Greenbuild recap: Seattle represented!
GreenBuild is done for another year. Looking back, I can definitely say the Pacific Northwest - and Seattle in particular - represented.
From speakers (there were at least 35 from the Pacific Northwest) to people in the crowd (I must have seen at least 50 people from the area) to a reference in Rick Fedrizzi's opening speech to the Living Building Challenge to expo hall presenters, there was a giant contingent representing what
Overall, I noticed a change in GreenBuild presenters. It seemed (to me) that there was a little less architectural focus and more focus on the financial aspect of green building from the real estate side. Speakers came from Kennedy Associates, Wright Runstad & Co., Hines, PNC Real Estate, Lease Crutcher Lewis, Vulcan, Jones Lang LaSalle etc. To me, this reinforced the idea that "green" is becoming more and more mainstream. While the design aspect is important, the financial metrics really sell it -- just look at LEED volume. I also noticed a focus on the sustainability of the site, versus just the sustainability of the building.
I enjoyed the focus of the expo floor to reduce waste. Instead of a flood of literature that stays on my desk for months, presenters were encouraged to limit waste and only give away business cards. It was impressive.
I also enjoyed some of the wild outfits that turned up. Especially colorful cowboy hats, a full fake animal print suit in different colors and the myriad of cowboy boots worn on people's feet. A friend of mine said there seemed to be a lot more suits at GreenBuild this year - which she said is a good thing "cuz we need 'em!"
As for dislikes, I heard a lot of complaints about the lack of vegetarian food (this is GreenBuild afterall!) I also heard a lot of people complaining about two elements of Colin Powell's speech: his discussion of the state of terrorism in the U.S. and abroad and his statement that coal, nuclear and oil need to be just as much a part of our energy portfolio as solar and wind energy.
What did you think of GreenBuild? Comment below and tell me what your favorite - or least favorite part was. Would love to hear your reaction!
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November 26th, 2010 - 08:58
There were strong positives and negatives, but overall I loved it – and I hadn’t been to one of these in years.
I’ll share a mildly off topic anecdote:
On the expo floor I ran across a small heat recovery ventilator vendor with a PVC heat exchanger, and I though I’d ask a few questions about plastic vs. something like stainless steel which is what I normally specify. They seemed completely confused by my efficiency questions and kept getting off topic (crossflow vs. counterflow, we have an efficiency of X%, etc). All I wanted to know was the benefit of plastic over metal, since plastic should be far less efficient because it’s an insulator and you’re trying to conduct heat not insulate it. I tried to help them out, asking about surface area, roughness, and corrosion issues but couldn’t get answers. If the only reason is cost, that’s fine, but just say it. The conversation ended when they told me “I don’t care about the bloody science, our product is more efficient – it just is.” On that sentence I thanked them for their time.
My points? 1. This is an extreme example of what I often see from vendors – you need to bring people that know what they’re talking about. This could be the one time you have face time with people that can specify your product. 2. I can only imagine how tough product selection must be for someone without a strong technical background – I could easily see a designer being swayed by their great efficiency numbers and scientific-sounding arguments.
December 2nd, 2010 - 14:52
Matt, have I ever told you how much I appreciate your comments? I really do. This one is sadly realistic but also made me laugh. Sigh. Wish more people would read your anecdote and learn from it…