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The D&B Field Trip begins at The Falls Event Center. Gather a few minutes early and enjoy a continental breakfast. The shuttle leaves at 8:30 am to head to the first stop on the tour.
Also included, a lunch-and-learn presentation upon your return to The Falls Event Center.
Due to transportation needs, registration is limited and will be handled on a first come, first served basis. CLICK HERE to register.
Project Open:
Located in Salt Lake City’s downtown core and within walking distance to bus, commuter & light rail stations, Project Open Apartments seeks to bring deeply-needed, attainable housing to an area that is rapidly becoming unreachable for much of the state’s population. In its first phase, “Project Open” will convert a historic furniture warehouse building and grounds into 81 units of multi-tiered affordable housing with substantial portions reserved for maturing foster children, homeless individuals, and those living with mobility impairments. To this core, the project adds 30 market-rate residences, well-thought-out community spaces, and several unique amenities that take full advantage of its transit-oriented location.
Our guide, Chris Parker, says this new $16 million, 112-unit apartment building derives 100% of its energy usage from solar sources and was built at a cost on par with standard construction—a first for the state. Its developer, Giv Development, says its structure, dubbed “Project Open,” is the tallest net-zero building in Utah. All of the electricity residents use is offset by 3.5 acres of solar panels offsite. This allowed the project to avoid the expense of rooftop solar panels. The project is said to have achieved a savings of $565 per unit in mechanical and electrical systems. At the open house, Utah’s Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox called Project Open “truly remarkable,” and Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski called it “a role model project for our city,” praising the building’s energy efficiency and the fact it is made up of 70 percent affordable housing units which can be rented for as little as $350 a month.
Gardner House:
Experience the $1.5 million restorations and updates of one of the oldest structures in Utah (on the National Register of Historic Places). Much of the original house has been preserved, all of the utilities have been updated, modern home technology has been installed, and it turned out amazing. Although it is not Net Zero, the Gardner House restoration is a solid example of renovation and features a lot of ideas and approaches on how to make an existing building more efficient. The builder is currently in the middle of putting together materials for the ribbon-cutting event and their working tagline is “preserving the past with the technologies of the future.”
A VIP Tour of the Tabernacle on Temple Square:
Imagine hearing a pin drop…from nearly a hundred feet away. Your visit will include a demonstration of the Tabernacle’s remarkable acoustics. You will be asked to sit in the rear of the building as your guide drops a pin on the floor close to the podium. The sound can be heard clearly throughout the hall. These incredible acoustics are why the Grammy-award winning Mormon Tabernacle Choir calls the Tabernacle its home. As a special treat just for you, our hosts have organized a backstage structural tour by the Church’s engineer. Peek at the tabernacle’s unique roof truss system and learn about its architectural and structural details (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt_Lake_Tabernacle).
Our guides are VIP Hosts for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, AIBD Professional member Shiree Nixon, and her husband Scott. Both of them regularly welcome dignitaries from all around the world, Presidents, Ambassadors, Consul Generals, Government, and Civic leaders and Business leaders. The Salt Lake Tabernacle on Temple Square was built between 1863 and 1875 and originally housed meetings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS church). The Tabernacle’s unusual design is said to have come to Brigham Young while he was contemplating a hollowed-out eggshell. After the facility was completed it was considered an architectural wonder of its day, leading Frank Lloyd Wright to dub it “one of the architectural masterpieces of the country and perhaps the world.” Nearly 1.5 million feet of lumber was chopped in the nearby Wasatch Mountains to complete the project. The grand 11,623-pipe Tabernacle Organ, which pipes are made of hand-carved wooden staves, is one of the largest and sonorous organs in the world.