Main Architecture and Design USACE Headquarter: Positive Working Environment

USACE Headquarter: Positive Working Environment

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Seattle Headquarters lauded with AIA Green Building Award. GSA project highlighted as example of reducing operating costs, saving tax payer money and providing healthier work space for a federal agency. The Top Ten Plus, now its third year, recognizes one past AIA COTE Top Ten Project Award recipient which has quantifiable metrics that demonstrate the true impact the sustainable design has achieved. The Federal Center South Building 1202, designed by ZGF Architects LLP and built by Sellen Construction, was selected in 2013 as a recipient of the AIA /COTE Top Ten Project Award program.

The redevelopment project was part of the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and was delivered on time and within the original $72 million budget. The new building transformed a previously toxic brownfield into a new standard for a high-performance, cost-effective and sustainable workplace environment. Far from typical in government projects, the design and construction of the facility was completed in just 31 months as part of a rapid project delivery model.

While the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) managed this innovative delivery, the ultimate tenant was the USACE, which was were relocated from a 1970s office environment of private offices and a sea of cubicles within a stove-pipe organization structure to this new open, collaborative work environment with abundant natural daylight, low-partitioned workstations and a “commons” area designed to promote a 21st Century, biophilic, and collaborative work environment.

Green features
Following a one-year measurement and verification period, it was established that the building’s energy performance is meeting the goal of more than 30 percent better than ASHRAE 90.1 – the benchmark for commercial building energy codes in the U.S. After the first year, the facility’s metered energy performance has met every design target, including the contractually required energy performance and the AIA 2030 Commitment. At the end of last year, the Federal Center South building was using 61% less energy than the national average for similar buildings and 46% less water than a current plumbing code defined baseline.

This project demonstrates the success of performance-oriented contracting and the value of both energy modeling and post-occupancy monitoring. The energy modeling done in the design phase showed a $55,000 energy cost savings each year associated with the high-performance systems integrated into the building. The post-occupancy evaluation looked at energy and workplace performance and has been crucial in determining how to best optimize all facets of how the building was intended to function.

To further enhance the building’s sustainable performance, the team developed, tested and evaluated enhancements to the base design during the design and construction of the project so that the GSA could incorporate upgrades into the project as funding became available. Through this process, the team was able to add rainwater harvesting, a geothermal system, enhanced lighting controls, an energy dashboard and improved glass in the main skylight.

Full content of this issue you can read here

The full version of the article can be read in our printed issue, also you can subscribe to the web-version of the magazine