Midwestern Consulting

The United States Green Building Council (USGBC) is now roughly 6-months into the implementation of the LEED for Neighborhood Development (LEED-ND) rating system.  After a pilot program and a response period, the new rating system has a total 110 possible points and requires a minimum of 40 points for a project to be certified and 80+ to receive platinum status. 

The main sections to achieve points in are:

• Smart Location and Linkage
• Neighborhood Pattern and Design
• Green Infrastructure and Buildings
• Innovation and Design Process
• Regional Priority Credit

Based on the various credits, one of the primary goals of this rating system is to develop larger concepts of a community and how all the individual pieces work together.  It is an extension of many credits that are already a part of the LEED for New Construction system (LEED-NC), specifically the Sustainable Sites points section. 

It will take a little time to fully digest all the aspects of this rating system, but the key concepts have already begun to be used by Midwestern Consulting on recently started projects and will hopefully continue to be a guiding light for future developments. 

Scott Fisher is an engineer at Midwestern Consulting in Ann Arbor, Michigan.  He is LEED-AP and can be reached at 734.995.0200.

The Michigan Legislature passed the Complete Streets transportation legislation yesterday.  Governor Granholm is expected to sign the bill into law soon.

The legislation is designed to make transportation engineers and city planners think about the needs of users of roadways other than motorists – mainly bicyclists and walkers.  If any of you have had the misfortune of riding your bike in the street and having rude motorists hog the roadway or honk at you in anger you know where this legislation is aimed.

We generally support this new design effort.  But what will it mean to cities, counties and townships?  Will the costs of acquiring new ROW access for sidewalks or bike paths, and their related constructon costs, be worth the effort to encourage residents to ditch their cars? 

If Michigan’s transportation engineers and city planners are serious in their efforts to promote a healthier lifestyle through walking and bicycle riding, there needs to be safe non-motorized pathways for people to use. 

But, we ask, at what cost?

What do you think?  Please leave a comment on this site.

Water mains for fire suppression serving multiple buildings under the same ownership and on the same parcel can be designed to save money on expensive City of Ann Arbor tap, connection, and meter charges (see chart below).

Connection Charges for Fire Service Connections   (Effective 1/1/09)

A recent project included two hotels on one parcel.  Big money was saved on fees by eliminating one fire suppression tap.  Fire suppression was provided by extending the proposed 6” water line from one hotel to the other saving the owner $103,260.

A second project included three rental apartment buildings with a total of 896 bedrooms on one parcel. One 8” tap and a booster pump replaced three 8” taps reducing City fees by $406,880.

This concept can be used in the City of Ann Arbor where there are multiple buildings under the same ownership on a single parcel.  For example, a privately owned office park, a commercial or academic campus, or a retail center with multiple structures and tenants could be designed this way to save big money on tap, connection, and meter charges.

Earl Ophoff, LSA, is a registered landscape architect and senior project manager with Midwestern Consulting, Ann Arbor, Michigan.  Call Earl at 734.995.0200.

Data point cloud from the UT project

(Norcross, GA, 13 July 2010) The iconic Founders Hall at the University of Texas at Dallas is undergoing a speedy HVAC renovation and upgrade thanks in part to Midwestern Consulting, an engineering and surveying consulting firm, and its use high definition laser scanning technology.

Founders Hall was the first permanent structure built at the University soon after it was established in 1969. In 2009, the University initiated a $27.8 million renovation of the structure to improve energy efficiency and update classrooms, laboratories and meeting rooms in all three structures while adding modern amenities.

A key part of the efficiency improvements was to upgrade the complex’s existing 35,000-sq-ft HVAC piping and equipment located in the basement of the original Founders Hall Building C.

Using a Leica HDS 6000 from Leica Geosystems, Midwestern surveyors scanned the basement over the course of a week, collecting nearly 5.5 billion points of information. Then, with help from Ceeko, Inc., a data capture, processing and visualization firm, created a color-coding 3D model.

Brandon Walker, senior project manager with Midwestern Consulting, says, “With the 3D model, the architect and contractor were able to digitally compare the HVAC renovations with existing conditions and avoid potential clashes. We estimate that laser scanning saved at least three major conflicts, at an estimated $15,000 per conflict, on the project and three weeks time.

The Founders Hall renovation project is on schedule for completion in fall 2010.

Another example of a “development friendly-ier” Ann Arbor:

Ann Arbor Administrative Amendments (A4) to approved site plans permit increased building square footage of up to 10 percent of the approved floor area, or 10,000 square feet (sf), whichever is less.  An A4 is approved by staff, does not require a full site plan, Planning Commission, citizens participation, or City Council meetings. 

Larger additions or conversions of excess parking to building square footage can be done incrementally by breaking up proposed floor area increases into phases getting each phase approved separately.  Each phase is subject to the 10 percent/10,000 sf limit.    The additions are not cumulative and can be done in multiple stages that together exceed the 10 percent/10,000 sf maximum.

For example, an existing 100,000 sf retail center with 400 parking spaces now requires 323 to 377 spaces.  Parking could be reduced by up to 77 spaces, building square footage could be increased, or a combination of the two could be done to take advantage of the lower requirements. The maximum increase in building area is 23,870 sf (subject to maximum lot coverage and floor area ratio limits).  This could be done in three Administrative Amendments.

Earl Ophoff, LSA, is a registered landscape architect and senior project manager with Midwestern Consulting, Ann Arbor, Michigan.  Call Earl at 734.995.0200.