Energy efficiency and historic preservation are rarely synonymous. More often than not, one must be compromised for the sake of the other. Fortunately, the University of Arkansas found a way around such compromises when it came to the restoration and mechanical renovation of the school’s beloved Peabody Hall.
Veteran New York plumbing contractor Evan Samouhos was so confident in the potential energy savings offered by a new domestic water booster pump system that he fronted the purchase himself.
Effective building envelope and air handling designs took comfort most of the way from theory to reality in ISU’s Hach Hall. An existing in-house deionized water supply and a new fogging system finished the task and saved an estimated 22% in humidification costs.
The building design and construction industry has been guided and encouraged by Federal legislation and private programs to reduce energy consumption in new buildings and major renovations with initiatives such as EPACT 2005 and USGBC’s LEED®. But what about existing buildings not slated for significant capital improvements?
Where do health care facilities looking to up their sustainability profile start? Here, we shine
a light on expected sites and some lesser-known resources. Archived video from conferences,
toolkits for benchmarking, assessing a facility for CHP, general design guides, and even primers for executives looking to get the ball rolling … ideas and tips for good design and operations run a lot deeper than LEED®.
A solar array contributed to putting this insurance headquarters in hot water — in a good way. See how those systems teamed with chiller plant improvements to maintain occupant and computer room productivity.
“Too warm.”
“Too stuffy.”
“Not enough airflow.”
These were just a few of the countless complaints that facilities managers of the Basic Medical Science Building at the University of New Mexico were receiving on a regular basis.
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