On April 15, 2016, Andrea Shoaf, one of our Senior Project Managers and our Energy Services Manager, was invited to speak at South Carroll High School about sustainability and green building design. After her speaking engagement, we asked her a few questions about the event.
Katie: Hey Andrea, we heard you had a speaking engagement last week. Why were you asked to speak at South Carroll High School?
Andrea: A friend of mine, Kim Johnson, is the media specialist for South Carroll High School and is working with one of their talented educators who is teaching an elective class called Advanced Design Applications. One of the teaching modules they are learning about is Sustainable Building Design.
K: Who did you speak to?
A: The class elective consists of 13 high school students, sophomores through seniors.
K: We heard the students are working on a big sustainability project. What is the assignment and how are they addressing the challenge?
A: They will be spending 3 to 4 weeks learning about Sustainability, different applicable rating systems, and current sustainable technologies. The module will culminate with the students pairing up and designing their own sustainable house.
K: What were some of the most interesting questions the students posed?
A: The students were very interested in the mechanical/HVAC side of sustainability, which was right up my alley. They asked great questions like, “what are typical mechanical systems we see in design?” They also were very interested in renewable energy and its applications.
K: How long have you worked in the sustainable design and construction industry?
A: I have worked in the construction/sustainable design field for over 10 years. I started off on the construction side before switching over to sustainability consulting.
K: How has your career path taken you to this point as a senior project manager and energy analyst at Lorax Partnerships?
A: Having a BS in Mechanical Engineering, I have always loved the principles of building, physics, and material science. That combined with how powerful of a tool Energy Modeling is for Sustainable design has really shaped where I am now. I love working with teams to help refine and shape their designs around efficiency and energy savings. The best part is that most of these decisions ultimately have a payback for the owner!
Having worked in construction has given me a unique perspective on what is actually going on, on a construction site. The struggles with building to a schedule and a budget are important to remember when trying to impose sustainability requirements and backup documentation on a contractor. This has helped us start early in the construction process, making sure that what we need is understood so we can help them deliver the sustainability documentation.
K: In your history in the field, what was your favorite project that you worked on and why?
A: My favorite project to date has to be Howard Square Apartments in Elkridge, MD. The apartments were the first LEED Platinum apartment complex in the state of Maryland. That in itself is just super awesome! However, it wasn’t just the LEED designation that makes it my favorite project; the team really was what made it my favorite. The team worked so well together, and believed in the ultimate goal of sustainability.