Conversations — and aspirations — around high-performing buildings have evolved quickly. Ten years ago, we dreamed of achieving LEED certification on high energy building types such as hospitals and labs. Net zero energy buildings were a costly pipe dream, at best available to small buildings with low energy needs. In 2018, the New Buildings Institute lists 67 “verified” and 415 “emerging” zero energy (ZE) projects. It’s safe to say that net zero appears ready to take over the market much as LEED did a few short years ago.

This remarkable transformation can be attributed both to advances in technology and to a growing understanding of the integrated design process.

Net zero design depends on two key elements, the reduction of energy demands and the on-site production of energy. Successful projects strive to reduce energy use to the point that on-site production is feasible and cost-effective. With widespread acceptance of technologies that were previously viewed with suspicion — the use of radiant beams in laboratory or displacement ventilation in hospitals, for example — it becomes possible to reduce energy demands to the point that on-site production becomes viable. The precipitous drop in photovoltaic panel prices completes the picture; in many cases, it can be less expensive to buy solar panels than to invest in complicated HVAC systems.

Advances in technology alone do not explain this market change; the real source of change is the growing implementation of integrated design processes.

Integrated design demands an expansion of the project “team.” Rather than a linear process led by the architect, high-performance project teams expect continuous and proactive engagement not only from the full design team, including engineers and other consultants, but also from the contractor, owner and end users. The process typically proceeds as follows:

• Architect and engineers determine appropriate energy-use goals for the project. These are typically described in terms of Energy Use Intensity (EUI).
• Engineers determine the parameters for net zero design for the given project. How much power can be provided on site? Most projects carry certain limitations related to available site or roof area, and so the energy use reduction goals for a project are directly related to the ability to produce power. In other words, if a project is able to generate power adequate for 50 EUI, then the energy-use goals for that project are now 50 EUI. This simple formula can be very effective; design teams perform well in the face of hard targets.
• The entire team — owners, users, designers and contractors — comes together to work through the many elements that contribute to energy-use reduction.
  • Passive Design: Passive architectural design comes first as building massing, zoning, envelope and orientation are fine-tuned to enhance building performance. Key foci include the use of natural daylight and ventilation and the protection of interior spaces from direct solar gain.
  • Active Design: Heating, cooling, lighting and ventilation systems are designed to work with passive design elements. HVAC systems are reduced in size and cost, offsetting added costs for passive design elements.
  • Occupant Behavior: Ten years ago, a team might focus on the first two steps above. However, as project teams squeeze every opportunity to reduce energy out of architecture and building systems, the role of end users and building managers becomes crucial. In many high-performing projects, plug loads become the single biggest use of energy. Successful teams engage occupants to find ways to reduce ongoing energy use on multiple levels. Some solutions involve technology such as the use of sensors to turn equipment off when not in use. Others go back to the layout of the building. Can lab users be persuaded to share high-energy equipment such as freezers? Procurement comes into play; the design team for the Net Zero Packard office in Palo Alto, Calif., recommended that the owners buy Apple screens for their low-energy use. In response, Hewlett-Packard came out with its own low-energy screens.
  • Design Process: The above steps are taken in tandem, not sequentially. Models are built of energy, water, daylight, comfort and cost, and constantly updated to test technologies and strategies in relation to one another. Real-time analysis replaces historical data and formulas, allowing teams to adjust to the specifics of the project at hand; no cookie-cutters allowed.
  • Ongoing operations. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, zero energy requires that a building actually operate at net zero for a certain period of time, typically two years, before being declared successful. This requirement highlights the need for users and designers to work together; one cannot succeed without the other, and it turns out that connection and buy-in are crucial.

Ultimately, the trend towards net zero energy will yield tremendous results across the industry because the goals are aggressive, strictly defined and ultimately require true collaboration across all members of the team.

Lisa Matthiessen is the national sustainable design director at HGA, an architecture firm with locations across the country.

The post How to Attain Net Zero Energy for Large-Scale Facilities appeared first on HCO News.

CASTLE ROCK, Colo. – A brand-new medical office building at the Limelight Healthcare Center in Castle Rock will soon offer a state-of-the-art HVAC system to keep future staff and patients comfortable while also providing cost savings. Construction on the new Limelight Healthcare Center medical office building began in January and construction is estimated to conclude this year. The installation of the new HVAC system was completed on May 17, and the system includes several unique features, including a Variable Air Volume (VAV) air-handling unit that allows the system to slow down as less capacity is needed and conserve otherwise wasted energy. Making sure that these are done by an HVAC company is vital to ensure it is done properly. Limelight Healthcare Center have already begun their search to find a local heating repair and maintenance service that can ensure that the new HVAC system is properly maintained with yearly inspections. A service similar to Buric Heating and Air Conditioning will ensure that the HVAC system is in good working order during the summer and winter seasons while providing emergency repair services should the system become faulty.

Exterior construction and the HVAC system are complete, but no interior build-out work has begun. Interior work will start in July or August, according to Patrick Green, engineer and project manager at Denver-based Wiegmann Associates, the HVAC mechanical contractor on the project that installed the highly efficient HVAC system. Those in need of similar systems may want to look towards services from the likes of AirNow Cooling & Heating experts and professionals.

Located directly across from the new Castle Rock Adventist Hospital and Health Campus within the master-planned community called The Meadows, the new building will add essential outpatient services to the rapidly growing area of Castle Rock and the surrounding community.

The $4.7 million, two-story, 21,288-square-foot medical office building will provide prime tenant occupancy within the core and shell of the building, with future planned tenant spaces to include outpatient therapy clinics for neurology and physical therapy. No tenants will occupy the building until the interior build out is complete. Half of the building is currently pre-leased with the other half of future tenants yet to be determined. Denver-based Davis Partnership Architects served as the architect on the project, while Brinkmann Constructors in Aurora, Colo., served as the general contractor.

The VAV system has minimal terminal units for temporary conditions as part of the core and shell package of the building, according to Green. The terminal units will provide minimal space conditioning and be reused in future build outs so that none of the equipment is wasted, according to Green. This will allow the main building’s VAV air-handling unit to run at the minimum possible level to provide temporary conditioning until spaces are built out. “The VAV system offers flexibility in terms of being able to run at low capacity initially, then ‘ramp up’ as future tenants move in,” said Green.

VAV systems offer lower energy consumption and increased temperature control by varying the amount of air supplied to a given area while keeping the air at a constant temperature, whereas constant air volume (CAV) systems supply a constant airflow at a variable temperature, according to Green. Since energy efficiency is a goal with this new HVAC system, the VAV air handling unit successfully meets this goal in allowing the system to slow down as less capacity is needed and reduce otherwise wasted energy, according to Green. If you would like to update your HVAC system to something more energy-efficient, you might want to take a look at the website of Swaim Electric to read about their hvac services asheboro nc. A more energy-efficient system will save you lots of money in the long run.

In addition to the main rooftop HVAC system, Wiegmann’s HVAC installation included 12 terminal units to provide energy-efficient temporary heating and cooling as tenant spaces are built out. The two exhaust systems include one toilet exhaust and one general exhaust system.

“The HVAC system needs to be very flexible,” said Green. “The central VAV air handling unit and medium-pressure supply air loops accomplish this, along with the general exhaust system which future tenants can tie into as needed.”

Economic savings can be gleaned from the HVAC installation as well. Wiegmann value-engineered the HVAC system, which helped bring the shell and core project within budget. “We eliminated expensive features of the central VAV air handling unit which were unnecessary in this application and would have offered no benefit,” said Green.

Additional measures taken by Wiegmann included redesigning the ductwork in order to save on costs.

“Overall, this project was a good success story for a design-assist project,” said Green. “There was good collaboration between the mechanical contractor, general contractor, owner, architect and mechanical engineer of record to bring costs within budget and make the project a success.”

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