April 2013

project of the month
Studebaker East Residence Hall - Ball State University

View of west entrance

Occupied by students in January 2013, the Studebaker East Residence Hall has already made an impact on the Ball State University Campus.  It has become the first building on campus to achieve LEED Gold certification. A major contributor to achieving this level of certification was the use of valance mechanical units (see article below for explanation on how the valance system works) that tie into the campus geothermal loop, maximizing the efficiency of the system. The mechanical system earned 14 of the project's 66 points. Other key sustainability points were awarded for site items and materials.

View of main entry feature wall

Typical resident room

The project is considered a renovation, although the only existing piece of the original building that remains are the concrete structure.  The building is an 8-story dormitory for 430 students, equipped with 2-story lounge spaces, a large multi-purpose room to be used for meetings and presentations, an exercise room, music rooms, and other support spaces. 

The project was also recently awarded runner-up in the Indiana IIDA IDEA awards for Sustainable Design Interiors.

  This facility will be the home to the International and Language Living-Learning Communities (students studying foreign languages, international students, or American students interested in international topics)

The facility has become a great gateway to the campus from the east, and sets a new benchmark for Ball State's commitment to sustainability.

news
UnderSTANding LEED:
Valance Mechanical Systems:
Valance heating and cooling units are similar to radiator units, only these units also cool spaces.  The units utilize hydronic coils mounted in an enclosure.  They are typically located close to ceilings near an outside wall.  The units do not require the use of fans to provide heating or cooling to the space. Water runs through the coils provided from system pumps located in a mechanical room in the building  The hot or cold water coils induce air to flow through the valance unit and temper the air. 

Valance systems offer the following benefits:
1.  Quiet - There is no fan noise with the system. They are virtually silent.
2.  Efficient - No fans are used to re-circulate the air. The coils operate at a very efficient point, since the air velocity is low across the coil.
3.  No draft - With no fans or blowers, the valance system provides consistent operation with gentle air circulation.
4.  Easy maintenance - With no moving parts or filters, the only maintenance required is occasional surface cleaning.
5.  Easy installation - The units do not require motor connections, just hook into heating and cooling piping and it is complete.

image courtesy of Sigma Corp.

opinion
It is amazing how technology has advanced the design and construction industries.  Not only are we now tracking building performance to a higher degree and improving with every project, but project designs are being completed in the blink of an eye compared to how long they took a mere 10 years ago.  Schmidt Associates is currently designing a charter school project that will be partially occupied this coming August. (That is roughly a four month design and construction period.)  To succeed with a project like that means that the team must have a good understanding of the materials and systems that will be utilized, and integrate them with other disciplines work quickly.  The team will also have to work with the contractors to streamline the construction process to keep everyone on schedule.  Any hangups or indecision could jeopardize the occupancy in August. The biggest tool that has allowed the design profession to adjust to schedules like these is the advancement of BIM (Building Information Modelling). Programs, like Revit, do not merely draw the designs for projects anymore, they model the building in three dimensions, allowing coordination to occur at a higher level earlier in the design process.  I could go on and on about the benefits of BIM, but the main point I want to stress is that it has revolutionized the design process, and allows all disciplines to work smarter and faster. Who knows what design will be like in the next 5 years, but it is surely going to be very intelligent.

May 2011

project of the month
Studebaker East Residence Hall
Ball State University

The Studebaker East Residence Hall (see Stan Journals from April and July 2010 for other articles) is in full-swing construction now. The project was bid in December of 2010 and construction is expected to be complete in mid April 2012.  The project involves the gutting of the original building and replacement of the existing exterior skin. The renovated facility will employ new high-performance cavity walls with an efficient glazing systems that will exceed the ASHRAE standards by 30%. 


New studs for the exterior walls have already begun installation along with piping for a new radiant valance HVAC system that will connect to the campus's geothermal loop. The new building is expected to achieve a minimum LEED Silver certification. It is definite that the project will have an impact on the aesthetics and the energy efficiency that can be achieved with Ball State's facilities. We will continue to give you progress updates as the construction continues.


news
Battle of the Buildings - EPA's National Building Competition

 

Battle of the Buildings

Its official, Schmidt Associates has been selected to participate in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) Energy Star National Building Competition: Battle of the Buildings to help improve the energy efficiency of commercial buildings and protect the environment. In the spirit of popular weight-loss competitions, we will battle it out against hundreds of other teams from buildings across the country.

The 2011 ENERGY STAR National Building Competition includes 245 teams from 26 different types of commercial buildings - such as retail stores, schools, hotels, and museums - that hail from 33 states and the District of Columbia. Eleven buildings are 100 years old or greater, the smallest building is just over 6,000 square feet, and fifteen buildings cover more than 1 million square feet of floor space with the largest totaling nearly 3 million square feet.

As the 2011 ENERGY STAR National Building Competition spokesperson, actor John Corbett, will provide energy saving tips and encouragement through videos posted on the competition website. The 2011 ENERGY STAR National Building Competition spokesperson is provided by JCPenney, EPA's co-sponsor for these events. The competition website will also feature a flash media wall with photos of all of the competitors, a live Twitter feed, and a Competitor Forum for exchanging ideas and strategies. 

“Buildings of all shapes and sizes are saving money and energy with help from EPA and ENERGY STAR,” said Jean Lupinacci, Director of EPA’s ENERGY STAR Commercial Buildings Program. “We applaud the contestants of EPA’s ENERGY STAR National Building Competition for taking action to protect the environment and save energy in the buildings where we work, play and learn.”

Competitors will measure and track their building's monthly energy consumption using EPA's ENERGY STAR online energy tracking tool, Portfolio Manager; make improvements to their building's energy performance; and share their progress. Of the initial pool of 245 competitors, a small group of buildings will be selected as finalists in July. Among the finalists, the building that demonstrates the greatest percentage-based reduction in energy use intensity will be recognized as the winner on November 2, 2011.

According to EPA, energy use in commercial buildings accounts for nearly 20 percent of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions and energy use at a cost of more than $100 billion per year. On average, 30% of the energy used in commercial buildings is wasted. Thousands of businesses and organizations work with EPA’s ENERGY STAR program and are saving billions of dollars and preventing millions of tons of greenhouse gas emissions from entering our atmosphere each year.

Watch the battle unfold: www.energystar.gov/BattleOfTheBuildings

So far so good, after one week of effort it appears we are on track to reduce our electrical energy consumption by 14% just by being more diligent in turning off lights and computers.

Stan on Twitter
You may have already noticed, but if you didn't, Stan is now on Twitter. Encouraged by the Energy Star competition, Stan decided to take the plunge into social media. Now you can follow Stan's crazy shenanigans in more ways. Click on the link at the top of the page and see if I have anything good to say.

events

• Bike-to-Work Day - Friday, May 20 - get on your bike and ride
• Plant swap - this month - make sure to let Craig Flandermeyer know if you are interested
• Carpool to work/Mass Transit Day - coming soon

opinion

This Battle of the Buildings has really turned up our focus on the amount of energy we use in our office. We are planning on making some modifications to our office environment that will permanently reduce our energy consumption. The following list identifies some of the items:

• Place restroom fans on occupancy sensors (currently some of these run 100% of the time)
• Labeling switches to identify to users which lighting schemes are most functional and which are merely accent lighting.
• Removing unused track lighting in areas
• Reducing the number of can light fixtures in areas.
• Changing existing fluorescent light fixtures to LED (long range goal)
• Modify larger equipment with automatic shutdown setting or outlets.

So far, we have been able to make a good dent in our energy use just by changing some or our behaviors. Similar to a weight loss challenge, we are making strides everyday and we need to retrain ourselves to think about our habits more.  And its contagious too, once you communicate what you are trying to do, others are always willing to help out.

Stay Green,

July 2010

project of the month
Studebaker East Residence Hall
Ball State University

The Studebaker East Residence Hall just completed the Design Development phase. An early demolition package has just begun construction. The demolition work will remove all of the existing building's exterior walls, interior walls, and building's systems leaving only the concrete structure and floor slabs to begin new construction.


Not only will the building make an aesthetic impact on campus, it will also be one of the University's most energy-efficient projects. Ball State University is currently undergoing a renovation project to become the largest geothermal university campus in the USA. The Studebaker East project is dovetailing with this geothermal system with a high-efficiency radiant valance mechanical system along with a high-performance exterior envelope that is designed to exceed ASHRAE standards by 30%. High performance glazing is also contributing to the high R-value being achieved in the exterior envelope. 


This project will become a new landmark on the campus and set the standard for energy-efficiency.


news
July 2010 - Sustainable Stan Award Winner

Congratulations to Seth Mathis, Schmidt Associates' BIM Technician. Seth participated in last month's LEED Boot Camp and was the first successful camper to pass the LEED Green Associates exam. Although the leaders of the Boot Camp believe they deserve all the credit for this success, the award was presented to Seth. The LEED Boot Camp involved 6 sessions of rigorous sustainability training. If all 23 of the participants from the Boot Camp succeed in passing the exam, Schmidt Associates will double their quantity of LEED APs.  Again, we would like to congratulate Seth on leading this effort.


2030 Update
The Sustainability Committee presented an update of the progress to meet the 2030 Challenge at the July Advance. Below is  a summary of the presentation for those of you who could not attend:


External Goals

• Update BIM Execution Plan - Done
• Create office standards for building envelope and orientation analysis - In progress
• Create Case Studies - Done (will roll out with new marketing materials later this year)
• Update marketing materials - In progress
• Submit implementation plan to AIA - Done
• Develop life cycle cost analysis - In development

Educational Goals

• Conduct 2nd LEED Bootcamp - Done
• Develop strategy for converting current LEED AP's - Done
• Double the number of LEED AP's in the office - In progress
• Include sustainability meeting in orientation process - Done
• Hold classes in Schmidt Academy covering 2030 challenge concepts - In progress
• Regularly update staff on 2030 Challenge initiatives during office advances - Done
• Become a USGBC education provider - Not started

Internal Goals

• Increase regularity of Sustainable Stan Awards - Done
• Develop a sustainability policy - In progress
• Make sustainability intranet site more relevant - In progress
• Update the firm's strategic plan to incorporate 2030 Challenge initiatives - Done
• Continue to reduce and monitor electrical usage - Done
• Follow up on LEED EB status - In progress

The Sustainability Committee has been actively focused on meeting these goals and gaining momentum on integrating sustainable design practices into our office.

events
We are in planning mode for the following events to occur in the coming months. We will keep you posted as more details are worked out:

• Random Acts of Greenness - Riley area cleanup/ice cream social - August
• Carpool to Work Day/Park for a day/Office picnic - September
• Thermal Comfort/Fresh Air Day - tbd
• Re-tie-rement Swap Party - this fall or not at all

opinion

The LEED Boot Camp was well attended and seemed to strike the interest of most of the campers. This along with the new analysis tools that are being used on projects (like Ball state) indicates to me that the office is headed in the right direction. It is great to witness the conscious effort being made to improve the quality of our building designs performance. Schmidt Associates is definitely on the leading edge for high-performance buildings in the region.

Yours Truly,

Sustainable Stan