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
| Nov 2, 2010
Energy Analysis No Longer a Luxury
Back in the halcyon days of 2006, energy analysis of building design and performance was a luxury. Sure, many forward-thinking AEC firms ran their designs through services such as Autodesk’s Green Building Studio and IES’s Virtual Environment, and some facility managers used Honeywell’s Energy Manager and other monitoring software. Today, however, knowing exactly how much energy your building will produce and use is survival of the fittest as energy costs and green design requirements demand precision.
| Nov 2, 2010
Yudelson: ‘If It Doesn’t Perform, It Can’t Be Green’
Jerry Yudelson, prolific author and veteran green building expert, challenges Building Teams to think big when it comes to controlling energy use and reducing carbon emissions in buildings.
| Nov 2, 2010
Historic changes to commercial building energy codes drive energy efficiency, emissions reductions
Revisions to the commercial section of the 2012 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) represent the largest single-step efficiency increase in the history of the national, model energy. The changes mean that new and renovated buildings constructed in jurisdictions that follow the 2012 IECC will use 30% less energy than those built to current standards.
| Nov 1, 2010
Vancouver’s former Olympic Village shoots for Gold
The first tenants of the Millennium Water development in Vancouver, B.C., were Olympic athletes competing in the 2010 Winter Games. Now the former Olympic Village, located on a 17-acre brownfield site, is being transformed into a residential neighborhood targeting LEED ND Gold. The buildings are expected to consume 30-70% less energy than comparable structures.
| Oct 27, 2010
Grid-neutral education complex to serve students, community
MVE Institutional designed the Downtown Educational Complex in Oakland, Calif., to serve as an educational facility, community center, and grid-neutral green building. The 123,000-sf complex, now under construction on a 5.5-acre site in the city’s Lake Merritt neighborhood, will be built in two phases, the first expected to be completed in spring 2012 and the second in fall 2014.
| Oct 21, 2010
GSA confirms new LEED Gold requirement
The General Services Administration has increased its sustainability requirements and now mandates LEED Gold for its projects.
| Oct 18, 2010
World’s first zero-carbon city on track in Abu Dhabi
Masdar City, the world’s only zero-carbon city, is on track to be built in Abu Dhabi, with completion expected as early as 2020. Foster + Partners developed the $22 billion city’s master plan, with Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, Aedas, and Lava Architects designing buildings for the project’s first phase, which is on track to be ready for occupancy by 2015.
| Oct 13, 2010
Editorial
The AEC industry shares a widespread obsession with the new. New is fresh. New is youthful. New is cool. But “old” or “slightly used” can be financially profitable and professionally rewarding, too.
| Oct 13, 2010
Prefab Trailblazer
The $137 million, 12-story, 500,000-sf Miami Valley Hospital cardiac center, Dayton, Ohio, is the first major hospital project in the U.S. to have made extensive use of prefabricated components in its design and construction.
| Oct 13, 2010
Hospital tower gets modern makeover
The Wellmont Holston Valley Medical Center in Kingsport, Tenn., expanded its D unit, a project that includes a 243,443-sf addition with a 12-room operating suite, a 36-bed intensive care unit, and an enlarged emergency department.
