Energy and Sustainability

Thermal insight

Early last Friday morning, Nick Marcyan of Interface Engineering , visited the Manley residence with a Fleer Thermal Imaging Camera to provide this architect with some additional insight and education on heat loss and the benefits of thermal insulation and infiltration control.

 A rainy Friday morning, Nick unpacked the camera, and gave a brief, rain-free demonstration inside the house. Warm air curling out of a floor diffuser looks like flames in a fireplace. The insulating value of a standard poodles’ curly coat is impressive – our dog, Pepper, appeared royal blue as he walked through the cameras’ field of vision. The Fleer camera allowed Nick to pin-point surface temperatures within the image, and records the full range of temperatures in the image from low to high – lowest being dark blues and highest being bright reds.

Outside, under a light but steady rain, we began a walk-around. Outside air temperature was about 40 degrees. The thermal image results were telling. My prime concern was infiltration points from the basement and from aging double-hung windows at the older, un-remodeled areas of the house.

The first image that provided a surprise was of the building’s west wall at the kitchen/dining room area. During a remodel several years ago, a space that was originally a bedroom was remodeled into the kitchen. The existing lath and plaster in that room was stripped for access to studs for installation of new plumbing and electrical. The 4” nom studs at the kitchen exterior wall were insulated with R-19C batt. Adjacent spaces remained un-insulated. The Fleer image clearly shows the line between the insulated kitchen and the un-insulated dining room – a source of heat loss that won’t be corrected any time soon.

Nick, raising the camera to trace the line of the eaves and roof, surprised me with the assessment that my ceiling insulation, 12” of loose fill, was sound with no significant heat loss sources showing. Windows in the remodeled or added areas of the house are 14 year old Insulate Industries vinyl sash, insulated double hung, casement and awning windows (recently purchased by CertainTeed). This glass showed good retention of insulating qualities. Thermal images of these windows showed red at the window perimeter where window frame, glass and glass spacer all meet.

Andy Frichtl of Interface Engineering has explained that even new insulated glass units can be a trouble spot in heat loss. Through their commissioning work and efforts to achieve LEED ratings or net-zero energy/water/waste use in their projects, Interface has discovered that glass units in new job sites will often include units lacking argon gas. This creates a vacuum in the glass unit’s air space, causing the inner and outer panes of glass to touch or nearly touch at the center. In a thermal image, this phenomenon shows up as a corona like spot in the center of the pane known as a "thermal signature".

The 90 year old wood sash windows showed significant heat loss as expected. Interestingly, the tendency for heat - trapped between the storm window and the interior sash - to “rise” is readily apparent in the thermal image; shades of red gradating to a cooler yellow from the top of the upper pane to the lower.

Images of the foundation also proved out suspicions that the un-insulated concrete at the basement and crawl-spaces is a significant problem area.

For me, the lesson is that I need to complete work at my basement to insulate the concrete basement walls and isolate and insulate the crawlspace areas. Phase two: window replacement in older areas of the house. Not exactly zero energy use, but a step in the right direction.

Energy and Sustainability

Manley Architects and Geo-Thermal Heating and Cooling

In our continuing effort to advance sustainability issues, Manley Architects recently updated HVAC systems at our home occupancy location to geo-thermal. The geo-thermal heat pump system was installed by Hendrickson HVAC of Battle Ground, Washington and engineered by Hendrickson’s own Howard Eck.

Geo thermal heat pumps operate at as much as 70% greater efficiency than conventional air to air heat pumps. Here’s how it works – simply stated. Using the stable temperatures found from 4’ and deeper below grade, a geo-thermal heat pump system circulates a refrigerant - typically water with an anti-freeze additive - through pipes in the ground known as the “ground loop”. The refrigerant absorbs or sheds heat through contact of the piping with the earth. The heat pump compressor unit then borrows the ground's heat (or sheds heat from the home if in cooling mode) much like a typical air to air heat pump, but using the earth’s stable temperature instead of outside air to heat or cool. The department of Energy has a decent primer on the basics (Dept of Energy Geo Thermal). Our system includes a 3 ton, 2 stage variable speed Climate Master heat pump, served by 2,400 linear feet of horizontal ground loop. A “de-super-heater” system uses waste heat from the home heating system to heat domestic hot water for further energy savings.

Given our small, built-out existing urban site and it’s distinctly Columbia River Valley soils sub-strates, our project created some real challenges and called for true creativity in engineering.

Optimally on a small footprint site, ground loops for refrigerant water will be “vertical”, grouted into cased wells drilled into the earth from vertical to about a 20 degree angle from vertical. A notable example of a geo-thermal heat pump installation on a small urban site is the design for the “Red Steps” building housing a TKTS outlet at Father Duffy Square, Times Square New York (Green Buildings New York). The TKTS booth, which is housed in an enclosure beneath the red steps, is conditioned by a geo thermal heat pump system served by wells. Our new system originally called for three 250’ deep wells. Our driller encountered cobble at a depth of about 20’. The material encountered is typical of gradated river rock deposited by the Missoula Floods during the last ice age. With its round “bowling ball” shape, the drill bit bounced off the cobble like a pinball in an arcade; entertaining, but unproductive! Drill rigs capable of handling the cobble were not available before the next heating season; it was time for plan B.

For us, plan B was making a horizontal ground loop on a small site pan-out. To make this happen, Hendrickson HVAC used a slinky coil arrangement for the ground loop piping and embedded the coils in pervious concrete at a depth of 4’. The higher rating for thermal conductivity of the pervious concrete increased the exchange of heat versus direct contact with soil just enough to make the system viable.

Our system has been up and running since the end of October 2009. In that time we’ve seen our natural gas usage (water heating and other uses) cut by more than 50%. We’re still evaluating our electricity savings as weatherization of the existing structure continues, but the savings in electric utilities also appear significant.

Along with the energy savings, our local public utility, Clark PUD, offers a $2,000 rebate for installation of a geothermal heat pump.  This is typical of programs offered by utility vendors nationwide. This when combined with existing federal tax credits and further incentives and tax credits recently proposed by the Obama administration make upgrades for energy savings and greater sustainability a choice everyone should consider.

Community Service

Roch Manley and Columbia Non Profit Housing
It’s going on one year since Roch Manley, president of Manley Architects, joined the board of directors for Columbia Non Profit Housing (CNPH Home Page) for a three year term. CNPH provides a variety of housing opportunities and housing related services to the Vancouver and Clark County community. This includes high quality, subsidized housing for elderly and persons with disabilities, and workforce housing to backfill available housing stock for individuals and families with moderate incomes.

CNPH deals with single asset entity properties in Clark County that provide housing under HUD Sections 202 and 811 as well as Workforce housing. CNPH was formed in 1981 under the wing of the Vancouver Housing Authority as a separate non-profit entity to facilitate use of federally funded housing programs otherwise unavailable to the VHA. The organization also offers opportunities for new first-time home buyers under it's First Home Loan program funded through local and state sources. Until very recently, CNPH also offered Mortgage Credit counseling under a locally funded program.

Project Feature

Journey Community Church

As another recent article in Vancouver's Daily Business Journal attested (Jan 15), the local construction industry has seen an uptick in the number of remodel or tenant infill projects relative to new construction. Journey Community Church, a project built by Schlecht Construction, designed by Manley Architects and completed for 2009 Christmas Services was featured in this and other recent articles.

The project is an argument for the range of possibilities in adaptive re-use of existing structures. The new home for Journey Church is Downtown Camas Washington's former Columbia Bar and Grille – a country and western themed tavern and dance hall which was for many years a recognized fixture of Downtown Camas. Most recently recognized for the unsightly painted plywood siding that dominated the 4th Avenue facade, covering what once were relatively elegant wood sash storefront windows.

 

From booze, peanut shells and line dances to worship, fellowship, family and contemplation, the transformation from honky-tonk to house of worship has seemed somewhat miraculous. The finished downtown church features an auditorium style worship space capable of seating 180 persons, several multi-purpose teaching spaces, a bookstore / resource space facing on 4th Avenue, and a second level teen ministry area along with a variety of support spaces.

The new facility tested the new City of Camas downtown development design guidelines which specify minimum standards for glazing on the commercial street front, awnings or rain covers to protect pedestrians from the weather and help modulate the visual scale on the streetscape, and a requirement for public art.

The completed Journey Community Church is one of several recent or current projects gracing 4th Avenue in Camas. These projects can, in the best light, be seen as pre-cursors to continued growth and economic health in Southwest Washington. Let the light shine on!

Our Community, Our Economy

October 17 marks completion of two years of business for Manley Architects. 10 months into our first year, the economy began to convulse around us. Lehman Bros and Bear Stearns were making history, credit markets were folding like a card table after a losing poker night. The nightly news informed us that we were well into a recession and that the recession had, in hindsight, begun as Manley Architects first opened its doors.

The recession has hit the design and construction industry with a special malice. My associates and peers in the industry have seen and continue to see layoffs at a scale few of us have witnessed. In spite of this, most associates I speak with, regardless of the impact they've felt personally from the stumbling global economy, have shown a positive and upbeat face. Manley Architects has been fortunate during this time and has experienced modest expansion. For this we owe great thanks to our friends, associates and clients in our community.

Though our community, my community, has suffered along with the rest of the global economy, through the gloom a steady glow of hope and confidence that better days are near has shown. This comes out in the high level of activity, professionalism and community spirit that can be seen in the interactions at our local business and professional associations and service clubs. For those of us who have been in the Southwest Washington and Vancouver / Portland metro area business community for some time, this appears to be as it should be. We're accustomed to our local marketplace where knowing others in the community and the relationships and trust that are built over time are paramount over marketing collateral and cold calls. I am reminded of the difference between our metro area community and markets outside our area whenever I speak with someone new to our community. Inevitably, the comment will come out; “it's different doing business here”.

For Manley Architects, this leaves us with the sense that the rebirth of our new market is just around the corner. We are eagerly stepping into our third year of business with a feeling of optimism. We have a new respect for our allied businesses and associates who have endured in their businesses for many years and we feel camaraderie with those who like us are relative newcomers to doing business in this seeming brave new world.

Project Feature

RB Recycling
Have you ever wondered what happened to those old worn tires the Les Schwab guy popped off your rims last time you took the car in and got new rubber? More than likely, those tires found their way to the facilities of a client of ours; RB Recycling.

RB Recycling, a division of Dash Multi-Corp of St Louis, MO. Is in the business of recycling used rubber car and truck tires. With a second plant under development at a location in the Terminal 4 area of the Northwest Portland Industrial area, RB Recycling will soon be increasing it's local capacity to process used rubber into useful new products.

Look down next time you have the kids at the play area at your favorite fast food eatery – that soft yielding surface under your feet? - Recycled rubber tires. As is that black mat in your horses' stall, and the floor covering that keeps the dumbbells from chipping the concrete floor at the gym when you dropped those weights after trying for a new personal best. All are mats for different uses made of rubber granules from ground-up recycled tires.

Once RB's new facility is operational, truckloads of tires will arrive at the site, be sorted, shredded, and ground to various sizes of granular material, each size suited to a different type of re-manufactured product. Nothing is wasted in this recycling process. In addition to the rubber being processed, the steel fibers in the radial belts are separated, removed and recycled – reclaiming the metal content. The waste products from the shredding and granulation processes are collected and re-refined into fuel products.

Even the building itself is reclaimed. In its former life, the building was a warehouse; a storage building for lumber products. As part of our service to RB Recycling, Manley Architects worked with the City of Portland to enact a change of use for the building from a Type S occupancy (storage) to a manufacturing occupancy. Improvements to the building include two control rooms containing electrical service entries and banks of operating switch gear and controls for the array of manufacturing equipment out on the factory floor. The facility is also undergoing general upgrades to lighting, life safety, and exterior areas for maneuvering of trucks, equipment and products.

Next time you pull out of your neighborhood tire store with your shiny new wheels, you can feel confident that your old rubber will likely find a useful new life. Take a moment then to thank RB Recycling/Dash Multi-Corp and their industry peers for their work to keep your old treads out of the landfill.

Manley Architects at One Year

This month, October of 2008, Manley Architects reaches its first anniversary of significance marking one year since incorporation. We are delighted and proud to be at this first milestone for our young company, and grateful to the wonderful clients we have been so fortunate to serve this past year.

During this year, we’ve seen our share of accomplishments; we’ve been able to meet or beat projected fees to clients on hourly projects and have performed fixed fee work with no un-anticipated additional charges to clients. We have expanded our staff (see May 2008 Blog entry) – a staff addition that is growing into a full time position. Our largest project currently under construction – Columbia Adventist Academy replacement classroom building, a private high school in Southwest Washington State – is on track for +/- 1% project growth. This despite unknowns buried by 104 years of history as a school and tie-ins with aged systems in existing campus buildings (much credit goes to General Contractor Erwin Construction for this). We’ve also had the pleasure of working with clients Educational Opportunities for Children and Families, State Pipe & Supply/Schlecht Construction, Star Olico, Orchard Hills Country Club, collaborative work on other projects with Kevin Cooley Architects of Vancouver and Meng Analysis of Seattle. We are expanding our corporate licensure to include the state of Oregon and, with the necessary NCARB certification in place, are poised to include other states. We have counseled not-for-profit efforts such as Bio Trekker / Sol Trekker and assisted in design consultation and construction of community improvements such as a new monument sign for the Vancouver School for Arts and Academics. It’s been a good first year.

With economic uncertainty the word of the day, Manley Architects is looking ahead to our second year with – as our political leaders are wont to say “cautious optimism”. Manley Architects is well suited to thrive in the current bumpy environment. We are “right sized” for most project owners and offer flexibility in fee structure and a high degree of personal service. Manley Architects is a high value/high quality service oriented alternative that is attractive to both our existing and new clients.

The coming year will be another “building” year for Manley Architects. Among our goals for the coming year will be to better define and sharpen focus on our core mission, to continue to find ways to better serve existing clients and seek to expand our capability to service new clients to our high standard. We plan to formalize our commitment to sustainable design through acquisition of accepted certifications such as LEEDSTM. We will continue creating Blog entries of general interest to our clients with articles planned to cover topics such as Collaboration between Artists and Architects in Public and Private Buildings and a series on Design for Education.

We are fortunate to have worked with and for exceptional clients, general contractors, consultants, friends and associates in the construction industry .We look forward to another excellent year of building on the foundation these associations have provided and discovering one by one the brick and mortar of new associations that will carry us into the future.