August 27, 2010 by Treadwell & Rollo
Earlier this week, the California Regional Water Quality Control Board, San Francisco Bay Region, issued a ‘No Further Action’ letter for a former manufacturing facility located in Sunnyvale, California. Over the past 17 years, Treadwell & Rollo successfully provided environmental investigation and remediation services on this Site.
Historically, contact lens solutions, including saline and cleaning solutions, were made at this facility. While no evidence of a release of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) was ever discovered at the Site, adjacent properties with confirmed releases were identified. Soil and groundwater investigations conducted at and near the Site indicated that shallow groundwater beneath the Site and its vicinity was impacted with VOCs such as trichloroethene (TCE) and tetrachlroroethene (PCE).
Figure illustrating TCE concentrations in groundwater decreasing over time
Treadwell & Rollo designed and operated a pump and treat system to extract only groundwater present at the site and to minimize the potential for off-site contamination to be pulled across site boundaries. The onsite groundwater extraction and treatment system operated from June 1994 through March 1998 and treated over 4 million gallons of water. The system was shut down when we were able to demonstrate that off-site contaminant sources were the likely source of the on-site contamination and that our client should not be forced to expend further resources to mitigate problems caused by others. We aggressively sought early Site closure and to reduce groundwater annual monitoring requirements. While the regulatory wheels turned slowly, we ultimately prevailed and obtained site closure for our client.
Joshua Graber, Senior Scientist, was the Project Manager of this site for the past six years. Philip Smith, Vice President and Principal, was the Principal-in-Charge for the duration of this project, and, Peter Cusack, Senior Associate, was involved in the design and implementation of the original groundwater pump and treat remediation system.
37.368830
-122.036350
Posted in Environmental | Tagged remediation, treadwell & rollo, California, PCE, TCE, soil, Peter Cusack, philip smith, Joshua Graber, VOC, groundwater contamination, manufacturing, Sunnyvale, California Regional Water Quality Control Board, no further action, environmental investigation, volatile organic compounds, trichloroethene, tetrachlroroethene, extraction and treatment system | Leave a Comment »
August 20, 2010 by Treadwell & Rollo
Dean Iwasa, PE, GE, Principal
When he joined what was once a small firm with one office on 353 Sacramento Street in San Francisco back in March 1990, Dean Iwasa, PE, GE, Principal, was the eighth employee at Treadwell & Rollo. Frank L. Rollo, Co-Founder and Principal Engineer, is the only person who has been with the firm longer than him. Consequently, Dean has been an integral part of the many successes of the firm as it has grown over the years including the opening of our Sacramento office.
“I grew up in Sacramento, so I’ve always had an interest in providing our services there,” Dean said. “It was an area that meshed well with us due to our engineering expertise and existing relationships with developers and architects.”
Now, more than five years after he opened the Sacramento location in 2005, Dean is still actively involved in ongoing business development efforts and he continues to manage the daily operations of the office.
As one of the eight principals in our geotechnical group, Dean’s project-related experience is based largely on geotechnical investigation, design, consultation, and construction observation services for high-rises, laboratories, industrial and residential buildings, roadways, landfills, bridge foundations and approaches, land and marina developments, and the seismic upgrade and repair of historic structures and earthquake-damaged buildings. Some of Dean’s most noteworthy projects have included engineering analyses and consultation related to the Treasure Island development in San Francisco, the America Center office development in San Jose, the Visa International buildings in Foster City, and the Towers on Capitol Mall in Sacramento.
Towers on Capitol Mall Rendering Courtesy of MulvannyG2 Architecture
With recent changes in the economy, Dean admits that unique challenges have certainly been presented—especially in Sacramento. The focus has shifted from predominantly performing geotechnical and earthquake engineering studies for high-rise buildings to diversifying and seeking out more challenging and complex projects that distinguish our firm amongst the competition. Dean attributes his recent achievements in Sacramento to the firm’s long-time reputation for excellence, and our ability to tap into markets for new developments with interesting and complex subsurface conditions, such as old landfills and quarries.
“Treadwell & Rollo has always been a great place to work with fun people, innovative engineers, good clients, and interesting projects,” Dean said.
Once voted by our staff as ‘most likely to be found in the office working on a weekend,’ Dean confesses that he doesn’t have much free time. But, outside of work, he does enjoy fixing up his house, spending time with his wife Lily, or playing on the Treadwell & Rollo employee softball team.
38.581572
-121.494400
Posted in General, Geotechnical | Tagged Geotechnical, treadwell & rollo, California, San Francisco, frank l. rollo, Sacramento, Dean Iwasa, Treasure Island, America Center, San Jose, Visa International, Foster City, Towers on Capitol Mall, MulvannyG2 Architecture | Leave a Comment »
August 6, 2010 by Treadwell & Rollo
Tom Campitelli, Project Geologist, Treadwell & Rollo
With more than 10 years of experience, Project Geologist Tom Campitelli specializes in Database Management and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). He has a strong background in field geology and high-accuracy global positioning and satellite (GPS) surveys as well as environmental consulting with a special emphasis on database management, GIS, 3-D environmental visualization software, and web content management systems.
Originally from Pennsylvania, Tom earned his BS in Geosciences with a hydrogeology specialization from Pennsylvania State University in 1999. He worked at a small local firm for seven years performing project management, field work, and information technology system administration. Through that position he became more interested in computer technology, and took extended education courses to increase his knowledge of sophisticated databases and GIS and how to apply it to his work as a geologist.
In the summer of 2007, he relocated to San Francisco to join Treadwell & Rollo’s environmental group. Now, from the Presidio to Lodi and Sunnyvale, Tom is involved in as many as eight to 10 projects simultaneously.
“I like the challenge of answering complicated questions about data,” Tom says. “While databases and analytical chemistry data may not generally be considered exciting subjects, they are of great value in our environmental projects. Bringing order to the potential chaos of large data sets can be very rewarding.”
As part of Treadwell & Rollo’s project team, Tom has worked on the Port of San Francisco’s Pier 70 Environmental Site Investigation. In 2007, Tom compiled 20 years of historical data to build a site-wide database and created the GIS data sets to aid in subsequent environmental investigations of the property.
Pier 70 Environmental Site Investigation, San Francisco, CA - Historical Metals Results and ESL Exceedances
In an effort to stay current on evolving technologies, Tom recently attended the annual Earth System Research Institute (ESRI) User Conference in San Diego. ESRI makes the industry-standard ArcView software that Tom uses to create almost all of his data-driven maps, such as the one he did for Pier 70 (above).
“It was a great opportunity for me to learn about newer surveying techniques, directions in geography, and to explore some of the scripting that is available in the software,” Tom adds.
Outside of the office Tom is likely to be found at the gym doing strength training and coaching others. He plans to compete in a power lifting contest in the near future. Quite the renaissance man, Tom also enjoys doing photography and writing music with his brother.
37.775766
-122.385587
Posted in Environmental | Tagged 3-D environmental visualization software, ArcView, data-driven maps, database management, Earth System Research Institute, Environmental Site Investigation, ESRI, Geographic Information Systems, Geologist, GIS, global positioning and satellite, GPS, hydrogeology, lodi, Pennsylvania State University, Pier 70, Port of San Francisco, Presidio, San Francisco, Sunnyvale, Tom Campitelli, treadwell & rollo, web content management systems | Leave a Comment »
July 30, 2010 by Treadwell & Rollo
Building Exterior - Photo Courtesy of Forest City
The Presidio’s shuttered 36-acre Public Health Service District (PHSD) has been transformed into what is now a new revitalized live, work and play community.
The Presidio Landmark is an adaptive re-ruse of a six-story 220,000 square foot historic building – the largest historic landmark in the park – into 154 apartment units ranging from 400-1,500 square feet. It will offer 310 residents a unique combination of history, natural beauty and breathtaking views of the City, ocean and park. The Presidio Landmark will be ecologically friendly, seeking the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council.
The Belles Street Townhomes, adjacent to Presidio Landmark on the historic Belles Street Green, will offer residents the opportunity to live in seven, newly constructed, modern three-bedroom and three-bathroom units setting a new standard for sustainability in multi-family housing. With the inclusion of unique features such as energy monitoring and control dashboards, Forest City is striving for the highest level of sustainability for the townhomes – a LEED Platinum certification.
The site was formerly an historic 18-building hospital campus comprised of a main historic (Building 1801), seven residential buildings and 10 buildings used as dormitories, offices, and recreational buildings. The three-acre Battery Caulfield site, at the north end of the district, was a former military installation. The main building, constructed in 1932, is on the National Historic Register, and special care was taken to preserve this historically significant building.
In 2004, Forest City Residential West contracted Treadwell & Rollo to provide preliminary geological and geotechnical services and an environmental assessment for the due diligence phase of the former PHSD site at the southwest portion of San Francisco’s Presidio. Subsequently, Treadwell & Rollo performed a design level geotechnical investigation for the new development and provided geotechnical services during construction, and prepared an Environmental Site Assessment and asbestos and lead paint survey. Treadwell & Rollo also provided geotechnical consultation and field services for extensive roadway improvements at the PHSD for Presidio Trust. Maria Flessas, PE, GE, Principal Engineer, is managing our geotechnical services and David Dixon, PG, Senior Associate, is the project manager for environmental services.
This project is another example of Treadwell & Rollo’s capability of integrating its sustainable environmental and geotechnical services on a successful adaptive re-use project.
Please check the Presidio Landmark website for more details.
37.797849
-122.475029
Posted in Environmental, Geotechnical, green, leed | Tagged david dixon, treadwell & rollo, San Francisco, Presidio, Public Health Services District, PHSD, luxury, residential, The Presidio Landmark, The Belles Townhomes, Building 1801, Battery Caulfield, LEED Neighborhood Development, LEED ND, Forest City Residential West, geotechnical services, environmental assessment, due diligence, hospital, asbestos and lead paint survey, Presidio Trust, Maria Flessas, adaptive reuse project | Leave a Comment »
July 23, 2010 by Treadwell & Rollo
Photo courtesy of Laurie Schoeman (http://ecocenterheronshead.blogspot.com/)
Although it may be a small facility at 1,800 square feet, the EcoCenter’s impact on the neighborhood and the environment will be immense. It is the first environmental education facility in southeast San Francisco and the first “off-grid” building.
Located at Heron’s Head Park, a former landfill, the center was built using recycled materials and boasts a vegetation roof. Now open, the building operates 100 percent by solar power, and features its own on-site waste water treatment system.
The project was designed by Toby Long Design, and was a collaborative effort between non-profit Literacy for Environmental Justice (LEJ), the Port of San Francisco, San Francisco Environment, and the California Coastal Conservancy. LEJ intends for the facility to be used as an environmental education center available for use by neighborhood schools, churches and local clubs.
As one of the main stakeholders in the project, Treadwell & Rollo provided geotechnical and methane mitigation design services for the EcoCenter. Our recommendation for a shallow mat foundation for the structure was a cost-effective and efficient solution as opposed to the more expensive pile foundation typically found beneath structures on closed landfills.
To minimize the possibility of methane migration from the underlying landfill waste into the building, Treadwell & Rollo designed a passive “green” methane mitigation system that was installed by KLM Builders. The system was installed beneath the building slab and composed of a methane-impermeable membrane, which is in turn underlain by a crushed rock layer that contains a network of horizontal perforated pipes that lead to vertical risers that extend to the roof level. This system allows the methane to be trapped beneath the membrane and transmitted through the crushed rock and pipe to the outside atmosphere at the roof level.
To find out more, visit LEJ’s website.
37.724375
-122.369415
Posted in Environmental, Geotechnical, green | Tagged treadwell & rollo, San Francisco, community, EcoCenter, Bayview Hunters Point, Educational Resource, Innovative, neighborhood, southeast, off-grid, Heron’s Head Park, former landfill, recycled materials, native plants, green living roof, solar power, wind turbines, Toby Long Design, Literacy for Environmental Justice, LEJ, Port of San Francisco, San Francisco Environment, California Coastal Conservancy, Operation, Maintenance and Monitoring Manual Methane Mitigation System, Operation Maintenance and Monitoring Manual Methane Mitigation System, methane gas, subsurface soils, KLM Builders, Laurie Schoeman | Leave a Comment »
July 16, 2010 by Treadwell & Rollo
Photo courtesy of Hratch Kouyoumdjian, SE, LEED AP
The Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA) recently announced the 2010 winners of the National Design-Build Project Awards competition. Among this year’s winners in the Rehab/Renovation/Restore category is the Richmond City Center, which won for the Western Pacific Region—Arizona, California, Hawaii and Nevada.
The City of Richmond’s newly revitalized Civic Center is a multi-phase design-build project that includes the City Hall, Hall of Justice, Auditorium, and Plaza. Additionally, the project has achieved a LEED Gold rating from the USGBC.
Photo taken during construction services by Treadwell & Rollo
Treadwell & Rollo’s role in this project began in 2006 when we were contracted by the Alliance Property Group to conduct a geotechnical investigation of the project site. We also assisted in the environmental waste management during construction in 2007. Ramin Golesorkhi, PhD, PE, GE, served as the Principal-in-Charge for Treadwell & Rollo’s geotechnical engineering services. For the environmental services, Jeffrey Ludlow, PG, was the Principal and Thomas Campitelli was the Project Manager.
We are proud of our contributions to this award-winning civic revitalization project, and we would like to congratulate the entire team on this wonderful accomplishment.
Owner: City of Richmond
Developer: Richmond Civic Center Partners, LLC (Alliance Property Group and The Wasatch Group, Los Angeles)
General Contractor: Charles Pankow Builders, Ltd., Oakland
Architects: Nadel Architects (building design), Los Angeles; WRT Design (landscape), San Francisco
City Hall Contractor: C. Overaa & Co., Richmond
Construction Manager: Mack 5, Emeryville
Structural Engineer: The KPA Group, Oakland
Civil Engineer: KPFF Consulting Engineers, San Francisco
Geotechnical and Environmental Engineering: Treadwell & Rollo, San Francisco
Electrical Consultant: Contra Costa Electric, Martinez
Plumbing: L.J. Kruse, Berkeley
HVAC: ACCO, San Leandro
37.936938
-122.343171
Posted in Awards, Environmental, Geotechnical, green, leed | Tagged treadwell & rollo, 2010, ramin golesorkhi, California, LEED Gold, Jeffrey Ludlow, Design-Build Institute of America, DBIA, Project Awards, Western Pacific Region, Richmond, Civic Center, City Hall, Auditorium, Plaza, Hall of Justice, USGBC, Alliance Property Group, Thomas Campitelli, City of Richmond, Richmond Civic Center Partners LLC, The Wasatch Group, Los Angeles, Charles Pankow Builders, Nadel Architects, WRT Design, C. Overaa & Co., Mack 5, The KPA Group, KPFF Consulting Engineers, Contra Costa Electric, L.J. Kruse, ACCO, Hratch Kouyoumdjian | Leave a Comment »
We are pleased to announce that Treadwell & Rollo’s San Francisco headquarters has been officially re-certified as a Green Business through the year 2013. The San Francisco office now joins our Oakland office, which achieved re-certification as a Green Business in 2009.
Although our offices were already quite green from our earlier certification efforts through the Bay Area Green Business Program, we’ve made a number of significant improvements this year. These include:
- Increasing the post-consumer recycled content of our copy paper to 100%
- Working with the building’s janitorial staff to switch to cleaning supplies with minimal impact to the environment
- Working with building management to install energy-efficient exit signs, lower-flow faucets, and low-flow toilet fixtures
- Establishing a trial Emergency Ride Home program for employees using mass transportation, walking, and bicycling to work
- Starting the desk-side recycling and composting program
In appreciation of our firm’s ongoing efforts to conduct our business in an environmentally responsible manner and to do our part in preserving the environment for future generations, Treadwell and Rollo will be acknowledged at the fall San Francisco Green Business Awards celebration. Thank you to all who contributed to making our day-to-day business practices more sustainable, especially the dedicated members of our internal green committee.
“Maintaining our Green Business status is more than just a certification process for our firm—it supports our mission to provide leadership in sustainability, including not only our internal operations, but also in the services we offer to our clients such as sustainable site remediation, green engineering, and assistance with projects seeking LEED accreditation,” says Christopher Glenn, PE, LEED GA, Senior Project Engineer and leader of T&R’s green committee.
To find out more on the Bay Area Green Business Program and how your office can become a certified Green Business, please visit http://www.greenbiz.ca.gov/.
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-122.403439
Posted in Awards, green | Tagged Environmental, treadwell & rollo, San Francisco, dorinda shipman, green business, Bay Area Green Business Program, green committee, recycled paper, composting, green business awards, Chris | Leave a Comment »
Cross-Section of New Transbay Terminal Center (Courtesy of TJPA)
Treadwell & Rollo recently signed a seven-year contract with the Transbay Joint Powers Authority (TJPA) to conduct Environmental Monitoring During Construction of the new Transbay Transit Center in downtown San Francisco. Peter J. Cusack, REA, is the Project Manager, and Dorinda C. Shipman, PG, CHG, is the Principal-in-Charge leading Treadwell & Rollo’s environmental services on this project.
The existing Transbay Terminal Building is a steel and reinforced concrete structure that spans three city blocks and comprises approximately 400,000 square feet. The Transbay Terminal Building and Ramps will be demolished and replaced with the new Transbay Transit Center that will centralize the Bay Area regional transportation network. The Transit Center will consist of below grade levels for trains, above grade levels for buses, and a park on the roof.
As part of our contract with TJPA, we will perform oversight of the lead, asbestos, PCB, and universal waste abatement during the Transbay Terminal Building and Ramps demolition. Demolition is scheduled to begin in August 2010 and last for approximately eight months. We will be working with our subcontractor, RGA Environmental, to complete this phase. RGA’s Project Manager is Ken Pilgrim.
Following the Transbay Terminal Building and Ramps demolition, soil excavation activities are expected to begin in 2011. The depth of the excavation will be approximately 65 feet and 1,300 feet in length, involving about 510,000 cubic yards of soil. Other construction activities that will be ongoing during the excavation activities include archeological investigations, shoring wall installation, construction of a buttress for the adjoining 301 Mission Street property, timber pile removal and disposal, utility relocation and the mass excavation for the new Transbay Transit Center.
Our role will be to manage all the soil removal and disposal activities, including sampling and profiling the soil and groundwater and preparing the required documentation at the end of the excavation.
The first phase of construction of the new Transbay Terminal Center is scheduled for completion in 2017. For further construction updates, please visit the TJPA website.
37.790106
-122.397385
Posted in Environmental | Tagged treadwell & rollo, California, excavation, soil, Transbay Joint Powers Authority, TJPA, Transbay Transit Center, San Francisco, groundwater, utility relocation, Environmental Monitoring During Construction, Peter J. Cusack, Dorinda C. Shipman, Transbay Terminal Building, lead, asbestos, PCB, universal waste abatement, RGA Environmental, Ken Pilgrim, demolition, archeological investigations, shoring wall installation, construction of a buttress, 301 Mission Street, imber pile removal and disposal | Leave a Comment »
June 25, 2010 by Treadwell & Rollo
Last week, at the Green Remediation International Conference in Amherst, Mass., a technical paper entitled, “Incorporation of Carbon Footprint Estimates into Remedial Alternative Evaluations,” by Christopher Glenn, PE, LEED GA – Senior Project Engineer at Treadwell & Rollo, was presented by co-author, Lowell Kessel, PG, REA – Principal at EnviroLogek.
T&R partnered with EnviroLogek to develop a detailed greenhouse gas emissions estimate comparing potential remedial technologies for two environmental remediation project sites. The two case studies featured in the paper included a manufacturing site in Santa Clara, Cal., and a former dry cleaner site in Modesto, Cal. Both sites have extensive groundwater contamination from chlorinated solvents, and T&R has evaluated using technologies such as groundwater pump and treatment, air sparging, an in situ biobarrier, and in situ vegetable oil remediation to clean-up the properties. The greenhouse gas estimate included emissions associated with raw materials use, manufacturing, transportation, system installation, operation and maintenance, and ultimately disposal or recycling.
Using in situ vegetable oil biobarriers can reduce the carbon footprint of remediation by 2 to 3 times, as compared to traditional groundwater pump and treatment systems.
As sustainability becomes a higher priority for companies around the world, it is our hope that this paper will contribute to the advancement of this emerging field and offer our clients the tools they need to take action on sustainability issues. This paper exemplifies T&R’s growing expertise in sustainability analysis and green remediation technologies.
To read more, please click on this link to view the full presentation.
42.388889
-72.527778
Posted in Environmental, green | Tagged treadwell & rollo, California, chlorinated solvents, air sparging, Santa Clara, transportation, Christopher Glenn, Green Remediation International Conference, Carbon Footprint Estimates, Remedial Alternative Evaluations, Lowell Kessel, EnviroLogek, greenhouse gas emissions, Modesto, Amherst, Massachusetts, groundwater contamination, groundwater pump and treatment, in situ biobarrier, in situ vegetable oil remediation, sustainability, raw materials use, manufacturing, system installation, operation and maintenance, disposal, recycling | 1 Comment »
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