Page 247 - Green Building Through Integrated Design

A HIGH-PERFORMANCE LABORATORY PROJECT 223

Our philosophy was that if we’re so close on so many of the credits, if we roll up our
sleeves and refine the design, we can achieve something that’s even better. Rather
than being satisfied with let’s say a 40 percent energy savings as compared to an
ASHRAE 90.1 equivalent, we said, why not make it 50 percent. When we reached
50 percent, we said why not 60 percent? We ultimately ended up achieving a savings
of about 63 percent. We did that just by continually refining elements of the design.
An example of that is the ductwork. Every time there’s an elbow in ductwork, it cre-
ates a static pressure drop, which makes the fan work a little bit harder, which in turn
consumes additional power. [For example], we went through an exercise of review-
ing the mechanical system and eliminating every conceivable elbow that wasn’t nec-
essary. We achieved our goal merely by going to that level of detail during the design
process and rigidly enforcing it during construction. This was also coupled with con-
tinual review and improvement of the efficiency of the building envelope and further
reduction of loads where possible. This is an example of taking what was an already
a highly efficient and cost effective system and making it better. The mechanical and
electrical engineers deserve significant credit for being so dedicated to the continual
improvement of the building systems efficiency.

In the end, the Tahoe Center for Environmental Sciences received a LEED Platinum
rating with 56 credits, which has delighted the owners who were only hoping for a
LEED Silver rating. It also was awarded the Best Overall Sustainable Design Project for
2008 from the University of California System, among others, and has become a model
for the design of energy efficient laboratory buildings and sustainable design practices.

PLATINUM PROJECT PROFILE
Tahoe Center for Environmental Sciences, Incline Village,
Nevada
Completed in the fall of 2006, the Tahoe Center for Environmental Sciences houses
classrooms and laboratories for programs that focus on understanding and protect-
ing fragile alpine lakes. The three-story, 47,000-square-feet facility cost $25 million
and is used by Sierra Nevada College, the University of California at Davis, the
Desert Research Institute, and the University of Nevada, Reno. The facility uses 60
percent less energy and 30 percent less water than a comparable building. A variety
of mechanical designs were used including chilled beams, displacement ventilation,
radiant floor heating, overhead radiant heating and cooling panels, a turbine with
cogeneration, lab exhaust heat recovery, 30-kW of building-integrated photo-
voltaics, nighttime chilled water production with a cooling tower and 50,000 gallons
of chilled water storage, direct evaporative cooling in air handlers and a demonstra-
tion solar hot water heater. Water-free urinals and low-flow toilets were installed in
the facility. A snowmelt/rainwater catchment system captures water for reuse.*

*Heather Livingston, “Tahoe Science Lab Goes for Platinum-LEED,” AIArchitect, October 27, 2006. Kate
Gawlik, “Active and Passive,” Eco-Structure, November 2006.