Degenkolb Engineers Receives Export Achievement Award

SAN FRANCISCO -- Phil Bond, Commerce Under Secretary for Technology, recently presented Degenkolb Engineers of San Francisco with the U.S. Department of Commerce's Export Achievement Certificate.

The award recognizes businesses that have used the export services of the U.S Commercial Service to make their first export sale or open new foreign markets.

"Small businesses are the economic backbone of the U.S. economy," said Bond.

"Innovative companies like Degenkolb Engineers are vital to America's ability to sell our products around the globe," he added. "The Bush Administration will continue to work hard to open new markets for U.S. products so we can continue to generate high-paying jobs for American workers."

Degenkolb Engineers is an employee-owned structural engineering firm that specializes in seismic engineering as well as design and consulting services.

Degenkolb works closely with government agencies, universities, health-care providers, and companies with large building inventories to reduce the potential for earthquake damage to their facilities. This includes developing seismic guidelines, risk assessment and analysis, and providing recommendations on earthquake-resistant construction methods.

A new client of the U.S. Commercial Service in San Francisco, Degenkolb recently took advantage of a trade lead to do consulting work in Taiwan. Earlier this year, through the efforts of the local Commercial Service and its overseas post in Taiwan, the firm was put in touch with Taiwanese organizers of a major conference on earthquake safety and security.

The conference was held to address issues stemming from Taiwan's September 1999 earthquake that hit near that country's hi-tech manufacturing base. As a result, Degenkolb signed a consulting contract with ITRI, a group of information technology labs in Taiwan who sponsored the conference.

"As a firm that has developed seismic mitigation programs for U.S. hi-tech companies such as HP and Intel, we hope this experience will enable us to help Taiwanese hi-tech companies with minimizing the seismic risk in their facilities," said David Bonneville, senior principal and group director for the company's hi-tech and government markets.

The U.S. Export Assistance Center in San Francisco is part of the global network of the U.S. Commercial Service, a Commerce Department agency that helps small and medium-sized U.S. businesses sell their products and services globally.

Blue Oak School Receives Preservation Award

NAPA-Blue Oak School has received the 2003 Award of Merit from Napa County Landmarks' Preservation Action Committee.

Blue Oak was recognized for returning the property to its original use as a school and incorporating much of the original framing, flooring and stairway in the renovated structure.

Blue Oak, an independent, non-profit school, re-opened to 74 K-4 students in September 2002, adding fifth grade this year with plans to become a K-8 school.

The 94-year-old schoolhouse was restored by Emeryville-based architect Ratcliff, general contractor Andrews & Thornley of Napa and mechanical engineer McCracken & Woodman Inc. of Oakland.

"The teaching spaces are attractive, welcoming and function beautifully," said Scott Duyan of Blue Oak. "Large group spaces make community building possible. We are also pleased that we have contributed to the renaissance of downtown Napa by restoring a fine, old building by the city's premier architect, Luther Turton."

The original structure, formerly known as Washington Primary School, served many purposes through its 94-year history, including its last use as county office space.

In the early 1990s, it was abandoned and slated for demolition. Neighbors and community groups lobbied to preserve the treasured building from destruction. With an outpouring of favorable public sentiment, the schoolhouse was spared.

"We are proud to have been a part of the effort to maintain a structure that was so important to the community of Napa," said Dan Wetherell, principal designer for Ratcliff. "From the beginning, Blue Oak School has set a goal of building community both within the school for its students and staff and outside the classrooms within the neighborhood. To sustain that mission, we developed a design that supports what the city of Napa was looking for from the school."

With an eye on retaining the original character and quality of the school, Ratcliff designed a new library and multipurpose room that provide a contextual extension to the original classroom structure for accommodation of school and community events. The existing Douglas-fir wood floors in the school's main entry areas and much of the classroom areas were renewed.

Ratcliff also incorporated "green" or sustainable design elements. And it was the first independent elementary school in California to install a geoexchange system for heating and cooling, Wetherell said.

This environmentally responsible HVAC system will pay back the difference between the cost of geothermal and a more conventional system in energy savings for the 18,900-sq.- ft. structure in less than five years.

Cork floors implemented in Blue Oak's multipurpose room not only provide a springy sensation for the students, but they are also made of fiber harvested from the bark of cork trees in Portugal, eliminating the need to cut down any trees.

The new carpeting is fully recyclable, and the linoleum that was installed is produced from all natural linseed oil.

Additionally, fabric walls used to display student work are made of recycled polyester materials.