As part of our commitment to the environment, Payette signed the AIA 2030 Commitment in January 2011 with the goal of designing carbon-neutral buildings by the year 2030. To reach that goal, the AIA has outlined interim reduction targets in Energy Use Intensity (EUI), and the current target is to reduce the predicted EUI (pEUI) of our projects to 70% below the national average for their building type.
In 2017, the AIA reported an average reduction of 44% in the predicted energy-use intensity from all firms contributing data. Payette’s average reduction is 62% pEUI savings- our best year yet. We had 4 large projects meet the 70% target, and 3 additional projects came very close as well. Payette is proud to exceed the average reduction of all the firms reporting for the commitment every year, but we still have room for improve for all of our projects to meet the 70% goal by 2020, and the ultimate goal of carbon neutral by 2030.
We are lagging behind in lighting power density reduction targets for interior projects, which dropped to 10% reduction from ASHRAE 90.1-2007. This is an area that we hope to greatly improve in the next reporting period and year.
Payette has set a goal of having an energy model for all of our projects, and we have met that goal for 95% of our projects last year, far exceeding the average of all reporting firms of 42% of projects with energy models. Additionally a number of our projects will collect operational energy, allowing us to compare actual energy usage to the initial design targets and further improve our projects going forward.
Related Links:
Building Science
2030 Comittment
Sustainable Action Plan
Making Progress towards the 2030 Commitment
The Road to 2030
This Earth Week, we’ll be covering five landmark buildings exemplifying new approaches to building performance and sustainability.
The Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Klarman Building is the first hospital in the northeast to implement chilled beams in an inpatient setting. Early energy analysis demonstrated that the use of chilled beams would be the best way to reduce building energy use.
For this strategy to work, however, the peak thermal loads of the façades could not exceed the capacity of the chilled beams. An integrated design approach and in-house modeling allowed for constant tuning of the façade to optimize glazing, solar exposure and massing. The building orients glazing to face true north and south to minimize heat gain and maximize occupant comfort, resulting in a 15% reduction in peak solar load.
Beyond performance, the distinctive serrated terracotta façade reflects the scale and cadence of individual patient rooms, providing a delicate scale and texture to the façade.
#earthweek #designalways #buildingscience #performalism #facade