At Home or Work, Buildings Could Use a Performance Review

When you think of peak performance, what comes to mind might be athletes or stage actors. But did you know you're in the middle of a performance right this second? The performer is the building, and if it's not up to snuff, your health, environment and wallet might all be suffering.

Few of us give it any consideration, but after a building is constructed, it forever affects all aspects of its surroundings—in the air its inhabitants breathe, the emissions from its heating and cooling needs, and in the regular flow of dollars that keep it in operation. 

One person that gives it plenty of consideration is Mark MaGrann.

I met MaGrann in Mount Laurel at his company's new headquarters. In the midst of a professional business park you'll find the three-story building that houses MaGrann Associates. It's one of their five offices throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, employing 50. 

You can likely picture it: primarily a glass exterior, cube-like in form. It's a glistening ode to 1980s construction design, a by-product of which was inefficient performance. As I strolled through the offices, artfully appointed and impeccably maintained, I wasn't particularly impressed by the fancy green features I expected to find. And that's the point.

"People think 'green' will look different. It will act different, but it won't look different—and it shouldn't," MaGrann said.

The 10,000 square feet occupied by MaGrann Associates is cutting edge in so many ways—and yet only in function, not in form.

Since 1982, MaGrann Associates has provided energy consulting services to home builders and commercial entities. The company's roots stemmed from energy-efficiency services, but since then they've latched onto the popular LEED certification programs that establish best practices in the building trade.

"Our forte as a company is in the residential new construction market. We help builders and developers attain ENERGY STAR and LEED certification," MaGrann said.

An internationally recognized rating system developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) measures a variety of indices and succinctly answers the question "just how efficient is this building?"

With a territory covering most of the Mid-Atlantic region, MaGrann had the distinction of being the nation's leading verifier of LEED-certified homes in 2010. Their portfolio claims more than 50,000 ENERGY STAR-certified and 1750 LEED-certified units (which includes muliti-family dwellings).

Some area projects include the Voorhees Town Center condominiums and Camden's Market Fair Senior Housing, which achieved LEED Platinum, the highest ranking awarded. Moorestown's affordable housing provider MEND is another of their clients.

For the last decade, MaGrann was located on Route 38 in Moorestown, but in July moved to the new building closer to the Moorestown Mall. Communications manager and Mount Laurel resident Erin Phillips briefed me on the intensive renovation the company underwent when they arrived this July.

"We completely knocked this office space down to its studs, and rebuilt from there. Now it's more energy-efficient, healthier and more comfortable," she said. She noted there's less asthma-related complaints and less need for space heaters.

Some of the attributes include low-VOC paint and sealants, cubicles featuring 100 percent recycled fabric and desks made of sawdust waste, and lighting that includes high-efficiency T5 lamps. Much of the cabinetry and architectural features are certified through the Forest Sustainability Council.

Promoting conservation and efficiency in lieu of longer-payback upgrades like solar, MaGrann aims to deliver fast payback and immediate savings.

"As a company we don't focus on renewable solar. The renewable aspects are the last a homeowner needs to do in the progression of 'green'," MaGrann said. 
"[Solar] offers the least payback per dollar spent, and produces less savings compared to conservation and efficiency."

While that might sound heretical, it's accurate. A wasteful home is just as wasteful if it's powered by coal or sunlight. Addressing the upgrades that make a home efficient—tightening the building envelope, replacing windows and using ENERGY STAR appliances—should always take priority.

Is hyper-efficiency the endgame for residents? It's just the start. MaGrann said the next level is a net-zero energy home that produces as much energy as it uses, effectively making it neutral to the environment.

"Legislation will be pushing the new construction industry to net-zero in 10 to 15 years," he said. "It's coming."

On this, I trust MaGrann is right. When that time comes, you can bet his headquarters will be first in line to showcase it, too. I expect it would be his building's finest performance yet.