High Performance Buildings recently published an article on the new Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Campus. The campus was designed to reflect three key priorities: human environment, the local ecosystem, and a climate neutral future. Additionally, the new campus serves as a central hub for employees that were previously located in five different offices. Total cost of ownership was used to determine the major HVAC and water system design specifications. An energy model of the design specifications versus ASHRAE 90.1-2004 baseline predicted a cost savings of 34% and energy savings of 40%. The article provides a detailed lessons learned section as well as IEQ, site and water, transportation and materials. One issue that continually is a challenge in construction is waste management. This project successfully diverted 96% of the construction waste preventing 15,900 tons of debris from entering the landfill. In the end, the campus won awards for their design from ASHRAE, IES, and LEED platinum certification.
RO Engineers & Architects 