LOS ANGELES - Rick Fochtman, Director of Sustainability for Bernards, has been appointed to serve as the Pacific Regional Council (PRC) Representative to the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Chapter Steering Committee (CSC). The CSC is an integrated group of chapter community leaders who provide USGBC with relevant expertise, stakeholder perspectives, market intelligence, best practices and vision.
As a founding Board Member of the USGBC, Inland Empire, Fochtman has maintained an active role with the USGBC both locally and on the national level for many years. He has held several leadership positions within the organization, including two terms as Board Chair. Most recently, he authored an article for the USGBC titled 2013 Market Briefs Pacific Region USGBC 2013 Market Briefs Pacific Region.
“The appointment of Rick as PRC representative ensures that the Green Building Council leadership has a knowledgeable and passionate sustainability advocate, with the ability to disseminate vital information and experience to the CSC in an effective manner,” said Steve Pellegren, Bernards’ vice president of Preconstruction Services.
Fochtman has been overseeing green building efforts for Bernards, a nationally ranked commercial builder with five offices throughout the Southwest, since 2004. He has designed and implemented a comprehensive training regimen that has been instrumental in achieving LEED accreditation for more than 57 Bernards’ professionals.
Bernards is a key player in the state’s green building market, with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS) projects, including the University of California Merced campus, under its belt. Rick has developed a customizable LEED® and/or CHPS documentation template that facilitates tracking construction materials and processes and helps secure sustainable targets.
Bernards’ headquarters in Los Angeles is a green, adaptive reuse project, which involved retrofitting a concrete tilt-up industrial building with sustainable features, including energy conservation that exceeds California Title 24 standards, noted Fochtman, who supervised the development and integration of the building’s green features.
The Bernards HQ project reused 96 percent of the original building; it generates 45 kW hours of photovoltaic, solar energy daily; and saves 40,000 gallons of water annually, about 15 percent of the total used. Other sustainable elements include: low-flow toilets and waterless urinals, recycled flooring and countertops, extensive use of day-lighting, a high-performance HVAC system, use of low-volatile organic compound materials and products, a cool roof, high-performance window glazing, landscaping with native plans and an efficient drip irrigation system.
Bernards is also a proud sponsor of two Southern California universities participating in the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2013. This year the event, which has traditionally taken place in Washington D.C., will be held at the Orange County Great Park in Irvine, California. The Great Park is being hailed as first great Metropolitan Park of the 21st Century, for its emphasis on environmental sustainability.
About Bernards
Founded in 1974, Bernards is a nationally ranked, multidisciplinary commercial builder that provides technical expertise and outstanding professional services to developers, corporations, educational institutions and public agencies. Areas of expertise include comprehensive preconstruction, general contracting, construction management, program management, design-build, building information modeling (BIM), integrated project delivery (IPD) services, which integrate sustainable building practices. Bernards’ projects include sports and entertainment venues, health care facilities, mixed-use complexes, multifamily housing, and educational, detention, and civic facilities. Bernards maintains a continual focus on safety, quality, sustainability, diversity and community involvement. Bernards has regional offices throughout the Southwest and employs more than 280 professionals, many of them LEED® accredited. For more information, visitwww.bernards.com.