Archive for EA
Video: Prototype LEED-Certified Office Depot Opens
Posted by: | CommentsOffice Depot is opening it’s first LEED-certified prototype store in Austin, TX. What makes this store so significant is that the prototype that has been approved by the USGBC to be replicated in order to streamline future LEED-certified locations.
The model location features, among other items, 52 skylights for EQ, solar panels providing 10% of energy needed to operate the store for EA, native low-irrigation landscaping for WE, a high-albedo roof and preferred parking for EEV’s towards SS and high recycled content concrete and parking curbs for MR.
Kudos to Office Depot - learn more about their environmental stewardship program here.
Icynene Insulation and a Green Cheese Factory
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Photo Credit: Icynene
Ontario, Canada-based Icynene has developed an expanding, spray foam insulation and air barrier product derived from castor oil. The product exceeds ASTM standards for bio-based materials, is 100% water-blown and insulates and seals in one step.
For those that don’t know, as I didn’t until I conducted some research, the castor plant is an incredibly sustainable and non-toxic crop. Castor beans don’t require irrigation (in normal conditions), do not need to be treated with pesticides or fungicides and yield more than twice the oil of soybeans by weight. In addition to the oil’s other modern usage in beauty products, it has been used as an ingested folk remedy for at least 4,000 years. Yes, 4,000 years - castor beans found in Egyptian tombs have been carbon dated.
An example of the Icynene product in action is the LEED Platinum Fifth Town Artisan Cheese factory (seen above) in Prince Edward County, Ontario. Given the factory’s unique interior environmental conditions required to cultivate cheese, it was critically important to create a high R-value building envelope that maintains conditions in all seasons and prevents condensation and mold growth.  The Icynene product was additionally used in the interior walls to create a thermal and vapor barrier between the administrative/retail areas and the production areas.
Other features of owner, chef, and eco-entrepreneur Petra Cooper’s factory are a subterranean, earth-cooled cheese cave, a geothermal heating system and solar PV. They targeted, but I couldn’t confirm, 13 out of 13 for SS (the 20 acre site is a natural habitat for deer, beaver and native bird) and achieved a large number of MR points with local materials, recycled content and landfill diversion.
And, it’s a pretty good looking cheese factory, right?
Featured Video: LEED Silver High School in Colorado
Posted by: | CommentsThis video is brief walk-through of the huge, 300,000 square foot Fossil Ridge High School in Fort Collins Colorado. It earned LEED for Schools Silver certification and utilizes over 70% recycled material, solar panels and heavy daylighting. The best part of the video is that is is primarily narrated by students of the school.
A great statistic in this video is that the estimated $100,000 in energy savings each year translates into 2 new teachers on staff. Thinking back to my high school days, it seems that facilities have come a long, long way.
Please let us know of any other LEED for Schools projects that you would like us to share.
Big Ass Fans for LEED Credits
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Photo: Big Ass Fans
Not only does Kentucky-based manufacturer Big Ass Fans have one of my favorite company names, but they also produce an innovative product that can significantly contribute to LEED certification.
Big Ass products range in diameter from 6′ to a whopping 24′ (pictured in this post) and can circulate a huge amount of with very little energy comsumption. The 20′ diameter model only consumes about 1300 kwh per year and has an amazingly huge displacement of more than 240,000 CFM.
From a LEED perspective, the fans can contribute to EA, EQ, and ID credits, as they did in the world’s first LEED platinum airport hangar at Bob Hope International airport in Burbank, CA. Seven of the 24′ Powerfoil Plus models were installed in the facility.
According to BAF, there are also a few ancillary benefits to having the fans in the hangar. When aircraft return from flight they tend to be covered in condensation, causing corrosion and wet floors. The fans help attenuate these problems by drying the aircraft quickly and also discourage birds from entering the hangar.
I recently spotted a Big Ass fan in a Dominican Republic airport terminal. Please report any Big Ass (fan) sightings you have had.
IDI for LEED Certified Industrial Buildings
Posted by: | CommentsAtlanta-based industrial real estate developer IDI prides itself on cutting edge facilities and the latest buliding technology.  Their commitment to green building and LEED certication is proof that they deliver what they promise.
A USGBC member since 2006, IDI has completed four LEED certified properties and has sixteen additional properties under development (totalling 5.5 million square feet) that are seeking certification.
“Companies realize that occupying LEED buildings is not only good for the environment but also good for business since these facilities, with their enhanced work environments, help attract and retain employees,” said Jay Mitchell, senior vice president and regional development officer in IDI’s Atlanta development office.
Most recently, IDI earned LEED silver certification on two industrial facilities in Georgia, 744k sf and 502k sf, respectively. Among other credits, these facilities earned points in the following divisions:
- SS: High-albedo roofing and hardscape
- WR:Â A 50% reduction in water usage, with a large amount of savings derived from efficient landscaping and irrigation
- EQ/EA: Strategic use of skylighting to reduce the need for artificial light and more effectively daylight interior spaces
- MR: A consistent focus on regional and high recycled content materials
The additional rent needed by IDI to recoup the additional cost of a LEED certified facility is negligible. The company estimates this amount to be a mere $0.03 per square foot.
“Building a more sustainable and efficient building is the right and responsible thing to do. Coupled with our tenant clients, their employees, and our investor clients now being more interested in sustainability, it’s an easy decision,” said Mitchell.
Using a Light Shelf for EA and EQ LEED Credits
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Photo Credit: AADL.org
Incorporating a light shelf into your building design is a great way to make progress on EA and EQ LEED credits. Basically, a light shelf is an architectural element placed overhead that redirects light deeper into a building than it would otherwise travel, thus reducing the need for artificial light.
Interior vs. Exterior: A light shelf can be placed on the interior or exterior of a building or, ideally, extend on both sides of the window. However, in some urban applications with zero lot line conditions the shelf can only be interior. While this, to some extent, diminishes the benefits it certainly doesn’t negate them. The real loss is not as much in the volume of reflected light into the space as much as it is in the glare reduction on the lower part of the window system.
Limitations: There are, however, some limitations. A shelf generally should be placed on the south elevation to take advantage of maximum sunlight exposure. If your building doesn’t have a southern exposure, the benefits can be significantly diminished, especially on a northern exposure. Also, a relatively high ceiling height is required for optimum benefit. Depending on the source, you’re looking at 9.5 to 10 feet. Lastly, in a geography with a limited number of sunny days, the overall benefit is reduced.
The most valuable aspect of the light shelf is that it is a passive solar technology, requiring almost no maintenance and has zero moving parts. As with any ‘green’ technology or design element, the simpler the solution and the less ongoing occupant interaction required, the better.
Considerations in Daylighting Options
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We receive inquiries about energy efficiency and energy audits from clients ranging from homeowners to facility managers and everyone in between. One of the main areas of immediate payback is analyzing current or planned lighting systems and fixtures. Lighting makes or breaks any space and also is directly tied to the overall feeling of a space. Too dark and it feels uninviting, too bright and it can be overwhelming.
There have been many daylighting studies done, all proving the productivity and general well being improvements of having lots of natural light.  A recent article in the January edition of Architectural Products Magazine highlighted some notable results:
- Full daylighting enabled students to get more vitamin D than students in schools with primarily electric lighting. These students’ had nine times less dental decay and grew nearly an inch more in height over two years.
- Daylighting has proved to increase per transaction value in retail store settings. Customers stay in the store longer.
The most obvious way to obtain more daylighting is more windows. However, windows are typically the weakest part of a building envelope in terms of insulation, and adding more may create a potential for greater energy consumption in heating and cooling.  To solve this problem, consider some alternatives such as:
- Light shelves
- Tubular skylights
- Channel glass
- Exterior / interior shading
- Active systems that track and direct daylight
When comparing the cost of a passive system (fixed skylight, light shelf, etc) against an active (exterior solar control, tracking skylight, etc) system it is important to include all the variables that contribute to ultimate performance. For example, active daylighting systems can provide up to nine times more light than a passive system and spreads light more evenly over a wider area saving valuable energy costs.
In the end, the most effective daylighting scheme is going to rely on both passive and active as well as interior and exterior systems, but hopefully this post has given you some ideas for your own analysis.
Energy Modeling for Determining Improvement ROI
Posted by: | CommentsUsually when we see an energy model, it is filled with high efficiency equipment, a well-insulated envelope and several other goodies to make a building as efficient as possible. However, most projects have real budgets and it is critical to understand not only the overall system, but to calculate the return on investment from each component.
An energy model is most simply explained as a computer-based simulation designed to predict building energy consumption given a predetermined set of variables and assumptions. This model is not designed to simulate the exact building characteristics, but rather to give the design team a set of reasonably accurate parameters from which to make informed decisions.
One project we are working on is a 60-unit residential conversion of an older loft warehouse building here in Chicago. This architecturally landmarked building features oversized windows and existing exposed brick walls – nice assets for the end use, but challenging from a standpoint of budget and energy efficiency. The project is targeting LEED Silver under NC 2.2 with a large emphasis on EA in achieving the same.
Performing the analysis with an emphasis on the financial return of each improvement enabled us to quickly develop a hierarchy of improvements for the client to select from; thereby maximizing the energy savings from each available project dollar.
In this instance, we were able to determine that a $100,000 investment in windows with a higher U value had a far greater impact on the efficiency of the building envelope than a similar investment to upgrade the exterior wall insulation.
Solutions for the Challenges of LED Lighting
Posted by: | CommentsCompared to traditional florescent and incandescent lighting systems, LED lighting provides a low-energy (as low as 10 input watts), mercury-free, almost zero-maintenance (up to 50,000 hours per bulb) and low-heat solution. This can help significantly in achieving EA credits.
But, the average LED also presents several application issues. Among these problems are the warmth of the light, lack of adjustable brightness and difficulty converting existing lighting systems to LED. Cree LED Lighting has developed a great line of LED products that addresses these issues.
Warm Light: Clustering red and yellow LED’s result in a great warm-toned light.
Dimmable: The output of the fixtures is adjustable fully adjustable to 5% at the wall.
Conversion: Cree’s LR6 product (see photo) installs directly into existing downlight housings.
Also in the product line is are two great lay-in options for ceiling grids and two additional downlight options for full fixture replacement. If you’ve had a positive (or negative) experience with another LED manufacturer, please share your thoughts with us.
Agrifiber for Structural Building Elements
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The obvious benefits of of traditional structural insulated panels include faster build time (3-4 time faster than traditional wood and metal framing), off-site fabrication and potential cost reduction. But, by using agrifiber-based SIPs, these benefits are augmented by contributing towards the following LEED NC 2.2 credits:
EA 1 - Optimize Energy Performance:Â Agrifiber SIPs generally have a very high R-value and produce a building envelope that up to 5-7 times tighter than traditional wood construction.
MR 5.1 & 5.2 - 10% / 20% Harvested within 500 miles: Obviously this requires proper purchasing but, given the typical amount of structural material relative to overall material, the volume goes a long way.
MR 6.0 - 2.5% Rapidly Renewable Materials: It’s possible to satisfy your entire MR 6.0 requirement with one building component.
EQ 4.4 - Low-Emitting Materials: Most agrifiber SIPs exceed ASTM standards and some use a soy-based adhesive resin.
Additionally, there’s a potential for two Innovation & Design points:
ID 1.1Â - Minimize Construction Waste: SIPs are manufactured off-site to exact specifications, including most openings, which can result in vitually no waste.
ID 1.2 - Regionally Harvested Materials: Exceeding 20% of the total materials.
If you’ve had any experiences with agrifiber SIPs, please comment. We would love to hear from you.
