KEC Sustainable Details

It seems there are a few highlights to every high performance building or sustainable building project.  However this project really takes advantage of sustainable design and construction in virtually every aspect of the project.  As I look back on the blogs over the past 16 months, this aspect is lost in the details.  So here is a recap of the sustainable details of the KEC.

The Net Zero Energy operation of the KEC is possible because all the energy required to run the facility in a year is generated onsite by an acre of photovoltaic panels (296kW array).

All walkway materials are reclaimed milled asphalt and lined with LED bollard lights activated by motion sensors to limit energy consumption.

Corridor walls are lined with tapped maple, salvaged from local sugar maple farms in VT.

Bathrooms are equipped with low flow Kohler plumbing fixtures to conserve water.

This shower head was specially engineered for this project.  It provides low flow as standard pressure and has a push button for a brief surge of pressure which comes in handy when trying to rinse out the shampoo.

granite counters

Dorm room lights are all controlled with Lutron lighting control systems.  Fan light and desk lamps are all switched by the door and are also tied into an occupancy sensor to turn off if nobody is in the room to conserve energy.

Windows are high performance argon filled double glazed Marvin units.

The cedar sunshade shades the southern exposure in summer while allowing winter sunlight in.

Exterior siding materials include FSC certified cedar and recycled content Certainteed cement board siding.

The controller for the Cinco Solar Evacuated Tubes allows you to evaluate your system needs and optimize your systems with the hot water produced by solar energy.  It also allows you to monitor and program system performance. 

Furniture selection also utilized reclaimed materials as you can see from this oak end table.

Locally sourced stone was used as a stone veneer feature on select elevations of the exterior.

Flow meters were installed which are integrated into the building dashboard.  This will allow the end users to monitor and meter systems performance and usage.

Polished concrete floors were selected for corridors, labs, and the commons.  This reduces material usage as tile, wood, or carpet will not be used in these spaces.  The corridor classroom will pick up solar gain in the winter from southern exposure for passive heating.  

KEC Recycling

Current project recycling rate is   83% 

We have recycled 189 tons of material on site.  A ton is 2,000 lbs.  So we have recycled about 379,000 lbs.  To help put this in perspective, a car weighs about a ton.  Another way to look at it is by volume.  Construction debris weighs about 1,000 lbs per cubic yard.  Therefore we have recycled 379 CY.  In the KEC a single dorm room is about 41 CY.  

This is equivalent to recycling 9 dorm rooms full of debris!

For LEED we are required to recycle construction waste from the project.  Your project can earn 1 point for a 50% recycle rate or 2 points for 75% recycle rate.  There are a number of strategies to make sure this is successful.  All strategies include trade awareness and education.  We discuss the requirement at weekly subcontractor meetings with trade foreman, post project signage, and partner with a hauling company with experience in recycling goals on LEED projects.  

Materials are sorted onsite into seperate containers for Steel, Wood, Drywall, Concrete and Masonry, Paper and Cardboard, and general debris.  The general debris can be further sorted offsite at a recyling facility.  A demonstration of one of these facilities in action can be seen here.