Half-day workshop on high-performance green building design for USGBC Nevada chapter, Las Vegas, 1/8/13, using case studies from Jerry Yudelson's new book, The World's Greenest Buildings: Promise vs Performance in Sustainable Design, published January 2013.

1. Master Class:
High-Performance
Building Design
Jerry Yudelson, PE, LEED Fellow
Yudelson Associates

2. Take-Aways
Green buildings are important for
controlling CO2 emissions
High-performance buildings are
feasible today
No new technologies; just new
Integrated Design Process
Energy use metrics well established
at 100-150 kWh/sqm/year

3. IEA Global Warming Study
IEA estimates that meeting a ≤2 C target would require $5 trillion in global energy
investments between now and 2020. Source: IEA, “Tracking Clean Energy Progress.”

4. Agenda
• LEED Platinum Case Studies
– High-Performance Buildings
• Designing for High-Performance
– Integrated Design Process
• Exercise
• Case Study:
NREL Research Support Facility, USA
• Discussion

5. Manitoba Hydro Place
LEED Platinum
Winnipeg, Canada

6. Manitoba Hydro Place
LEED Platinum

7. 2000 Tower Oaks
Rockville, MD

8. 2000 Tower Oaks

9. Kroon Hall
Yale University

10. Kroon Hall

11. Ohlone College
Newark, CA

12. Visible Enthalpy Wheel
Rooftop PV System
Ohlone College
Center For Health Sciences & Technology

13. Twelve West
Double LEED
Platinum
Portland, OR

14. Twelve West

15. Annual Energy Use —Americas

16. Annual Energy Use —Europe

17. Annual Energy Use — Asia Pacific

18. ISSUES?
• First-cost concerns
• Demonstrate financial cost-effectiveness
– ROI
– Increase in building value
– Risk mitigation
– Intangibles
• Concern over actual building performance
– Projects need continuous
commissioning
– Renewables have to work as planned
– Behavioral issues & plug loads must
be managed

19. TRENDS?
• Widespread low-energy design know-how
– Cost premium for good design getting
smaller
• More stringent energy codes (US, EU, AUS)
– Reduces first-cost premium for net-zero
– Better products at conventional costs
• Solar power cost reductions/efficiency gains
• Increases in conventional energy costs
– Shorter payback for savings
• Carbon reduction goals by increased
perceived/actual value of green or
net-zero buildings

20. High Performance Design Approach

21. High Performance Buildings
• Site selection & orientation
• Passive solar design
• Building envelope design & construction
• Integration of low-energy building systems
• Controlling lighting/plug loads
• Occupant engagement
• Renewable energy systems

22. Three Phases & Five Steps
To Net-Zero Emissions Building
PHASE I: Pre-design
Step #1— Organize for zero carbon emissions:
Develop plan for learning and approaches
Step #2—Accept design conditions: Define
environmental, occupant comfort and project
financial goals before beginning design.
PHASE II: Design and construction
Step #3—Resolve the macro-scale: Develop site
and architectural strategies that reduce
energy needs and optimize energy generation.
Step #4—Develop integrated solutions:
Define whole building systems to “tunnel
through cost barriers.”
PHASE III: Stewardship
Net Zero Building, Singapore
Step #5—Maintain zero: Provide a plan to
operate building with Net-zero emissions.
(HOK and The Weidt Group, www.netzerocourt.com, 2010)

23. Key Elements Of Integrated Design
• Reduce loads
– Orientation & massing
– Envelope & daylighting
• Take advantage of climate
• Choose efficient &
integrated systems
• Reduce “safety factors”
in engineering design
– “belt and suspenders”
approach outmoded
• Use modeling effectively
• Renewables: a last resort!

24. Key Elements Of Integrated Design
• Reduce loads
(>50% of total load)
– Lighting
– Plug loads
– Process loads
– Elevators/escalators
• Integrate systems
– Garage ventilation
vs. smoke exhaust
– BIPV as sunshades

25. Key Elements Of Integrated Design
– Take advantage of climate
• Eastgate Centre, Harare
– Free energy
• Sun, wind, water, vegetation,
topography, fog, etc.
• Daylighting & natural
ventilation/economizer cycle
• Ground-coupled heat
pumps/geo-exchange
• Night-flush ventilation
– Adaptive thermal comfort
• Radiant vs. Convective

26. Integrated Design Process

29. Cost Transfer
• Total cost same
• Engineering costs
lower
• Invest more in
Architecture
• Active to passive
systems
• Fragile to resilient
• Longer life
• Less cost over
life-cycle
• Simpler design

30. WHY IDP
• Collaboration • Develop synergies
• Team-building/trust • Systems integration
• Goal-setting • Clearer direction
• Blue-sky ideas • Reduced design time
• Better design • Transparency of
decisions design decisions
• Improved overall • Higher-performance
decision-making

31. HOW IDP
• Commit to process • Eco-charrette(s)
• Change procurement • Team-building activity
methods • Collaborative team
• Broaden the team meetings
• Set specific • Contractor(s) on board
performance goals early
• Expect greater time • Stay within budget &
in early design construction
• Early-stage modeling capabilities
• Iterative design vs.
goals

32. WHEN?

33. STARTING EARLY
• Identify potential partners/collaborations
• Set clear goals and metrics
• Establish “must have’s” in design
• Don’t re-design at DD/CD phase
• Reduce/eliminate “value engineering”
• Provide a basis for evaluating design
strategies
• Initiate a multidisciplinary design approach
• Induce creativity from team members

34. STARTING EARLY
• Ask the right question at the right time!
– Do we need this building at all? 
– How big does it need to be? Now? In 10 years?
– Can we design it for alternative uses in the future?
– How does carpet & desk color influence lighting
design?
– What “free energy” can we take advantage of?
– How much money is available outside the building
budget?
– What do the future occupants value most?
– What controls can future operators manage?
– How will we know if we’re successful?

35. USE MODELING
EFFECTIVELY
• Pre-design:
climate analysis/infrastructure issues
• Design charrette (goal setting, site design)
• Schematic design (shape, massing, daylighting,
envelope, HVAC options, base case for energy)
• Design development (systems optimization, Green
Star progress vs. goals)
• Construction documents (value engineering, final
energy model, document for Green Star)
• Commissioning/M&V (calibrate model, troubleshoot)

37. Setting Project Goals

39. IDP TOOLKIT
• Collaborative team • Evaluation & feedback
meetings tools & processes
• Problem-solving • Expert facilitation
workshops • Modeling tools
• Specific goals/targets • Green Star/LEED checklist
• Tracking tools • Establish Owner’s Project
• Clear communication Requirements (OPR)
channels • Basis of design document
• Team-building activities (BOD)

40. IDP OUTCOMES
• Clarity in overall project goals &
measurements
• Clear sustainability goals of owner and
project team
• Buy-in from all stakeholders
• Assess entire building life-cycle
– vs. just construction costs
• Identify roles and responsibilities early on
• Introduce Green Star/LEED &
set certification goals

41. Exercise
• Develop design issues and possible
solutions for a building in Cape Town,
using integrated design and high-
performance goals
– Office
– Secondary School
– University Classroom
– Retail store of 50,000 sq.ft.

43. Case Study: NREL — Golden, CO, USA
Phase I: 20,446 sq.m.; Phase II: 12,825 sq.m. (occupied 18 months later)

44. US Department of Energy
National Renewable Energy Lab
Research Support Facility (RSF)

45. Project Procurement
• Design/Build
• 3 finalists from RFQ process
• Design to 10% level to confirm cost
• $63 million fixed budget
• Government projects
• Outside “process” consultant
• “Fixed-price, variable-scope” approach

46. Project Objectives
1. Mission Critical (3)
• Safety
• LEED Platinum
• Energy Star (US)

47. Project Objectives
2. Highly Desirable (15)
• 800 staff capacity • Flexible workspace
• 25,000 BTU/sq.ft./year • Support future technologies
• Architectural integrity • “How to” manual for occupants
• Support future staff needs • “Real-time PR” campaign
• Meet ASHRAE 90.1-2007 • Secure collaboration with
• Support culture and outsiders
amenities • Building information modeling
• Expandable building • Substantial completion by
• Ergonomics 2010 (24 months)

48. Project Objectives
3. If Possible (8)
• Net-zero design approach
• Most energy-efficient building in the world
• LEED Platinum “Plus”
• ASHRAE 90.1-2007 + 50%
• Visual displays of current energy efficiency
• Support public tours
• National and global recognition and awards
• Support reduced personnel turnover

49. High-Performance
Design Process

50. NREL Integrated Design Process
Multiday Eco-Charrette
• Kick off competition phase of the project
• Include all disciplines in design-build team
• Set low-energy goal
• Determine ZONE and LEED Platinum/6-Star
Green Star best practices and strategies
• Develop section first
• Explore relationship of site, program, plan,
roof and section for low-energy strategies
• Begin building simulations early in process.

51. Low-Energy Strategies

52. The Section
60’
PV System
Natural
Ventilation
Radiant Cooling
Thermal Mass Radiant Heating
Transpired Workplace
Collectors UFAD
Daylighting
Labyrinth

53. Orientation & Massing

54. East + West Orientations

55. Pre-Design Analysis
• Shading Studies
• Energy Demand
• Natural Ventilation
• Wall Sections
• Window / Wall Ratios
• Roof / Floor Ratios
• PV Energy Supply

56. DOMEST HOT NREL RSF
VENT FANS WATER
EXT USAGE
• Energy Demand 7% 0% LIGHTS
0%
PUMPS & AUX 11%
LIG
1% TASK LIGHTS TA
• Transpired Collectors SPACE COOLING
8%
1%
SE
SE
SE
• Thermal Labyrinth SPACE HEATING
MI
SP
15%
• Double-Skin Design
SERVER ELEC SP
32% PU
VE
• Data Center Heat Recovery
DO
MISC
24% EX
SERVER COOL
• Data Center Cooling 0%
SERVER RM FAN
1%
• Natural Ventilation
• Daylighting
Design Simulations

57. LEED Platinum

58. Meets Site Energy, Source Energy,
Energy Emissions and Energy Cost
definitions of ZONE with only the
roof and parking
PV systems. RSF ROOF
787 KW
3544 MBTU/YR
ZONE- Renewable Energy RSF PARKING
540 KW
2432 MBTU/YR

59. Beauty in the Numbers
Zero

60. Take-Aways
Green buildings are important for
controlling CO2 emissions
High-performance buildings are
feasible today
No new technologies; just new
Integrated Design Process
Energy use metrics well established
at 100-150 kWh/sqm/year

61. High-Performance. . .
Just Do It!

62. Discussion