HIGH PERFORMANCE CASE STUDIES: 300-level

SESSION 6

DATE // START TIME // ROOM NUMBER:

Wednesday, September 29, 2010 – 11:00 am – Metro 4B

ABSTRACT:

This presentation brings together experts in envelopes, electrical and mechanical engineering, and sustainable design to explore various integrated solutions focusing on hospitals, which operate around the clock and have very specific HVAC and electrical requirements.

MODERATOR:

Klaas Rodenburg, Sustainable Design Coordinator, Stantec

SPEAKERS:

Ray Pradinuk, Senior Architect, Leader of Healthcare Research and Innovation, Stantec
Paul Marmion, Senior Principal, Buildings Engineering, Stantec, and ASHRAE Advanced IAQ Project Committee
Monica Olmos, Senior Lighting Designer, Stantec
Steven Cantor, Senior Landscape Architect, Stantec
Joseph Donovan, Senior Principal Architect, Stantec

DESCRIPTION:

Modern hospitals consume more than 2.5 times the energy as an office building of comparable size.. Every year hospitals around the world spend a large amount money on energy for lighting (25%) and HVAC (45%), 24 hours a day, 7 days of the week. This makes healthcare facilities the perfect proving ground for energy efficiency concepts. To significantly improve the energy performance of a hospital requires the efforts of multiple experts working together towards a common goal.

This presentation brings together experts in envelopes, electrical and mechanical engineering and sustainable design to explore various integrated solutions focusing on hospitals, which operate around the clock and have very specific HVAC and electrical requirements. When it comes to improving a building’s performance there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Instead it is the creative integration of many individual elements ranging from the conventional to the leading edge materials and concepts that push the envelope to the next level. The solutions discussed at this presentation will focus on an integrated approach that recognizes that the envelope must work in concert with the needs of the occupants and other systems.

This session will follow the format of a mini-charrette in which the moderator will engage the audience to join in the discussion.. At the end of the session attendees will have some new, practical ideas and concepts that will be posted on a blog where the discussions can continue.

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HIGH PERFORMANCE CASE STUDIES: 300-level

SESSION 5

DATE // START TIME // ROOM NUMBER:

Wednesday, September 29, 2010 – 11:00am – Metro 4A

ABSTRACT:

Design, construction, and verification methods used by innovators in New York City’s affordable housing community to evolve the high performance envelope.

MODERATOR:

Luke Falk, Associate Project Manager, Multifamily Performance Program, NYSERDA

SPEAKERS:

Les Bluestone, Blue Sea Development Company
William Stein, Principal, Dattner Architects
Maureen Mahle, Steven Winter Associates
Chris Benedict, Architect

DESCRIPTION:

The connection between affordable housing and energy efficiency is simple to understand: long-term affordability through low operating costs is just as important as manageable first costs. High performance envelopes have been at the forefront of energy efficiency in single family homes for decades, but urban residential construction projects have lagged behind. This session presents the design, construction, and verification methods used by innovators in New York City’s affordable housing community to evolve the high performance envelope.

Affordable housing developer Les Bluestone committed to building sustainable and energy efficient homes when he co-founded Blue Sea Development Company in 1999, and has completed a number of successful projects since then. . Les will describe how the process of continual improvement led to the 2010 LEED
Platinum rating for the Gen. Colin Powell Apartments in the Bronx, The building will provide a 43% reduction in energy costs,an unprecedented feat for a New York City affordable housing project.

Affordable housing designer William Stein directs Dattner Architects’ residential practice. His work in affordable housing includes landmark projects like Via Verde in the South Bronx, Habitat for Humanity’s Atlantic Avenue apartments, and Courtland Corners. Bill will draw from these examples to present evolved building envelope design strategies that minimize the thermal bridging so common in urban construction, while effectively managing moisture and limiting air movement.

Sustainable housing consultant Maureen Mahle works with a variety of affordable housing clients in Steven Winter Associates, Inc.’s capacity as a LEED for Homes Provider. She will describe how energy analysis, insulation and air sealing inspections, performance testing, and other diagnostics have helped project teams evaluate and improve envelope performance. The particular challenges presented by steel and masonry construction will be addressed, and test results from landmark New York City affordable housing projects will be presented.

The session will be moderated by Luke Falk of the New York Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), an agency that has led the nation in the development of ENERGY STAR performance standards for multifamily housing. 48,000 units of New York City’s affordable housing are currently pursuing certification and the incentives through the Multifamily Performance Program. Luke will introduce the topic of Evolution of the Envelope by commenting on the high performance envelope measures used by projects seeking 20% or greater energy cost savings.

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HIGH PERFORMANCE CASE STUDIES: 300-level

SESSION 1

DATE // START TIME // ROOM NUMBER:

Wednesday, September 29, 2010 – 11:00am – Altman Gallery

ABSTRACT:

Panelists discuss the planned transformation of the National Geographic Society’s existing headquarters in Washington, DC to a carbon-neutral facility.

SPEAKERS:

Bill Browning, Partner, Terrapin Bright Green
Hans Wegner, Vice President Production Services, National Geographic
Chris Pyke, Director of Research, USGBC

DESCRIPTION:

What technological, structural and behavioral changes are needed to transition from carbon-based to carbon-neutral within an existing built environment? Is it possible to do so within the budgetary constraints faced by most facilities managers?

The National Geographic Society (NGS) sought to answer these questions when they decided to work towards converting their Washington, DC headquarters into a carbon-neutral facility. The NGS headquarters features three interconnected buildings ranging in age from 20 years to over 100 years old. Given NGS’s longstanding commitment to environmental issues, the NGS team had already addressed many “low hanging fruit,” including participating in the Energy Star program and achieving the LEED for Existing Buildings (LEED-EB) certification. The next goal was to understand the greenhouse gas “footprint” of the headquarters complex and to model and quantify specific opportunities for reducing emissions on a fundamental level.

By studying energy use patterns from utility bills, tracking data obtained from meters installed on various pieces of equipment, and working with NGS building engineers and executives, it became clear that carbon neutrality was potentially achievable. In addition, with efficient upgrades according to scheduled replacement cycles, it could also be done in a manner that would decrease long-term operating costs over the next 25 years.

This session will address how such a transformation is possible. With roughly five million commercial buildings in the United States alone, a sustainable future cannot be achieved purely through new, green construction; existing building stock must be made more sustainable. In changing how we think about existing structures, we can both drastically reduce a building’s negative impacts on natural environments while achieving positive gains in occupant health and productivity and reducing  operational costs.

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PROGRESSIVE POLICY AND RESEARCH: 300-level

SESSION 3

DATE // START TIME // ROOM NUMBER:

Wednesday, September 29, 2010 – 11:00am – Metro 2B

ABSTRACT:

Insights into the growth of Passive House in Europe and what lessons may be found in it for Americans.

SPEAKERS:

Tomas O’Leary, Founder, Irish Passive House Academy
Ken Levenson, Partner, Levenson McDavid Architects
Brian Phillips, Principal, IS Architects
David White, Principal, Right Environments

DESCRIPTION:

Passive House, the most rigorous voluntary building energy standard today, has been growing exponentially in Europe since its introduction fifteen years ago.  It is now being considered for EU building codes. Entering the United States seven years ago with the construction of the first Certified Passive House in Urbana Illinois, Passive House is an incipient, yet fast growing presence on the American building scene from coast-to-coast – with dozens of buildings now Certified and even more in the design and construction pipeline.

Tomas O’Leary, founder of the Irish Passive House Academy will provide insight into the growth of Passive House in Europe and what lessons may be found in it for Americans.  What have been the biggest catalysts for the fast growing acceptance in Europe?  What have been the biggest impediments?    How might a decade difference – between Passive House’s formative years in Europe and the U.S. – change the context of Passive House adoption in America? How can Americans better leverage what the Europeans have already done to help ensure success?

The three American panelists bring an understanding of the local construction, regulatory and financial realities facing Passive House here in the United States. David White, a mechanical engineer, Certified Passive House Consultant and Passive House instructor, is engineering building systems for a number of Passive House projects in the New York region. Brian Phillips, an innovative Philadelphia based architect has recently designed housing to meet Passive House and LEED Platinum standards.  Ken Levenson, an architect, and a founding director of NY Passive House (a non-profit recently formed to promote Passive House locally) has two Passive House projects currently under construction.

Passive House may be a compelling standard, but what does its pathway forward look like?

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HIGH PERFORMANCE CASE STUDIES: 300-level

SESSION 4

DATE // START TIME // ROOM NUMBER:

Wednesday, September 29, 2010 – 11:00am – Metro 2C

ABSTRACT:

Two case studies explore proven models for cost-effective green affordable housing, while investigating uncommon approaches to design and community engagement.

MODERATOR:

Lenard Hart, Executive Director, Sustainable Housing Foundation

SPEAKERS:

John Godden, President, Clearsphere
Tom Laronde, Founder, The Four Winds Group

DESCRIPTION:

Low-income affordable housing is not often market-driven. The cost of a certification label is unlikely to be recovered by consumer’s willingness to pay more for a superior product. Governments can be convinced to pay for labeling, but often at the cost of another form of upgrade. Affordable housing is instead often driven by community need. By bringing the community into the design and building process, the Sustainable Housing Foundation has successfully assisted low-income, affordable housing projects in achieving significant energy savings, improved quality of construction, indoor air quality, and sound attenuation while creating jobs within communities.

Relationships Build Communities: The Saugeen First Nations Sustainable Housing Case Study

The need for improved housing for First Nation’s people is a stark reality. The need to reduce energy consumption while increasing the durability and comfort in the home was a particular challenge for the Saugeen First Nation project team. Through a focus on renewable energy options, the Saugeen Green Housing Project sets a new standard affordable green housing.

Relationships are the building blocks of any project, and Four Winds recognizes that “relationships build communities.”  Through this project, the community was willing to push the envelope in terms of approval processes and to consider new ideas by looking at established “best practices” in other parts of the world.  As the project evolved, many partners were introduced in order to accomplish the project’s goals.

Approaching Net Zero in Habitat Homes: Habitat for Humanity Case Study

Habitat for Humanity has a unique building model that assists low-income families in affording a home of their own.  Any energy savings that Habitat can build into their homes improves the chances for families’ ongoing ability to afford their homes, as these savings are passed on to owners. While Habitat has struggled with cost when building greener homes, this case study explores the role of early community engagement in the success of two green and affordable projects.

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ADVANCED FAÇADE SYSTEMS: 300-level

SESSION 2

DATE // START TIME // ROOM NUMBER:

Wednesday, September 29, 2010 – 11:00am – Metro 2A

ABSTRACT:

A panel investigates the design and performance of a 45,000 SF double-glass façade for the new Weill Cornell Medical College Medical Research Building in New York City and the analysis and methodology utilized for the design of this façade.

SPEAKERS:

Hilary Brown, Professor, City College of New York, Bernard & Anne Spitzer School of Architecture, Principal, New Civic Works
Craig McIlhenny, Associate Partner, Ennead Architects (formerly Polshek Partnership)
Wendy Meguro, Atelier Ten
John Pachuta, Partner, Heintges

DESCRIPTION:

The panel will address the design and performance of a 45,000 SF double-glass façade for the new Weill Cornell Medical College Medical Research Building, an 18-story laboratory facility located on East 69th Street in Manhattan. The analysis and methodology utilized for the design of this façade is applicable to any designer committed to reducing solar gain and energy usage while maintaining views and daylight to create a dynamic yet economical façade. The building is pursuing a LEED NC 2.2 Silver or possibly Gold Certification. Design is complete and construction of foundations is currently underway, with a scheduled completion date of April, 2014.

Design:

The building design creates an environment on the College’s urban campus that promotes collaborative research and recognizes the stature of the College’s preeminent researchers. The use of a glass façade establishes an identity for the institution that is accessible, yet representative of its cutting-edge  medical research.

Given the site’s east-west orientation, the building uses a double-skin glass façade technology in order to maximize daylight within the building, while minimizing solar heat gain and visual and thermal discomfort within the offices and collaborative workspaces on the prominent, south-facing side of the building.

Design Process & Performance:

To provide a cost-effective and environmentally responsible overall envelope design, a double-skin glass façade is featured on the south face of the building, while the remaining building facades utilize a well insulated, economical masonry cavity wall and a high-performance ribbon window system.

This curtain wall system is comprised of an outer layer of white ceramic fritted glass in an undulating/folded design that shades the interior space, an air cavity of varying depth , and an interior insulated glass façade. Large openings within the outer layer of glass articulate the façade, giving a human scale to the façade design,and promoting natural ventilation within the air cavity, mitigating extreme temperatures on the exterior and significantly reducing temperatures on the interior glass. Computation Fluid Dynamics (CFD) studies suggested this compartmentalization of the cavity and informed the size, location and placement of the ventilation openings.

Indoor Environment and Occupant Comfort:

In accordance with the sustainable goals of the building and to recruit world-class researchers, the Medical Research Building provides its occupants with well-designed and comfortable research spaces with abundant natural daylight and controllable lighting systems.

Interior automatic shades are provided in the offices and meeting spaces behind the double façade. The Building Management System tracks exterior solar condition and raises or lowers the shades as necessary to increase occupant comfort and reduce the use of interior artificial lighting during overcast conditions. The building also utilizes daylight dimming in the offices and meeting spaces along the double façade to reduce energy use.

The exterior glass skin of the double-façade increases visual comfort for building occupants by minimizing glare within the interior. Solar shading and visual comfort are further enhanced by the utilization of “double-pass” glass frit technology, which provides a black inward-facing frit to reduce glare and a white outward-facing frit to increase solar reflectance and to achieve the desired aesthetic.

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