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Designing new office buildings using a whole
building approach yields performance benefits and energy savings
over the life of the building. Start by assembling an experienced
design team. Your team must be familiar with integrating energy-efficient
and sustainable design features and must also be knowledgeable about
the electrical, structural, and mechanical systems needed to meet
the functional and spatial requirements of your workplace.
Make sure the design team is aware of your focus on energy performance.
Ensure that this focus is written into both your request for proposals
and your contracts with the design team professionals, and detailed
in all design and construction documents.
Your contracts and design and construction documents should also
reflect your commissioning plan. Commissioning is a systematic process
that begins in the design phase and continues for at least one year
after construction. The process ensures that the building is functioning
according to the design intent and contract documents.
To develop
a commissioning plan, see the Design, Construct, and Renovate
section of this site for guidelines. For a 
checklist of commissioning activities and documentation, see
the Operations and Maintenance section of this site.
Integrate Energy-Saving Design Features
The whole-building approach takes into account building
siting and configuration; opportunities to integrate
energy-saving design features such as daylighting, passive solar
and natural ventilation systems, active solar and photovoltaic systems,
and efficient building envelope strategies; and selection of appliances,
equipment, and materials. Cost/benefit
analyses can help office building owners and operators quantify
expected paybacks on various energy features and determine which options
offer the best savings potential.
In New York City, the 48-story skyscraper at 4
Times Square provides a model for energy-efficient and sustainable
design. The building design incorporates energy-efficient lighting
and windows, as well as natural gas-powered absorption chillers/heaters.
Variable-speed drives on pumps, fans, and motors optimize equipment
efficiency and minimize energy use. On-site power generation capabilities
include photovoltaic panels that supplement daytime electricity
supplies and fuel cells that meet 100% of nighttime demand. Building
designers emphasized environmentally responsible construction practices
as well as resource conservation. A structural steel hat truss at
the top of the building significantly reduced the amount of steel
used, and 65% of construction debris was recycled.
Use Design and Analysis Tools for Building Simulation
Computer simulations are important tools that help direct building
design and cost decisions. For example, the team renovating the Ridgehaven
Office Building in San Diego, California, used computer simulation
to optimize the new HVAC system design, resulting in a 60% energy
savings for the building.
DOE sponsors a comprehensive Building
Energy Software Tools Directory that lists a number of software
tools for building design and simulation. The following tools can
help you simulate the energy-saving potential of various design
features.
ADELINE
(includes SUPERLITE and RADIANCE)
A software tool for daylighting design that links daylighting and
thermal performance.
BLAST
A detailed, annual energy performance software tool capable of modeling
the interactive effects of low-energy building design strategies
such as daylighting, passive solar heating, and thermal mass.
BLCC
A software tool to calculate building life-cycle cost according
to federal criteria.
Building Design Advisor
Provides building decision-makers with the energy-related information
they need beginning in the initial, schematic phases of building
design through the detailed specification of building components
and systems.
CFD
An abbreviation for "computerized fluid dynamics," this highly sophisticated
type of program can track the flow of air within a space or building
component and determine the temperature distribution within that
space during system operation. It requires considerable experience
to operate, but is invaluable for assessing the effectiveness of
air diffusers. Available from several vendors under several names.
See the Building Energy Software Tools Directory section on ventilation/airflow.
DOE
2/DOE 2.2
An energy analysis software program that calculates the hour-by-hour
energy use of a building, given detailed information on the building's
location, construction, operation, and HVAC systems. A Windows-based
version of DOE 2 with user-friendly interface is called POWERDOE.
ENERGY-10
An hour-by-hour, annual simulation program designed to analyze residential
and commercial buildings of less than approximately 10,000 square
feet (one or two zones). Specifically conceived for use during the
earliest phases of design when low-energy building strategies can
be incorporated at the lowest possible cost. Available from the
Sustainable Buildings Industry Council (SBIC), 202-628-7400, ext.
209.
EnergyPlus
This building energy simulation program is designed for modeling
buildings with associated heating, cooling, lighting, ventilating,
and other energy flows. EnergyPlus builds on the most popular features
and capabilities of BLAST and DOE-2 but includes many innovative
simulation capabilities, time steps of less than an hour and modular
systems simulation modules that are integrated with a heat balance-based
zone simulation.
FRAMEplus
A powerful thermal analysis program that accurately tracks the flow
of heat through assemblies. A basic tool for analyzing thermal bridging
through faÂade elements, such as window frames. Requires some experience
for optimum use.
SERIRES
(also SUNREL, which is an upgraded version of SERIRES that features
enhanced algorithms)
Analyzes passive solar design and thermal performance in residential
and small commercial buildings.
SPARK
Models complex building envelopes and mechanical systems that are
beyond the scope of EnergyPlus and DOE-2. Good for modeling short
time-step dynamics. Runs 10 to 20 times faster than similar programs.
TRNSYS
Modular FORTRAN-based transient simulation code that allows simulation
of any thermal energy system, particularly solar thermal, building,
and HVAC systems.
Establish Environmental Guidelines for Construction
The whole-building approach also extends to the construction
process, with a focus on minimizing site impacts and construction
wastes. Construction design documents typically focus on detailing
the design elements of the finished product, and rarely set environmental
guidelines to be followed during construction.
Environmental guidelines for purchasing construction materials,
reducing site environmental impact, energy and water use, and construction
waste management and recycling should be written into the contracts,
plans, and drawings for the building.
Making Energy-Efficient Renovations
Renovation of office buildings using the whole-building approach can
yield the same kind of performance benefits and energy savings. There
are many ways to incorporate energy efficiency and sustainability
concepts into renovation plans for office buildings. Renovation projects
can range from simple relighting programs to adding a significant
new addition to an existing building.
> Visit the Building Toolbox section of this site for more
in-depth information on Design,
Construction, and Renovation of energy-efficient commercial
buildings.
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