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The natural
One of the sustainability principles that underpins the activities of LPA, a California-based design firm that specialises in green buildings, is to do less. That might sound somewhat counterintuitive when youre talking about high-performing buildings, which are often loaded with a formidable array of cutting-edge equipment and materials. Which, of course, is perfectly fine, and the industry needs exemplar buildings to show the way forward, to demonstrate whats possible and to test boundaries. Yet according to Dan Heinfeld, LPAs president, doing less is an important concept because many of the best practices for sustainability have nothing to do with earning points on a rating scorecard. He says the Environmental Nature Center (ENC) in Newport Beach California is a case in point of this design approach.
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The ENC produces as much energy as it consumes.

The Environmental Nature Center (ENC) in Newport Beach, California, blends simple, passive, fundamentally sound strategies, such as understanding and responding to climatic conditions, with some high-tech kit, writes Matthew Dillon.
Doing less saves money by finding and using what is free or what we like to call the gifts of the site, Heinfeld explains. We often use the sun to provide solar energy and interior daylighting, and incorporate existing landscapes into the overall scheme. Thoughtful building orientation can maximise the use of prevailing breezes to support natural ventilation. Each and every one of these techniques is applied at the Environmental Nature Center. windows and venting systems allow ocean breezes to permeate the building. Rated LEED Platinum (the equivalent of 6 star Green star) the ENC is net-zero energy, meaning it produces as much energy as it consumes. A grid-connected photovoltaic system on the roof more than off-sets the buildings modest energy use. The insulation used in the building is made from recycled blue jeans, just one example of second-hand materials used throughout the project. Boasting 15 ecological exhibits, the ENC hosts a raft of natural science and social science education programs for students, families and the community. Heinfeld, however, also hopes visitors gain a more complete understanding of sustainable design. Says Heinfeld: Everything about the building and learning centre is shaped by sustainability and efficiency.

Net-zero buildings require better energy modelling than current tools available

The ENC is a small (836 sq m) envelopeload-dominated building that relies on natural ventilation to stay comfortable in its mild coastal location. Openable

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Prevailing breezes are able to enter the building through a series of openable windows.

Ecolibrium: The Environmental Nature Center uses the site gifts that is, it takes advantage of the coastal winds on Newport Beach and doesnt require HVAC equipment. Did you do modelling on this how did you know you would be able to naturally ventilate the space without compromising comfort for the centres visitors? Dan Heinfeld: Yes, we did do modelling to understand the temperature variation that the ENC would experience using only natural ventilation for the space. Given the site location and most importantly, the client, who was willing to accept a much greater range of temperature control in their space that our typical clients, we eliminated all HVAC equipment.

Eco: This building could have only happened at this site, and that makes it beautiful and timeless. What did you mean by this why couldnt the building happen somewhere else? DH: Our design process starts with a thorough understanding of the site and local conditions, prevailing breezes, the sun pattern, rainfall, climate conditions, etc. Once we do that we see what passive systems can be used on the site first and those passive systems shape the building and our response to architectural form. So the unique conditions on this site shaped the building design and therefore make it of its place and beautiful. We believe that by solving problems and not chasing fashion we will create projects that are beautiful and timeless. Eco: How does the cooling system work? How does the air circulate? DH: The prevailing breezes which come off the ocean are allowed to enter the building through a series of operable windows. The windows are sized differently to allow the ENC to tune the space to fit the local conditions, where the amount of air can be adjusted by opening and closing windows. The cool air enters into the space and naturally rises as it warms and is vented out of the

space. This natural displacement of the air circulates the air through the building section.
Eco: What about heating? Is that required in Californias winters? DH: The building is actually a net energy producer, and small electric heaters are used during only the coolest winter months by the staff for heating. The staff areas with the lower ceiling are the only areas where the heaters are used. The classroom building with the shaped roof and higher volume is much better at controlling the temperatures within the space. Eco: Why do blue jeans make good material for insulation? Has the concept been around for a while? DH: Yes it has, and one of the benefits we didnt think about originally was during the insulations installation. During the installation the installers were not wearing masks and gloves, as they do with a typical insulation project: not only were we using a highly recycled material for our insulation we were providing a better work environment during construction. Bo Glover, the ENC director, told me that was the day when he knew we were really doing something special at the ENC.
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What we typically do is a mixed mode system, where HVAC equipment and natural ventilation work together in creating healthy indoor environments and energy savings. The idea is that when the climate allows, operable windows are opened and a control located in the window tells the HVAC equipment that the window is open and turns off the system. We believe there are so many benefits of allowing users the opportunity to open their buildings, and we would be doing it even without the obvious benefit of energy savings.

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The ENC has exceeded modelling in terms of energy efficiency and thermal comfort.
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A PV array provides the ENC with much of its energy.

lPAs 10 sustainability principles

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Inter + act Ensure stakeholders have a voice in the projects sustainable aspects. Its about communication, collaboration and cooperation. Do less Minimise your environmental footprint. Conservation is vital. Use a sites gifts. Challenge convention Never assume. Never settle. Never accept the status quo. Keep an open mind and explore. Zoom out Each building is part of a much larger whole. Look beyond the building site for the bigger picture. Zoom In Each planning and design component is part of a much larger whole. Green the details and youll green the project. Build smart Every planning and design choice should have a reason grounded in sustainability. Sustainability and architecture are one in the same. Enrich lives Green planning and design should enrich the lives of building users on a daily basis. Create value The green planning and design process should create value for all invested in each project. Prove it Provide the hard numbers about the true costs and benefits of building green.

Eco: How is the building performing in practice in terms of energy efficiency and thermal comfort? DH: The project has exceeded all of our modelling in terms of energy efficiency and thermal comfort. As we have stated before, the ENC is a net energy provider. We designed the facility to be a net-zero, but because the project is performing better than our model, it is actually producing more energy than it is using on an annual basis. The comments from the user group and visitors have been very positive about the thermal comfort and the healthy indoor environment. Given the large number of school children that visit the centre (over 16,000 a year) this was an important consideration during the design. Eco: What do you mean by saying the building wears its sustainability? DH: The building looks the way it does because of sustainability, from the big gestures to the small, all of them are shaped by the programs sustainable quotient. Starting with the building location on the site, the way the building opens to the north, and the pitch of the roof for the PV panels, which also promotes the natural ventilation. The building design creates sustainable synergies, which are also the buildings architecture. They are one in the same.

10. Step up Stop talking about it and start doing it. The time for energy-efficient, green buildings that do more with less is now. Go to www.lpainc.com for more information

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Eco: How did the process of integrated practice work in actuality? Are there tensions, and if so how are these dealt with? DH: The process of an integrated practice is very different. The traditional practice where the designers almost always begin working and then present a solution to the client and even later the engineering team, is a model that just doesnt product the best sustainable solutions. Our process is different by design - our integrated team of architects and engineers start working on a project together and do that on a daily basis. We dont have to bring them on for a meeting; it happens much more organically then that. The difference has been profound: the engineers are making us better architects and we are making the engineers better engineers. We are looking at things more much holistically, and that makes the projects and the process better at every level. Eco: You say that sustainability is not about finding new technology. Whats it about? DH: I am a little concerned that generally

but did not have one operable window. That is why we always start with what does the site gives us for free and how we can use those gifts, over and over again. Our definition of sustainability is doing more with less.
Eco: What were the lessons you took away from the project? DH: The lessons we took away from the project:

Now with

assive design must leads the P design process with net-zero projects sers can greatly affect energy U use, positively and negatively, and require training after moving in et-zero buildings require better N energy modelling than current tools available.

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Eco: What are your thoughts on the Living Building Challenge will you be designing buildings to meet its protocols? DH: Yes we will, and are currently looking at several buildings using the Living Building Challenge. For us every project is sustainable, whether the client wants to process the Living Building Challenge or LEED doesnt matter to us. It really depends on the client and what their requirements for a specific rating are. We are focused on providing our clients with the most sustainable project that meets their program and budget, regardless of rating systems.

the media and public are looking for the next new thing and cutting-edge technology when many times a simpler approach that starts with conservation could have been much better for the client and their management of the project. An example, I was on the jury for a sustainable award recently and several of the projects we reviewed had lots of complicated HVAC and lighting systems

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The project embodies LPAs philosophy of do less.

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