Charlottesville, VA
Charlottesville Area Transit Operations Center
Scope of Services
Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing, and Fire Protection (MEP/FP) Engineering
LEED Energy Modeling
The Charlottesville Area Transit (CAT) operations center was built to dispatch and maintain its 40-bus fleet, including its new hybrid-electric buses. The operations center is CAT’s second green facility and is an integral part of the City’s commitment to greener public transportation.
Services
2RW provided MEP and fire protection engineering, LEED energy modeling for the new operations center. Sustainable design elements include a rainwater harvesting system which captures 576,000 gallons of rainwater, recycles 936,000 gallons of water through the vehicle wash facility, and saves 52,000 gallons of water with high-efficiency plumbing fixtures. The center also features hybrid and electric vehicle charging stations for employee and non-revenue service vehicles.
Results
The multi-faceted strategy for water conservation will save 1.56 million gallons of water each year—enough to fill three Olympic-sized swimming pools.
The energy-saving features are projected to reduce the facility’s annual energy consumption by 30 percent compared to a baseline code-compliant building.
Scope of Services
Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing, and Fire Protection (MEP/FP) Engineering
LEED Energy Modeling
OWNER: City of Charlottesville
TIMEFRAME: 2006 – 2010
SIZE: 27,745 SF
COST: $9.6 million
ESTIMATED ENERGY SAVINGS: 30% compared to baseline code-compliant building
Highlights
- Standing column well ground source heat pump and radiant heating systems
- Demand-controlled ventilation to manage indoor air quality based on building occupancy
- Energy recovery ventilators
- Optimized building envelope design
- Energy-efficient light fixtures
- Daylighting controls with solar glare protection and occupancy sensor light switches
- Rainwater harvesting
- Electric vehicle recharging stations
Awards
2008 – Go Green Design Merit Award, James River Green Building Council