Tag Archives: Sustainability
Posted in Employees
Ed Brown, PE
Senior Design Engineer
At Larson Design Group, we believe that our employees are our greatest asset. In this feature, we profile some of the staff members who contribute to our success. This month the spotlight is on Ed Brown, PE, Senior Design Engineer with our Williamsport office’s Water/Wastewater Group. Ed recently won LDG’s Greenest Employee Award for his commitment to sustainability. In 2012, he rode his bicycle to work over 100 times, a 32-mile round-trip.
Where did your career take you before joining LDG?
I spent two summers while still in college and one summer after graduating working for P. Joseph Lehman, Inc. in Hollidaysburg, PA. I did construction inspection on bridge projects, and inspections, structural analyses, and ratings of existing bridges.
I worked one year as Clerk of the Works/Construction Inspector for the Borough of State College on the construction of the Fraser Street Parking Garage.
I worked about 8 years for BCM Engineers in Plymouth Meeting, PA, and then 5 years at Gannett Fleming, Inc., in King of Prussia, doing water/wastewater engineering. While at BCM, I participated in the design of the new Water Treatment Plant and related facilities for the Williamsport Municipal Water Authority.
What was your first Job? What did you learn from it that still influences the way you work today?
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Posted in Architecture | Building Systems | Energy Conservation | Innovative Solutions | Sustainable Design
© Poofy
When I was a little kid, I was a tree-hugger. Literally. My mother recalls that at age four, I occasionally wrapped my small arms as far as they could go around my favorite tree in the backyard.
As the years went on, I became enamored with recycling in elementary school, energy efficiency in high school, and building reuse in my college architectural classes. Now, with “green” as the buzzword heard on every TV channel and seen in every store, you’d think I’d be in my glory.
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Posted in Architecture | Building Systems | Current Events | Energy Conservation | Housing | Innovative Solutions | Structural Engineering | Sustainable Design | Urban Development
Is the push towards sustainability strong enough for the design and construction industries to kick old habits and reconsider the Concrete Masonry Unit (CMU)?
Personal views aside, I think it is safe to say that society at large is becoming more and more conscientious about our impact on the environment. With the growing push towards sustainability, we are starting to see long established practices go under the microscope.
This post came about when a friend of mine named Gary Summers told me that he was in the process of obtaining a full patent for the first modular self-locking building block. Basically, he wants to usurp the existing concrete masonry unit (CMU). He sees his design as the connecting link between energy efficiency and structural design. I have always sensed that the existing CMU design is a bit primitive in relation to the progress society has made in other areas; but considering how entrenched it is in the way we build, it’s hard to imagine using anything else…until you talk to Gary.
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Posted in Blogging | Communication | Current Events | Initiatives | Social Media
Photo: Keith “keeps it real” by taking a few pies to the face for the United Way
When I was approached by our marketing team to become an LDG blogger, I agreed, but not without a momentary cringe of nervous trepidation. You see, I consider myself an old school engineer, not a modern age social networker. My introduction to computer technology occurred in the last millennium, nearly thirty years ago, long before the PC or wireless 4G networks. Back then, I fondly remember pounding out “brute force” FORTRAN programming on punch cards in the basement of Packard Lab at Lehigh University. The concept of social networking at E-school back in the 80s could easily have been defined as idle conversation among engineers while waiting for the data center technician to run key-punched batch files through the mainframe computer’s card reader.
So what topics could I, a CEO who’s yet to send his first text message, come up with that would be inviting and interesting to readers who are fully engaging technology in all aspects of their lives? After pondering this question for a few days, it struck me that I will be most successful with blog topics if I apply the same advice that I share with my kids on an almost daily basis.
What is that advice? Keep it real. Every time one of my kids heads out of the house or car to socialize with friends or peers, I tell them to “keep it real.” Over time and through parental discourse with them, the kids have learned the deeper meaning in this simple phrase, and that is – be comfortable in your own skin, be true to your values, and don’t let anyone pressure you into doing something you’re not comfortable doing – no matter what. When our kids’ friends come to the house to hang out, I also share the same message with them. Somehow this message has resonated with them. How do I know? I now frequently get the chance for a good chuckle when a young person sees me in public and shouts out, “Are you keeping it real, Papa Kuz?” even before I have a chance to ask them the same question.
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Posted in Architecture | Building Systems | Communication | Economic Development | Site Design & Land Development | Urban Development
Photo: © Nina Chantrasmi
Wayfinding is all about orienting people within a space. It tells you where you are and helps you get where you’re going without droning on and or repeating itself – it’s like a good tour guide – it’s friendly and hopes to see you again soon. It can be as small as an address on your stationery or as large as the Golden Arches.
Wayfinding doesn’t get the appreciation it deserves, but it’s not our fault. Good wayfinding is often subtle in order to be effectively integrated into an existing or designed environment. The complementary nature of wayfinding frequently allows itself to be conveniently dismissed as we go along on our busy way. It doesn’t expect a tip.
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