Sustainable Design

Years ago green design was seen as a noble effort, yet one not considered practical, to be considered by those with the financial wherewithal to take a leap of faith and risk.  Unfortunately, results were mixed as well. Despite the enormous gains, skepticism still exists in the construction industry.

We believe that the lack of solid integrated design has contributed a large part to failures of the past.  The developments to the social consciousness and depth of positive examples of implementing sustainable design practices now allows for high level of involvement of all parties in the design and construction process, and to that end KMB takes a prominent role in every project to maximize the benefits to the client.

LEED project or not, we now incorporate numerous “green” elements in most every project that we do.  While we value the benefits to the community and environment this brings, the ultimate reason we do is because these may now be the best economical and operational choices for our clients, learned from our previous experiences.

For projects seeking LEED certification, we actively participate in the LEED charette process, and can lead these charettes and the overall team as well when so requested.

The KMB Engineering staff includes the following in their portfolio of work together:

Whole Foods Market, Sarasota, FL – This progressive supermarket chain achieved LEED Silver certification, one of the first supermarkets so awarded, for their approximately 40,000 sf store.  The MEP engineering services started very early in the process to develop the basis of design and coordinate frequently with all team members as well as vendors.  Prepared an extensive MEP design narrative illustrating the systems involved and their operations and benefits, as well as commissioning plan and checklists.

Delaware Travel Plaza  - The engineering team provided MEP/FP engineering services for this new 45,000 sf building on Rte 95 to be the first LEED certified and flagship project for  an international food service company.  Participated in the numerous early interactions with team to understand client needs and preferences and determine MEP concepts and LEED target points.  Systems include geothermal heat pumps, daylight harvesting and rainwater harvesting.

Bank of NY Mellon, One Wall St., Manhattan, NY - Renovation of the entire 12th floor of this hi-rise building.  Project is seeking to be the first LEED certified for commercial interiors for BoNY Mellon.  Interfaced with client, team, and facilities staff to determine scope and LEED potential, and provide services for mechanical, electrical, and engineering construction documents and construction administration.

Mt Laurel MUA, Mt Laurel, NJ – Sustainable design and LEED support, including due diligence analysis of existing building to determine LEEP certification potential and preparation of RFP for public bid to professionals.

Solar Engineering Designs – KMB has provided electrical engineering for numerous photovoltaic installations, as well as structural analyses to determine the viability for rooftop installations proposed for existing buildings.  Our experiences range from ballasted rooftop arrays of 50kw to providing the layout design and engineering for panels mounted directly to metal standing seam roofs to 500kw systems mounted on canopy structures above wastewater tanks as well as parking lots.