Bringing in the Light (original) (raw)

Evaluation of the Energy Performance of Six High-Performance Buildings: Preprint

2005

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) monitored and evaluated the energy performance of six high-performance buildings around the United States. The six buildings were the Visitor Center at Zion National Park, the NREL Thermal Test Facility, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation's Merrill Environmental Center, the BigHorn Home Improvement Center, the Cambria Office Building, and the Oberlin College Lewis Center.

Enhancing building performance

Architectural Science Review, 2013

School buildings directly affect their natural and socio-cultural environments. They do this through their construction, maintenance, operation, and demolition. Most of the school buildings we have in stock today drain natural resources and inadvertently perpetuate a culture of environmental, social, and long-term economic ignorance and misuse. When approached thoughtfully, however, the design of school buildings can help inform and enrich society. Well-designed buildings can impart environmental knowledge and values. They can foster more effective behaviors among the people who learn in and from them. Effectively designed buildings can also conserve natural resources and-at their best-even help replenish the natural environment. For many school leaders today, participation in green certification programs represents one important step toward improved building and learning performance. This chapter provides a case study of successful learning approaches developed by Virginia Beach City Public Schools (VBCPS).

Lessons Learned from Field Evaluation of Six High-Performance Buildings

The energy performance of six high-performance buildings around the United States was monitored in detail. The six buildings include the Visitor Center at Zion National Park; the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's Thermal Test Facility; the Chesapeake Bay Foundation's Merrill Center; The BigHorn Home Improvement Center; the Cambria DEP Office Building; and the Oberlin College Lewis Center. This paper discusses the design energy targets and actual performance.

Creating low-energy commercial buildings through effective design and evaluation

1998

This paper presents two case studies of passive solar commercial buildings that were designed and constructed at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colorado, as part of the US Department of Energy's (DOE's) and NREL's Exemplary Buildings Program. These buildings use much less energy than equivalent code-compliant buildings and have remained within government-mandated budget constraints. Performance predictions generated as an integral part of the design process, as well as actual measured energy and daylighting performance are presented. Also presented are lessons learned during the design, construction, and initial occupancy of the buildings. Two general practices were tantamount--close communication between all team members from predesign through commissioning and occupancy, and a commitment to use of solar technologies and energy efficiency by all building design team members. It was found that, even when a team is committed to a low-energy goa...

High-Performance Buildings: Lessons Learned

Ashrae Journal

ecause buildings consume more than 39% of the nation's primary energy and more than 70% of the total electricity, 1 it is essential that architects and engineers design buildings that use considerably less energy than existing buildings. Some owners and designers have made great strides to significantly change the way commercial buildings use energy.