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Linnean Solutions looks at how tenant organizations can reduce total costs of occupancy and reduce their resource use. This article in FMLink looks at tools for working with building owners.
The news of the future: a list of some of the green ideas of tomorrow.
Energy
Linnean uses software tools to understand the energy use of each building and a campus or portfolio - each type of facility has its own energy-use profile. Using these tools, Linnean can provide qualified advice about where to look first for energy use reduction and savings. While the data shown here is based on annual usage, looking at daily or hourly usage data can provide clear feedback on specific activities or equipment as well as showing actual reductions from changes that have been implemented.
Linnean's stable of data integration, energy analysis, and visualization tools will give high level managers a clear view of overall energy use and what projects to pursue to reduce energy demand.
Water
Even areas with seemingly abundant water can have water problems that large facilities can exacerbate. What does your organization use water for? How much do specific activities use? How does your organization handle waste water and stormwater runoff? Keeping track of water use and wate/storm water on a regular schedule can help save costs and provide information about community impacts.
Waste
An integrated view of waste from an organization or facility can provide quite a bit of insight into how to both reduce cost and reduce negative environmental effects. Closer integrated monitoring of waste streams, even when they are managed separately, can show the way to more direct control of impacts and costs by helping mid-level managers to see how the activities under their control affect overall waste management.
Land Use
When considering land use options and employee plans, the true economic cost of parking, as a use of land can provide insight into other potential options. What are the costs of options to reduce parking land area? Are there ways to make surface parking more useful and how do the costs stack up? Ongoing monitoring of parking usage can also provide valuable knowledge of the effectiveness of employee behavior change strategies and other transportation reduction actions.
People
How much can facility design and operation affect employee productivity? General studies suggest that specific strategies can have a measurable effect on productivity. However, each organization has specific culture and needs, so ongoing monitoring of productivity measures is the only effective way to know how to create the most effective working environments over time.
About Linnean Solutions
Marcus Springer, RIBA, AIA, LEED AP
Marcus has worked for twenty years as an Architect and Planner for commercial and academic clients around the world. He brings a broad knowledge of buildings and design, specifically that of energy efficient and integrated design.
He was educated at Queen’s University at Kingston, Ontario in Canada and the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London, UK. He is a Charter Member of the Royal Institute of British Architects, and is an International Associate Member of the American Institute of Architects.
He is a LEED® Accredited Professional, a member of Governor Deval Patrick’s Zero Net Energy Buildings Task Force, as well as serving on Mayor Thomas Menino's Climate Action Committee. He is the founder of the USGBC Massachusetts Chapter Advocacy Committee and serves on the Boston Society of Architecture's Legislative Affairs Committee and the Committee on Advancement of Sustainability.
Marcus was instrumental in drafting advisory language that led to the Green Communities Act of 2007, a comprehensive piece of energy reform legislation promoting development of renewable energy, energy efficiency, “green communities,” and implementation of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI).
Prior to founding Linnean Solutions, he worked as an Architect at firms including Sasaki Associates Inc., Kohn Pedersen Fox International and Foster and Partners.
Jim Newman, LEED AP
As founder and principal of Linnean Solutions, Jim brings experience and a focus on the presentation of complex information for decision-makers. His projects with educational and real estate firms have focused on strategic planning and managing operational efficiency
Jim was formerly the Director of Strategy and Business Development at BuildingGreen, LLC, a green building resource reaching thousands of subscribers. In this capacity, he worked with design and construction related firms and agencies to bring green design into their standard practice. He also lead a number of high-profile projects, including the development of the BuildingGreen Suite (BuildingGreen.com), through funding from NYSERDA, and a research and writing project to create Green Guideline Specifications, funded by EPA. His work has also included leading the development of the recently launched LEEDuser information resource.
Jim is a member of the Board of the Massachusetts Chapter of the USGBC, a board member of the Green Resources Institute, and has spoken at numerous conferences and seminars around the US. He was educated at Lehigh University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Travis Sheehan
Travis Sheehan is a sustainability consultant at Linnean Solutions. He provides expertise in green infrastructure development and public policy through his experience in urban planning consulting in China, Japan, India, Scandinavia, the Mediterranean and the US. Mr. Sheehan holds dual-master’s degrees in Architecture and City Planning from MIT where he developed decision making tools for technology cluster developments based on green infrastructure pricing and benefits. Travis also focuses on research into the application of sustainability principles, specifically district energy, into urban design and real estate development, including into cluster projects.
