Amari Roskelly was our first speaker of the class. Less than two weeks ago she was a student in the sustainability program. The sustainability program is how Amari got her position at Jacobs Engineering as the Sustainability Coordinator. Amari was the perfect first speaker. She took us through some basics of sustainability.
Sustainability says that everything we need for survival and well-being depends, either directly or indirectly on our natural environment. She went on to specify three spheres of sustainability including social, environmental and economic. Sustainable efforts are measured by different organizations including LEED. Amari is an expert in LEED so she focused on this measurement system.
I have heard of LEED but did not know how it worked. Amari showed us that buildings essentially rake up points by using different sustainable technologies and then they become certified by LEED. I found it interesting to see that the government has started to mandate that its new buildings be LEED certified. I always thought private corporations adopted practices and procedures much faster than the government. It is refreshing to see the government cares about its footprint on the environment.
Amari’s job includes several government projects. One of the most interesting ones to me was the Air Traffic Control Tower in Fort Carson, Colorado. According to Amari's notes, this facility used several LEED building techniques including:
- Improved Building Envelope
- LED Lighting at the Building Exterior and Interior
- Automated Lighting Controls and Day Lighting
- Energy Recovery Ventilation
- Low-Flow Plumbing Fixtures
- Building Automation System
- Transpired Solar Collectors
- Solar Photovoltaic (PV) (on building)
Since I am unfamiliar with building envelopes I decided to research what they were online. According the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions a "building envelope is the interface between the interior of the building and the outdoor environment, including the walls, roof and foundation- serves as a thermal barrier and plays an important role in determining the amount of energy necessary to maintain as comfortable indoor environment relative to the outside environment." I never considered how important this was to a building sustainability so I am glad Amari pointed it out in her presentation to our class.
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Amari Roskelly
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