{"id":15496,"date":"2016-10-05T05:00:17","date_gmt":"2016-10-05T12:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/?p=15496"},"modified":"2020-12-24T10:17:12","modified_gmt":"2020-12-24T18:17:12","slug":"sun-vs-snow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/sun-vs-snow\/","title":{"rendered":"Sun vs. Snow"},"content":{"rendered":"

Touted as the one of the nation\u2019s most energy efficient structures, the Rocky Mountain Institute\u2019s new headquarters doesn\u2019t just survive Colorado\u2019s harsh winters \u2013 it thrives.<\/em><\/p>\n

With nighttime temperatures hovering around 5 degrees Fahrenheit in the winter, and an average of 90 inch\"rmiic-1\"es of snow per year, Basalt, Colorado may not seem like the ideal spot for one of the world\u2019s most energy efficient buildings. That didn\u2019t stop the Rocky Mountain Institute<\/a> (RMI) from choosing a new location along the Basalt\u2019s Roaring Fork River for their new headquarters. With neighbors like Aspen and Snowmass, RMI\u2019s property shines like a beacon amidst snowcapped mountains and knee-high drifts, but it\u2019s the 252 days of sunlight per year that help this architectural set piece maintain 60-degree indoor temperatures even during the coldest night of the year.<\/p>\n

The surrounding ski resorts actually helped inspire the building\u2019s structure. As Justin Brooks, lead designer ZFG Architect<\/a>s explains in an interview with Gizmodo<\/a>, \u201cIt\u2019s a very Colorado Solution. If you\u2019re wearing a down jacket that\u2019s highly insulated on the back, you can still sit outside and enjoy a beer.\u201d<\/p>\n

RMI\u2019s building follows similar logic. The building capitalizes on all those sunny days by using airflow, directed ventilation and solar panels to capture the solar gain from the south side of the building \u2013 which gets the most direct exposure to sunlight \u2013 and use it to manage the temperature inside. Rooftop solar panels and high-performance quad-pane windows also do their part, the former contributing to the structure\u2019s power load and the latter trapping thermal energy.<\/p>\n

The building\u2019s exterior also contributes, with a \u201csuper tight\u201d building envelope and sunshades on the fa\u00e7ade that move based on weather sensor data. Kinetic and responsive, the outside of the building excels at controlling glare and managing temperatures inside.<\/p>\n

\u201cI often find myself forgetting that it\u2019s a state-of-the-art net-zero energy building until I see our exterior sunshades automatically going down to guard the building from solar heat gain on hotter afternoons,\u201d said Kelly Vaughn, marketing manager at RMI. \u201cIt\u2019s a very visual reminder that we are quite literally being heated by the sun!\u201d<\/p>\n

The building eschews central heating by funneling heated air to populated areas and using heated workstation floor mats to provide individual temperature control.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe saw we could bring the heat to where the people are,\u201d Brooks tells Gizmodo. \u201cNot the other way around.\u201d<\/p>\n

Specialized drywall enhanced by special wax material that traps and releases heat works in concert with concrete slabs to consolidate thermal energy \u2013 creating what Brooks calls a \u201cthermal battery.\u201d Those low-wattage electric floor mats keep individual workstations toasty, and though the building has a radiant heating system in the floors, RMI has yet to use it.<\/p>\n

Similar in size to most commercial buildings in the US, its RMI\u2019s location that makes it stand out as one of the most energy-efficient buildings situated in North America\u2019s coldest climate zone. Because the construction uses 74 percent less energy than similar despite its surroundings, it demonstrates how sustainable design is possible even in the harshest environments. For RMI\u2019s Cara Carmichael, who served as project manager during development, the building\u2019s $13.6 million cost \u2013 only 10% higher than traditional business offices \u2013 presents a compelling argument that \u201cNet Zero isn\u2019t that much more expensive\u201d for commercial developers.<\/p>\n

For Brooks, RMI\u2019s headquarters has value beyond its sustainability as a tool to educate and promote environmentally friendly architecture.<\/p>\n

\u201cA key point of the building is that the design elements that make it beautiful are what allows it to perform,\u201d Brooks explains. \u201cThe building is intended to uplift, to help inform, and to teach.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe think this building can really inform the industry,\u201d Carmichael tells Architecture Magazine<\/a>. \u201cWe designed it for this particular location and climate. If you picked it up and moved it to Florida, it wouldn\u2019t work. But we hope to inspire people to put the same thought and care into designing their own sustainable office buildings.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Touted as the one of the nation\u2019s most energy efficient structures, the Rocky Mountain Institute\u2019s new headquarters doesn\u2019t just survive Colorado\u2019s harsh winters \u2013 it thrives. With nighttime temperatures hovering around 5 degrees Fahrenheit in the winter, and an average of 90 inches of snow per year, Basalt, Colorado may not seem like the ideal […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":103,"featured_media":15497,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_s2mail":"yes","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[802,468,1544,1278],"class_list":["post-15496","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology","tag-building","tag-energy-efficiency","tag-environmental","tag-sustainabilty"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nYardi Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Touted as the one of the nation\u2019s most energy efficient structures, the Rocky Mountain Institute\u2019s new headquarters doesn\u2019t just survive Colorado\u2019s harsh\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Sun vs. Snow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Touted as the one of the nation\u2019s most energy efficient structures, the Rocky Mountain Institute\u2019s new headquarters doesn\u2019t just survive Colorado\u2019s harsh\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/sun-vs-snow\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Yardi Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-10-05T12:00:17+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-12-24T18:17:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/06\/rmiic-1.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"445\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Cutright Elizabeth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Cutright Elizabeth\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/sun-vs-snow\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/sun-vs-snow\/\",\"name\":\"Sun vs. Snow - 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