High Performing Buildings - Fall 2011 - (Page 41)

Lessons LeArned many of the lessons are a result of pursuing the living Building Challenge and many others are products of the nature of the facility. A new lesson from this project involved the complexity of finding materials that not only met the materials red list (developed by the international living Building institute to minimize/eliminate the most offending toxic materials from our buildings), but also met radius and responsible industry requirements, and were affordable for the client. The team’s approach was an intuitive, scientific and experiential process. Concepts were modeled using scientific tools to measure comfort, energy, daylighting and other metrics. The team collaborated and relied upon the findings of the modeling to develop an integrated, high performance design for the building and site. one example was using water as a tempering element to improve comfort and reduce mechanical system capacity. The daylight and energy models are proving to be accurate, as evidenced by the compatibility of actual energy needed in the building and the energy provided by the solar panels, as well as the health of the plants in the lagoons. With regard to the flow rates into the lagoons inside the building, the team learned that if the water levels rose too quickly, the coir fiber mats in the plant racks of the lagoons would soak. This seemed to set off a hatch of “filter flies,” which are a nuisance inside the building. This problem is addressed by monitoring and limiting flow rates into the lagoons. Careful monitoring during the first year of occupancy ensured that the design goals for net zero energy were achieved. Without this kind of scrutiny, many buildings do not hold up to their original energy goals. its rigorous one-year performance verification period commenced in may 2009; operations were carefully monitored and evaluated by the international living Building institute. The Eco Machine is on display for all to see, along with educational signage that provides information about the water purification process from toilet to groundwater. Project Costs Project costs were $4.1 million, of which $2.6 million has been raised to date through donations from individuals, foundations, and government (New York Dormitory Authority), and the balance is provided by an institutional loan. NYSERDA (New York State Energy Research and Development Authority) granted Omega an interest rate write down on its institutional loan as well as a subsidy that reduced the cost of energysavings equipment incorporated into the building. • Fa l l 2 0 1 1 HigH plywood roof and wall sheathing, which was salvaged from the 2009 U.S. Presidential Inaugural Stage. Materials were also sourced to avoid those on the Materials Red List from the Living Building Challenge Guidelines. During construction, 99% of metal, cardboard, rigid foam and wood scraps were recycled. 100% of food waste was composted, and 100% of glass, paper and plastic packaging waste were recycled. © Bnim About the Author laura lesniewski, AiA, is a principal at Bnim, Kansas City, mo. PerForming Buildings 41

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of High Performing Buildings - Fall 2011

High Performing Buildings - Fall 2011
Commentary
Contents
Manitoba Hydro Place
Maplewood Police and Court Building
Omega Center for Sustainable Living
Dockside Synergy at Dockside Green
Golden Hill Office Center
Letters to the Editor
Products
Advertisers Index

High Performing Buildings - Fall 2011