This month, ASHRAE’s new global headquarters became fully net-zero energy upon the installation of its photovoltaic system.
This 66,700-sf, three-story building, which previously housed an information management company Recall, was originally built in 1978. It’s located in Peachtree Corners, Ga., along Atlanta’s Technology Parkway corridor, and 10 miles from ASHRAE’s previous headquarters. The building’s transformation, which began in January 2020, is “a living showcase of what’s possible,” said Charles Gulledge III, PE, ASHRAE’s 2020-2021 President. It might also serve as proof that net-zero energy can be more than an aspiration for existing buildings.
The renovation and retrofit used innovative technologies and sustainable materials to reduce energy use, water consumption, and the building’s carbon footprint. Skanska, the project’s Construction Manager at Risk, completed the renovation during the coronavirus pandemic without having to shut down. ASHRAE’s 110-person staff started moving into the building last October.
The net-zero-energy ready design exceeds ASHRAE’s own energy and indoor standards. (Even before the COVID pandemic, ASHRAE had planned to provide 30% more outside air to the renovated building than the required minimum ventilation rates from its own Standard 62.1.) The design targets LEED and International Living Future Institute zero energy certifications.
THE TECHNICAL BELLS AND WHISTLES
ASHRAE's headquarters is distinguished by a radiant ceiling panel system (above) and formidable mechanical room that includes four heat pumps.
The new headquarters’ technical features include:
•A radiant ceiling panel system for heating and cooling, and a dedicated outdoor air system to enhance ventilation via overhead fresh-air distribution
•Six water-source heat pumps
•Demand-control ventilation for high-occupancy spaces
•Modeling Energy Use Intensity of 17 kBTU/sf/year
•On-site electric vehicle charging stations
•18 skylights and a reconfigured window/wall ratio, which at the work plane is 79.9%.
There are 18 skylights in the building (above), and dashboards throughout that relay information about the building's performance.
Among the headquarters’ digitally connected solutions are remote monitoring and analysis of building performance via online dashboarding, and an advanced Building Automation System that’s’ integrated with other systems. Advanced conferencing is designed to serve as a “digital lighting” teaching resource.
To help fund this $20 million project, ASHRAE raised $9.7 million from 31 corporate donors, which included gifts of equipment and services. ASHRAE members donated more than $500,000.
The project’s design team included McLennan Design, Houser Walker Architecture, and Integral Group. Collins Project Management managed the renovation, and Epsten Group was the Commissioning Agent.
Related Stories
| Mar 20, 2012
New office designs at San Diego’s Sunroad Corporate Center
Traditional office space being transformed into a modern work environment, complete with private offices, high-tech conference rooms, a break room, and an art gallery, as well as standard facilities and amenities.
| Mar 16, 2012
Temporary fix to CityCenter's Harmon would cost $2 million, contractor says
By contrast, CityCenter half-owner and developer MGM Resorts International determined last year that the Harmon would collapse in a strong quake and can't be fixed in an economical way. It favors implosion at a cost of $30 million.
| Mar 14, 2012
Plans for San Francisco's tallest building revamped
The glassy white high-rise would be 60 stories and 1,070 feet tall with an entrance at First and Mission streets.
| Mar 13, 2012
China's high-speed building boom
A 30-story hotel in Changsha went up in two weeks. Some question the safety in that, but the builder defends its methods.
| Mar 13, 2012
Worker office space to drop below 100-sf in five years
The average for all companies for square feet per worker in 2017 will be 151 sf, compared to 176 sf, and 225 sf in 2010.
| Mar 12, 2012
Improving the performance of existing commercial buildings: the chemistry of sustainable construction
Retrofitting our existing commercial buildings is one of the key steps to overcoming the economic and environmental challenges we face.
| Mar 7, 2012
Firestone iPad app offers touch technology
Free app provides a preview of Firestone’s Roots to Rooftop Building Envelope Solution with an overview of all the products from ground and stormwater management solutions, to complete wall panel and commercial roofing system applications.
| Mar 6, 2012
Gensler and Skender complete new corporate headquarters for JMC Steel in Chicago
Construction was completed by Skender in just 12 weeks.
| Mar 1, 2012
Reconstruction Awards: Reinvesting in a neighborhood’s future
The reconstruction of a near-century-old derelict public works facility in Minneapolis earns LEED Platinum—and the hearts and minds of the neighboring community.