>> the public utilities commission runs water, power and sewer services for san francisco. we can't afford to be out of business after an earthquake. so, we're thinking about building a building. that building is going to hold our operations center and our emergency operations center for things like earth quack. that building had to be immediately occupiable. great. but we can do better than that. so, this new technology that we ended up using was a concrete building that straps basically, that goes through the interior of the building and allow the building to turn or twist as part of an earthquake as it corrects itself. >> in the course for the puc building, we've actually incorporated in addition to that steel that's embedded in the monolithic concrete, specialized high strength cables that are not bonded to the sound concrete, but are threaded through essentially hollow conduits in the cast concrete. and when those cables are spread, they're

actually anchored and they're actively in other floors and pressing down, forcing that concrete wall into a state of compression. and that's the characteristic which allows the building to shake, absorb energy from the earthquake, deform, and also come back to its original geometry. what that meant was the building would be functional. it meant it wouldn't have to be abandoned and fixed. >> we have probably the greatest specification for concrete ever developed for a project that has a really innovative structural system. one of the things that's evident from the research that's been done is that concrete is responsible for a significant amount of co2 production. and that's worldwide. and we developed a way in which we could incorporate

replacement material such as flag and fly ashe to supplement the portable cement and allow a big reduction in those carbon emissions associated with production from that poured cement. >> concrete for the building has a 70% replacement value with recycled materials fly ashe and recycled materials that would otherwise go to waste. reducing our carbon footprint in half. >> the way that we often do buildings in the city are often projects in the city is we go out and we do a low bid. somebody bids on something, we have to do everything that's expected out completely. and everything after that thorable change prosecretary is very difficult. spec ed out. >> we use design bid delivery method. in this one we did a construction manager gc, which really means that we bring the contractor on board as we design and they participate in

the design. it brings a lot of collaboration. >> the department of public works decided to try a more team oriented approach with this project. the best value approach. they really went to to us come on board as a team member and work with them. >> what that meant was the contractor allowing key subcontractors such as the electrical, mechanical, plumbing systems, would always be reviewed and looked at for constructability, for cost constraints, for scheduling. >> and it was a risk for the city. it was a change for the city, it was something very, very different. we met all of our project parameters, the budget, the schedule. we love this project. it is a fantastic example of what can happen when you take a risk, you do something differently, and you work together. you get a great result.

>> one of the things we're going to have in that building is going to be this media wall in the lobby. and that media wall has several things that it can show people, but one of the things it can show our employees and our visitors is how much energy, how much water, what we're using in the building. >> the wall is based on building data. we have total energy use per floor. we also have energy use in the building today that will show information and percentages on how much is being used today versus an average day. there's also information from solar, how much solar the building is producing, and showing the savings from solar. we also have reclaimed water and that will be shown per month. the center section is dedicated to water, wastewater and power. we have live information showing us how much wastewater has been treated so far from the night before.

there is also a twitter feed and information that anyone that comes in can see, you know, current news and information from the twitter. there's also bart information, when is the next bart leaving, when is the next train departing. and there is weather, hetch hetchy, and weather at san francisco. >> the physical arts wall is comprised of 54 feet, 160 high-definition monitors that has a 3-d motion detection that allows you to approach the wall and then to look at the contents that is there in front of you, which is a beautiful artistic narrative. and then as you move towards it, it activates the content that comes up. >> this is one of the applications we developed with communications team at the puc and it's called, and it's about water cycle, how the water comes down from the snow in yosemite, into the mouth of the reservoir, gets treated, produces power, comes all the way down to the city and gets

charged and leaves the bay. we developed a motion tracking system taw four cameras on the ceiling here which detects people when they approach the wall and presents information pop ups. so, you can enjoy it from a distance as a landscape, but once again up close there is another level of information that's educational about this facility. >> fire fly by artist ned con is an art installation which rises straight from the golden gate avenue sidewalk to the top of the building. >> the fire fly wall will be 5 by 5 polley carbon plates that will move with the wind and show a wave effect in the daytime. when those also swing back and forth and they hit the fulcrum, it will also set up an led light that will cover the fire fly. so, at nighttime people in another part of san francisco

can see the side of our building and about 20 feet wide and 10 stories high will be a wall that will flickr on and off like fire flies at nighttime. it will be so energy efficient that if all those lights go on, it will be the equivalent of a 40 watt bulb. and also the new piece of artwork going all the way down the side of the building, which looks like this incredible wind ripples on a pond. and i thought, oh, my god, how incredible, how wonderful. >> inside the building we will have water walls in the main staircase, and the water will be dripping through the side of the wall. you'll be able to hear it, you'll be able to see it. we call the san francisco artists and galleries and said, hey, we want a building that is a place people want to come to work in and to visit. we're now going to be buying art from between 08 and 100 local artists in san francisco and the arts commission will be hanging in that art the next couple of months in the building.

>> we'll have a cafe in the lobby. the cafe will be serving people there. they'll have a child care center on-site so people with children can come to work. if something happens to their child they can walk right downstairs. it has enough space for 65 kids. >> we looked at various ways that we could be creative in promoting alternative transportation. we did this by providing bike racks and showers in the building. we do see the number of parking spaces to two parking spaces and providing electrical charging stations for alternative vehicles. >> it's time for us to have a home that all of us can be proud of. >> and we couldn't do this without everybody working together on the one goal, which

is, let's build something that reflects the honor of hetch hetchy, the honor of the greatest engineering feats, reflects what our puc does for our public, and for generations to come it will educate everybody. >> i'm really proud that one of the greenest and most sustainable buildings is here in norm in district 6. the wind turbine, the solar power, the living machines, recycled water that ed and the mayor has already spoken to. and what's also amazing about this building is it's not just internally, but you can actually see it on the outside. so, when people are walking around the city they can actually see the green and environmental aspects. >> what better way to show that the puc cares about the environment and the puc is going to show everyone else, you can do this, too. and you can do it in a way that makes sense, that's affordable, and that is better for the environment. >> and this is the most energy efficient government building in the united states today, if not the world. and it is an example that the

entire united states can look to and say, that's what we need to do to save our city hundreds of millions of dollars in energy consumption a year and set an example to everybody of how to save energy, to be green, to be sustainable, to be responsible. the city is leading the way. >> it will be immediately recognizable and iconic from various parts of the city or even if you see a picture. that's the sfpuc building. it's a wonderful building. ♪ ♪

>> we are here at j.c. plumbing. you are going to show was plumbing fixtures. >> yes, we are. very excited to have you. >> let's look at fixtures and faucets and accessories. it is going to be very exciting here. please join us for "bluilding sf." joining janessa and i today is andre. thanks for coming. we have had some great times in the past with some of these shows. you have been kitchen and bath in the past. >> i'm an architect. i do a lot of construction work. or >> do people look for when they do a bathroom remodels? >> that is a good question. kitchens are the ultimate and social room, while bathrooms are

kind of the opposite. bathrooms, like kitchens, are part of homes and houses, so they are part of architecture, and they are opportunities for people to express themselves, to express their style. they are just an important element in the house is in san francisco. >> i think we can talk about how bathrooms had changed in san francisco. the old-style we're used to have a separate compartment for the bathtub, and now, we have a whole different concept. >> traditionally in san francisco with victorian and edwardian, we had split bathrooms. a separate room for a toilet, and a second room for a tub. i have done literally dozens of projects where we try to combine them. the difference in today's baffin's is there is a lot more stuff. double vanities, soaking tub, showers, toilets, bedets, a lot

more things going on. >> has this economic decline at the moment -- has that affected people's desire for complexity in stuff? have you seen a short-term move toward simplicity? >> yes and no. people still love their bathrooms. people think of them as an important room, as an investment for their home. yes, there is the gamut. some people are really just for function and utilitarian. some of them are large and lavish and everything in between. >> we are going to start looking at a couple of little vignettes of bathrooms. we can talk about fixtures and use that as a springboard for questions for our audience and discussions from some of the manufacturers we have here. let's start by looking at one right back here. this is a really interesting one because this has some of the characteristics of a traditional san francisco building.

it has this starting with the board, i think it is called, and it has both old-fashioned kind of pictures and real modern stuff. what do you see here? >> looking around, it has gone a soaking tub. >> it has little jets in a, so like a spot/hydrotherapy kind of thing? >> exactly. what people need to be mindful on for these types of tubs are two things -- number one, they have a motor, and you have to have an access panel on it. you have to be mindful of that. you cannot just stick it in there and hide the motor forever. it has waterjets here. really popular in these tubs is soaps and oils, and the water recycles them. sometimes the shampoos and oils clogged the system.

an alternative to that is air jets. air jets do not do that. it has a pedestal sink and a matching toilet. it has a wonderful medicine cabinet here with a great feature now, so there is actually a locking compartment so you can put your medicines in there. >> there you go. excellent. and it has got its little shaving mirror or whatever. makeup mirror. normally, this would be recessed, right? >> yes, it would be pushed on the wall, so you have to be again mindful about that. when you are doing the construction, you have to leave a little opening for a period >> one of the big issues we always have is coordination and construction between the fixture's and the trade. the plumber might come along and put a vent pipe or some of the plumbing lines in the wall light real -- right where you want to resist the medicine cabinet, so we need to have the architect or someone coordinate between the contractor and the various

subcontractors just to make sure that the homeowner gets what they had in mind when they designed it. >> absolutely. even in a bathroom, there is a lot going on. there is medicine cabinets. there is light sconces. you are going to have a light switch here, and our live here, so you want to be very thoughtful about where they placed them, and either a design professional or a good contractor will help you coordinate them. also, this is -- also, an alternative to a pedestal sink, this is very popular now, these are vessel sinks. this would be a basin, which is in a bowl shape that would sit on the counter. these are very popular. this is obviously very contemporary design for a very traditional design. i always tell the clients about worrying about cleaning and things like that. this bathtub also has a hand- held shower element, which is good forehand baiting and just for cleaning as well. >> i have some questions about

these fixtures and fittings. they seem to oppose all kinds of plumbing issues. fortunately, we are here today with san francisco's chief plumbing inspector. i have a question for you. i'm concerned about the hand- held shower. i always hear about that flow prevention. if you were to drop the shower into the tub, you might contaminate the water supply. >> that is correct. that kind of installation on the bottom of that picture, you would actually have a vacuum they would install on the bottom where the host does connect to the faucet itself which would prevent any kind of back flow into the plumbing system. >> so it is isolating this from the water supply? >> is. the house itself, that line, it would contaminate it if you had it inside of the bathtub, but with the vacuum breaker, it would prevent any kind of water to get into the plumbing. >> so it you dropped it into dirty water, you not want that dirty water to enter and that

flow and contaminated. >> that is 100% correct. >> what are the special requirements when you have a tub that has all kinds of special features and fittings like that? >> just the ones that we have here, like we said before, access to the motor is a key thing. a lot of people do forget to leave space or have access to those motors. >> where does that usually occur? >> three places i have seen that they have had those motors would be one in the backside where you could see the headrest would be. that would be one spot. on the paneling in the front, there sometimes is irremovable panel that we remove so we can get to that murder, and the backside where the actual cost is. at this time, there would actually be an access panel in the back. it all depends on how it lays out, again, coordination with the contractor himself or professional that wants to be responsible for the location of where that is going to be.

also, you could actually have motors in other locations. they could be up in an attic space or somewhere else that would provide servicing for that picture. >> so it is a good requirement that there is to be an access panel for that murder. >> that's right. 100% for plumbing and electrical as well. >> every one of these has to be independently tested and approved. you cannot make your own fixture? you have to have enlisted piece of equipment. >> settings and fixtures need to be listing accordingly. definitely. >>:. the next thing we are going to do is answer the question that i received in an e-mail from ray, who wanted to know about what a saving features in toilets and sinks. look at all of these toilets. this is great. we have everything from soda a very traditional toiletries some of these have real newfangled contraptions built into them, but we want to start by talking

about green features and things that can reduce water use in san francisco. can you tell us a little bit about that? she is a toilet expert, by the way. >> toilets have all different flows, but carli, you have to have a 1.6 gallon or less. -- currently. >> that is the state plumbing code minimum standard. >> that is going to save your water compared to what a lot of people still have in their bathrooms. they have 3.5 or 5 gallons. that is using a ton of water. >> the year there is a new city ordinance requirement to reduce flow flesh? >> and a lot of manufacturers are real -- are already making those toilets. right here, we have a dual-flush toilet. this toilet uses 1.6 gallons on the full flush and 0.9 on the half less. >> what happened?

>> it automatically opens. this is a fancy toilet. we can get to that later. >> this is the half loss, which is how many? >> 0.9. so it is very good toilet, water-saving. and then the other kind of toilet that saves water is and 1.28 gallons a flush. >> i know when people first started selling and installing the 1.6, there were problems with it was not clear in the bowl and all of that. have those generally been resolved? >> yes, they have come out with a lot of new technologies, and the flushing systems are a lot more powerful. this toilet in particular has the new double cyclone feature, which shoots out of the rim and the bowl. let's look at it.

shoots out here and here, so it cleans the ball really well as it flushes. >> there are lots and lots of brands. this is just one brand. these are manufactured in japan? >> these are manufactured all over the world. they have two factories in georgia and then factories all around the world. >> what are the differences between these different kind of toilets? >> we have the 1.28, which is what all the manufacturers are doing now to conserve water. this is a siphon flush with a larger water surface area, much more conventional american type of toilet. it has been used around the world for many years as a water- conserving light of flushing. it has a small water surface area and is a wash down type of toilet. some americans are not happy that they might have to clean the sides of the ball more. then, we have the high end totally automated toilet as you

were already noticing. when you walk up to it, it will sense that you are there and it will open up. it has another green feature, which washes you. it saves you on toilet paper. a roll of toilet paper can take as much as 28 gallons to be manufactured, so if you conserve on toilet paper by using water to wash yourself, you are saving the waste material of the toilet paper. >> does that count toward the flesh? >> it does not. >> how much water does it take? >> it takes just a few ounces. tens of how long the user leaves it on. it has a remote control that allows you to be able to control the spray features. it has a rear-cleaning, cleaning, stopped cleaning. it has a heated sea. it has a blow dryer. it has a deodorizer. and you can't flush the toilet with a push of the remote. >> ice cube maker, everything.

look at that thing. and this is a little more conventional. >> these are the more conventional u.s. type of toilets where you can actually see the trap passageway on the side. >> tell us what goes in where and how does it come out. >> the bull has the water right here, and when it flushes, it fills up around this curve here, and it basically creates a siphon. >> so here we have passage through to the bottom. i do not know if people have ever seen the bottom of one of these. there is. we have a couple of holes here that are for mounting. usually, there is a flange on the floor. we do not have that here. then, we use a wax seal, something like this. >> is has a little cover on the wax, but it has a throat that sits down in the pipe, and this wax seals it's down there to make the seal on the floor.

>> right. you do not want to take this off and stick it on because it is unbelievably lucky. so these things are very inexpensive. by the way, wax seals are really cheap. a but. and this is waterproof, so if you ever need contemporary waterproofing, this is great stuff. taken off, put this on the floor, and set the toilet on top. by the way, i don't believe it takes a plumbing permit to replace the toilet fixtures. as long as you are not making a change in the plumbing. and of course, every time you do it, you should replace the blacks. terrific. all right. let's sit this guy back up. the stock closed seat. >> will await the seepage of the sleeping people in the night. -- will not wake the sleeping

people in the night. this one has a toilet seat mounted on it that has the washer with feature >> this is just a seat that is mounted on a toilet. >> you could retrofit an existing toilet with all of these features if you want. you just need to have an outlet in the room. you can see on this one that we cannot see the drop passageway. it has a skirted side to it, which is very popular with the consumer because it is easier to clean. it is an area that is not prone to picking up all that dust and things like that, a little cover for where the bull is going. in order to mount that, instead of using just the wax seal, we're going to put this down first. we are going to use the wax seal -- there is the sticky wax. we are going to put that wax seal on the bottom of this, mount this down on the floor

flanged and mount the toilet on to this. >> good. does not look like it takes a great deal of expertise to do it, but you have to have the right parts and equipment. terrific. i want to ask andre. tell us, from a design point of view, what is that people are looking for these days in toilets. >> when we look at toilets, first of all, are we doing a traditional or contemporary design? obviously, we picked a traditional design. traditional design for traditional patterns. contemporary toilet for contemporary bathroom. we look about the lines of the toilet and how easy they are to clean. some of these are very sleek and come down to the floor. that is good. they are very even and clean and very easy to clean. we also think about americans with disabilities act,