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January 2010
Tall Buildings Go Green
The opening session of CWA’s Fall Conference – The Greening of Icons – offered enlightening presentations about how two of America’s tallest existing structures have embraced a green and sustainable ethos.
Most of our industry’s “Green” focus thus far has been on designing highly efficient and sustainable new structures. Yet, over 75% of the commercial building inventory was built in the last half of the 20th Century—and some of it is even older than that. Both New York City’s Empire State Building, which was completed in 1931, and the Willis (former Sears) Tower, completed in 1973, offer good examples of the energy-saving and greenhouse gas reducing potential inherent in older existing structures.
Empire State study. Peter White, public sector solutions manager for Johnson Controls, used the Empire State case study to give a compelling argument for reducing greenhouse emissions. The building owner’s motivation for commissioning the study was to analyze the economic viability of whole-building energy efficient retrofits, reduce greenhouse gases, and create a replicable model for such projects in the future.
Going into the study, the Empire State Building’s performance was average:
- annual utility costs were $11 million ($4/sf)
- annual CO2 emissions were 25,000 metric tons (22 lbs/sf)
- annual energy use was 88 kBtu/sf
The study team, made up of the owner, advisors, the building’s operators, project manager Jones Lang LaSalle, and Johnson Controls focused the seven-month study to identify opportunities, model individual measures, create packages of measures, and model the economic and environmental benefits. The study found that a mix of measures would bring the best long-term benefit and a 38% reduction in energy use. These included direct digital controls (DDC) balancing, tenant daylighting/plugs, VAV air-handling units, chiller plant retrofit, building window changes, tenant energy management measures, radiative barriers, and tenant demand control vent (DCV).
All these measures will have a projected capital cost of $107 million dollars with an annual energy savings of $4.4 million and will help to earn 12 LEED® EBOM (Existing Buildings Operation & Maintenance) points. In addition, the cumulative savings in CO2 emissions over 15 years is projected at 140,000 metric tons.
Willis Tower project. Sara Beardsley, AIA, LEED AP of Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill, presented on the transformation of the iconic former Sears Tower. This project involves the greening of the tower and the adding of a highly efficient and sustainable hotel at the site. Some of the statistics she cited to support the need to focus on the greening of existing buildings included:
- 70% of CO2 emissions in Chicago are caused by buildings
- 76% of power plant-generated electricity is used to operate buildings
- a 100-story building has the equivalent emissions to 100,000 SUVs
The stark reality, according to Beardsley, is that the “environmental cost of replacing the landmark structure with a new ‘green’ building would far exceed the potential savings due to embodied energy.”
The project’s goals were to reduce electricity usage from 35 kWh/sf to 19 kWh/sf. Measures to accomplish this include: reduction in need for perimeter heating and cooling, generation of 60% of HVAC needs through cogeneration, reduction of elevator and escalator energy use by 50%, and reduction in lighting energy by 50%. Other sustainable measures include more efficient use of water, capturing of rainwater, and green roofs. Finally, the Willis Tower will share energy and water resources with the new hotel when it is completed.
The Benefits of BIM
Owners are increasingly seeking AEC firms with building information modeling capabilities, which can touch nearly every job function in a firm, from marketing, to accounting, to sustainability efforts and business development. To help our members understand the benefits of this new tool, CWA called upon one of the nation’s leading experts, Jim Barrett, the national director of virtual design and construction for Turner Construction Company. Turner claims it is the largest implementer of BIM in the United States and currently has 151 projects representing $26.6 billion of construction in its portfolio.
“At the end of the day, the most important thing you can do is first identify your goals, then determine the best process to get you there and finally select your tools,” said Barrett.
BIM refers to a ‘smart’, 3D digital model—or models—of a building that represents the physical and functional attributes of the building systems embedded in the model components. BIM, which is a component of the Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) approach, is transforming the AEC industry as clients increasingly are requesting and even expecting the use of BIM on their building projects. Barrett explained the process, the people and the technology required and showed how BIM can help to achieve a client’s building goals and provide architects and builders with a competitive edge in the marketplace.
BIM also supports Green building efforts in several ways, including significantly reducing onsite waste generated by the trade contractors, reducing re-work due to field conflicts and reducing the amount of paper produced during the course of a project. In addition, through the use of new design-phase Green analysis software, smart BIM models can help clients weigh the lifecycle cost impacts of building systems alternatives to make for a more efficient facility and building process.
Barrett explained, “A 3-D model doesn’t add much value in and of itself. It requires a three phase process of visualization, information gathering and ultimately optimization to unlock its value to the client.” The analysis of the 3-D models is where a building team can really achieve and track cost savings and energy efficiency through the use of BIM. On site BIM “i-rooms” allow for live coordination meetings among subcontractors, designers and construction managers and conflicts and clashes in the trade models can immediately be identified in real time and resolved prior to the start of actual construction.
The use of BIM is gaining wide acceptance amongst the trades and is being capitalized on in ways that are benefiting projects, clients, budgets and schedules. Barrett noted, “many trades are bringing in materials ‘just in time’ since the modeling allows for greater accuracy, thus increasing efficiency and reducing waste.” For instance, a BIM of a beam in structural steel can be linked to a database of attribute information containing the size, the type of steel, the cost and the status of its fabrication.
BIM clients have benefited from a significant reduction in RFI’s, a reduction in field initiated change orders, and an accelerated order and fabrication process. The BIM enabled process has led to shorter lead times, better quality finished work, lower costs and safer projects.
Barrett sees more significant energy savings and a further reduction in construction waste on the horizon as BIM practices advance.
“Through the utilization of BIM, I believe we are changing the way we think about the building process,” Barrett said.
Ethics online – Will rules “born” in print work in a digital world?
At one time in BtoB publishing, the wall between advertising and editorial was rock solid. However, the growth in online communications and the accompanying decline in print advertising have clearly thinned the wall and caused everyone in the industry to consider new questions.
Ethics was the focus of just one of several roundtable discussions taking place during the 2009 CWA fall conference held in Chicago in mid-October. Led by Tina Barbaccia of Better Roads magazine and Len Strazewski, associate professor of journalism at Columbia College, the ethics discussion helped journalists, public relations and marketing professionals in attendance gain perspective on the role each plays in the process.
“I think the lines are beginning to blur more and more,” said Barbaccia. “We have to consider when a hyperlink to a manufacturer’s website or video is appropriate. If the link is to provide information that‘s relevant, then great. But if you are linking purely because the company is an advertiser, that’s not appropriate.”
The answer almost always isn’t cut and dry. “As editors we have to be vigilant about remaining ethical,” contended Barbaccia. “Ultimately, we walk a fine line in deciding what best serves the reader.”
According to Strazewski, editors are faced with the challenge of learning how to manage their world without making readers vulnerable to more intrusive marketing. “Marketing people are interested in how far they can push these relationships,” said Strazewski.
Adding to the complexity of the editor-publicist relationship is the fact that in these lean times, editors must rely more heavily on PR professionals for sources and story ideas. An astute PR person will recognize that along with opportunity comes a responsibility.
The web has made it possible for anyone to call themselves a journalist, or at least a content provider. Suppliers can deliver the message directly. “With Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, everyone is ‘reporting,’ but is it real reporting? “asks Barbaccia. She cautions that while these can be great sources of information, they can also be dangerous.
“Everyone has the appearance of a journalist, but do they have concern for the needs of the audience?” asks Strazewski.
Today there are perhaps more questions than answers. Strazewski believes the value of BtoB publications and editors is in their role as gatekeeper, balancing the coverage and adding insight to the fields they serve. Their independence also provides differentiation in a world overflowing with sources of information.
While new technologies will continue to raise new questions about what is ethical in journalism, this is certain: CWA provides a great forum to ask the questions and discuss the answers. Join us as we continue the conversation on Linked-in, Twitter and Facebook.
GyroHSR – Looking Beyond the Business
When the Marketing Communications and Website awards were given out at the CWA fall conference, GyroHSR was a dual winner for client John Deere – with an ad for motor graders and a website for skid steers.
Frank Raczon, senior consultant for GyroHSR, contributes much of the success to his agency co-workers who “were just doing their job.”
Raczon explained. “We’re categorized as a B2B agency, but our company credo is to look beyond the ‘businesses’ to the people in them, and their needs. That’s what the ad and website strove to do.”
GyroHSR is an international integrated marketing agency with 17 offices in 15 cities across nine countries. Frank works out of the Chicago office, which is home to more than 35 employees.
The ad, a six-page gatefold insert for the John Deere G-Series Grader, won top honors in the Advertising category of the Marketing Communications Awards. The Website winner, in the Website and Electronic Communications Awards, featured the John Deere Skid Steer Smackdown Season Two.
The winning ad was titled “Levels Everything but the Playing Field” and a gatefold format was chosen to be “arresting in format and sitting smack in the middle of editorial, away from other ads and befitting (the product’s) uniqueness.”
According to Raczon, the focus was on the customer—the people angle. The ad needed to convey to contractors the “unheard of amount of choice in terms of controls and options,” but let them know they were in charge of customizing the grader to fit their needs. The manufacturer didn’t “dictate to the market what controls and options it should have, but rather to provide the controls and options the market wants.”
One judge’s comment: “Flat out: This is an outstanding ad!” And, while detailed readership scores and other metrics are not available, comments from contractors have been positive and dealers have said the ad has been well noticed.
For the website, the agency took the well-known industry concept of an “equipment rodeo” and gave it some WWF and Harley Davidson Sturgis Rally flair – see this page.
But behind copy such as skid steers being the “baddest pieces of compact iron on the planet” was that people-customer focus again–“More You,” according to the website. The main focus is real people and unscripted testimonials from shows such as ICUEE and GIE+Expo, to illustrate how Deere developed the D-series skid steers through hundreds of operator interviews and “giving thousands more (via the in-person events and website) a chance to see how well we listened.” This “season two” is The Prove It Tour, preceded by The Ultimate Smackdown, which garnered 170,000 unique visitors to the site and 120,000 YouTube views.
While the agency has won many marketing awards, Raczon noted that this year’s CWA awards were especially gratifying because of the construction focus of the group. “It’s a double dose of recognition from construction industry peers and communications peers.”
Raczon is a newer member of CWA and said he appreciates the diverse membership that includes agencies, manufacturers, contractors, associations and publications. “Each segment has a somewhat different perspective so you get a wide range of knowledge and insights,” said Raczon. “But we’re all united by being construction writers at the core.”
CWA Member News
Send us your news. Have you started a new job, been promoted, or finished an interesting assignment. Keep us in the loop on all your career and business news. Send news to info@constructionwriters.org.
Welcome New Members
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Nancy Croft Baker Susan E. Charles Dan Fauchier Peter F. Hessler Richard High |
Stephanie Johnston Rachel Stafford Andy Stapleton Todd Willman |
The winner of the free 2010 CWA Annual Conference pass is Peter F. Hessler, President, Construction Business Associates, LLC of West End, NC. Peter was selected in the raffle conducted from the recent new member’s campaign. Congratulations Peter!
Build A Future Scholarship
CWA is offering a $2,000 scholarship to undergraduate students majoring in Journalism, Communications or Public Relations as they apply to the fields of architecture, engineering, or construction.
Students are eligible for the Build A Future Scholarship if they are enrolled in an accredited college or university in the United States and Canada, are in their sophomore, junior or senior years and are pursuing a degree in Journalism, Communications or Public Relations with a minimum grade point average of 2.5 on a scale of 4.0.
In addition, the Build A Future Scholarship includes a full conference registration to the CWA Annual Conference in October 2010, and a travel stipend up to $500 for a total value of $3,500.
Qualifications, judging criteria, and an application form are available at www.constructionwriters.org/awards/scholarship. The deadline for applications is May 15, 2010; judges will contact the winner by July 15, 2010. For more information, log on to the website or send an e-mail to info@constructionwriters.org.
Please forward this information to students who you think would qualify. To be sure your alma mater is aware of the scholarship; please send contact information for your school to info@constructionwriters.org.
Events - Save the Date
CWA Networking Reception at World of Concrete
Mark your calendar for CWA’s annual gathering at World of Concrete on February 3, 2010 from 5:00PM-6:30PM in Las Vegas. Details to come.
CWA VIP Event at World of Asphalt
Look for more information about the CWA VIP event to be held during World of Asphalt, February 17, 2010 at 4:30PM in Cincinnati, Ohio.
The Annual Conference is Moving
The CWA conferences are being combined in 2010. One Annual Conference will be held in Chicago in October and the CWA Awards for Journalism, Photography, Marketing Communications, and Website and Electronic Communications will also be presented at this time. The Silver Hard Hat Award winners and the Hall of Fame inductees will be honored at the 2010 Annual Conference. Entries and judging of the awards will continue to take place in the Spring and Fall. The CWA Board voted to consolidate the meetings in 2010 in response to the economic conditions affecting the construction industry. The association continues to explore other ways to connect its members throughout the year.
The Annual Conference committee is being chaired by Jay Schneider, senior editor, Building Design+ Construction. Members interested in joining the Annual Conference committee should contact Deborah Hodges, executive director, for more information at info@constructionwriters.org.
Call for Speakers
In an effort to continue to deliver fresh and innovative programs at its annual conference and provide an opportunity for speakers to present to an audience of leading construction and design firms and editors from leading trade publications, CWA is now accepting proposals for potential speakers and presentations to consider for the next Annual Conference, which will be held in Chicago next fall.
“We’d like to hear from experts in communications and public relations as well as from the construction and design industries,” said Deborah Hodges, executive director. “We’re looking for information that will help construction writers, marketing communications and public relations professionals succeed in all aspects of their careers.”
The event will provide an opportunity for exposure and networking among leading construction journalists, public relations, freelance writers, and marketers who represent the core of the Construction Writers Association.
Topics could include best practices, case studies, innovative use of new technologies, new media, construction market analysis and research, new equipment and applications, as well as interesting and challenging construction projects. The organization is open to considering a wide range of presentation formats including workshops, panel discussions, and roundtable discussions.
Potential speakers should complete the application form on the CWA website. A brief overview of a proposed topic, presentation, program, and bio is required on the application. Proposals must be submitted to info@constructionwriters.org on or before Monday, January 4, 2010. Please include the email subject line: “2010 Annual Conference Proposal.” Final dates and times for the conference will be announced in the near future. Applicants whose proposals are accepted will be notified by Feb. 1, 2010. Questions should be directed to Deborah J Hodges, executive director at info@constructionwriters.org or by telephone at 773-687-8726.
CWA Top 5 Construction Stories Survey
It’s time once again for CWA’s annual Top 5 Construction Stories Survey!
Similar to the “Top 10” lists of news and sports stories compiled by the wire services, our survey is designed to spotlight the achievements and happenings that have most influenced and shaped the construction field during the past 12 months. And who better to tell us than you—the professionals who cover and work in the industry on a daily basis.
And voting has never been easier. Simply select up to 5 stories in the survey.
You’re also welcome to “write in” your own nomination of an industry-influencing story from 2009.
Remember: The deadline for voting is January 4, 2010. We’ll add up the votes and announce the Top 5 in January!
Look for the Top 5 Construction Stories Survey in your email soon!