Washington College Semans Griswold Environmental Hall – Net Zero
Wanting to take the classroom to the water’s edge, Washington College developed a plan to create a waterfront environmental laboratory, a building that did not overpower the beautiful landscape, but compliment it, both aesthetically and environmentally. Through this vision Semans Griswold Environmental Hall was born.
Gipe Associates served as the Engineer of Record for the design and contract administration of the mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection systems. Systems design included heating, ventilation, air conditioning, power distribution, interior lighting, site lighting, fire alarm, telecommunications, and security systems. We took on the challenge of designing a high performance, energy efficient academic laboratory that could meet Living Building Challenge requirements for net zero and remain within a modest budget of $12.5M. The Living Building Challenge is a sustainable development model that is the most advanced measure of sustainability in today’s design and construction industry. This certification requires thoughtful decision making centered around a design and construction process that will leave a positive impact on humanity & the environment. Finally, the building must be self-sufficient or exceed “net zero”, producing at least 105% of the energy that it will use and requires verification by tracking energy usage for 1 year after occupancy. In 2023 the building finalized its Living Building Challenge certification, certifying that it truly operates as a net zero facility.
Semans Griswold Environmental Hall is the 3rd and final building constructed as part of the Waterfront campus plan. Consisting of approximately 11,000 square feet, the environmental hall hosts three modern lab spaces including a watershed/aquaculture innovation lab, a hands-on science lab, and a river flow through system.
In order to make the energy goals a reality, Gipe Associates incorporated many sustainable elements in the design. For heating and cooling, the waterfront campus utilizes a high-performance, energy-efficient, closed loop geothermal system. The geothermal well field and distribution system with water source heat pumps were designed by Gipe Associates under Phase 1 of the Waterfront Campus Plan with Semans Griswold being the third and final building to connect to the geothermal system in Phase 3. The HVAC system utilizes variable speed fan strategies that modulate ventilation airflow rates based on occupancy and also modulate supply air fans to match cooling/heating needs within the facility.
Ventilation for the facility is provided by an energy recovery ventilator utilizing enthalpy wheel and heat pipe technology. Demand controlled ventilation was employed to only introduce fresh air into the building during occupied hours based on occupancy. The ventilation equipment is completely de-energized during unoccupied periods to conserve energy. This strategy saves energy and expands the service life of the ventilation equipment when considering the hours of operation are significantly reduced compared to the heating/cooling equipment. The energy recovery ventilators are able to provide cooling, heating and dehumidification utilizing two means of energy recovery. One, the enthalpy wheel is utilized for exhaust air energy recovery, and two, the heat pipe is utilized for pre-cooling and re-heating the outside air for dehumidification. The heat pipe, without any moving parts, transfers heat from upstream of the cooling coil to downstream of the cooling coil to reheat the ventilation airflow before being delivered to the spaces. No separate source of energy is required for re-heat.
Employing a district closed loop geothermal heat pump system allowed for Semans-Griswold to share the energy costs of the central heat pump system with other buildings located on the waterfront campus.
Another unique feature of the Semans-Griswold HVAC system is the integration with the operable windows for each zone. If the occupants want to take advantage of natural ventilation for temperature control, the windows can be opened and the interlocked water source heat pump unit automatically de-energizes to conserve energy when the weather permits. The interlocked control system senses and sends alarm notifications if windows are left open and if temperatures within the space fall “too-low” or rise “too-high”.
Domestic hot water production is achieved via a high efficiency air side heat pump water heater. Low flow plumbing fixtures reduce water consumption while aerators in the faucets maintain a sense of water pressure without increasing the water flow or consumption.
Semans Griswold Environmental Hall was designed to utilize natural daylight and “show off” the beautiful Chester River landscape surrounding the facility. High efficiency LED lighting controlled by dimmer switches and control panels allow users to adjust artificial light levels to suit their needs. Daylight sensors were implemented to dim artificial lighting for days where there is ample sunlight available, and vacancy sensors turn off lighting when not in use – both reducing the building’s energy consumption. To take full advantage of the sun’s power, a roof mounted solar PV system and energy storage system (i.e. batteries) provide an additional way to produce energy and meet net zero requirements.
Full building electrical power was designed with laboratory uses in mind. Laboratory spaces are equipped with multi-outlet raceways, lab bench power pedestals, and ceiling-mounted cord reels. Electrical sub-metering design provides separate meters for plug loads, science lab equipment, lighting, and HVAC equipment, including the central geothermal pumps located in the adjacent Truslow building. Mechanical sub-metering provides geothermal and dual temperature system BTU (energy) metering. Metering all of the energy usage in the building helps the occupants and facility’s staff to monitor “where they are consuming their energy”. The metering also provides the Owner with the data needed to address excess energy usage when discovered to fine tune the building’s operation and to guarantee that the energy consumed does not exceed the Solar PV production on an annual basis.
Another unique aspect of the project is the River Flow-Through System which allows students and professors the ability to conduct in-lab studies related to the Chesapeake Bay and Chester River. Gipe Associates, Inc. designed a series of pumps and piping that conveys river water from the Chester River to the classroom laboratory. Piping was strategically designed to run underneath the nearby dock and underground to the building, allowing it to be hidden from view. Classroom aquatics tanks/tables store the river water for examination and research pertaining to the river’s ecology. Water temperature and flow rates are monitored through the building management system.
Semans Griswold Environmental Hall project cannot be fully appreciated without understanding the site history. Previously, the site was previously used by an agricultural chemical plant and then by a petroleum transfer company. Site contamination led its being identified by the US EPA as a heavily contaminated brownfield site. Washington College initiated a brownfield site cleanup and revitalized the site for residential use to ensure the safety of students and professors. Today, Semans Griswold Environmental Hall is fully integrated into an aesthetically pleasing, environmentally friendly and energy efficient staple on the nine acre water front campus. The redevelopment of the site is now part of the Chesapeake watershed’s coastal plain eco region, an ideal place for a living laboratory that immerses students into environmental studies and sustainability.
The project was constructed under budget at $11.4M. Gipe’s and the project’s success regarding this facility can be summed up by this quote from Washington College’s former VP of Finance and Administration: “I truly appreciate your partnership with the College. Your willingness to adapt to our changing needs, work within our financial constraints and ultimately make it all work is all that I could hope for.” This project went on to win multiple design awards, including AIA Maryland Merit Award, AIA Baltimore 2020 Grand Design Award, and AIA Baltimore Excellence in Design Award, and ACEC’s Outstanding Project Award.
To learn more about the MEP systems implemented for this project, check out our video: https://youtu.be/4w8mQroMJuI?si=ar1dtz_qRutjaTDK
Project Type: Higher Education,
