Page 92 - Zero Net Energy Case Study Buildings-Volume 1

CASE STUDIES NO. 5 AND 6 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, MERCED
University of California, Merced
Preface to Case Studies No. 5 and 6
PHOTO: EHDD
PHOTO: JOHN ELLIOTT
Zero Net Energy Campus Planning and Building Design: The Backstory
The University of California at Merced (UC Merced) is referred to as “the first new research campus of the 21st century” for the University of California and was officially opened in the fall of 2005, utilizing student residence halls and the new main library building as the venue for campus activities. Six months later, two other main buildings opened for use: the Classroom & Office Building and Science & Engineering Building I, both of which are the subject of case studies in this publication.
Planning for the campus began years before; sustainability in all aspects was a driving principle in its planning and design. The UC Merced 2009 Long Range Development Plan (LRDP) sum- marizes much of this work and looks ahead ten years as the new campus grows and develops in every respect. Because of the centrality of sustainable design to this Plan and its overall quality, The American Institute of Architects’ Committee on the Environment (AIA COTE) awarded it the national designation as one of the 2012 COTE Top Ten Green Projects in the United States.
“This project is showing the way in regards to employing district-scale systems effectively. By using systems that are bigger than individual buildings, they are demonstrating that economies of scale are an important component of the continuing evolution of sustainable design.” –AIA COTE Jury
The “Triple Zero Commitment”
One of the principal features of the 2009 LRDP that led to the 2012 national AIA COTE award is its Triple Zero Commitment. Mandated by the Regents of the University of California and the State of California, this Commitment is, when the campus is fully built out, (1) to consume zero net energy; (2) to produce zero landfill waste; (3) to produce zero net carbon emissions, that is, to be carbon neutral.
These ambitious goals are supported by a number of initiatives that the University has undertak- en, which are spelled out in some detail in the UC Merced Sustainability Strategic Plan (2010). With regard to the commitments to Zero Net Energy (ZNE) and Zero Net Carbon (ZNC), the three principal objectives or initiatives are:
1. Maximize energy efficiency in building design and operations - with an initial goal to consume half the energy and demand of other university buildings in California and exceed Title 24 by 30% in all new buildings by 2010.
2. Achieve campus zero net energy usage through renewable energy generation by 2020.
3. Achieve zero net greenhouse gas emissions by 2020, prioritizing on-site and regional offsets.
In other words, the objectives of the ZNE plan involve an emphasis on energy-efficient building design and, as noted in particular, building operations, combined with a gradual introduction of on-site renewable energy generation using arrays of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels, wind turbine generators, biomass systems and geothermal systems.
This plan is being implemented, with the energy performance budgets for new buildings being steadily lowered as experience is gained and the on-site renewable energy supply is incremen- tally increased. As the new campus grows and buildings are added in each of the four phases up through 2020, the overall energy-efficiency of the new campus buildings will increase (their energy budgets will be reduced as determined to be technically feasible) and more on-site re-
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Zero Net Energy Case Study Buildings: Volume 1