On a grand scale, this is accomplished by the strikingly attractive, reflective roof, although that is just the start. A solar study, taking into account the sun’s effect throughout the year, allowed the building’s designers to mitigate excessive heat and glare throughout the structure. Skylights that traverse the entire central section of the roof were designed to include low-emissivity coatings, which minimize the amount of heat and ultraviolet light that comes in without cutting welcome energy-saving daylight. The skylights’ perforated screen layer, with one-eighth-inch holes, adds to their energy efficiency — and with other layered components in the skylights helps control visibility, brightness, glare and heat. The skylights help to create the building’s pleasant feeling inside. An ideal “visual light transmittance” is between 20 and 25. The Student Union’s skylights earned a score of 21.
The skylight technology, which also includes an insulating air space between the skylights’ layers, has been applied very successfully at other well-known universities, such as at the Mansueto Library at the University of Chicago. Commercial buildings, such as the Westin Diplomat Hotel in Hollywood, Florida, also make use of such energy-efficient and visually pleasing skylights. Other features in the building’s design include LED lights that dim automatically during daylight hours. Rain that falls on and around the building is harvested in a special system hooked up to campus irrigation. Recyclable materials are another important component of the facility.
All in all, smart choices were made to take advantage of the energy and money-saving opportunities made available by the latest advances in sustainable construction.
Saving Energy with a Chilled Water System
water can be employed in the same way as the ice. At the same time, the ice-based system, which had reached its maximum potential, set a limit on growth of the university’s facilities.
Until now, Embry-Riddle has employed a system to freeze water at night when electric rates are off-peak and temperatures are lower.
3 . 5 By building a 3.5-million-gallon chilled water storage tank, more energy will be saved. MIL GAL
Then, the resulting ice is melted to provide cooling during the day. The system has saved energy and money over other cooling methods. Now, however, the university is moving toward an even better system. By building a 3.5-million-gallon chilled water storage tank, more energy will be saved. This is because it is more energy-efficient to produce chilled water than it is to make ice, and the chilled
The new system will meet existing needs and has surplus capacity
to support continued growth, particularly at the Embry-Riddle Research Park. In fact, according to extensive cost-benefit analysis and project review, the energy and cost savings represented by the new system multiplies with increased utilization.
Environmental Stewardship | 15
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