High Performing Buildings - Summer 2011 - (Page 50)

After the first year of building operation, the total annual costs for operating the facility, including financing costs for the purchasing and construction costs, were calculated and found to be the lowest costs on a dollar per square foot basis of all of the 17 Cannon Design offices worldwide. Other, less tangible, indicators show this building works well. Within weeks of initially moving in, employees began commenting about feeling more productive at work. They said they felt better during the day, and it was much easier to collaborate in the open office environment. Employees seem generally Conference room with views of the city. Lessons Learned no Challenge is Too large The Power House proves that just because others consider the project too daunting doesn’t mean you can’t find success. numerous developers passed on the chance to rethink the Power House. it is now one of our firm’s most prized projects. sustainable design saves money We and our contractor found in many instances that sustainable construction saved money. for example, our contractor realized sorting the construction waste for recycling caused them to be more efficient on site with disposal of construction waste, which meant they saved on landfill fees. We also found that early collaboration with the contractor paid great dividends in terms of reduced change orders and cost predictability. © gayle Babcock Building flush outs may heighten energy use initially but are valuable. it’s best to do them during mild temperatures to lessen building energy loss, if possible. reduce occupied Perimeter Zones By pulling the open floor plate of the occupied zones away from the exterior walls, nearly everyone has visual access to the large windows and views to the exterior from an “interior” zone. This removes the challenges associated with maintaining tight temperature control of occupied perimeter zones. drafts, glare, cold walls, etc., are virtually eliminated by locating working zones nearly exclusively in an “interior” zone. High efficiency equipment using highly efficient condensing boilers allowed the heating equipment to be located in the lowest level of the building and the flue and combustion air intake to be routed through the side wall of the building. This eliminated the need for a flue shaft running up the building to the roof and louvers on the side of the building for combustion air. e n e r g y U s e d e c . 2 0 0 8 — n o v. 2 0 1 0 ft2 ft2 ft2 50 HigH Performing Buildings summer 2011

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

Commentary
Contents
Stanford University's Y2E2
The Christman Building
The Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and Visitor Center
Cannon Design Regional Offices, Power House
Great River Energy Headquarters
Letters
Products
Advertisers Index

High Performing Buildings - Summer 2011