Cuyahoga County Joins Cleveland 2030 District and Works to Assist Building Owners in Clean Energy Financing
Cuyahoga County Council on August 25th passed a resolution making it the 38th member of the Cleveland 2030 district. The County has 16 buildings within the 2030 District footprint, including its new Administration building located at 2079 East 9th st., which just received LEED Gold status.
Through its Department of Sustainability, headed up by Mike Foley and Shanelle Smith, the County has been getting much more engaged in energy related matters. This past May, the County began work on putting together its Clean Energy Finance Hub, which can assist building owners with affordable financing tools and loans for renewable and energy efficiency upgrades to their buildings.
The goal of the Hub is to finance projects so that both new energy efficient equipment can be purchased and the savings in utility bills more than cover the financing costs for the new equipment, so that from day 1, a project is cash flow positive. And of course, greenhouse gases get reduced from local structures.
> For more information about the Clean Energy Finance Hub please contact county Sustainability Deputy Director Shanelle Smith at ssmith2@cuyahogacounty.us
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Cleveland 2030 District Board of Directors Update
Cleveland 2030 District would like to thank Dr. Joseph Han, Associate Vice President of Administration and Operations at Cleveland State University for his service on the C2030D Board of Directors. We appreciate his participation and support and wish him the best in his expanded role at CSU.
We would also like to welcome Matthew Heisey and David November to the Board of Directors. Mr. Heisey, Principal of Vocon, brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to our Board. He also serves on the NEO US Green Building Council Board of Directors, which further enhances the collaboration between our organizations.
David November is the Sustainability Manager for Facilities Development and Operations with Cuyahoga Community College. Tri-C was our fourth Property Adopter and Mr. November has been involved and supporting C2030D from the start.
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COSE Collaborating with C2030D for Green Lease
Council of Smaller Enterprises (COSE) and the Institute for Market Transformation (IMT) are currently working together and collaborating with the Cleveland 2030 District throughout the greater Cleveland area to help commercial buildings save money and energy by connecting landlords and tenants around energy efficiency—particularly when it comes to the lease. As part of this effort, COSE and IMT collaborated with Cleveland marketing studio and COSE member, Kiwi Creative, to develop a brand new infographic which shows the transformation of an average building into a high-performing one resulting from green leasing language put into action.
The infographic highlights some key examples of energy-saving clauses that are typically included in a green lease, also known as an energy aligned lease, including; regularly commissioning building systems, installing advanced lighting controls and motion sensors, sub metering spaces, and training asset and leasing managers about green building benefits.
>Click here to learn more!
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Property Highlight: The Calfee Building
When East Ohio Gas opened the doors in 1916 to its Beaux Arts Style headquarters, the building was cutting edge for its time. When Calfee began looking for new office space in 2009, it was presented with the opportunity to again make the corner of East Sixth and Rockwell a forward-looking place of business.
What is now known as The Calfee Building is on the National Register of Historic Places. Designed by William Bunker Tubby, this building is valued for its significant architecture, as well as the role it played in Cleveland’s commerce from 1915-1952. This style is evident throughout the Calfee Building, including the exterior front doors, the various marble and stones throughout the beautifully restored two-story lobby and mezzanine, as well as the detail in these areas.
Originally built for the East Ohio Gas Company in 1915, it was one of the first buildings to employ first class fireproof techniques under the then-new Cleveland Building Code. It was also the first private sector building constructed around Cleveland’s Mall, as part of the Group Plan. The two story atrium originally included teller stations, service offices and a showroom for the latest in gas appliances. By 1927, East Ohio Gas Company was the largest natural gas distributing company in the world.
The local NBC TV and radio affiliates KYC and WKYC, set up shop in the building from 1967 to 2001. Throughout NBC’s time in the building, it played host to a slew of public figures and celebrities.
After WKYC moved to its new home on Lakeside around 2001, the building sat vacant for the next decade. The building was in near total disrepair - elevators had been stripped from their shafts, skylights overlooking the stairwells were gone allowing rain to soak down to the muddy deep pit of a basement; the television station had installed lighting and mechanical systems in the false skylight space and the stately columns had crumbled; and the once grand bronze-plated front doors were badly deteriorated.
In 2010, Calfee agreed to a long-term lease with CRM Real Estate Services, the new owner and developer, and announced the building restoration, which was assisted by state and federal historic preservation tax credits.
Teams from Vocon, Sandvick Architects, the Albert M. Higley Company, and Cleveland Construction worked to restore the beauty and detail that had once distinguished the space, as well as adding technology upgrades and space utilization that would result in an environmentally responsible workplace and efficient work flow.
Formerly the East Ohio Gas Building, the Calfee Building was revived as an elegant, LEED Gold-Certified Office. The design includes many eco-friendly - and wallet friendly - features such as:
- Motion-sensor sinks
- Daylight office lighting sensor control
- Energy efficient historic window replication
- Separate recycling collection stations on each floor
- Low VOC paints, carpet, furniture and other project materials
- White roof to reduce heat gain
Calfee and our architecture firm, Vocon, conducted research to discover the best technologies and practices for our attorneys and staff including collaborative work spaces and professional grade audio and video conferencing systems.
Calfee was determined that our new Cleveland home would promote the firm’s commitment to wellness and work-life balance. To further this goal, the space includes a fitness center and exercise studio. There are showers and lockers, as well as a bike storage room available for anyone who pedals to work. With more people looking to live and work downtown, the convenience of having these amenities close at hand assist in the recruiting and retention of talented attorneys and staff.
On the second floor, the 1903 Market is stocked with fresh fruit, vegetables, soups, sandwiches and salads. The adjacent dining area has comfortable chairs, tables, booths and even a fireplace. Attorneys and staff meet there daily - not only for meals and snacks - but for informal conferences and strategy sessions. The flexible spaces also are used for seminars, meetings and social events.
Calfee is proud to have invested in Cleveland and its future, and the future of the firm. Calfee is delighted to be a part of the Cleveland 2030 District, which assists in helping Calfee be as energy efficient and sustainable as possible. While already an efficient property, Cleveland 2030 has helped with information and data allowing even more progress.
>To learn more about Calfee’s iconic space, please visit calfee.com.
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Green Building Challenge
Cleveland 2030 District has collaborated with Northeast Ohio US Green Building Council on their Green Building Challenge for the past two years. The Challenge calls for buildings to reduce their energy consumption and measure their progress against the 2003 Commercial Building Energy Consumption Survey. Buildings with the greatest improvement in year over year calculations will be named the winners of the Challenge at the NEO USGBC’s annual meeting in February of 2016. As part of this Challenge, we provide a series of events to ASSESS, TARGET, DELIVER and MEASURE building energy efficiency projects. Each event in the series will highlight a panel of local professionals and building owners. The speakers will give practical advice and real examples of projects that have been completed or are under way.
Please join us for these informative events. – you don’t have to participate in the Challenge to attend! They are free events for NEO USGBC and C2030D members. The cost for non-members is $15.
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Sustainable Building Tours
Hear untold stories about the most innovative buildings in town! Tour with us to learn how local building owners and facilities teams are leading the way for sustainability every day in Cleveland.
Presented by the joint efforts of the Cleveland 2030 District and the Northeast Ohio Chapter of the US Green Building Council, one of our most recent tours was of the Case Western Reserve University campus. We learned about their Climate Action Plan, composting and recycling efforts and their high performance, energy efficient buildings. We walked the campus to see solar powered trash compactors and dormitories that look and feel more like apartment buildings!
Another excellent tour allowed us access to the fully renovated Calfee, Halter & Griswold LLP building (The Calfee Building). Even after seeing the before and after pictures, it’s hard to believe what they accomplished (see additional story about their renovation). The tour took us through their LEED Gold certified building to see the recreated design elements like the columns and plaster ceilings. We heard some great stories about the project.
We visited the Oberlin campus on a great sunny summer afternoon. We started with a presentation from Steve Varelmann, College Architect for Oberlin College and Conservatory, followed by a walking tour to see the buildings he highlighted. There is so much to be proud of there. The unique partnership between the college and the city make for a powerful relationship that drives sustainability to a new level.
Here are a few excerpts of comments from some of the participants of the tours:
Kim Mastrandrea tells us: “I'm a long-time resident of the University Circle neighborhood and admire CWRU's commitment to green building and sustainability…. I came away from the tour inspired by CWRU's long-term commitment to sustainability and how they assume leadership and promote the cause. My tour of the Calfee Building, too, was excellent. The restoration was remarkable. Stepping into its grand lobby, one would never know that it was once used as a parking garage….Kudos to the 2030 District and the difference you're making. I look forward to more tours!”
Kevin Pugley commented: “In my career I’ve been generally interested in overall building design but focused on HVAC systems, controls of those systems and their energy impact. Walking the campuses and learning about the architect's thought process in creating a building design was fascinating. In fact I walked away with a new perspective on seeing a facility not as conglomeration of stand-alone systems but a building as an entire system.”
>For their full comments, visit our website and stay tuned for more tours coming up! We’re excited to present these tours of remarkable buildings showcasing their sustainable designs.
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2030 Districts Update
As of September 2015, there are ten established 2030 Districts and six emerging 2030 Districts forming. Current Districts include: Seattle, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Denver, Los Angeles, Stamford, Dallas, San Francisco, Toronto, and Albuquerque. The square footage of committed real estate also continues to expand. The total building area in the 2030 District Network currently exceeds 241 million square feet.
Emerging Districts include: Ann Arbor, Detroit, San Antonio, Ithaca, Portland, and Grand Rapids. We look forward to following the progress of these emerging Districts!
>Click here for more information about the 2030 Districts
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We Appreciate Your Support!
Please visit our website for a complete list of Property Adopters, Professional Partners, and Community Stakeholders.
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>Click here for an article about Cleveland 2030 District on page 83 of this month's issue of Property Magazine!
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