High Performing Buildings - Winter 2013 - (Page 28)

Building tEam Building Owner/Representative Shiels Obletz Johnsen Architect THA Architecture General Contractor Walsh Construction Company Jeff Amram Mechanical, Electrical Engineer; Energy Modeler Glumac Structural Engineer ABHT Civil Engineer David Evans & Associates Landscape Architect Walker Macy Lighting Design Architectural Lighting Group LEED Consultant Green Building Services Building Envelope Advanced enclosure design that is appropriate to the renovated historic structure and new addition contributes to the project’s performance. Airtightness contributes to controlled airflow rates, better ventilation, better hygiene, better comfort, and helps to avoid damage largely by controlling humidity transfer through walls. Optimal enclosure design was hard to achieve for the historic structure — composed of uninsulated brick bearing walls with a low window-to-wall ratio (20%). From a thermal performance and cost perspective, given the low window-to-wall ratio, the team decided to first focus on upgrading the wall assembly. The upgrades included adding continuous interior insulation of R-10, brick repair, and repointing of the existing masonry enclosure to improve its performance as an air barrier. The wall assembly design in turn drove the window improvements, which included upgrading windows from a U-factor of 0.5 to around 0.3. Introducing low-conductance frames and triple glazing to achieve a U-factor of 0.2 was considered too costly. For the addition, exterior assemblies were based on two concepts. First, the control of heat flow in buildings requires insulation layers with minimal thermal bridge penetrations, an effective air barrier system and good control of solar radiation. Second, the perfect wall, roof, or slab on grade has all the control layers on View toward east from Burnside Bridge. Clad in terracotta rainscreen, the new building (background) is the first in Oregon to use this innovative system, which is sympathetic to the brick exterior of the Packer-Scott building (foreground) and other neighboring structures. the outside of the building assembly to protect the structure from temperature extremes and water. Enclosure measures include continuous, all–exterior R-10 wall insulation, continuous air and vapor barrier, rainscreen cladding, thermally isolated subframing cladding support systems, and a 35% window-to-wall ratio with south-facing window shading. The roofs for both the renovated and new buildings average R-30. Site mock-ups during construction were crucial to achieving highquality construction and effective thermal and moisture performance. Based on the mock-ups the flashing sequence around the windows REsponding to thE 2010 haiti EaRthquakE fRom thE nEw hEadquaRtERs From an organizational point of view, the new headquarters afforded significant, immediate benefits. Just three months after the new headquarters opened, the earthquake in Haiti put the workplace concept to the test. With all departments mobilized together in one site instead of six, crucial problems — such as the logistics of sourcing and delivering humanitarian aid, processing an unprecedented number of gifts, coordinating with other entities, and starting to evaluate long-term recovery strategies — could all be addressed under one roof. “War rooms” were set up in large conference rooms. Casual seating in the social core accommodated impromptu brainstorming meetings and provided places for respite. The coffee bar became an important place for staff to relax during the intense initial response period. The headquarters’ role within the Portland community was also underscored when the local Haitian community, now more aware of Mercy Corps’ presence, asked for Mercy Corps’ help in organizing a vigil in the Action Center and adjacent plaza. 28 HigH Performing Buildings Winter 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of High Performing Buildings - Winter 2013

High Performing Buildings - Winter 2013
Commentary
Contents
Kensington High School for the Creative and Performing Arts
Mercy Corps World Headquarters
Hood River Middle School Music and Science Building
UC Davis Health and Wellness Center
Gateway West Sustainable I
Technologies on Display
Advertisers Index

High Performing Buildings - Winter 2013