Chicago Architect November/December 2012 : Page 45

2012 SustainABILITY AWARDS A new Design Excellence Award category in 2012, AIA Chicago established the SustainABILTY Award to promote built and unbuilt work that demonstrates how community building and deep reductions in energy use are essential to good design in the 21st century. The designs should take a holistic approach, creating healthy, aesthetically pleasing environments for users; addressing issues of architectural and natural context; and fostering resource efﬁ ciency in both energy and non-energy related areas. Projects or designs are eligible if they were completed between May 1, 2007 and May 1, 2012. Projects must be designed by Chicago-area architects or be located in Chicago. The winners and all submissions can be viewed at aiachicago.org. Photography by Jonnu Singleton Photography DESIGN ARCHITECT: Sheehan Partners Ltd. CLIENT: Facebook CONTRACTOR: DPR/Fortis CONSULTANTS: Facebook, AlfaTech, Peoples Associates Structural Engineers, WH Paciﬁ c, Brightworks HONOR AWARD FACEBOOK PRINEVILLE DATA CENTER PRINEVILLE, OR “It’s pure, it’s simple, it’s not overwrought and it’s beautifully designed,” one juror said about the Facebook Prineville Data Center. Designed to be one of the most energy-efﬁ cient facilities in the world, the data center houses 100,000 custom servers, expends no energy for mechanical cooling, and is 38 percent more efﬁ cient and 24 percent less expensive to build and run than other state-of-the-art data centers. The data center’s high efﬁ ciency is due to the design of the building’s computer equipment room and mechanical penthouse that functions as an occupied air handler, using the warm exhaust air to heat the ofﬁ ce areas. “Using waste heat to provide energy for another part of the building [is] what I ﬁ nd really interesting,” another juror said. Energy savings also come from having electricity for servers go through fewer transformations. In an industry where designs are generally kept secret, Facebook has made every aspect of its data center public through OpenCompute.org. Understanding the importance of this, one juror remarked, “They’re sharing what they did in order to advance it.” Chicago Architect nov | dec 2012 45

SustainABILITY Awards

A new Design Excellence Award category in 2012, AIA Chicago established the SustainABILTY Award to promote built and unbuilt work that demonstrates how community building and deep reductions in energy use are essential to good design in the 21st century. The designs should take a holistic approach, creating healthy, aesthetically pleasing environments for users; addressing issues of architectural and natural context; and fostering resource efficiency in both energy and non-energy related areas. Projects or designs are eligible if they were completed between May 1, 2007 and May 1, 2012. Projects must be designed by Chicago-area architects or be located in Chicago. The winners and all submissions can be viewed at aiachicago.org. HONOR AWARD FACEBOOK PRINEVILLE DATA CENTER PRINEVILLE, OR DESIGN ARCHITECT: Sheehan Partners Ltd. CLIENT: Facebook CONTRACTOR: DPR/Fortis CONSULTANTS: Facebook, AlfaTech, Peoples Associates Structural Engineers, WH Pacific, Brightworks “It’s pure, it’s simple, it’s not overwrought and it’s beautifully designed,” one juror said about the Facebook Prineville Data Center. Designed to be one of the most energy-efficient facilities in the world, the data center houses 100,000 custom servers, expends no energy for mechanical cooling, and is 38 percent more efficient and 24 percent less expensive to build and run than other state-of-the-art data centers. The data center’s high efficiency is due to the design of the building’s computer equipment room and mechanical penthouse that functions as an occupied air handler, using the warm exhaust air to heat the office areas. “Using waste heat to provide energy for another part of the building [is] what I find really interesting,” another juror said. Energy savings also come from having electricity for servers go through fewer transformations. In an industry where designs are generally kept secret, Facebook has made every aspect of its data center public through OpenCompute.org. Understanding the importance of this, one juror remarked, “They’re sharing what they did in order to advance it.” HONOR AWARD INSPIRATION KITCHEN, EAST GARFIELD PARK CHICAGO DESIGN ARCHITECT: Wheeler Kearns Architects CLIENT: Inspiration Corporation CONTRACTOR: The Heartland Construction Group Inc. CONSULTANTS: dbHMS, IFF, Thornton Tomasetti, Threshold Acoustics, Wolff Landscape Architecture An adaptive reuse of an uninhabited 1906 masonry building and the improvement of three vacant lots along an under-developed stretch of Lake Street created Inspiration Kitchen in Chicago’s East Garfield Park neighborhood. Energy efficiency was improved by using spray foam insulation to make the existing masonry walls and roof air-tight; and thermally superior acoustic windows and skylights replaced the existing non-insulated units. Solar thermal panels were placed on both of the south-facing slopes of the roof and supply 7 percent of the building’s energy needs. The building now houses an 80-seat restaurant that serves more than 3,000 subsidized meals per year to poor working families and market-rate meals to the general public. The catering and training kitchen works as a classroom for 16 students who participate in the 13-week food service training program, and gives administrative space to support the organization’s community outreach programs. ”It’s a really great project,” a juror commented. “I like the community aspect.” CITATION OF MERIT RICHARD J. KLARCHEK INFORMATION COMMONS, LOYOLA UNIVERSITY CHICAGO DESIGN ARCHITECT: Solomon Cordwell Buenz CLIENT: Loyola University Chicago and President Father Michael Garanzini CONTRACTOR: Pepper Construction CONSULTANTS: Halvorson & Partners, Elara Engineering, Transsolar KlimaEngineering, SmithgroupJJR, Chartersills The views and the comfort Loyola University’s commons offers students make it a popular destination. While enjoying the space, they’re probably not thinking about the Building Automation System (BAS) that operates this LEED Silver building at 52 percent below the ASHRAE minimum requirements. One juror commented that the building’s design was “clear and simple” and that the plans were “executed nicely.” The BAS operates the building’s mechanical systems and glazed east and west façades by using a roof-top weather station that signals automated windows to open to ventilate and cool the interior. A double-skinned west façade draws warm air up and out from the wind, and horizontal blinds—which track the sun’s movement—are the west façade’s primary shading device. A juror commented that the building is “sited very effectively.” When weather is unsuitable, the BAS closes windows and the double-skin cavity. Active radiant concrete ceilings, combined with mechanical under-floor-air ventilate and condition the space. CITATION OF MERIT UNIVERSIDADE AGOSTINHO NETO LUANDA, ANGOLA DESIGN ARCHITECT: Perkins+Will CLIENT: Universidade Agostinho Neto CONTRACTOR: China Jiangsu International Economic Technical Cooperation Corporation CONSULTANTS: Dar Al-Handasah (Shair and Partners), Battle McCarthy, Schuler Shook, Paulien & Associates Inc Perkins+Will created a low-energy, low-maintenance university campus on the outskirts of Luanda, Angola. After reviewing the site’s plans, one juror noted “it’s a big effort.” Classroom buildings are naturally ventilated by using bars in a grid 19 degrees east of the north/south axis. The siting strikes a balance between the ideal solar orientation and the need to maximinze natural ventilation by standing perpendicular to prevailing southwest breezes. An undulating louvered roof over the buildings was calibrated through computer fluid dynamics. The roof minimizes solar gain and enhances cross-ventilation by maximizing pressure differentiation—similar to how wings work on an airplane. Due to the site’s location at the Equator, the buildings have a layer of sun screening on the north and south elevations. “Clearly there was a lot of technical analysis that was done to generate these forms,” said another juror. “And it looks like it must be a pretty nice spot to be in.” CITATION OF MERIT 31ST STREET HARBOR CHICAGO DESIGN ARCHITECT: AECOM CLIENT: Public Building Commission of Chicago and Chicago Park District CONTRACTOR: McHugh Construction, F.H., Paschen Construction Company CONSULTANTS: Primera Engineers Ltd., Desman Associates, Edgewater Resources, Site Design Group Ltd., Schuler Shook, K2N Crest, Concord Group, Brook Architecture, Fountain Technologies, Ltd., Ardmore Associates, Regina Webster & Associates Inc., Quercus Consulting AECOM transformed an underused three-acre portion of the Lake Michigan lakefront into a new public amenity. The project includes three-quarters of an acre of green space on land created by the breakwater and a 63,300-squarefoot accessible green roof on a structure that houses a community room. “The idea of occupying that roof was a really nice design move,” commented a juror. Another said, “It would be nice to see more buildings that try to integrate like this.” Designed to achieve LEED Silver, the harbor services building is heated by a geothermal system that uses 33 percent less energy than ASHRAE standards. The environmental design benefits were enhanced through refrigerant management, low-flow plumbing fixtures—with a 63 percent water savings overall and 40.4 percent savings in building water—and sensored lighting and daylighting in 100 percent of occupied spaces. CITATION OF MERIT LINCOLN BUILDING SYRACUSE, NY DESIGN ARCHITECT: Brininstool + Lynch CLIENT: New West Side Initiative/Syracuse University CONTRACTOR: Rich & Gardner Construction CONSULTANTS: Palucci Engineering, C&S Companies Brininstool + Lynch’s renovation of the Lincoln Building is a prototype for Syracuse University’s revitalization goal for its surrounding neighborhood through the Near West Side Initiative. In collaboration with Syracuse University’s School of Architecture, the Syracuse Center of Excellence, UPSTATE, consultants and community stakeholders, Brininstool + Lynch redesigned the Lincoln Building to have two floors of commercial space and two floors of live/work space to help promote the neighborhood’s urban vitality. “Clearly the university is taking some stance on advancing these ideas, which is good,” commented a juror. To bring the building up-to-date, the renovation included a geothermal heat pump system, green roof, on-site rain gardens and an exterior “green screen” that wraps the existing façade, providing shade for the interior in growing months. “[This] gets a major university to rethink their existing building stock,” another juror said. CITATION OF MERIT CHICAGO LOOP DECARBONIZATION PLAN CHICAGO DESIGN ARCHITECT: Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture CLIENT: City of Chicago CONSULTANTS: Bryan Cave LLP, Environmental Systems Design, Commonwealth Edison The Chicago Loop Decarbonization Plan is a vision for the city to reach the Chicago Climate Action Plan’s carbon reduction goals. “The aspirations are enormous,” said a juror. “It’s such a holistic project and, from a leadership standpoint, it’s really strong.” For more than three years, Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture has developed strategies by creating synergistic relationships that yield greater carbon saving and lifestyle enhancements than if the plan was implemented separately. Today, the firm continues to move forward with the project. Another juror said of the plan, “Taking the lead on something like this is a daunting task, and here, it is done well.” SPECIAL RECOGNITION IRON STREET FARM MASTER PLAN CHICAGO ARCHITECT: Ross Barney Architects CLIENT: Growing Power ARCHITECT: Ross Barney Architects CONSULTANTS: Goodfriend Magruder “It’s redefining how we’re living in urban areas,” a juror said about this facility, which is planned for a seven-acre site bordered by the Chicago River in the Bridgeport neighborhood. Iron Street is designed to be a waste processing, carbon-neutral facility that will produce food year-round, including fresh produce, tilapia and yellow perch, chickens, ducks and other small animals. It will also be a facility for the training and employment of residents and youth. The facility’s anaerobic digester is designed to convert organic waste into 29,200 gallons of water, 7.3 million pounds of biogas and 197,100 pounds of compost annually. The digester will produce methane gas that will produce enough electricity and heat for the operation, with surplus energy being sold commercially. The jury recognized the importance of projects like this one. As one juror put it, “[As] world population increases and food production becomes more of an issue, we’re almost going to need to revert to more local food production.” SPECIAL RECOGNITION SUZHOU CENTER WUJIANG, CHINA DESIGN ARCHITECT: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP CLIENT: Greenland Group CONSULTANTS: Klimaat Consulting & Innovation Set for completion in 2016, the 76-story Suzhou Center’s top 30 floors will contain apartments and hotel rooms. To increase natural ventilation, the residential floors are organized around an innovative central atrium that acts as the building’s “lung.” Jurors were pleased that the building’s design was based on its performance. Convex primary façades combined with concave short façades are shaped to increase the flow of natural ventilation through the windows on the tower’s east and west elevation. A high-performance system of digital controls will meter and direct the flow of air into the atrium by opening and closing windows throughout the building to allow the 1,170-foot-tall tower to “breathe.” This system will help the tower achieve a 30 percent reduction from the ASHRAE baseline. Another juror said that the tower was an example of “moving away from building for fashion and moving towards building for purpose.” SustainABILITY AWARD JURY Cheryl Noel, AIA, LEED AP Wrap Architecture Chicago William Sturm, AIA, LEED AP Serena Sturm Architects Chicago Scott Wolf, FAIA, LEED BD+C The Miller Hull Partnership Seattle

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