Co-Opetition: How Communication is Changing the Remodeling Game

Mar 12, 2010 at 3:15 pm
Room # 401

Presnted by: Doug Kennedy, Pathway Design & Construction, Jason Lear, Batt + Lear, George Ostrow, VELOCIPEDE architects inc

Session Description:

"What We Are Learning in the Field, And How We Are Changing Our Game" This collaborative panel presentation will show how, in the spirit of co-opetition, we have routinely helped each other to fill in the educational gaps and avoid the costly mistakes that can make the difference between success or failure on our projects. Do conditioned crawl spaces work? Isn't all rigid insulation the same? Cellulose insulation settles over time, right? We will present challenges we encounter every day as we strive for the most advanced levels of green building, and how we have solved them. As trailblazers, we hope sharing our experience will make it easier for others to follow the same path. Topic areas will include: Design, Construction, Maintenance, Site and Water, Energy, Materials, and Indoor Air Quality.

Speakers Bios:

George Ostrow, VELOCIPEDE architects inc.

George Ostrow is an architect in Seattle specializing in environmentally responsible design. His firm, VELOCIPEDE architects inc, designs single family, multifamily, office, and grocery store projects. George commutes daily by bicycle, calculates his annual carbon footprint at 3 tonnes of CO2 equivalent, and has accepted the 2030 Challenge. VELOCIPEDE projects include two Built Green 5 Star Remodel/Additions, a LEED Gold grocery store, and a net zero energy and net zero water house. In 2009, VELOCIPEDE received a Built Green Washington Remodeler Award, a Built Green Hammer Award, and the Master Builders Association Green Remodeling Excellence Award. www.velocipede.net

Doug Kennedy Director of Operations, Pathway Design and Construction

Doug has been involved in the Building/Real Estate field for 35 plus years. His overlapping careers in Residential Construction, Real Estate Appraisal and Property Management have helped shape his beliefs as to the importance of the symbiotic relationship between individuals, their residences and the environment. He is committed to providing Pathway’s employees, clients and others in the community the useful information needed to make informed decisions regarding their construction and remodel projects. He serves on the ALA - Master Home Environmentalist steering committee and Master Builders/Built Green Remodel committee, both of which are committed to furthering community education. He was recently presented the 2008 Governor’s Award of Excellence for outstanding volunteer service, for work with the ALA-MHE program. One of Doug’s favorite sayings is attributed to Gandhi, “Be the change you would like to see in the world”

Jason Lear, Batt + Lear

Jason Lear is founder and co-owner of Batt + Lear, a 10-year-old design/build company that builds high-performance houses throughout the Puget Sound. Jason believes that we have the opportunity to make our existing homes a lot more energy efficient than they are. He does not believe in a Silver Bullet approach; rather, he recommends treating the house as the complex system that it is and using simple systems to make it work better. He emphasizes the importance of both a holistic approach to building and attention to detail in every step. Jason says that if we pay attention to the way we build, use diagnostic tools during construction, and test our work, we can make homes that cost less than $200 per year to heat, and are far more comfortable to live in! www.battandlear.com