Posted by Jessie Woodyard on Wed, Feb 03, 2010 @ 01:06 PM
There is a serious possibility of a new Apple store coming to downtown Palo Alto. The current store located at 451 University Ave - the heart of Downtown Palo Alto. It's hard to imagine it getting much more up-front-and-center than that but indeed, there is talk of retrofitting the old Z Gallerie space located at 340 University Ave., right next to Longs Drug and across the street from the popular restaurant Joya.
Bohlin Cywinski Jackson are the lead architects and if they are doing anything like what they've designed in the past, Palo Alto is in for a real treat.
You might have seen pictures of Bohlin's Apple store in New York City. If not, I've imbedded a few pictures below. Talk about infill, this store is perhaps the most creative use of sidewalk I've ever seen.
32' x 32' glass box that sits at the entrance of The GM Building mimicking the glass pyramid outside the Louve in Paris. 
Is this what Palo Alto is in store for?
Well, if they do take 340 University, the space will be about 10,700 square feet (50% larger than the store down the street).
Rumor has it, the new store's façade would be completely transparent up to about 25'; sidewalks meets Apple store.
There will be 2 new skylights installed- approximately 12' x 77' and 27' x 39'. 3 trees would be planted in the rear of the building just below one of these skylights. 27 LEED points could be achieved which would allow for a LEED Certificate.
The building is currently boarded up with little activity to note. Come this time next year though, we might be looking at something very different. We might be looking at "Before" and "After" pictures.
Want updates? Barry Swenson Builder is tracking Apple's progress and we'll be happy to keep you in the loop. Email: jwoodyard@barryswensonbuilder.com to keep in touch.
Posted by Josh Burroughs on Sun, Jan 17, 2010 @ 11:39 PM
Released on January 12, 2010 by Governor Schwarzenegger's Office: the building standards commission unanimously passed the mandatory green building code, CALGREEN, effective Jan. 1, 2011 for all new buildings in the state.
The code is aimed to help meet the goals of curbing global warming and achieving 33 percent renewable energy by 2020 and promotes the development of more sustainable communities by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving energy efficiency in every new home, office building or public structure.
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR YOUR DEVELOPMENT?
1. Must reduce water consumption by 20%
2. Must divert 50% of construction waste from landfills and install low pollutant-emitting materials.
3. Requires separate water meters for non-residential buildings' indoor and outdoor water use.
4. Mandatory moisture-sensing irrigation systems for larger landscape projects.
5. Mandatory inspections of energy systems for buildings over 10k Square Feet.
BENEFITS:
- Reduction in California Green house gas emissions by 3 Million metric tons by 2020 (estimated)
- Ability for property owners to label their buildings CALGREEN compliant, without using costly 3rd party certification programs
For more information on the program visit the standards commission website at: http://www.bsc.ca.gov/default.htm
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Green Architecture? To learn more about how to design your next development in compliance with these new standards contact our Architecture department today! > Click Here
Posted by Josh Burroughs on Tue, Dec 29, 2009 @ 03:45 PM
I was reading the other day that TransForm, an advocate for smart public transportation and walkable communities, just awarded its first-ever GreenTRIP certification to a new development in San Jose called The Ohlone. That's because The Ohlone development will keep the number of new parking spaces as low as possible and offer
incentives for new tenants to drive less. Here's a quick link to
The Ohlone Project website.
Formerly TALC (the Transportation and Land Use Coalition), Transform advocates programs and projects such as green communities, safe routes to schools, smart growth, and innovative public transportation options.
When it comes to green building, how people get to a building is just as important as what that building is made of. They want GreenTRIP to become the gold standard for low-traffic development.
Click
here to learn more about their program, and if you know of a project, it's simple to apply for a certification!
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To learn more about sustainable building practices and green construction techniques for your next project, e-mail Jeff Current at jcurrent@barryswensonbuilder.com today to see how your project can reach maximum efficiency.
Posted by Jessie Woodyard on Tue, Dec 15, 2009 @ 01:33 PM
We have continued doing more research on the available incentives to incorporate ClearEdge5 into a project. Here is a breakdown of those incentives as summarized on the ClearEdge5 Website:
"The ClearEdge5 currently qualifies for significant clean energy rebates and tax incentives.
The Self Generation Incentive Program (SGIP) is available to anyone who is receiving either electricity or gas from any investor owned utility, including:
- Pacific Gas & Electric
- Southern California Edison
- Southern California Gas ("The Gas Company")
- San Diego Gas & Electric
The rebate program provides $2.50/watt for fuel cell equipment. For the ClearEdge5 that translates into a $12,500 check for each unit installed at a qualified site! To learn more about the SGIP program, contact your utility provider, or check out the California Public Utilities Commission's informational website here.
A federal fuel cell tax credit, an extension of the Investment Tax Credit (ITC), adds additional savings. A tax credit is different from a tax deduction, which subtracts money from gross income before tax liability is calculated. The ITC actually entitles the taxpayer to subtract the amount of the credit-dollar-for-dollar-from total federal tax liability.
Home Owners qualify for incentives totaling $17,500
For Home Owners, the fuel cell extension of the ITC will credit 30% of the cost of the unit, up to $1,000 per kW. When a ClearEdge5 is installed at a home, it qualifies for a $5000 total credit.
Businesses can save over $25,000 through rebates and tax incentives
For Businesses, the ITC will credit 30% of the cost of the unit, up to $3,000 per kW. In this case, the ClearEdge5 qualifies for a $15,000 total tax credit.
Click here to get more information about the Investment Tax Credit. For details please speak to your tax consultant.
Also for businesses, the purchase of a ClearEdge5 energy system qualifies for accelerated depreciation deductions. Speak with your tax consultant for details. To get more information from the Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency (DSIRE) click here."
We are continually learning more about ClearEdge5 amoung other sustainable and energy reducing products that can be incorporated into a home or commercial building.
Some of the other sustainable products we are studying can be found by contacting us at jburroughs@barryswensonbuilder.com or jwoodyard@barryswensonbuilder.com .
More energy saving information can be found here.
Posted by Jessie Woodyard on Wed, Dec 02, 2009 @ 12:15 PM
Everyone knows about green construction,
LEED construction or sustainable construction. Pretty much slap any trendy "green" buzz word before "construction" and most people will have some idea what you're talking about. But how about Lean Construction?
Lean Construction is "a production management-based approach to project delivery -- a new way to design and build capital facilities" 
according to the Lean Construction Institute. The general philosophies focused around increasing communication between supplies and project managers that ultimately results in minimizing waste at the project delivery level and improves value for the customer.
Broken down further.....if general contractors are focused on reducing costs, staying within budget and delivering on time, the Project Managers of construction sites are focused on keeping a consistent and aggressive work pace so crews are continually working on one project and can flow seamlessly onto the next.
Lean Construction draws on these basic construction principles at the project- level and allows for easier management at the product-level. Wikipedia has a good summary of Lean Construction's best practices:
- Finished building will deliver maximum functionality, which includes delighted end users.
- End Users will benefit from the lowest optimum cost of ownership.
- Inefficiency and waste in the use of labor and materials will be eliminated.
- Specialist suppliers will be involved in design from the outset to achieve integration and buildability.
- Design and construction will be through a single point of contact for the most effective co-ordination and clarity of responsibility.
- Current performance and improvement achievements will be established by measurement.
Thus far, Lean Construction hasn't caught the trend wave or we would have been hearing more about it. But it goes to show the sustainable movement felt throughout the industry is hitting at all levels- even at an unsuspected production level.
If you have any questions relating to Lean Construction, contact the Construction Department at Barry Swenson Builder, Ron Cote 408-938-6365 or rcote@barryswensonbuilder.com
Posted by Jessie Woodyard on Tue, Oct 06, 2009 @ 08:32 PM
Menlo Park is generally a pretty sleepy town but soon, it could be the newest home to Class A mixed-use office - a legacy property for David Bohannon and his family who have owned the site since the 1930s.
Gone are the days of pasture and grassland from the 30's; currently the site has 219,000 square feet of low-rise industrial buildings and depending on the outcome of the Menlo Park Planning Commission October 5, the site could be re-zoned from industrial to mixed-use office park.
According to the October 2 San Jose Business Journal article, The Menlo Gateway would encompass three, eight-story office buildings, an 11-story hotel, fitness center, restaurant, and two parking structures with a parking capacity of 2,300 total cars. They are also setting a goal of LEED Gold for the office and LEED Silver for the hotel, which is quite the precedent for Class A office and hotel on the Peninsula.
It will be a long-time coming, though. With the market where it currently resides, Bohannon commented that it would probably wait until 2011 to start construction.
To learn more, Bohannon has created a very high quality website dedicated to the project itself. To see it, Click Here.