News
RISK BUSTERS
August 8, 2011
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| New sustainable technologies aren't risk free, WSP Flack+Kurtz’s director of sustainability Dan Nall and CEO David Cooper tell us. But have no fear: the engineering firm has a nifty toolbox that screens for risk, including computer simulated mock-ups and on-site testing that map out the effects of building features before construction. When WSPF+K worked on the New York Times Building (which uses under-floor air distribution through a raised access floor), it used a computerized airflow simulation tool called Computational Fluid Dynamics to visualize the temp of airflow under the floor and avoid hot spots for occupants. (Now, if something only existed for sand at the beach.) |
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| WSPF+K also designed a displacement ventilation system for Las Vegas’ MGM CityCenter casino (snapped by our publisher, above)—in layman’s terms, grills pull the air upwards to take cigarette smoke away. And in Mumbai, where water is scarce, WSPF+K designed a water management system that harvests various forms of building waste water (sewage, condensation from the air conditioning, waste water from the cooling towers, and recovered ground water from foundation drains), treats it, and channels it to non- drinkable uses like toilet flushing, cooling tower make-up, sidewalk washing, and irrigation. Now, back to high school science class: sewage is treated in a standard sewage treatment plant, while the cooling tower waste and recovered groundwater are treated with reverse-osmosis technology. |
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| David and Dan discuss some of the local projects that WSPF+K is working on, including the renovations of the Javits Center and a European chemical firm’s 300k SF HQ in NJ. There's also a jump in in international work, with several projects in India, Kuala Lumpur, and Malaysia. Despite Dan’s packed work travel calendar (he’s been Continental Platinum for the past 10 years), he’s not one to staycation: recent trips include tours of Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Slovenia, Croatia, and Bosnia (upcoming: England’s Lake District). David, who also constantly jets between WSPF+K’s US and UK offices, is an avid tennis player, skier, golfer, and photographer. |
