Omaha, Nebraska

THE PULLMAN PROJECT An Investigation into the Development of a Green Building in Omaha, Nebraska THE OMAHA GREEN BUILDING COUNCIL Nebraska State Recycling Association Joslyn Castle Institute for Sustainable Communities and Inner-City Coalition on the Environment May, 1999 Funding for this project was provided by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) and its Sustainable Development Challenge Grant program. THE OMAHA GREEN BUILDING INITIATIVE Funding for this project was provided by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) and its Sustainable Development Challenge Grant program. We extend special thanks to Richard Sumpter, EPA, Region 7 staff person in Kansas City. DEDICATION This report documents a herculean eflort by a large and diverse number of Nebraska individuals and groups who share a love for the environment and apassionfor conservation in all its forms. No one person better exemplij?es this spirit of community cooperation and creative problem solving than Bob Light, former owner of the Pullman Hotel. As the research for this project evolved, the hotel began to be called “Bob’sBuilding” by everyone. He generously hosted tours and inspections, and gave total access to all of our project volunteers -- no strings attached. Bob Is dream was a like-new “green” building that would be his personal residence, but illness forced him to sell the building. The Nebraska State Recycling Association (NSRA) dedicates this document to the spirit of “Bob’s Building ” and renewing our commitment to “green-ness,’? wherever we manage to find it. To Bob. Good Health and God Bless. THE OMAHA GREEN BUILDING INITIATIVE The Green BuildingEco Park Project was a community-based effort that could not have - taken place without a tremendous number of volunteer hours contributed by numerous individuals, groups, and businesses. The “Green Building Council” was organized to include a Management Team, five working committees, and a number of paid and volunteer consultants. To all of these partners, we extend our appreciation. Their participation has enhanced our efforts and hopes for a “greener” future for Omaha. We are grateful to the following for their contributions of time, ideas, hard work, and support. Management Team Site Selection Committee Steve Andrews Kay Stevens Jim Ault Executive Director, Francis Boggus Nebraska State Recycling Association Janet Bonet John Dineen Catherine McGuire, AIA Bruce Ehrich Executive Director, Angela Eikenbeny Joslyn Castle Institute for Carrie Hakenkamp Sustainable Communities Gene Hanlon Barbi Hayes Elizabeth Stevens Julie Kalkowski Associate Director, Deron Lawrence Joslyn Castle Institute for Patrick My Sustainable Communities Bob Light Catherine McGuire Barbi Hayes Dan Montez Inner-City Coalition Rudy Novacek on the Environment Pat Slaven Jim Steffan Elizabeth Stevens Kay Stevens Paul Thomsen Remediation Committee Janet Bonet Bruce Ehrich Carrie Hakenkamp Barbi Hayes Deron Lawrence THE OMAHA GREEN BUILDING INITIATIVE Building Design Committee Landscape Committee Finance Committee Ron Baker Rachel Bender Kim Bonniwell Francis Boggus George Bryan Eric Bunderson James Dahlin Jeff Fahs Christian Christensen John Dineen Cynthia Fitzgerald Jeanne Eibes Dan Donahoe Mike Gulbrandsen Gene Hanlon Angela Eikenberry Sara McCandless Sheme Hanneman Karen Falconer-A1 Hindi Maureen Monohan Julie Kalkowski Tony Hazuka Glenn Pollock Pat Langan Kama Helmstadter Pat Slaven John Luce Dan Kammerer Elizabeth Stevens Michael Maroney Kerry Keelan Trilety Wade Mary Potmesil Partrick Leahy Dennis Smith Larry Liss Jim Steffan John Luce Kay Stevens Bruce Maine Rob Stevens Waddell McGee Catherine McGuire Eric Nation Lou Paladin0 Dorothy Patach Joyce Slezak Cathy Wagner Michaella Wright Professional Consulting Services were provided by: Greg Franta, FAIA, ENSAR Group, Inc., Environmentally Sustainable Architecture Fiona Cousins, PE, Ove Arup and Partners, Mechanical Engineering Martin H. Shukert, AICP, RDG Crose Gardner Shukert Murray Milne, Professor, University of California, Los Angeles (Energy Design Tools) The Design Committee benefitted from the special assistance of the following: Dan Donahoe, Mechanical Engineer, Leo A. Daly Company Michael A. Naccarato, Structural Engineer, Leo A. Daly Company Mike Kuhse, Structural Engineer, HDR Architecture James Dahlin, 3D Architectural Drawings, DLR Group Omaha Public Power District for guidance on ground source heat pumps Nebraska Public Power District for guidance with photovoltaic applications John Luce and Pat Dill of John Luce Company contributed over 200 hours of time developing construction cost estimates through the program development and preliminary design process. The Student Design Competition was co-sponsored by the University of Nebraska College of Architecture, Yankee Hill Brick of Lincoln, and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Topeka. ~~ Mike Gengler of Joslyn Castle Institute for Sustainable Communities illustrated green building concepts for this report. Tim Wentz, President of the Nebraska Chapter of ASHRAE and Professor at UNL and students in Mechani- cal Systems investgated construction management issues. A special thanks to HDR and OPPD for their donations of funds and space to host two Green Building Council meetings. .. 3 THE OMAHA GREEN BUILDING INITIATIVE Introduction 1 Chapter One Project Background and Objectives 3 Chapter Two The Site Selection Process 6 Chapter Three The Building Design Process 10 Chapter Four Systems and Material Selection 22 Chapter Five Eco Park: The Pullman Building in the Urban Landscape 38 Chapter Six Project Cost Estimates 46 Chapter Seven Project Feasibility and Financing 49 Chapter Eight Applying Green Building Principles to Other Projects 53 Appendix Sustainability Report: The Pullman, Omaha, Nebraska Ensar Group, Inc. Green Building/Eco Park, Omaha: Building Mechanical Design Report Ove Amp & Partners THE OMAHA GREEN BUILDING INITIATIVE INTRODUCTION OMAHANS, in common with other Americans, express increasing concern about such critical environmental issues as global warming, excessive energy consumption, and the inefficiencies of a disorganized and decentralized development pattern often referred to as “urban sprawl.” Yet, we rarely translate these concerns into actions. Omaha contin- ues to develop in a manner that spreads urban development across the countryside at low densities. Between 1950 and 1999, the population within the city limits has grown from about 250,000 to 350,000, an increase of about 40%. However, the city’s area has almost tripled during this same period, growing from 40 to 110 square miles. This revealing comparison does not include suburban and rural development in Douglas County and surrounding metropolitan counties. Our preferred lifestyle uses more space, and consequently requires more resources and energy to sustain itself. Ulti- mately, we reach a point where we can neither support our energy consumption habits, nor do very much to change them. In 1992, the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, often referred to as the “Earth Summit,” convened in Rio de Janeiro. The conference posited the concept of sustainable development as a solution to the paradox of encouraging international development while addressing growing long-range environmental concerns. Sustainable development can be defined as development which uses resources to create an acceptable standard of living<whileensuring the viability of future genera- tions. While the concept of sustainable development is global in scale, it has a local corollary - how do we promote development patterns and construction methods within our own city that meet our expectations of producing quality environments that use resources efficiently. Page 1 - THE OMAHA GREEN BUILDING INITIATIVE In order to investigate the concept of local sustainable development, three organizations with a shared concern for the urban environment applied for and received a planning grant from the Environmental Protection Agency to plan a Green Building development in Omaha. The participating organizations included the Nebraska State Recycling Association (NSRA), the Joslyn Castle Institute for Sustainable Communi ties (JCI), and the Inner-City Coalition on the Environment (ICE). The goals of the project were to: Establish a broad-based community consortium of organizations and professional volunteers, a “Green Building Council,” to investigate and promote the development of a Green Building and Eco Park project in particular and sustainable development patterns in general. Identify a specific project to demonstrate the application of Green Building and Eco Park practices and technologies. Add to the state-of-the-art of building, rehabilitation, site development, and landscape practice in the Omaha community and identify methods that can be replicated in other local projects. This technical report summarizes the results of the experience that began with the award of the Sustainable Development Challenge Grant by the EPA in July 1997. After an intensive review of candidate projects, the Green Building Council focused on the adaptive reuse of the former Pullman Hotel, a 25,000 square foot, four-story structure at 1W and Pacific Streets, on the southern edge of Omaha’s Old Market district. This document provides a case study of planning for the rehabilitation of this structure according to Green Building principles. Its lessons apply to other projects in Omaha’s active program of adaptive reuse of historic downtown buildings.

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