Case Studies

Living Building, Georgia Institute of Technology

The Living Building at Georgia Tech will become a living-learning laboratory for hands-on educational and research opportunities that will be a model for the southeast region of the United States.

Aviation Support Battalion Hangar, Ft. Carson, Colo.

What started out as a path to Silver, turned out to be an opportunity for Platinum certification for a new Aviation Support Battalion Hangar at Fort Carson in Colorado. As the design process moved forward, it was evident that Silver could be easily obtained, and additional credits were within reach for a Gold certified facility.

Cincinnati District 3 Police Headquarters, Cincinnati, Ohio

Built as a sustainable, energy-efficient, and environment-friendly facility meeting LEED Platinum requirements, the new Cincinnati District 3 Police Station is designed to generate as much energy as it consumes.

Community Connection

A new public building provides a unique opportunity to reach out into the community. Cincinnati worked with residents to design its Police HQ.

435 Indio Way, Sunnyvale, Calif.

A lot of 1970s-era office buildings are cold concrete boxes that seem to repel light. One of these buildings in Sunnyvale, Calif., was particularly dark, derelict, and impossible to rent. To make this building rentable, the developer became intrigued by the idea that a net zero energy renovation could be a sustainable and profitable option for this building.

Westside School, Seattle

Hillcrest Presbyterian Church in Seattle found itself in an awkward position. Its congregation had decreased, but remained in a large well-loved, but inefficient facility. At the same time, Westside School was about to lose its lease. A plan was born: the church would co-locate with another church and Westside would reinvent the facility as a school.

Figure1 Nistnet Zeroenergyresidentailtestfacility2

NIST Net-Zero House, Gaithersburg, Md.

In 2012 the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) completed the construction of a Net-Zero Energy Residential Test Facility (NZERTF) to demonstrate that it is possible to achieve net zero for a newly constructed house with conventional architecture, amenities, and size compared to homes in the surrounding area.

The Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C.

The Renwick Gallery was built in 1859, and in the 1960s Jacqueline Kennedy led a successful campaign to restore the building’s use as a museum. Fast forward to the 21st century and the building’s comprehensive two-year renovation program significantly reconfigured building mechanical space to address improved access for maintenance, while reducing energy and water use.

Byron G. Rogers Federal Building: Denver, Colo.

Modernizing Denver’s 1960s-era Byron G. Rogers Federal Building capitalized on a decision made in 1850 by the original city planners to lay out the downtown streets at 45 degrees to the four cardinal points. Without considering the solar orientation, the design respected the street orientation and the result placed the main buildings facing southwest. While this is great for watching the sun set over the mountains, the building becomes a giant solar heat collector.

Biosciences Research Building: National University of Ireland, Galway

Natural ventilation is usually not the first technique considered when designing a research lab. But the National University of Ireland, Galway, built a highly energy efficient lab at a low cost using passive strategies as the cornerstone.