Full agenda includes presentation by LEED program Natomas Gateway Tower building Project Manager Lauritzen
By Cathrin Nevin, Carl Warren & Company

They say April showers bring May flowers; however, the heavy rain didn’t prevent another full house from coming out to the April SCA Luncheon. Don Sams welcomed the guests with his warm smile and charm. He advised that a survey had been sent out to members of the SCA and that the board received a good response and he thanks all who participated.

He also gave an update on the membership drive, is still underway. All inquiries should be forwarded to Cata Jimenez, with Barrish Pelham & Associates, Inc. He announced that the SCA Golf Tournament is being held June 19th back at Empire Ranch in Folsom. 45 of the 46 sponsorships have already been taken and there is only one foursome left. Big thanks were given to all of the sponsors with a special thank you to Pinnacle Emergency Management for their Eagle Sponsorship.

Don also mentioned that every dollar raised will go to Acres of Hope, a Non-Profit organization dedicated to providing long term housing and rehabilitation services for homeless mothers and children trying to escape abusive and dependant pasts.

Lisa Winn, of Vanderbilt Construction, then spoke about the 16th Annual CCNC being held Thursday and Friday, September 10th and 11th at the Hyatt Regency in Downtown Sacramento. Exhibitor Booth registration is now open to new exhibitors and she advised that there are only twenty booths left. On-line registration is now available by going to www.ClaimsConference.org.

Charles Gabanni of CSE announced the speaker of the day, Jennifer Lauritzen of HMH Builders. Jennifer has been the Project Manager with HMH Builders for over ten years, and has numerous projects under her belt. However, during her presentation, you could tell that new Natomas Gateway Tower is her pride and joy.

The building was designed based on “Green Technologies” and is the first privately developed commercial building to apply for LEED Gold certification. The complex centers around a 12 story building with 340,000 square feet of space. The project price tag came in at $65,000,000. It is a commercial only, core and shell building that will be built out by the occupying tenants. She said that the views from the upper floors are beautiful and consist of down town and Old Sacramento, as well as the Sacramento and American Rivers. And in the distance to the north, the Sutter Buttes.

The building was designed to enhance occupant comfort, health and productivity, reduce operation costs, preserve natural resources, and contribute to the overall quality of life. One of the projects most notable accomplishments is the significant water savings that they have achieved. The strategies on the project include waterless urinals, low-flow faucets, the use of native plants that need less water, and capturing and utilizing cooling tower bleed-water for irrigation. When Jennifer mentioned the Dual-Flush toilets in the bathrooms and explained how they work, you could hear chuckles from the crowd. These multiple water saving strategies will save over 5-million gallons of potable water every year.

Ms. Lauritzen then went on to describe the high performance energy efficiency of the project. The building was designed to optimize the energy performance by more than 18% more than California’s stringent title 24 energy code, and will result in a 26% reduction in energy usage. The roof of the building provides a heat-island effect with the use of a white, high solar reflectant that will keep the building cooler. The building comes equip with its own on-site renewable energy. Canopies of photovoltaic panels cover 72 parking stalls in the parking lot. The panels will provide shade as well as generate electricity from the sunlight. Two different glass panels were also used on the exterior of the building that are solar panel glass that will also generate electricity. The building owner also contracted with SMUD to purchase 35% of the building power from “Green Power”. However Jennifer advised that the owner agreed to a total of 70% of all power to be greenergy.

In addition to the generation of electricity that the building will provide, the general design of the building, with all of the glass windows, will allow for the use of natural sunlight to be utilized in the reduction of power needed to light the interior of the building. There will also be a major reduction of “light pollution” where light usage on the exterior of the building will be only what is needed for safety and comfort. In the early morning, cooler morning air will be filtered through the building to bring the temperatures to a comfortable level, reducing the need for cooling through the air conditioning system.

By far, my favorite feature that was mentioned was the bathroom hand dryers. Jennifer mentioned that they use Dyson technology that provides a high-stream of air that dries your hands in one pull. This technology uses less energy than conventional hand dryers and also cuts down on the water droplets from the hands and you attempt to dry them. Having a claims background in liability, I know that I find myself looking down at the water droplets on the floor thinking “what a liability”.

The materials and resources used in the project were also paid close attention to. Over 50% of all of the wood used in the project was provided by sustainable managed and harvested forests. Materials were also selected for high recycled content. 20% of the materials used in the project were post-consumer recycled content and 75% of the construction debris was also recycled. Regional materials sourced from within 500 miles of the project were also selected. This strategy avoids the emissions and energy consumption associated with long-distance transportation while promoting the local economy.

I can say, that over the past year, during my daily commute through downtown Sacramento, I have watched as the Natomas Gateway Tower has grown into the beauty it is today. It is the first high-rise seen as you enter into town and it is a wonderful new addition to the Sacramento Skyline. And an added bonus...the developers have shown... that it IS easy being GREEN.

Jennifer Lauritzen, of HMH Builders, gave a fascinating presentation on the LEED Golf Certification process with the Natomas Gateway Tower Green Building project.

SCA 2009 President Don Sams, above right, thanked guest speaker Jennifer Lauritzen, of HMH Builders, for her dynamic presentation on the details of the Natomas Gateway Tower Green Building project.

Grant Cody and Kevin Lahey, of Belfor, and Jackie Irrgang, of ServiceMaster Advantage listen in to the description of the Natomas Gateway Tower project. Belfor is a LEED Accredited Professional (LEED AP).

John & Tonya Moore, owners of JM Environmental, at the April SCA luncheon

Art Khan, pictured above with Danell Cassetta of Restoration Management Co., resurfaces after leaving CSAA. Art is now clearly happy to be a part of the new Sacramento operation of Buildrite/Cleanrite.

Lisa Winn, of Vanderbuilt Construction and Exhibitor Committee Co-Chair for the Claims Conference of N. California, gave a brief update on the progress of plans for the 2009 CCNC. Exhibitor booth purchase is now open to all: www.ClaimsConference.org.

Jim Devard, of Sams & Associates, and Sam Belknap, of Settlement Professionals, Inc. listen intently to the green building presentation.

SCA President Don Sams, of Sams & Associates, and Lisa Gerber, of California Casualty Auto & Home Insurance.

Congrats to SCA first-timer, Kathy Krainock, of HAAG Engineering, on winning the April 50/50 Raffle Drawing.