CBE Consortium Welcomes first Asia-based Company

Representing the first CBE member headquartered in Asia, LG Electronics has recently joined CBE. LG is a global leader in consumer electronics, appliances, and commercial building HVAC, solar cells, and lighting. The firm is a leader in variable refrigerant flow (VRF) technology for commercial, education, hospitality, retail, and healthcare applications, and also duct-free technology for residential and light commercial markets. The company provides numerous technical and engineering resources to assist specifiers.

Dr. Juyoun Lee, a principal research engineer with LG Electronics Research Center, has worked with CBE as a visiting scholar for over a year, and has worked with CBE researchers on laboratory and simulation studies on human comfort. Dr. Lee is our primary liaison with LG, and is now supporting new CBE market research in collaboration with LG.

Big Ass Fans Joins CBE Consortium

Big Ass Fan brewery installation at
Bell's Brewery, Kalamazoo, MI.

As the name implies, Big Ass Fans is a preeminent designer and manufacturer of fans for commercial, industrial, agricultural, institutional, and residential buildings. The company has headquarters, research and manufacturing facilities in Lexington, KY, and additional facilities in Queensland, Australia. Their products contribute to the sustainability of a building by reducing ductwork, increasing the effectiveness of air distribution systems, and reducing the energy required to provide comfort to occupants.  Included in the company's products is the Haiku® fan, made from FSC bamboo and recently named as a Top-10 Green Building Product in 2013 by BuildingGreen. Haiku is certified by ENERGY STAR as the world’s most efficient ceiling fan, using only 2-30 watts (compared to 90-110 watts for a typical fan).

Big Ass Fans generously donated fans for use in CBE’s human test chamber, and we look forward to working with them and other industry partners on the development of new standards for testing fan performance.

P2S Engineering Joins Integral Group Team

Fullerton College Library
renovation by P2S Engineering.  

We are happy to welcome P2S Engineering to CBE, who joined as part of the Integral Group team. CBE members may remember P2S founder Kent Peterson, who was our guest speaker at CBE's October 2010 advisory board meeting. P2S offers engineering services including MEP, energy efficiency, commissioning and technology for both new and retrofit construction projects. The firm’s practice includes a broad range of project types including education, government, laboratory, industrial, clean energy, infrastructure, and more. 

P2S’ technical staff, comprised of over 50% LEED Accredited Professionals, are passionate about providing sustainable solutions and expertise in high-performance green building projects, and helping clients reach their sustainability goals. The firm has been named for three years in a row as one of the best places to work in Los Angeles, by the Los Angeles Business Journal. The recognition cites the firm’s offices in Long Beach, CA, located in a LEED-Gold tenant improvement project that includes morale boosting features such as a fitness center and green workstations.

2012 Livable Buildings Award Winners Announced

Winner: Clif Bar Headquarters

This summer, a jury of CBE partners selected the winners for the 2012 Livable Buildings Award. Now in its sixth year, this annual award is given to buildings that demonstrate exceptional performance in terms of occupant satisfaction (using CBE's Occupant Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) Survey), resource efficiency, and overall design.

The top award was given to the Clif Bar Headquarters, located in Emeryville, California, and designed by CBE partner ZGF Architects. The project has many outstanding features, including reused materials, open office space, natural light, and photovoltaic panels that generate most of the energy needed for the tenant spaces. 

Honorable Mention: Midtown
Community Elementary School

An honorable mention was also awarded to the Midtown Community Elementary School in Neptune City, New Jersey. This school brings elements of sustainability education not only to the children, but the surrounding community as well.

>> Read more about the projects here.

Centerline: Summer 2012 Now Available

Check out the latest edition of Centerline, CBE's bi-annual e-magazine! You can download the PDF here: www.cbe.berkeley.edu/centerline/summer2012.pdf

This edition includes a feature article on measuring workplace productivity, news about many of our projects that are moving forward this summer, a welcome to the newest CBE Partner, and information about events planned for this fall around CBE's October conference and Greenbuild.

We hope you enjoy this issue! Looking for the Centerline archive? View it here.

Productivity and "Rules of Thumb"

We are exploring two topics, and are seeking feedback from industry professionals. Please send David Lehrer your thoughts, insights, and opinion on:

1) Workplace productivity in green buildings: Considered a compelling benefit in high-performance buildings by some, increased productivity has been difficult to quantify. What is your firm doing to improve, investigate, or document productivity (or effectiveness) in the workplace?

2) "Rules of thumb" for design and operation: What rules of thumb do you use, where did they come from, and when are they appropriate and useful? What problems do they cause?

Cubicle Culture

CBE researcher John Goins is gaining more national attention with his expertise on occupant comfort and indoor environmental quality. Last week, he was interviewed on the NPR show Radio Times, where he discussed his research on productivity and cubicle culture. John has surveyed over 65,000 office workers through our IEQ Survey, providing him with tips and insight on office design and maximizing worker productivity. You can listen to the full show here, with John's portion beginning at 15:00.


How is your company office arranged? What is your experience working in a cubicle?