NEW YORK, April 7, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Israel Berger & Associates, LLC (IBA), a recognized consulting and inspection group specializing in building envelope technologies, announced the formation of IBA Energy & Building Sciences headed by Vice President John Hannum, P.E., MBA, LEED AP.
Marc Weissbach, AIA, Chief Operating Officer of IBA, issued this statement: "IBA has formed the Energy & Building Sciences Division to focus on eliminating gaps in understanding, communication, and execution of increasingly complex building systems, and in response to the fragmented market of specialty building consulting services. Our goal is to take a holistic approach, maintaining the very high level of expertise our clients rely upon from IBA in building envelope technologies -- only now we will address other, related building systems which impact, and are impacted by the building envelope. We recognize the need to be socially responsible for the efficiency of buildings we work on, but want to emphasize that the economic benefit and return on investment is so compelling, we believe everyone should and will embrace energy efficiency."
Building designers, developers, owners, and managers benefit when they can rely upon a single entity that is technically proficient in the primary building systems (building envelope, mechanical, and lighting) which impact energy usage and building operation. This division can verify and confirm that the systems are designed, coordinated, and installed correctly and efficiently. The goal is to ensure that systems work together rather than independently or in opposition.
Energy & Building Sciences performs assessment, benchmarking, auditing, monitoring and non-destructive testing of building components and systems to confirm anticipated efficiencies and code compliance as well as diagnose and modify inefficient or defective installations. We utilize various building modeling software programs and techniques to analyze investment and operating costs in determining effective return on investment and payback periods. This division integrates, evaluates, and analyzes energy efficiency measures to promote financial transparency so decision makers can be better informed about potential energy efficiency improvements and returns.
Leading the Energy & Building Sciences Division, John Hannum is a mechanical engineer with over 10 years experience in design, installation, and operation of mechanical systems with specific emphasis in sustainable design. He is an assistant adjunct professor at the New York University Schack Institute of Real Estate. John has stated, "Improving energy efficiency downstream enables deep energy savings upstream. Buildings offer a substantial opportunity for affecting energy savings globally. We must integrate the internal building program and systems with the building envelope to achieve significant energy savings while minimizing construction costs. This is not new, the master builders of the past regularly achieved integration of building architecture and environment as a matter of course. Regardless of the debate on climate change and global warming, improving energy efficiency is less expensive and more effective than increasing our capacity to generate energy."
For more information visit IBA's website at http://www.ibany.com/ or call 212.689.5389.