ORLANDO, Fla. - Designers of systems for two office buildings, a warehouse, and a college library have been recognized by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) as first place recipients of ASHRAE Technology Awards at the Society’s 2010 Winter Conference, being held this week in Orlando, Fla., along with the 2010 International Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigerating Exposition (AHR Expo).

The winning projects are:

• IDeAs Design Facility - Peter Rumsey, P.E., Fellow ASHRAE, Rumsey Engineers, Oakland, Calif., received first place in the existing commercial buildings category for his remodel of a one-story office building, IDeAs Design Facility, San Jose, Calif.

Rumsey’s work on a California electrical engineering consulting firm’s offices resulted in one of the world’s first net-zero-energy and zero-carbon-emission buildings, ASHRAE said. The 7,200-square-foot commercial office building was designed to meet 100 percent of its net energy requirements using renewable energy from photovoltaics. A topping slab was designed containing cross linked polyethylene radiant tubing for both heating and cooling; using water to convey heating and cooling through a radiant system uses less energy to provide the same amount of conditioned air than a forced air system, said ASHRAE. Daylighting and natural ventilation is provided by a 45-foot-long south-facing operable glass door façade between the building and the courtyard, as well as multiple skylights. The building showed a 43 percent reduction in energy use from California’s Title 24 and a 60 percent reduction from ASHRAE Standard 90.1-1999. In the spring of 2009, the building generated more energy than it consumed.

• The Terry Thomas - Michael Hedrick, Thomas Marseille, P.E., and Long Lam, Stantec Consulting, Seattle, received first place in the new commercial buildings category for a four-story office building, the Terry Thomas, Seattle.

The Terry Thomas is the first modern Class A office building to be built without mechanical cooling in the Puget Sound region in decades. Shading, daylighting, building form and structure and other load reduction strategies were critical to the successful implementation of a passive cooling strategy. The use of natural ventilation, along with a hydronic heating system, has drastically reduced the energy consumption of the building to 45.9 kBtu/sf-year, 53 percent better than the average office, said ASHRAE. Additionally, the building includes: automated external blinds controlled by meteorological conditions; motorized louvers controlled by CO2 sensors during the heating season and thermostats in the cooling season; integrated building design for passive cooling, daylight and occupancy; and waterless urinals and dual-flush water closets.

• Sobey’s Warehouse - Martin Roy, P.Eng., Martin Roy et Associés, Inc., Deux-Montagnes, Québec, Canada, received first place in the industrial facilities or processes category for Sobey’s Warehouse, Trois-Riviéres, Québec, Canada.

A refrigerated warehouse in Canada can be a very chilly place when winter comes around; that’s why Roy worked to balance keeping the warehouse cold and its employees warm and comfortable, all while saving energy, noted ASHRAE. An ammonia central chiller and glycol secondary distribution fluid system keeps the warehouse at 39°F (4°C), and can operate in free cooling mode by using the thermosiphon principle. Ammonia is one of the best refrigerants to get high efficiency and has non-ozone depleting potential and zero global warming potential. Heat rejection from the warehouse chiller occurs simultaneously with space heating the office and common spaces. These spaces are also heated by a hydronic radiant floor and cooled by fan-coils. Additionally, the warehouse includes daylighting and occupancy detectors to control high efficiency lighting fixtures and treats all of its water on-site using constructed wetlands.

• The Richard J. Klarcheck Information Commons Building - Donald McLauchlan, P.E., Steven Maze, and David Lavan, Elara Energy Services Inc., Hillside, Ill., received first place in the new institutional buildings category for the Richard J. Klarcheck Information Commons Building at Loyola University, Chicago.

Loyola’s Information Commons Building, located on the shores of Lake Michigan, combines state-of-the-art mechanical systems and striking architectural features, said ASHRAE; glass exposures on the east and west sides allow views through the building to the lake. Effective natural ventilation is provided throughout the open areas due to automatically controlled operable windows on the east façade and inner windows on the west double façade. Dual path custom designed air handlers were installed to incorporate multiple functions depending on the building mode of operation. The contoured ceiling consists of coffered pre-cast concrete panels with cross linked polyethylene tubing set just below the surface; the system was designed to meet 60 percent of the design sensible cooling load.

For more information, visit www.ashrae.org.

Publication date:01/25/2010