July 9, 2008

A NEW LEASE ON LIFE, NEW LOGO, NEW STAFF

On May 24, ACEEE shut its doors at 1001 Connecticut Avenue for the last time. No more would we have to worry about the building's aging fenestration or the inadequate cooling in the conference room. While Carlos' burrito stand and the view of the Washington Monument would be sorely missed, ACEEE packed its bags, boxes, and crates and moved to the historic National Press Building (NPB), just a short distance away.

On May 27, ACEEE flipped the switches to “on” at our new location, 529 14th Street, N.W., Suite 600, ready to begin our next chapter.

We knew that this relocation provided us with a welcome opportunity to "walk the talk" of our mission. In selecting office space at the NPB, we would benefit from recent NPB renovations which incorporated triple glazed windows, a new four-pipe heating and cooling system with a non-CFC chiller, and a modern electrical and plumbing system, including compliance with ASHRAE standard 62 (indoor air quality).

The actual build-out of our new space was led by a team of individuals who had ACEEE's mission at heart, incorporating many energy-efficient components into the design. These included:

• Energy-efficient lighting and occupancy sensors with about 30% energy savings relative to prevailing building codes (we’re at about 0.65 connected Watts/sq.ft.).
• Use of sidelights and clerestory windows on the perimeter offices to optimize daylight penetration throughout the suite.
• Energy Star appliances in the kitchen.
• Carpeting, which contains recycled content and is recyclable at end of life, with other floor areas utilizing linoleum, not vinyl based products.
• Zero VOC (volatile organic compounds) paint.
• Acoustical ceiling tile which has a minimum 40% recycled content.

The lighting system includes suspended lighting fixtures using “super T8” lamps and ballasts, with ballasts tuned to each room’s lighting needs, T5 recessed indirect lighting fixtures, and LED desk lamps (using 3 or 6 W).

The architects behind this design, OTJ Architects, designed our new space creating strong impressions through form, light, and color. Our primary architect was LEED-certified and the construction firm, HBW Group, has issued a challenge to all of its project managers to be LEED-certified by year-end. Our commercial real estate firm, the Ezra Company, provided the means to navigate the entire process of this build-out and ensure all decision were environmentally sound and energy efficient. ACEEE's staff provided many design suggestions and used this project as an opportunity to pass on energy efficiency knowledge to the design team.

We are pleased to acknowledge and thank Lithonia Lighting and Whirlpool for donating lighting fixtures and the refrigerator, and Finelite for providing lighting fixtures at a deep discount.

Directions to ACEEE's New Office

Watch the video about ACEEE's move on YouTube.

As we seized opportunities to improve our physical space, we decided to update our graphical image, too. In sync with our move, we introduced a new graphic look for ACEEE, starting with our logo.

It’s a good thing our new home in the NPB gives us room to grow, because we continue to welcome new staff. Joining us in recent weeks have been Moira Annelin, Finance Associate, Suzanne Watson, Energy Policy Director, Amanda Korane, Research Assistant for the Buildings Program, and Harry Misuriello, Visiting Fellow with the Buildings Program, who is working on building codes.

The Buildings Program also gained a new Director, Jennifer Thorne Amann, who was promoted from Senior Associate. She replaces Harvey Sachs who will continue work with the Buildings Program as an ACEEE Fellow.

We said good-bye to Katie Ackerly, Buildings Program Research Assistant, but not for long! She’ll be with us at the 2008 Summer Study in Asilomar to present an ACEEE paper just days before she leaves us for good to begin graduate study in architecture at UC Berkeley.

Back to ACEEE's Grapevine Online