Case Studies

Empire State Building Sustainability Program

Savings through energy efficiency is appropriately exemplified by New York's Empire State Building. The building adopted an innovative energy efficiency program that led to a reduction of around $4.3 million worth of energy-related savings in the year 2012.

A total of eight conservation measures (ECM) were selected for implementation as part of the Empire State Building (ESB) Sustainability program. These include Radiator Insulation and Steam Trap Savings; Windows Retrofit; 3+4 Direct Digital Controls and DCV; Chiller Plant Retrofit; Tenant Energy Management; Tenant Daylighting, lighting and plugs; and VAV Air handling units. Moreover, the Empire State Building’s retrofit model is now being applied to large commercial buildings across the US. Johnson Controls and Jones Lang LaSalle, are partnering to apply the same approach to all 13 New York metropolitan area properties owned by Malkin, the company that manages the ESB.

Exploratorium, San Francisco

Exploratorium, a museum in San Francisco, California was founded by Frank Oppenheimer in the year 1969. The museum was recently moved to a new location and the new building aimed to be the nation's largest net-zero museum.   It is also targeting LEED Gold certification. The building has implemented several green features. It makes innovative use of water from San Francisco for radiant cooling or heating, depending on the season. This feature is projected to make the building 57 percent more efficient than the ASHRAE 90.1 baseline standard for a typical US museum.

It also has a dedicated outdoor air (OA) system for displacement ventilation that exceeds ASHRAE requirements by 30 percent. Further, it has several features that can help the building reduce its water usage by about 60 percent. No-flush urinals and dual-flush toilets are projected to save around 1 million gallons of water every year. The use of bay water for heating and cooling will also save around 2 million gallons of water annually. The roof has a rainwater recapture system that will help save around 300,000 gallons of water. Finally, the building's entire energy consumption will be offset by a 1.3 MW solar PV system mounted on the roof.

Bank of America Tower, New York

Bank of America Tower in New York City has been awarded the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Core & Shell™ Platinum certification, thus making it one of the world's most environmentally responsible high-rise office buildings. The company undertook a complete retrofit of the tower to set an example worldwide as a global company that takes significant action to address critical environmental issues. The building generates a part of its energy with a state-of-the-art onsite 5.1MW natural gas-burning cogeneration plant, providing a clean, efficient power source for the building's energy requirements. Further, by making use of a combination of low-flow plumbing fixtures and a gray water storage system, the building conserves about 10.3 million gallons of water every year.

In 2010, the Bank of America Tower at One Bryant Park received the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat Best Tall Building Award for the Americas Region, as well as a New York State Environmental Excellence Award from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

Building design and systems engineering

Nokia, Beijing

The Nokia Green Building, Nokia China’s new headquarters, has been designed around the principles of sustainability and energy efficiency. The building houses around 2,300 Nokia employees and a research and development (R&D) center (829,400 square feet).

The Nokia building is the first newly constructed commercial office building in China to be awarded a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold Certificate by the United States Green Building Council. The LEED Building Rating System provides a set of standards for environmentally sustainable construction and is aimed at encouraging and accelerating the global adoption of sustainable green building and development practices. Security needs were addressed by separating R&D and other Business Units into two distinct wings.

Its sustainability design strategy has been built by taking into consideration the climatic conditions of the area. Moreover, the building design makes use of natural light and ventilation and uses recycled materials where possible. Several techniques such as dual water systems for drinking and non-potable uses, and ‘breathing’ glass walls have resulted in big reductions in water (37 percent) and energy (20 percent) use as compared to other commercial buildings. The headquarters also has underground parking, a reserved parking area for environmentally- friendly cars, and a secure bicycle parking area to encourage biking.

Building materials

Franklin County Courthouse

In June 2011, Franklin County inaugurated a courthouse that is LEED Gold Certified. Some of the features of the building are low-flow plumbing, a rain garden and “green” roof, and “Smart” glass that blocks ultraviolet and other non-visible radiation. Further, the construction process was green too, and around 95 percent of construction waste was diverted from landfills. Many building materials were locally sourced and, many were recycled. Wood paneling came from sustainably managed forests in the region

HVAC

Kensington High School, Philadelphia

Philadelphia School District decided to replace a deteriorating high school with three smaller, magnet-style institutions. AP Construction (AP) and BSI Construction, LLC. (BSI) undertook delivery of a turn-key solution, for Kensington High School  for  Creative  and  Performing  Arts

(KCAPA), and sought to develop a bright, comfortable, inspirational environment that would facilitate education.

Carrier, in conjunction with Alderson Engineering, recommended that AP/BSI use 77 Aquazone water source heat pumps paired with custom dual-wheel energy recovery units to provide sustainable temperature control and fresh air to each classroom in KCAPA. KCAPA became the first high school in Pennsylvania to attain LEED platinum status, exceeding the builders’ LEED Gold ambitions. Aquazone heat pumps are quiet and reliable and require minimal maintenance. Each outdoor air unit is controlled by temperature and CO2 sensors within the classroom, so fresh air is only brought in as needed, saving additional energy.

Lighting, Elevators, and Controls

Regenerative Elevators 

Otis Elevator Company, a unit of United Technologies Corp produces elevators that are energy efficient. These elevators known as Gen2 elevators incorporate green technology, including ReGen™ drives and LED lighting as standard. LED lighting in these elevators comes with auto-shutoff. These elevators use much less hydraulic fluid than existing models and require less space.

Lighting Solutions

Sidwell Friends Middle School in DC upgraded its middle school building and transformed it into a LEED Platinum-certified building. One of the features of the building was an energy-efficient lighting control solution that was developed by Lutron. This lighting control system is comprised of digitally addressable dimming ballasts, controls, and environmental sensors. This feature helped the school reduce its lighting energy consumption by about 95 percent and overall energy consumption by 55 percent. Yet another example is that of the Exelon building in Chicago, Illinois. The building implemented the Lutron Ecosystem for lighting controls. Through strategies such as dimmable lighting, daylight harvesting, and occupancy sensing, the project achieved a 50 percent reduction in annual energy costs.