Page 34 - Zero Net Energy Case Study Buildings-Volume 1

CASE STUDY NO. 1
PACKARD FOUNDATION HEADQUARTERS BUILDING
Commissioning
Given the innovation level of the building design, the entire project team planned a thorough approach to the commissioning process for this building. Initially, a group called the Post Oc- cupancy Services Team, or POXc, worked to ensure that the building was operating properly at start-up. Shortly afterward, a follow-up group called the Tiger Team was formed to manage operations from move-in to completion of post-occupancy commissioning. Included were the beginnings of energy measurements and communicating with building occupants about building performance.
Occupant Behavior (“User Commissioning”)
The Packard Foundation leadership recognized that building users have as much a role as the designers and builders in achieving the goal of ZNE performance. Communication of information about the building’s features and performance was central to promoting supportive behavior on the part of the occupants.
Initially, the idea of user engagement was very proactive, with the selection of “neighborhood am- bassadors” from each of the twelve office neighborhoods created in the initial planning process. The idea was that the ambassadors would inform themselves about the building’s sustainability features, track performance and communicate back to their neighborhood co-workers. In the end, this proved to be marginally important because of how well the building itself communicated with occupants (via the prominent dashboard screen at the building entry as well as ready ac- cess at each staffperson’s monitor) and because the building provided such an apparent level of comfort for the occupants. An example of the former is the installation of a natural ventilation status icon described in the paragraphs above.
Building occupants are not required to respond to these system cues with the designated be- havior, but rather to do whatever is comfortable for them as individuals. The fact that the building remains very comfortable has lessened the sense that behavior control needs to be invoked for any reason. The building continues to perform at the ZNE level with the range of behaviors of the building occupants.
Energy Design Analysis and Energy Performance -
Modeling versus Initial Post-Occupancy Measurements
Energy Use – Modeling
The modeling for the Packard Foundation Headquarters office building was carried out using eQuest version 3.64. In the final analysis, the model showed a predicted EUI of 19.4, an energy demand value that could be met using solar photovoltaic panels in the building roofs alone. Since the impact of occupant behavior on the actual demand was unknown, additional panels were placed on canopies over the visitor parking area as a conservative cushion to guarantee ZNE.
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Zero Net Energy Case Study Buildings: Volume 1