Meet the Trainers: Jane Ahrens and Michael Kawecki

The spotlight shines on the powerhouse training team from Dallas, Texas: Michael Kawecki, director of sustainability and government for O'Brien and Associates, Inc., and Jane Ahrens, associate with the aviation division of Gresham, Smith and Partners. Together, they are making a tremendous impact on green building in the Dallas market.

The team has followed a steady and intense pace of one to two training programs a month; all but one of the programs was sold out. Since 2005, Michael and Jane have run close to 20 separate training programs, resulting in 600 certified professionals in the Dallas area. Dallas has achieved one of the largest concentrations of Green Advantage Certified Practitioners in the US. Let's meet the pair:

An architect by training, Michael Kawecki's career took a number of turns, introducing him to many roles in the building industry, including architect, owner, contractor, and consultant. As a result, he is one of only a few instructors nationally with designer and contractor qualifications.

Michael Kawecki Kawecki's introduction to green building started when he was an owner representative with the city of Dallas. In that role, Kawecki designed for a 50-year or longer time frame. The long-term goals demanded careful attention to operations and maintenance as well as the life of the construction materials and spawned his interest in sustainable building. He earned his LEED-Accredited Professional certification, followed by his Green Advantage certification in 2006, and shortly thereafter, began teaching for Green Advantage.

Following his tenure with the city, he worked as a direct contractor with the design/build firm of Harrison, Walker & Harper, where he pursued several other LEED projects. Besides helping on a volunteer basis in the early days of the local USGBC chapter, he returned to architecture, joining O’Brien & Associates to focus on sustainable municipal/government design and retail/mixed-use.

Kawecki uses his real-world experience regularly in workshops. He says, “out in the dirt, everything is different.” He is frank with training participants about what works and what doesn't, drawing on his own stumbling blocks and sharing what ultimately worked. “It's only a mistake if you do it twice,” he admits.

Kawecki cites construction waste management as the biggest item that affects contractors in the course. The Green Advantage authorized course helps contractors determine what materials have greatest value for recycling within the local market. By implementing better recycling and waste management practices, a contractor can maximize efficiency. This can bring down project cost and allow LEED projects to “net out”.

Kawecki's cites the city's first LEED Major Renovation project as his favorite green building experience. Kawecki's design achieved LEED-Gold status for the renovation of an 80,000-square foot city-owned facility into a vehicular maintenance center. Designing the Hensley Field Operations Center required Kawecki's focus on creating a “healthy work environment for all”. He met with mechanics to improve the ventilation and daylight in their work area, as well as with administrative staff, to ensure better ventilation for the copy rooms and interior spaces. Kawecki's success clearly is indicated by the city's staff members who vie to get reassigned to the center due to quality of the workplace.

For her part, Jane Ahrens was drawn to Green Advantage as “a great opportunity to meet more people interested in what seemed like a niche at the time (January 2006).” As both a professor (Assistant Professor of Architecture at The University of Texas at Arlington School of Architecture) and practicing architect (at Gresham Smith and Partners since January 2007) she notes that, “I am a much better architect for having been involved in the program. I have learned how to incorporate relevant LEED specifications that help the contractor rather than just provide cover for the architect.”

As a team member on GS&P's internal Sustainability Task Force, Ahrens is working on a variety of green initiatives. One corporate initiative is to require the Green Advantage LEED® Innovation Credit specification on all GS&P architecture projects regardless of whether the project is pursuing LEED certification.

Ahrens believes that she and Kawecki have had exemplary success because, “we are so involved in the green building community here in Dallas and believe in this program so much. We recommend it all the time without hesitation. It's such a value. The cost of the course and the time invested are paid back so quickly with the content of the course. We always have a waiting list, so I think the community sees the value also.”

Ahrens has a deep motivation for all things green. The March 2008 issue of Dallas Child magazine, cites Ahrens as saying, “As far as sustainable building, I don't know how an architect could possibly in good conscience separate the two. We are responsible for the built environment, but it’s the natural systems that the Earth provides that allow us to have the resources we need. If we destroy the latter, we eventually destroy the former. I always saw them as intertwined.”

Ahrens and Kawecki both serve as board members on the North Texas U.S. Green Building Council chapter. Their activism on the Board helps promote the Green Advantage training and the value of Green Advantage certification. Through the chapter they have also formed an alliance with QUOIN, the local chapter of the Association of General Contractors, which further builds awareness of Green Advantage as a sponsor of most of the GA training sessions. Ahrens notes that she has “learned a lot participating in the program,” and that overall, she and Kawecki “have increased the knowledge base of the contractors in our market significantly which improves the quality of the work built [in Dallas] and reduces anxiety and unnecessary cost increases when working on LEED projects. Green Advantage has been a win/win situation.”

When asked what makes her most proud, she looks to her work at the University of Texas at Arlington where she has taught design studios and sustainability in the School of Architecture. “There are many projects I am proud of for different aspects, but what I am most proud of are my students. Every semester I get a few gems and I see the future will be much brighter because of their inspiration and determination.”

This training team is clearly looking to the future. The popularity of training in Dallas has led to demand elsewhere, so Ahrens and Kawecki are helping Green Advantage feed the interest from the Houston market.

For more information on the North Texas USGBC, see www.usgbcnorthtexas.org

Also, check out this article on Ahrens, written in honor of Earth Day: www.dallaschild.com

top of the page


In This Issue:	July 2008
Meet the Trainers: Jane Ahrens and Michael Kawecki University of Texas Installs Green Bike Racks; Drop in Auto Traffic Results Certification Success Story: Paul Deal Green Tips from Ian Heckman Green Advantage Promotes Green Building During Exploratory Trip to Ireland The Greening of College Campuses Dallas Adopts Green Building Standard for Homes and Businesses Feature on Daylighting Make the Most of Energy Efficient Tax Credits for 2008	GREENLIGHT Archive July 2008 March 2008 Inaugural Issue
Meet the Trainers: Jane Ahrens and Michael Kawecki The spotlight shines on the powerhouse training team from Dallas, Texas: Michael Kawecki, director of sustainability and government for O'Brien and Associates, Inc., and Jane Ahrens, associate with the aviation division of Gresham, Smith and Partners. Together, they are making a tremendous impact on green building in the Dallas market. The team has followed a steady and intense pace of one to two training programs a month; all but one of the programs was sold out. Since 2005, Michael and Jane have run close to 20 separate training programs, resulting in 600 certified professionals in the Dallas area. Dallas has achieved one of the largest concentrations of Green Advantage Certified Practitioners in the US. Let's meet the pair: An architect by training, Michael Kawecki's career took a number of turns, introducing him to many roles in the building industry, including architect, owner, contractor, and consultant. As a result, he is one of only a few instructors nationally with designer and contractor qualifications. Kawecki's introduction to green building started when he was an owner representative with the city of Dallas. In that role, Kawecki designed for a 50-year or longer time frame. The long-term goals demanded careful attention to operations and maintenance as well as the life of the construction materials and spawned his interest in sustainable building. He earned his LEED-Accredited Professional certification, followed by his Green Advantage certification in 2006, and shortly thereafter, began teaching for Green Advantage. Following his tenure with the city, he worked as a direct contractor with the design/build firm of Harrison, Walker & Harper, where he pursued several other LEED projects. Besides helping on a volunteer basis in the early days of the local USGBC chapter, he returned to architecture, joining O’Brien & Associates to focus on sustainable municipal/government design and retail/mixed-use. Kawecki uses his real-world experience regularly in workshops. He says, “out in the dirt, everything is different.” He is frank with training participants about what works and what doesn't, drawing on his own stumbling blocks and sharing what ultimately worked. “It's only a mistake if you do it twice,” he admits. Kawecki cites construction waste management as the biggest item that affects contractors in the course. The Green Advantage authorized course helps contractors determine what materials have greatest value for recycling within the local market. By implementing better recycling and waste management practices, a contractor can maximize efficiency. This can bring down project cost and allow LEED projects to “net out”. Kawecki's cites the city's first LEED Major Renovation project as his favorite green building experience. Kawecki's design achieved LEED-Gold status for the renovation of an 80,000-square foot city-owned facility into a vehicular maintenance center. Designing the Hensley Field Operations Center required Kawecki's focus on creating a “healthy work environment for all”. He met with mechanics to improve the ventilation and daylight in their work area, as well as with administrative staff, to ensure better ventilation for the copy rooms and interior spaces. Kawecki's success clearly is indicated by the city's staff members who vie to get reassigned to the center due to quality of the workplace. For her part, Jane Ahrens was drawn to Green Advantage as “a great opportunity to meet more people interested in what seemed like a niche at the time (January 2006).” As both a professor (Assistant Professor of Architecture at The University of Texas at Arlington School of Architecture) and practicing architect (at Gresham Smith and Partners since January 2007) she notes that, “I am a much better architect for having been involved in the program. I have learned how to incorporate relevant LEED specifications that help the contractor rather than just provide cover for the architect.” As a team member on GS&P's internal Sustainability Task Force, Ahrens is working on a variety of green initiatives. One corporate initiative is to require the Green Advantage LEED® Innovation Credit specification on all GS&P architecture projects regardless of whether the project is pursuing LEED certification. Ahrens believes that she and Kawecki have had exemplary success because, “we are so involved in the green building community here in Dallas and believe in this program so much. We recommend it all the time without hesitation. It's such a value. The cost of the course and the time invested are paid back so quickly with the content of the course. We always have a waiting list, so I think the community sees the value also.” Ahrens has a deep motivation for all things green. The March 2008 issue of Dallas Child magazine, cites Ahrens as saying, “As far as sustainable building, I don't know how an architect could possibly in good conscience separate the two. We are responsible for the built environment, but it’s the natural systems that the Earth provides that allow us to have the resources we need. If we destroy the latter, we eventually destroy the former. I always saw them as intertwined.” Ahrens and Kawecki both serve as board members on the North Texas U.S. Green Building Council chapter. Their activism on the Board helps promote the Green Advantage training and the value of Green Advantage certification. Through the chapter they have also formed an alliance with QUOIN, the local chapter of the Association of General Contractors, which further builds awareness of Green Advantage as a sponsor of most of the GA training sessions. Ahrens notes that she has “learned a lot participating in the program,” and that overall, she and Kawecki “have increased the knowledge base of the contractors in our market significantly which improves the quality of the work built [in Dallas] and reduces anxiety and unnecessary cost increases when working on LEED projects. Green Advantage has been a win/win situation.” When asked what makes her most proud, she looks to her work at the University of Texas at Arlington where she has taught design studios and sustainability in the School of Architecture. “There are many projects I am proud of for different aspects, but what I am most proud of are my students. Every semester I get a few gems and I see the future will be much brighter because of their inspiration and determination.” This training team is clearly looking to the future. The popularity of training in Dallas has led to demand elsewhere, so Ahrens and Kawecki are helping Green Advantage feed the interest from the Houston market. For more information on the North Texas USGBC, see www.usgbcnorthtexas.org Also, check out this article on Ahrens, written in honor of Earth Day: www.dallaschild.com top of the page

© Green Advantage News 2008 Avasa Web Design

In This Issue:

July 2008

GREENLIGHT

Archive

Meet the Trainers: Jane Ahrens and Michael Kawecki