Code allowance offers retailers and commercial building owners increased energy savings and reduced construction costs

The addition of air curtains in the International Green Construction Code (IgCC), the new comprehensive high performance green building code, promises energy and construction cost savings for commercial, industrial and institutional buildings.

Specifying air curtains as energy-saving, cost-cutting alternatives to vestibules in 3,000-square-foot buildings and larger has been a recent trend among consulting engineers and architects. However, many times specifications are blocked by local jurisdictions that have adopted the International Energy Construction Code (IECC), which doesn't yet sight air curtains as vestibule alternatives.

Thus, the newly-enacted IgCC, which is scheduled for March 2012 publishing, now provides an approved overlay of green construction products to the base code IECC, which is overseen by the International Code Council, the Washington-based organization responsible for providing minimum safety, sustainability and affordability building codes and standards.

Recent proposals to the IgCC by the Air Movement and Control Association International (AMCA), Arlington Heights, Ill., helped establish air curtains as a vestibule alternative with the stipulation that they're tested in accordance with ANSI/AMCA Standard 220-05, "Laboratory Methods of Testing Air Curtains for Aerodynamics Performance Ratings."

Also helpful in the code modification effort were recent studies proving air curtains as 10% more energy-efficient than vestibules. The three-month research study “Air Curtains: A Proven Alternative to Vestibule Design” used second-party validation from research/validation consultant, Blue Ridge Numerics, Charlottesville, Va., with certified results from proven computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis.

Besides energy savings, vestibules, especially in retail settings, consume anywhere from 25 to 250 square feet of usable retail space and carry construction costs ranging from $3,750 to $37,500, based on an average of $150/square feet construction costs.

Meanwhile air curtain proponents will continue to present energy efficiency data to code committees, in hopes of instituting the vestibule alternative measure into the IECC. The next meeting on the subject is scheduled in January 2013.

Climate change is having a dramatic impact on urban design, in terms of planning, materials, occupant use, location, and the long-term effect of buildings on the environment. Joining BD+C's John Caulfield to discuss this topic are two experts from the Boston-based CBT Architects: Kishore Varanasi, a Principal and director of urban design; and Devanshi Purohit, an Associate Principal.

Multifamily Housing | Jul 14, 2022

Multifamily rents rise again in June, Yardi Matrix reports

Average U.S. multifamily rents rose another $19 in June to edge over $1,700 for the first time ever, according to the latest Yardi® Matrix Multifamily Report.

Building Team | Jul 14, 2022

Austin PBS gets a new state-of-the-art facility with three studios

Since the 1970s, Austin PBS, birthplace of the Austin City Limits TV series, has been based inside the communications building on the University of Texas campus—a space it has long outgrown.

Building Team | Jul 13, 2022

The YIMBY movement emerges as valuable advocate for affordable housing

Over the past few decades, developers grew accustomed to nothing but staunch opposition to dense affordable housing project proposals.

Energy | Jul 13, 2022

Electrification of buildings, new and old, furthers environmental responsibility and equity

It’s almost a cliché in our industry, but nonetheless: The greenest building is the one that is already built.

Building Team | Jul 13, 2022

Austin’s newest entertainment and hospitality complex has been made from repurposed shipping containers

A new entertainment and hospitality complex in Austin, The Pitch, has been made out of repurposed shipping containers.

Codes and Standards | Jul 12, 2022

USGBC sets out principles for LEED’s future

The U.S. Green Building Council recently published a report containing principles outlining how LEED will evolve.

Building Team | Jul 12, 2022

10 resource reduction measures for more efficient and sustainable biopharma facilities

Resource reduction measures are solutions that can lead to lifecycle energy and cost savings for a favorable return on investment while simultaneously improving resiliency and promoting health and wellness in your facility.