ASHRAE Net Zero Headquarters
Creating net zero energy, market rate solutions for our aging structures.
As a non-profit dedicated to advancing HVAC&R design and engineering, ASHRAE made a fundamental commitment to renovate an existing structure for its new headquarters, coupled with a mandate that the renovation be completed to Zero Energy standards, integrate advanced HVAC&R technologies, and provide high quality daylighting. The resulting design was completed in late 2020 for $200/SF, including full rehabilitation of the exterior envelope, interior renovation, and replacement of existing building systems. The final building is operating under the design assumptions, making it among the lowest energy consuming buildings over 50,000 SF in the southeast. The building is fully Net Zero Energy and is tracking multiple certifications.
To achieve these results, the design followed a rigorous process that addressed the right steps in the right order. In summary, the components to be developed were:
• Identify and maximize passive design opportunities
• Create a high performance envelope
• Right size the building’s mechanical and electrical systems
• Hone the building occupants’ comfort, daylight, and workplace design
ASHRAE intended for the renovated facility to become a true “living laboratory”, a showcase for the latest HVAC&R equipment and technology, allowing the public to view the building’s dashboard performance at all times. In addition, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, a part of the U.S. Department of Energy has selected the ASHRAE Headquarters building as their sole case study for 2021-2022, producing a deep dive analysis and scrutiny of the building’s performance and promoting it to others looking to implement their own deep green renovations.
“Houser Walker did an outstanding job leading the design and renovation of ASHRAE’s new Global Headquarters in Peachtree Corners, GA. The complicated and closely watched project…focusses on energy efficiency, flexibility and occupant comfort. In addition to the high-performance building systems, the Houser Walker team created a fantastic work environment
A complicating factor was the relationship between the budget, donated equipment, and the innovative net-zero energy design. An owner oversight committee of professional design engineers added an additional layer of complexity. Houser Walker navigated that challenging environment very well.”
Jeff Littleton, EVP, ASHRAE International
Client
ASHRAE
Location
Peachtree Corners, GA
Status
Completed
Size
66,000 SF
Project Team
Gregory Walker, Tom Butler, Megan McDonough
Collaborators
Introba Engineering, McLennan Design, Shear Structural, Costing Services Group, Epsten Group, SK Collaborative, Skanska NA, Darden Program Management
Recognition, Publications, and Awards
AIA South Atlantic Region Design Award and Paladin Sustainability Award, ENR Southeast Excellence in Sustainability Award, Metropolis Magazine Planet Positive Merit Award, AIA Georgia Honor Award, ULI Atlanta Honor Award
Tags
Commerce, Ecological, Renovation
We began by a comprehensive set of existing conditions metrics which prioritized the passive design elements of the building, as well as identifying the point of diminishing returns on items like insulation, window shading, daylighting, window to wall ratios, etc.
An existing entry atrium that required over 40 tons of cooling was re-designed to orient towards an existing lake, bring in more carefully controlled daylight, and reduced the cooling load to five tons.
To maximize the performance of the building envelope, each component (openings, insulative capacity, daylight, overhangs, air infiltration) was optimized for the site, climate, orientation, and cost utilizing a proprietary analytics software.
Custom perforated shading devices were optimized for each elevation.
Schedule and budget required retaining the existing precast exterior panels, which were overlaid with a 3.5” layer of continuous rigid insulation, stucco, and high-performance window frames and glazing were installed.
All potential areas of air infiltration were comprehensively identified, sealed, tested, and adjusted, resulting in an overall air-infiltration rate that is among the lowest achievable.
A key health consideration was providing high levels of productive daylight. Extensive analysis identified that 16 diffuse, high-performance skylights, along with carefully calibrated exterior window locations, would provide near-continuous daylight to just under 60% of all occupied spaces.
In particular, the team found that window wall ratios calibrated for each orientation would provide the best daylight to thermal performance. Overall, the window to wall ratios average 28% for the east/west exposures and 37% for the north/south exposures.
Mechanical and electrical systems, including the lighting, were then ‘right-sized’ to minimize their size and energy use. The building utilizes a fully hydronic heating/cooling overhead system coupled with a DOAS supply system. The hydronic system is the largest radiant panel HVAC installation known in the southeast and will stimulate further market acceptance, much as ASHRAE’s last headquarters design did for VRF technologies.
Advanced lighting controls provide a high level of visual comfort and energy reduction and are minimized to take advantage of the generous daylight.
Creating a finely tuned “machine” allowed the team to work closely with ASHRAE to develop a layout and workflow that greatly enhanced their productivity and interaction.
By culture, ASHRAE’s staff engages in largely heads down, highly analytic work. A choice by the client to reuse existing high walled workstations pushed the design team to find areas of concentrated social interaction, achieved through a new outdoor deck, connections to a freshly installed pondside walkway, and small moments at circulation crossroads on each floor.
Vistas were maintained along each major corridor and interior materials were chosen for their ecological impacts and long-term durability.