High Performance Building Design & Construction

Brown has had a commitment to energy efficiency and high performance design in buildings for over 20 years and outstanding research and education programs in the environment.

MacMillan Hall - Sciences Teaching Building for Environmental Science, Geology and Chemistry. Efficient laboratory building completed in 1998.

• Several projects currently in design or construction are targeting certification under the US Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. LEED is a consensus standard that assigns points to various high performance design features of a building.
• Energy modeling is used during design to evaluate cost-effective measures that will reduce the buildings’ energy use 25% to 50% compared to standard design.
• Independent engineering consultants and commissioning agents are an integral part of the design teams to help reduce the operating and maintenance costs.

Facilities Management has included high perfomance design guideline language in the project delivery process document.

Brown Facilities Management Project Delivery Process Document Language in Support of High Performance Design.

Energy Rebate Programs:
All projects are required to participate in the rebate programs offered by the local utility companies unless designers demonstrate that the project does not include work involving mechanical and electrical equipment. The Facility Design and Construction Standards section provides an overview of the various rebate programs available to be used on a project.

Environmentally Conscious Design:
Projects are expected to commit to a high level of environmentally responsible design. Environmentally responsible design encourages the design team to incorporate the best elements of sustainable, high performance, and energy efficient design and construction practices. The goal is to reduce operating costs, improve the health and productivity of the occupants, and minimize negative environmental impacts over the life of the building. The team should use a whole-building, integrated design approach and include life-cycle cost analysis throughout the design process.

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) should be used as the primary guideline for design. Select projects will be registered and complete the full certification process under the appropriate LEED Rating System. The decision to register and the target level of certification will be determined according to the Project Delivery Process, and should be made by the end of the Planning Phase, prior to Architect Selection. The commitment to LEED certification should be made no later than the end of the Design Review phase.

Commissioning:
Commissioning is a systematic process of quality control and assurance performed by an independent consultant. It provides documented confirmation that a facility fulfills the functional and performance requirements of the building owner, occupants, and operators. The commissioning process establishes and documents Brown's criteria for system function, performance, and maintainability and verifies and documents compliance with these criteria throughout design, construction, start-up, and the initial period of operation. On new building construction projects, full mechanical and electrical commissioning is required; building envelope commissioning is typically performed. The University normally involves the commissioning agent at the beginning of project design.

Guiding Principles:

• Minimize External Loads - Improve Envelope
• Minimize Internal Loads (Major Equipment) - Power Systems, Computer Systems, Switching Equipment, System Support Equipment
• Minimize Internal Loads (Supplemental Equipment/Systems) - Lighting, Kitchen, Office Equipment, Plug Loads, Water/Sewer
• Optimize Air Conditioning Equipment and Systems - Air Handling Units, Unitary Equipment, Computer Room Equipment, Controls
• Minimize System Losses - Optimize Ductwork, Optimize Piping
• Maximize Efficiency of Central Plant Equipment - Boilers, Chillers, Pumps, Controls
• Optimize Infrastructure Improvement Process - Cogeneration, Thermal Energy Storage, Redundancy Requirements
• Ensure Continued Performance Through Requirements for Metering, Training, O&M Manuals, Test/Adjust/Balance (TAB), and Commissioning

Projects:
Sidney Frank Hall for Life Sciences
Current Capital Projects
Current Construction Schedule