2RW reviewed the design of the new $24 million, three-story MSG complex to meet the U.S. Air Force and Global Strike Command high performance green building (HPGB) objectives addressing site design, water use, energy use reduction, building commissioning, materials selection and indoor environmental quality. This administrative building includes command and control areas, conference rooms, classrooms, and workspaces for 15 units.

Applying an energy model developed using Trane’s TRACE 700TM software, 2RW simulated a wide variety of energy conservation measures (ECMs) intended to exceed requirements of ASHRAE 90.1 baseline.

2RW analyzed strategies to minimize the heating and cooling loads. This included improving to the interior lighting design by installing high-efficiency lighting fixtures, automatic controls, and daylight harvesting measures. Once heating and cooling loads were minimized, 2RW reviewed the HVAC systems and suggested heat recovery options, thermal storage, and water-to-water heat pumps to further minimize building energy consumption.

• Recommended design improvements would enable the complex to achieve more than a 55% reduction in the use of fossil fuels as required by the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act.
• Measures were identified to reduce the energy consumption of the proposed design by 21% while eliminating natural gas use entirely.