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Archive for September, 2010
Frederick Ward Associates Builds a “Cool Roof” at Local Elementary School
Wednesday, September 22nd, 2010
Last week, Frederick Ward Associates’ President, Craig A. Ward, and several members of the firms Architecture Department participated in a ribbon cutting that highlighted the new energy efficient roof on the Ring Factory Elementary School. The new roof is not only Energy Star rated by the U.S. Department of Energy, but it is also a “cool roof”. The Harford County Government and the Board of Education partnered in funding the new roof, which also received federal grants. The grant was received from the USDOE, funded through The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
‘Cool roofs’ reflect solar radiation, reduce the heat conducted into buildings and directly reduce air-conditioning use. Frederick Ward Associates was the architecture firm selected to design the replacement of the school’s fiberglass asphalt shingled roof with a fully adhered 60 mil PVC roof with decorative PVC extrusions that emulates the look of a a standing seam metal roof.
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Star website advises that solar reflectance is the most important characteristic of a roof product in terms of yielding the highest energy savings during warmer months. The higher the solar reflectance, the more efficient the product is in reflecting sunlight and heat away from the building and reducing roof temperature. Frederick Ward Associates’ sustainable roof design will contribute to increased energy cost savings at Ring Factory Elementary.
ESteere
Community, Frederick Ward, Sustainability
Community, Frederick Ward Associates, Sustainability
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Frederick Ward Associates Hosts Sustainability Seminars
Friday, September 17th, 2010
Note: The Sustainability Seminars have now been postponed until Spring 2011. Stay tuned – in the spring, we’ll have all the information about how to register for these classes.
Frederick Ward Associates will soon be hosting a series of Sustainability Seminars at Harford Community College. The first series of “green” seminars will take place September 30, with the informative events continuing through November 11.
The courses will cover the latest in green strategies, tax credits for green initiatives, green residential design, updates on Maryland storm water management regulations, and plenty more diverse topics that can help you incorporate sustainability into your business. Chuck Cooper, Kevin Small, and Gerry Powell, all knowledgeable members of the sustainable design community, will be presenting the four seminars. There are also plans for a second series of seminars that will run through Spring of 2011, featuring hands-on demonstrations such as how to build a rain garden, do’s and don’ts of composting, and use of rain barrels. Other topics will include green advocacy and community involvement, and renewable energy.
The events include opportunities for networking and a continental breakfast. It’s a perfect opportunity for development professionals, realtors, attorneys, environmental activists, bankers, builders, contractors and anyone interested in the future of energy efficient building. You can register for the series here.
CCooper
Community, Frederick Ward, Sustainability
Community, Frederick Ward Associates, Sustainability
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FWA President Dances For The Arts
Saturday, September 11th, 2010
This October, our community will be treated to some fine entertainment, courtesy of Frederick Ward Associates’ very own President, Craig A. Ward! You won’t want to miss Craig’s dancing debut at the Dancing For The Arts fundraiser on October 2nd.
This is the third year for the dance competition, which supports the Harford Center for the Arts. Craig has been practicing diligently with his professional dance partner and he hopes you’ll support his charitable endeavor by coming out to watch him compete with other community members, á la Dancing With The Stars. You can also make a contribution towards his fundraising goal on the Harford Center’s website.
Craig promises he’s actually getting pretty good at his routine, so come and support his hard work. Learn more about the event and the other dancers by visiting the Dancing for the Arts fundraiser.
DWatson
Community, Frederick Ward
Community, Frederick Ward Associates, fundraiser, Maryland
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Redevelopment is the Answer?
Thursday, September 2nd, 2010
The development economy has been suffering for several years now and financial pundits are not yet predicting the real upturn. There have been a few upticks to tease us along the way, but the real resurgence of lending, building and buying has not started yet. Most of the current work in the marketplace is institutional or governmental, with a few user-specific private developments in the mix. With lending being held in the vised grip of post TARP institutions, prospectors and developers have to be more creative to find the most promising investment tools that provide good return on investment, and then they need to find the users that can finance the use of the building or development. A difficult task when there are so many empty spaces on the market. So where do we find the hottest opportunities? Maybe redevelopment is the answer.
Redevelopment Opportunities
Redevelopment requires certain ingredients from the start, such as an existing or former use and improvements, existing infrastructure, such as road and utilities, existing impervious surfaces and “engineered” drainage, and public perception of a previously disturbed natural space. These ingredients often occur in urbanized or industrial locations, where the economic climate changed at some time and left the space for greener pastures, or to new spaces that offer more efficient production. Perhaps the space is still used, but not efficiently, operating as a burden on the community by wasting energy and causing unnecessary impacts to the natural environment or the surrounding community. Perhaps the right redevelopment opportunity is an existing residential community that is suffering from deferred maintenance, and would be less expensive to replace than repair.
Additional Redevelopment Elements
In any case, the ingredients of redevelopment opportunities are typical elements of a new development plan that the developer would assume to have to pay for, design and construct. So right off the top, the project pro forma excludes some access and utility costs, offsite road construction, etc. For stormwater management in Maryland there are lighter rules for redevelopment too. Another important element of redevelopment opportunities is market and demographics. Typically urbanized areas have more market opportunity for retail because the dollars live there and will shop there, if given the available opportunity.
Another underrepresented ingredient could be the availability of transit or some form of public transportation that may already exist in the communities of and surrounding redevelopment sites. In a tight economy when people are saving money any way they can, the use of transit is strong and thus the opportunity for transit-oriented development (TOD) is a win-win for new development. TOD is a lightning rod concept in many urbanized areas to help spark investment in otherwise stagnant or failing economies. This is where there appears to have a good return on investment for lenders and end users.
The attached article from the Urban Land Institute is an interview of five real estate experts from around the country discussing the hottest redevelopment opportunities, as they see them. http://urbanland.uli.org/Articles/2010/SeptOct/Nyren1
ESteere
Frederick Ward, Infrastructure
Frederick Ward Associates, Planning, Redevelopment, Urban Land Institute
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