The RFM new office is officially LEED Platinum! We have earned 91 points which is 11 points above the requirement for LEED Platinum.

Our Green Roof

Our new green roof garden is in, and it adds another sustainable element to our building.

There are two types of green roofs, intensive and extensive. Intensive roofs, which are thicker and can support a wider variety of plants are heavier and require more maintenance. Extensive roofs are covered in a light layer of vegetation and are less “intensive.”

The green roof system we have is the G3 Extensive Green Grid and is used for green roof projects that require a higher degree of aesthetic character. This system is composed of 18”x 24” trays, 4” deep and each tray holds 6 plants. Our garden has 108 trays that will cover 324 square feet and the vegetation consists of flowering varieties of sedums and chives.   The green roof garden is designed by Sirima Rajpreeja and was installed by Tim Ryan Construction.

Green roofs serve a few purposes for a building, such as absorbing rainwater, providing insulation, and helping to lower urban air temperatures and combat the heat island effect.

Other elements on our roof include a solar array, and five pairs of roof and overflow drains at the top of our rainwater collection system. Our roof is visible from the south facing window of the Norm Dicks Government Center.

What a Celebration!

Thank you to all of you who joined our opening celebrations last Friday. Enjoy a few photos...
(Photos by Kariba Photography, karibaphotography.com)

Join Us Tomorrow for Our Open House

Collaborate!

Another cool thing about our new space is the furniture it houses. We have seven bar-height collaboration tables we use for meeting, working, and gathering spaces all made here in Bremerton by Chris and Ryan Tincher. Chris is a general contractor and Ryan, a finish carpenter.

The tables are made from 2x2 ceiling furring salvaged from the building. The nail-hole discoloration comes from the furring strips having been nailed to the lath in their former life. Over years and a lot of moisture the discoloration adds to the history, texture, and beauty of the tables and, in turn, our space as a whole.

These collaboration tables, or boeufettes (buffets) as we like to call them, provide us a place to leave our desks and come together with fresh perspectives to an inviting space.

A Glimpse of Our New Space

Enjoy this glimpse of our new space, and plan to see it for yourself at our open house on Friday, June 24, from 3:00 - 6:00pm.
275 Fifth Street, Suite 100
Bremerton, Washington  98337

Solar Panels are Here!

Our solar panels arrived against a backdrop of dark clouds.  They saw rain before they saw any sun, but that will change.  Soon, this 9-kilowatt array will be hooked up to produce energy – just in time for summer.   According to our building’s energy model, this new array will generate about seven percent of our annual energy needs. 

We’re really pleased we could include energy production in our LEED® story – and that it could be done locally.  Our system is supplied and installed by Rick Lander of Washington Solar Incentives on nearby Bainbridge Island.  The polycrystalline panels themselves were produced by Silicon Energy in Marysville, about two hours north of here.  Rick and his team have done a great job. 

We look forward to monitoring our energy production and discovering how much money we’ll save on power.  And, we’ll recoup our investment in six years thanks to a federal rebate, initial depreciation, and an annual state grant.  We expect the array to perform nicely for up to 30 years. 

Now, bring on the sun.