Sustainability Geeks
Philadelphia is taking a giant step forward in the quest for greater energy efficiency. Attendees at Bisnow's Sustainability and Property Management Summit on Wednesday at the Navy Yard got a taste of how real estate, both property management and beyond, is getting geekier.
John C. Smyth laid out pressing sustainability issues, starting with benchmarking. City sustainability director Katherine Gajewski (third from left) explained the legislation that requires all city buildings with over 50k SF of commercial space to report on energy usage by Nov. 25. (The city needs to digest the numbers over Thanksgiving with some turkey and cranberry sauce.) Katherine said that the benchmarking law, which puts Philly on board with seven other major US cities, will foster a net reduction in energy use with a city-wide target of 10% by 2015. She cautioned against starting with the numbers and working backwards; best to begin with the property owner's particular goals and find the right tools for achieving them.
Among those tools are financial and retrofitting incentives, as trumpeted by Energy Efficient Buildings Hub EVP Laurie Actman. Laurie described the Hub's pilot program to leverage the data in existing practices to create nationwide standards, and also pointed to PECO's Smart Ideas program, which lets owners access their historic utility usage. PIDC SVP Anne Bovaird Nevins, also put a word in for Energy Works, which provides loans for building upgrades that lead to an energy reduction of at least 25%. Post-panel, Anne also mentioned they're not limited to the big players: small businesses and service providers can also benefit from energy-smart financing.
Liberty Property Trust sustainability director Marla Thalmeier spoke about the opportunities and challenges of benchmarking for the private sector. She hoped city legislation would generate conversations between landlords and tenants on saving utility costs. (We all need to learn how to put our computers in sleep mode whenever we go into sleep mode at work.) One idea whose time has come is the "green lease," an agreement that can include provisions for energy upgrades, retrofits and renewable energy purchases. Green leasing should be a mutual conversation between both parties, Marla said, because it's a "win-win" outcome in the long run.
Our second panel switched the view on smarter buildings to property managers in three distinct fields--commercial, multifamily, and medical--which, despite their differences, go together quite well onstage. (Call it the Neapolitan effect.) Brandywine Realty Trust's George Johnstone says more green buildings in transit-oriented spots are where we're headed. Brandywine has practiced this well with 100-plus Energy Star properties in its portfolio; George says they want to continue building new to LEED standards (as they plan to do at just-announced Cira Centre South) and getting existing buildings to LEED EBOM designation.
Sustainability is an integral part of Post Brothers' culture, COO Harlan Krichman says, and gut rehabs (like the recently reno'ed Goldtex Building) are a tremendous opportunity for greater efficiency. But the multifamily industry is still behind the times where it really counts: in branding their real estate as a consumer product. Post Brothers has residents, not tenants, and they want to exist autonomously and need to learn the technological perks of paying rent online. Tech-wise, however, it's the healthcare sector that's seeing the biggest leaps, according to Health Care REIT senior property manager Julie Herb. (Three words: overnight hip replacement. Anyone remember how sci-fi that once sounded?)
Health Care REIT, which doubled as one of our sponsors, manages a national portfolio of medical buildings and urgent care centers, including the Virtua Voorhees Health & Wellness Center in NJ. Julie says the company goal is to take the load off the shoulders of hospital CEOs and handle tenant/physician issues in what has become a very specialized industry. With hospitals acquiring more medical practices, the need for primary care physicians will be greater. Pictured: Jeff Cellucci of P. Agnes, Chris Mullen of Milrose Consultants, Rachel Yoka, VP at Timothy Haahs & Associates, Julie Herb, and Health Care REIT's Paula Rivera.)
And how do hundreds of physicians and medical staff stay connected under one roof? Sponsor Corning showed us what's at the forefront of WiFi technology: the Corning ONE Wireless Platform. In layman's terms, it's a platform that both laptops and cell phones can tap into, phenomenally expanding coverage throughout buildings using a simplified fiber optic transport. Solutions engineer Jeff Bonja (center) told us the Corning ONE is very much an emerging technology and that high-occupancy facilities (hospitals, hotels, universities, pretty much anywhere Bisnow pops up) are the target market. Cheers, gents: fear the fiber
