ASHRAE Journal - March 2013 - 23

SECOND PLACE WINNERS
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Headquarters, Seattle
COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS, NEW

Designers: Peter French Alspach, Anne Marie Moellenberndt,
and Molly Curtz, Arup
Owner: Lynn Perkins, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation headquarters in Seattle,
includes 485,400 ft2 (45 094 m2) of office space, an atrium,
data center, commercial kitchen, service spaces and belowgrade parking. The headquarters is LEED Platinum. Office
spaces use underfloor air distribution (UFAD) systems and highefficiency air-cooled chillers produce chilled water in conjunction with a 750,000 gallon (2.8 million L) thermal energy storage (TES) tank. Comfort in the atrium was ensured throughout
the year by using architectural features in combination with
the mechanical system, such as solar control blinds, which are
deployed automatically when needed.
The Energy Commission Headquarters (Diamond Building),
Putrajaya, Malaysia
COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS, NEW

Designers: Chen Thiam Leong and Ahmad Izdihar, Primetech
Engineers Sdn Bhd
Owner: Asma Aini Bt Mohd Nadzri, Suruhanjaya Tenaga

The Energy Commission Headquarters is designed to showcase
energy and water saving technologies, promote the use of
sustainable building materials and provide enhanced indoor
environmental quality. The building’s unique diamond shape
provides self-shading. Floor slab radiant cooling addresses the
sensible load and an airside system addresses the latent load,
air movement and air filtration. More than 50% of the building
uses daylighting. In addition, rainwater harvesting and waste
water recycling help reduce water use. The building also takes
advantage of the year-round humid climate by using condensate water harvesting.
Vancouver Island University—Cowichan Campus, Duncan,
BC, Canada

south face of the penthouse mechanical room. that is used to
pre-heat domestic hot water.
Segundo Services Center, Davis, Calif.
OTHER INSTITUTIONAL, NEW

Designers: Abdel K. Darwich, Gurdaver Singh, and Steve Guttmann, Guttmann & Blaevoet
Owner: Clayton Halliday, University of California, Davis

The UC Davis Segundo Student Services Center located on the
UC Davis campus, Davis, Calif., provides collaborative community space, academic advising and a convenience store to the
nearly 2,000 residents in the area. The energy efficiency measures and innovative systems selected proved to be very cost
effective. Included in the center: a hybrid chilled beam VAV
system, heat recovery and direct evaporative cooling systems
on the main air-handling unit, demand control ventilation, day
lighting and occupancy sensor controls, and high performance
glazing systems with integrated shading systems (on the west
façade).
Aurora Medical Center—Grafton, Wis.
HEALTH CARE FACILITIES, NEW

Designers: Michael J. Lawless, Steve Mumm, and Derek Schnabel, KJWW Engineering
Owner: Mark Herbert, Aurora Medical Center—Grafton

Aurora Medical Center, Grafton, Wis., is the first LEED certified hospital in the state. The center is 526,000 ft2 (48 865
m2), and consists of 107 patient rooms, 18 operating rooms
and various other medical facilities and administration offices.
Based on energy modeling, Aurora was originally projected to
use 20% less energy than the amount permitted by ASHRAE
90.1-2004. The building’s recorded energy use of 207 kBtu/
ft2/year [2 350 899 kJ/(m2·yr)], compared to a calibrated
energy model, shows an actual savings of almost 25%. Energy
recovery chillers and reduced fan horsepower are the main
contributors to the facility’s low energy consumption.

EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES, NEW

Methodist Hospital Central Utility Plant, Houston

Designers: Louise Grace Smith, Rob Walter, and Tom Wilson, The
AME Consulting Group Ltd.
Owner: Ric Kelm, Vancouver Island University, Infrastructure &
Ancillary Services

Designer: Bruce L. Flaniken, P The Methodist Hospital
.E.,
Owner: Sidney Sanders, The Methodist Hospital

The central heating and cooling plant for the 44,500 ft2 building that contains library, labs and offices is a modular 60 ton
(211 kW) high-efficiency water to-water heat pump, which is
connected to a vertical closed loop geoexchange field. A radiant slab is used for most of the heating and cooling, which significantly reduced the size of the air-distribution system. It also
cut down on the amount of maintenance required. The building
also includes six evacuated tube solar collectors located on the
March 2013

HEALTH CARE FACILITIES, EXISTING

Growth at The Methodist Hospital (TMH) campus facilities in
Houston, necessitated expansion of utility capacity at the existing central utility plant (CUP). The CUP had sufficient chiller
capacity but none of the auxiliary equipment was connected
to standby power. The installation of the cogeneration turbine
with duct burner and high pressure steam thermal energy recovery unit (HSRG) makes TMH the only hospital in the Texas Gulf Coast area that can operate during hurricane type
power grid outages. With an approximate four year simple
ASHRAE Journal

ASHRAE Journal - March 2013

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