by Brianna Crandall — March 3, 2017 — The National Institute of Building Sciences Sustainable Buildings Industry Council (SBIC) recognized the 2016 Beyond Green High-Performance Building and Community Awards winners for their exemplary facilities during Building Innovation 2017: The National Institute of Building Sciences Fifth Annual Conference and Expo in Washington, DC.
Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Brock Environmental Center, Virginia Beach, VA
The Honor Award, the top prize in the High-Performance Buildings Category, went to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Brock Environmental Center in Virginia Beach for the Foundation’s sustainable project.
The Brock Center is reportedly the first certified net-zero water property in the world. It serves as the hub for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s (CBF) Hampton Roads office and supports its education, outreach, advocacy and restoration initiatives.
In addition to offices for CBF and partner groups, the Center provides meeting rooms and an 80-seat conference room designed to express CBF’s mission of collaboration to protect the Chesapeake Bay. In keeping with the ecology of the site and the mission of the Foundation, the owner and design team strove to protect, preserve and celebrate this setting, creating a design of its place, while simultaneously showcasing technologies that contribute to net-zero energy, water and waste. The team strove to achieve LEED Platinum and meet the requirements of the Living Building Challenge.
The 2016 Beyond Green Award Jury also recognized three recipients with Merit Awards.
VaproShield innovative building enclosure products
The Award of Merit in Innovations for High-Performance Buildings and Communities went to VaproShield for its innovative building enclosure products.
VaproShield manufactures vapor-permeable, water-resistive barriers and air-barrier membranes and accessories. The system eliminates the need for any joint/corner treatments, tapes, adhesives and spray equipment and contains no VOCs — allowing it to earn a Declare label from the International Living Future Institute. The VaproShield System has very few weather restrictions and can be installed in below-freezing temperatures and immediately following or before rain events. (In fact, the product was used on the Brock Center, winner of the Honor Award.)
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
The Award of Merit in the category of High-Performance Initiatives went to the Sustainable Design Program for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for its work to integrate sustainability into the VA’s design and construction programs.
According to the jurors, the VA’s Sustainable Design Criteria provide a replicable approach that building owners and facilities managers can use to implement high-performance requirements across their portfolio. Of particular importance was the inclusion of metrics to monitor progress and verify achievement of high-level goals.
The Sustainable Design Program achieved this through its Sustainable Design Manual, several master construction specification sections, participation in the VA’s design review program and active involvement in the development of the VA’s design and construction standards. The VA’s focus on sustainable facility design and construction took hold in 2006 when the VA became one of the original signatories of the Federal Leadership in High Performance and Sustainable Buildings Memorandum of Understanding.
Through the VA’s focus on sustainability the agency has achieved significant progress, including having a quarter of its hospitals achieve an ENERGY STAR certification and reducing water consumption by over 30 percent since 2007. The program has set even loftier goals moving into the future.
Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC
The final Award of Merit went to the team responsible for the renovation of the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum. This project preserved and protected the historic character of the first purpose-built art museum in America while modernizing its infrastructure to be secure, efficient and cost-effective.
The historic Renwick Gallery presented significant challenges for the design and construction team charged with renovating the museum to modern standards. The building was constructed in 1859, slated for demolition in the 1960s, saved by First Lady Jackie Kennedy, and last renovated between 1967 and 1972.
The team rose to the challenge, undertaking an innovative integrative design process that utilized laser scanning, building information modeling (BIM) and historical documents to implement effective strategies for this renovation. The facility has seen a 50-percent reduction in energy use from the pre-renovation values.
The winners will be featured as case studies on the WBDG Whole Building Design Guide, as are winners from previous years. The Call for Entries for the 2017 Beyond Green Awards will be available in the spring of 2017.
