Date: 1/12/2011 to 1/15/2011
Location: Walt Disney World Swan Hotel - Orlando, FL
View event details

Mitchell Swann, PE, a principal at MDCSystems®, was featured in Philadelphia’s Green Economy Task Force newsletter, Green Economy Leaders, which is excerpted below.

“I like Philadelphia—good points—bad points. Family is here.” In his clipped way of speaking and without any fanfare, Mitch Swann (pictured here on the left), who grew up in Germantown, lets you know he’s proud to be a Philadelphia native and plans to stick around the ‘hood giving back whenever he can.
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Mitch, who is a Partner with MDC Systems in Paoli—a firm that provides clients with comprehensive assistance in effectively navigating complex engineering and construction projects—traveled to South Philadelphia to share his time and expertise with students who are training for jobs in green construction, energy efficiency and solar installation. “We discussed the LEED program and what that means, why the marketplace is concerned about [sustainable buildings], trends, expectations for the future, ways people can get involved, an overview of green economy types of issues.”
 
The diverse group of students, who are immersed in a nine-week course that will upgrade math and reading levels as well as prepare them for a green career, had plenty of questions for Mitch, who holds a degree in mechanical engineering from Drexel. Some were construction-related. Some trainees wanted to understand how the green industry relates to public policy, to their lives, to their community, to society. And, of course, they wanted to know, ‘ok, how do I position myself to be employed in this field?’

E. Mitchell Swann
MDCSystems®
Consulting Engineer

In recent years there has been increased discussion on the risk aspects of green or ‘high performance' buildings and how the industry might address those risks. I gave my first presentation on the subject at a joint CIBSE/ASHRAE conference in September 2003 in Edinburgh, Scotland. While final case law and court decisions regarding green buildings are still limited at the time of this writing, prudent practice would recommend that designers, contractors and owners consider the potential risks, arrive at some appropriate factors or strategies to address those risks and act accordingly.

Donald R. Keer
MDCSystems®
Consulting Engineer

As companies strive to improve energy consumption, promote environmental responsibility and improve the use of sustainable fuel sources to either generate revenues or improve their bottom lines the risks are not always in the determination of capital budgets, project scheduling or execution but in the gaps between technology unit operations. Renewable energy facilities can have a dozen or more process unit operations, each with proven technologies yet at the unit interfaces the process can break down leading to reduced efficiencies, higher than expected start-up costs and lost profits.

E. Mitchell Swann, P.E., LEED AP
MDCSystems®
Consulting Engineer

Green is going away. Not the color, so your kid’s next box of Crayola crayons is safe. Not cash, dough, moolah or whatever other shorthand for US dollar bills you use despite all the stories predicting its demise throughout the years. Within 5 to 7 years the term ‘Green’ used to describe buildings, processes or industries will, like Monty Python’s dead parrot, “cease to be”. This is not because the issues that have given rise to the current wave of Green building will have gone, been solved or no longer matter but almost due to the exact opposite being the case. Green or sustainable buildings have emerged in part because of and as a response to ‘not Green’ buildings.

Selwin Briggs
MDCSystems®
Former Consultant

The Advanced Energy Design Guide was developed to provide contractors and designers with a simple approach to exceed energy savings of ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1-1999 by 30%. Without resorting to time consuming analysis, the guide offers a means for construction professionals to provide owners with more value through a combination of optimized process and proven design practice. Written for office buildings no greater than 20,000 square feet, the guide is meant as a supplement to the 90.1 standard, with an outline that reads more like a textbook than code specification. The energy saving goals and means are broken down by building component; envelope, lighting, HVAC, service water heating, and more. Hour-based energy analysis software verified the 30% savings in energy. This guide provides detailed tables, climate zone-specific examples, and stepwise methodology.

E. Mitchell Swann, P.E., LEED A.P.
MDCSystems®
Consulting Engineer

A day doesn’t go by without hearing of the next new green building project in almost all sectors - from major owners to the one-off office park on the highway. Everybody wants to be ‘in,’ but it is important to understand what one is getting into before one is deep into it. Not recognizing the landscape can lead to problems, misunderstandings, and claims. A common thread in the analysis of construction claims is a comparison of ‘the work done’ by one participant with what a ‘comparable’ practitioner would do on a similar project. This is commonly referred to as “custom and practice,” or the Standard of Care.

E. Mitchell Swann, P.E.
MDCSystems®
Consulting Engineer

Mold cases have become almost as prolific in the legal world as the little fuzzy devils themselves in the real world. Mold is a hot topic and claims associated with mold, mildew and related IAQ issues including EIFS leaks and failures have multiplied at an exponential rate. When faced with a mold claim, there are some basic steps that should be taken before dispatching the chlorine bleach strike force. You must keep in mind that mold is ubiquitous in the environment – it is the types and concentration levels that are key. The extent to which any given person will react negatively to a mold is extremely variable as well.

The World’s First “Green” Semiconductor Manufacturing Facility

The construction world has been abuzz with green homes, green condos and green cars aplenty this year, but little attention has been paid to some of the more esoteric projects whose impact per square foot can be enormous. Texas Instruments (TI) recently completed the first LEED certified semiconductor manufacturing facility (wafer fab) in the world.

This is the second Quarter, 2007 Edition of the MDCAdvisor®. Spring has sprung in fits throughout much of the East Coast. Weather was 70 ºF on April 2nd and 30ºF by April 8th.

Much like the weather, there are issues afoot in the building industry which are moving in a herky jerky fashion but seem to be moving toward an inevitable conclusion. These are the issues of greenhouse gases and sustainability, and some sort of rational response to same. While the political world is still a bit topsy-turvy with debate on the subject, the building industry has been keen to push forward on a number of fronts – some driven by climate change and others driven by a desire to deliver better buildings for their owners and occupants. Unless you have been living in a cave (which actually would be pretty 'green') you have heard of the LEED® Green Building Rating SystemTM from the US Green Building Council and 'green' buildings.