Vermont's Top Energy-Efficient Commercial Buildings for 2004

Vermont Business Magazine, Feb 01, 2005 by Veda, Arun

As part of its mission to support and recognize designers of Vermont's finest energy-efficient buildings.

Efficiency Vermont is recognizing five Vermont firms in this year's Better Buildings By Design competition for commercial structures. Held annually, this competition recognizes excellence in designs that provide Vermont business owners with buildings that cost less to operate and provide healthy, comfortable and functional workspaces.

The following designers are being recognized this year:

Black River Design Architects, Montpelier (Maple Street School in Manchester and the Mayo Center Library at St. Johnsbury Academy)

Breadloaf Architects Planners Builders, Middlebury (Middlebury Natural Foods Co-Op)

Gossens Bachman Architects, Montpelier (Waterfront Apartments in Burlington)

Truex Cullins & Partners, Burlington (DuBois & King, Inc. headquarters in Randolph)

William Maclay Architects & Planners, Waitsfield (NRG Systems in Hinesburg)

"We congratulate these firms on their commitment to bringing innovative, comprehensive approaches to the design process," says Blair Hamilton, Director of Efficiency Vermont. "These firms stand out as leaders in the realm of energy-efficient building in Vermont."

Poster displays by each of the design teams will be on exhibit at the February 9-10 Better Buildings by Design Conference at the Burlington Sheraton. Two outstanding projects are highlighted here: NRG Systems in Hinesburg and the new DuBois & King headquarters in Randolph. Both designs illustrate how the use of energysaving features promotes superior buildings that are efficient to operate and maintain. The other four projects are featured on page 42 of this issue.

DuBois & King, Inc. headquarters, Randolph, Designers: Truex Cullins & Partners, Burlington

In partnership with the Randolph Area Community Development Corporation, DuBois & King, Inc. originally planned to relocate its corporate headquarters to the old village school building in Randolph, Vermont. However, inspections revealed major structural problems and renovating the existing building was not financially feasible. The company decided instead to build a new 23,700 square-foot building that would maintain the school's original architectural themes, as requested by the Vermont Division of Historic Preservation. In addition, Dubois & King, Inc. decided to implement many of the energy-efficient approaches that they recommend to their clients.

DuBois & King, Inc., Truex Cullins & Partners Architects, and Efficiency Vermont worked together on an integrated design approach. This included review of the design plans, recommendations for energy saving opportunities and a costbenefit analysis of these measures based on energy modeling of the proposed design. DuBois & King, Inc. constructed a high performance building which includes these energy saving components:

- A high efficiency heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system with an energy recovery unit and integrated economizer;

- Efficient lighting with innovative technology that maximizes and harvests natural daylight;

- A custom-designed thermal shell that eliminates the need for baseboard heat under windows.

NRG Systems, Hinesurg, Designers: William Maclay Architects & Planners

When the owners of NRG Systems, Inc., Jan and Dave Blittersdorf, decided to build new headquarters for their expanding wind energy assessment business, they knew that they needed to come up with a building that would serve as symbol of their work and dedication to the environment. They wanted their new headquarters to showcase renewable energy and energyefficiency strategies in action.

One of the main keys to NRG Systems, Inc., success was the selection of a design team that was dedicated to their goal of designing a high performance building that has "net-zero" energy use. "Net-zero" 9, means that all non-renewable energy consumed on site (electricity, propane) is being offset by site generated power and use of renewable wood pellet fuel.

Efficiency Vermont offered technical assistance in evaluating the building shell and provided incentives for features such as energyefficient lighting fixtures and controls', cooling and heating equipment, motors and controls, and building envelope components.