Fighting Fire with Fire: Fort Bragg Goes Platinum with a new LEED Fire Station Kim M. Fowler Senior Research Engineer Sustainable Design and Development Energy and Environment Directorate Pacific Northwest National Laboratory 1

Technical approach: compare the performance of a new Combined Emergency Services Station designed using whole building design approach to an FY02 Fire Station designed using a more typical design approach. 35% design drawing of CESSPhoto of existing station Fort Bragg Fire Station

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Cost neutral LEED Platinum 50% energy reduction 30% domestic water reduction 50% wastewater reduction 25% decrease in operational costs LEED for New Construction Certified26-32 Silver33-38 Gold39-51 Platinum52-69 Design Goals

Integrated Design Charrette held May % design LEED Platinum - 57 points 42% modeled energy savings over theoretical baseline Cost estimate $18k over budget (0.6%) 4 Iterations of Design April – September LEED Platinum – 55 points 38% modeled energy savings Cost estimate $100k over budget (3.5%) Cost is fixed Construction contract placed Cost Neutral

The Team Pre-Charrette Charrette During Design Construction Whole Building Design

Each team member had a stake in the project achieving the goals Experienced team members with a diverse set of skills The Team

Energy modeling, early and often to inform design options Preliminary LEED scorecard done based on 1391 LEED Credit Strategies Specific for the CESS Fire Station, included Summary of LEED requirements Multiple option descriptions Costs estimates Advantages & Disadvantages Contacts & 3 vendors References Given to the project team early and discussed on multiple conference calls Pre-Charrette

Re-state project goals Use Pre-Charrette research for “new” and/or innovative technologies to address potential technical questions Use real-time energy modeling as a tool to discuss options Don't be too tied to any specific design strategy Have real-time cost estimates Use sustainable design experts from various technical fields For LEED certification, the A/E must do the LEED design credit templates and the builders must do the construction credits Charrette

Iterative Design Reviews Time needed for quality, expert design review Load calculation optimization tools needed to size mechanical equipment appropriately Design specification language needed to target “sustainable” features Commitment to high performance design goals including achieving LEED Platinum certification Commitment to LEED Platinum LEED Accredited Professionals part of team pre-charrette through construction and operations LEED technical assistance available throughout process LEED points protected during Value Engineering and design reviews During Design

Sustainable Sites 11 out of 14 LEED points Native, drought tolerant vegetation Protect existing habitat Cool roof, metal Stormwater management Bio retention

Water Efficiency 5 out of 5 LEED points Rainwater harvesting for truck washing and toilet flushing Low-flow fixtures: lavatories, showers, and dual flush toilets No permanent irrigation

Energy 12 out of 17 LEED points Insulated Concrete Forms Geothermal heat pump Solar hot water Passive solar design South facing windows Clerestories Occupancy sensors Enhanced Commissioning Measurement/Verification

Materials 8 out of 13 LEED points Recycled materials Concrete Metal roof Local materials FSC certified wood doors Rapidly renewable materials Wheatboard cabinets Linoleum floors Construction waste management

Indoor Environmental Quality 14 out of 15 LEED points Low VOC paints, adhesives Increased daylighting – 75% of spaces Construction Indoor Air Quality management Controllability of systems Energy recovery ventilator Pollutant source control - walk off mats

Innovation in Design 5 out of 5 points Overall Water Use Reduction 40% Green Housekeeping Education Plan Reduced heat island effect 100% light colored hardscapes LEED Accredited Professionals on team

The Team Pre-Charrette Charrette During Design Construction – stay tuned! Whole Building Design

Performance Measurement “Matched Pairs” comparison to a recently built fire station

Kim M. Fowler Pacific Northwest National Laboratory