Wright-Ryan Construction Blog

Wright-Ryan Offers Employees Energy Audits

Wright-Ryan Construction of Portland, Maine has taken their commitment to environmental sustainability to a new level by offering their employees the opportunity to have an energy audit at their personal homes or apartments.  Energy auditors visited employees’ homes to help offer instruction and advice for how to reduce their carbon footprint as well as help reduce energy costs and consumption.  After the audits, Wright-Ryan and its employees then worked with Hancock Lumber to create customized Efficiency Starter Kits to provide each employee with common items that they could install and use to boost their home’s efficiency.  The E3 initiative (Employee Energy Efficiency Program) is part of a larger strategic plan that strives to support sustainable practices in jobsites, the Wright-Ryan headquarters, as well as in employees’ homes. In a time of rising energy costs, climate change, and economic uncertainty this program exemplifies what employers can do to inspire sustainable practices and environmental responsibility. 

“Regular people, just like us, were looking at a $5,000 heating bill for the winter when it’s usually $2000.  Our employees were staring down the barrel and we felt like it was important to help take care of them.  Reducing their carbon footprint was also a nice bonus,” explains G

reg Lanou

, Wright-Ryan Homes General Manager and E3 Program Coordinator.  Energy auditors perform a thorough energy audit of the home which includes an inspection and interview, a blower door test, an infra-red scan for heat loss and smoke test for air leakage as well as testing efficiency of any combustion appliances and more.  Employees have already seen the benefit of their energy audits.  Wright-Ryan employee, Hadley Schmoyer, indicates, “We knew we were losing heat in our turn-of-the-century home, but we didn’t know where.  The energy audit allowed us to target our inefficiency and mitigate it with spray foam, programmable thermostats, and insulation of heating pipes.”   

“Sustainability is a core mission in all of our building practices,” comments John Ryan, President of the firm, “so it was natural to have our employees be able to implement changes in their home to help save energy as well as lower heating and cooling costs.”  Wright-Ryan is an industry leader in the state of

Maine

for sustainable practices. In 2005, Wright-Ryan entered into a formal agreement with the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and joined a dozen companies in the Environmental Leader program which is the DEP’s voluntary program encouraging businesses to surpass environmental laws and regulations.  Wright-Ryan remains the only construction firm in the State of M

aine

to exceed environmental commitments. W-R has completed six LEED projects ranging from Certified to Platinum.  In addition to commercial and institutional projects, W-R has completed a private residence within the LEED for Homes Pilot Program and the home attained the first Platinum LEED Rating in northeast and only the fourth in the nation. 

Founded in 1984, Wright-Ryan is one of

Maine

’s leading construction firms, with expertise in commercial, institutional and residential construction as well as high-end millwork and furniture.  The firm employs more than eighty highly skilled professionals and tradesmen including 13 LEED Accredited Professionals. Wright-Ryan has successfully completed some of the most architecturally distinctive and challenging buildings in

Maine.

Wishcamper Center has Grand Opening on October 16

Over 200 people, including Maine politicians, helped to open the new Wishcamper Center at USM on October 16, 2008.  The new center houses the Muskie School of Public Policy and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. The Wishcamper building is one of the projects that Wright-Ryan is doing for USM’s University Commons in addition to the Osher Map Library expansion and renovation, Glickman Library renovations and significant sitework in order to create a cohesive campus community. The building has been submitted for approval as a LEED Gold building.  The four-story, 59,000 square feet facility incorporates a curtainwall system and state of the art, energy efficient mechanical systems and geothermal in addition to a green roof. The architect was Koetter Kim & Associates, Inc.

Hathaway Creative Center by Tom Frederick, V.P. of Operations at Wright-Ryan

Years after the last Hathaway shirts were made the rebirth of the Hathaway Center in Waterville is now complete thanks to the incredible efforts of our team members. On November 3rd, Maine General Health occupied the third floor of this incredible mill building on the Kennebec River after a sprint to the finish by upwards of 150 construction workers.

After a lengthy preconstruction period WR started cleaning out the old mill building and installing new windows in late winter of 2008. Structural renovations started in the spring. As summer loomed, work on the new wall framing had to stop due to changes which were being negotiated between the owner and Maine General. Numerous meetings were held to coordinate the drawings and determine the most cost effective way to execute the work. On August 5th the final drawings were received by WR but little did we know of the challenge to come.

Maine General, which is one of the largest hospital and medical service providers in the state, has had staff located in Waterville for years. They were occupying space in several different buildings throughout downtown Waterville. Unbeknownst to us, several of the leases for these properties expired on November 1, 2008. The owners of the Hathaway Mill approached WR and asked us to do the near impossible – take a shell of an old mill building that had no boiler plant, HVAC system, elevator, electrical system, walls, flooring, etc. and made it habitable in a little over 12 weeks!

Because of who we are and our dedication to our clients and because we saw that both the owner and Maine General were in a tough spot we accepted the challenge. We had a series of meetings with our subcontractors and developed an extremely aggressive set of milestones. We also met with City of Waterville officials and told them of our predicament. They cooperatively worked with us in developing a minimum set of life safety requirements in order to occupy the building. The last few weeks were a blur of activity as construction lasted up to 18 hours a day.  The end result was the exactly what the owner and Maine General needed. They were able to vacate their old leases and take up residence in their beautiful new space.

Special mention needs to go to our team members who helped execute this great challenge. They include Bruce Morgan and Dan Chipman, Superintendents, Chuck Hardes, Assistant Superintendent, Sam Perry, Gary Phillips, Al Messier, and Jody Belliveau, Field Carpenters, John Moynihan, Project Engineer, Mike White, Project Manager and Dave Onos, General Superintendent. Our hats go off to all these guys for a job well done.

Work will continue in the mill for several more months as WR continues to complete other areas of the building including 66 apartments on the 4th and 5th floors and new tenant space on the 1st and 2nd floor including new office space for TD Banknorth.

Wright-Ryan STEP-Up

August 4th, companies from around the State of Maine gathered to discuss their progress within the STEP-Up program sponsored by the Department of Environmental Protection.  Wright-Ryan will be entering into the last quarter of our commitment with the DEP and fully expect to meet or exceed the goals we set for ourselves in 2006.  Andy Seymour represented WR at the meeting.  All employees can expect to see a full summary report of our STEP-Up successes later this year.
Here are some of the results from our fellow STEP-Up participants:
National Semiconductor continues to help environmental efforts at Longcreek in South Portland.  They recently removed an entire parking lot and replaced it with a bio-filtration rain garden. 
Bath Iron Works exceeded their solid waste reduction goal by 6% and their hazardous waste reduction goal by an impressive 11%.  Unfortunately, they are struggling to find ways to reduce their energy consumption and achieved a 2% reduction in comparison to a lofty goal of 8%.
Lyman Morse Boat Builders have switched their fuel source to soybean based bio-diesel fuels provided by Rockport-based Harvest Fuels.  They pay a 3 cent increase but the employees prefer it and productivity has increased overall.  They are exceeding their waste reduction, energy reduction, and hazardous waste reduction goals.  They also branched out of their typical business plan and invested in the creation of the “Power Cube” which is a solar generator producing 600-1200 watts of electricity.  Once perfected, could this be our power source at jobsites??
After presentations from the companies and DEP department officials, the group of 25 toured the new USM Wishcamper Center with Mike Barton.  The group was impressed with the geothermal system and many other features in the new building. 

Historic Cutter House Wins Preservation Award

On May 9, 2008 the Cutter House project was awarded the Excellence in Rehabilitation by the Maine Preservation Organization.  Wright-Ryan was able to preserve historical details while our Millwork Division restored the entry way. 

The home was originally built on Danforth Street in 1820 as a single family residence.  The building was named for one of its earliest owners and residents, Honorable Levi Cutter, a former sea captain and the fourth mayor of Portland. 

In 1984, Seventy-Five State Street, an independent and assisted living facility, purchased the building from a philanthropic group and the 3-story federal style building with brick façade has been used for senior housing ever since.

The Cutter House, as described by Charlton Smith a former president of Greater Portland Landmarks, is “one of Portland’s historically and architecturally outstanding structures.  Not only is this building itself so important but it contributes so significantly to the architectural surrounding and streetscape.”

Wright-Ryan recognized at 2008 Governor's Carbon Challenge

On Monday, March 17th Wright-Ryan Construction was recognized at the 2008 Governor's Carbon Challenge , for it's efforts in reducing greenhouse gases. W-R was 1 of 20 companies, organizations and institutions honored for the continued effort to reduce engergy costs and lower carbon emissions.

Learn How to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

 Tour a LEED home, a platinum-certified Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design pilot home in Freeport. The energy efficient, resource friendly house is decorated by 12 local designers featuring environmentally friendly, occupant healthy products. Attend a lecture series to learn more about ways to go green by experts in the field of energy conservation and environmental choices and shop at the on-site green boutique. The event benefits Freeport Community Services. $15 for tour, and $5 per lecture. For directions and more information, call Kim Knowlen at 865-3985. House open Wednesdays through Sundays, 28 March -  19 April, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Center for Biomedical Research Construction Begins

The groundbreaking ceremony for the UNE Pickus Center for Biomedical Research was held on site at the Biddeford campus on October 7th. Wright-Ryan first submitted a proposal for this job during the fall of 2004. After a long pre-construction period, work has begun and the project has a proposed completion date of August 2008. The 21,000-square-foot, three-floor biomedical research facility will house teams of scientists and will ensure that UNE will attract and keep a top-flight faculty that is dedicated to medical education and advancing the practice of medicine. The facility will give students greater opportunities to experience research as part of their medical studies.  Governor Baldacci was on hand to speak about the importance of the research facility and the significance of the Center for continuing to make job opportunities for the state of Maine.

LEED for Homes Platinum- First in Northeast!

Cranberry Ridge, the LEED pilot home we completed in fall 2006, has received the highest rating allowable by the US Green Building Council.  The platinum rating was awarded to the project in April.  There are only two other projects in the country that have been awarded the platinum rating and this is quite an accomplishment.

LEED for Homes encourages buildings with small footprints and therefore gives additional points for little spaces.  We knew that Cranberry Ridge would lose points for having 3200 square feet.  Summary of points received:

Innovation and Design (9 points) We received points for having a third- party durability inspection and innovative, regional design. 

Location and Linkage (3 points) The project avoided an environmentally sensitive site.

Sustainable Sites (15 points) The landscaping was native and remained permeable.

Water Efficiency (10 points) The fixtures used in the home were of the highest efficiency.

Energy and Atmosphere (27 points) The project exceeded Energy Star requirements with third-party testing.

Materials and Resources (14 points) WR selected environmentally preferable products and used advanced framing techniques.

Indoor Environmental Quality (15 points) The project featured a high performance fireplace, a dedicated outdoor air system with heat recovery, sophisticated timing controls and a blower door test rating of 0.12.

Awareness and Education (2 points) A comprehensive homeowners manual was created and the home received public attention.

Updated Comments

Nu-Wool Wallseal insulation installed by WarmTech Solutions was used in the exterior walls and roof of the house. Wallseal cellulose insulation is a low moisture spray on densepack application. Wallseal cellulose has an effective
R-Value, which provides up to 40% savings to heating and cooling costs over traditional insulation while providing comfort and sound control for the home.
Nu-Wool cellulose is manufactured from 85% recycled newsprint and 15% borate making it a safe fire retardant. It’s also an EPA registered fungicide prohibiting the growth of mold and mildew and is pest and rodent resistant

Between floors we used batt insulation that has low formaldehyde content.  Formaldehyde is thought to cause cancer. 

By using WarmTech Solutions insulation system, we created a very tight envelope at a reasonable cost while using a very sustainable product.  The insulator will perform a blower door test prior to drywall and at the end of the project to ensure tightness of the building envelope.