print this article | 
e-mail this article | 
comment Green Job Opportunities Grow For Niche Contractors
The demand for sustainable construction jobs is growing as traditional niches turn toward green.
When Dennis Anderson began working in the building commissioning field in the 1970s, there weren’t many professional consultants who would evaluate and analyze a building’s construction and systems.
Now, Anderson says, “commissioning is becoming business as usual.”
Anderson is president of the three-person Systems Commissioning Consultants in Clackamas, Ore. As “advocates for the owner,” Anderson and his team work closely with owners, designers, contractors and other members of a project team to make sure that construction projects meet the needs and fulfill the requirements of the owners. A typical assignment for a building commissioning professional will begin early in the design process and continue through construction and the first year of occupancy.
Anderson’s firm uses the LEED commissioning structure on all of its projects. He says LEED provides the best structure for all projects, even those not aiming for certification.
Anderson came from a background in engineering and eventually became a certified commissioning professional. He sees building commissioning as a “collaborative effort” between all of the people involved in a project.
“My impression is that we all want to deliver the best building we can,” Anderson says.
Based on what you have seen and read about this project, how would you grade it? Use the stars below to indicate your assessment, five stars being the highest rating.
Energy Modeling: Mitch Dec, Glumac, Portland
“Energy has always been a part of Glumac,” says Mitch Dec, senior energy analyst at the Portland-based engineering firm. “We’ve been doing energy analysis for over 25 years.”
In recent years, the demand for energy modeling for both new and existing buildings has increased rapidly. In 2004, Glumac had just two full-time energy analysts. It now has 12 analysts across six offices.
Dec is a mechanical engineer by training but always focused on renewable energy during his college years. Currently there is no specific energy-related license or accreditation required to be an energy analyst.
Energy analysts spend a lot of time gathering architectural, utility, equipment and consumption information about a building and working with computer models. With the advent of building information modeling and other interactive computer models, energy analysts can provide more detailed analysis that “allows us to at any one moment in time see what trade-offs are,” Dec says.
Fieldwork is also vital to the process, especially on existing buildings. “We do interviews with the staff running the equipment, find out how it’s being controlled and how it’s running,” he says.
While energy modeling continues to be an important piece of new construction projects, Dec says that the area of most rapid growth currently is on existing buildings. “Right now on average each week, we’re submitting three to five proposals for energy audits on existing buildings,” Dec says.
He says existing buildings can realize significant benefits from an energy audit, especially in tight financial times.
Solar Roofing Systems: Scott King, Northwest Solar Solutions, Tigard, Ore.
When Snyder Roofing wanted to expand its business a few years ago, it wasn’t a big stretch to move into the solar industry.
“We already provided every service on top of a roof,” says Scott King, principal at Northwest Solar Solutions, a subsidiary of Snyder Roofing. Solar panel installations provided “another avenue to expand the company.”
King says “there’s not a lot that’s really foreign to roofing technology” when it comes to installing photovoltaic panel systems. “There’s a membrane that’s similar, and the basic layout isn’t really different,” he adds.
King says his biggest challenge was finding an electrician who shared a vision for working closely with a roofer to install photovoltaic systems. He says he interviewed several before finding Frahler Electric of Tigard. Now, Northwest Solar Solutions and Frahler Electric work together as a team.
“We already provided every service on top of a roof,” says Scott King, principal at Northwest Solar Solutions, a subsidiary of Snyder Roofing.
Besides being licensed as a general contractor, Northwest Solar Solutions is also a registered Energy Trust Trade Ally with the Energy Trust of Oregon. There aren’t any specific solar-related accreditations required for installing photovoltaic panels.
King says a solar roof is a much faster installation than a standard roof. He says a “worst-case scenario with a compete tear-off” on a standard 10,000 sq ft roof might take three weeks from start to finish, whereas the same roof with photovoltaic panels might take only “a week to 10 days.”
Ecoroofs: SuSu Hunniecutt, Teufel Nursery, Portland
For SuSu Hunniecutt, being able to dig up rooftop planters and put in new plants is a welcome change.
Hunniecutt is currently serving as one of the many volunteers who are planting a “victory garden” on the fifth-floor ecoroof on the Multnomah Building in Portland. The ecoroof was installed in 2003, and volunteers are planting a vegetable garden in the existing planters on a 3,000 sq ft public patio as a demonstration project for modeling an urban garden.
Hunniecutt spends much of her time marketing, developing new business and estimating new projects for Tuefel Nursery. She also finds time to speak to businesses and community groups on the advantages of ecoroofs, and she recently helped to found the Green Roof info Think Tank, a group focused on discussing green roof issues, information and opportunities.
Hunniecutt says ecoroof installations are “definitely more complicated than on-grade landscaping. There are always access issues and structural issues. For example, you can’t just stockpile soil in one area.”
Other logistic issues often arise with getting materials to the rooftop. “When it’s a new construction site, we can sometimes use a crane,” she says.
Working on a rooftop also introduces safety issues, especially when the ecoroof extends to the edge of the roof. “We’ve had to harness in on some jobs,” Hunniecutt says.
Hunniecutt adds that there are many advantages of ecoroofs. “They help manage stormwater runoff, have a cooling effect and reduce heating and cooling costs to the building,” she says. “And they extend the life of the roof by reducing exposure to the elements.”
For more information see:
Green Roofs: http://www.greenroofs.com/projects/pview.php?id=68
City of Portland Environmental Services: http://www.portlandonline.com/BES/index.cfm?c=44422
Building Commissioning: http://www.bcxa.org/
del.icio.us
