20 2030 30
OPN Architects Sustainability Report
SUSTAINABILIT Y ACTION PL AN
OPN Architects
SUSTAINABILITY ISN’T SEPARATE FROM DESIGN. SUSTAINABILITY IS A PART OF EVERYTHING WE DO.
We believe sustainability is as much about people as it is about buildings. That is why the common denominator in all of our work is a process that is inclusive and integrated. We
embrace
broad
sustainability
and
constantly work to increase value and reduce our impact. We never settle for one or the other. We measure our success by how our work enhances the human experience.
We look at the potential for sustainability
SUSTAINABLE DESIGN GOALS
to transform the way we think through four broad themes throughout our practice: performance, health, culture, and resilience. Every organization has a unique approach to these themes, and OPN is no exception. PERFORMANCE We always seek to deliver exceptional design and high performance in every project. HEALTH We look beyond the building to determine how each unique environment serves its patrons. CULTURE We foster open collaboration in each studio through a creative and flexible work environment. RESILIENCE We build environments that adapt and grow from adversity.
HNI GUNLOCKE HEADQUARTERS LEED GOLD
We use state-of-the-art tools and software
PERFORMANCE A BUILDING ISN’T SUSTAINABLE UNLESS IT’S EFFICIENT.
to predict and enhance performance. As the design progresses, we refine the models and use Life Cycle Costing (LCC) to optimize value for the unique criteria each project brings with it. Finally, we implement a robust measurement and verification process to close the loop, making sure the facility operates as intended. OPN adopted the 2030
Commitment
to
implement
best
practices for high performance design on every project. Through this Commitment, we pledge to track building energy use and, in the near future, reductions in water usage firmwide.
PERFORMANCE 9
DAYLIGHTING ANALYSIS
ISSUE 00
1.5. DAYLIGHT ANALYSIS: OVERCAST SKY (SCENARIO 5) DF (%)
SCENARIO 5
Level 1
Level 1.1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4 KUM&GO HEADQUARTERS, DES MOINES, IOWA RENZO PIANO
PERFORMANCE ENERGY USE INTENSITY [EUI]
2014 OPN WORK ON THE BOARDS + 4.3 MILLION SQUARE FEET 500
450
SIT E EUI [ K BT U/SF/ Y E A R ]
400
350
300
250
200
150
100
N ATIO N A L AV ER AG E
50
2030 CO M MIT M EN T
0 L A B O R ATO RI ES
H E A LT H C A R E
H I G H ER ED U C AT I O N
C O R P O R AT E
CI V I C
L I B R A RY
K-1 2
M IX ED - U S E
R ESI D EN C E H A L L
PRAIRIE HILL ELEMENTARY
HEALTH THE NEXUS BETWEEN DESIGN AND HEALTH IS A FIELD OF ACTIVE RESEARCH.
The built environment can affect human health in positive ways, such as access to natural light and views, selecting materials free of hazardous chemicals, circulation systems that promote physical activity, and exceptional indoor air quality. These are just the beginning of a deeper conversation about how design decisions can promote healthier and more productive environments.
DELTA DENTAL HEADQUARTERS LEED GOLD
CULTURE WE FOSTER AN OPEN, COLLABORATIVE CULTURE AT OPN.
Culture is an essential ingredient to building strong teams that are flexible enough to adapt to any challenge. Our physical environment encourages our creative process by providing a variety of spaces to team-up, focus on a specific task, or anything in between.
CULTURE COMMUNIT Y OUTREACH Sustainability goes beyond energy use. We believe that giving back to the communities in which we live and work is part of our responsibility. United Way, Habitat for Humanity, and Canstruction are just a few of the organizations for which we volunteer our time and support financially. EDUCATION There is no substitute for face-to-face meetings. We dedicate several days for firm-wide meetings to foster innovation in our practice, including one day entirely devoted to how we practice sustainability. In addition, the firm provides time and funding for staff to hone their skills through a variety of professional development opportunities. COMMIT TEES OPN is a knowledge-based firm, and we’ve developed special committees to share best practices across all of our offices. While we maintain specialists in several fields, we’re committed to disseminating that deep expertise to the entire staff.
UNITED STATES FEDERAL COURTHOUSE LEED GOLD
RESILIENCE WE BUILD FOR AN UNCERTAIN FUTURE.
Resilience is much more than simply fortifying a building to withstand future threats. It is the ability for a building, a community, or a city to survive, adapt, and grow from adversity.
RESILIENCE CRISIS AND REBUILDING The floods of 2008 inundated more than 10 square miles of the city of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Headquartered in Cedar Rapids, OPN Architects stepped up to help the community with immediate recovery efforts, rebuilding, and developing a long term vision that builds upon the city’s rich history. The Cedar Rapids Public Library embodies that vision. Completed in 2013, it combines best-in-class sustainable design — demonstrated by its LEED Platinum rating — with an awareness of what it means to be resilient. Resilience is much more than simply moving the building to higher ground and fortifying it to withstand future flooding. The building opens itself up to views of the city and the park, allowing natural light and transparency to the activity within. It has become a vibrant hub for community activity with the inclusion of a café, lecture hall, and event spaces. At the same time, it serves the community as a shelter in case the need arises again, with features that allow it to function without power from the grid.
RESILIENCE THE IMPORTANCE OF WATER The new library addresses the risk of future floods by implementing multiple measures to reduce the amount of rainfall directed to the storm sewer by slowing it down, absorbing it into the ground, and capturing it for reuse. It dramatically improves a site that was 95% impervious and sent virtually all of the water into the storm sewer, to one that can hold and treat 90% of the precipitation that falls on it over the course of a year. Water is a central feature inside the building also. Potable water is reduced by 36% through the use of efficient fixtures. It runs throughout the building, providing the most efficient medium for heating and cooling through a hybrid HVAC system that includes radiant slabs, chiller/heaters, and a ground source heat pump loop.
CEDAR RAPIDS PUBLIC LIBRARY LEED PLATINUM
2030
Special thanks to Ryan Ellsworth for nature photography.