2020 Annual Impact
We designed more than 5,400 projects for over 1,600 clients, representing almost $5 billion in construction costs. Our designs also saved more than 70 million pounds of greenhouse gases and will every year in perpetuity.
Creating Safe and Healthy Buildings through Good Design
We work collaboratively with a variety of stakeholders to form teams with the right knowledge and experience to identify, develop, and implement effective, reasonable, and appropriate systems and processes that mitigate potential transmission, improve air quality, and enhance facility cleanliness, all of which can mitigate the risk of transmission.
Salas O’Brien Opens Office in Boston to Help Region with Carbon Neutrality Goals
Salas O’Brien has opened a new office in Boston, MA, with a special goal of helping higher education and similar clients as they push toward carbon neutrality. So far, 31 colleges and universities in Massachusetts have signed the Presidents’ Climate Leadership Commitments Carbon Commitment, pledging to develop Climate Action Plans and evaluate their progress toward […]
Fuel cells can save energy costs under right conditions
Producing energy can take a lot of, well, energy. A conventional internal combustion engine generator must first convert chemical energy to thermal energy via combustion, thermal energy to mechanical energy via a turbine, and finally mechanical energy to electricity through an alternator. Fuel cells save energy by cutting out the middle steps. Natural gas can […]
Mechanical Energy Savings Lead to Big Boosts on the Bottom Line
In today’s global economy, we rely on instant communication to keep businesses running smoothly and keep families connected. Data centers, mobile switch offices (MSO) and distributed antenna systems (DAS) work silently in the background so we can stay in touch with the people who matter. And tech companies pay a fortune to keep those facilities […]
How Salas O’Brien Saved This City $50,000 Per Year
Salas O’Brien’s landfill client in Akron, Ohio, installed a landfill gas-to-energy (LFGTE) system that, combined with the anaerobic digester at a nearby composting plant, provides 95% of the two plants’ energy needs and saves the city $50,000 in utility costs each year. Here’s some background on this important technology. The US EPA’s latest report on […]
When Commissioning Saved $900,000
At Salas O’Brien, we believe in commissioning. And though code now requires commissioning in more places than ever, we’ve always believed that the energy savings and long-term value that commissioning provide make it the right thing to do. In fact, commissioning saved a Salas O’Brien client $900,000 and resulted in an immediate payback. Here’s the […]
From Energy Audits to Energy Savings: ROI through Chilled Water and More
Coming out of a summer of record-breaking heat waves, many property owners and developers are taking a fresh look at the high energy costs that come with keeping things cool. AC can take a major toll on the bottom line during steamy summer months, but Salas O’Brien can help you maintain a comfortable atmosphere while […]
EBCx Raises the Bar at Georgia Department of Public Health Lab
In engineering, a project’s square footage doesn’t always indicate its complexity. Small, key environments like data centers, laboratories, and clean rooms often require incredibly detailed design work to achieve necessary outcomes. Our work for the Georgia Department of Public Health in Decatur, Georgia, is a prime example of this type of small-scale, complex project. The […]
Commissioning Backwards: Optimizing Existing Buildings
In recent articles, we’ve talked a lot about the ins and outs of commissioning. This systematic process has clear benefits, and not just for new projects—the owners of older structures may have even more to gain from commissioning than property developers that build new. While demolishing and starting from scratch might seem like the best […]
Engineering for Quality and Compliance in the Food and Beverage Industry
In any industry, the safety and efficiency of engineered production processes have a major impact on the bottom line. In the food and beverage industry, there’s a lot more than money at stake. Even the slightest production errors can radically affect consumer health and safety, and public trust, once lost, is difficult to regain. The […]
LEED: Achieve the Gold Standard in Sustainable Design with Salas O’Brien
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) began in 1993 with the singular mission of promoting sustainability in the building industry. This passion led to the creation of what has become the world’s most widely respected and utilized green building rating system: Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). Since the system’s inaugural year at the […]
Project Report: Radical Waste Reduction in Iowa Processing Plant
From its earliest days as an energy consulting firm, sustainability has been at the heart of Salas O’Brien. That’s why we were excited to partner with Plumrose USA to create a design that would dramatically increase efficiency at their new Iowa processing plant. Founded over 85 years ago as a sliced ham company, Plumrose USA […]
Project Report: Performance Excellence in Critical Network Equipment Centers
The Critical Environments team at Salas O’Brien tackles some of the most technically complex telecom and data center projects in the world. We have a tremendous depth of experience designing in this fast-paced, continually evolving building type. One such project, for a Fortune 15 telecommunications company, delivered a network equipment center (NEC) in Colorado Springs, […]