Greening the Government: Sustainable Building Solutions for New Public Programs

Green building technologies and innovative project designs assist federal, state and local governments to
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A retrofit can also yield aesthetic benefits, even as it delivers the desired increases in performance. The Art Gallery of Ontario, a quasi-public Canadian facility, recently underwent a major renovation by Frank Gehry, whose design included a unique glazed façade retrofit. The retrofit called for 70,000 square feet of a high-performing clear glass that transmits 68 percent of light while reducing solar heating indoors. By making use of natural light and reducing cooling costs, the façade retrofit achieved significant energy savings. A newspaper critic lauded the change also for its aesthetic merits, saying, "Its billowing glass facade, which evokes a crystal ship drifting through the city, is a masterly example of how to breathe life into a staid old structure."

The Frank Gehry-designed Art Gallery of Ontario features a unique
glazed façade retrofit.

Photo: Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

Renovating for Sustainability

Full-scale renovations of existing government facilities can include the retrofitting of multiple systems such as lighting, HVAC, enclosures and the like. The aim is often to resuscitate older and often historic buildings that have become outmoded or inefficient,allowing for a recycling of their useful features, such as the structural frame, foundations, footings and caissons. The result can be a sustainable design that rivals new construction projects, with reductions in life-cycle costs, carbon emissions, and square footage required for equivalent uses. Improvements to IEQ and occupant performance often accompany the projects, too.

Government facility renovations are often driven by changes of occupancy along with laws or initiatives that require minimum standards of energy efficiency or sustainable design. For the Patrick V. McNamara Federal Building in Detroit, the GSA had identified it as one of 42 federal properties meeting their criteria for "transforming Federal buildings into high-performance green buildings," even though its own 2008 tenant satisfaction survey showed 81 percent of occupants "very satisfied" with their workplace. Still, the FBI had considered moving to a more suitable location, feeling they had outgrown their offices. Plans were cancelled for a new $100 million, eight-story building. "It was frustrating," said Andrew Arena, the special agent in charge.

However, having seen plans for a renovated interior and an expanded FBI workspace with dedicated lobbies and elevators, Arena agreed that the 100,000-square-foot, $40 million renovation and expansion "may be the most viable option." Paid for with ARRA funding, the design by project architect SmithGroup of Detroit created a new dedicated entry to FBI offices and "a building within a building," said the firm. By staying put, the FBI helped eliminate the impact of a new construction effort and its associated resources, while earning a potentially LEED Silver home. New insulation around lobbies and entryways stem energy loss, and low-flow plumbing fixtures minimize water consumption. New high-efficiency lighting on occupancy sensors further improve energy savings. "I think this is going to work out for us," said Arena.

Greening New Government Buildings

The bar is raised even higher for new construction projects. The EPA has defined green building as "the practice of creating structures and using processes that are environmentally responsible and resource-efficient throughout a building's life-cycle from siting to design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation and deconstruction." For public-sector project teams, which typically own their properties, that definition means beginning a new construction project by considering the full useful life of the building in addition to disposition alternatives. Put simply: Governments rarely walk away from their buildings.

The EPA criteria begin with siting and orientation, which can dramatically affect the life-cycle and sustainability of a building. Details on how these affect environmental performance are outlined in the LEED criteria and resources such as the Whole Building Design Guide (wbdg.org), a collaborative online effort among federal agencies, private-sector companies, non-profits and educational institutions that offers initial guidance on sustainable design. Design solutions flow from these initial decisions, with significant variation depending on local climate and building use and occupancies.

For the 21,200-square-foot Appaloosa Branch Library, located in an arroyo in Scottsdale, AZ, siting was critical to mitigate desert heat and sun as well as occasional flooding. According to design principal Jeremy Jones of Phoenix-based DWL Architects, the facility is oriented for optimal sun angle to maximize both shading and indirect daylighting. Storm water is retained and filtered to reduce flooding and pollution, and the landscaping requires minimal irrigation.

The 21,000-square foot Appaloosa Branch Library in Scottsdale, AZ made LEED Gold, and features photovoltaic cells, illumination by daylighting and sustainable building materials, systems and finishes.

Photos: Bill Timmerman
Courtesy DWL Architects + Planners Inc.

For selecting building materials, systems and finishes, green government projects often employ EPA's Energy Star program for product ratings but also for best-practice policies. Another group, the independent GreenGuard Environmental Institute (GEI), establishes standards for building materials, interior furnishings, and cleaning products in terms of controlling mold, moisture and indoor pollutants.

For the Scottsdale library, only low-emitting sealants and adhesives are allowed, and dust during the construction phases was carefully controlled. "Air-quality control starts before official occupancy by having a ‘blow-down' for several days using 14,000 cubic feet of air per square foot of building to clear out all remaining exhaust vapors, fumes, off-gassing and contaminates and then controlling airflow for the following month," says Jones.

Unusual among government bodies in the United States, the city of Scottsdale has made LEED Gold mandatory for all city facilities, and the Appaloosa Branch Library is no exception. The facility uses less than half the water needed for a typical library of similar size, and about 75 percent of public areas and workspaces have outdoor views and illumination by daylighting. Photovoltaic cells provide some of the building's electricity, while a white roof reduces the heat-island effect. These and other features helped the facility earn the title "Most Sustainable Project" in Arizona for 2010 from the magazine AZRE − which covers commercial real estate.

 

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Originally published in May 2010

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