HIGH PERFORMANCE CASE STUDIES: 300-level

SESSION 13

DATE // START TIME // ROOM NUMBER:

Wednesday, September 29, 2010 – 2:00pm – Metro 4B

ABSTRACT:

An investigation of the use of existing technologies to maximize the existing features and sustainability of a large abandoned downtown urban core building – 222 Jarvis Street in Toronto.

MODERATOR:

Hatice Yazar, Managing Principal, WZMH

SPEAKERS:

Stephen Carpenter, President, Enermodal Engineering
Cameron Hind, Executive Vice President, Hidi Rae Consulting Engineers

DESCRIPTION:

Toronto’s 222 Jarvis Street is a 535,000 sq. ft. existing commercial office building completed in 1971. The building was renovated to achieve LEED Gold certification by incorporating intelligent building design principles, reduced energy demand, resource conservation and the creation and support of an innovative and healthy workplace environment. The overall goal of the project was to achieve LEED Platinum for New Construction and Major Renovations and to fulfill the client’s social, economic and environmental objectives for excellence within a finite budget. The project achieved finalist status in the Zero Footprint Re-Skinning Award in the Large Commercial Category as presented in conjunction with The World Urban Forum.

The 222 Jarvis Sustainable Building Renewal project encapsulates a scope of work that was developed over a six-month period of detailed design. Exceptional synergy among a diverse team made this project unique; team members included: WZMH Architects, Enermodal Engineering Limited, Hidi Rae Consulting Engineers, Mulvey and Banani International Inc, A.W. Hooker Associates, Cost Consulting, Halcrow Yolles cladding consultants, and others.  Integrated design principles led the team to reposition the building with cladding upgrades, add a new light well to illuminate the center of the building, completely upgrade the electrical systems and rebuild the mechanical systems to provide a combined 61% energy reduction. Enermodal created an energy model to ensure that each proposed sustainable measure was analyzed for value added benefit, systems integration and contribution to attain multiple LEED points.

This presentation will demonstrate the use of existing technologies systematically modeled and evaluated in combination in order to maximize existing features and for sustainability, culminating in new life for a large abandoned downtown urban core building. WZMH, Enermodal and Hidi Rae will describe the decision making process used to arrive at the final scope of work. Other current projects show the merits of alternate means and methods and why specific measures were selected in this case study.

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HIGH PERFORMANCE CASE STUDIES: 300-level

SESSION 20

DATE // START TIME // ROOM NUMBER:

Wednesday, September 29, 2010 – 4:00pm – Metro 4B

ABSTRACT:

Case studies explore the realities of integrating geothermal systems in new and existing buildings throughout New York City. Projects to be discussed include: Knox Hall at Columbia University, the Esquire Building condominiums in Brooklyn, the General Theological Seminary, Times Square’s TKTS, and the Queens and Brooklyn Botanical Gardens.

MODERATOR:

Margaret Castillo, Principal, Helpern Architects and President-Elect, AIA New York Chapter

SPEAKERS:

John Rhyner, Senior Project Manager, P.W. Grosser Consulting
Alex Posner, Project Director, Office of Sustainable Design, NYC Department of Design and Construction
Tate Rider, Senior Project Manager, Renewable Energy, NYC Economic Development Corporation
John Rice, Partner, AKF Consulting Engineers
Luke Falk, Associate Project Manager, Multifamily Performance Program, NYSERDA

DESCRIPTION:

Is geothermal is the readily-available alternative energy source that everyone’s been waiting for, or just a big hole you make in the ground that swallows your money? This session seeks to reconcile these two views, identify opportunities as well as problems, and enable the audience to determine whether or which of the geothermal options is right for a project.

Despite its recent popularity, only one-third to one-half of proposed geothermal systems are built. The panel will present varied case studies that explain why and what had to be overcome. Case studies include  Knox Hall at Columbia University, the Esquire Building condominiums in Brooklyn, General Theological Seminary, Times Square’s TKTS, and the Queens and Brooklyn Botanical Gardens.

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HIGH PERFORMANCE CASE STUDIES: 300-level

SESSION 29

DATE // START TIME // ROOM NUMBER:

Thursday, September 30, 2010 – 11:00am – Altman Gallery

ABSTRACT:

A presentation of the award-winning renovation of the Unilever Headquarters in London, a historically significant 1930s building transformed into a spatially exciting, BREEAM “excellent” building.

SPEAKERS:

John Bushell, Partner, Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates
Michelle Pattison, Global Agile Working Programme Director, Unilever
Ashok Raiji, Partner, Arup

DESCRIPTION:

The Unilever Headquarters in London has won over 30 international awards, and is used by Unilever worldwide as a model for the future.

Unilever London Headquarters occupies a prominent site in the City of London, overlooking Blackfriars Bridge and the River Thames. Completed in 1931 and listed as historically significant in 1977, the project included the redevelopment of the 1930s structure and a portion of a 1970s extension to the north.

Unilever wanted to remain in the building and within the City of London but had operational requirements for a more modern, flexible workplace than that provided by the building, which also had significant functional deficiencies. This presentation explores the design process, which eventually achieved a balance between retaining the important parts of the building’s historic fabric while providing a transformed environmentally responsible workplace and spatial experience for the many visitors to the building.

The entire process is revealed, from early collaboration with the client, setting targets and goals,occupant feedback and post-occupancy performance data. The panel will also discuss energy efficiency with relation to operational costs and carbon emissions including civic and client targets. The panel will also explore strategies for reducing carbon emissions through energy use and material choices.

Design strategies are an important factor in the success of the building. The floor plates were reconfigured within a spatially interesting atrium, creating a stronger sense of interconnection. Staff and meeting facilities are located at the top of the building, which includes a roof garden. On the ground floor, a café, exhibition space, restaurant and conference area restore the public nature of the building.

The fit-out achieves the spirit of openness seen in the 1930s building archive.

The presentation offers key insight into the design and execution of a redevelopment project. The transformed Unilever House offers Unilever a new lease of life within its historic home, safeguards the active future of a listed building and brings the building up to British Council for Offices (BCO) specification throughout, while emphasizing the owner and architect’s commitment to sustainability and biodiversity.

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HIGH PERFORMANCE CASE STUDIES: 300-level

SESSION 24

DATE // START TIME // ROOM NUMBER:

Thursday, September 30, 2010 – 9:00am – Metro 2B

ABSTRACT:

Four unique case studies explore the challenges of managing the requirements of historic preservation and the sustainability goals of LEED:

• Lion House at the Bronx Zoo
• International Toy Center, New York
• McCarren Pool, Brooklyn
• J.W. McCormack Courthouse and Post Office Building, Boston

MODERATOR:

Gwen Kilvert, Assistant Director for Sustainability & Energy Management, The New School

SPEAKERS:

Sylvia Smith, Senior Partner, FXFOWLE Architects
David Burns, Partner, STUDIOS architecture
Scott Demel, Associate, Rogers Marvel Architects
Lisa Howe, Director of Preservation, Goody Clancy

DESCRIPTION:

The practice of historic preservation has been recognized for several decades in the United States as a notable contributor to the built environment and cultural heritage. Individual buildings or entire campuses and neighborhoods have received local or national landmark designation. Work at those properties is then gauged against the requirements of local and federal regulations and review, and the guidelines of the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Historic Preservation.

Over the past ten years, the LEED system has established itself as a primary reference metric for sustainable building design and construction practice. An owner’s independent decision, an organization’s attitude towards property management and operation, or a government policy can all be factors in determining the implementation of LEED, Do the requirements of historic preservation and the sustainability goals of LEED occur separately throughout a project, or are the benefits of one recognized and accommodated by the other?

This panel will present four projects notable for both preservation and sustainability goals. For each, the project parameters and strategies will be outlined, along with an overview of the LEED goals and the contribution of preservation work towards LEED points. The projects are:

1) Lion House at the Bronx Zoo

Originally designed by Heins & LaFarge in 1903, the Lion House is an historic landmark on Astor Court at the center of the Bronx Zoo. The rehabilitation and repurposing of the Beaux Arts building integrated the principles of sustainable design with landmark requirements. The Lion House was the first New York City landmark to receive LEED Gold Certification.

2) International Toy Center

In 2009, 200 Fifth Avenue was restored as a landmark one hundred years after its doors first opened. Facing New York’s historic Madison Square Park, this fourteen-story commercial building was underused and underappreciated for decades. Today, through a combination of vision and stewardship, 200 Fifth Avenue has once again taken its place among the great commercial buildings of New York City.

3) McCarren Pool and Bathhouse

Constructed during a WPA program and opened in 1936, the renovation by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation is currently in construction with a $50 million capital investment to rehabilitate this Brooklyn pool and adapt the original bathhouse into a year-round community facility. The building and site is a New York City Landmark and is targeted for LEED Silver certification, as required by Local Law 86, New York City’s Green Building Ordinance.

4) J.W. McCormack Courthouse and Post Office Building

The renovation of the historic 1930′s John W. McCormack Post Office and Courthouse at Post Office Square in Boston was completed in 2009, under the auspices of the GSA Public Buildings Service’s Design Excellence Program. The $136 million renovation re-established the elegance and functionality of the 600,000sf, 22-story building. A Local Landmark in the City of Boston and eligible for the National Register, the building is expected to achieve LEED Gold certification, exceeding the GSA requirement of LEED Silver.

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