Hear about LEED accredited green construction and state of the art energy solutions.
Dennis Allen of Allen Associates shares his 30 years of green building experience to share the state-of-the-art technologies used in green construction. The greatest demand on energy comes from buildings, not automobiles or transportation. Over 50% of all energy is used by buildings and their internal systems. As a result, the demands on fossil fuel requires keen attention to green building.
Construction has changed over the past 50 years as technology has evolved and energy conservation taken greater focus. Computers, communication devices, creation of “blueprints”, tools and equipment, systems to organize and store project documents and the understanding of how buildings work as complex, integrated systems have had and are still having a major impact on the construction industry. All of these technologies have both added to the energy drain and contributed to state-of-the-art solutions.
Issues of heat production, maintaining cool environments for computerized systems and for the comfort and health of employees as well as being environmentally safe necessitated creating energy and water efficient systems. In 2000, LEED or Leadership in Energy and Environment, was developed by the US Green Building Council (USGBC) as a certification framework for identifying, implementing and measuring green building design, construction, operations and maintenance. It is an internationally recognized mark of excellence that is continually updated.
Specializing in commercial and residential green building in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties of California, Allen Associates are LEED Accredited professionals and members of USGBC. Having completed several Platinum LEED projects in Santa Barbara, they are proud to say that they have built some of the greenest buildings in the country .
Dennis talks about “Building Science” and the analytical tools used to track and define the technologies that save energy. Among the technologies Allen Associates has used include LED residential and commercial lighting. LED color, energy efficiency and brightness regularly improve making LEDs the most likely, long-term lighting solution.
The economics of building shows that green buildings pay for themselves anywhere from 1 year to 8 years depending on the technology, location, energy-demand and design. Plus green building tends to be more durable and have fewer maintenance costs.
Straw bale construction uses straw for the structural system of external walls keeping the interior cool and allowing the walls to breath and self-regulate humidity. Straw bale, similar to adobe, is a favorite technology for wineries.
Co-generation energy involves the recycling of waste, including use of “waste” heat, to create electricity and/or heating. Allen Associates has utilized a similar technology, Geo-thermal technology, by tapping into subterranean temperature to both heat and cool. By tapping into existing cisterns with coiled copper pipes, the natural cooling as well as warmth of the earth can be used to efficiently regulate room temperature. It is best when used in locations that experience significant changes in temperature.
Allen Associates is also in process of transferring ownership to its employees on an Employee Share Ownership Plan (ESOP). This decision was made in order to maintain the sustainable mission, innovation and optimal green building goals of the company. This program has been used for decades and was available before the alternative of becoming a B-Corporation.
A graduate of UCSB with a Masters in Economics from Princeton University, Dennis worked in Europe bridging the east and west European divide to facilitate better communication before the fall of the Berlin Wall. He returned home to become Assistant Dean of Foreign Students at UCSB. Later, Dennis moved to the SF Bay area and was involved in community organization working to transition to peace from the Vietnam War. Soon afterwards, he became interested in solar energy when the OPEC oil embargo caused energy awareness. From there, it was a short step to green construction.
In addition to this interview with Dennis Allen, you can learn more about green roof technology by listening to: Ed Snodgrass of Emory Knoll Farms and Green Roof Plants. You may also enjoy listening to Claude Dorais about Unite to Light and LED solar-powered lights distributed in remote areas of extreme poverty.
