July 2011

project of the month
University Hall - Indiana State University, College of Education

Additions and Renovations to University Hall at Indiana State University were completed in the summer of 2009. This project involved the renovation of a 70-year-old rectangular building with a large interior courtyard into a state-of-the-art facility that will attract incoming students, alumni, and community leaders. The existing building integrates contributions of natural light and ventilation into occupied spaces. The renovations also capitalized on these strengths as well as incorporating many sustainable design features.

courtyard 

One of the most visible improvements to the facility is the conversion of the central courtyard into an enclosed atrium space. This allowed the 6,900 square feet, 3 1/2-story space to be used throughout the year for events and daily interaction. Large skylights are incorporated into the space to maintain the natural daylighting  and allow for plants to be located in the space.

To maximize on the natural light and energy performance in the atrium , a focused study was conducted during design. The goals for the atrium daylighting were:

• Provide sufficient quantity and quality of light into the space to promote healthy plant growth
• Provide majority of light required for plant growth instead of electric lights.
• Control the entry of the direct sunlight particularly during spring, summer and fall months.
• Maximize winter solar heat gains.
• Minimize daylight glare, suitable for laptop usage
• Provide a uniform distribution of daylight  

The result was a series of triangular shaped skylights designed to specifically meet the goals described using the angles of the skylights and ceramic frits on the glass.  The section below best illustrates how this was achieved.

Daylighting study section

courtyard skylights

The skylight study is a great example of integrated design. The effects of the natural lighting on the plant life, and the  electrical and mechanical systems drove the geometry of the skylights and the type of glazing used.  The space is one of the hidden jewels of the ISU campus and a must-see if you ever visit.

news
Battle of the Buildings Update
As you may know, Schmidt Associates has been participating in the EPA's National Building Competition. The competition involves 245 organizations across the U.S. Last year's winner managed to reduce the their energy consumption by 36%.  While Schmidt Associates hasn't achieved that level of reduction yet, we are encouraged by our results thus far. The first phase of the energy reduction plan was to modify energy wasting behaviors and share the results with the users. Schmidt has been able to reduce nearly 20% of their energy consumption just in this first phase.  The second phase is to provide some facility improvements that will save energy.  These improvements may include replacing an HVAC unit, replacing an area of lights with LEDs, and providing motion sensors in restrooms.  

Who knows, after the facility improvements Schmidt Associates may be in the running for that top spot.  No matter what the outcome of the competition, everyone involved is rewarded with lower energy bills and increased awareness.














July Sustainable Stan Award Winner:  

Drew Gingrich is this month's Sustainable Stan Award winner. Drew is an architectural intern at Schmidt Associates. Since the beginning of the Battle of the Buildings, Drew has obtained energy use data from the eight separate electrical meters weekly and has input the information into a spreadsheet to allow the energy use to be monitored and shared. Drew likely has energy on the brain these days. Over the past month he has been involved in laying out solar arrays at different locations throughout the state for a variety of projects.  Next time you see Drew, make sure to thank him for his extra effort to keep Schmidt Associates employees informed.


events

• Energy Fair - coming soon (August)
• Random Acts of Greenness - (September?)
• Carpool to work/Mass Transit Day - coming soon

opinion
Most people have heard of Energy Star. Their logo is proudly displayed on many appliances and electronics.  Most people are not aware that Energy Star certification is also available for buildings. In fact there are likely buildings out there that qualify for energy star but are unaware of it. To qualify for Energy Star a building must score 75 or higher, on a scale of 1 to 100, using EPA's Portfolio Manager and have been in use for over a year.  The great thing about Energy Star is that it does not cost money to apply like other certification programs and it helps you to meet the requirement of other programs too.
For more information refer to this link: Energy Star Building  Criteria

How does Energy Star benefit your organization? 1. Recognizes your organizations effort to reduce energy consumption. 2. Benefits you bottom line from increased energy savings. 3. Demonstrates your commitment to reduce your facility's impact on the environment.  For a design firm it also helps demonstrate that you walk the talk as well.

As sustainability becomes more mainstream, the focus on energy reduction becomes larger. It is one of the easiest ways to measure your success, it is in your bills every month. It is also one of the most rewarding initiatives of high performance design because it lightens the operational expenses.  Maintaining the focus is the key. Designers need to be tracking performance so that we can continue to improve systems and make the world easier to live in tomorrow.