Terranova Ranch in Fresno, Calif., grows more than 25 different crops on 6,000 acres. The company, which started in 1981, has focused its attention lately on methods that keep its soil, water, and air quality as healthy and sustainable as possible.
The design for Terranova Ranch’s new office pavilion is the first net-zero carbon and net positive energy project by Paul Halajian Architects (PHA), and the client’s design choices were informed by the use of cove.tool’s web-based building performance app.
Terranova Ranch’s aimed for a 100 percent reduction in operational carbon emissions, and the architect provided several options toward meeting or exceeding that goal. (Cove.tool shared some of the details of this case study with BD+C.)
GOING BEYOND CODE MINIMUMS
Initially, the energy model for the 5,800-sf office building was designed to follow code minimum baseline assumptions from California’s Title 24, version 2019, which offered a carbon reduction of 12 percent. PHA’s project architect conducted several analyses on possible improvements to reduce the overall Energy Use Intensity (EUI), which in this model was 42.52 kBtu/sf/year.
These analyses measured the impacts of the building’s HVAC, lighting, equipment, hot water, fans, and pumps. The first proposed design change was an envelope upgrade, from the mandatory minimum of R-19 to R-30 by adding two inches of Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) foam board to the exterior walls; and three inches of foam board insulation to the roof, which increased its R-value from 30 to 41. These changes would increase the building’s overall carbon reduction in base design to 20 percent and reduce the EUI to 38.
GLAZING’S BENEFITS DIDN’T PENCIL
The second option the architect investigated for Terranova Ranch combined the proposed envelope upgrade with improved glazing using Solarban 72 Acuity glass or Starphire glass with a u-value of 0.28 and solar heat coefficient of 0.28. (The baseline requirement is Solarban 60.) However, using cove.tool analysis tool, the architect determined that the whole-building EUI would have only reduced to 37, and only increased the carbon reduction by 2 percent from the first option. There were also cost considerations that made the glazing option less favorable.
The third upgrade option explored introduced 2,200 sf of monocrystalline solar panels, angled at a 15-degree incline atop a shaded parking structure. This option would reduce the building’s carbon emissions by 84 percent (from option No. 2’s 22 percent) and decrease the EUI to 7 form 37. Terranova Ranch was enthusiastic about this option.
A fourth alternative explored introducing heat recovery by adding an energy recovery ventilator in the ceiling. This option allowed for a carbon reduction of 103 percent and an EUI score of negative 1.5. The client agreed to move forward in the building’s design with each option except the glazing upgrade.
SUNLIGHT EXPOSURE WILL REDUCE BUILDING’S LIGHTING NEEDS
Along with the energy study, the architect conducted other analyses. Using cove.tool software, the architect observed that 85 percent of the office building’s interior would have access to “quality exterior views,” which in turn would earn the product LEED Views Credit. A daylight analysis of the architect’s design also showed that the building would be exposed to up to 12 hours of sunlight per day, reducing the design’s artificial lighting requirement.
While most clients might not be as sustainably inclined as Terranova Ranch, conducting data-driven analyses can be fruitful as a common practice that allows the design team and client to delve into different design scenarios to achieve an intended performance goal.
Construction on the office pavilion was scheduled to begin in late spring. The architect and client did not disclose construction costs.
Related Stories
| Jan 21, 2011
Sustainable history center exhibits Fort Ticonderoga’s storied past
Fort Ticonderoga, in Ticonderoga, N.Y., along Lake Champlain, dates to 1755 and was the site of battles in the French and Indian War and the American Revolution. The new $20.8 million, 15,000-sf Deborah Clarke Mars Education Center pays homage to the French magasin du Roi (the King’s warehouse) at the fort.
| Jan 21, 2011
Virginia community college completes LEED Silver science building
The new 60,000-sf science building at John Tyler Community College in Midlothian, Va., just earned LEED Silver, the first facility in the Commonwealth’s community college system to earn this recognition. The facility, designed by Burt Hill with Gilbane Building Co. as construction manager, houses an entire floor of laboratory classrooms, plus a new library, student lounge, and bookstore.
| Jan 20, 2011
Construction begins on second St. Louis community center
O’Fallon Park Recreation Complex in St. Louis, designed by local architecture/engineering firm KAI Design & Build, will feature an indoor aquatic park with interactive water play features, a lazy river, water slides, laps lanes, and an outdoor spray and multiuse pool.
| Jan 20, 2011
Community college to prepare next-gen Homeland Security personnel
The College of DuPage, Glen Ellyn, Ill., began work on the Homeland Security Education Center, which will prepare future emergency personnel to tackle terrorist attacks and disasters. The $25 million, 61,100-sf building’s centerpiece will be an immersive interior street lab for urban response simulations.
| Jan 19, 2011
Extended stay hotel aims to provide comfort of home
Housing development company Campus Apartments broke ground on a new extended stay hotel that will serve the medical and academic facilities in Philadelphia’s University City, including the University of Pennsylvania and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. The 11,000-sf hotel will operate under Hilton’s Homewood Suites brand, with 136 suites with full kitchens and dining and work areas. A part of the city’s EnergyWorks loan program, the project aims for LEED with a green roof, low-flow fixtures, and onsite stormwater management. Local firms Alesker & Dundon Architects and GC L.F. Driscoll Co. complete the Building Team.
| Jan 19, 2011
New Fort Hood hospital will replace aging medical center
The Army Corps of Engineers selected London-based Balfour Beatty and St. Louis-based McCarthy to provide design-build services for the Fort Hood Replacement Hospital in Texas, a $503 million, 944,000-sf complex partially funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The firm plans to use BIM for the project, which will include outpatient clinics, an ambulance garage, a central utility plant, and three parking structures. Texas firms HKS Architects and Wingler & Sharp will participate as design partners. The project seeks LEED Gold.
| Jan 19, 2011
Museum design integrates Greek history and architecture
Construction is under way in Chicago on the National Hellenic Museum, the nation’s first museum devoted to Greek history and culture. RTKL designed the 40,000-sf limestone and glass building to include such historic references as the covered walkway of classical architecture and the natural wood accents of Byzantine monasteries. The museum will include a research library and oral history center, plus a 3,600-sf rooftop terrace featuring three gardens. The project seeks LEED Silver.
| Jan 19, 2011
U.S. Green Building Council Welcomes New Board Directors
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has announced newly elected officers and new directors to its 2011 Board of Directors, including Elizabeth J. Heider from Skanska; Kirsten Ritchi from Gensler; and Dennis Maloskey, from the Pennsylvania Governor's Green Government Council.
| Jan 10, 2011
Michael J. Alter, president of The Alter Group: ‘There’s a significant pent-up demand for projects’
Michael J. Alter, president of The Alter Group, a national corporate real estate development firm headquartered in Skokie, Ill., on the growth of urban centers, project financing, and what clients are saying about sustainability.
