Designing a "Smart Building"

Project:

Pacific Baptist Church
Long Beach, California
40,000 square feet
Sanctuary seating of approximately1400
30 classrooms/offices

Challenge: Budget sensitive
Energy efficient
Environmentally friendly

Goal: We did not intend to become Leeds Certified due to expense, but we could have components of Leed Certified buildings. We sought to design and deliver solutions so that this “smart” building exhibits characteristics of being a good steward.

Team: Church Development Services Project Manager and Architectural Services
Sunbelt Engineering Group, Inc. (www.sunbeltegi.com) Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing diagrams
Yardley-Zarestky, Inc (www.yzi-hvac.com) Energy Management Systems
Jim Ritchie (www.fbcs.org) - Construction Manager

There are several attributes about this expansion campaign that are important to note. The first is that we need to be budget sensitive. As “going green” becomes the trend it is important to note that acting in a responsible way involves being a good steward of all our resources.

In this project the team first put on the table what would is possible in theory, and then sought to implement what is economically feasible. As the thought process is outlined please understand that financial considerations create the need for difficult decisions that impact design and delivery. A large majority of churches will not be able to implement design features that will bring about “Leeds Certification”. This does not mean that some or much of what we are suggesting cannot be utilized. As you read through our thought process, challenge yourself and your team to figure out what would be feasible for your project.

Please note that this is a “team” project. When you begin to add going “green” or having a “smart” building, another set of skills often need to be integrated. A team of professionals must be able to compliment one another if the project is going to leave the drawing board and become a reality. To limit the scope of this discussion we are not addressing procedures that deal specifically with site planning (the dirt) rather we are focusing on the building.

General Architectural Considerations

Site location, orientation, and usage

Smart design makes use of the site in a way that does not require extreme reconstruction of the site. Rather it strives to utilize the natural contours and site characteristics when deciding where to place the building, parking, storm water retention, and the like. The goal is to disturb the already existing permeability of the land as little as possible. We have designed buildings into the side of hills, used trees for shading, and/or positioned the building to receive maximum sunlight.

Researching different trees and what the impact is. I will mention that thanks to the dedicated staff of this church we found out that young – growing trees are more environmentally friendly than older more mature trees when looking at absorbing carbon dioxide and throwing off oxygen. Thus we are planting young growing trees that respond favorably to this region.

Materials that promote energy conservation by using varying glazing types to enhance or reduce solar gain, regulating shading devices, and promoting heat storage or to dissipate heat storage.

In this project consideration for delighting by utilizing clear story windows and/or sky lights is possible.  Added insulation to roof and walls will further reduce the HVAC loads.

Consideration of photovoltaic shingles has been suggested to provide power for the building.  We are looking to duplicate a project we did that is using this technology and is successfully supplying the structure with all 110 power requirements.

Mechanical (HVAC) Design

We want "demand controlled ventilation" utilizing CO2 sensors and motor operated dampers on the outside air intakes. This prevents large amounts of outside air being conditioned when the building is not fully occupied.  The damper modulates toward open or closed depending on the CO2 levels in the building.  The units, however, are still controlled by the thermostat for temperature.

A large budget project, like this, can have a unit to precondition the outside air removing outside temperature and humidity from the air handling units.  This allows the units to handle only the interior loads of the building and the envelope (walls, roof, and windows).  The interior units would be selected with the highest SEER (minimum 13) rating available that fit the project.  By separating the outside air load from the air handling units we can significantly reduce the amount of tonnage needed to heat and cool the structure. 

An energy management system (EMS) is utilized to regulate HVAC and lighting.  The EMS automatically will adjust the temperature in the room with sensors so that a room with seating for 1400, such as this Sanctuary, will be heated or cooled based on the amount of people actually in the room. If there are 200 people in the Sanctuary, then the room will be adjusted accordingly. While this building is being designed to handle the maximum occupancy load, delivering an amount that correlates to the amount of people using the building will result in savings and greater efficiency of the mechanical systems.

An EMS system will also alert when maintenance is required on the units. This keeps the units running at maximum efficiency and helps to prevent untimely and expensive repairs. Zoning the system is not anything new but remains an effective way to control the flow of air so that only the parts of the building being used receive the necessary air.

Electrical

Electrically there are many things to be addressed.  Exterior lighting can be solar operated (this is one of the “LEED” points), fixtures and light bulbs would be energy efficient, can lights should be fluorescent color corrected bulbs, not incandescent.  Lighting controls with timers would be utilized. In this design all will be operated from an energy management system from Yardley-Zaretsky through a computer.

Utilizing this technology, each room’s lighting will adjust based on the amount of natural light that is available. Automatically turning down the amount of artificial light in the day and increasing it as the evening begins.

The sensors also can tell when there has not been any movement in an area for a specified amount of time (depending on the program). When there is no movement the lights are turned off. Hence should someone forget to turn the lights out, the system will take care of that automatically.

Plumbing

We are looking at high efficiency water heating, low flow water closets, possibly using waterless urinals, and flow restrictors on all the lavatories. Another item that can be done is a gray water system.  Thus water can be collected from the roof drains or from lavatories, sinks and drinking fountains that could be stored in a tank or cistern and pumped back into the building to operate the water closets.

Conclusion

Each of these steps has to be measured and is a process. We have been designing “smart buildings” before it became fashionable. Do not get caught up in over design for the sake of being “green”. At some point we believe the price point for much of what is now considered expensive design and construction will be become commonplace.

Jim Ritchie, Construction Manager, working in tandem with the design team will continue to evaluate each of these solutions.

We know that the EMS system will be an integral part of this project thanks to the generosity of Yardley-Zarestky, Inc and one of their Project Managers, Richard Lazo who is a member of the church.

Each member of our team welcomes your questions or comments.

Church Development Services, www.churchdevelopment.com, located in Virginia Beach, Virginia, has been serving churches for more than 25 years and has successfully completed more than 400 projects by using “off-the-shelf”, custom-designed and/or “turn-key” solutions for church and church related expansion campaigns.