By Arathi Gowda, FAIA, AICP, LEED AP BD+C, LFA

Architecture, engineering and construction professionals strive to build sustainably, but there are always valid reasons why a project falls short of initial north star sustainability goals. However, with a seasoned team that can tune design and construction techniques for market conditions, higher levels of sustainability can be reached.

Recent projects at two universities, both at different points on their sustainability journeys, demonstrate how to achieve these deep green goals. At Princeton University, the new TIGER and CUB facilities support Princeton’s campus-wide decarbonization and water use reduction targets. The Paul J. DiMare Center at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School is now the most energy-efficient building on the campus and one of the most energy-efficient research laboratories in all of Massachusetts.

How do these teams do it? Did their clients help them by setting high expectations in their brief? Did they have stellar design and construction partners? Did the policy landscape make it easier to make the case for green? The answer is yes, and the team had the expertise in delivering.

Going Beyond Building as Usual

Although Princeton and UMass Chan are at different points in their sustainability journeys, both had clear goals and laid down a gauntlet to deliver best-in-class sustainability projects.

In 2019, Princeton updated its Sustainability Action Plan with goals for campus operations and building projects, emphasizing designing and developing responsibly. TIGER and CUB were briefed as energy facilities central to Princeton’s goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by the university’s 300th anniversary in 2046 by phasing out natural gas, investing in geo-exchange and utilizing thermal storage to significantly reduce peak energy cost.

One of the principal features of the project was a ground-source heat exchange system, more than 1,200 cumulative bores, some up to 850-feet deep, which act as thermal batteries to store seasonal heat far below ground. Two new thermal energy storage (TES) tanks adjoin each facility, storing a ready supply of water to heat and cool the campus daily while shaving peak demand and cost. In combination with on-site and off-site solar photovoltaic (PV) power generation, these integrated systems support Princeton’s transition away from fossil fuel combustion and will be used for the next century. Princeton’s new systems significantly reduce potable water use as well, by harvesting and storing heat instead of rejecting it via cooling towers.

At the University of Massachusetts, the project team was challenged to implement strategies to address emissions associated with designing, building, maintaining, and operating campus buildings and grounds. Since 2013, the Chan Medical School Office of Sustainability has guided public sustainability goals. The Paul J. DiMare Center was developed under the first version of the Chan School of Medicine’s Sustainability Plan, with a strong emphasis on lowering emissions. The 2021–2025 Climate Action Plan further challenged project teams to design buildings with an Energy Use Intensity (EUI) at least 20% lower than the university’s existing building stock.

A critical component of decarbonization and electrification for the Center was ground-source heat exchange. The campus lawn across from the building conceals 75 boreholes drilled 500 feet in the bedrock, providing closed-loop heating and cooling. This system generates 88% of heating and 50% of cooling needs while reducing operational greenhouse gas emissions by 42% compared to the existing central plant. Additionally, advanced energy recovery loops 80% of the energy for heating, cooling, and humidification back into the building and a triple-glazed, articulated pleated façade eliminates perimeter heating and improves thermal comfort. The result is an enviable EUI for a research lab: 130 kBTUs per square foot per year.

Read more about driving innovation with an integrated design process in the July/August Maintenance and Operations digital edition of Â鶹¸ŁŔűÍř.

Arathi Gowda, FAIA, AICP, LEED AP BD+C, LFA is a principal with ZGF Architects.

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NanoES is specifically equipped for the performance of organic, inorganic and biomolecular synthesis, and will accommodate students and faculty in a variety of nanoengineering disciplines, including energy, materials science, computation and medicine. NanoES will also house research in nanotechnology fields such as augmented humanity, integrated photonics and scalable nanomanufacturing, which aims to develop low-cost, high-volume manufacturing processes.

The five-story, 78,000-square-foot building had a budget of $87.8 million. Seattle-based ZGF Architects completed the architecture and programming on the project, with Hoffman Construction Company, headquartered in Portland, Ore., serving as the general contractor. NanoES is supported by funds from the College of Engineering and the National Science Foundation as well as capital investments from investors and industry partners.

The new NanoES building is located in the science and engineering core of campus, and houses the UW Institute for Nano-Engineered Systems, just launched on Dec. 4, 2017. ZGF programmed and designed NanoES in conjunction with the Molecular Engineering & Sciences Buildings (MolES), which was Phase I of the complex and was completed in 2012.

“The completion of the Nanoengineering and Sciences Building marks the fulfillment of a nearly 10-year effort to design and construct the next generation of science facilities for this important university initiative,” said Steve Tatge, architect, LEED AP and executive director of Major Capital Projects, Capital Planning and Development at UW. “The two-phase complex gives the university the flexible, densely occupied, instrument-rich and interdisciplinary space, which will jumpstart the research and discovery the University of Washington is known for.”

Both buildings were designed to fit within the historic context of the area while also reflecting the cutting-edge nature of the research housed within them, with the exterior of the entire complex being composed entirely of limestone, aluminum and a glass curtain wall.

In addition, the two buildings help to form and enhance outdoor public space and extend pedestrian pathways, aiding in wayfinding and connections to other parts of the campus and the surrounding community. Additionally, its proximity to other science and engineering buildings allows for cross-departmental collaboration as well as joint research endeavors.

The 90,000-square-foot MolES Phase I building provides space to support a wide range of wet and dry laboratory uses, including fume hood-intensive chemistry, open plan offices for researchers, faculty offices, common and support space. The MolES facility is LEED Gold certified.

As an excellent complement to MolES, floors
two through four of NanoES contain programmed research laboratory spaces. The first floor has two classrooms designed for collaboration as well as a shared, informal learning center. Each of the other levels include a highly flexible technology-equipped laboratory, office and meeting spaces, and were designed with an open layout to encourage collaboration.

Designers incorporated “plug and play” capabilities into these spaces to maximize the technological adaptability of each room, and the research labs were designed so that as the equipment, research and faculty change over time, the spaces can support and morph as needed. The lab benches allow for equipment to be moved in and out of lab spaces easily.

“NanoES fulfills the vision for the complex, allowing for significant new research space in the campus core,” said Allyn Stellmacher, design partner, ZGF Architects. “The addition also brings the student-activation component to the ground floor with active learning environments and breakout spaces. With its central location, NanoES connects to a courtyard to the south and a large arterial, extending its reach to other parts of campus.”

Designed to LEED Silver standards, the design of NanoES has many impressive sustainable features that will easily earn this status. The building incorporates the same high-performance sustainability strategies that were applied in the MolES building — the first naturally ventilated laboratory on campus.

NanoES incorporates rain gardens, with stormwater runoff being directed to the roof gardens, reducing runoff to additional drainage systems. Green roofs have been planted with vegetation to attract native bees and support on-site water conservation efforts.

In addition, the design team worked closely with UW to re-examine the number of air changes required to provide high air quality, and air change rates were adjusted from approximately 10 to six per hour in main laboratory spaces. Chilled beams were selected for use in non-air-driven spaces such as labs containing ultra-sensitive electron microscopes and large pieces of research equipment in the building’s basement.

Another unique sustainable feature is the project’s use of phase-change materials (PCM) — a gel that becomes warm and liquid during the day and solidifies at night. Encapsulated in walls and ceiling panels of the naturally ventilated spaces, the gel reduces temperature as it changes material states. PCM was incorporated into the design of NanoES, which provided significant savings in the design of the mechanical systems as well as cost savings to UW and increased comfort to the building occupants.

NanoES has mainly southern and northern exposures, and as such, radiant flooring was used for heating and cooling. In addition, chilled sails are used in the ceilings along the south wall of the office spaces. The units are ceiling mounted and flush to the ceiling plane. Radiating panels are supplied with chilled water for cooling.

The strong partnership between UW and the design team, as well as a commitment to sustainability, brings MolES and NanoES together to create one high-performance complex that will foster a collaborative research environment for years to come, according to Tatge.

Check out the entire article in the May/June issue of .

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PULLMAN, Wash. — Washington State University (WSU) in Pullman recently had a new addition to its high-ranking buildings. In fall 2017, the SPARK — a classroom building created to democratize and revolutionize education at WSU — was completed.

The new building is a revolutionary teaching and learning space intended to enable faculty to use the most innovative technology in a state-of-the-art facility, while also helping to motivate students to engage deeply in learning.

ZGF Architects served as the architect on the project, with Clark Construction Group LLA serving as general contractor — both of which have offices in Seattle. The project had a quick timeline from start to finish, with construction beginning March 2016 and being completed in July 2017. The project had a budget of $43.4 million.

The four-story, 83,295-square-foot building was designed for maximum flexibility, allowing spaces to be configured for learning across multiple disciplines with room for reconfiguring in the future. The space includes both formal and informal learning spaces for small- and large-group learning. The SPARK includes a marketplace, lobby and event space; a variety of lounge spaces; active learning halls; and flipped classrooms that provide interactive, flexible, student-centered learning experiences. The new innovation hub also provides makerspace and collaboration studios, a media lab, tutoring, faculty hoteling offices and an academic resource center.

The building has 13 flexible learning classrooms, ranging in size from 30 to 120 occupants, with eight study and conference areas for group study — which can be booked by students electronically from within the building. A daylit central stair knits the interior spaces together and provides a dramatic wayfinding element and opportunity for interaction among building users.

One of the most notable features of the building is the classroom-in-the-round — a 275-seat classroom that accommodates 360 degrees of projected content. The classroom includes modular, moveable furniture that allows for classroom-wide discussions as well as smaller group activities. 

There were several major goals for the project, according to Taka Soga, principal at ZGF. “The first was to create innovative and flexible environments that support a wide spectrum of pedagogies and modalities,” said Soga. “We also wanted to showcase technology that advances learning and collaboration both formally and informally. Finally, we wanted to foster learning across multiple disciplines by establishing a nexus between the surrounding academic and housing facilities and the larger campus network.”

The success of the design team in accomplishing all of this and more is particularly impressive, since soon after the project was awarded, there was a 10 percent reduction in the budget, according to Soga.

“Fortunately, both the timing and the highly collaborative nature of all parties involved allowed for the original project scope and host of betterments to be achieved,” said Soga. Successful strategies included prioritization of goals, alternate delivery methods and flexibility in campus standards while maintaining a quality outcome. “In the end, the success of achieving more with less came from the trust and teamwork of the client, builder and designer,” said Soga.

The SPARK is currently tracking LEED Silver; the design of the building incorporates the use of natural light wherever possible to decrease electric energy consumption and uses responsible water management strategies to reduce the building’s water consumption and costs. In addition, the building’s performance optimization systems include the use of heat-recovery wheels and radiant floor and ceiling systems. The SPARK also employs light controls that automatically adjust to ambient light levels and monitoring systems that provide real0time feedback through accessible visual data.

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