E nvironmental /G reen B uildings
Real Estate Journal — Owners, Developers & Managers — February 24 - March 9, 2017 — 7B
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Co-designed by KSS Architects and Hollwich Kushner Philadelphia’s Pennovation Center achieves Leed Gold
HILADELPHIA, PA – KSS Architects an- nounced that the Pen- novation Center, co-designed by KSS Architects and Hol- lwich Kushner , was awarded LEED Gold with 65 points, signifying the facility’s sus- tainability-focused design that will help preserve the envi- ronment for years to come. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), a third party verification, status certifies buildings as green and resource-efficient. Gold status is the second-to-highest rating offered by LEED. The Pennovation Center is a major renovation to a for- mer DuPont paint laboratory located in an industrial neigh- borhood of Philadelphia known as South Bank. At its core, the Center is about collaborative partnerships and creativity, and the transformative spirit of ground-up innovation. The de- sign of the facility is intended to be a catalyst for this kind of thinking and creating. “The Pennovation Center signifies part of an innova- tive movement at the leading edge of global transformation – as a catalyst for learning, incubator for commerce, and force for community,” said Petar Mattioni, AIA, LEED AP , partner, KSS Architects. “The realization of this facil- ity, both rich in heritage and ambitiously future-oriented, was born from the very same principles of collaboration, con- nectivity, technical expertise, and creativity.” The green highlights of the Pennovation Center include: • Site: The landscape is de- signed to have all stormwater from impervious areas on the site drain to wetlands on site, filtered, and be retained for irrigation. A large retention P
Pennovation Center
basin as well as several smaller rain gardens were incorporated into the landscape and site de- sign. Native and adapted spe- cies were also planted as part of an expansive meadow directly adjacent to the building and accessible for building users. • Building Envelope: Over 90%of the existing construction of concrete and steel structure and brick infill was preserved. The existing exterior building envelope was optimized with the addition of insulation to increase its thermal perfor- mance. • Façade Optimization: An aluminum grid shading system was designed for south, east, and west façade glazing to reduce solar loads while still maintaining healthy daylight and views in occupied spaces. • Water Conservation: The
project contains ultra-low flow and flush fixtures. Outside of the building, water is conserved through the landscape design via stormwater retention. • Mechanical Systems: The HVAC systems utilizes a neutral air dual wheel energy recovery dedicated outdoor air system, which greatly reduces the need for energy-wasting mechanically-provided reheat. A series of high efficiency vari- able refrigerant flow systems have been zoned to provide in- dividual temperature controls to each space. KSS worked closely with an environmental consultant to determine the most cost- effective and energy-efficient approach to reuse but improve upon the existing exterior con- struction of the building. It was critical to optimize the existing
building envelope because of its inherent impact on other sustainable strategies in the building, such as sizing and de- signing the mechanical system. As the facility was designed and constructed based on an existing building, the design team strove to balance preserv- ing the character and existing construction with the necessity to implement energy-efficient envelope strategies. Particular- ly challenging – but ultimately successful – was addressing the existing exterior walls, which consisted of concrete and steel structure with brick infill and glazing. The project team had to evaluate several different schemes, such as whether to leave the existing infill, retain the existing infill with addi- tional insulation, construct a double façade, or remove the
existing infill entirely and re- place it with higher-performing infill construction. The Pennovation Center’s program includes dry and wet labs, startup garages, co-work- ing spaces, shared amenities, and an entire floor devoted to Penn SEAS engineering, all of which is part of the vision to create a dynamic environment for collaboration, research, and innovation. It is the first project of a larger development of the site by the University of Pennsylvania to revitalize and expand facilities for innova- tive research and technologies. The overall design goals of the project were to foster innova- tive and entrepreneurial spirit, connect to the surrounding neighborhood/University cam- pus/city, and support future development. n
INSIDE G eorge C rawford , G reen P artners ................................................................................................................................ 8B B ob K ilroy , J ewel E lectric ............................................................................................................................................10B C hris B losenski , RT E nvironmental S ervices , I nc ..........................................................................................................11B
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