SCHOOL OF FOREST RESOURCES BUILDING

Penn State University University Park, PA SCHOOL OF FOREST RESOURCES BUILDING Senior Thesis Presentation 13 April 2005

PRESENTATION AGENDA • Project Background • LEED Certification for Laboratory Buildings • Variable Air Volume Systems for Laboratories • Immersive Virtual Modeling for MEP Coordination • Conclusions and Recommendations Background LEED Design VAV Systems VRML Models Conclusion Brian Horn Senior Thesis Presentation Construction Management 13 April 2005

PROJECT BACKGROUND • PROJECT OVERVIEW • Size: 92,000 SF • Laboratory Space: 28,000 SF • Cost: $27,000,000 • Construction: August 2004 – December 2005 • Delivery Method: CM Agency • CM Agency: Gilbane Building Company • Designed as LEED Certified Background LEED Design VAV Systems VRML Models Conclusion Brian Horn Senior Thesis Presentation Construction Management 13 April 2005

LEED CERTIFICATION FOR LABS • WHAT IS LEED? • Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design • Established by the US Green Building Council (USGBC) • Voluntary, consensus based national standard for developing high performance, sustainable buildings • Four levels • Certified: 26-32 points • Silver: 33-38 points • Gold: 39-51 points • Platinum: 52-69 points Background LEED Design VAV Systems VRML Models Conclusion Brian Horn Senior Thesis Presentation Construction Management 13 April 2005

LEED CERTIFICATION FOR LABS • BENEFITS OF LEED • Decrease energy costs • Up to $6/SF for typical lab • Decrease water consumption • Up to 1,000,000 gallons/year • Reduced equipment size • Improved indoor environmental quality • 20 – 26% improvement in learning / comprehension • 1.6 – 1.9% improvement in classroom attendance • 2 – 4% improvement in employee productivity Background LEED Design VAV Systems VRML Models Conclusion Brian Horn Senior Thesis Presentation Construction Management 13 April 2005

LEED CERTIFICATION FOR LABS • DIFFICULTIES FOR LABORATORY BUILDINGS • High demand for power and water • Air quality requirements • 100% outdoor air • Minimum air flow rates • Air changes per hour • Maintain negative room pressure Background LEED Design VAV Systems VRML Models Conclusion Brian Horn Senior Thesis Presentation Construction Management 13 April 2005

“LEED” - ING BY EXAMPLE • DONALD BREN HALL • UC SANTA BARBARA • First LEED Platinum certified laboratory building in the country • Similar in size and scope to the Forest Resources building Background LEED Design VAV Systems VRML Models Conclusion • Keys to sustainability: • Photovoltaic array on roof provides 10% of total electricity needed • High efficiency variable air volume mechanical system • Constructed from more than 40% recycled materials • Water conservation and reclamation Brian Horn Senior Thesis Presentation Construction Management 13 April 2005

LEED CERTIFICATION FOR LABS THE COST OF GOING “GREEN” Background LEED Design VAV Systems VRML Models Conclusion • Bren Hall achieved Platinum certification for only 2% above construction costs Brian Horn Senior Thesis Presentation Construction Management 13 April 2005

LEED CERTIFICATION FOR LABS • FOREST RESOURCES BUILDING • Designed for LEED Certification • Could easily achieve Silver or even Gold certification • Main areas of focus: • Landscaping • Water conservation • Reduce total energy use Background LEED Design VAV Systems VRML Models Conclusion Brian Horn Senior Thesis Presentation Construction Management 13 April 2005

VAV SYSTEMS FOR LABS • WHAT IS VAV? • Variable Air Volume • System varies the amount of air supplied to specific areas of the building based on demand • Advantages • Reduced energy costs • Reduced equipment sizes • Disadvantages • Higher initial cost • Higher maintenance costs • More sensors and control wiring needed Background LEED Design VAV Systems VRML Models Conclusion Brian Horn Senior Thesis Presentation Construction Management 13 April 2005

VAV SYSTEMS FOR LABS IS THERE A NEED FOR VAV SYSTEMS? Background LEED Design VAV Systems VRML Models Conclusion ENERGY USE FOR A TYPICAL LAB Source: labs21.org Brian Horn Senior Thesis Presentation Construction Management 13 April 2005

VAV SYSTEMS FOR LABS • VAV FOR LABORATORIES • Must maintain room pressure • Laboratory fume hoods • Minimum air flow • Sash position sensors • Maintain constant conditions for experiments • Override switch Background LEED Design VAV Systems VRML Models Conclusion Brian Horn Senior Thesis Presentation Construction Management 13 April 2005

VAV SYSTEMS FOR LABS TYPICAL LABORATORY VAV ARRANGEMENT Background LEED Design VAV Systems VRML Models Conclusion Brian Horn Senior Thesis Presentation Construction Management 13 April 2005

VAV SYSTEMS FOR LABS • IS A VAV SYSTEM COST EFFECTIVE? • Typical constant volume system • $12 - $14 / SF of laboratory • Typical VAV system • $15 - $17 / SF of laboratory • VAV system alone can save up to $2 / SF per year on energy costs • Life cycle cost analysis shows VAV to be a better economic investment over life of building Background LEED Design VAV Systems VRML Models Conclusion Brian Horn Senior Thesis Presentation Construction Management 13 April 2005

IMMERSIVE VIRTUAL MODELING • MEP COORDINATION PROCESS • Traditionally done with 2D drawings • Difficult to visualize elevations and layout of components Background LEED Design VAV Systems VRML Models Conclusion Brian Horn Senior Thesis Presentation Construction Management 13 April 2005

IMMERSIVE VIRTUAL MODELING • MEP COORDINATION USING VRML • 3D model exported to Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML) • Goal of immersive virtual model is to reduce time needed to detect collisions • Save time and money during coordination and construction Background LEED Design VAV Systems VRML Models Conclusion Brian Horn Senior Thesis Presentation Construction Management 13 April 2005

IMMERSIVE VIRTUAL MODELING • INDUSTRY SURVEY • Nine professionals from the Forest Resources building • Ranged from mechanical engineers to pipe fitters Background LEED Design VAV Systems VRML Models Conclusion Visualizing the layout and elevations of duct and piping is easier with the immersive virtual model than with traditional 2D drawings: Brian Horn Senior Thesis Presentation Construction Management 13 April 2005

IMMERSIVE VIRTUAL MODELING • INDUSTRY SURVEY • Nine professionals from the Forest Resources building • Ranged from mechanical engineers to pipe fitters Background LEED Design VAV Systems VRML Models Conclusion Using an immersive virtual model could speed up the MEP coordination process: Brian Horn Senior Thesis Presentation Construction Management 13 April 2005

IMMERSIVE VIRTUAL MODELING • INDUSTRY SURVEY • Nine professionals from the Forest Resources building • Ranged from mechanical engineers to pipe fitters Background LEED Design VAV Systems VRML Models Conclusion Using an immersive virtual model during the MEP coordination process could help avoid delays during construction: Brian Horn Senior Thesis Presentation Construction Management 13 April 2005

IMMERSIVE VIRTUAL MODELING • CONCERNS ON THE USE OF VRML • One of the biggest drawbacks is the additional time and money needed to create the immersive virtual model • Hopefully, this money would be made up during construction by having no delays or change orders • Having an environment available to view an immersive virtual model in stereo can be costly and space consuming • Taking advantage of facilities such as this one could be beneficial Background LEED Design VAV Systems VRML Models Conclusion Brian Horn Senior Thesis Presentation Construction Management 13 April 2005

CONCLUSION • LEED Certification is a worthwhile and rewarding endeavor • Main focus for Forest Resources building should be reduced energy use • Using a VAV system can greatly reduce energy consumption • Special attention should be given to laboratory requirements • Visualizing MEP coordination drawings can be greatly enhanced by immersive virtual models • Some barriers do exist that make the technology not quickly adopted into the construction industry • Immersive virtual models can be an economically rewarding investment Background LEED Design VAV Systems VRML Models Conclusion Brian Horn Senior Thesis Presentation Construction Management 13 April 2005

QUESTIONS Background LEED Design VAV Systems VRML Models Conclusion Brian Horn Senior Thesis Presentation Construction Management 13 April 2005

VAV SYSTEMS FOR LABS LIFE CYCLE COST ANALYSIS Background LEED Design VAV Systems VRML Models Conclusion LC = IC + AC * ((1 + i)^n – 1) / (i * (1 + i)^n) where: LC = life cycle cost IC = initial cost AC = annual cost (energy + maintenance) i = interest rate n = number of years Brian Horn Senior Thesis Presentation Construction Management 13 April 2005

VAV SYSTEMS FOR LABS LIFE CYCLE COST ANALYSIS Background LEED Design VAV Systems VRML Models Conclusion 20 Year Period Given economic factors: Interest rate = 8% Service Life = 20 years Constant Volume system Initial cost = $364,000 Energy cost = $168,000 / year Maintenance cost = $35,000 / year Variable Air Volume system Initial cost = $448,000 Energy cost = $112,000 / year Maintenance cost = $38,000 / year Brian Horn Senior Thesis Presentation Construction Management 13 April 2005

VAV SYSTEMS FOR LABS LIFE CYCLE COST ANALYSIS Background LEED Design VAV Systems VRML Models Conclusion Constant Volume life cycle cost LC = 364,000 + (35,000 + 168,000) * ((1 + 0.08)^20 – 1) / (0.08 * (1 + 0.08)^20) LC = $2,357,000 Variable Air Volume life cycle cost LC = 448,000 + (38,000 + 112,000) * ((1 + 0.08)^20 – 1) / (0.08 * (1 + 0.08)^20) LC = $1,921,000 Brian Horn Senior Thesis Presentation Construction Management 13 April 2005

SCHOOL OF FOREST RESOURCES BUILDING