Glumac Wins Design Competition for a Net-Zero College Health Center

25-Oct-2010 by David Summers, P.E., LEED AP, Mechanical Principal

Harbor College, image courtesy of HMC Architects

Glumac has recently begun the design of the SPS (Special Programs and Services)/Health Center at Los Angeles Harbor College.  The mechanical and electrical engineering design services for the project were awarded to Glumac through a competition process as part of the successful Bernards Construction/HMC Architects design-build team.  The SPS/Health Center is part of a larger $66-million project that also includes a new Student Union building, MEP renovations that impact eight existing buildings and a new MEP campus infrastructure.  

The net-zero energy use of the SPS/Health Center was a key differentiator and important part of the team’s strategy to win the competition. Glumac took a two-step approach to designing the net-zero building. First, the energy use of the building was absolutely minimized through efficient design of the building envelope, HVAC and lighting systems. Second, a high-efficiency photovoltaic system provides all of the building’s annual energy needs with a panel area that fits on the building’s roof.

The building site is a key factor in minimizing the building’s energy use. The entry faces north with a large glass exposure that allows full daylighting of the main reception areas. The other facades have smaller punched windows to reduce solar heat gain and glare, as well as provide better privacy as required by the building program. The building’s axis is oriented to reduce the size of the east and west exposures, which are always difficult to control due to the low solar angles in the early morning and late afternoon.

As part of the design competition process, Glumac performed energy modeling with eQUEST software.  Using proprietary Glumac tools, the building Revit model was quickly translated into eQUEST format to meet the demanding competition schedule. Based on this analysis, the SPS/Health Center performs 38.8% better than California Title 24-2008 standards, which translates into an annual energy use index (EUI) of 46.0 kBtu/sq.ft. On-site renewables, in the form of the 88-kW rooftop photovoltaic system, account for more than 100% of the building’s energy needs (electricity and gas combined). These results earn the project all of the available LEED points for EA credits 1 and 2.

The Harbor College SPS/Health Center will comply with LACCD’s rigorous measurement and verification process, and the actual net-zero energy use of the building will be validated after construction is complete.

One of the lessons learned from this design competition is that it is most feasible to achieve net-zero for one-story buildings, due to the ratio of roof area to occupied building area. By maximizing the relative roof area, photovoltaic electricity generation can more easily offset the building’s energy use, making high-efficiency, low-rise buildings the best candidates for net-zero buildings.

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