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          Behind the ScenesArticleCool Tools: "The Box"By Kate Holder|October 19, 2020Across the Capitol campus, Architect of the Capitol (AOC) electricians are on constant alert to respond to emergency events and power outages that can disrupt electrical systems at any time. House Office Buildings electricians now have a "**cool** tool" that allows them to practice their emergency response without disrupting the live systems or even leaving the House Electrical Shop. The **cool** tool is a Systems Demonstration Box — affectionately known simply as "The Box." A closet-sized, wooden cabinet on rollers, The Box contains stand-alone, ...What Began as a Demonstration for Kids Is Now a Unique Training Tool
    Public NoticeArticleVolume 22 of Tholos Magazine Now AvailableBy AOC Staff|May 3, 2022The latest edition of the Architect of the Capitol (AOC) employee magazine, Tholos , is now available. Highlights include the articles below. Employee Highlight: U.S. Botanic Garden Taps New Technologies To Grow Plant Education Feature: Retro-commissioning: Big Energy Savings For Big Buildings **Cool** **Tools**: Mulch Blower Extraordinaire Agency Initiatives: Bridging Our Legacy Employee Recognition: Kudos to You Download Volume 22 , or read the stories from this and previous issues on our blog. ...The latest edition of the Architect of the Capitol (AOC) employee magazine, Tholos, is now available. Articles include a feature on energy savings, an employee highlight on the U.S. Botanic Garden, a cool tool for our U.S. Capitol Grounds team and more.
    Behind the ScenesArticleCool Tools: Plasma Cutting Machine, a Matter of PrecisionBy Kate Holder|March 10, 2020Whatever the task, **tools** are essential to our work at the Architect of the Capitol (AOC), and this latest example of an AOC "**cool** tool" ranks among the hottest and fastest **tools** we use. It generates temperatures of 35,000 degrees Fahrenheit or more and accelerates to nearly the speed of sound. Those extreme but highly controlled conditions allow the tool to cut through metal like a hot knife through butter. And do so with ...It generates temperatures of 35,000 degrees Fahrenheit or more and accelerates to nearly the speed of sound.
    Public NoticeArticleVolume 19 of Tholos Magazine Now AvailableBy AOC Staff|June 21, 2021The latest edition of the Architect of the Capitol (AOC) employee magazine, Tholos , is now available. Highlights include the articles below. **Cool** **Tools** : The Architect of the Capitol Sweeps Up the Past Organizational Transformation: A Season for Transformation, A Season for Change Seasonal Highlight: Collecting and Growing Texas Native Plants for Conservation and Climate Change Adaptation Feature: U.S. Capitol Cleanup Doing Good: Honoring Our ...The latest edition of the Architect of the Capitol (AOC) employee magazine, Tholos, is now available. Article themes include Cool Tools, Organizational Transformation, Seasonal Highlight, Doing Good, Project Updates, and Spotlight on Safety.
    Programs & EventsArticleCool Tools: Capitol Materials CartBy Erin Courtney|June 5, 2019The new U.S. Capitol Materials Cart Program showcases a variety of AOC trades, including masonry, sheet metal, paint and wood-crafting.
    History & DiscoveriesArticleCool Tools: A Tuning Fork?By Franklin Bradley|March 10, 2016As the temperature **cool**ed down this winter, we asked Architect of the Capitol (AOC) employees to join a hot (and friendly) competition – AOC **Cool** **Tools** – and share the **cool** **tools** they use to get their jobs done. Every employee, in every job we do, uses **tools**, from a crane that lifts heavy loads to the pen that signs the ...As the temperature cooled down this winter, we asked Architect of the Capitol (AOC) employees to join a hot (and friendly) competition – AOC Cool Tools – and share the cool tools they use to get their jobs done. Every employee, in every job we do, uses tools, from a crane that lifts heavy loads to
    Behind the ScenesArticleCool Tools: Squaring Off With HistoryBy Franklin Bradley|December 1, 2016Many of the **tools** we use around the Capitol campus are unique, historic and essential to our mission — in other words, they are **cool** **tools**! We asked employees to tell us about their **cool**est **tools**, and this feature represents our latest find. In 1873, Congress commissioned Frederick Law Olmsted to design the enlarged grounds of the U.S. Capitol . After careful study, he presented a plan for a sophisticated landscape to surround and ...Many of the tools we use around the Capitol campus are unique, historic and essential to our mission — in other words, they are cool tools! We asked employees to tell us about their coolest tools, and this feature represents our latest find. In 1873, Congress commissioned Frederick Law Olmsted to
    History & DiscoveriesArticleLeaves of Green: Capitol's Mature Trees Offer Big PayoutsBy Madeleine Lucchetti|April 28, 2023These "eco-benefits" are instrumental in telling the story of the campus canopy. They can estimate cost savings related to storm water runoff, carbon capture — also known as sequestration — and **cool**ing effects. With this knowledge, the team can make informed decisions about new plantings and care for older ones. Findings show that mature trees provide the most significant benefits. Side-by-side analyses of two white oaks, one mature and one young, demonstrated that the mature tree offered nearly 40 ...This Arbor Day, we celebrate the Capitol Grounds and Arboretum team's continued efforts to preserve and protect Olmsted's legacy — one of longstanding stewardship that's paying off every day.
    Behind the ScenesArticleCool Tools: On the Cutting EdgeBy Lisa Maltbie|June 17, 2016Every one of us at the Architect of the Capitol, in every job we do , uses **tools** to serve, preserve and inspire. Many of the **tools** we use here are unique, historic and essential to our mission—in other words, they are **cool** **tools** ! We asked employees to submit their **cool**est tool, and this feature represents the **cool**est tool we found. The U.S. Capitol Building Sheet Metal Shop introduced a new auto brake machine which offers an unprecedented capacity to bend metal that is integral to the many renowned projects around the ...Every one of us at the Architect of the Capitol, in every job we do , uses tools to serve, preserve and inspire. Many of the tools we use here are unique, historic and essential to our mission—in other words, they are cool tools ! We asked employees to submit their coolest tool, and this feature
    Behind the ScenesArticleCool Tools: The Ditch WitchBy Erin Courtney|March 1, 2018Well before winter, the Architect of the Capitol (AOC) prepares snow equipment, procures rock salt and ice melt supplies, and reviews the emergency and essential personnel snow response plans. And with good reason. Clearing snow around the Capitol complex in January 2018. The AOC is responsible for
    Behind the ScenesArticleArboretum in the CityBy Carol Campos|April 26, 2023Tree database software is used to develop an "eco-benefits" report of the arboretum's tree canopy to interpret cost savings the canopy provides due to storm-water runoff, carbon sequestration and **cool**ing effects. "It literally pays to preserve our mature trees and do what we can to help them thrive in the landscape for as long as possible," said Westbrook. The team of arborists take their preservation role seriously and only prune or remove trees based on tree health and risk. Pruning is one ...Walking around the U.S. Capitol Grounds you can't help but be in awe of the impressive buildings and their historic meaning, what you probably don't know is that the U.S. Capitol Building is surrounded by an arboretum.
    Behind the ScenesArticleMulch Blower ExtraordinaireBy Cristin O'Brien|May 26, 2022The socks can also be used for temporary drop inlet protection to filter the runoff before it enters the sanitary sewer system." As Capitol Grounds employees watched the silt sock demonstration on that sunny morning, it was evident that the new mulch blower goes beyond just being a **cool** tool — it saves money, helps preserve the cultural landscape, can prevent potential impacts to infrastructure and increases productivity. Jim Kaufmann, Director of Capitol Grounds, said "Our mission requires us to be efficient. The multi-use truck along with a multi-use attachment is like the Swiss Army ...On a sunny morning, employees from Capitol Grounds and Arboretum gathered to see a demonstration of a new tool and hear about its benefits.
    Public NoticeArticleLiving On, The Olmsted WayBy AOC Staff|March 7, 2022"Imagine kindergartners enjoying an outdoor lesson sitting on a piece of landscape history right here in our nation's capital... it's just a **cool** way to pass on the Capitol Hill legacy of Frederick Law Olmsted," said Kaufmann. Westbrook agreed, "I think it is fitting that a new generation may get the opportunity, during the 200th anniversary of Olmsted's birth, to learn about the critical relationship between trees and a healthy urban ...Two trees, Fagus grandifolia (American Beech) and Styphnolobium japonicum (Japanese pagoda), will be removed for safety reasons this spring.
    Behind the ScenesArticleRetro-Commissioning: Big Energy Savings For Big BuildingsBy AOC Staff|May 16, 2022Retro-commissioning can help improve a building's operation and maintenance procedures by identifying and correcting problems, such as: Equipment that is operating when it may not be needed Systems that are simultaneously heating and **cool**ing the same spaces Belts and valves that are malfunctioning Thermostats and sensors that are out of calibration Air balancing systems that are less than optimal Many of these small operations and control improvements cost little or nothing to implement yet can have big energy saving impacts. As an ...The Architect of the Capitol's (AOC) commitment to energy conservation and sustainability has resulted in a reduction of energy use by almost 50 percent across the Capitol campus since 2003. The agency continues to look for ways to build on those efforts as it works toward achieving reductions
    Behind the ScenesArticleOne Team, One Energy Reduction MissionBy Laura Condeluci|June 2, 2016The Rayburn House Office Building needed a new roof, and in FY 2011, the AOC took the opportunity to make the new roof a **cool** roof. A **cool** roofing system helps reduce the amount of **cool**ing needed in the summer because it reflects light instead of absorbing it. This means that less heat is transferred into the building below, which helps keep the interior spaces **cool**er — and that equates to cost savings. The U.S. Capitol is one ...The Architect of the Capitol (AOC) achieved an extraordinary goal at the end of Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 — successfully meeting the mandate to reduce energy consumption more than 30 percent from our 2003 baseline. This 30 percent reduction is a major accomplishment on its own. But it's even more Serve. Preserve. Inspire.

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