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

2. 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 April 2005

3. 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 April 2005

4. 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 April 2005

5. 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: points
Silver: points
Gold: points
Platinum: points
Background
LEED Design
VAV Systems
VRML Models
Conclusion
Brian Horn Senior Thesis Presentation
Construction Management April 2005

6. 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 April 2005

7. 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 April 2005

8. “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 April 2005

9. 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 April 2005

10. 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 April 2005

11. 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 April 2005

12. 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 April 2005

13. 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 April 2005

14. 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 April 2005

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

16. 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 April 2005

17. 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 April 2005

18. 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 April 2005

19. 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 April 2005

20. 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:
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly 5 4
Brian Horn Senior Thesis Presentation
Construction Management April 2005

21. 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:
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly 3 5 1
Brian Horn Senior Thesis Presentation
Construction Management April 2005

22. 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:
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly 1 7
Brian Horn Senior Thesis Presentation
Construction Management April 2005

23. 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 April 2005

24. 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 April 2005

25. 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 April 2005

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

27. 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 April 2005

28. VAV SYSTEMS FOR LABS LIFE CYCLE COST ANALYSIS 20 Year Period
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 April 2005

29. 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) * (( )^20 – 1) /
(0.08 * ( )^20)
LC = $2,357,000
Variable Air Volume life cycle cost
LC = 448,000 + (38, ,000) * (( )^20 – 1) / (0.08 * ( )^20)
LC = $1,921,000
Brian Horn Senior Thesis Presentation
Construction Management April 2005