by Shane Henson — December 5, 2011—The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) recently held its ASHRAE Technology Awards to recognize achievements by members who have applied innovative building design incorporating the organization’s standards for effective energy management and indoor air quality.
According to ASHRAE award officials, the awards communicate innovative systems design to other ASHRAE members and highlight technological achievements of ASHRAE to others around the world. Winning projects were selected from entries earning regional awards. They include:
New Commercial Buildings: Mountain Equipment Co-op—This 22,600 sq.ft. single-story retail sporting goods outlet was designed to have a minimal impact on the environment. Optimization of the envelope resulted in an envelope insulated near twice the recommendations of the Model National Energy Code for Buildings, thus reducing the overall energy needs for the building. Structural Insulated Panels were used for their efficiency, tightness and minimal construction time. Energy simulations showed a measured annual energy saving of 54% and cost savings of 57%.
Design team: Roland Charneux and Pageau Morel & Associates, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Existing Commercial Buildings: IKEA Brossard Distribution Center—The extensive distribution center belongs to one of the largest furniture retailers in the world. Notable improvements include the addition of a 160T geothermal system, the principal source of heat for the building. During a typical winter, the geothermal system is capable of supplying 70% of required heat. The overall project thus provides greater human comfort, with never-before cooling in the warehouse while realizing greater than 50% dollar energy savings.
Design Team: Ken Sonmor, Ecovision Consulting, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Educational Facilities: Université de Sherbrooke, Campus de Longueuil, Quebec—With its 16-story glass tower built in the heart of Longueuil’s downtown area, the new campus building is one of the tallest structures on Montreal’s South Shore. From the start, designers chose an integrated design approach to the project. Although geothermal energy is rarely used in urban settings, designers connected a chiller to a geothermal system consisting of 37 vertical boreholes. The 165-ton screw chiller acts essentially like a heat pump and provides about 25% of the building’s heating and cooling capacity. Along with several other energy efficient innovations, energy consumption was reduced by 46%, consequently saving over $250,000 a year on energy invoices.
Design team: René Dansereau, Dessau, Longueuil, Quebec, Canada.
New Health Care Facilities: Abbotsford Regional Hospital and Cancer Center—ARHCC is an acute care hospital built in the province of British Columbia. The design team was responsible for the design of the HVAC, plumbing and fire protection systems of the hospital. Thanks to their efforts, the ARHCC is running 56% below the Environmental Protection Agency’s energy benchmark, using just 153 kBtu/ft2 compared to the typical 350 kBtu/ft2 for a similar building
Design Team: Paul Marmion, Stantec Consulting, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
New Industrial Facilities or Processes: Thermal Energy Storage at the Texas Medical Center in Houston—In 2007, master planning determined that the cooling load of the 80,000-ton chilled water system that served the Texas Medical Center would double over the next two decades. With that in mind, the owner sought the most cost effective way to provide the increased quantity of chilled water to the campus while maintaining the high level of reliability to serve the critical needs of the medical center. This resulted in the selection of an 8.8 million gallon stratified chilled water storage tank. Energy savings during the first year were 7-9% in the summer and approximately 5% aggregated over the entire year.
Design Team: Blake Ellis, Burns & McDonnell, Kansas City, Missouri.
Industrial Facilities or Processes: Arena Marcel Dutil (for its renovation)—In 2010, the arena was equipped with the first 100% CO2-based refrigeration system for ice rinks in the world. The existing R22 chiller was removed, as well as the existing ice mat, and the concrete slab was retrofitted to install the new system. After these and other improvements, the arena was compared to similar projects in the area and was found to have a 25% reduction in total energy costs. Also, when comparing the new system with the old chiller using R22, and considering an annual leak rate of 15% for the old system, the total greenhouse gas reduction associated with the new 100% CO2 refrigeration system is up to 100 tons per year.
Design Team: Luc Simard, Compressor Systems Control, Les Coteaux, Quebec, Canada.
