 |
|
Greetings from Olsson Associates
 We have created Perspectives as a way to stay in touch with you and share information to give you a new perspective on Olsson Associates and the work we do. We hope you might learn something new with each issue.
You probably already know that Olsson is a diverse firm and that we deal with everything from wastewater treatment plants to skate parks and designing multi-lane roads to creating sustainable communities.
While this particular issue relates to sustainable neighborhood development, we'll bring you a new topic each month from a wide array of topics-industrial development, permitting, landfill gas capture, and new methods of surveying-just to name a few.
In the meantime, I would be interested in hearing from any of you regarding possible topics that might be of interest or trends you see in your industry. As a group of engineers, planners, scientists, and surveyors, we are in the business of solving problems. We can best offer that service by understanding your needs.
John S. Olsson, PE
| |
LEEDing the Way into Sustainable Neighborhood Development
By Jered Morris, Land Development
If you run out of milk, do you have to grab your keys and drive to the store, or is walking a few blocks an option? How many gallons of gas do you consume on a weekly basis as you drive kids to school or to the park? And, how much of your time, money, and energy is lost in the process?
As our communities have grown, so have the distances we travel. But, we're now seeing a renewed interest in creating neighborhoods that address the problems that sprawling cities have created.
One such solution is the advent of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) system. The last two years have seen an incredible increase in new buildings and retrofits, which improve energy efficiency, reduce water use, and develop a means to trim future expenses.
While energy use in our buildings account for 40 percent of our energy consumption, our vehicles contribute up to 30 percent. The current LEED systems speak somewhat to this latter issue, but it's the pending LEED for Neighborhood Development (LEED-ND) certification that will specifically address this. LEED-ND expands the evaluation from a single building to an entire neighborhood. With this new guideline, cities, developers, consultants, and others will have a standard language to use in creating more sustainable neighborhoods. READ MORE |
Webinar: LEED for Neighborhood Development
Olsson Associates will present "LEED for Neighborhood Development," an AIA approved, one-hour course. This Webinar presentation will cover the draft, post-pilot version of the LEED-ND rating system, which is expected to "go live" in the fall.
We will discuss existing sustainable neighborhoods and will touch on how LEED-ND principles are becoming more appealing to homeowners. Overall, this rating system has a number of positive impacts for those in the development and design industry, which we'll discuss.
October 15, 2009
Noon - 1 p.m., CDT
Click here to register and learn more. |
|
Featured Project: Reid Park Zoo Africa Expansion and Elephant Exhibit | Tucson, Arizona
How do you keep elephants happy in the middle of the Tucson desert?
 Create a habitat that mimics the elephants' native Africa while also withstanding Tucson's climate. Olsson's Landscape Architecture Urban Planning team is providing landscape design services for the African Expansion and Elephant Exhibit at Reid Park Zoo located in Tucson's oldest central park. The seven-acre zoo is expanding, and a new three-acre elephant exhibit is being constructed. An African theme is being incorporated while maintaining a safe and accessible environment for the staff members, the zoo animals, and the general public. READ MORE
| |
|
|
|
Around the Firm
* * *
Did you know Nebraska's "Young Engineer of the Year" works at Olsson? Ryan Kosola of the Lincoln, Nebraska, Transportation team received the honors earlier this summer. |
Stay in Touch with Olsson!
|
|
