Three years ago, Steve Rice, Dave Fergus, and Mike Miller, partners in the 36-person design firm Rice Fergus Miller, bought a vacant and derelict Sears Auto store in downtown Bremerton, Wash. Their goal: convert the 30,000 gsf space into the most energy-efficient commercial building in the Pacific Northwest, and do so on a construction budget of around $100/sf.
Working with ME partner Ecotope, the partners calculated the amount of energy use they would allow as they strove toward net zero. Working backwards, they calculated the amount of energy that could be generated by covering every horizontal surface with PVs and designed the building to that number. Then the Building Team, including PCS Structural Solutions (SE), Gerber Engineering (EE), and Tim Ryan Construction (GC), considered which energy-related factors they could control and which they couldn’t.
PROJECT SUMMARY
RICE FERGUS MILLER OFFICE & STUDIO
Bremerton, Wash.Building Team
Submitting firm: Rice Fergus Miller (owner, architect)
Structural engineer: PCS Structural Solutions
Mechanical engineer: Ecotope
Electrical engineer: Gerber Engineering
General contractor: Tim Ryan Construction, Inc.General Information
Size: 30,000 gsf
Construction cost: $3.15 million
Construction time: September 2010 to May 2011
Delivery method: Self-performed
What they could control was insulation, heating, and cooling. To that end, they super-insulated the skin; put on a reflective roof; hyper-insulated the walls, floor, and roof; and installed windows with a weighted U-factor of 0.25. To control heating/cooling use, the team came up with a hybrid system of natural and mechanical ventilation in which heating, cooling, and ventilation were separated; ceiling fans mix the air, and the building has almost no ductwork.
The Building Team could have used FSC-certified lumber from Oregon or British Columbia; instead, they reframed the roof with locally harvested and milled lumber, which saved energy and helped local businesses. The team also ruled out a solar water heating system because the domestic hot water load did not justify the investment.
On the way to earning 91-point LEED Platinum certification, the office and studio achieved a 78% reduction in energy use over the national average for office buildings. Said Reconstruction Awards Judge Keith Hammerman, PE, “They thought through what they wanted to achieve and designed to meet that goal.” +
Related Stories
| Sep 7, 2011
Administration, Maintenance and Operations Facility in South Bend achieves LEED Platinum
The facility achieved 52 LEED points, including those for site selection, energy, materials and resources and innovation.
| Sep 6, 2011
Construction on Beijing's tallest building starts next week
The 108 floor mixed-use skyscraper consists of offices, apartments, hotels and shopping malls on the lower floors.
| Aug 31, 2011
Sebastopol, Cailf., invites designers to submit ideas for renewing city center
The goal of The Core Project is to explore how the physical presence of Sebastopol can become a more economically thriving and aesthetically vibrant place, reflecting the naturally beauty of the region and the character of the community.
| Aug 31, 2011
Wythe Confectionary renovation in Brooklyn completed
Renovation retains architectural heritage while reflecting a modern urban lifestyle.
| Aug 24, 2011
Deadline Extended: 2012 "Best AEC Firms to Work For” Awards
We’re looking for firms that create truly positive workplaces for their AEC professionals and support staff. In other words, this awards program will recognize those AEC firms that nurture and develop their most valuable asset—their people.
| Aug 23, 2011
Acoustical design education model
Pass this exam and earn 1.0 AIA/CES Discovery learning units. You must go to www.BDCnetwork.com/EnhancedAcousticalDesign to take this exam.
| Aug 19, 2011
Thought Leader: Boyd R. Zoccola, chair and chief elected officer of BOMA International
Boyd R. Zoccola is Chair and Chief Elected Officer of BOMA International. A BOMA member since 1994, he has served on the Executive, Finance, Investment, and Medical/Healthcare Facilities Committees. An Indiana Real Estate Principal Broker and a board member of the Real Estate Round Table, he is Executive Vice President of Hokanson Companies, Inc., of Indianapolis, and has been involved in the development of $600 million worth of real estate. On a volunteer basis, Zoccola was president of Horizon House and a board member of Girls, Inc. He holds a BA in biology from Indiana University.
| Aug 19, 2011
How and why AEC professionals choose flooring systems
Design and construction professionals who completed our flooring survey had strong opinions about their preferred flooring type.
| Aug 19, 2011
Underfloor air distribution, how to get the details right
Our experts provide solid advice on the correct way to design and construct underfloor air distribution systems, to yield significant energy savings.
