Psychology 3: William James Building Green Star Education Design Pilot 29th September 2010 Mark Mason BAppSc(Hons) Energy & Sustainability Consultant
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Psychology 3: William James Building Green Star Education Design Pilot 29th September 2010 Mark Mason BAppSc(Hons) Energy & Sustainability Consultant
Overview
Brief history of Green Star and Psychology 3 Psychology 3’s performance in Green Star assessment
Strong points Problems and weak points Solutions to issues
Benefits of having a Green Star building Quantitative benefits of Psychology 3 Improving Green Star design rated projects Green Star compared to a standard project Discussion
Brief history: Psychology 3 and Green Star
The New Zealand Green Building Council (NZGBC) was established in 2005 and is part of the World Green Building Council (WGBC). The WGBC is an international not-for-profit organisation that aims to move the global property industry and built environment towards sustainability
The NZGBC is dedicated to accelerating the development and adoption of market-based green building practices
Awarding Green Building achievements Providing networking, information and resources Education and training Improving standards through environmental rating systems, known as Green Star
Green Star Design Tool Green Star As-built Tool Green Star Performance Tool
The Green Star NZ tool has been adapted from successful overseas tools for use in New Zealand
Brief history: Psychology 3 and Green Star (continued)
The University of Otago contributed to the development of the Green Star Education tool The new Psychology 3 development was constructed to be a 5 star (NZ excellence) design rated building When work began there was no official Green Star Education tool and only limited guide lines for how to construct a Green Star building It has been a very difficult Green Star process but it has produced a better building Current project status:
At 2nd stage of Green Star assessment In first year of operation Few minor bugs to sort out Building occupants like the building
Psychology 3 performance across the 9 Green Star categories Weighting
Psychology 3 category score
Management
10%
56%
Indoor Environment Quality (IEQ)
20%
56%
Energy
27%
82%
Transport
10%
69%
Water
10%
93%
Materials
13%
30%
Ecology
5%
44%
Emissions
5%
23%
Innovation
n/a
2/5
Materials
Available
Emissions
Land Use and Ecology
Category Water
Transport
Energy
Indoor Environment Quality
Management
Points
Psychology 3 Points Allocation Achieved
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Potential
Strong points of the Psychology 3 design Energy
category
Renewable energy Peak demand reduction Heating and lighting control Naturally ventilated spaces
Water
category
Large rainwater storage tank Non-water based heat rejection Low flow fittings Drought tolerant landscaping Dunedin weather
Strong points of the design (continued) Indoor
Environment Quality category
Open and evenly illuminated spaces Thermal comfort control of individual spaces Low VOC and formaldehyde products High ventilation rates High quality lighting
Ecology
category
Biodiversity enhancement Minimised ecological impact Campus master plan
Problems in the Green Star process
The education design pilot tool was not ready
Guidelines did not stack up
Multiple errors in the spread sheet
Ended up using industrial tool for energy modelling guidelines
Errors in calculators Display errors confused assessors
Out of the ordinary commissioning requirements
Weak points in the Psychology 3 design Parties involved did not know what to include in there tender documents or specifications, partly due to:
Pilot tool issues Understandable lack of Green Star project experience Underestimating Green Star requirements
The result was:
Reduced Green Star performance Some poor choices of products and materials Construction methods and materials worthy of Green Star were not documented or able to be proven to the assessors Missing out on some easy points
Category Scores Achieved vs Potential
Percentage (%)
100%
Achieved
Potential
80%
60%
40%
20%
Emissions
Land Use and Ecology
Materials
Water
Transport
Energy
Indoor Environment Quality
Project Waste and Environmental plans for the contractors
Management
0%
Most could be achieved by switching specifications to available Environmental Choice NZ approved Materials
Credits listed as “potential” are from credits which could easily be achieved in hindsight without significant or often any increased capital cost and without changing the overall building design.
Solutions to issues in the Psychology 3 design 1.
Contract instructions
2.
Statements of intent
3.
Find and fix oversights before they are built
For the compliance documentation that was not included or was insufficient in the contract specifications
Pursue different credits to make up for points that can not be proven to the assessors
There are several credits not related to the core building design that can be achieved even after construction
Solutions to issues in the initial design Innovation category Where up to 5 unweighted points are available for creative ideas with quantitative environmental benefits
Feasibility study on diverting waste animal bedding from the landfill through the wood fuel boiler
Reduction of 150 skip loads a year; also saving $3,500 Additional 10,500 kWh of annual heating
Solutions to issues in the initial design (continued) Innovation category
Using the Combined Heat & Power station during congestion periods exceeded the Green Star benchmarks for peak demand reduction
Saving $27,000/year on line charges for 100 CPD hours The environmental benefit of utilising the waste heat confirmed this credit
Benefits of having a Green Star building
Sustainability
Conserving resources Supports building methods which can be used again in the future Will lead to buildings which are self sustaining
Reputation
1st class buildings to attract 1st class staff Attracts potential students
Occupants proffer working in Green Star buildings
Not requiring water, electricity or heating supplies
Physically and mentally healthier working environment Productivity increases Less sick days
Using the Green Star tool is more comprehensive than going it alone
Quantitative benefits of having a Green Star building
Annual use Energy consumption
Standard Building
Psychology 3
1,150 MWh
260 MWh*
Energy cost
$131,000
$24,500*
Water consumption
1,135m3
285m3
$1,250
$315
Water cost
* The building is not yet preforming to this level but we are working on it
Improving Green Star design rated projects
Have a Greens Star Professional at the very start of the project
either a GS professional experienced with past Green Star submissions
or a GS professional working only on Green Star aspects
The power of hindsight It is easy for the design team to give Green Star assessment the back seat which creates many times more work later on
Group related credits together
For example; one computer model can simulate for multiple credits saving up to seven times the amount of modelling work
IES Virtual Environment now makes Green Star dedicated software
Improving Green Star design rated projects
Include individual requirements in the tender process
One week spent by a Green Star professional checking and adding to tender documents could save 6 months of work on the submissions
Make sure parties involved are aware of Green Star requirements, including:
Architects – their green design must be able to be calculated, modelled and assessed as a green design Quantity Surveyors – Green Star require different units and comparison schedules Mechanical, Electrical and Fire Engineers – specific performance requirements and specialised
drawings
Insufficient specifications can turn Green Buildings into a nightmare
Particularly materials as they are easy points which otherwise become unachievable
Green Star compared to a standard project Green Star building projects require more administration and work from the design team than a standard building
They can become an unpleasant task that takes a long time to complete if not well handled
A 5 star rated building can be achieved with 6-10% increased cost and without great hassle
so long as Green Star is given enough focus in the early stages
It is getting easier to build a Green Star building
Experience has been gained Green Star tools now work More companies are on board
