A sense of urgency
Cutting edge efficiency on a massive scale. Very, very quickly.
While exemplars of the achievable, small buildings have been the most successful projects to address the requirements of the LEED® rating system or the Living Building Challenge, to date.
A planet facing the realities of global climate change and a population nearing seven billion, however, needs drastic change at an extraordinary scale and pace. The five million square foot King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) graduate research campus in Thuwal, Sauid Arabia was designed, built, and occupied in 1,000 days. AEI provided all of the energy modeling for the entire campus (as well as over half of the project engineering).
The modeling effort—conducted with eQuest and Radiance—validated a myriad of advanced technologies and unique approaches including: chilled beams, profuse use of energy recovery ventilators, wide application of underfloor air distribution, complex and pervasive solar shading, advanced envelope systems, 3300 KW of solar photovoltaics, and 2700 KW of solar thermal. Working in close collaboration with project partners and dedicated staff from the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI), we were able to successfully guide the entire campus to LEED® Platinum Certification and a reduction in energy consumption of the seventeen campus buildings to as much as 50% as compared with ASHRAE 90.1-2004.
