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| Sustainable Design Solutions | ||
The 175 bed "Solar Dorm" is a LEED registered project with the goal of a Silver Rating. This project has been approved to receive a Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MTC) grant based on the results of the feasibility study. The HVAC design incorporates the use of displacement ventilation in one wing of the dorm that is to be conditioned in the summer months and campus steam as the primary building heating source. In using displacement ventilation, the system will deliver conditioned air at a lower velocity and higher temperature that conventional overhead type systems, thus reducing overall cooling capacity fan motor size. The system will include a demand control ventilation scheme utilizing carbon dioxide monitoring interfaced with the building automated controls system. The wing is served by two roof mounted air handling units. Each unit has a variable speed drive so that, in addition to modulating leaving air temperatures, the fans can modulate to deliver the optimum air flow to meet the space needs. The design criteria for this wing calls for the space to be conditioned to 10 degrees below outside ambient temperature, which for a typical "design day", will be 77 degrees Fahrenheit and 55% RH. This indoor design condition is slightly higher than typical systems for a design day, but will meet ASHRAE Standard 55, Thermal Environmental Conditions for Human Occupancy, and provide a comfortable environment when conference goers use the rooms in the summer. Also, the buildings various HVAC systems will not contain any HCFC type refrigerants. Photovoltaic panels and active hot water solar panels supplement the electrical and domestic hot water systems for the building. Detailed energy modeling of this building indicates that it will exceed the requirements of ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1 by more than 30%. Provincetown Art Association and Museum The Provincetown Association Museum is scheduled to completely renovate their existing 17,500 SF museum this fall. Sustainable systems will include the use of geothermal heat pumps, energy recovery units, natural ventilation, photovoltaic panels, and extensive use of natural light. The natural ventilation system is an active system that is enabled when the outdoor conditions are favorable, at which point, all HVAC systems within spaces being served by the "natural ventilation" system will turn off, and an indicator will advise staff to open windows (that will be in addition to louvers with automatic dampers). It is anticipated that the sustainable concepts will afford the museum energy savings in excess of 50% compared to the baseline model. The project goal is to attain a LEED Silver Rating. The Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MTC) funded the feasibility evaluation of this project. Harvard University, Mount Auburn Street Redevelopment Project We are currently serving as an environmental consultant for the construction management team assisting in the preparation of waste management plan, commissioning strategy, IAQ plan, and site disturbance during construction. The project goal is to attain a LEED Silver Rating. Harvard School of Public Health On the laboratory side, Harvard School of Public Health is going to install low flow chemical fume hoods for a renovation project that will utilize existing, constant volume, infrastructure. In this case, the fume hoods specified would operate safely at a face velocity of 40 to 60 feet per minute, which represents an approximate utility savings of 40% over a conventional constant volume fume hood. We are currently members of Harvard University Longwood Green Campus Initiative's Sustainable Laboratories Steering Committee. Bentley College, Waltham, MA As Bentley College planned for a lower campus, 350 bed, Third Dormitory, they expressed that they wanted a building that utilized cost effective sustainable design concepts. The existing boiler and chiller plant located in one of the first two dormitory buildings was not originally designed to accommodate a third dormitory. In order not to build a second, the original plant was modified, without increasing the physical size, to accept an additional boiler and chiller to serve the new dorm. This allowed for higher plant efficiencies (one large plant versus two smaller ones), the addition of variable speed pumping, and reduced square footage of the new dorm. In addition, all of the outside air for ventilation is delivered to the building through energy recovery units, each dormitory space has operable windows and individual zone control for the heating and cooling system (which is monitored by the central DDC system), and the HVAC unit that serves the large function room operates only when the room is in use. |
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