Wayne L. Morse United States Courthouse

Photo credit: Tim Griffith

Team & Process

Predesign

Through a series of design charrettes, the project team explored options for combining security and sustainability needs. The charrettes helped the team set goals for creating transparent security measures while preserving open spaces in the landscape. The team also aimed to provide adaptable space that would respond to future tenant needs. At the same time, sustainability goals and the desire to create an architecturally beautiful space remained at the forefront of the design process.

Design

The collaboration that began with the design charrettes continued throughout the design process. The design team, owner, tenants, artisans, and contractor were in daily contact and participated in weekly team meetings to ensure that project goals were met. Program and space analyses were adjusted to identify efficiencies; value-engineering and three-dimensional coordination drawings aided in this process.

Solutions to the goals set in the predesign phase emerged through this collaborative process. Parking was moved underground to preserve open space and provide security, and barrier planters were filled with native plants. To create adaptable tenant space, the team specified a raised access floor and an underfloor air-distribution system, allowing for easy reconfiguration of cables and office layouts.

Construction

Because the project was bid using a "construction manager at risk" method, in which the owner hires a contractor before the design process is complete, the general contractor was able to participate in the design phase of the project. This allowed the contractor to review the design's constructability. As a result, for example, the contractor suggested placing the northern portion of the building (without underground parking) on slab and on grade to reduce cut-and-fill costs.

This early contractor involvement also allowed the project team to educate the contractor about the green goals for the project and to make sure the contractor was fully on board with those goals.

Operations/Maintenance

Operations personnel were involved during every stage of the design process, providing input on operations, control strategies, and equipment efficiency and life. During construction, an on-site technical representative with experience in building operation was also assigned to the project. The contract for operations and management was awarded prior to building completion, so operations personnel were on site and trained during commissioning.

Requirements for the efficient operation of the building were written into the contract, and the commissioning plan includes guidelines for the ongoing training of operations staff.

Commissioning

The commissioning agent was involved in the project throughout the design and construction phases. The agent provided oversight and verification of the commissioning plan and reviewed the contractor’s submittals. The agent also provided a commissioning manual for ongoing operations and contracts for ongoing review during the first year of occupation.

Post-Occupancy

The measurement and verification plan, created during the design process, describes a methodology for monitoring and evaluating building performance. For this project, a whole-building approach was selected to monitor the performance of the building with respect to the baseline developed during modeling. Electricity data is collected at 15-minute intervals, and the local utility makes it available on the Internet. A sampling of lighting circuits are submetered to analyze lighting usage, and mechanical equipment is also monitored. The results of annual performance measurements will be compiled and analyzed to measure actual building performance. Energy Star benchmarking will be performed at the one-year mark. In addition, an annual occupant survey is a standard part of building management.

Useful Information Resources and Software

• Autodesk Building Systems was used for three-dimensional shop drawings.
• DOE-2 software was used for energy modeling.

Primary Design Team Members

The design team also included:

• Environmental building consultant

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Our thanks to the ENERGY STAR program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and to the U.S. Department of Energy, and to BuildingGreen, Inc. for hosting the submission and judging forms.

For more information about the AIA/COTE Top Ten Green Projects, contact AIA/COTE. For help on how to use this Web site, contact .