http://www.edcmag.com/CDA/Articles/Web_Exclusive/BNP_GUID_9-5-2006_A_10000000000000615883

http://www.keci.com/-Green–Building-on-the-Rise/4891207

Recognize any old friends?

Well, I’m here to tell you that some of those old friends have been reincarnated as insulation for our Russell Street Branch. Yes, the insulation in the interior walls of our new building are made from shredded recycled denim…So while you may no longer be wearing those old favorites, rest assured they have found a new and useful home.

Now you know….

There will be a huge variety of activities and fun events for the family…check out their schedule on their website for more details. Hope to see you there!

The windows we are using are aluminum clad wood windows—triple paned! They have some of the highest insulation values of any windows available. The window glazing transparency varies around the building to correspond to its exposure. For example, the south facing windows are more tinted than north facing windows. This regulates the heat that enters as well as the intensity and direction of the light. Ultimately, in cooperation with the highly efficient HVAC system, the SIPS panels, strategically placed reflective surfaces, and the architect’s design to enhance natural lighting, these windows will be a significant part of the overall efficiency of the building. Who knew windows could be such team players!

Getting a LEED certification requires a lot more than just using recycled or renewable materials. The certification also indicates that the construction process is environmentally friendly. For a project to be considered for LEED certification, it must have—as a prerequisite—a “construction waste management” plan. While it sounds fairly straightforward—reduce waste where possible, reuse scraps, recycle what you can, and keep a clean work site—it’s far more complicated than you might imagine.

In fact, the Construction Waste Management document for our project is 4 pages long. It lays out the goals of the waste management plan (recycle or salvage 75% of construction, demolition and land clearing debris), lists potential recycling companies, and defines specific processes for specific materials including concrete, scrap metal, plastics, wood products and many others.

In addition to all that, everything is documented—how much of what materials were recycled where, when and how they were reused. Whew!

The building is starting to take its shape.

The most visible part of the project is going up….exterior walls and roof. These are unusual walls and roof, as they are made of pre-fabricated panels called “SIPs”—Structural Insulated Panels. They are made of plywood and filled with Styrofoam insulation (check out the photos).

These walls (and roof) are much faster to install than traditional framing methods and their insulating factor is through the roof! (pun intended) Extensive use was made of locally –grown “good wood” and FSC lumber for the dimensional lumber needs. We’re using everything we can that supports sustainable practices and uses local suppliers.

The site work will be starting later this summer and will include the use of recycled concrete as aggregate for the new concrete. When our crew was excavating the site for the building, they unearthed a HUGE chunk of old concrete (it’s been suggested that it is an street car turntable or perhaps the foundation for a teepee burner from days of yore). Rather than just fill the landfill with this, our concrete guys suggested we use it for the concrete in the sidewalks, curbs and driveway on our site.

Because using greywater has not been done in a commercial project in Missoula and there are no specific rules yet, we needed to get the OK. We will be tracking and measuring the effectiveness of this system and using our experiences with it to help provide data for future policy-making discussions.

As construction progresses on our Russell Street Branch, we thought it would be helpful for everyone to see the floor plan to get a sense of how the building will function. The first thing you will notice about the lobby is the absence of a traditional teller line. We will be using the latest technology in remote teller systems to speed up your transactions and limit the time you spend waiting in line—the number one issue we hear about from our members.

The lobby will have 4 video teller kiosks….essentially they work just like drive up tubes, in that you put your transaction in the carrier and it is sent to the teller via vacuum tubes. You will communicate with the teller face-to-face via an audio/video link. This provides a greater degree of privacy and security for you and for the teller. Plus, the teller can be helping you in the lobby while the next car is pulling up into the drive up without needing to run back and forth to the lobby and drive up.

Speaking of drive up—notice we have 4 teller tubes in 2 lanes…Exactly HOW will that work? Essentially, just like the gas station—Car #1 pulls to the front tube. Car #2 will pull to the second tube….both transactions will be handled simultaneously; moving two cars through in less time than a traditional drive up takes to handle them. While the next two cars are queuing up, the teller will have time to handle a lobby transaction for another member. This will not only be more efficient for you, but it will cut down on wait time and therefore the vehicle emissions in our drive up! And, just like the lobby tellers, you will have audio and video to talk with the teller face-to-face.

Never fear, our lobby will not be devoid of human contact—we will have 4 staff right there in the lobby to help answer questions and handle special requests should you need them. Plus, consumer loan officers and real estate loan officers to help you.

Other items of note…this branch will have safe deposit boxes (more on that in another post), two ATMs and an exterior walk-up teller tube (just like the ones in the lobby, only available the same hours as our drive up—for those who walk or bike to the branch and don’t want to breathe exhaust fumes in the drive up).

Next Post—Russell Street site plan—How will the site look? How will we enter/exit the branch? Where will we park? What will the landscaping look like?