Why Do Sustainable Building Systems Matter?

Why Do Sustainable Building Systems Matter?

 

How Can GPI Help?

Engineers have a meaningful opportunity to reduce the amount of energy a building consumes by designing highly efficient and sustainable HVAC, lighting, and plumbing systems. For example, variable frequency drive motors modulate power consumption based on demand. LED lights use about half the electricity of conventional fixtures. Low flow plumbing fixtures activated by motion sensors save water. Engineers in the GPI Buildings Group employ these and myriad additional strategies to help our clients reach their sustainability goals. Our services include:

• Building Evaluations
• Infrastructure Upgrades
• Sustainable Design (including LEED, Green Globes, WELL, and DOE Zero Energy Ready Homes)
• Energy Audits
• Energy Modeling
• Energy Star Certification
• Commissioning

 

Project Highlights

Tottenville High School Field House

Client Needs: 
Tottenville High, one of New York City’s largest high schools, has a robust and growing athletics department whose alumni include MLB All-Star pitcher Jason Marquis and Super Bowl champ Joe Andruzzi. To enhance training capabilities for student athletes and amenities for visiting teams and fans, school officials plan to build a state-of-the-art field house complete with locker rooms, showers, restrooms, fitness room, coaches’ offices, film projection room, and concession stand.

 

Primary Sustainable Design Elements:

• Reduced Water and Energy Consumption
  • Green roof, covering about 60% of the total roof area, reduces cooling loads and stormwater runoff.
  • Rainwater detention system provides irrigation for the site.
  • Water-saving fixtures and native plant landscaping combined will lead to a 40% reduction in potable water consumption.
• Enhanced Indoor Air Quality and Natural Light
  • Building oriented on site to maximize sun exposure to nurture a green roof with living plants.
  • Optimally placed windows to provide natural light to occupied spaces.
  • A separate dedicated outdoor air system (DOAS) serving the fitness room, locker rooms, and restrooms will provide ventilated air to these spaces while managing humidity and preventing the spread of unwanted contaminants to other parts of the field house.
• LEED Certified

 

Patrick Henry Library

Client Needs: The City of Vienna in Fairfax County, VA plans to replace the existing Patrick Henry Library with an approximately 19,000 SF one-story library and a 209-space four-level parking structure on the existing site. In addition to the proposed state-of-the-art library space, the design includes an outdoor reading and gathering area, and a flexible community space that will be open during and after library business hours. The garage will provide 125 parking spaces for the library users and staff, and additional 84 parking spaces for the public.

Primary Sustainable Design Elements:

• Ground Source Heat Pump Design
  • The HVAC system will use water source heat pumps connected to an underground geothermal loop to provide heating and cooling.
  • No fossil fuels will be used to provide heating.
  • A dedicated outdoor air system (DOAS) will provide ventilation. The DOAS unit will include a total energy-recovery wheel, which will pre-condition the outdoor air to reduce energy consumption.
• LEED Gold Certification
  • The library is attempting to achieve LEED Gold Certification and will be 50% more efficient than the ASHRAE baseline system.
• Net Zero Certification
  • The library has a goal of being Net Zero energy and will achieve this through highly efficient MEP systems combined with an on-site solar panel array. These design features will allow the building to produce at least enough energy to offset the amount of energy that it consumes in a year.

 

1111 20th Street NW

Client Needs: Currently under construction, 1111 20^th St. NW is a high-end office to residential conversion project located in downtown Washington, DC. The project is in a highly walkable area, just a few blocks from both the Farragut North and Farragut West metro stations and is near Dupont Circle. The existing 1960s-era office building is being converted into 167 residential units with approximately 13,000 SF of amenity space and approximately 10,000 SF of retail on the ground floor. Once completed, 1111 20th Street will provide residents with access to high-end retail, restaurants, and employment options.

Primary Sustainable Design Elements:

• Office-to-Residential Conversion
  • The design for converting the existing office building to a modern multifamily residence included removing the existing façade and building a new, more energy efficient façade in its place.
  • The electrical team determined that the existing switchboards were suitable for the new intended use of the building and reused them in the new design.
  • The conversion added a penthouse and mezzanine level that provided amenities such as a new rooftop pool and green roof areas with solar panels.
  • The plumbing and electrical teams designed systems to conserve water and electricity by specifying low flow WaterSense-certified plumbing fixtures and LED light fixtures.
• Heat Recovery VRF System
  • GPI designed a heat recovery VRF system to provide conditioning for the entire building. The heat recovery VRF allows for greater energy savings by transferring heat between VRF indoor units. This heat transfer significantly reduces the amount of compressor activity needed to condition the building, especially in the shoulder months.
  • The heat recovery VRF system is also ideal from a thermal comfort standpoint because one outdoor unit can provide heating and cooling at the same time for various zones. This provides the same level of control as a split system heat pump while eliminating the need for each residential unit to have its own condensing unit.
• Energy Modeling
  • • The project is pursuing LEED Silver certification, for which GPI provided the LEED energy modeling. The result of the energy model was that the new design provided 26% energy savings when compared to the ASHRAE baseline.

   

How Can You Help?

While GPI engineers use their experience and expertise to deliver sustainable designs for our clients, it’s possible to incorporate related strategies in our homes on a smaller scale. Check out these ideas for enhancing your home’s sustainability:

• Install a programmable thermostat.
• Install a low-flow toilet and other water-saving plumbing fixtures.
• Upgrade to LED bulbs and LED light fixtures.
• Replace conventional paper products with reusable ones made of washable cloth or other materials.
• Reduce consumption of single-use plastics as much as possible. Swap beeswax for plastic wrap, silicone straws for plastic, and metal utensils for plastic. Intentionally choose to buy goods that aren’t packaged in plastic.
• Take advantage of the Inflation Reduction Act to receive tax credits for the following home improvements, and more:
  • Install a heat pump or heat pump water heater.
  • Perform a home energy audit.
  • Upgrade exterior doors and windows.
  • Upgrade insulation.
  • Upgrade the electrical panel.