Sustainable Facility - December 2008 - (Page 14)

Materials & Sources HVAC / MECHANICAL Chilled water is generated by three 240-ton McQuay centrifugal chillers and circulated by a constant ﬂow primary / variable ﬂow secondary pumping system. Condenser water is cooled via three Baltimore Aircoil closedcircuit, indirect evaporative cooling towers. While most of the cooled tower water feeds directly into the chiller condensers, some is routed through the building to serve AHU coils and to absorb heat rejected from refrigerators and freezers. Six 2,000 MBtuh condensing boilers from HydroTherm generate heating hot water, which is then distributed via a variable ﬂow, primary only pumping system. Sixteen custom Governair AHUs have been strategically located within internal mechanical rooms — some spanning multiple ﬂoors — so as to avoid interrupting the green roof. These units, in conjunction with an array of variable and constant volume air delivery systems, provide ventilation and comfort conditioning to most of the spaces. Arup used its own thermal analysis software (ROOM) to determine exhibit area surface temperatures, which were then used as input to STAR-CD computational ﬂuid dynamics software. As the building design was reﬁned, Arup used EnergyPlus energy simulation software to evaluate thermal and airﬂow behavior of the exhibit hall at design conditions. The radiant ﬂoor is based on an Uponor system built up over a base concrete slab covered by an inch of rigid insulation. Support rails rest on 1 in. strips of insulation and hold 5/8 in. dia hePEX plus tubing. For more information on the mechanical systems, visit www. esmagazine.com. Paul Switenki, P.E., a mechanical engineer with Arup, authored “Looking Radiant In Green” in the August 2008 issue of Engineered Systems. ■ Polished concrete was selected by architect Renzo Piano as a sustainable ﬂooring option. Perfect Polish assembled a 10-man polishing crew scheduled in two shifts, seven days a week for eight to 10 weeks to ensure the almost 200,000-square-foot project was completed on time. >> Photo courtesy of Perfect Polish. clean energy and prevent the release of greenhouse gas emissions. The multi-crystalline cells are some of the most energy efﬁcient cells on the market, achieving at least 20 percent efﬁciency. Sensor faucets in the bathrooms charge themselves with each use; ﬂowing water causes an internal turbine to generate power and charge the battery pack. The Bonded Logic insulation in the building’s walls is made from recycled blue jeans and contains 85 percent post-industrial recycled content. All concrete contains 30 percent ﬂy ash, a by-product of coal-ﬁred power plants. It also contains 20 percent slag, a waste product from metal smelting. This use of recycled content prevented the release of more than 5,375 tons of carbon emissions. WATER EFFICIENCY By absorbing rainwater, CAS’ living roof will prevent up to 3.6 million gallons of runoff from carrying pollutants into the ecosystem each year (about 98 percent of all stormwater). Reclaimed water from the City of San Francisco will be used to ﬂush the toilets, reducing the use of potable water for wastewater conveyance by 90 percent. Low-ﬂow ﬁxtures and the use of reclaimed water will reduce overall potable water use by 78 percent. Saltwater for the aquarium is piped in from the Paciﬁc Ocean, minimizing the use of potable water for aquarium systems. Nitrate wastes are puriﬁed with natural systems, ensuring that aquarium water can be recycled. THE LIVING ROOF A new link in an ecological corridor for wildlife, the living roof on CAS is planted with nine native California species that will not require artiﬁcial irrigation. The planted area measures 2.5 acres; it is, as of now, the largest concentration of native vegetation in San Francisco. Approximately 1.7 million native plants blanket the living roof and will provide habitat for a wide variety of wildlife. ENERGY EFFICIENCY The CAS is designed to consume 30 percent less energy than required by federal code. Fifty-ﬁve thousand square feet of photovoltaic cells in the roof supply almost 213,000 kWh of energy and prevent the release of more than 405,000 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions annually. The planted roof will provide a thermal insulating layer for the building that will help prevent overheating during the summer months and reduce energy needs for air-conditioning. SF The above information was compiled by Sustainable Facility and ED+C editorial staff. For more information, visit www.calacademy.org and www.arup.com. RECYCLED BUILDING MATERIALS More than 90 percent of the demolition waste from the old CAS structure was recycled. Concrete and steel were reused in local roadside construction projects and recycled onsite, respectively. At least 50 percent of the wood in the CAS facility was sustainably harvested and certiﬁed by the Forest Stewardship Council. Recycled steel was used for 100 percent of the building’s structural steel; the steel includes 95 percent recycled content. 14 S U S TA I N A B L E F A C I L I T Y DECEM BER 2008 http://www.esmagazine.com http://www.esmagazine.com http://www.calacademy.org http://www.arup.com

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Sustainable Facility - December 2008

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