Life Lasting Library

Remember the saying “Don’t judge a book by its cover?” Well the same goes for libraries, especially those housed in an old grocery store building. Bedford is a small city located between the metropolises of Dallas and Fort Worth. It is often put together with Hurst and Euless making it the HEB area of North Texas.  The Library’s Director, Maria Redburn, gave us an inside look at the library and all of the technologies that make it a sustainable building.

The first technology Maria brought up was adapting an existing building. The building that the library is on, used to be a grocery store. Instead of knocking it down and building something new, Bedford chose to reuse the existing structure. I personally love this idea and plan to do it with a house one day.

The Bedford Library also applied for some grants which they received. One of those grants allowed them to purchase solar panels. These panels produce electricity when the sun shines on them. These panels have allowed the library to decrease its monthly electric bill which allows for more books and people to work at the library.

Another interested technology that Maria pointed out with the LED high-efficiency light fixtures and motion sensor lights. This is something I am familiar with because my company uses these as well. The lights turn on and off automatically which saves unnecessary electricity from being used.

The final technology that Maria pointed out was one I was unfamiliar with and found very interesting: Geothermal Heat Pump System. Bedford Library’s system consists of 150 wells buried 250 feet in the use. These wells use the earth’s core temperature to heat and cool the building. Below is a picture of the field where all of the wells are located.

Since I was unfamiliar with the geothermal technology, I decided to try to find out more information on it. I went to the Department of Energy’s web site and found this informative video. It shows how geothermal technology works and does a great job of making it simple.

Maria gave an excellent tour of the Bedford Library. This library is an outstanding example of several different sustainable technologies that are helping to save the earth for generations to come.

REFERENCES

www.bedfordlibrary.org

http://energy.gov/energysaver/articles/geothermal-heat-pumps  

College seeks to teach with new building

Andre McEwing from TCCD spoke to our class about an upcoming project for Tarrant County College District (TCCD).  The college is building a new building on its South Campus that is seeking to be LEED Platinum. According to Andre, this is the highest LEED certification that a building can receive.  BNIM is one of the partners working with TCCD on the project. According to their web site “This facility sets a new course for development on a campus largely built in the 1970s and will be the premier training center for its students, faculty, and the greater community.”

Andre went on to describe some of the goals of the building. One of these inclues being net zero. Net zero is defined a facility producing as much energy as it uses. I learned that earlier in the day from a different speaker, Amari Roskelly. 

Freese and Nichols, another partner of the project detailed that “the building systems will be exposed and include interactive displays showing real-time performance of the building systems, allowing students and visitors to use the facility as learning tool.” The company went on to list some of the sustainable features of the building. These include Solar panels and tubes, outdoor teaching areas for green roof research, bio retention swales and permeable paving to eliminate storm water runoff, rainwater harvesting, geothermal heating and cooling.

I believe some of the best teaching is through hands-on experience. The new building will give students a personal experience with green technologies in their particular fields of study. Students will get to experience the effects of the different technologies first hand. I am thrilled that our local community college sees the value of this type of building.

REFERENCES

http://www.bnim.com/work/energy-technology-center

http://www.freese.com/corporate-responsibility/sustainability

Building Dreams, Saving Energy through Sustainable Home Building

Don Ferrier of Ferrier Homes presented to my class on December 22^nd. He is the owner/ CEO of Ferrier Homes.  Don is the third generation of general contractors/ stonemasons. The Texas state capitol and several bridges and roads are just a few of the projects that generations before him built. In 1984 Don Ferrier formed Ferrier Builders which later became Ferrier Custom Homes in 2004. Ferrier Custom Homes focuses on sustainable new construction as well as remodeling existing homes. The company’ S mission is “To advance, communicate and facilitate energy- efficient and sustainable building practices to the home building industry and into the homes and structures we build.”

Don presented a special project to the class: His daughter, Heather’s first home. He went over the details of the project and different sustainable practices they used during the construction of the home. Below is a picture of Heather’s Home.

One of the most interesting facts I learned was the importance of the south side of a house. Since the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, the south wall of a house has a unique purpose.  Don used a porch to shade the windows located here. This allowed for sun to heat the house. He also suggests using trees as protection against the sun.

Don highlighted several technologies that make a home more efficient. I am familiar with dual-flush toilets and low-flow showers since my husband works in that industry. Also, I have seen spray foam used in homes on HGTV. One technology that I found interesting and foreign to me was SIPS. SIPS stands for Structural Insulated Panels. It requires less energy as well as raw materials to produce. It also reduces waste because it is customized by job.   Ferrier Homes partners with Fischer SIPS for its building materials. Below is an informative video on SIPs.

http://www.fischersips.com/about/benefits 

I love the idea of preserving the earth for future generations. Until Don’s lecture on home building, I assumed the sustainable materials were very expensive and not probable for someone like me. It was great to see that certain technologies are the same price or slightly more. When my husband and I go to build a home in the future, we will be looking for certain technologies that Don highlighted in his lecture.

                 

REFERENCES:

http://www.ferriercustomhomes.com/home/

http://www.fischersips.com