TOLEDO, Ohio, October 10, 2023 – SSOE Group (www.ssoe.com), an internationally ranked architecture and engineering firm, is pleased to announce key promotions within the organization for planning year 2024. Continue Reading →

When there are storms in your area, turn on your radio or television to get the latest emergency information from local authorities. Listen for announcements of a storm watch or warning. Enable the weather alert system on your cell phone to give additional alerts for your location. Consider purchasing a weather alert radio for your home to keep you and your family informed of weather emergencies. Learn about the weather warning system for your county. Some areas use a siren system to alert residents to weather emergencies. Know how to distinguish between the siren's warnings for different types of emergencies. Continue Reading →

PORTLAND, Oregon, September 20, 2023 – SSOE Group (www.ssoe.com), an internationally ranked architecture and engineering firm, is proud to announce Division Manager Shawn Pankratz has been named a 2024 Top Young Professional by ENR Northwest. Continue Reading →

TOLEDO, Ohio, September 18, 2023 – SSOE Group (www.ssoe.com), an internationally ranked architecture and engineering firm, is proud to announce it has been named one of Consulting-Specifying Engineer’s 2023 MEP Giants. The MEP Giants program lists the top Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing (MEP), and fire protection engineering firms in North America based on total MEP design revenue. Named as an MEP Giant by Consulting-Specifying Engineer for over a decade, the firm ranked 27th this year. Continue Reading →

Volkswagen’s new Chattanooga, Tennessee production facility is a model of environmental responsibility and sustainability. SSOE integrated these core values into every level of the project, from design through construction. The site includes outbound logistics, an extensive training center, media center, social hall, cafeteria, technical center, tank farm, recycling center, and fire station. [two_third_last] [accordion title="Sustainable or Recycled Materials and Resources"] The buildings are comprised of a concrete and steel infrastructure with an insulated metal skin. Locally extracted and manufactured materials were specifi ed. To the fullest extent possible, wood, cardboard, metal, and concrete were recycled using a local vendor resulting in nearly 78% (4,602 tons) of construction and demolition waste being recycled or salvaged. 48% of total building materials were manufactured using recycled materials. [/accordion] [accordion title="Energy Efficiency"] By using ASHRAE/IESNA standards to design the energy consuming systems, the team reduced the amount of energy that will be used in both the facility and manufacturing processes by 42%. On-site renewable energy sources generate a portion of the buildings’ energy needs. The facility will include a solar park to generate energy. A white, reflective roofing material was installed on 100% of the roof. It refl ects heat resulting in lower cooling costs and energy savings. [/accordion] [accordion title="Site Selection / Sustainable Site"] Significant time and money was invested in order to prepare the brownfield site— previously a munitions manufacturing and testing site. The team stabilized the soils, mitigated the pollution, and relocated an existing stream. Volkswagen set aside 235 acres as permanent green spaces and reserved additional acreage for native or adapted plants. An extensive storm water conveyance system consisting of bioswales, vegetative ditches, and culverts acts as the primary storm water management system. Specific plants were planted in the ditches and swales to fi ltrate suspended solids. To reduce the heat island effect, roller compacted concrete was placed in strategic areas of the parking lots and roadways. [/accordion] [accordion title="Eco-Friendly Practices"] All exterior lights provide only the minimum lighting required for safety to ensure that light does not spill into the night sky and adversely affect the surrounding nocturnal environments through excessive glare. Measures to promote environmentally friendly commutes include providing bike racks for visitors and employees, showers and lockers for employee use, and preferred parking for those driving low-emitting and fuel-efficient vehicles and those who carpool. [/accordion] [accordion title="Indoor Air Quality"] The HVAC system utilizes ASHRAE 62-2004 as its basis. A construction indoor air quality management program was successfully implemented with the support of all contractors working on-site. A stringent low-emitting materials policy is in place to reduce the use of off-gassing materials within the buildings in accordance with LEED indoor environmental credits 4.1–4.4 and 5.and preferred parking for those driving low-emitting and fuel-efficient vehicles and those who carpool. [/accordion] [accordion title="Water Conservation"] Through low-flow water closets and urinals, the plant achieves a 58% reduction in potable water used for sewage conveyance. Additionally, the plant collects rainwater from its roof for use in the sanitary waste system. Low-fl ow Continue Reading →

The Global Economy: The More Things Change, The More Things Change Challenging. Competitive. Rich with opportunities. From where we sit as a global provider of EPCM services, those words sum up the world’s current economic landscape. Our management team, like yours, studies information on economic trends and their affect on the production of goods and provision of services worldwide. Our expansion plans are all about being wherever our clients want to be. READ MORE Making The Right Moves: Can Your Next Project be a Competitive Advantage? Whether our clients decide to further expand within their home country or break new ground across the globe, increasingly the projects have tight schedules. The most obvious reason is the faster the products can be manufactured, the sooner they can generate revenue. Once the decision is made to develop the facility, time becomes a key factor. As the completion date draws near, every week is measured by production gained or lost. If the facility is to be developed in an unfamiliar location, working with a company that lacks global experience invites delays and missteps. READ MORE Getting It Right From The Start: Site Selection Far from Home “It’s a small world after all” is proving more and more true – except when selecting a site for a new location across the globe. When a company is faced with finding a site for a new facility thousands of miles and several cultures removed from “home,” the distance factor can seem insurmountable. SSOE’s site selection services neutralize the difficulties this challenge poses. READ MORE Continue Reading →