Last week, Architectural Nexus celebrated the career of retiring Associate, Jeff Kennedy. Jeff’s 42-year profession focused on public school design throughout California and included projects like Valley View Elementary School and Union Mine High School. Jeff has always been ready and willing to share his wealth of knowledge in K-12 architecture to any who asked. His mentorship has been invaluable to Arch Nexus.

If you want to strike up conversation with Jeff, just bring up baseball and his beloved San Francisco Giants. Being able to spend more time in his maple tree nursery and his vineyard will truly make his retirement enjoyable.

In honor of Energy Efficiency Day 2022, Architectural Nexus is pleased to announce the findings of the first year of occupancy in our Living Building Pursuant Salt Lake City Office. The results? SLC is at a net positive energy production rate of 109%. This building is generating more energy than it consumes!

The dashed line on the above graph represents predicted energy use based on analysis done during design. The Peaks in the shaded graph indicate periods of higher actual energy usage, and the valleys represent lower energy use. While they do not coincide exactly, you can see that the predicted and actual use follow a similar pattern. Energy efficiency was a key strategy to achieving our energy positive goal. One of the measures taken to conserve energy was to encourage the building occupants to become active stewards of our office environment. Take June’s energy consumption in the graph below. Instead of running the air conditioning all day, staff open windows and doors to let a breeze cool down the office. This, along with the use of Solatubes instead of electric lights, greatly reduced the energy used throughout the office.

Even if you are unable to utilize solar panels, other efforts can still create measurable energy efficiency.  During the summer, close blinds and shades to keep the sun out and reduce the need for air conditioning. During the winter, do the opposite. Let the sun in to warm your home, reducing the need for a heater. These small every day actions amount to larger impacts.

As you can see in the above graph, the energy predicted to be generated as represented by the dashed line, and the actual energy produced, as indicated in the shaded area, were nearly identical. This on-site produced energy via photovoltaic panels equated to 109% of the energy used meaning that Arch Nexus SLC is net energy positive. After our first year of closely tracking the energy production and consumption of the SLC office, one can see clear conclusions. Sustainable design and occupant actions work together create optimal energy efficiency.

AIA Central Valley invites you to Architecture Firm Open House Night, a part of Experience Architecture 2022. On Thursday, October 13th from 5:30 to 7:30, participants can tour their choice of eleven different local architecture firms. Stop by the Architectural Nexus office at 930 R street in Sacramento for snacks, drinks, ping pong and an inside look at the regenerative design of a Certified Living Building! We can’t wait to meet you.

The flagship office of Architectural Nexus in Salt Lake City, invites the public to come tour the greenest building in Utah. Open house hours are 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM with free churros from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM. We hope to see you there!

Arch Nexus is seeking a talented and motivated licensed architect to work in either our Salt Lake City or Sacramento Offices. The successful candidate will work with an integrative team through all phases of design including programming and planning, to develop and document holistic designs for a variety of project types. This position is for someone who has the ability and is motivated to create places that enrich people’s lives through a thoughtful design process, technical expertise, integration across all design disciplines, and collaboration with all project stakeholders. Applicants should enjoy working in an integrative environment, demonstrate strong communication and design skills, be a self-starter and a problem solver.

The National Ability Center is a non-profit organization that makes recreation and outdoor adventures accessible to people of all abilities – and is a treasured client of Architectural Nexus. What began as the Park City Handicapped Sports Association in 1985 has grown to a global leader for adaptive recreation and outdoor adventures.

After 20 years of operating their winter sports center “temporarily” from a double wide trailer at the base of Park City Mountain Resort, it is a thrill to see the National Ability Center turn the first shovels on the Arch Nexus designed, Park City Mountain Center.

The 9,400-sf facility, will be ski-in, ski-out, and serve as home base for the organization’s ski and snowboard programs. It will increase the NAC’s ability so serve significantly more people, with adequate indoor space for fitting and storage. Once fitted, participants will slide on an artificial surface directly to the snow! The space will include a specialized sensory room for calming and on-site accessible restroom facilities.

Project Designer and Arch Nexus Associate Jeff Tuft is particularly inspired by the purpose driven mission of the National Ability Center. “The new building will be a beacon that shines light on the NAC organization and will inspire individuals of all levels of ability to get out and enjoy outdoor recreation. Architectural Nexus is grateful for the strong relationships that have been formed in the years that this project has taken to get off the ground and the working partnerships that have been forged. What an exciting day!”

For more news on this great event you may visit these news sites:

KCPW.org

ABC4.com

It’s no secret, traditional lawns waste water. With offices in Salt Lake City, Utah and Sacramento, California; Architectural Nexus has some helpful information to share for a more water wise landscape in Utah and Sacramento.

During the 2022 session, the Utah Legislature approved $5 million for a statewide grass removal rebate program. There’s been tremendous interest in this program and the state is working to launch the first statewide turf buyback program in the country! Click here to sign up for updates.

In Sacramento, the River-Friendly Landscape Program offers several types of rebates to residential and commercial customers to help pay for water-efficient upgrades. Conserve water and money by utilizing the Turf Conversion Rebate, Landscape Design Assistance, Smart controller Rebate, Irrigation Upgrade Rebate, the Rain Barrel Rebate and the Laundry to Landscape Rebate!

Here’s one more helpful hint: Replace turf with native plants. Type in your zip code at Native Plant Finder for free information on good planting choices in your area

Architectural Nexus, an employee owned company with offices in Salt Lake City, Ut. and Sacramento, Ca., is excited to announce that Robb Harrop has been elected to serve as Arch Nexus President.

Mr. Harrop brings a wealth of experience to this position, strengthening Arch Nexus’ status as a diverse, multi-disciplinary design firm. As Vice President of Design for the past 8 years, Robb has directed the overall design efforts for the firm and has proven his skills for design, leadership, and integration of the widely diverse array of talents at Arch Nexus. Major projects for which Robb has led the design include University of Utah Hospital, Huntsman Cancer Institute, Daybreak Library as well as numerous LDS temple projects including those in Payson And Syracuse Utah.

Robb has gained the respect of his peers, industry partners, as well as numerous clients through his tremendous ability to quickly visualize, illustrate, and conceive beautiful structures that inspire. His deep understanding of biophilic design principles, forged through Arch Nexus practice of sustainable design, has been key to the development of some of this region’s most regenerative projects. Arch Nexus Chairman of the Board, Mark Davis expresses his confidence in this new appointment by stating that “Although change in leadership can be a challenging time for a firm, we are very fortunate to have Robb step into the role of President as he is a true collaborator and consensus builder. He will strengthen our firm in many new ways and we are all very excited for the future.”

Having joined the firm very early in his career as an intern architect, Robb holds 25 years of tenure with Arch Nexus. He earned his Master’s in Architecture from the University of Utah in 2000 and has been licensed in the state of Utah since 2004. Robb describes his experience in the business of Architecture by sharing, “My father always taught me to work with people of integrity. I am honored to have great mentors to learn from, a great team to collaborate with, and excellent people around me with whom I share deep trust.”

The Northeastern Chapter of the California Society for Healthcare Engineering presents

Central Plant Electrification Requirements, Trends, and Equipment

May 11, 2022 from 5:30 to 7:30 PM

Architectural Nexus, 930 R St Sacramento CA

Presented by Aaron Wintersmith, Director of Sustainability, Capital Engineering and Jeffrey Jerwers, Account Executive, Johnson Controls, Inc.

This event is focused on the electrification of central plants. That is, the reorganization of plants to eliminate fossil fuel use and replace it with electric sources. Content will include regulations and organizational goals that are driving the trend of Central Plant electrification. Presenters will share technical solutions that successfully re-organize central plants using Heat Pump chillers, Air Source Heat Pumps, and similar technologies. Case study success and challenges will be presented for examination and discussion.

REGISTER HERE.