Creating Sustainable Institutional Environments

In Mexico, Canada and the United States, buildings are responsible for as much as 40 percent of total energy used and 38 percent of all carbon dioxide emissions. Each year, these buildings generate more than 2.2 million metric tons of CO2 released into the atmosphere - roughly 35 percent of the continent's total.

The benefits of green building are well documented. Green buildings are estimated to reduce energy by 30 percent, lower carbon emissions by 35 percent and curb water use by up to 50 percent. Throughout the world, green building designers, engineers and builders are creating new environments and renovating old structures to significantly lower energy consumption, minimize waste and provide healthier, more productive environments to live and work in.

Increasing Square Footage While Reducing Energy Costs

Squeezing more out of existing structures while turning them greener is a challenge that requires a balance of good energy management practices along with appropriate investments in new technology solutions. Universities and colleges compete to attract the best and brightest. Like many higher education institutions, Western Michigan University (WMU) strives to keep a lid on operational costs to minimize tuition fee hikes while maintaining functional, attractive, learning intensive facilities. WMU turned to Armstrong to assist in benchmarking critical energy components and soon realized inefficiencies that were costing the university hundreds of thousands of dollars annually.

Working with Armstrong, WMU began a decade-long program combining manual inspections of key utility systems that evolved into applying wireless technology for 24/7 monitoring. The combined strategy has resulted in reduced energy consumption and emissions, better deployment of limited human resources, and ultimately an expanded physical campus that consumes nearly half the energy it did previously.

Improving Productivity, Enjoyment & Quality of Life

While energy conservation is enough motivation for some businesses to undertake green building development, for others, energy represents only a small cost when compared to employee salaries, benefits and productivity losses.

Poor indoor air quality, archaic water system design, dim lighting and toxic emissions from building materials contribute to conditions such as asthma, allergies and the spread of influenza - the leading cause of sick building syndrome and a major contributor to deadly Legionnaires' disease. According to researchers, green building in the U.S. alone has the potential to generate an additional $200 billion annually in worker productivity.

Armstrong partners with leading healthcare institutions to design and implement hot water system solutions that help reduce the risks of water-borne bacteria such as Legionella. We also work with these institutions to improve indoor air quality by supplying precise levels of humidification.