We are honored to be invited and have Pratik Raval & Krista Palen speak at the official Ribbon Cutting Ceremony of Crotty Hall on Wednesday, March 22, 2017.
This new office building for the Economics Department at UMass Amherst is designed by Miller Pollin Architects and is to be a net-zero energy building. This is accomplished by integrating the philosophy of energy demand reduction, system optimization, and renewable energy generation within the overall architectural language of the building.
Transsolar developed the net-zero energy strategy including all passive and active climate concepts for the building, and helped integrate them in the overall architectural design. Measures for energy-use measurement and communication as well as occupant engagement and awareness were also explored in detail. The final predicted energy use intensity (EUI) is 15 kBtu/gsf. A ground source heat pump connected with a vertical closed-loop geothermal field will produce hot and chilled water for the building’s heating and cooling needs, while the roof-mounted PV array will produce enough electricity to cover the building’s total electricity demand.