Askthefm’s Weblog

This may be a little bit esoteric for some you this evening, but this is a very important topic and part of my particular advocacy.  The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has for some time been interpeting the rules applying to the way low income tax credits are used as to severly restrict their effectivenss in getting housing built.  This is critically important to the many Americans who would qualify to live in this housing if it were only made available.

To construct a new apartment building cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $350,000 an apartment, including the property acquisition costs.  It is impossible without government subsidizing the construction and operation of these units that they will get built.  They just don’t pencil out when the people who qualify for the low income units can only afford $450 a month for a one bedroom apartment.  (Note: I live in Southern California where a one bedroom aprtment in a marginal area goes for $900 a month if you can find one)

The article on the Southern California Assocation of Non-Profit Housing Developers (SCANPH) can be found here: (http://www.scanph.org/node/552) and full text of the Senator’s Letter is Here: (http://www.scanph.org/files/Final%20Occupational%20Letter.pdf)

So please write you Congressional representitives, both in the Hous and Senate to get them on board on this issue.  Because you never know where life will take you and the housing you build or save today may someday be you own!

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The news broke to day that over in London England hackers succeeded in cloning or duplicating the cards that most Londoner’s use to ride on mass transit.  These so called Oyster Cards are a version of smart card that is used in a great many other places for access control to secured areas.  The Dutch government has issued a country wide security alert due to the fact that they use the same or at least very similar technology at most of their government buildings!

Both Wired Magazine (http://blog.wired.com/cars/2008/06/hackers-crack-l.html) and the Evening Standard in London have articles on this story (http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23454596-details/Oyster+card+cloning+fears/article.do).

This is just the latest problem with this technology to come to the surface.  The main problems with these systems is that they are often specified incorrectly and sometimes just installed poorly.  Also they are only as good as the people who have administrative access.  I took over the management of a fairly simple system at a large corporate site and was amazed that the functionality of the software wasn’t even fully enabled and the previous administrator had made no real effort to audit the system.  I spent a very hectic 3 weeks auditing the system, inventorying the access rights of several hundred employees and getting the reporting module actually working!

There is a very good white paper on some best pratices for these systems here: (http://www.smart-id.com/documents/Access_Control_Industry_Best_Practices_wp_en.pdf).

The news is full of successful attempts to bypass these systems. Another story from Wired magazine: (http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2007/08/open-sesame-acc.html)

Now I am not saying that I am dead set against using these devices, just that you need to realize that they are far from perfect or fool proof.  Just like any other similar system such as a burgler alarm they need to be designed carefully, used with their limitations firmly in mind and monitored constantly.

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I came across an article today about rammed earth as a home building material and was intrigued.  I am pretty sure that my local city officials might have a problem with it from and earthquake stand point (note: I live in Southern California) It seems that it might make a pretty good alternative from a green building stand point in other parts of the USA.

In the article on Green Upgrader (http://greenupgrader.com/2156/rammed-earth-home-building-with-compressed-dirt/#more-2156) it does mention that you can add steel reinforcement as you would in concrete for strength however…..

As I read on however on another site which at first glance seems pretty extensive (http://www.greenhomebuilding.com/rammedearth.htm) I was getting more interested until I got to the bottom of the page where I found this disclaimer:

Disclaimer Of Liability And Warranty
I specifically disclaim any warranty, either expressed or implied, concerning the information on these pages. Neither I nor any of the advisor/consultants associated with this site will have liability for loss, damage, or injury, resulting from the use of any information found on this, or any other page at this site. Kelly Hart, Hartworks, Inc.

By this time I am getting wary again but I find this site: Rammed Earth is for Everyone (http://rammedearth.blogspot.com/) and judging from the pictures and testimonials on the site maybe this will work in some areas and those walls inthe pictures sure look a strong like concrete.

Then I get to Adobe Builder (http://www.adobebuilder.com/) and on the front page we are into disclaimers and warnings again.  This site specifically warns that many states have a great deal of restrictions on adobe and rammed earth buildings, especially California.

“So yes, you can do it, legally speaking. In areas without codes, you have more freedom, but you should still build to a recognized standard. If your building department has little experience with earth walls, they may require that your plans be stamped by a licensed engineer or architect. In many areas of the Southwest, prescribed codes allow you to build to a standard, without a professional stamp. This is the case in Arizona and New Mexico, and portions of Utah, and Colorado. At present, Texas has few restrictive codes, and California, the most restrictions.”

Now I could tell you all about how the cost for this type of construction is very competitive with traditional construction methods and that it also has many green advantages including a very stable temperature inside the building due to the massive wall structure usually required for this process.

However based on the obvious drawbacks in many parts of the country and some potetial dubious methodologies I am hard pressed to recommend even spending the time to research this further.  There are many simpler ways to reduce a buildings footprint realtive to its impact on the environment both locally and globally. Perhaps if the process is revamped and improved such that it is more main stream realtive to building codes I would be willing to relook at the subject, but for now I would recommend staying away from this as an option to build a house or other building.

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Now I am in favor of there being more green buildings and the more efficient we can be the better off the planet, our companies and all of us are.  However I am unsure if going to the trouble of acquiring a certification really provides and adequate return on the investment of time and money required.

That brings us to the newly revised LEED-EB or LEED for existing buildings. The original program had many issues, some of which were simply growing pains inherited from conversion of the original LEED new construction program.

Now I have read a couple of articles lately on this subject and they make points about how the consultant and the process will help the facility manager find overlooked opportunities and similar advantages, but I am skeptical.  One fo the articles is here at Building Operating Management magazine: (http://www.facilitiesnet.com/8967bom).

Also you can read all about it at the USBGC site: http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=221

Now the other piece I read gets into the important at least for me part the actual additional cost of teh process. This source figures that the total cost of getting a building certified comes to $2.48 per square foot!  I don’t know about you but I would have to have missed a whole lot of efficiency issues to recover that kind of cost even the intermediate term of 5 - 10 years.  You can read his full article here: http://reallifeleed.blogspot.com/2008/05/leed-eb-fees-explained.html and the report for the Leonardo Academy that he references can be found here: http://www.leonardoacademy.org/download/Final%20Report%20on%20the%20Economics%20of%20LEED-EB-2008-4-23.pdf

Finally I think I can sum this post up by saying that I agree with the column by Jeff Crane in Today’s Facility Manager magazine found here: http://www.todaysfacilitymanager.com/tfm_08_04_fmfrequency.php and his basic proposistion is that your CFO isn’t going to pay for the extra cost for certification if he can use that extra money to make the building even more efficient and save even more money!  That is a very hard argument to win and I don’t think I could easily be induced to even try.

As always I thank you for your time and interest. Please take the time to Digg, or add to the other social network of your choice to help me spread the word about these issues. Please forward any questions or suggestions to: askthefm@gmail.com

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I have looked at prefabricated buildings over the years and I have always found them severely wanting in just about every category except speed to complete. Now on Ecogeek.org today I read a post on an ecologically correct prefab structure!

Excerpt from post: Two years ago, the American Institute of Architects put up a challenge: design a house in which a US Fish and Wildlife Service Ecologist in Residence could live and conduct research. Challenge met. Many unique ideas were put forward and three designs took away awards. Two are very…unique…as innovative prefabs tend to be, and so I liked the third the best because it has the eco-technology without losing the home-sweet-home feeling. (complete article: http://www.ecogeek.org/content/view/1761/66/)

Truly a very interesting set of designs! Now with this inspiration I went searching and found many different vendors of timber framed prefab buildings. Everything from Yankee Barn Homes: http://www.yankeebarnhomes.com/p/timberframehome-2.php?utm_source=google&utm_medium=ppc&utm_content=bt-lp2&utm_campaign=build-timber&gclid=CLOPrNvY-pMCFR0ZagodTAVoVw

To prefab home exporters from China: http://www.exportbureau.com/company_report.html?code=23805&name=cogent_home_manufactory_ltd

And finally, to companies who offer everything from standard residential building to multi-family buildings to your prefabricated mansion! http://www.modular-experts.com/

In my experience prefab or modular buildings aren’t any cheaper than standard construction except that you can get things built faster. Also you should be wary and check out any firm that you are considering very thoroughly as they aren’t all created equal. Another thing to check out is how such construction is viewed by the local city you will be placing it in. While they can’t say no, they can make it more difficult unless you are upfront about your intentions. Also the city may have recommendations that will make your quest much easier overall.

As always I thank you for your time and interest. Please take the time to Digg, or add to the other social network of your choice to help me spread the word about these issues. Please forward any questions or suggestions to: askthefm@gmail.com

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We have all heard that the green revolution will change how we live and nothing is more affecting than the materials that make up your home.

There is a movement beginning to begin using bamboo in housing instead of traditional timber products. I know we have been using this renewable resource as flooring and other no structural uses in the US for some time but I am curious whether it can really stand up as building framing.

According the the International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR) bamboo is a light flexible and resilient material that deserves reconsideration.

From the INBAR website: (http://www.inbar.int/Board.asp?Boardid=67)

Quick Facts

• The world’s population reached 6 billion in 1999 and at the current rate will top 7 billion people soon after 2010.
• At least 600 million urban dwellers in Africa, Asia and Latin America live in “life and health-threatening homes”. At least one billion people do not have access to safe and healthy shelter and the number will increase dramatically with population growth if the appropriate action is not taken (UNEP, nd).
• One billion people live in bamboo houses. In Bangladesh, 73% of the population live in bamboo houses. Bamboo provides pillars, walls, window frames, rafters, room separators, ceilings and roofs.
• It has been calculated in Costa Rica that only 70 ha of bamboo plantation are sufficient to build 1000 bamboo houses per year. If these houses were built with timber, 600 ha of natural forest would be destroyed each year.
• Studies show that processing of bamboo requires only 1/8th the energy for processing of concrete and 1/3rd of that of wood to create a building material of the same capacity. In comparison to steel, bamboo needs only 1/50 of the energy for processing (Roach 1996).
• Due to the lightweight and favorable elastic properties of bamboo, buildings made from it are very good at resisting earthquakes. All 30 houses in the epicenter of a 7.6 magnitude earthquake survived without any damage in Costa Rica.
• Bamboo possesses excellent strength properties, especially tensile strength. Study shows that bamboo is as strong as wood and some species even exceed the strength of Shorea robusta and Tectona grandis (Sattar, 1995).

It is interesting to note that all of the houses made of bamboo near the epicenter of a recent Costa Rican earthquake, measured at a 7.6 magnitude survived intact. The movement is growing with university’s chiming in: http://bambus.rwth-aachen.de/eng/1-building-material.pdf

as well as major architectural firms as well: http://www.deboerarchitects.com/BambooThoughts.html

This site has a good listing of websites covering supply and ordering as well as other information and numerous examples of what has been already done.

While bamboo, at least certain varieties has a better strength to weight ratio than steel I believe that it still has a ways to go before it hits the main stream as a building material of choice for more than a dedicated minority here int eh United States. I understand that worldwide millions of people live in homes constructed from this plant, but the road to approval in the building code for more than a finishes product is long and frustrating. I wish it adherents good luck and hope to hear more in the near future!

As always I thank you for your time and interest. Please take the time to Digg, or add to the other social network of your choice to help me spread the word about these issues. Please forward any questions or suggestions to: askthefm@gmail.com

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A few days ago I put forward the information below and as it turns out neither I nor Green Technology Magazine were quite correct. Actually we over-generalized a bit…..

According to Green Technology Magazine there will soon be a green building rating system approved by ANSI (American National Standards Institute).

Excerpt: The only green building rating system that will be accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), the National Green Building Standard has been submitted to ANSI for approval and will become the benchmark for green homes, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). The standard defines what green practices should be incorporated into home construction on a national scale and how homeowners should maintain and operate their green homes. The rating system ensures uniformity in everything from the size of electrical outlets to testing medical devices. To get to this point, NAHB volunteers and the International Code Council attended four public hearings and considered 3,000 public comments submitted for consideration.

This sounds pretty good and I am interested to see how this really plays out. If ANSI can get behind a rating system, then the other rating systems such as LEED and Greenpoint Rated will probably update their rules to be compatible. It would make trying to get your building evaluated a lot simpler and less expensive.

However I was contacted by Elizabeth Austin from ANSI and in a very nice email shared with me how the ANSI accreditations system functions:

Thank you very much for your recent post, “Green Building Code coming soon!” Articles like this one contribute significantly to overall public awareness of the importance of voluntary consensus standards. On behalf of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and our entire Federation of members, I thank you for your efforts.

I would like to call your attention to some inaccuracies in the source material you referenced from Green Technology Magazine:

The only green building rating system that will be accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), the National Green Building Standard has been submitted to ANSI for approval and will become the benchmark for green homes, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).

ANSI approves standards as American National Standards (ANS) based on evidence of procedural compliance with the requirements established in the ANSI Essential Requirements: Due process requirements for American National Standards. The hallmarks of the development process associated with a document that is approved as an American National Standard include openness, balance, due process and consensus.

I have highlighted the phrase “the only green building rating system” because in point of fact, more than one standard in a particular area may be approved as an American National Standard. To clarify, ANSI may approve a standard that is sponsored by an ANSI-Accredited Standards Developer, such as NAHBRC, as an American National Standard. The ANSI Board of Standards Review (BSR) makes such decisions based on the evidence presented to it and in accordance with the ANSI Essential Requirements.

I’ve also highlighted the phrase “will be accredited” because approval of a standard submitted to ANSI by an ANSI-Accredited Standards Developer is neither automatic nor guaranteed. The ANSI BSR, in accordance with its procedures, will review each submittal and determine whether the evidence of procedural compliance submitted in support of it demonstrates that consensus has been achieved in accordance with ANSI’s requirements set-forth in the ANSI Essential Requirements. In the case of the draft National Green Building Standard developed by National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), this process is still underway. Further, the term “accredited” relates to the status of the standards developer’s procedures, not to a particular standard.

So I stand corrected but still I am looking forward to the day when one or more accredited national standards regarding a green building code see the light of day!

As always I thank you for your time and interest. Please take the time to Digg, or add to the other social network of your choice to help me spread the word about these issues. Please forward any questions or suggestions to: askthefm@gmail.com

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We have talked about how your building can use less water, but those options are pretty mainstream. For those of you who are really adventurous another option is to recycle or reuse the gray water generated by the building.

First a little refresher on what we mean by gray water. There are two types of waste water usually generated by a building, be it residential, commercial or industrial, black water and gray water. Gray water is basically wash water or all the waste water except that generated by the use of toilets or garbage disposal equipment. Gray water is generally about 50-60% of the daily waste water generated by an average residence.

Most gray water recycling is aimed at the residential market and at city wide operations such as park land. I know that the seeming majority of parks in my home city of Long Beach California are watered by recycled waste water (gray water). Here is a great site that explains and provides assistance for residential systems and covers the general topic pretty well: http://www.oasisdesign.net/greywater/index.htm

On a commercial site it is always best to check with your local jurisdiction to understand what code issues need to be addressed for this type of installation. BuildingGreen.com has quite a good selection of case studies and even the LEED advantages spelled out for this type of system.

BuildingGreen.com: http://www.buildinggreen.com/menus/entries.cfm?HeadingID=100

Also here is a link to a manufacturer, BRAC Systems which from the web page appears to have worldwide availability: http://www.bracsystemsbc.com/news.html

I know that I have barely scratched the surface on implementing a system like this and I wish those of you inclined to try the best of luck! Saving water is becoming more important everyday and saving the potable water for us to drink seems like an idea whose time has come.

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In my previous 2 posts on this subject I have laid out a fairly complete plan for dealing with this type of problem. There are a couple of areas where you could be tripped up in this process however.

The first is getting the areas tested by a reputable lab and the other is understanding the results and how that determines the overall scope of work.

Hiring a reputable lab is very important as it will determine the overall success of the remediation and have a direct influence on the total cost of the project. The method that I generally suggest is that you hire a firm with a certified Industrial Hygienist either as principal or on staff who will be developing and certifying the results and the scope of work for the remediation.

Here are three organizations who certify and list consultants in your area:

ABIH: http://www.abih.org/

ACGIH: http://www.acgih.org/home.htm

AIHA: http://www.aiha.org/Content

It is also helpful to ask for referrals from other facility professionals and always ask for references from the lab and make sure you call several of them. Ask about overall service, timeliness, and how comfortable they were with the explanations provided about why their particular scope of work was required. Also the testing lab should always be separate from the remediation contractor as they are the equivalent to the building inspector for this process and anything other than a separate firm would make me worry.

Lastly for today make sure that the report is explained to you and that you understand all that is being asked for in the scope of work, keep asking questions of the hygienist until you are completely clear.

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MSNBC has just posted a news story about an upcoming earthquake preparedness drill. It is going to be the largest and most extensive of it kind ever.

From:

PASADENA, Calif. - Warning residents that they need to be prepared for a major earthquake, scientists, elected officials and experts gathered at Caltech on Wednesday to urge people to take part in a major drill later this year to help them be ready for a massive temblor.

Full Story Here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24975627

This drill is set for November 13, 2008 and is a great motivator and excuse if you need one to get that disaster recovery and preparedness plan you been meaning to complete done and distributed. One of the largest and most common roadblocks is the permission and buy in of corporate management and this widely publicized event should make it much easier to get that permission. Especially in light of the recent China earthquake and the ongoing relief efforts that has raised the visibility of this issue immensely.

I have been covering this subject in an ongoing series of posts that can be accessed on the right under the topic “disaster preparedness” and there are currently 3 posts in the series. I will be posting the next installment for this coming Monday.

As always I thank you for your time and interest. Please take the time to Digg, or add to the other social network of your choice to help me spread the word about these issues. Please forward any questions or suggestions to: askthefm@gmail.com

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