Building Sustainability on Campus

VMDO has designed several net zero energy buildings including, notably, the first LEED Zero school in the world (Discovery Elementary School), what is expected to be the largest net zero energy building in the U.S. (Alice West Fleet Elementary School), and what is expected to be the first net zero energy community center in Washington, DC (Stead Park Recreation Center).

According to the National Buildings Institute’s annual Getting to Zero report, net zero energy schools and municipal buildings have been increasing in number across the country, yet higher education facilities have tended to lag in comparison. The Woodrow W. Bolick Advanced Technology + Student Success Center is helping to set the bar for building sustainability in higher education while implementing pragmatic clean energy solutions that double as teaching tools for students.

Drawing from a menu of energy saving measures, the final building design archives an EUI of 37.6 -- a 68% energy reduction compared to other buildings of its type before renewables. With the energy saving measures, like the improved thermal performance of the exterior wall, a 20% window/wall ratio, and a ground source heat pump, the building needed a far reduced PV array in order to be self sustaining.

Along with the energy saving measures, the additional funding to make the building net-zero presented new opportunities to increase quality, natural daylight throughout the building. Solar tubes were added to bring in light to an internal corridor with clerestory connection to offices, clerestory windows were added to daylight classrooms built into the hillside, and exterior fins and building integrated PVs were added to shade storefront windows and reduce glare in public spaces.

Sustainable Design

In 2021-2022, the conversation around climate action shifted from a focus on net zero performance to total carbon.

As a metric, total carbon combines operational carbon over a set duration, embodied carbon from construction materials and processes, and carbon sequestered by landscapes and biobased materials over time. This project shows the complexities of mapping total carbon as a zero-energy community college building on a large parcel of land. Using EHDD’s EPIC Tool, the scenario for reducing total carbon, and possibly making it climate positive, is illustrated below.

Climate Positive: 2052

PVCC: As Built

Climate Positive: 2036

PVCC: Wood frame (not CLT) construction, everything else the same.