Later this year, the newest building at the University of South Carolina’s Darla School of Business expects to achieve LEED Platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.
The 260,000-sf building, which opened in August 2014, is on a path to be recognized as the first net-zero energy higher education facility of its kind in the southeastern U.S.
The university was chosen by the U.S. Department of Energy to partner with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory as part of DOE’s Net-Zero Energy Commercial Building Initiative, whose goal is to provide marketable net-zero energy commercial buildings by 2025.
Rafael Viñoly Architects was the architect of record on this $108 million project, and Atlanta-based Stevens & Wilkinson provided the engineering design via its Columbia, S.C., office.
The building’s efficiency features include:
• HVAC systems with under-floor air, active chilled beams, and variable air volumes, all designed to reduce the energy needed to heat and cool the building. A separate HVAC system serves the school’s 500-seat lecture and performance hall. Stevens & Wilkinson also worked with an acoustics consultant, which lead the firm to increase duct sizes for a quieter environment.
• Sustainability is achieved through the use of green turf for heat reduction, reusable waste management systems, and natural daylighting. Rainwater is harvested for irrigation and toilet use, which should the building’s overall water usage by more than 50%.
• Electrical equipment on each of the building’s six levels is charged by two vertical power feeders connected to the building’s main switchgear. An emergency power system services life-safety loads and emergency equipment in the event of power outages.
• An energy monitoring system measures power used by such equipment and components as interior and exterior lighting, heating and cooling, fan motors, elevators, kitchen equipment, and building-plug loads. “Given our region’s hot, and at times, humid climate, our team’s efforts will help curb the amount of energy needed to effectively heat and cool a building of this size and magnitude.” said Keith Branham, PE, LEED AP, Senior Vice President, Director of Engineering for Stevens & Wilkinson.
The net result has produced an optimized energy performance of 43%, which exceeds ASHRAE’s 90.1 standard for these kinds of buildings. The school was made more flexible by incorporating entries on multiple levels. And civil engineering design ensures proper storm water management for flood prevention, site utilities, and government agency approvals.
Related Stories
| Apr 12, 2011
Entrance pavilion adds subtle style to Natural History Museum of Los Angeles
A $13 million gift from the Otis Booth Foundation is funding a new entrance pavilion at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. CO Architects, Los Angeles, is designing the frameless structure with an energy-efficient curtain wall, vertical suspension rods, and horizontal knife plates to make it as transparent as possible.
| Apr 11, 2011
Wind turbines to generate power for new UNT football stadium
The University of North Texas has received a $2 million grant from the State Energy Conservation Office to install three wind turbines that will feed the electrical grid and provide power to UNT’s new football stadium.
| Mar 17, 2011
Carbon footprint of public sector buildings in England and Wales to be released
The energy usage of 40,146 public buildings—including schools, hospitals, and offices—in England and Wales is being released to the public.
| Mar 8, 2011
Building, energy performance rating site launched
The Institute for Market Transformation and the Natural Resources Defense Council announced the launch of BuildingRating.org, the world’s first comprehensive resource on energy performance rating and disclosure policies for commercial buildings and homes.
| Mar 2, 2011
New ASHRAE standard may be too broad for the Canadian market
New Standard 189.1 from the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air-conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), which goes beyond energy efficiency to include provisions that affect construction, post-occupancy monitoring, and site control, may be too much for the Canadian market—at least for now.
| Mar 1, 2011
Honeywell to implement China’s first smart grid project for managing energy use in commercial buildings
Honeywell announced it was selected to develop and implement China’s first smart grid pilot project and feasibility study for managing energy use in commercial buildings, also known as demand-side management. The project is part of a grant agreement signed today between the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) and State Grid Electric Power Research Institute (SGEPRI), sponsor of the project and a subsidiary of State Grid Corp. of China.
| Feb 24, 2011
New reports chart path to net-zero-energy commercial buildings
Two new reports from the Zero Energy Commercial Buildings Consortium (CBC) on achieving net-zero-energy use in commercial buildings say that high levels of energy efficiency are the first, largest, and most important step on the way to net-zero.
