The early-bird deadline for applicants to register and pay is February 27th. The deadline for final submissions is March 7th.

WMIG?, now in its second decade, aspires to “recognize the highest achievements in environmentally sustainable architecture, combining inspired design, systems analysis, and performance evaluation under the domains of Planet, People and Posterity.”

• The Planet category relates to land use, energy, water, materials and bioclimatic design;
• People considers collective wisdom and feedback, social equity, healthy human ecology and inspiration; and
• Prosperity adds criteria for value and wealth creation, durability and adaptability, and vibrant communities.

Projects must be located in Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, Guam/Micronesia, Hong Kong and Japan.

One unique aspect of WMIG? is that the short list of firms will be interviewed publicly by the jury during an event the morning of April 18, 2012 at Seattle City Hall, moderated by Brian Geller, Founder and Executive Director, Seattle 2030 District. (This year’s WMIG? jury consists of Amanda Sturgeon, AIA, Certification Director of the Living Building Challenge; Jason S. Twill, Senior Project Manager, Sustainability, Vulcan Inc.; and Daniel Williams FAIA, Founder DWA Design and author of Sustainable Design: Ecology, Architecture, and Planning.) The interview process provides an unusual opportunity for public discussion of projects to educate and inspire the design community.

Jury deliberation and the selection of award recipients will be made the same day and an awards reception will be held at City Hall that evening.

Two significant design workshops were scheduled, very early in the development and design process, to facilitate critical energy performance decisions by the project team:

An owner/user visioning charrette, held prior to the selection of a design team:

• Selected design-build for project delivery
• Set a performance target of 50 percent less energy use than a facility built to meet the then current energy code (ASHRAE 90.1-2001)
• Established Silver as the minimum level of LEED certification

A schematic design charrette, attended by multiple design and construction disciplines, applied an integrated design methodology to:

• Explore climate-responsive design strategies;
• Consider internal loads, daylighting, and visual and thermal comfort as additional space organization and planning criteria;
• Adjust the Energy goal adjusted to 35% better than the updated, more stringent code ASHRAE 90.1 2004; and
• Commit to ongoing analysis of energy performance and LEED-related costs and benefits.

The case study reviews lessons learned by the project team, including:

• Benefits of design build project delivery
• Success of the collaborative integrated design process
• Daylighting of laboratory, atrium, and office spaces
• The need for additional energy modeling iterations to track and inform evolving design/project team decisions
• The importance of commissioning sophisticated laboratory systems, as well as typical building systems
• Development of measurement and verification processes and procedures that effectively calibrate design assumptions with accurate representation of building, occupancy, and weather during the performance period.

Among the results, the project has received LEED Gold certification, and after two years, energy performance is tracking at 36 percent better than the modeled code baseline. Download the case study here .

• Lincoln Hall Renovation, Portland State University – Boora Architects
• Clif Bar & Co. Headquarters – Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Archtiects LLP
• Port of Portland Headquarters – Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects LLP

This is the second year that the unique awards, jointly developed by Architecture 2030 and AIA Portland COTE, recognized design excellence among projects striving to achieve the reduction targets of the 2030 Challenge. These winners were selected from among candidate projects for the AIA Portland 2011 Design Awards, which documented compliance with the 2010 Architecture 2030 threshold of 60 percent less energy use than a typical building of the same size and type. All candidate projects for the Portland AIA Design Awards were required to calculate and submit both project reductions in energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions from operations, compared to a baseline building. Joshua Hatch, a Brightworks Sustainability Advisor, and Chair of the Portland COTE Building Climate Impact Committee, explained the gestation of the awards.

“The AIA Portland Design Awards have a long history and an award for sustainability has been presented for many years. Four years ago, when Ed Mazria was in town to present the 2030 Challenge, AIA Portland committed substantial organizational support. In collaboration with BetterBricks, the chapter offers diverse educational workshops and classes about the 2030 Challenge, measurement and verification, and energy modeling; and is the first chapter, nationally, to integrate the 2030 Challenge into our design awards. Four years ago, as part of the Design Awards process, the AIA asked projects to voluntarily submit calculations of energy savings and emissions reductions associated with each project. Three years ago these submissions became mandatory.

“We initially thought that within five years we might be able to have all projects competing for a Design Award in compliance with 2030 Challenge goals. We were overly optimistic. While we have great projects every year, with many achieving 2030 targets, some even achieving net zero energy goals, setting 2030 targets as a required threshold for the Design Awards has not been possible. So we have collaborated with Architecture 2030 to establish a separate award, which so far  is unique in the nation.”

All projects competing for AIA Portland Design Awards that demonstrate compliance with the 2030 Challenge energy targets are automatically eligible for a 2030 Challenge Design Award. According to Josh Hatch:

“The COTE Building Climate Impact Committee’s principal focus is the Design Awards. We developed and maintain the Building Climate Impact calculator that must be completed by all Award applicants, to document energy performance and emissions reductions, review submittals, coordinate the relationship with Architecture 2030 and BetterBricks, answer questions from local firms, assist with jury selection and help orient the jurors to the performance of projects in the competition

“This year we had a 95 percent participation rate in completing the required 2030 Challenge benchmarking calculations. [BB note: a modest number of projects were exempt from this requirement because they were unconditioned spaces, or for other reasons.] This year the submittals and calculations were more thorough, customized, and thoughtful than prior years–continuing a trend of increased building performance competency.”

“The average project reduction was 42 percent, for a grand total of 51,700 tons of CO2. There were many high performance projects, including some that were over 70, 80, or 90% reductions, including a net zero energy project. 51,700 tons of carbon is equivalent to taking 9,100 cars off the road or eliminating the emissions from 4,300 average Portland residents.”

While the 2030 jurors were clearly interested in energy performance and carbon reduction, they also looked for interesting challenges and how the teams developed energy efficient solutions. The awards are meant to recognize exceptional innovation, since all projects submitted to Architecture 2030 met the 2030 Challenge threshold reduction.

First Prize was awarded to the renovation of Portland State University’s Lincoln Hall, designed by Boora Architects. The 136,000 square foot project, with a predicted Energy Use Index (EUI) of 43 kBTU/sf-year, achieved energy savings of 63 percent when compared to an average US building of the same type and size.

Second Prize was awarded to Zimmer Gunsul Frasca for the Clif Bar & Co, headquarters, a 75,000 square foot retrofit of a former manufacturing facility. This project had a predicted EUI of 46.3 kBTU/sf-year, representing a 71 percent reduction in CO2 emissions from the average, equivalent building.

 
Zimmer Gunsul Frasca was also recognized with an Honorable Mention for the Port of Portland Headquarters. The office space in this 206,000 square foot project was predicted to use only 44 kBTU/sf-year, a 67 percent reduction in energy use over an average U.S. building of the same size and type.

 
The 2030 Challenge Design Awards are much more than a feel-good event, lessons learned by the firms striving to achieve the 2030 Challenge targets need to be widely disseminated. As Hatch points out, the carbon savings recognized by this small group of projects, while significant, are “only equivalent to 0.6% of the total City of Portland’s emissions or about one percent of the emissions from the Boardman plant.” In looking forward to the next few years of work promoting the 2030 Challenge, Hatch hopes that the collaborative efforts of Architecture 2030, AIA Portland, and AIA Portland COTE and BetterBricks will accomplish the following:

• “Have teams consider energy and emissions earlier in the process. The more feedback that designers can give themselves over the course of design, the better.”

• “There are more and more tools available to help designers, but energy models were developed for only 50 percent of candidate projects, roughly the same that the national AIA found from reporting firms for the AIA 2030 Committment. More firms need to take advantage of these resources,

• “A greater percentage of this year’s projects are built projects, but there has been no increase in the number of projects that submitted actual data. Designers need to talk with clients about the performance of their buildings and to maintain a more active role after building hand over, to understand performance.

• “Increase the percent of projects that meet the 2030 targets. There was a drop of compliant projects this year, as the 2030 Challenge threshold was raised. We all need to remain diligent.

This year, the BetterBricks Awards offer seven categories for nominations of standout professionals: Architect, Design Engineer, Advocate, Owner/Developer, Facility Manager/Operator, Service Provider and Property Manager/Broker.  All of these professionals play critical roles in the marketplace to ensure that buildings are designed, constructed and operated as efficiently as possible.

Visit www.BetterBricks.com/Awards/Nominate to download a nomination form. The deadline for all nominations is January 4, 2012. Award event images, videos and additional information is available at  www.BetterBricks.com/Awards.

For questions or further assistance, contact Kyle Stuart, kyle@coateskokes.com or at 503.241.1124.

However, Bendwald goes on to explain that retrofit projects such as what’s slated for Chicago should aim to achieve 30 to 80 percent savings rather than the 15 to 20 percent that’s typically captured in “shallow” retrofit projects.  A  recent report issued by NEEA’s BetterBricks initiative, which the author references, demonstrates how 50 recent existing building retrofits have achieved significant energy savings by undergoing Deep Energy Retrofits – a whole-system approach that bundles efficiency measures to form one integrated building design.  Read Bendwald’s GreenBiz article to learn how existing buildings – and the City of Chicago – can go beyond conventional retrofits to achieve serious energy savings at a comparable ROI.  Also, NEEA is in the process of developing a Deep retrofit program for the region, so stay tuned to the BetterBricks website as tools and resources become available in early 2012.

Read more about this new rating system at the BetterBricks website.

A team of University of Oregon undergraduate architecture students, members of the UO student ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers) chapter, will soon be able to provide some advice. The students have been awarded an ASHRAE Undergraduate Senior Project Grant to develop a net zero energy design toolkit

The ASHRAE senior grant program provides annual grants (14 this year, with the UO proposal ranked as the best) to support demonstration undergraduate projects. The UO grant will help acquire a blower door, an infrared camera (to detect missing or defective insulation), and test and balance equipment. The student researchers will develop a protocol for the use of the equipment; and this summer, five undergraduates will undertake field trials to test infiltration and heat loss in commercial buildings and residences. The comprehensive protocol will also incorporate analytical approaches to assess plug load consumption and opportunities for on-site renewables.

Alison Kwok, University of Oregon Architecture professor and faculty advisor for the UO chapter, explained that the toolkit and protocol is being crafted to facilitate investigation, evaluation, and experiential understanding of the impact of construction on performance, in achieving net zero targets.  She explained: “The protocol will begin with pre-occupancy investigations, continue with post-occupancy facility audits, and end with professional workshops, where students will discuss their building performance analyses with engineers, architects, contractors and building owners, addressing topics such as occupant comfort, system effectiveness, and energy use.”

In some ways, this project continues the case-based research and training methodology embedded in the Agents of Change program, which was funded at UO for five years by the US Department of Education. Agents of Change also packaged toolkits with field assessment protocols that were used by faculty and graduate student teams. Program resources can still be accessed at http://aoc.uoregon.edu/.

The UO ASHRAE Chapter, with 20-25 students, is one of just a couple of chapters in the country made up entirely of architecture students (another is at the Savannah College of Art & Design). These architecture students are particularly interested in the importance of integrating environmental systems with building design and ASHRAE holds important theoretical and practical knowledge that can help architects to build better buildings.

Both the close integration of architecture and mechanical engineering disciplines and the project emphasis on performance testing and assessment are near and dear to our BetterBricks’ hearts. As the top grant award winner, two UO students will be invited to present the project as part of the Student Program at the 2012 ASHRAE Winter Conference in Chicago. We hope that their presentation effectively spreads these messages to a large group of future practitioners.

And speaking of future practitioners, Oregon remains unique in having three student ASHRAE chapters associated with a single professional chapter. Portland State and the University of Portland also have chapters. Earlier this year, the UO chapter hosted the other two for a tour of the White Stag building’s green features. Additional workshops, with participants from all three chapters, are a distinct possibility.

NEEA’s BetterBricks asked Mike Hatten of SOLARAC and Jeff Cole of Konstrukt to present a performance modeling approach that aligned with the integrated design approach promoted by BetterBricks and deliverables regularly associated with design phases in a new booklet, “Integrating Energy Engineering and Performance Modeling into the Design Process.”  Aimed at architects to use with their engineers, this booklet, provides a recommended scope of energy engineering and performance modeling services to support the development of very energy efficient, high performance buildings. The energy engineer/modeler will enhance the design team’s understanding of project opportunities and constraints, challenge the design team to examine key questions, act as an advocate and serve as a design team resource to improve a building’s energy performance throughout each design step.

We would love to hear your success stories with energy modeling!  And any feedback on this first edition booklet.

This category evaluates candidate projects using the following metrics:

• How the building design reduces heating, cooling, lighting, and water heating loads
• How the design and integration of building systems facilitates energy conservation and reduces use of fossil fuels, green house gas emissions and other pollution, and improves building performance and comfort
• Techniques for systems integration, use of controls and technologies, efficient lighting strategies
• Use of on-site renewable and alternative energy systems
• Anticipation of future and carbon neutral fuel sources
• Strategies to reduce peak electrical demand
• How the building or parts of the building provide “passive survivability” the ability to function in the event of power outages or interruptions in fuel supply

Two Pacific Northwest projects are among the 10 recently selected for 2011 recognition.

The LOTT Clean Water Alliance Regional Service Center is a 32,500 ft2 laboratory, office and interpretive center, anchoring an urban revitalization initiative in Olympia, Washington. Methane generated form the plant waste treatment process fuels a co-generation plant, providing electricity and heat. This heat is utilized by a low-temperature water loop connected to water source heat pumps in a manner that eliminates the need for a boiler, cooling tower, or geothermal field. Motorized louvers on the west facade prevent direct sun from penetrating into the building during sunny summer days, while welcoming solar gains and daylight during winter months. The building is expected to deliver energy savings of approximately 60 percent over an ASHRAE 90.1 base case.

The Vancouver Convention Centre West is a 1.2 million ft2 convention center. The building employs a water source heat pump system that benefits from the relatively constant temperature of sea water, to increase heating and cooling efficiency. The ventilation system incorporates both heat recovery into major ventilation systems and a low-pressure fan system that reduces fan energy requirements. Radiant heating and cooling serves the exhibition halls and pre-function areas, allowing a reduction in ventilation system capacity. Daylighting sensors and lighting occupancy sensors reduce lighting loads. This facility is expected to use 60 percent less energy that the existing Vancouver Convention Centre (East).

Learn more about these two projects, including members of the project teams, at http://www.aiatopten.org/hpb/. Details are available about all ten projects.