Peter F. Spittler has been pursuing sustainable and green-building technology for years. Green-building, as Peter F. Spittler has noted, is not always high-tech; it can mean savings and energy conservation through such means as skylights to provide daytime lighting and radiant heat, planting shade trees to keep the building cooler during the hottest part of the day, or situating the building to take advantage of prevailing winds to enhance natural ventilation.
Peter F. Spittler points out that LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) provides a useful set of benchmarks for companies aiming for energy efficiency and sustainable building practices. LEED also offers a certification process for buildings that meet their standards for design. Peter F. Spittler has incorporated many LEED-compliant ideas into designs for buildings like the Chronicle-Telegram building in Elyria, Ohio. The designs that Peter F. Spittler positioned made the Chronicle-Telegram’s headquarters into the first newspaper plant to be fully LEED compliant. Peter F. Spittler incorporated ideas like using the printing presses’ heat to help warm the building, and using white roofing materials to help reflect summer heat. Other Peter F. Spittler details included furniture, carpeting and other indoor fittings that would not off-gas formaldehyde or other volatile organic compounds, all of which can contribute to what is known as a sick building syndrome..
LEED compliance, according to Peter F. Spittler, can extend to the smallest details, such as low-water or waterless urinals, water-efficient landscaping, or preferred parking for bicycles or hybrid cars. In the Chronicle-Telegram’s case, an old-fashioned Rust Belt idea came back into play – the building was originally fitted with “sawtooth monitors,” the spire-shaped vertical skylights once so common to factories and warehouses. Those skylights are now uncovered again, providing natural light, after being concealed for years by roofing and false ceilings.
Peter F. Spittler is quick to point out that LEED compliance is still perceived as expensive, but the return on investment over time can be huge when energy savings are figured in. Energy conservation and green building design are the future, as the track record of Peter F. Spittler shows.
Peter F. Spittler has designed sustainable and green-building projects in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, Brazil and many other places. Peter F. Spittler is a graduate of Kent State University’s architecture program. Peter F. Spittler has been a certified member of the American Institute of Architects and the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards.
