Land Use & Community
The building is located within 1/2 mile of a Metro Rail station and within 1/4 mile of two bus lines. Bike storage is provided along with showers and changing facilities for bicycle commuters. Recharging stations are provided for electric vehicles in the rear parking lot. Preferred parking is provided for carpools.
The brownfield site, which had been turned into a dumping ground for construction and demolition materials, was cleaned by the city at a cost of nine million dollars. Much of the material accumulated on the site was recycled or salvaged for reuse.
Green Strategies
Property Evaluation
Investigate property for possible contaminants (e.g., toxic or hazardous wastes, dumps)
Responsible Planning
Ensure that development fits within a responsible local and regional planning framework
Support for Appropriate Transportation
Provide showers and changing areas for bicycle and pedestrian commuters
Provide storage area for bicycles
Provide access to public transportation
Provide vehicle access to support car and vanpooling
Provide for electric vehicle charging
Property Selection Opportunities
Look for opportunities for infill development
Select brownfield sites for development
Select already-developed sites for new development
Site Description
Erosion and sedimentation control measures were required during construction to prevent topsoil from leaving the site. Light-colored paving was used along with extensive tree coverage to decrease the heat-island effect in the parking and walking areas. A green roof system on part of the building also helps to reduce heat-island effect through evapotranspiration. The parts of the roof that are neither planted nor covered with PV panels are painted white to decrease heat absorbency.
All plumbing fixtures are low-flow per the energy policy act of 1992. A wetland and bioswales slow the flow of rainwater so that many pollutants can settle out of the water before it heads into the ground or sewers. Cisterns are connected to the building downspout to catch rainwater and reduce the amount of water flowing into the sewers. The captured water will be used for irrigation. Four water-storage cisterns on the property have a combined 12,000-gallon capacity. Native plants were selected to minimize maintenance and water needs once they are established.
Lot size: 160,000 ft2
Building footprint: 40,000 sq ft (3,720 sq meters)
Previously developed land, Brownfield site, Wetlands, Preexisting structure(s)
Green Strategies
Ecosystem Restoration
Replant damaged sites with native vegetation
Runoff Reduction
Use planted swales instead of curbs and gutters
Design a green roof system
Landscape Plantings
Landscape with indigenous vegetation
Low-Water-Use Fixtures
Use low-flow toilets
Managing Stormwater
Disconnect roof leaders and storm drains from conventional infrastructure
Design a constructed wetland for pollutant removal from stormwater
Rainwater Collection
Collect and store rainwater for landscape irrigation
Integration with Site Resources
Use light-colored pavement to reduce heat island effect
Low-Impact Siting
Select building sites that make use of existing infrastructure
Energy
The building and its mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems are being commissioned to ensure they are installed and functioning per the original design intentions. The building surpasses ASHRAE 90.1 by 40%, which means that the Center uses 40% less energy than a minimally code-compliant building of the same size. These energy savings are expected to save approximately [SIHO]29,000 per year.
Within five years, solar energy is expected to provide 20% of building's electricity. 28 geothermal wells are drilled to 200 feet to utilize the relatively consistent ground temperature. Extensive daylighting displaces the need for some artificial lighting; a 24% savings in lighting energy is expected over standard systems. Insulated, spectrally selective, low-e glazing was used. Heat and air conditioning are located near occupants. At times of high energy demand (such as hot summer days), the building management system is programmed to prevent demand spikes from the building. It reads the load required and temporarily dims lights or offsets mechanical startups to save demand costs.
|
Annual Purchased Energy Use |
|
Fuel |
Quantity |
Cost([SIHO]) |
MJ |
MJ/m2 |
[SIHO]/m2 |
|
Electricity |
161,000 kWh |
|
580,000 |
156 |
|
|
Natural Gas |
93,400 kWh |
|
336,000 |
90.5 |
|
|
Fuel Oil (No. 2, diesel) |
0 kWh |
|
0 |
0 |
|
|
Biomass (wood or other) |
0 kWh |
|
0 |
0 |
|
|
Other |
0 kWh |
|
0 |
0 |
|
|
Annual On-site Renewable Energy Production |
|
Fuel |
Quantity |
|
MJ |
MJ/m2 |
|
|
Photovoltaics |
136,000 kWh |
|
490,000 |
132 |
|
|
Wind |
0 kWh |
|
0 |
0 |
|
|
Biomass electricity |
0 kWh |
|
0 |
0 |
|
|
Micro-hydro |
0 kWh |
|
0 |
0 |
|
|
Solar Thermal |
0 kWh |
|
0 |
0 |
|
|
Biomass thermal |
0 kWh |
|
0 |
0 |
|
|
Other |
0 kWh |
|
0 |
0 |
|
|
Total Annual Building Energy Consumption |
|
Fuel |
|
Cost |
MJ |
MJ/m2 |
[SIHO]/m2 |
|
Total Purchased |
|
|
916,000 |
246 |
|
|
Total On-Site Renewable |
|
|
490,000 |
132 |
|
|
Grand Total |
|
|
1,410,000 |
378 |
|
|
Annual End-Use Breakdown |
|
End Use |
Quantity |
MJ |
MJ/m2 |
|
|
|
Heating |
173 MMBtu |
183,000 |
49.1 |
|
|
|
Cooling |
95,900 kWh |
345,000 |
92.9 |
|
|
|
Lighting |
23,000 kWh |
82,800 |
22.3 |
|
|
|
Fans/Pumps |
106,000 kWh |
382,000 |
103 |
|
|
|
Plug Loads and Equipment |
41,400 kWh |
149,000 |
40.1 |
|
|
|
Vertical Transport |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Domestic Hot Water |
248 MMBtu |
262,000 |
70.4 |
|
|
|
Other |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Building Energy Load |
|
Load |
|
W/m2 |
|
Connected Lighting |
4.01 kW |
1.08 W/m² |
