Journal of Indoor Environmental Quality

If this is not the cook book for your new building you may want to look for another chef.

Recipe for High Performing Buildings – Better Than Standard Practice

If you are an architect, building owner, facility manager, or design/build contractor and want to learn how buildings can achieve energy, economic, and environmental performance substantially better than standard practice…ASHRAE's High Performing Buildings publication is for you.

High Performing Buildings describes measured performance of practices and technologies to promote better buildings, presenting case studies that feature integrated building design practices and improved operations and maintenance techniques. They tend to be built around three fundamentals: They take advantage of climate and location, they have envelopes that reduce load and enhance natural lighting, and they use high-efficiency mechanical systems and lighting.

Link: <www.HPBmagazine.org/subscribe >

RBc: The latest issue features among others, Manitoba Hydro Place; a radiant cooled and heated 700,000 sq.ft. 22 plus story building that is beating the Model National Energy Code by 60% and ASHRAE 90.1-2007 by 52%.

We featured this project back in 2010 < http://blogs.healthyheating.com/2010/05/manitoba-hydro-place-a-new-benchmark-for-cold-climate-buildings.html>

Just a reminder this project has a radiant based HVAC system (heating and cooling), dedicated outdoor air systems, geothermal with high efficient condensing boilers, low VOC finishes for IAQ etc…if this sounds familiar it should because if it’s not the recipe for your new building you may want to look for another chef.

Suggested reading:

• http://www.healthyheating.com/Page%2055/Page_55_i_cooling_eq.htm
• http://www.healthyheating.com/DOAS/DOAS_Introduction.htm
• http://www.healthyheating.com/Page%2055/Page_55_a_benchmark.htm

We'll be talking about these and other principles at the following upcoming courses

• Energy Center of Wisconsin: HVAC hybrids: transitional solutions bridge tradition and the future and How vision affects residential design: an exploration of human sensory systems, Wed, Feb 1, 2012, Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel and Convention Center, Schaumburg, Il.,
• 2012 Uponor Convention, Thermal comfort with Radiant Based HVAC and How not to do radiant cooling, April 11-12, 2012, Bellagio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas

Strategies to Cut Energy Use by 50% in Commercial Buildings

If you missed the U.S. DOE presentation on Strategies to Cut Energy Use by 50% in Commercial Buildings – you missed an endorsement of the stuff we’ve been talking about for decades. At the end of the day, one of the best strategies is high performance bldg, 20% window to wall ratio, radiant based HVAC using DOAS, condensing boilers with over 90% efficiency.

750 industry professionals participated. That’s what we’re talking about!

Suggested reading:

• Energy and Exergy,
• Radiant Cooling 
• DOAS 
• Windows 
• Walls and Slabs 
• Radiant Heating and Cooling Myths
• Radiant Heating and Cooling Research Citations

Manitoba Hydro Place - A New Benchmark for Cold Climate Buildings

I’ve had the opportunity to tour a number of great projects already this year and the latest is Winnipeg’s own - Manitoba Hydro Place.

After three days of presenting the HRAI of Canada’s Indoor Air Quality Awareness program I'd have to say it is by far one of the most comfortable buildings I’ve had the pleasure of teaching in…in fact one of the most striking difference was experienced during our tour of the mechanical rooms which were extremely clean, quiet and cool – a stark contrast to the loud, dirty and hot rooms typically found in buildings across America.

I took numerous photo’s while there and have shared a few here in the blog. (t) Solar chimney, (m) Geothermal manifold, (b) Solar chimney against the smoke stack from the old power plant – my how times have changed!

A big thanks to industry colleague Rob Andrushuk, C.Tech., Mechanical Systems Specialist with Manitoba Hydro for hosting the IAQ course and for arranging the top to bottom tour and to Mark Pauls, B.Sc., EIT, Building Energy Engineer for the pre-tour presentation and walk around…outstanding!

Suggested links:
Project description and history: GreenSource, March Issue
Technical paper: Manitoba Hydro Place, Integrated Design Process Exemplar (PLEA2009 - 26th Conference on Passive and Low Energy Architecture, Quebec City, Canada, 22-24 June 2009)  

To learn more the concepts used in this project visit these links:

Radiant Cooling

Dedicated Outdoor Air Systems

Indoor Environmental Quality with Radiant Based HVAC System

Thermally Active Surfaces in Architecture

Excerpt: “Departing from the simple question Why do we heat and cool buildings with air?, this book focuses on the technique of thermally active surfaces. This technique uses water in building surfaces to heat and cool bodies - a method that is at once more efficient, comfortable, and healthy. This technique thus imbues the fabric of the building with a more poignant role: its structure is also its primary heating and cooling system. In doing so, this approach triggers a cascading set of possibilities for how well buildings are built, how well they perform, and how long they will last: pointing the way toward multiple forms of sustainability.” Source: Princeton Architectural Press

Learn more here: http://www.papress.com/html/book.details.page.tpl?isbn=9781568988801

RBc: I’ve just reviewed this new addition to our library of recommended reading for design professionals. Author Kiel Moe is an Assistant Professor of Architecture at the Northeastern University School of Architecture and has done an outstanding job illustrating the benefits of thermally active surfaces. We have been preaching thermally activated building systems (TABS) for many years and we’re pleased to see a section in this new resource from www.healthyheating.com contributor Geoff McDonell, B.Sc., P.Eng., LEED™ Ap. For more articles from Geoff use the search feature above.

The quality of this book is equal to any higher education text book on architecture, structural design, interior design and HVAC engineering with outstanding easy to understand graphics. We especially appreciate the inclusion of design details from numerous TABS projects from around the world.

A must have for the student or design professional.

Fundamentals of Thermal Comfort and Indoor Air Quality

 

We’ve just uploaded our signature presentation which we do as part of our volunteer activities for the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). This material focuses on the fundamentals of thermal comfort and indoor air quality.

Be sure to sign up for our feed link to stay abreast of new content.

Blue Ridge Parkway Destination Center Earns a Rare 11 of 10 Points for Optimized Energy Performance

Building design utilizes high-tech computational fluid dynamics analysis of low-tech passive solar Trombe walls

ASHEVILLE, N.C., Jan. 12, 2009 – Lord, Aeck & Sargent announced today that in awarding LEED®1 (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certification to the Blue Ridge Parkway Destination Center in the category of new construction, the U.S. Green Building Council gave the project the maximum 10 points in the category of optimized energy performance, plus an additional point for exceeding the maximum (60 percent) energy savings tracked for this credit.

The project tracked a 75 percent improvement in energy performance over a code-compliant base building.

RBc: We featured this project prior to it receiving this achievement. A great application of design principles resulting in outstanding performance.

Read more about this outstanding project.

Building knowledge for a sustainable tomorrow - Construct Canada

Uponor Seminar Series Building knowledge for a sustainable tomorrow.

Date: December 4, 2008 Time: 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. Location: Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Room 802 T, in conjunction with Construct Canada.

RSVP, visit www.uponorrsvp.ca and sign up.

The deadline to RSVP is November 28, 2008.

Are you interested in hearing from Canada’s foremost leaders in sustainability, hydronics and fire safety? Uponor is bringing these experts together under one roof in the inaugural Uponor Seminar Series. This must-attend industry event will feature discussions on:

• Some of the emerging trends in sustainable construction presented by John Godden:

John Godden brings more than 20 years of experience to the table as a designer/hands-on builder, working on projects that include the "Clearsphere" CHBC EnviroHome. A graduate of the Bachelor of Environmental Studies program at the University of Waterloo, he is heavily involved in the R2000, ENERGY STAR, EnerGuide and CMHC Healthy Home programs. John dedicates his time and experience to improving the quality of energy efficiency, air quality and building practices throughout the home building industry. John is currently working with twenty Greater Toronto Area builders who are constructing LEED model homes.

• The impacts of radiant-based HVAC systems on sustainability presented by Robert Bean.

Robert Bean is a registered engineering technologist in the field of building construction engineering. He is an avid student of industrial design (the way things look) and indoor environmental ergonomics (the way things feel). In 2007, Robert was selected as a distinguished lecturer for the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers speaking on the Human Factor in HVAC, Radiant-based HVAC Systems and Snow Melting Systems. He is the editor for The Journal of Indoor Environmental Quality, and www.healthyheating.com, a not-for-profit website on anthropology, architecture and indoor environmental ergonomics.

• How an effective residential fire safety system can provide homeowners with a safe and sustainable home presented by John Caruso.

John Caruso is the Chief Fire Prevention Officer for the City of Vaughan. John has been involved in fire service for 23 years, spending 21 of those years in fire suppression. He is also the Community Emergency Management Coordinator for the City of Vaughan.

Uponor Westcoast AIA ConEd slides now available

John Siegenthaler and I had the opportunity to work with Uponor, an AIA registered provider in delivering a continuing education program in Seattle, Portland, Oakland and Los Angeles. You can view the slides on indoor environmental quality and radiant cooling and heating at this link:

Thanks to Team Uponor for hosting a great event!
RB

Governor General’s Medals in Architecture Awards for Radiant Conditioned Buildings

The Nk’Mip Desert Cultural Centre (top photo) in Osoyoos by Hotson Bakker Boniface Haden Architects with lead design architect Bruce Haden, MRAIC and the Gleneagles Community Centre (West Vancouver) by Patkau Architects with lead design architects John Patkau, FRAIC and Patricia Patkau, FRAIC won Governor General’s Medals in Architecture. Both highly sustainable projects are conditioned with radiant systems.

Illustration of Nk’Mip Desert Cultural Centre courtesy of the Centre

Photo’s of Gleneagles Community Centre courtesy of Terri Meyer Boake B.E.S. B.Arch. M.Arch., Associate Professor School of Architecture University of Waterloo.

RBc: What I love about these buildings is how mother nature served as the chief designer in creating great spaces. Congratulations to the design and construction teams.

Learn more about radiant cooling, click here.

Learn more about indoor environmental quality, click here .

Discuss these and other topics online, click here .

.