March 2013

project of the month
Michael A. Evans Center for Health Services - Marian University

 Construction of the new 140,000 square foot Center for Health Sciences is nearing completion. With completion expected this May, contractors are now adding finishing touches to the facility.  The project will house the first College of Osteopathic Medicine in Indiana (and the first Catholic school in the country)as well as a School of Nursing.

The project is seeking LEED Gold certification.  Key contributing factors to achieve this level are as follows:
  - Site - 21 of the 60 points being sought for the project are from the site category. The project is located in close proximity to major Indianapolis thoroughfares and the Marian University campus. An additional 3 points were achieved due to Regional priority credits in site development as well.
  - VRF (Variable Refrigerant Flow) mechanical system places the building at the 26% more efficient than ASHRAE 90.1 - 2007 threshold.
  - Use of sustainable building materials
  - Exemplary performance in several design aspects.

The project will anchor the southeast corner of the Marian University campus and become their new flagship facility. It will truly become a landmark for the campus and for the city.  
news
March Sustainable Stan Award

Drew Gingrich, Architectural Graduate, has received the March Sustainable Stan Award. Drew recently passed the LEED-GA accreditation exam with flying colors.  Drew is currently working on the Hoosier Energy Headquarters project which will be seeking LEED Gold certification.  Drew also helps the office monitor its energy usage by reading and logging the 9 electric meters in use every week. His efforts have made Schmidt Associates smarter about the energy use of our office.

opinion
2030 Challenge Update
Schmidt Associates, Inc. is one of the 10 Indiana firms who have adopted the 2030 challenge. This adoption represents a commitment to producing high-performance projects designed to meet the 2030 Challenge and reduce their carbon emissions and use of energy. The goal is to have all projects be carbon-neutral (using no fossil fuel greenhouse gas emitting energy to operate) by the year 2030. To reach this goal the challenge has instituted thresholds that ratchet up every 5 years. Currently the threshold is for projects to be designed to be 60% more efficient than the regional or country average for that building type (based on Energy Star). 

As mentioned in previous blog entries, 2012 was a banner year for Schmidt Associates. As part of the 2030 Challenge all work in a design phase in 2012 needs to be reported to gauge how well the firm is doing in meeting the goals.  Schmidt Associates had 28 projects in a design phase in 2012.  Of those projects, 3 will be seeking LEED certification at some level.  Not all of these projects will meet the 2030 challenge goals (some projects represent window replacements, or mechanical systems only work) but the firm has made great strides to ensure that making energy performance is focal point of the design. 

It takes more than just the designer to make this commitment happen. Although the projects designed are performing very efficiently, it takes an extra effort to reach even the 60% threshold. Often this threshold requires obtaining power from a renewable energy power source or generating power on-site.  This can greatly affect cost and challenge Owners priorities. This piece of the design needs to be understood very early in the process and have buy-in from all parties. 

Lake Central High School

Without the use of renewable energy, the Lake Central High School project achieved roughly 50% reduced energy compared to the average facility of this type.  The design for this project utilizes: a high efficiency VRV mechanical system, a high-performance building envelope that exceeds ASHRAE 90.1 - 2007 by roughly 25%, and high efficiency lighting. Although the building scores a 95 out of 100 in Energy Star's Energy Performance Rating it still falls short of the 2030 Challenge goals for a 60% more efficient building. However this facility is over 800,000 square feet. Renewable energy to power a building of this size would be cost prohibitive and quite a substantial undertaking.   


In the upcoming months Schmidt Associates will examine what it would take to modify a project currently in design to be a net-zero (carbon neutral) facility.  We'll keep you posted.  Just remember to keep the big picture in mind.