Challenges and Opportunities
One of the greatest challenges of achieving a balance between “green” and historic requirements was the need to install exterior wall insulation for energy savings and occupant comfort versus the historical requirement to expose as much brick as possible. McKinstry worked with the regulatory agencies to find a solution that would keep 70 percent of all interior brick walls exposed in the most historically significant portions of the building and insulate the locations that resulted in the most energy savings and maintained occupant comfort.
Wherever the external wall was not insulated, the team installed perimeter radiant heating, using fin tubes, for occupant comfort. Ventilation is provided by using a dedicated outside air system (DOAS) with a heat-recovery system in areas with in-slab radiant heating and cooling. Additionally, the facility’s data center recovers waste heat from the servers and distributes it into the common areas during cold seasons.
Water efficiency was achieved by the use of high-efficiency plumbing fixtures. A fully sized rainwater- catchment system could not be installed because of project limitations. However, a demonstration 510-gallon system (in conjunction with a stormwater-management system) was installed and connected to the irrigation system. The size is too small for significant water savings but is used as a teaching tool for the community and future projects.
Honoring History
McKinstry monitors and maintains energy savings through a resource-conservation management strategy that focuses on operational and behavioral changes. The company hopes to maintain long-term energy performance based on actual building activity. The building’s energy performance has tracked fairly closely to predictions. Currently, the EUI is 54.9 kBtu per square foot, compared to the modeled 50.7 kBtu per square foot. The primary difference between the modeled and actual energy use was due to unpredicted tenant use that ultimately resulted in higher-than-expected demand.
The building has become a landmark in the community. The company often offers the building as in-kind support for charitable and community events, which provides a venue to organizations in need and serves as an opportunity to showcase the value of historic preservation.
To honor the SIERR Building’s rich history, McKinstry pursued registration on the National Register of Historic Places. This certification offered federal tax credits, essential to the funding of the project, yet placed strict requirements on how the team could adapt and modify the structure. McKinstry also worked in close collaboration with the Washington, D.C.-based National Park Service—which manages the National Register of Historic Places—in addition to local and state historic-preservation offices to ensure the renovation met all preservation criteria.
The SIERR Building models what’s possible in historic renovation. A thoughtful design that looks to maximize energy efficiency over the lifespan of the building while maintaining the essential historic qualities has allowed a community icon to be rejuvenated into a productive, compelling place where people thrive. This core belief of looking to the life of a building underlies what the project intends to demonstrate: that the most sustainable building is the one preserved.
Materials
HYDRONIC HEATING AND COOLING: Uponor
GROUND-SOURCE AND AIR-TO-WATER HEAT PUMPS: Carrier
PERIMETER RADIANT HEATING, USING FIN TUBES: Vulcan Radiator
DEDICATED OUTSIDE AIR SYSTEM WITH HEAT RECOVERY: Aaon
HIGH-EFFICIENCY PLUMBING FIXTURES: Toto