New building on track to receive LEED Platinum certification
The Energy Environment Experiential Learning (EEEL) building is anticipating Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certification.
When defined against industry-leading energy standards, the EEEL building boasts an energy cost savings of 68 per cent and is on track towards achieving all ten available LEED energy credits. Attaining such high energy savings in a laboratory building is extraordinary, since laboratory buildings require very high volumes of fresh air from outside.
Part of the energy savings is due to using natural light. Sunlight that comes in through large windows is redistributed throughout using reflective surfaces.
When natural light is unavailable, lighting is provided by high-efficiency light fixtures that are controlled by a computerized system using occupancy sensors and smart time scheduling. On the exterior fixed and moving sunshades reduce solar heat gain and glare.
Cooling towers chill water during the night when the outdoor temperature is low and store the chilled water for use during the day. Plastic piping transports chilled water through concrete slabs in the flooring to cool the building.
The building also has a heat recovery system that warms cool fresh air coming into the building using heat captured from the exiting warm stale air. Triple glazing, three panes of glass instead of two for windows, increases insulation.
Other innovative technologies include the use of Earth Tubes, concrete pipes that run fresh air underground, using the Earth to cool the air in the summer and warm it in the winter. The pre-conditioned air from the Earth Tubes is heated or cooled further and used in the main floor theatre. Their effectiveness will be monitored using energy meters to inform the use of Earth Tubes in future construction as this technology is normally used on a much smaller scale.
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