There's Patina on this Green Thinking

By Jim Fitzpatrick

I always equate patina with age and value, so that’s my adjective for this week’s Green Living. A while back, we heard from Neil Buttermore who shared his emerging thinking as an architect grad student. This week, we have a bit of Green Building royalty in the sustainable house.

One day a month, I attend my Leadership Tomorrow training. Our Business Day was held at LPA, Inc., in Irvine. Seems like I never have time (often don’t want to go), but every time I do attend, I am glad I did. Some folks get crazy when they meet an actor, or the Beatles. Me, I get that way when I meet someone so influential in the architecture industry, who influences and takes the lead in green thinking. I asked a question and received a LPA’s Book “Green School Primer – Lessons in Sustainability.” Like a star-struck groupie, I asked Dan Heinfeld’s assistant for Dan’s autograph … now my green treasure. Dan Heinfeld is president of LPA, Inc.

In my Certified Green Building Professional four-day training, a couple of things stuck me. I love the concept of collaboration, where all the project participants get together early in the process. This allows the architect, engineer, project owner, etc. to influence green and sustainable outcomes before it becomes a monumental issue. It was excellent to see LPA putting my new found theory into well-honed practice, as an organizational must. Having managed a business in Japan, it was great to see the open floor plan and no inner walls, where teams sat in close proximity to facilitate this cross-functional co-mingling of talent and ideas. It’s no wonder why LPA builds such amazing projects.

I am constantly in awe of the individuals in our community, many of whom are my neighbors. We live in an area with so many talented and interesting people. All you have to do is engage in a dialogue to realize the boy or girl next door is a titan of something … so, start talking.

Meet Newport Beach's own – Dan Heinfeld.

Dan Heinfeld, president of LPA, Inc.Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself.
A: I moved to Orange County from Tucson, Ariz. where I graduated from architecture school in 1975, and have lived here ever since. I love Orange County. I met my wife here, our daughter was born at Hoag Hospital and I feel very fortunate and lucky to have landed in a place where the weather and natural beauty is hard to beat. We have lived in Newport Beach since 1988. (Dan was named “The Visionary” by Coast Magazine). Read story here.

Q: Where does your passion for building green, sustainable and quality projects come from?
A: To answer this question individually would not be reflective of our firm, or how we work, which is a collaborative process where many people share the same passion for good design and sustainability. In fact, we believe that good design and sustainability live together in the same process. We are creating a very different kind of design firm here at LPA where architects, engineers, landscape architects and interior designers all work together with the same purpose: to make buildings that do more with less – less energy, less water, less materials, less waste – and the result is a great place or space with a healthy environment for the occupants. The power of this holistic approach and having all of these talented professionals with different skills and knowledge in a constant dialogue on solving problems and not chasing fashion, leads to great architecture. It’s really fun to be a part of. We are doing the best work in the history of our company right now, which is quite a statement, considering our firm has won more than 150 American Institute of Architects (AIA) design awards, and 33 consecutive years of recognition from the AIA Orange County local chapter.

Q: How do you VOTE GREEN EVERYDAY?
A: We try, at work and at home every day. I really think sustainability and green is just the practical thing to do. Everybody can find ways to reduce their environmental footprint, and it doesn’t have to be difficult. Conservation is really a beautiful word.

California State University, San BernardinoQ: What is your favorite way to conserve water?
A: Something that everyone in California should be looking at is irrigation. Our state imports more than 50% of our water, and more than 50% of that is for irrigation. We can all do a lot better in understanding our climate and what to plant and how to irrigate. LPA recently did a project for CSU San Bernardino where we reduced the irrigation requirements by 80%. We created a landscape that is appropriate for its arid location as a model for the campus.

Q: Please share a little about your company – LPA, Inc.
A: Founded in 1965, LPA has more than 220 employees with offices in Irvine, Roseville, and San Diego, Calif. LPA provides services in architecture, planning, interior design, engineering, landscape architecture, signage and graphics. We have more LEED-certified buildings than any firm in the state and of our employees, more than 78% are LEED-accredited professionals, which is the highest percentage in the nation.

With extensive experience in public and private architecture, LPA designs a diversity of facilities that span from corporate and civic establishments to K-12 schools, colleges and universities all searching for the appropriate sustainable solution for their unique program and client. LPA believes scale is the key to a sustainable future. And in order to make a difference, the scale will need to be increased from hundreds of sustainable places and spaces, to thousands.

Environmental Nature CenterQ: The ENC (Environmental Nature Center) in Newport Beach was the first building to achieve a LEED Platinum rating in Orange County. Tell us about that project.
A: LPA, Inc. provided programming, planning, architecture, interior design and landscape architecture services. The Environmental Nature Center is a really good example of what we are doing in California; everything about the design of that project was done with sustainability at the forefront. It’s a living example of how to do more with less. The building wears its sustainability for all to see. It could have only been designed for our climate, at that location and for that client. The building’s structure of glu-lam beams and plywood sheathing is exposed and therefore becomes the finish ceiling which saves materials and cost. The slope of the roof promotes natural ventilation and is the ideal pitch for the photovoltaic panels to be their most efficient. We use the climate of Newport Beach to condition the space and by doing so we have created one of the few “net zero” buildings in the country.

Q: The ENC is a wonderful place to visit. What is your favorite part about it?
A: I am a new board member at the ENC, and one of the reasons I got involved is because of the work they do there. If you watch a group of children get off the bus, see their excitement about the space and watch them follow the trail of animal prints embedded in the concrete to the different California landscapes, you just can’t help but fall in love with the place. I think everyone in Newport Beach should visit it. Believe me, it’s worth your time, and you’ll be glad you did.

Dan Heinfeld's home in Newport Beach.Q: As a resident of Newport Beach, you designed your home. Can you share with our readers a little bit about that.
A: The opportunity to build my own home was a chance for me to practice what I preach here at the office. And that is, that every project regardless of program or budget can have a sustainable quotient. The Chestnut residence was completed more than four years ago with the same ‘do more with less’ approach to design, and integrated the sustainability we discussed above. Sustainability is inherent in the building’s DNA. Many of the green features at my home are now considered best practices, with one exception: the photovoltaic panels were installed with the roofing. On a related note, I am part of the Southern California Edison net metering program which is designed to benefit customers who generate their own electricity. Visit http://bit.ly/6jTajD for more information about this.

Q: Do you have any favorite green or sustainable places or things to do in Newport-Mesa that you could recommend?
A: The ENC. Hands down.

I have to agree with Dan on that one: Take your family there for a visit. Bring a picnic basket and you’ll feel like you stepped back into your childhood when you hear the birds chirping near the running stream.

I wanted to say that I am grateful for the opportunity to do this Green Living column, to all that support me, (like my copy editor), to those who participate in interviews and to those of you who read it. Hi Mom! A special thanks to LPA’s public relations guru Rochelle Veturis for helping me with this interview.

Jim Fitzpatrick is a contributing writer to the Daily Voice. His Green Living column appears every Friday.