Advanced Mechanical Systems-Finding the Right Solution for the Client and the Project

Mike Godawa www.integralgroup.com

Advanced Mechanical Systems Finding the Right Solution for the Client and the Project

• What are the goals of the Client and the Project? • What are the project assets? • What are the project liabilities? • Iterative process matching the potential solutions to the budget and schedule • Final solution • Lessons Learned

Case Study: Evergreen Brick Works

Advanced Mechanical Systems Finding the Right Solution for the Client and the Project

• What are the goals of the Client and the Project?

Evergreen Brick Works

Evergreen Brick Works

CLIENT GOALS High Sustainability Goals from outset

• Site wide energy & water conservation

• Demonstrate sustainable technologies

• Reduce carbon footprint

PROJECT GOALS

• On Budget • On Schedule • Reduce energy and water

consumption

Advanced Mechanical Systems Finding the Right Solution for the Client and the Project

• What are the goals of the Client and the Project? • What are the project assets? • What are the project liabilities?

Evergreen Brick Works

Evergreen Brick Works

ASSETS • Good solar opportunities • Good thermal mass of existing

building • Known soil conditions • Open minded environmentally

driven client

LIABILITIES • Location - Flood Plain • Contaminated Soils • Subsurface archeology • Historic envelope reduces ability to

super insulate buildings • Limited Construction Budget

Advanced Mechanical Systems Finding the Right Solution for the Client and the Project

• What are the goals of the Client and the Project? • What are the project assets? • What are the project liabilities? • Iterative process matching the potential solutions to the budget and schedule

Evergreen Brick Works

Questions to Ask the Client and the Design Team

• Is air conditioning a necessity? • Are there any “sacred cows”? • Is free or waste energy available nearby ? • Do site constraints limit mechanical solutions? • What can drive the mechanical plant size lower? • Are there any opportunities to display new technologies?

Evergreen Brick Works

Iterative Design Process

• People before hardware

• Shell before contents

• Application before equipment

• Quality before quantity

• Passive before active, and

• Load reduction before supply

Evergreen Brick Works

Geo-Thermal

• Has sex appeal for energy savings but challenge the Owner whether both heating and cooling are required. A balanced load is critical.

• Difficult on this site due to buried artifacts, environmental hidden costs and confined location for drilling

Evergreen Brick Works

• Tendered design included a combined concentrated solar thermal/PV on a rotating turntable.

• Unfortunately the supplier admitted they had design flaws before it was installed.

• System was to provide electricity and hot water for heating, domestic hot water and for cooling through an absorption chiller

• Small solar thermal system installed to serve domestic hot water needs

Solar Thermal/PV

Evergreen Brick Works

• Tendered design included a biomass boiler in building 16 complete with pellet storage so as to minimize fossil fuel use.

• Need a dependable source of cost effective, low ash/low moisture content wood pellets.

• Microclimate analysis is critical due to ash content in flue discharge.

• Expensive technology and does not necessarily add LEED points for energy but does reduce carbon footprint

• As a result it was deleted for cost savings and a gas fired boiler plant including a primary condensing boiler was installed.

Bio-Mass Boilers

Evergreen Brick Works

• Seed money for project came from a donor who insisted an ice rink be made.

• Waste heat from compressors used to heat radiant floors in Building 14.

• Always look for something useful out of mandatory requirements

Ice Rink

Evergreen Brick Works

Advanced Mechanical Systems Finding the Right Solution for the Client and the Project

• What are the goals of the Client and the Project? • What are the project assets? • What are the project liabilities? • Iterative process matching the potential solutions to the budget and schedule • Final solution

Stantec

The sustainability of Evergreen Brick Works

• 765,000 litres of water captured for re-use on site annually: 18 Olympic Pools

• 60% potable water use reduction

• Energy Intensity 137 KWH/m2/yr. (494 MJ/m2/yr.)

• 58.8% Improvement on ASHRAE 90.1 Guideline

• 51% Reduced Carbon Footprint from ASHRAE 90.1 Guideline

• 46% Regional materials (800 km radius) • 23% Reclaimed and Recycled Materials

Advanced Mechanical Systems Finding the Right Solution for the Client and the Project

• What are the goals of the Client and the Project? • What are the project assets? • What are the project liabilities? • Iterative process matching the potential solutions to the budget and schedule • Final solution • Lessons Learned

Evergreen Brick Works

• Good solution if whole building does not need to be cooled.

• Need to watch out for partitions blocking air paths. Transfer air ducts need to be large to reduce pressure drop

• Fan assist runs all the time as building is located in a natural swale.

• Improvements needed to be made at solar chimneys as “bounce back” occurred at top level.

Evergreen Brick Works

Natural/Mixed Mode Ventilation

• Lots of roof area to capture rain water but how much is too much?

• Need to make use of the water. Right now we have two 5,000 gallon tanks to feed water into building 12 for flushing toilets and serve for make-up water for the cooling tower.

• Majority of 12 other tanks are to be used for irrigation and have fill spouts at tanks and must be drained in fall to avoid freezing.

• Biggest maintenance issue was the leaf catchers which could not handle the flow.

Evergreen Brick Works

Cisterns

• Allow for multiple what-if scenarios.

• Get them involved early and before major milestones

• Need to have a knowledgeable modeler when doing sustainable design.

• Designers must check all assumptions

• Needs to be “Green Giant”

Evergreen Brick Works

Modeling

Push the Envelope but make sure there is Clarity with Owner!

Space Conditioning Requirements

Building Type Conditioning

Approach

Summer Indoor

Design

(WB/DB –F)

Winter Indoor

Design

(DB – F)

Relative Humidity

(% RH)

Building 1 Fully Conditioned

(Existing)

- - -

Building 3 Unconditioned Ventilation Set Point - 75°F

Outdoor Condition Not Controlled

Building 4 Future - - -

Building 5 Heated Only – No

Modifications

(Existing)

- - -

Building 6 – 7 Unconditioned Outdoor Condition – Nat. Ventilation

Outdoor Condition Not Controlled

Building 8 Unconditioned Outdoor Condition – Nat. Ventilation

Outdoor Condition Not Controlled

Building 9 Future - - -

Building 10b Heated Only Outside

Conditions

72F ( 3F) Not Controlled

Building 10 – 11a -

Future

Future - - -

Building 12

Level 1 Heating / Cooling

(Primary)

75°F 70°F 20 – 30% winter /

50% summer

Levels 2 – 5 Heating - 70°F 20 – 30% winter

Cooling – Nat.

Ventilation

± 5°F above

ambient outdoor

conditions

- Not controlled

Cooling

(Secondary)

78°F - Not controlled

Building 14 Heated Only Outdoor Condition

– Nat. Ventilation

70°F Not controlled

Building 16 Future - - -

• Document decisions and make it easy for client to understand (harder than it sounds)

• Give examples and research costs (don’t rely on cost consultant)

• Get sign off whenever possible

Evergreen Brick Works

Any Questions?

The Tour of the Brickworks