Randy Meyers has joined HOK’s San Francisco practice as senior vice president and leader of the office’s engineering group. With 35 years of experience across a wide variety of project types, Meyers will be responsible for overall leadership and management of the office’s engineering disciplines.
AUSTIN, Texas — With minimal rain, commercial water consumers are prompted to implement innovative ways to conserve water, but it can be difficult to know how to start the process without a water expert on staff.
WASHINGTON — California is the nation’s leader in solar energy, according to a new report from the Washington, D.C.-based Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA).
PITTSBURGH — The Green Mountain Energy Sun Club based in Pittsburgh announced March 16 it will donate more than $422,000 to 10 nonprofit organizations across Pennsylvania and New York to fund the purchase and installation of new solar projects that will be completed throughout 2015. The Sun Club is a crowd-funding organization sponsored by Green Mountain Energy Company based in Austin, Texas.
PARIS — The Eiffel Tower in Paris is going green with new wind turbines that will help produce electricity.
New York-based UGE International installed two on-site wind turbines at the Eiffel Tower as part of a renovation and upgrade to the first floor of the monument. Located above the second level for its wind conditions, the turbines are now producing 10,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity annually, equal to the power the Eiffel Tower’s first floor would typically use.
CHICAGO — The Field Museum in Chicago was awarded LEED Gold certification for Existing Buildings Operations and Maintenance (EB O+M) on March 16.
One of the world’s largest natural history museums, The Field Museum is one of only two museums in the U.S. that has earned LEED-EB O+M Gold certification. It is believed that it is the oldest museum building to achieve LEED.
Amanda Loper, AIA LEED AP, has been promoted to principal at David Baker Architects (DBA) of San Francisco. Loper first joined DBA in 2006 and has since worked on a variety of affordable housing, market-rate housing and commercial projects. Currently, she is consulting for the city of San Francisco to craft a density bonus program and is designing the Hunters View Block 10 project.
MaxLite expands its portfolio of ballast-compatible products with new LED DirectFit PL Lamps. The retrofit lamps convert existing four-pin fixtures to LED technology in a matter of seconds. LED DirectFit PL Lamps are a plug-and-play replacement for compact fluorescent lamps (CFL) in downlights, sconces and other four-pin base fixtures commonly used in commercial buildings. The 13-watt retrofit lamps operate directly off of a fixture’s existing ballast, allowing facility managers to reap the energy-saving benefits of LED technology in the most cost-effective way.
Volt Lighting announced the introduction of new solar LED Security Flood Lights. The lights are constructed of a main fixture/sensor assembly and a separate solar panel. An external power source is not required. These lights provide cost-effective solutions for security lighting needs. An additional feature is that the solar panel can be mounted up to 15 feet from the fixture/sensor unit. This gives the installer flexibility in choosing the best location and orientation of the solar panel.
