
As we begin to develop and resolve the finer details during the design development phase of the Georgia Tech Living Building project, our project team and process are constantly brimming with ideas and activity. This post highlights some of the activities of project partners to promote sustainability beyond the campus of Georgia Tech. Read More
By Ramana Koti, BEMP, LEED AP BD+C March 31, 2017
A Living Building Project Journey, Part-7
“A more resilient food system has more distributed food production, with greater availability of locally grown and locally processed foods,” argues Alex Wilson of the Resilient Design Institute. A similar philosophy drives the Living Building Challenge’s (LBC) Urban Agriculture Imperative, one of the tenets of the rating system’s Place Petal. Read More
By Ramana Koti and Andropogon Associates' José Almiñana, Emily McCoy and Lauren Mandel March 03, 2017
A Living Building Project Journey, Part-6
The project is being designed to be “net positive,” producing at least 105% of the energy it consumes, on an annual basis. Successful Living Building Challenge certification requires achievement of the Net Positive Energy Imperative. Read More
By Ramana Koti, BEMP, LEED AP BD+C, and PAE Consulting Engineers' Marc Brune, PE, LEED AP, and David Mead, AIA, LEED AP BD+C February 10, 2017
But are you JUST?
The Living Building Challenge (LBC) doesn’t just compel designers to design resilient, sustainable buildings, it also now gives attention to the workplaces where living buildings are designed, requiring firms to look in the mirror and assess the degree to which they are “JUST.” Read More
By Jim Nicolow, AIA, LEED Fellow February 03, 2017
A Living Building Project Journey, Part-5
During the Schematic Design phase, ‘Petal’ workshops were organized to highlight the design and operational implications of each of the seven Petals under the Living Building Challenge (LBC), one Petal at a time. This post will summarize the discussion from the Water Petal workshop. Read More
By Ramana Koti, BEMP, LEED AP BD+C and Erin English, PE LEED AP from Biohabitats January 09, 2017
A Living Building Project Journey, Part-4
From the ‘Porch’ and ‘Bridge’ concepts developed during the Ideas Competition, the Porch concept was selected by Georgia Tech for further development due to the manner in which it directly engaged the surrounding Eco-Commons. This was not an easy decision given that the longer facades of the building had less desirable east and west solar orientation. Read More
By Ramana Koti, BEMP, LEED AP BD+C, Joshua Gassman, RA, LEED AP BD+C and Alissa Kingsley, LEED AP December 16, 2016
A Living Building Project Journey, Part-3
As this post is being written, the Living Building at Georgia Tech project has just entered the schematic design phase. Wood, steel, and concrete are currently under consideration for the structure system, and a hybrid approach cannot entirely be ruled out. For exterior cladding, cement board, stone veneer rain screen, terracotta rain screen, brick, and other materials are being evaluated. Read More
By Ramana Koti, BEMP, LEED AP BD+C and Alissa Kingsley, LEED AP November 07, 2016
A Living Building Project Journey, Part-2
To say that the two-day long charrette was eventful would be an understatement. Broadly, the first day collected stakeholder feedback, while the second day turned the feedback into action items for the design process. From individual goal setting (which was subsequently voted on collectively to rank project priorities), to brainstorming of the top five ideas by interdisciplinary groups, no stone was left unturned.Read More
By Ramana Koti, BEMP, LEED AP BD+C and Jim Nicolow, AIA, LEED FELLOW October 06, 2016
A Living Building Project Journey, Part 1
After a multi-stage, national selection process which culminated in a two-month ideas competition lead by Georgia Tech, the Lord Aeck Sargent (LAS) / Miller Hull Partnership (Miller Hull) team was selected to design the first Living Building Challenge (LBC) certified building in the southeast. This is LAS’s second LBC project on the boards and we expect this blog post to be a first in a series documenting the exciting journey. Read More
By Ramana Koti, BEMP, LEED AP BD+C and Jim Nicolow, AIA, LEED FELLOW September 02, 2016
