In 2000, Louisiana was the 24th largest state by population; yet, in that same year, Louisiana ranked as the fifth highest per capita consumer of electricity in the country. Needless to say, Louisiana does not have a good track record in environmental accountability.
Whether it is the effects of the petrochemical industry in the wetlands or the overwhelming preference for greenfield development, Louisiana has not made its name as a green state. Understandably, the state of green building in Louisiana is nascent, and Baton Rouge counts just a few buildings that are considered "green." Unlike California and New York, Louisiana does not give incentives to developers who incorporate eco-friendly building designs, so few opt for green design.
In the case of SGS Petroleum Services Corporation Human Resources and Training Center, the decision was based on the company's guiding principle. SGS trains and contracts employees to safely load and unload environmentally hazardous materials from trucks, barges and railcars. "We are responsible for doing so without damage to people, property or the environment. We have this type of idea in our company ethic," says CEO Cordell Haymon. He wanted to infuse that environmentally conscious ethic into his company's new human resources and training center.
SGS moved to its current location, which was a cluster of suites Haymon converted to the company's headquarters around 30 years ago. "People thought I was crazy for moving downtown," says Haymon. As the company expanded, SGS used what Haymon calls "adaptive reuse of Baton Rouge's existing urban fabric," incorporating a former BF Goodrich service station into its building.
To accommodate the company's growth, Haymon started weighing options for expansion in 2003. "We considered moving the entire office to a new downtown location," says Kelly Kerr, architect for the project. But, ultimately, because it was the most cost-effective option, they opted to renovate a building, which had most recently served as an offsite storage facility for the Department of Insurance across the street.
The Baton Rouge Area Foundation faced a similar problem and solution as SGS. The nonprofit was outgrowing the renovated fire station on Fourth Street that served as its office. After consulting Robert M. Coleman & Partners, who had designed the firehouse renovation, it was decided the most cost-effective option was to build a new office on adjacent property.
It was at that moment BRAF President John Davies decided to go green. "Davies wanted this building to serve as a model to the community. They wanted to prove you could absolutely build an environmentally responsible building at near market rates," says Buddy Ragland Jr., architect for the project. According Ragland, construction costs for BRAF's headquarters were 8% to 9% above market rates.
Ragland and Davies drew up a detailed cost-benefit analysis. They considered capturing rainwater in rooftop cisterns and using it for non-consumption purposes, like flushing the toilets. However, water bills are usually inexpensive, and the cost for installing the cisterns and additional piping did not match the potential savings, so the idea was scrapped.
BRAF did decide, however, to install energy recovery/heat recovery ventilators. The high-efficiency units extract indoor air before it is exhausted and transfer it into the incoming air, thus reducing the amount of energy needed to alter the temperature of incoming air. In this particular case, the financial benefit that would be collected in the next few years outweighed the $20,000 cost. "We calculated that we would saved 40 tons of air-conditioning capacity by having these units installed," says Ragland.
Kerr and Haymon followed the same principle for the Petroleum Services Corporation project. "It wasn't merely altruism. We made decisions based on long-term returns," says Haymon. The two determined where they would get a return on the money invested in the design. If the money could not be recouped in a few years, then that element was jettisoned. "So that meant no solar panels," says Kerr jokingly.
During the BRAF construction, Ragland gave preference to the most environmentally responsible products and materials, especially when the cost did not exceed standard market rates. For example, the frame is made with a high percentage of recycled steel and, to minimize energy consumption involved in transport, preference was given to local suppliers and manufacturers.
Likewise, during the Petroleum Services Corporation renovation, Kerr specified the use of local suppliers and manufacturers as well as the recycling of demolition and construction waste. Though the interior was completely gutted, the most eco-friendly element of the design was making use of the existing slab, roof and exterior walls, which saved both energy and manpower.
The BRAF building did not make use of the existing slab on the site, but it did use cement with high concentrations of fly ash. Fly ash is a mineral residue resulting from the combustion of powdered coal. It is normally discarded, but it can be a cement additive. Cement production is energy intensive, so incorporating fly ash proportionally minimizes the amount of energy produced in cement production and reduces the amount of fly ash in the landfill. Not to mention fly ash-infused cement is more chemically resistant and durable.
Heating, cooling and lighting are elements in which the most energy is wasted throughout the life of a building. With this in mind, Kerr installed insulation into the exterior walls and roof, thermally broken exterior windows with argon gas and a reflective shield below the existing roof structure. He also specified high-efficiency heating and air units. Awnings shade all openings based on solar orientation to minimize direct sunlight during warm months and maximize heat in winter. Offices, reception, bathrooms and all common areas make use of natural lighting to reduce dependence on artificial lighting. Each office is equipped with high-efficiency fluorescent lights that automatically adjust the levels of required supplemental light.
The BRAF building makes use of those same high-efficiency fluorescent lights and, just like the SGS building, BRAF's office space faces the exterior walls to utilize natural light. Sloped, white ceilings maximize the impact of ambient light. Skylights and louvers on exterior windows tract solar orientation and make use of natural light.
Kerr notes part of green building is considering the health of the occupants and incorporating their needs into the design. For example, Kerr prefers using formaldehyde-free substrates and low-VOC (volatile organic compounds) finishes. In the Petroleum Services Corporation renovation, vapor barriers were installed to reduce moisture intrusion, which inhibits mold and mildew growth. Kerr also specified the use of non-allergy inducing plant life.
Kerr incorporates eco-friendly design into all his projects, which are usually residential. He admits because he more often designs intimate scale projects, he has more freedom to incorporate environmentally sustainable elements. Robert M. Coleman & Partners, though not known as a "green firm," have nonetheless also incorporated green elements into other projects, such as the Bon Carr￩ and the ABMB Engineers building on Main Street.
Chenevert Architects is a member of the U.S. Green Building Council and made a commitment to green building. J. Dyke Nelson, chief operating officer and partner, has recently obtained the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification, a national standard for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings. Ever since Nelson was tangentially involved in the launching of the U.S. Green Building Council, he has wanted to become certified. Prior to joining to Chenevert Architects, Nelson worked at Gensler Architecture in San Francisco, one of the foremost leaders in green design.
According to Nelson, more of the firms'clients are asking for green buildings. Chenevert Architects designed an aviation facility in Hammond following the Spirit Gold rating--comparable to a LEED silver rating--and another LEED-certified outpost for U.S. Wildlife & Fisheries in Cameron Parish.
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