Guest Column, Spring 2005

AIM Associates, Architecture and Integrated Design Team Management

AIM Associates is celebrating Earth Day 2005 by demonstrating that existing average buildings can be transformed into earth-friendly buildings. AIM Associates has been providing green and high-performance building architectural services since 1982 in Petaluma, California. The company specializes in collaborating with clients who understand the importance of sophisticated design and analysis to achieve substantially better, greener building performance.

Knowledge of the latest research in daylighting, natural ventilation, and other features of healthy indoor environments is especially important to enhancing learning in schools, creativity in research and development facilities, and productivity in offices. AIM’s goal for every project is to work synergistically with the full team to create a high-performance building that is cost-effective, healthy for the occupants, and ecologically sustainable.

AIM became widely known for its green designs after serving as architect for Sonoma State University’s award-winning Environmental Technology Center constructed five years ago. Since then, AIM’s green building designs have ranged from affordable homes to offices, retreat centers, schools, and even pharmaceutical laboratories.

Many green projects have involved remodeling of existing buildings. Generally, articles about environmentally responsible buildings reflect the myth that a business owner or homeowner must buy land out in the country and build a new building to be green. Nothing could be further from the truth. The materials within an existing building’s structure and finishes are resources of the highest value when left in place. New materials embody more energy and resources than people realize.

This starts with material acquisition, then processing, transporting, fabricating, and erection of the new construction. This involves energy input and waste at each step of the process. Therefore durability and extending the useful life of a building are the most important environmental factors to consider. However, most existing buildings are not energy-efficient. They can benefit by lowering operating costs and exercising environmental responsibility with carefully designed remodeling.

Design
All of the intuitive design concepts at AIM are tested using a science-based process. These tests include the effective use of physical models and/or software for 3D design, daylighting, energy use simulation, and life cycle cost analysis. Other analysis methods include wind tunnel testing, infrared imaging, and blower door testing.

Preservation, energy efficiency, life cycle analysis, and ecologically sound materials and construction practices are central to the philosophy of the client and therefore the project.

AIM believes that to transition to a sustainable society, we must begin a massive rehabilitation of existing building stock to make it healthier for people and the environment. The ultimate goal of environmental responsibility in a sustainable society involves many factors, including regional food production and transportation; local sustainable material, water, and energy use; and minimum or zero waste production.

The following are examples of AIM’s work in the greening of existing buildings.

Retreat Center for the Blue Mountain Center of Meditation
West Marin County, California
This project, which transformed an early twentieth-century bed and breakfast into a small hotel/retreat center, involves adaptive reuse, restoration, and an addition. The project addition included bedrooms, meeting rooms, a meditation hall, dining space, and a commercial kitchen. The site design included outdoor small group meeting areas and gardens.

The site is only a few miles from the San Andreas earthquake fault epicenter that caused so much devastation to San Francisco in 1906. The existing post and pier foundation was replaced with a substantial foundation exceeding minimum code requirements and designed with performance-based criteria. Voluntarily exceeding building code minimums is rare, but it is usually a cost-effective way to protect a long-term owner’s investment.

This also helps extend the life of the building, which has obvious green value. The structural engineer should use site-specific design criteria for wind and earthquakes. A “cookbook” design is not adequate: it saves in fees but costs far more in construction and/or life cycle cost. Degenkolb Engineers, a structural engineering firm in San Francisco that specializes in seismic engineering as well as design and consulting services, designed the structural upgrade.

Cost estimating during design is difficult for a complicated rehabilitation project of an existing building such as this. Fortunately, the nonprofit owner, the Blue Mountain Center of Meditation, Inc. was open to retaining an experienced contractor during the design stage to advise on constructability and cost. This led to a negotiated construction contract with Leff Construction in Sonoma County (www.leffconstruction.com). This collaboration was very successful in achieving the project goals of material efficiency within budget and on time.

Salvaged materials Reused: Premium quality fire-rated walnut interior doors, hardware, and frames were reused from a locally deconstructed building. The door and mortise lock quality was much better than the budget would have allowed for new materials. As part of constructability and cost review, the contractor expressed concern that the salvaged steel frames originally fabricated for steel stud walls would be too labor-intensive to modify for wood framing. The architect/contractor collaboration led to a hybrid detail that was very labor-efficient and able to meet fire codes. Other materials salvaged from deconstructed buildings included light fixtures and high-quality carpet. Removed wood siding was reinstalled where possible.

The Blue Mountain Center of Meditation has a long history of using salvaged building materials that have included lumber, redwood siding, clay roofing tiles, steel roofing panels, cabinets, and furniture.

Green, resource-efficient materials used: Cellulose insulation made from recycled paper was added to exterior wall, roof, and floor areas. The center avoided vinyl flooring and excluded carpet from high-maintenance areas like the dinning room. High-efficiency windows with pultruded fiberglass frames and glazing with argon fill and Low E2 glass replaced the existing windows.

The site is subject to wildfires, so the siding and roofing materials are of fire-resistant low-maintenance materials. Cement fiberboard siding needs painting only half as often as wood siding. Cement fiber shingle roofing lasts twice as long as conventional composition roofing. All materials were selected and detailed for low maintenance, durability, and longevity. Recycled plastic lumber with stainless steel fasteners was used for exterior stair treads/rails, deck boards, and trim.

Domestic water and building heating is done by a high-efficiency boiler. Hot water provides baseboard heating in existing rooms and radiant floor heating for new slab areas. The system allows each room to be separately controlled, since occupancy varies. Water-efficient fixtures were used. Incandescent light fixtures were converted to compact fluorescent.

Landscaping is drought-tolerant and mostly native plants with drip irrigation. Paved areas are of compacted crushed rock for permeability of rain water.

Remodel of an existing energy hog of a house into a green and zero net energy-use building in Petaluma, California
George Beeler and his wife Ellen purchased a 1940s home and transformed it into a green building through a multi-phase remodel, including energy efficiency, material conservation, and passive solar. The latest phase of adding natural ventilation and on-site renewable energy will achieve the incredible level of 100 percent renewable energy.

The remodel included the following resource-efficient features:

• Selection of an existing house within walking distance of work, grocery store, post office, bank, and recreation.
•  Removal of a rough redwood partition from the basement and planed for reuse as window trim.
• Removed carpet was donated to neighbors for reuse.
• Removed windows were donated for use in a greenhouse.
• Recycled plastic lumber was used for exterior window trim.
• Recycled cellulose was used for attic and wall insulation.
• Necessary new lumber was from Forest Stewardship Council-certified sustainable managed forest.
• Seventy-five percent of scrap lumber and siding was salvaged for reuse. Much of the rest was used to build bird houses.
• The new roof was from recycled steel that, with proper maintenance, will be a permanent roof.
• Best practices detailing for longevity and low maintenance.
• Use of biologic type of fungus termite protection to treat infested area.
• On-site composting of kitchen vegetable waste and yard waste.
• Raised garden beds are made from recycled plastic bender board.

The building includes many features to reduce the burden on the environment, but the most significant indicator of its success is that of zero net energy use. All energy used is harvested on-site. AIM has achieved this through energy efficiency, solar photovoltaic (PV) electricity generation, and solar air heating.

The building will generate enough electricity for 100 percent of its occupants’ electrical use. Enough excess electricity will be fed into the utility grid to compensate for the natural gas burned for space and water heating. This is zero net energy use, because the utility will not have to burn that amount of natural gas to generate extra electricity—the Beelers will have already provided it. Despite the utility not paying them for this excess electricity, the Beelers have chosen to be environmentally responsible and to show 100 percent renewable energy is possible for an existing building.

AIM Awards
AIM has been recognized for technical ability and for aesthetic sensitivity in its designs for adaptive reuse of historic buildings. The Environmental Technology Center at Sonoma State University is one of less than 100 buildings in the U.S. to be listed on the Department of Energy High Performance Buildings Database at www.eere.energy.gov/buildings/database/. It is one of the few buildings in the U.S. that produces more renewable electricity than it uses. More information is available on the Sonoma State University website at www.sonoma.edu/ensp/etc/ .

George Beeler, head of the AIM firm, has given presentations on integrated design team management and sustainable architecture at Lawrence Berkeley Labs, Center for Sustainable Systems at the University of Michigan, Pacific Gas and Electric Energy Center, American Solar Energy Society National Conference, American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy National Conference, U.S. Forest service, International Facility Managers Association, Russian Delegation of Building Designers, Stanford University, local chapters of American Institute of Architects, Construction Specifications Institute, and local schools and colleges.

AIM Associates provides consulting to cities, school districts, A/E firms, R&D facilities, other businesses, and individuals. Consulting services include peer review, integrated design team management, performance-based design technical support, sustainable architecture, and energy efficiency.

Contact Information:
AIM Associates
100 Fair Street
Petaluma, CA 94952-2515
(707) 763-3300, Extension 2 (George Beeler)
www.aimgreen.com 
info@aimgreen.com

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Last updated: December 30, 2008