Expert Q&As

We caught up with Jodi Smits Anderson to talk about the Dormitory Authority of New York.

What is the Dormitory Authority of New York (DASNY)?
The Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY) is a huge bonding and construction authority, so we actually have to make a business case for ourselves. We're a little different than agencies because we don't get our budget from the state; we have to earn our own profit. We have two big arms: one is design and construction review and the other is a bonding/public finance arm. For design and construction review, we currently have $7 billion worth of New York State projects, while bond financing was at $4.6 billion last year.

Basically, the construction that we do is design review and construction review, so we work pretty much as an owner's agent in both of those things to make sure that they are getting what they need. For example, we make sure that the projects meet all code requirements, so we are our own code enforcement agent as well.

Can you talk a little bit about DASNY policy in regards to sustainability?
Soon after I joined up, we wrote a construction policy for sustainability that pretty much says it's all green, only green. When we get a large enough project in the door—meaning it's a brand new project, an addition, or a significant renovation—we're going to register it for one of the LEED programs. DASNY pays to register the project right away, and then we work with the owner and the design team to make sure that the project is being designed with very clear sustainable goals. We also require that the project be submitted for a rating review, and our goal is that all of these projects will meet LEED Silver or better. That being said, we make it really clear in our policy that we're not expecting the owners to throw extra money at the project. For example, putting in a storm water management system where storm water isn't an issue doesn't really make sense. We work with the owners and with the design team to find the places where we can make the building better, and meet the needs of the owner and of the environment by sourcing products locally, eliminating toxins, and reducing energy usage. We want to do all of these things within the budget and within the existing schedule. So, we just need to talk about all of these things really early and often to make sure that people are looking for all of the solutions right from the start.

What about projects that aren't new additions?
Any project that isn't a new addition or a significant renovation—such as a toilet room renovation—is still going to set specific sustainable goals. So, if we're just painting the lobby of a building, we can decide that the paint used must be low in VOCs or VOC-free. That's a sustainable goal that would be appropriate for that type of project.

Please tell our readers about the "Sustainable Development: Incorporating Green Designs Into Your Building Projects" seminar on November 5.

The presentation in Albany on November 5 is being conducted by a company that plans seminars called Lorman Education Services. They are able to offer continuing education credits for architects and engineers, so it turns out that this whole day will be worth six credit hours. Lorman came to me and asked if I wanted to present, and if I knew anyone else who would be of value to speak about greening in design and construction. I suggested a group of people that I've worked with in all different realms; the upstate USGBC, the AIA, etc. We've arranged the seminar so that it roughly follows the thought process of a project. Not only are each of the hour-long lectures about the process of design, they are given in order and integrated into the thought process of design and construction. We start with community planning, followed by what happens when you actually design the building. My presentation will be on integrative design. There is also an engineer who is going to speak about how the engineering components need to be discussed in tandem with the architecture, and we also have a contractor who is going to talk about how to build buildings more sustainably. Finally, we have a realtor who is going to speak about green buildings in the market place. Anyone interested in attending should go to www.lorman.com for more details.

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