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High Point Neighborhood Center Strategies for Environmental Stewardship The new High Point Neighborhood Center for Neighborhood House will be a living, breathing, active building at the center of the High Point Community. It is designed to provide a social heart for the community and its service programs while meeting the highest environmental standards. Site The new Neighborhood Center will provide a model of stewardship of its surrounding environment in a number of ways. During construction, several large trees nearby will be carefully protected to insure their survival and water quality in the vicinity will be preserved through the implementation of strict erosion control practices. Once the building is complete, highly reflective roofing and light-colored paving materials will reflect heat harmlessly away rather than absorbing the heat and then radiating it into the surroundings, the “heat island” effect typical of many buildings. Stormwater runoff from the site will be slowed by using permeable paving materials and collecting rainwater from the roof in a cistern and series of raingardens. These efforts reflect the local community’s careful attention to nearby stream and Puget Sound water quality. Also, the building’s relation to nearby walking trails (including the Longfellow Creek Trail) will encourage walking and bicycling as alternative means of transportation. Finally, parking will be designed to code minimum requirements and will contain preferred spaces for carpools and alternatively fueled vehicles. Water The new center is also designed to reduce potable water consumption significantly through a number of measures. The use of native, drought-tolerant plants will minimize the amount of water used for irrigation. Rain sensors will allow the irrigation system to adjust appropriately to actual climate conditions, and stormwater collected in the cistern will provide water for a portion of the landscape. Automatic shut-off faucets, low-flow fixtures, and dual-flush toilets will conserve water within the building. The implementation of these measures will reduce total water consumption by 20-30% over conventionally-constructed buildings of similar size. Energy Some of the building’s most significant achievements will be in the areas of energy use and energy production. A Ground Source Heat Pump will increase the energy efficiency of the mechanical systems significantly. By running a non-toxic fluid through underground piping, instead of coils exposed to constantly changing air temperature, the building’s heating and cooling system will take advantage of the relatively constant temperature of the earth and provide much more efficient heating and cooling. Furthermore, the installation of high-performance glazing will mitigate unwanted heat loss and heat gain. Energy modeling early in the design of the building identified these two measures—the implementation of a Ground Source Heat Pump and the use of high-performance glazing—as greatly reducing energy use. In addition to these conservation measures, natural daylight will be provided in nearly all regularly occupied spaces to reduce reliance on electric lighting and strict commissioning of building systems will insure proper operation and efficiency. The implementation of all of these strategies is intended to provide a building that meets the 2030 Challenge, which establishes increasingly stringent efficiency milestones every five years, leading up to carbon-neutral building energy use in 2030. Buildings that are carbon-neutral with regard to energy use require no fossil fuels to operate, which is slightly different from energy-neutral buildings, which use only as much energy as they produce, regardless of the energy source. The new Neighborhood Center aims to meet the 60% reduction in energy use (the threshold for 2010) and will use only electric power (i.e. no natural gas). And because most of Seattle’s electricity comes from hydroelectric sources, the building will require very little fossil fuel to operate. Furthermore, the building will use solar panels to produce up to 50% of its own energy needs, and is designed to allow for expansion of this means of producing power as new technologies increase their efficiency and cost effectiveness. It is possible, with ongoing support from the community, that the High Point Neighborhood Center will use only as much energy as it can produce and could someday become one of the first energy-neutral buildings in the Pacific Northwest. Materials The new Neighborhood Center will also be an example of modern environmental construction with regard to materials use. Ninety-five percent of construction waste will be recycled. Reinforced concrete will contain high levels of recycled fly ash (an industrial by-product), thereby replacing some of the cement typically used, which requires large amounts of energy to produce. In addition, the steel used for reinforcement will contain a high percentage of recycled material. FSC-Certified wood will provide the majority of framing material, and the center will use recycled finish materials and local products wherever possible. Indoor Environmental Quality By designing to high standards for Indoor Environmental Quality the new Neighborhood Center offers better comfort and health for its inhabitants. The use of low- or no-VOC paints, sealants, coatings, and adhesives significantly reduces or eliminates the carcinogenic off-gassing that occurs in most buildings, as does the elimination of added urea-formaldehyde in wood and agrifiber products. Furthermore, high levels of occupant control over lighting and access to operable windows will increase occupant comfort as well as productivity. Shading devices are sized and located to minimize heat gain in the summer months but insure desired heat gain from the sun in the winter. Finally, high levels of daylight and views to the outdoors will all provide positive connections to the building’s surroundings. Living and Breathing A building that employs all of the strategies listed above ceases to be an inanimate piece of our urban fabric and becomes a living, breathing member of the community. By constantly adjusting to climate, being rooted in the steady, temperate earth, and being tethered to the power of the sun, the building lives and breathes with the world around it. To make this connection absolutely clear to its occupants the building will contain a number of educational displays explaining the different environmental strategies employed. In perhaps the most unique component of the new Neighborhood Center occupants will also be able to access on-site weather data and an interactive website where they can see just how the building is reacting to cloud cover, sun, and rain, as well as energy use, water use, and other human activity within the building. In this way, the center will provide not just a hub for human interaction in the community, but a rare opportunity to understand the connection between architecture, humanity, and the environment. |
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