Vampire loads, also called phantom loads, are hidden electrical loads that can impact your energy-efficiency goals without you noticing. A vampire load is the power consumed by electronics and appliances while they are technically switched off or in standby mode. This occurs in some devices that have an on / off switch but keep a power load in order to save memory, turn on faster, or run a clock. It also happens with things like phone chargers that do not have an on / off switch. If these items are plugged into an outlet, they are pulling power whether in use or not. Most appliances with remote control also have a constant load. For instance, a television uses the same amount of electricity as a 60-watt light bulb when turned off.
The best way to manage vampire loads is by using a power strip or simply unplugging the device. This could potentially save you as much as 10% a month in energy usage.
To read more from our “Green Terms Defined” series, click here.
Another year in the books and this one was exceptional! We continue to build our relationships with past clients and have started many new friendships this year. The project types vary is scale, scope, and aesthetics, but they all share the common goal of wanting healthy, energy-efficient, and durable design solutions. Another year in business, another year we survived, and another year we did good work for great clients. Here are some highlights.
The biggest news of the year was our recognition from the United State Green Building Council. Our firm was named the “best small architectural firm” in a worldwide vote of USGBC members. The 2014 USGBC Best of Building awards, a people’s choice award of some 13,000 members, recognized the year’s best organizations making an impact in green building. What a huge honor to be recognized by this community of leaders in green building.
Timberlake Place was one of the selected projects featured in the American Institute of Architects 10 Principles for Livable Communities exhibit in Richmond this year. This project features 100% universal design compliant, EarthCraft Certified age restricted apartments and is located in Charlottesville’s historic Woolen Mills Neighborhood.
We continued to organizeHarrisonburg Green Drinks each month. This is an event that brings together the leaders of the green movement in Harrisonburg. Charles also continues to serve as the Chairman of the HR Green Network. This year the organization advocated for a Zero Energy School to be built-in Harrisonburg and sponsored the Harrisonburg City Council Debate.
We participated in the SVBA Home and Garden Show again this year. This annual event features many family focused events.
Charles participated in a panel discussion during Harrisonburg Starry Nights. A week-long series of events designed to raise awareness of light pollution and the steps we can take to end it in our community.
Construction finished on this home in Magnolia Ridge. Our first in the neighborhood community.
We designed our first project used by James Madison University. The Studio Art building renovation adds to the flexibility of the building, updates the aesthetics, and corrects the comfort issues that have existed for years.
Charles joined Rockingham Rotary and volunteered for the Harrisonburg Soap Box Derbysponsored by the club. Rockingham Rotary is a wonderful group in Harrisonburg that is focused on service to the community.
Design was finished and construction started on the Renovation for the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank in Verona. The firm also took on the pro-bono work of updating the functionality of the Charlottesville branch warehouse of the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank.
Design was finished and construction started on this custom home in Northern Albemarle County. This Universal Design compliant home will be extremely energy-efficient.
Construction finished on this very cool home in Penn Laird. From the indoor basketball court, to the luxury master suite, and open living area, this home has it all.
Goose Creek apartments broke ground in Augusta County. This marks our first multi-family project in Augusta County in many years.
Meg Carpenter joined our team in the Charlottesville office.
Charles attended VBK – an incredible event that everyone should have on their calendar for 2015. He is now serving on the organizational committee for the event.
Deborah volunteers on the HDR Downtown Design Committee. She also volunteers at the Discovery Museum in Harrisonburg.
The CSI Show
Charles was selected as a presenter for Construct 2014. This was his 3rd time giving a presentation at this national conference. Construct is a huge event that the best in the industry attend each year. Most of the firm was able to attend this year at least for a day as the event was hosted in Baltimore.
Construction was finished on our first residential renovation project in downtown Harrisonburg. This project added efficiency, flexibility, and functionality to this incredible home extended the life of the structure for many years to come.
Construction finished on this office renovation and addition in Harrisonburg. The Harrisonburg Rockingham Social Services program now has an updated building and expanded program space in adjacent buildings right in the heart of downtown.
We sponsored the Parklet Project again this year in downtown Harrisonburg. This annual event promotes the idea of design in a public forum as well as introducing green space into our paved gathering areas.
Construction finished on this very cool home in Harrisonburg. The rooftop deck, small footprint, bridge entry, and energy-efficient design makes it a one-of-a-kind solution in Harrisonburg.
Charles helped organize the DOE Zero Energy Ready Home training held in Harrisonburg. This DOE certification gives builders a guide to introducing building science into their home projects.
Charles and Roger (on different trips) got to visit the Marvin Windows plant in Warroad MN. On the trip, Charles also got a tour of The Shed a huge collection of muscle cars.
Our firm was one of the sponsors of the HDR Holiday Home Tour. This annual event opens downtown homes and businesses for tours.
There were many other great projects, clients, activities – this was a really good year. Hopefully the momentum continues through 2015 and beyond.
That we all celebrate this day with love and compassion in our hearts for each other, no matter the burden we carry.
That those in need will find a gift at their door this Christmas of hope and joy, that their needs will be filled, their stomachs full, and their homes warm.
That every kid will get a gift, even if it is not the latest game or the hottest fad, that they all experience the gifts of kindness from another person this season.
That we will all be safe in our travels and that nobody will be in such a rush or distracted that they steal the joy from their families or another’s family.
That we get to spend plenty of time with friends and family, that we enjoy each other’s company, that we remember to be patient and caring with each other.
That those without homes will find warmth and comfort, a place to stay dry, a place to call home.
That people will give to others first, find a charity that is doing good work and support them, or simply find a family that is struggling and help lift their spirits this season.
That we can all find a time to relax, put work aside, and recharge our spirits. This one is tough for me.
That we can all celebrate this season of peace without the threat of violence or fear.
That everyone will have a great holiday season no matter their beliefs.
The 4 C’s: You have to be able to effectively convey the information from design to construction in a Clear, Concise, Correct, and Complete method. Air Infiltration: The uncontrolled inward air leakage through cracks and holes in the building envelope and around windows and doors of a building caused by the pressure effects of wind and/or the effect of differences in the indoor and outdoor air density.
Biophilic Design: premise that we can learn from nature to create better buildings and build better buildings by connecting to nature
Blower Door Test: used to determine total air leakage of a home’s thermal envelope.
Building Automation System: technology that can be used to control the heating and cooling systems in a building. It can also be used to control lights on a room by room basis or a fixture by fixture basis. It can also be used to monitor security systems and even entertainment systems.
Cohousing: type of development where residents collaborate together on the design of their own neighborhood
Composting: practice of mixing organic waste that can biodegrade quickly to create a planting medium called compost
Conservation: act of preserving, guarding, or protecting the resources we have available on this planet
Construction Waste: materials at a job site that cannot be easily used on that site
Elf: battery assisted, solar charged bike will go 1.5 hours on a charge depending on total weight on a charge and allows you to apply pedal power to extend your ride
Embodied Energy: total amount of energy required to produce a product
Geothermal Heat Pump: heating and cooling system that transfers heat to and from the ground through a loop to condition the air inside of your home or business.
High Efficiency Water Heater: High efficiency water heating can save you a considerable amount of energy each day. There are several systems used to efficiently heat water for usage inside a building. The most common is either an on-demand water heater or a heat pump water heater.
Indoor Environmental Quality: the air that you breathe, the type of light, the sounds, and the comfort you feel.
Infrared (thermographic) camera: allows you to see radiation or temperature differential on a surface making it visible light.
Integrated Design: Integrated design builds a team to walk the project from concept through construction
Life Cycle Analysis: system of reviewing the entire history of a product to account for the total impact on the environment
Off-the-grid: An off-the-grid system operates without reliance on a public utility.
Permeability: measure of the diffusion of water vapor through a material
Rainwater Harvesting: collection of water for reuse before it reaches the aquifer
Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs): environmental attributes of your green power that are sold separately from the electrons that makes up the electricity.
Recycled Content: process that takes a waste material and converts it to a new product, thus reducing the consumption of raw materials, potentially reducing energy usage, and diverts materials from a landfill
R-Value: measure of the reduction of heat transfer across a defined path
Solar Reflectance Index: measure of the constructed surface’s ability to stay cool in the sun by reflecting solar radiation and emitting thermal radiation
Stack Effect: movement of air into and out of buildings, driven by air pressure, temperature differential, and moisture
Stormwater: water that comes from precipitation (rain, snow, sleet…) and does not soak into the ground
Sustainability: Development that meets the needs of present generations without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
Vegetated Roof: partially or completely covered roof with vegetation over a waterproof membrane
Water Conservation: takes into account activities to manage fresh water resources, protect the water environment, and to meet current and future demand for fresh water.
Zero Energy Ready Home: This program, once called Challenge Home, focuses on conservation strategies to reduce energy load and prepping the home for solar PV panels.
The architectural industry is an interesting one (and the only one I really know, so probably not unlike any others) in that as architects we compete for a very small pool of projects against each other, but we all rely on each other to promote the industry as a whole. The biggest competition for an architect is “no design” and boy does that happen a lot! Many don’t know what we (architects) do, don’t understand our value, or simply think they cannot afford to hire an architect.
I spend a lot of time promoting the idea of design. I know it brings me opportunities, because my clients have told me they want good design. I know it benefits our industry because it brings awareness to the idea of design and therefore it helps other architects. It is important to me that everyone understand the value added to having good design for the built environment as it impacts our community, our daily life, and our future. Here are some folks in our industry that are doing way more than I could ever do and having a tremendous impact on our world.
Studio MM promotes good design by promoting other architects. Marica posts a different architect’s work on her social media pages every week showing off design that she loves that is done by others. This is an incredibly generous gift to give that other architect, but also a wonderful way to share her love of design with her potential clients.
I am forever grateful to Cherise Schacter for her constant and overwhelming support of our industry on social media. Cherise is an incredible person / professional / Kraken that tirelessly promotes excellence in the design industry. I am not sure how she manages to keep up with all of the relationships she has built on SM and in person, but she does it with passion. Her work to promote the design industry is helping us all.
Joshua Lloyd works hard to teach others about sustainable residential design. This is a huge help to those of us focused on green design. First his work helps me know better the right solutions for my clients and second he is promoting a similar message so potential clients hear it from multiple sources. I have heard from many other design firms that don’t believe SM is important for our industry, I think Joshua is showing that it is very important.
Bob Borsoncreated a series that is geared to show what we do as architects. The #ArchiTalks series includes some of the best architectural thinkers of our time! I know I have learned from these posts and it is certainly promoting our industry in a positive manner. Bob specifically brings the profession down to a human scale by showing the life of an architect from Christmas lists, to moving into a new office, to helping the next generation understand the industry.His approach to outreach is informal, fun, and inviting. This is how you promote an industry in a positive manner.
Vampire loads, also called phantom loads, are hidden electrical loads that can impact your energy-efficiency goals without you noticing. A vampire load is the power consumed by electronics and appliances while they are technically switched off or in standby mode. This occurs in some devices that have an on / off switch but keep a power load in order to save memory, turn on faster, or run a clock. It also happens with things like phone chargers that do not have an on / off switch. If these items are plugged into an outlet, they are pulling power whether in use or not. Most appliances with remote control also have a constant load. For instance, a television uses the same amount of electricity as a 60-watt light bulb when turned off.
The biggest news of the year was our recognition from the 
Construction finished on this 
Charles and Roger (on different trips) got to visit the Marvin Windows plant in Warroad MN. On the trip, Charles also got a tour of 
