SPARK

Discoveries, innovations, and insights that illuminate the future of the built environment

Why simple incentives are the key to dynamic energy efficiency

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Photo by Mark Turnauckas, via Flickr.

Photo by Mark Turnauckas, via Flickr.

What do you think about when you consider extreme energy efficiency? Perhaps you think about gigantic solar arrays, intricate water reclamation technology, or slick computerized building controls.

While all those measures are well and good, you don’t have to buy fancy equipment or use luxury materials to achieve superior energy savings.

When it comes to lowering energy consumption, I believe that simple utility incentives—which are often just a few lines of text—may very well be our most powerful tool.

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Everyday Innovation, Part 1

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Innovation is one of McKinstry’s core values.

Throughout 2016, McKinstry’s Western Washington Region organized an “Everyday Innovation” campaign that set out to share innovations and recognize innovators company-wide. We chose this name for the campaign because even smaller-scale or “everyday” innovations can make a big difference in improving the way we work.

All said, the organizers of the campaign have received more than 60 submissions that highlight an impressive array of creative thinking and have sparked discussions about innovation throughout McKinstry.

While the campaign is ongoing, we’ll be featuring nine of the very best innovation submissions we’ve received thus far in a series of Everyday Innovation posts. This post features the first three submissions.

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In Their Own Words: McKinstry Veterans Discuss Veterans Day

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Today, November 11, is a day unlike any other. Veterans Day gives us all an opportunity to pause and appreciate the service and sacrifice of our nation’s veterans. To all the veterans across our nation—thank you.

In their own words, here are some thoughts about service, sacrifice, and Veterans Day from an assortment of veterans at McKinstry (seen above). This is their day, and we couldn’t be prouder to have these men and women on our team.

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My journey from consulting engineering to the world of design-build

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Kristina Sing, P.E., is Director of Engineering for McKinstry’s Seattle-based Energy team as well as our Portland office. She can be reached at kristinas@mckinstry.com.

In a previous life, I was a mechanical engineer working for a consulting firm. My goal was to become a principal in that firm—that was the path all consulting engineers followed. An engineer would spend years learning the craft, adhering to code changes, and designing projects—eventually moving up to managing projects and the ultimate end game: managing a book of business, developing a client base, and managing a team of engineers.

Around the 10-year mark in my career, I was managing projects with hopes of becoming a principal one day, when I was presented with an opportunity to change jobs. This company was a design-build mechanical contractor. In my experience, though, engineers were often at odds with contractors. The perception was that contractors tried to cheapen the project—they were out to find holes in the design and pine for change orders. Why in the world would I want to go work for the BIG BAD CONTRACTOR?

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At McKinstry, safety is no accident

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Blueprints

“Blueprints” is a Spark series exploring McKinstry’s core business philosophies from our leaders’ perspective. This is the third story in the series, from McKinstry’s Chief Operating Officer: Ron Johnson

Most companies will tell you that safety is important to them. No company wants to be labeled as “unsafe” or give the impression that safety is secondary to anything else.

Now, many companies truly do value safety. I would even say most companies are well-intentioned when it comes to protecting their employees and clients. However, there’s an enormous difference between saying that safety is your top priority and proving that safety is your top priority.

At McKinstry, safety is our top priority and we work hard to demonstrate this every single day.

It’s an indelible part of all aspects of our business.  We have high expectations when it comes to safety because we know it’s the only way we can achieve excellence in all that we do.

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How the Manufacturing Mindset is building (and improving) our future

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Blueprints

“Blueprints” is a Spark series exploring McKinstry’s core business philosophies from our leaders’ perspective. This is the second story in the series, from McKinstry’s President: Doug Moore

For decades, productivity improvement has been a foundational business driver in most industries. As of late, the construction industry is finally catching on.

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McKinstry veterans reflect on service, safety and sacrifice

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Nick, Mike and Ryan, pictured here during their military service.

Nick Biesold, Mike Wilfong and Ryan Hough have cumulatively served for decades in the Army and the Marines. They’ve served in the air, on land and at sea. They’ve been deployed stateside, around the world on amphibious aircraft carriers, in Iraq and in Afghanistan.

As Memorial Day approaches this year, though, all three men find themselves in the same place: McKinstry’s safety department.

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What is “Total Cost of Ownership,” and why does it matter?

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Blueprints

“Blueprints” is a new Spark series exploring McKinstry’s core business philosophies from our leaders’ perspective. This is the first story in the series, from McKinstry’s CEO: Dean Allen.

Whether you’re shopping for a car or building a skyscraper, your goal is the same: making decisions that maximize value and minimize cost over the long-term.

Constructing a multi-story building is obviously a bit more complex than buying a minivan, but the principle remains the same in both cases: educated decision-makers with comprehensive information in hand will make superior choices.

When it comes to being fully informed, there’s no better strategy than conducting a Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) analysis. TCO may sound like an intimidating and technical concept, but it’s much like the process of buying a car.

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Say goodbye to wasted water: How smart water meters help us conserve

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Dripping faucet

Photo by r. nial bradshaw, via Flickr.

We live in a thirsty world, but our water supply is dripping through our fingers.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), dripping faucets and leaking fixtures alone can waste more than a trillion gallons of water annually nationwide, and billions (if not trillions) are wasted through aging infrastructure. With drought looming in the West, many states are facing a serious water crisis.

Unfortunately, we don’t really know how much water is being consumed or how much is lost in transit. However, “smart” water meters and their infrastructure can help establish an accurate baseline across an entire city or utility. This can help reduce water waste, identify leaks and generate vital usage data.

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A “passive” look at the future of energy efficiency

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Passive House in Portland

This Passive House—the “O2Haus” in Portland, Oregon—is one of the more than 120 certified by the Passive House Institute U.S. (PHIUS) since 2001. The house was designed by PDX Living. Interestingly, it’s also available to rent on Airbnb. Photo via Flickr & courtesy of PHIUS.

In writing the 2012 Seattle Energy Code, the Seattle Code Committee did something that is perhaps unprecedented in the history of municipal regulations.

Namely, the new code included a path to compliance that would allow developers to essentially do anything they wanted to a building, so long as the building plans met a few simple prerequisites and a strictly-defined energy performance target. This is a provision that provided developers with a unique degree of flexibility, while also giving the city real leverage in mandating energy efficiency.

While this new compliance path in Seattle is optional (there are three other paths that design teams can use to comply with the code), it represents a shift in energy policy that is truly groundbreaking in America. This alternate compliance path is one of the first true “performance-based” codes in the country, and it represents a glimpse of the future.

Quite frankly, the modern construction industry evolved during a time when high performance wasn’t required in the built environment.

That time, however, is passing.

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