by Jbs111009 d3 — November 18, 2009—The traditional method of using thermal mass in walls to help maintain the temperature of a building (such as in a Southwestern adobe, or a brick home) is being used to regulate comfort systems of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s (NREL) Research Support Facilities (RSF), designed to be one of the most energy-efficient buildings in the world.
Precast exterior panels installed as the walls are actually part of the heating and cooling system for the building. RNL, the design firm for the RSF, says that this is the first time the tried-and-true concept of thermal walls has been used in a modern office building. The way the panels work on the building is that they collect heat during the day and slowly transfer the heat to the building at night.
Another unusual feature in the RSF is how the windows also help regulate the inside temperatures, says NREL. During warmer summer nights, if the panels begin to transfer too much heat into the building, the windows will automatically open to vent excess heat and allow the cool night air to naturally bring down the temperatures inside the office space. As the night progresses, the pre-cast panels on the outside of the RSF will lose their heat, cool down, and the process begins anew the next day. To augment this system during warmer summer days, the building also has an underground concrete labyrinth that can store cool night air for later use.
So, unlike most commercial office buildings, the new RSF does not rely on a traditional forced air HVAC system and uses much more outside air inside the building. According to NREL’s Project Manager, Eric Telesmanich, this is possible because 95 percent of the work spaces don’t have ceilings. Employees will assist the natural ventilation flow by opening and closing windows as necessary. They will also have the ability to control the amount of ventilation delivered to their work space through an under floor air distribution system when the natural ventilation is not enough.
Haselden Construction and RNL are building the 218,000-square-foot research building at NREL’s South Table Mountain Campus near Golden, Colorado. It is designed to be a model for sustainable, high-performance building design around the country. The RSF is planned to achieve a LEED (Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design) Platinum designation—the highest benchmark awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council. Construction is expected to be completed in summer 2010.
