Showing Results for "Sustainability"

Expertise

Impacts: Decarbonizing Higher Education Campuses

In 2018, Glumac began work on a strategic road map for the California State University system that supports decarbonization efforts across its 23 campuses. With the overall of providing a pathway to carbon neutrality, this design standard provides guidelines for the university and its staff to decarbonize the operation of all its facilities. Since then, […]

Concepts

Materials: Beyond Energy’s Impact on a Building’s Carbon Footprint

While a lot of attention is paid to the role transportation plays in the massive carbon draw down necessary to mitigate the worst effects of climate change, designers in the built environment actually have a much larger piece of the carbon pie to slice: Building materials. Expanded public transit and electric vehicles definitely play a […]

Concepts

Design Challenge: Focus on Future Occupants

Over the next several weeks, we will be publishing a series on Sustainable Building Design Challenges and how our Sustainability Consulting Team responds to them. We asked the group a series of questions related to building design. This is the first entry in that series. How do we make sure today’s big picture thinking results […]
First Tech Interior - Cross Laminated Timber

Expertise

Glumac Design Trends Update: Strategies to Deliver a Low Carbon Future

 “Real change occurs from the bottom up; it occurs person to person, and almost always occurs in small groups and locales, then bubbles up to larger vectors of change.” – Paul Hawken The dynamics of the built environment are in constant flux – subject to the whims of emerging technologies, public health crises, and climate […]

Expertise

Using Autodesk’s BIM360 Cloud Platform to Improve Sustainable Building Design

Glumac, partnering with Turner Construction, signed on to provide MEP engineering services on the fast-track, net-zero P Street design-build project in Sacramento, CA. Tapped to also bring its sustainability-focused know-how to the team, Glumac compressed the time-intensive workflows that are typically required to support projects with such audacious energy use goals. They did this by formulating a workflow […]

Expertise

Expert Interview: Brian Stern, Energy Analyst, LEED AP BD+C

  Brian Stern is an energy analyst with Glumac, A Tetra Tech Company, who supports firm-wide sustainable and high-performance MEP Engineering and building design. His work improves building performance from initial concept all the way through operation. Using energy modeling software, he develops holistic building energy efficiency strategies appropriate to local environmental conditions. Brian’s focus […]

Concepts

Trim Tab Magazine: Rethinking High Performance Buildings

When the sustainable building design community discusses resilient buildings, the dialogue is often couched in phrases like “onsite energy independence,” “future-proofing,” and “community readiness.” Yet, as we’ve learned from the increasing incidence of traumatic climate-related events, resiliency goes beyond keeping buildings upright and lights on. We have seen (and some of us may have unfortunately […]

Expertise

Leveraging Energy Modeling to Improve Conceptual Level Decision Making

-Originally published in the 2018 Facade Tectonics 2018 Annual Conference & World Congress Conference proceedings, Vol I. INTRODUCTION Green building design is continuously evolving to require a more holistic approach, especially with ever escalating concerns about climate change, rising CO2 levels, and progressive energy code cycles. California’s Title 24 Energy Code is moving towards net-zero energy […]
Cross Laminated Timber at First Tech Headquarters

Concepts

The Case for Timber Structures in Sustainable Building Design

The timber trend is beginning to gain traction as a potential change agent in sustainable building design  – particularly in forest-heavy areas of the country like the Pacific Northwest. And it’s due in large part to the increasing availability of Cross Laminated Timber (CLT). CLT is a prefabricated material consisting of sustainably-sourced lumber layered in […]

Expertise

Building Commissioning: Moving from Required to Desired

Building commissioning has taken root. In the last decade, implementation of the building commissioning process has expanded greatly throughout the commercial market. This is due in no small part to the Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory’s landmark 2009 study “Building Commissioning: A Golden Opportunity for Reducing Energy Costs and Greenhouse-Gas Emissions.” However, the majority of building […]
Gensler San Diego - Glumac MEP Engineering

Great Projects

Wellness & Productivity: Sustainable Building Design at Gensler’s New San Diego Studio 

When Gensler began designing their new studio in downtown San Diego, they wanted a human-centric space. Taking over the former NBC Broadcasting studio on the first floor of downtown’s 225 Broadway Tower, Gensler wanted the space to be a showcase for innovative and sustainable building design. Designed to achieve both LEED Platinum and WELL Building […]

Announcements

Leadership Growth: Glumac’s Newest Class of Sustainable Leaders

We’re Proud to Announce the Newest Members of Our Leadership Team They’re joining our leadership group because of their commitment to sustainability in the built environment, innovative building design, and most of all – our clients. These new leaders will continue to steer Glumac forward in delivering best-in-class projects. Feel free to reach out and discuss […]

Concepts

MEP Engineering: Cost-Effective Comfort with Radiant Heating and Cooling 

At this point, a lot of digital ink has been spent discussing the benefits of radiant heating and cooling systems in the built environment. Traditional forced-air systems, while cheaper to install, use more energy to properly condition a space. Radiant solutions often recommended by MEP engineering experts because they are more effective in providing and […]

Concepts

New Thinking About Building Performance Energy Metrics

In the past two decades our industry has seen a significant shift toward a focus on energy efficiency and sustainability. In order to properly gauge whether this shift has had a quantifiable impact, terms such as Energy Use Intensity (EUI), Power Use Effectiveness (PUE), and Gallons/Day have become commonplace. These simplified metrics are useful tools […]
WELL Building Standard

Announcements

Delos™ and Glumac form Strategic Alliance to Integrate Health and Well-Being into the Built Environment

New York, New York (February 15, 2017) – Delos™, a wellness real estate and technology firm, today announces a strategic alliance with Glumac, a full-service consulting and engineering firm, to accelerate the transformation of indoor environments into spaces that promote human health and wellness. The new relationship will leverage Glumac’s extensive network of sustainable building services […]
Sammamish Community & Aquatic Center

Great Projects

The Sammamish Community and Aquatic Center Makes a Splash

In the spring of 2016, the Community and Aquatic Center in Sammamish, Washington, opened to large crowds of active adults and playful children. Created in collaboration with the YMCA, it’s a facility that realizes  Sammamish’s goal of creating sustainable facilities for its growing population. Along with architects Barker Rinker Seacat, the City of Sammamish, contractors Porter […]
water conservation, energy, sustainability

Expertise

The Year of Water Conservation

Water is becoming a precious resource, particularly in the Western United States, where many of our clients live and work. In 2016, we are invigorating our focus on water conservation in the built environment, and further establishing ourselves as industry leaders in this area. With El Niño forecasting rain to drought-stricken states, we see this as a […]
Working By Daylight How Circadian Lighting Increases Productivity, Glumac

Expertise

Working by Daylight:
How Circadian Lighting Increases Productivity

By now, we all know that low access to daylight can be detrimental to our health. Eye strain, exhaustion, and weakening mental health are all issues that share a root cause in poor access to light. But what if the implications of access to daylight went beyond wellness and energy savings, and we could prove it […]
ASHRAE Energy Simulation Standard, Glumac

Expertise

A New Energy Modeling Standard from ASHRAE Open for Public Review

ASHRAE is nearing the final stages of publishing its own energy modeling standard. Energy efficiency and sustainability are playing an increasing role in design decisions. As such, defining a minimum standard of care for energy simulation is becoming crucial. The ASHRAE standard – open for public comment until May 9, 2016 – is the result […]

In the Community

Grow it Yourself: Five Steps for Starting an Office Garden

For Earth Day 2016, Glumac Sacramento’s Green Team decided to do something that would have both an immediate and lasting impact on our office, employees, and the Earth. So we decided to plant a garden filled with some of our favorite fruits, vegetables, and herbs. To get started, staff donated what they could to keep […]