Day One, American Clay Advanced Applicator Training

Organizing the tenant improvements and coordinating the move has already become the major whirlwind in my life. You could probably say that it's a stronger force then the hurricane force winds we've been having lately up and down the Front Range. All that to say, it's pretty incredible to me that work has already begun on our new office.

Our interior walls are being finished as part of a three-day American Clay Advanced Applicator Training (see previous post from 5/18/2010). The training began on Tuesday, after a frenetic process of educating the landlord about the product, getting approval, and ensuring that all the requisite insurance was in place.

Before the training even started, our space was transformed! Here are some photos from day one of the training - call them the "before" shots. We'll have more photographs tomorrow - and you can experience the transformation of the space. It's going to be beautiful. And don't worry - we're not going to cover up the gorgeous original brick walls.

American Clay Advanced Applicator Training, Day 1

 Deborah Hall - Owner of Hall's Walls & American Clay Trainer

Herman Eppinghaus, Hall's Walls

Laurie Hessemer, Owner, Casa Verde Paint

Training participants looking at their practice walls

American Clay before mixing

M.E. Group to contribute Fundamental Commissioning!

Our friends at M.E. Group have offered to do the fundamental commissioning on our new building! Fundamental commissioning is a prerequisite for the Energy and Atmosphere category under LEED.

As discussed on M.E. Group's website, commissioning of existing buildings (otherwise known as retro-commissioning or re-commissioning) is an important tool in ensuring the performance of a building over time. It helps building owners realize cost savings, and helps facility managers make the case for increased maintenance and energy efficiency improvements.

The resulting report it identifies both low/no cost implementation strategies and capital intensive facility improvement measures. 

Our landlord is not familiar with commissioning - yet.  In addition, because leases at 1821 Blake Street are all modified gross, the owners pass through the operating costs of the building to the tenants and so won't directly benefit from the cost savings that would result from commissioning.  

 The first step will be to educate them on what commissioning involves and the benefit to the entire building, and  to make a case for the benefit it will have to the owners' bottom line. They will need to give us permission to access the building-wide systems - so the process of building a strong relationship with the owners will be critical.

Commissioning Resources: 

Building Commissioning Association

Urban Office Food Production

One of the things we're most excited about at our new office is the roof deck. Yes, we're looking forward to watching the festivities before and during Rockies home games, and to hosting small receptions during the summer. 

The deck provides us with a great opportunity to literally green our space with plants. We will be talking later in June to our friends at GROWWEST about installing a demonstration green roof.

We're also looking forward to growing some of our own food for consumption in the office. 

Imagine a row of tomato and cucumber plants growing upside down around the bay windows in Topsy Turvy planters - providing local produce, shade, and a nice view for board members during meetings. Imagine a mini-greenhouse in a spot touched by the winter sun, allowing us to grow salad greens year round. Perhaps some day we'll be able to have a mini-chicken coop, with hens producing eggs and fertilizer for our plants. 

Greening our office space isn't just about sustaining the external physical environment. It's also about creating a healthy, life-sustaining space for our employees, volunteers, and other visitors. 

As an aside, still related to the roof deck, we are looking for sustainably-built patio furniture that can either stay put in a stiff breeze or can be easily folded up and stored.  If you'd like to help us out with this particular item from our wish list, email Deb.

Some Rooftop Garden Resources: 
City Farmer News (Blog out of Vancouver, Canada)

Denver Urban Gardens

Urban Agriculture:A Guide to Container Gardens (Technology for the Poor)

Urban Farming, a Bit Closer to the Sun (Marion Burros, NY Times, June 16 2009)

Urban Rooftop Farming will Save the World (a blog entry by No Impact Man)