Agenda-Spring Summer 2011

Shaken, but
not stirred
Buildings designed
for Californian
earthquakes
The technical journal for AECOMs global
Building Engineering services
Spring/Summer 2011
Printed using vegetable based inks on material made from 50
percent recycled, 50 per cent virgin fber from sustainable sources.
About AECOM
AECOM is a global provider of professional technical and
management support services to a broad range of markets,
including transportation, facilities, environmental, energy,
water and government. With approximately 45,000 employees
around the world, AECOM is a leader in all of the key markets
that it serves. AECOM provides a blend of global reach, local
knowledge, innovation and technical excellence in delivering
solutions that create, enhance and sustain the worlds built,
natural and social environments. A Fortune 500 company,
AECOM serves clients in approximately 125 countries and has
annual revenue in excess of $7.0 billion.
More information on AECOM and its services can be found at
www.aecom.com.
Staying green,
keeping warm
Sustainable
buildings
for cold climates
High and
mighty
A new tall building
for Macau
A
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r
i
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/
S
u
m
m
e
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2
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1
A
E
C
O
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Are green
buildings
healthy?
Building Engineering
Foreword
As building engineers, our role is to
design solutions that work better,
perform more effciently and deliver
more productively.
Some of our many ideas for new
ways of delivering sustainable
thinking around the world have found
their way into this issue of Agenda.
Weve selected projects that refect
the breadth and range of creative
engineering innovation that AECOM is
known for, delivering sustainable
thought leadership in particular.
Even the smallest project can cast a
wide sphere of infuence. A great
example is the zero carbon homes
development in the U.K., a potential
blueprint for future housing develop-
ments that is generating considerable
interest. At the other end of the
sustainable scale, our work delivering
two key commercial buildings in
Edmonton, Canada, demonstrates
that it is possible to build sustainably
while facing the extreme challenges of
a cold climate. Integrating form and
function gave rise to a visually
exciting, highly sustainable offce
development in Perth, Australia.
Seismic activity sets its own set of
design challenges. Our team rose to
the challenge when asked to design a
critical essential services facility able
to withstand powerful earthquakes in
California, U.S. Vibration in building
movement, but from a different
perspective, infuenced our thinking
for a new home for the highest
resolution microscope in Australia.
Similarly, FC Spartak Moscow Stadium
has sophisticated advanced analysis
to thank for its elegant yet robust
structures. In Macau, a new tall
building has made headlines, built
using our innovative fast-track
construction solution.
AECOM is committed to igniting
creative excellence. Our experts
continue to think ahead, leading the
way on key issues worldwide. In this
issue, David Cheshire puts forward
some thinking about occupant
comfort green buildings, while Andy
Parkman considers the opportunities
facing city leaders.
Agenda is a rich showcase for the
dynamic variety and breadth of
challenge that we face in our day-to-
day work, driving our determination to
evolve the best possible solutions for
our clients worldwide.
Ken Dalton
Chief Executive
Global Building Engineering
E: ken.dalton@aecom.com
With the low carbon agenda driving thinking at
government levels globally, now more than
ever AECOM continues to evolve new ways to
drive a sustainable agenda.
26
4
6
34
Construction is well underway
at Zayed University, a prestige
education campus that will
enhance the social and economic
development of Abu Dhabi
through higher education.
The 75 hectare green-feld site
will provide state of the art
classroom and laboratory
facilities for teaching and
research across 27 buildings,
serving a mixed, segregated,
daytime population of 6,000
students ,with capacity for future
expansion to accommodate
10,000 students.
AECOMs team in the Middle
East developed the master plan
for the entire full build-out of the
$879m campus, and delivered
full multidisciplinary design
services for 19 buildings.
With structural work well
advanced, the landmark
university project is due for
completion in mid 2011.
ON SITE: ZAYED UNIVERSITY, CAPITAL
DISTRICT - ABU DHABI, U.A.E.
2 Agenda Spring/summer 2011
4
Housing benefts
Innovativezerocarbonhomesbreak
newgroundintheU.K.
6 A sharp focus on the detail
TheMonashCentreforElectron
Microscopy(MCEM),Victoria,Australia.
10
Are green buildings healthy?
Aregreenbuildingsalsohealthy
buildings?DavidCheshireinvestigates
fromtheU.K.
16
Meeting the
sustainable vision
AnewlandmarkbuildingforPerth,
WesternAustralia,looksgoodand
exceedssustainabilityexpectations,
explainsMarcelloGreco.
20
Shaken, but not stirred
DavidKilpatrickandShafqAlam
reportfromCalifornia,U.S.ona
criticalbuildingdesignedtosurvive
majorseismicactivity.
26
Staying green, keeping warm
JillPedersonandJohnMunroe
showcasetwosustainablecommercial
buildingsinCanadadesignedfor
extremecoldclimates.
34
Air chairs: seats of cool
JimSaywellandAlastairMacGregor
keeptheircoolinthebusy,sunnyairport
inSanJose,U.S.
40
Dynamic design
FCSpartakMoscowsnewMoscow,
Russiastadiumismakingheadlines.
AndyCowardgoesintothedetail.
46
High and mighty
DavidLee,HoiYeunLeeandChester
Chanreviewinnovativefast-track
constructiontechniquesforthestriking
258-meter-tallGrandLisboaHoteland
Casino,Macau.
52
Emerging city challenges
AndyParkmanconsiderssustainable
optionsforcitiesthatareexperiencing
economicgrowth.
54 References
55
On site: Zayed University
40
46
16
20
Technical editor
PeterAyres
Editor
HelenElias
Graphic design
MattTimmins
Building Engineering executive
KenDalton
HamidAdib
MikeBiscotte
SteveCampbell
AbdulHagh
GeoffHardy
SteveHodkinson
DavidLee
AndrewMcDougall
AndrewSchofeld
Contact/subscribe
AgendaisthetechnicaljournalforAECOMs
globalbuildingengineeringservices.
TechnicalpaperssubmittedtoAgendaare
bothreviewedbyaneditorialboardandpeer-
groupverifed.Agendaisreadbyourclients
andourexpertsaroundtheworld.
Sendusyourthoughtsandsubscribeto
futureissues:agendamagazine@aecom.com.
10
3 Spring/Summer 2011 Agenda
Housing
benefts
Special tapes and
seals ensure required
air tightness levels.
The energy centre includes solar
thermal panels, an air source heat
pump (ASHP), a ground source heat
pump (GSHP), a biomass boiler and
a spare bay for future renewable
energy technology testing.
The biomass boiler, ground and
air source heat pumps all run
independently to demonstrate
that these renewable
technologies can each generate
enough low carbon heat to meet
zero carbon requirements.
Roofs are covered with solar
photovoltaic tiles (63 kWp in total),
providing enough renewable
electricity to achieve net zero
carbon emissions in each home
irrespective of heat source. Excess
electricity is sold back to the
national transmission system.
Residents have moved into one of the U.K.s largest zero
carbon developments in Slough, Berkshire. Greenwatt
Way uses the latest construction methods and
technologies to deliver zero carbon housing to Level 6 of
the U.K. Code for Sustainable Homes.
ItisimportantfortheU.K.housingmarkettotrial
differentlowcarbontechnologiesandfullyunderstand
theirperformanceinalowenergyhome.ThefrstU.K.
developmentwherethisrangeofrenewabletechnologies
hasbeendeployed,GreenwattWay,willalloweffective
monitoringofeachsystem.
Thedevelopment,tenhomeswithtwoorthree
bedroomsandafewonebedroomfats,aninformation
hubandanenergycenter,willbemonitoredfortwo
yearstoimproveunderstandingofenergyusageand
requirements.Eachhomehasaprivatepatioarounda
sharedgarden,withspacetogrowvegetables.
Zero carbon homes
break new ground
ZERO CARBON MEASURES
4 Agenda Spring/Summer 2011
The ventilation
system features
high effciency
heat recovery.
A north-facing roof light
above the stairs allows
natural daylight
penetration into the
houses, also acting as a
chimney opening in
summer to draw out
warm air.
A grey water recycling
system recycles bath and
shower water to fush toilets
and recover waste heat. A
centralized rainwater
harvesting system collects
rainwater to fush toilets
and provide water for
irrigation and car washing.
Low carbon heating and hot
water is supplied via an
innovative low temperature, low
heat loss district heating
system serviced from the
energy center.
By testing a wide range of
solutions, Greenwatt Way is
enabling research into the real
life benefts of living in zero
carbon homes:
the energy center will test fve
different types of renewable energy
generation, including: an air and
ground-source heat pump, a
biomass boiler, solar thermal panels
and solar photovoltaic tiles
a low temperature district heat
network will reduce heat losses and
maximize heat source performance
low energy appliances, cooking and
lighting technologies
low water use fttings, rainwater
harvesting and greywater (including
heat) recovery
energy monitoring/smart metering
systems.
REAL LIFE BENEFITS
RESEARCH
The Monash Centre for
Electron Microscopy (MCEM),
Victoria, Australia, is a purpose-
built laboratory, one of a handful
of similar facilities around the
world. The center houses ten
microscopes, including the
highest resolution electron
microscope in Australia.
AECOM was briefed with the
challenge of eliminating almost
all noise and vibration in the
MCEM. Engaged by Monash
Project Management, AECOM
worked closely with lead archi-
tectural consultant, Architectus
Melbourne.
Matthew Stead, AECOMs
global acoustic practice leader,
led the team for this one-of-a-
kind project. There are only a
handful of facilities worldwide
with this type of specifcation.
Andrew Tull, a member of the
team who had previously worked
on the award-winning Australian
Synchrotron, traveled to Germany
and Holland, to meet with the
lead scientist from McMaster
University, Ontario, Canada, to
inspect similar facilities.
Investigation into other
international facilities provided
the team with insight into how
the detailed specifcations could
be achieved in the Australian
environment, where the location
of the building within a working
university campus provided a
further set of unique design
challenges.
Designing for the unknown
The assignment was a chal-
lenge as the microscopes to be
installed within the facility were
still not known at the time of
building design. This meant that
a comparison of vibration criteria
between different electron
microscope manufacturers was
needed to maintain maximum
fexibility in the buildings design.
A combination of conservative
design, allowing for future capac-
ity, and fexibility in the penetra-
tions into the rooms for future
services addressed the unknown
specifcations. The conservative
approach resulted in a design
that addressed the most strin-
gent specifcations of potential
equipment to be installed in the
laboratories.
The initial brief nominated
mechanical vibrations of
A world-class research facility located in the heart
of Monash Universitys Clayton Campus, Victoria,
Australia, called for innovative mechanical services
noise and vibration design solutions to ensure that
ten highly-sensitive electron microscopes achieve
magnifcations to atomic scales.
A SHARP FOCUS
ON THE DETAIL
Interlocking glass
panels allow light to
enter the internal
spaces.
<0.5 micro-g <10Hz and
<5 micro-g >10Hz one thousand
times less vibration than can be
felt. Sound had to be below 20 dBA
across full frequency range, mak-
ing it as quiet as a concert hall.
These specifcations were fur-
ther developed into the required
noise and vibration spectra, with
signifcant noise attenuation
required at the very diffcult low
frequency of <50Hz.
Thermal stability was critical,
with specifcations requiring
<0.1C/30 minutes and
<0.005C/seconds at 20C,
humidity below 60 percent and
dew point below 18C. Air fow
was not to be within 1 meter of the
microscope column.
With the level of attenuation
required of the background
environmental noise and vibra-
tion and therefore the design
solutions, unknown at the start of
the project, the design challenge
was signifcant. Whats more, the
site was surrounded by buildings
containing a variety of vibration
A comparison of vibration criteria
between electron microscope
manufacturers was needed to
maintain maximum fexibility in the
buildings design.
The building form is a perfect square, sitting on top of a spherical mound.
THE CLAYTON CAMPUS
sources, including pumps, fans,
generators, cooling towers,
lifts and other miscellaneous
air conditioning equipment, and
a roadway to the west, along
with numerous car parks. These
features meant that there were
numerous potential sources of
excessive vibration that required
signifcant treatment.
In fact, preliminary measure-
ments found vibration levels to be
close to the criteria levels, making
the design critical to ensure they
were not amplifed in any way.
Similarly, the site was sur-
rounded by numerous noise
sources including the addition
of aircraft noise overhead and
the daily activity of the cam-
pus, resulting in noise levels
above 60 dBA. Additionally, the
mechanical services for the build-
ing would be another source of
vibration and noise if not carefully
designed.
The perfect cocoon
These stringent technical
requirements formed the basis
of the buildings architecture
and design its form a perfect
square sitting independently atop
a spherical mound sculpted from
the earth.
The mound, 50 meters in
diameter, is the frst device
used to isolate the building
from surrounding disturbances,
defning an exclusion zone for
interference. The square building
sits above the mound, built on a
series of isolated foor slabs and
foundations, each individually
Electron microscopes
are extraordinary. These
extremely large and
expensive pieces of
equipment are diffcult
to operate. Using
electrons as a source of
imaging (having a lesser
wave length than light),
they can achieve a resolution thousands of
times greater than light microscopes, with
the resulting image able to be magnifed more
than a million times.
The Clayton Campus MCEM FEI Titan3
microscope (the most noise and vibration
sensitive version) has a resolution of 0.08 nm,
smaller than the distance between atoms.
Achieving this kind of magnifcation is no
easy feat, with the performance of electron
microscopes heavily dependent on their
environment. The more inert the space
housing the microscope, the better the
image. The three main sources of disturbance
being vibration, noise and electromagnetic
interference.
The improved analysis of the atomic
structure of material enabled by world-
class facilities such as the MCEM enables
scientists to build on our understanding of
material properties, helping to advance the
design of materials for new technologies in
a predictive manner. Applications include
computer chips, electronic devices,
nanotechnologies, alloy design and structural
materials used in space and aeronautical
engineering. More
generally, atom
structure infuences
chemical functionality
and reactivity,
important elements in
materials, chemical and
drug design.
inspectedandtestedduring
constructiontoensurevibration
isolationwasachieved.Thisbuild-
ingisuniquetoAustralia,featuring
threeskinstoisolatethesensitive
interiorlaboratoriesfromthe
hustleandbustleofdailyactivity
onthecampusoutside.
Eachofthenineindividual
laboratoriesiscocoonedwithin
multiplelayersofstructureand
material.Plywoodisusedtobrace
thefullytimberstructure,while
anouterskinofinterlockingglass
panelsallowslighttoenterthe
internalspaces.
Eachlaboratoryisconstructed
frommasonrywithinthebuild-
ingscore.Thespaceforthemost
sensitiveinstrumentisspecially
designedwithelectromagnetic
feld(EMF)shieldingtoshun
electromagneticinterference.
Thebuildingisdesignedtoallow
theequipmentithousestooperate
perfectly.Itisalsostrongonutility,
withhighdoorsandwidecorridors
allowinglargeequipmenttobe
deliveredtothebuildingsloading
bayandsubsequentlymovedinto
thedesignatedlaboratorywith
relativeease.
Withtheneedtoisolateany
impactofthemechanicalplanton
thelaboratories,thesystemwas
designedtoachievelowair-fow
velocity,withlargeductcross-
sectionsandnoisecontrolofthe
plantwarrantinglongductruns.
TheHeating,Ventilatingand
AirConditioning(HVAC)system
selectedtominimizeairmovement
withinthelaboratorieshasmultiple
functionsequipmentcooling,
roomheatingandcooling,and
emergencyventilationintheevent
ofanSF6gasleak.(HazardousSF6
gasisusedintheoperationofthe
electronmicroscopes.)
Equipmentcoolingandroom
heatingandcoolingisachieved
throughchilledceilingpanelssup-
pliedbyadedicatedchilledwater
ceilingpanelloop(at17C)viathe
buildingsair-cooledchillerplant,
minimizingairmovementinand
aroundthemicroscopes.
Outsideair(100percentfresh)
isalsodeliveredat19Cvia
constant-volumeair-handlingunits
locatedremotelyintheadjacent
plantroom,andsuppliedatlow
velocitythroughspeciallydesigned
diffusersnearfoorlevel.Aprocess
coolingwatersystemremovesheat
fromtheassociatedmicroscope
equipment.
Mostoftheplantwaslocatedin
anotherbuildingtoreducevibration
transmittedtothelaboratories.
Flexibleconnectionswerealso
usedtopreventtransmission
acrosstheisolatedslabsand
isolatedwalls.
Acousticallylinedductwork
formedwithsteelofincreased
thicknessandacousticattenu-
atorscontrolnoisebreak-inand
Stringent technical requirements
formed the basis of the buildings
architecture and design.
The building
is designed
to allow the
equipment
it houses
to operate
perfectly.
break-outfromductworkentering
thelaboratories.
Thebuildingsmechanical
servicesweredesignedto
isolatevibrationandnoiseusing
thesource,pathandreceiver
approach.Rotatingplantwas
carefullyselectedtominimize
noiseandvibrationlevelsthrough
comparisonofdifferentselections
andeffciencyofoperation.The
operatingspeedwasreviewedto
ensureitdidnotcoincidewiththe
naturalfrequenciesofthecriti-
calbuildingstructure.Vibration
sourceswerecarefullyisolated
withselectedspringandneoprene
isolators.
The new building
has won many
architectural design
awards.
Treatmentofthepathwas
achievedbyphysicallyseparating,
asmuchaspossible,theplantfrom
thesensitiveelectronmicroscopes,
withservicesductedintothelabo-
ratoriesinseparateconduitsviaan
undergroundculvert.Thefurther
awaytheplant,thelowerthenoise
andvibrationlevels.Theseparation
wascriticalbecauseotherwise
excessivenoise,vibrationand
electromagneticinterference(EMI)
isolationwouldbeneeded.
Thepathofnoiseattenuation,
designedtolimitairandfuid
fowvelocities,deploysinternal
acousticlining.Thevibrationpath
attenuationwasfurtherimproved
byincludingnumerousstructural
breaksinboththeductworkand
buildingstructure,includingthe
foundations,thetimberframesand
supports.
Finally,receiverattenuationwas
achievedthroughinstallationof
soundabsorptiononwallswithin
themostsensitivelaboratories,
andthroughthemassive900 mil-
limeterthickconcretefoundations
underthesensitivelaboratoriesto
minimizevibration.
Withnon-standarddesignand
materials,timeandeffortwas
takentoensurecontractorswere
awareofthespecialneedsand
requirementsoftheinstallation,an
approachnotnormallyemployed
onstandardbuildings.Particular
focuswasplacedonfexiblecon-
nectionsingaspipeworkandEMI
isolatorsinductworkatdesignated
spacings.Arigorousinspection
processalsohelpedwiththequal-
ityassuranceprocess.TheMCEMs
inherenthigh-levelthermal
insulation,combinedwiththeuse
ofminimaloutsideair,helpsthe
facilitysthermalperformance.Its
anindicationthatoperation-critical
design,andsustainablesolutions,
arenotnecessarilymutually
exclusive.
Delivering on performance
Sinceitwascommissioned,
theMonashCentreforElectron
Microscopyhasperformedupto
designexpectations.According
toDrPeterMiller,managerofthe
MCEM,thefacilitys$9millionplus
Titan3double-aberrationcorrected
transmissionelectronmicroscope
hasperformedexceptionallywell
sinceinstallation,whiletwoof
fveoldermicroscopeshaveseen
adramaticimprovementintheir
performancesincebeingmovedto
thefacilityfromelsewhereonthe
campusonebyafactoroffour
andanotherbyafactoroften.
Operation-
critical
design, and
sustainable
solutions,
are not
necessarily
mutually
exclusive.
Asoneofthemoststable
electronmicroscopyfacilitiesof
itskindtobebuiltanywherein
theworld,theMCEMisattracting
internationalattention,notonly
fortheresearchbeingconducted
usingoneoftheworldsbest
electronmicroscopes,butalsofor
thedesignofthefacility.
Alongwithwinningthe2009
AustralianInstituteofArchitects
VictoriaChapterAwardforPublic
Architecture,andthe2009
VictorianEngineeringExcellence
Awardforinfrastructureprojects
upto$20million,thefacility
hasalsobeenrecognizedbythe
AustralianAcousticalSociety.
Fromavibrationandnoise
perspective,thebuildingis
operatingwellwithinthespeci-
fedparameters,withmonitored
ambientvibrationlevelslessthan
0.3 micrometers/second(m/s);
withthecriteriagenerallybeing
greaterthan0.5m/s.
Residualvibrationcomesfrom
vehiclemovementsand,onwindy
days,fromthetreesontheMonash
campus.Indeed,afewtreeswere
removedduringlandscapingdueto
theirproximitytothefacility.
Withonlythreedoubleaber-
rationcorrectedTitan3electron
microscopesintheworld,the
MonashCentreforElectron
Microscopyisnowanimportant
contributortoboththeAustralian
andinternationalscientifc
community.
Thisfeature,basedonanarticle
publishedintheJuly2010issueof
Ecolibrium,isreprintedwith
permissionfromAIRAH.
www.airah.org.au
David Cheshire wonders just what it takes
to make a building healthier. In a healthy
building, occupants are not distracted by
environmental discomfort or prevented
from working by chronic, building-related
illness. A healthier building can potentially
increase productivity, reduce absenteeism,
promote higher job satisfaction and improve
engagement with the organization. What do
organizations have to lose?
Are green
buildings
healthy?
Organizations increasingly
seek greener buildings.
Green buildings are all well
and good, but are sustainable
buildings also healthy for the
people who work in them? How
can an employer ensure that
a building provides a healthy
internal environment? Can the
interior affect occupants? Is it
enough to follow good practice
and carry on designing buildings
in the way that we always do?
Wanting to know the answers
to these probing questions,
the U.K.s Royal Institute of
Chartered Surveyors (RICS)
called in AECOMs sustainability
experts to investigate.
Green,orsustainable,building
defnitionsoftenlayclaimtobeing
healthy.Forexample,agreen
buildingshouldmeetthefollowing
objectives
8
:
effcientlyusingenergy,water,
andotherresources
protectingoccupanthealth,
improvingemployeeproductivity
reducingwaste,pollution,
environmentaldegradation.
Theseimportantobjectivesare
toobroadandneedtobebroken
downintowaysthatcanbeclearly
defnedandmeasured.Thiswasthe
startingpositionformanybuilding
environmentalassessmentmeth-
ods.Environmentalassessment
toolssuchasBREEAM,LEEDand
GreenStarallmeasurewhethera
buildingisconsideredtobegreen.
Eachoftheseschemesincludes
asectioncoveringoccupanthealth
andInternalEnvironmentalQuality
(IEQ),withthemeasurescovering
similarissues,demonstratinga
strongoverlapbetweenhealth
inbuildingsandenvironmental
assessmentmethods.
However,itisstillhardto
fnddirectevidencethatgreen
buildingsareactuallyhealthierfor
occupants.
Thebestwaytoassessthe
healthinessofgreencompared
toconventionalbuildingsispost
occupancyevaluations(POEs)to
directlysurveytheimpactofgreen
buildingstrategies.
Wereviewedaselectionof
publiclyavailablePOEsofgreen
buildings,fndingthatoccupants
tendtohaveahighersatisfaction
andlowerabsenteeismingreen
comparedtoconventionalbuild-
ings.However,thestudiesalso
showedthatgreenbuildingshada
largerrangeofperformancethan
conventionalbuildings,indicating
thatsomegreenbuildingswere
underperformingandinsomecases
wereworsethanconventional
buildings.Lightingandacoustics
performanceingreenbuildings
wasworsethaninconventional
buildings
9
.
Withoutsuffcientevidence
basedonpostoccupancy
evaluationsthatgreenbuildings
areindeedhealthy,weidentifeda
rangeofindividualmeasuresfrom
laboratoryandfeldworkstudies
researchingthehealthimpactsof
theinternalphysicalenvironment.
Healthy buildings:
A quick guide
The World Health Organization
(WHO) defnes good health
as a state of complete
physical, mental and social
well being, not merely the
absence of disease and
infrmity.
1
Intermsofhealthinbuildings,Bluyssen
etal
2
saythattheidealsituation(for
occupanthealth)isanindoorenvironment
thatsatisfesalloccupantsanddoesnot
unnecessarilyincreasetheriskorseverityof
illness.
Thetwokeycategoriesofillhealthhave
beenidentifedas
3
:
stressinduceddiseases/disorders,
relatingtosensorydiscomfort(smell,
heat),andphysicalandmentaleffects
(tiredness,depression,anxiety)
diseases/disordersinducedbyexternal
noxiouseffects,suchasirritation,
infectionandtoxicchroniceffects.
Althoughsalary,beneftsandeffective
managementhavethegreatesteffectson
jobsatisfactionandemployeeengagement,
theeffectoftheinternalenvironmentisalso
signifcant.Gallupsurveyshaveindicated
thatemployeesarethreetimesaslikelytobe
engagedwiththeircompaniesiftheyworkin
comfortableenvironments
4
.
Peopleareabletopsychologicallyadapt
toawidevarietyofenvironmentalconditions.
Forexample,aseriesofsurveys(PoE)
studyingoccupantreactionstodiscomfort
foundthatpeoplecopedthroughamixof
environmentalalterations(closingcurtains),
changesinbehavior(adjustingclothing);and
psychologicalcoping(ignoringtheproblem).
Whileoccupantsfrequentlyalteredthe
environmenttomakeitmorecomfortable,(by
introducingfansanddesklampsorcovering
uppoorlyplacedlightingsensors),the
mainresponsetomanyproblemsremained
psychologicalcoping.
Thissolutionisnotideal.Arecentreview
ofthehealthimpactsofbuildingsstated:
Humansaresurprisinglyadaptiveto
differentphysicalenvironments,butthe
workplaceshouldnottestthelimitsofhuman
adaptability
5
.
Reducingstresslevelsassociatedwith
internalenvironmentscanpotentially
increaseproductivity,reduceabsenteeism
andimproveorganizationalperformance.
Indeed,workplaceswithfewerstressors
andimprovedenvironmentalsatisfactionare
signifcantlylinkedtohigherjobsatisfaction
6
Workerproductivityhasbeenlinkedto
physicalandbehavioralfactorssuchas
ventilation,heating,lighting,offcelayouts,
interactionanddistraction
7
.
Healthy green measures
Lookingathealthybuildings,we
establishedthesekeytopics:
visualenvironment
daylight
artifciallight
indoorairquality
ventilation
sourcecontrol
thermalenvironment
acousticenvironment.
Daylighting
Daylight,stronglylinkedto
humanhealth,helpsregulate
ourdailybodilyrhythms.
Offceworkershaveastrong
preferenceforgooddaylight.
Indeed,gooddaylightandaview
outaretraditionallyassociated
withseniorityinorganizations.
However,potentialheatload
andglaremeansfewoffcesuse
daylightastheprimarysourceof
lighting
10
.Daylightandlighting
areareaswheregreenbuildings
havebeenfoundtobelackingin
recentlypublishedPostOccupancy
Evaluations,comparedto
conventionalbuildings
11
.
Studiesinschoolsandoffces
showedsignifcantlyhigher
performanceintests(between
10and20percent)inroomswith
highpredicteddaylightfactors,
whileaviewoutwasassociated
witha1016percentincreasein
performanceinoffces
12
.Workers
withaviewoutwere86percent
morelikelytobeengaged
13
,while
14
researchalsofoundthatworkers
inwindowedoffcesworkedfor15
percentmoretimethancolleagues
withoutwindows.
Glarecontrolisrecommended,
despiteitsrelativelyhighcost,as
agoodwayofprovidingoccupant
controltospaces,aswellas
reducingsolargains,especially
importantinhotclimateswithhigh
solargains.Areductioninglare
wasassociatedwitha37percent
increaseinreadingspeedanderror
reduction
17
.Itwasalsofoundthat
occupantsclosetowindowswere
moresatisfedonnorthandsouth
elevations,duetolowerglareand
luminancethanontheeastand
westfaade
16
.
Thekeyoutcomesaretomeet
bestpracticestandardsfor
daylightfactorsbyimprovingthe
penetrationofdaylightintorooms,
maximizetheoccupantviewout,
andprovideglarecontrolfor
occupants.
Therelativegreenandhealthy
performancefordaylighting
measuresaresummarizedinFigure
01.Thispresentstheapproximate
impactofeachofthemeasures
onhealthandsustainability,
estimatedbasedontheevidence
foundintheliterature,and
discussionswithstakeholdersand
greenbuildingexperts.
02 Lowheightpartitions.Theseallowgreaterpenetrationoflighting
throughthebuildingacrossanopenplanarea,aswellaspotentially
allowingagreaterproportionofoccupantstohaveaviewoutor
intoanatrium.Studiesinschoolsandoffcesshowedsignifcantly
higherperformance(between10and20percent)inroomswithhigh
predicteddaylightfactors.Furthermore,studiesshowedthataview
outwasassociatedwitha1025percentincreaseinperformance
17
.
Researchshowsthatinavarietyofsituationsandfordifferent
lightingmeasures,workersinlowcubiclesaresignifcantlymore
satisfedwithlightingconditionsthanthoseinhighcubicles
18
.
Low height partitions
Humans are surprisingly adaptive to different
physical environments, but the workplace should
not test the limits of human adaptability.
01 Daylightandviewout.Bluebarsontheleftshowtheimpact
onhealth(longer=higherimpact).Greenbarsontheright
showtheimpactonsustainability.Whereameasurehas
anegativeimpactonsustainability,thebariscoloredred.
Anexampleofapracticalmeasureistheuseoflowheight
partitionsinopenplanspace.
Healthy
Not green
Green
Daylight and view out
Glade control
Glass partitions
Low desk partitions
High refectance fnishes
Shallow plan/atrium
Perimeter workspaces
High impact Low impact High impact
Indoor air quality
Numerousstudieshavereported
healthandproductivityincreases
linkedtoindoorairquality(IAQ).
Onestudy
19
foundperformanceof
offceworkincreasedby5percent
whenairqualitywasimprovedto
ahighlevelfromtheaveragelevel
oftenfoundinpractice.Asurvey
describedintheU.S.EPAs1989
reporttotheU.S.Congress
20
the
averageself-reportedproductivity
lossduetopoorindoorairquality
was3percent.Areport
21
on
severalstudiesconductedin
localgovernmentdepartments
intheU.S.,U.K.andDenmark
showedlargenumbersofhealth
complaintsrelatedtoairquality
andventilation(2043percent
headaches,2857percent
lethargy,1237percenteye
irritation)whichcouldpossibly
resultinlossofproductivity.
Thereportconcludedthatboth
ventilation/airmovementand
humiditycanhaveaprofound
effectonproductivityinthe
workplace;howevertheycannotbe
singledoutbythemselves.
Sourcecontrolofpollutants
aimstoimproveIndoorAir
Quality(IAQ)byremoving
sourcesofpollutionfromwithin
buildings.Pollutantsmayarise
fromfurnishings,equipment,
constructionmaterials,oreventhe
ventilationsystemcomponents
themselves.Manyofthesesources
wereidentifedduringstudiesof
SickBuildingSyndrome(SBS).
Thissyndromewasintroducedto
describeavarietyofsymptoms
causingdiscomfortandalackof
wellbeing,whichappearedlinked
toparticularbuildings,often
airconditionedoffcespaces.
Studieshaveshownlinksbetween
Indoor air quality: Source control of pollutants
Low VOCs
Flush out/bake out
Post occupancy IAQ
Dedicated tenant risers
Permanent entryway
Smoking ban
Healthy
Not green
Green
Avoid legionella
Indoor plants
High impact Low impact High impact
03Indoorairquality:sourcecontrolofpollutants.Bluebarsonthe
leftshowtheimpactonhealth(longer=higherimpact).Greenbars
ontherightshowtheimpactonsustainability.Whereameasurehas
anegativeimpactonsustainability,thebariscoloredred.
Numerous studies have reported health and
productivity increases linked to indoor air quality.
Pollutants may arise from
furnishings, equipment,
construction materials, or
even the ventilation system
components themselves.
SBSsymptomsandspecifc
buildingparameterssuchasCO
2
levels
22
showingapotentiallink
betweenbuildingsystemsand
productivity.
Instudieswheresubjects
performedtasksrepresentative
ofoffcework(typing,addition,
andproofreading)test
performanceimprovedby4
percentafterremovingan
unseensectionofoldcarpet
fromthetestspace
23
.Similar
studies
24
withoffceequipment
foundthattexttypingerrors
diminishedby16percentand
typingspeedimprovedslightlyon
removingoldmonitorsfroman
offcespace.
VolatileOrganicCompounds
(VOCs)havebeenconsidered
aspossiblecontributory
factorofSBS,asareknown
irritants.Formaldehydeis
themainconstituentofmost
VOCs.Itarisesfromarange
ofindoorsourcessuchas
ureaformaldehydefoam(UFF)
cavitywallinsulation,particle
Working in
hot and cold
environments
can hinder
performance
and comfort.
andfberboard,andcleaning
agents.AccordingtotheWHO
(2000),formaldehydelevelsareof
concerninover10percentofthe
indoorenvironmentsinwhichthey
havebeenmeasured.Products
labelledgreen(timber,fooring,
paints)showedsignifcantly
lessVOCemissionsthantheir
traditionalcounterparts
25
.
Laboratoryandfeldstudies
26
foundthatplantsreliablyreduced
thelevelofVOCsby75percent,
tobelow100ppb.Astudyof
buildingBake-Out(heatingup
thebuildingtoreleasegases
beforeoccupation)showedthat
thisreducedtheinitiallevelof
VOCfollowingtheftoutofan
apartment,andoverthefollowing
sixmonths
27
.Thekeyoutcomes
aretoreducethelevelofVOCs
andotherpollutantsintheindoor
environment,byeitherreducing
thelevelsintroducedinfurnishings
andfttings,orbyimplementing
strategiestoremoveindoor
pollutants.
Anexamplemeasureisthe
fush-out/bake-outofabuilding
beforeoccupation.Thelevel
ofVOCsinabuildingishighest
duringandimmediatelyafter
construction,duetooff-gassing
fromnewfurnishingsandfnishes.
ThelevelofVOCscanbereduced
byfushingthebuildingoutwith
ahighlevelofventilationbefore
occupationforaminimumof
sevendays.Theoff-gassing
canbeenhancedbyraisingthe
internaltemperature(bakeout),
whichencourageshigherratesof
off-gassing.
Thismeasureseekstoreduce
thelevelofVOCsintheinternal
environmentlinkedtohealth
issuesandSBS.However,this
measuredoesincreaseenergy
usepriortooccupationdueto
highventilationratesandraised
temperatures.
Thermal comfort
Creatingcomfortablethermal
environmentsisoneofthekey
dutiesofbuildings,allowingus
toliveandworkcomfortably
inarangeofdifferentexternal
climaticconditions.Workingin
hotandcoldenvironmentscan
hinderperformanceandcomfort.
04Thermalcomfort.Bluebarsontheleftshowtheimpacton
health(longer=higherimpact).Greenbarsontherightshow
theimpactonsustainability.Whereameasurehasanegative
impactonsustainability,thebariscoloredred.
Creating comfortable thermal environments
is one of the key duties of buildings, allowing
us to live and work comfortably in a range of
different external climatic conditions.
Incoldenvironments,human
performanceisreducedlargelydue
tophysiologicalreasons,although
decreasedmotivationandpainat
thermalextremescanalsoplaya
part.Humanscancopewithmild
heatthroughsweating,though
thiscanalsobeaccompanied
byareductioninperformance
throughincreasedirritabilityand
drowsiness
28
.
Studiesoninternalthermal
environmenthavecontinuedsince
theBritishIndustrialFatigue
ResearchBoardstartedresearch
inthe1930sonfactoryworkers.
Thesestudiesshowthatartifcially
adjustingtheclimatehadbenefts
onworkproductivity,psycho-
motorandcognitiveactivities
29
.
(Inthe1970s,anenergybalance
equationforthermalcomfortwas
produced
30
,basedonlaboratory
experiments,withrepeatable
resultsthatarethebasisof
manyoftodaysthermalcomfort
standards).However,morerecent
feldstudiesindicatethatworkers
canadapttoarangeofconditions
outsidethepredictions.Some
researchers
31
havesuggested
thetheoryofadaptivecomfort,
whichstatesIfachangeoccurs
suchastoproducediscomfort,
peoplereactinwayswhichtend
torestoretheircomfort
32
.This
indicatesthatallowingoccupants
tocontrolsystemsmayallow
thermalsystemsagreaterrange
ofcomfortabletemperatures.A
relaxeddresscodealsoallows
occupantstoadapttodiscomfort
byadjustingtheirlevelofclothing.
Thiscouldincludewearinglighter
clothesinsummer,orremoving
jacketsandties,thoughincertain
organizationstheprevailingculture
maynotallowthis.
Areviewof24offce-based
studies
33
statedperformance
Thermal modeling
Thermal zoning
Dress code
Steam humidifcation
Low impact High impact High impact
Thermal environment
Healthy
Not green
Green
05Acousticpartitionsbetweenworkspacesinopen
planoffcescanreducethetransmissionofsounds
betweenworkspaces.Noise,especiallyconversationand
ringingtelephones,isoneofthemostdisturbingfactors
inopenplanoffces.Thiscanbemeasuredusingthe
soundintelligibilityindex(SII).Thekeywaysofimproving
theacousticperformanceofworkspacepartitionsare
increasingpanelabsorptionandincreasingpanelheight.
06Dedicatedtenantrisers/separateprinter/copier
rooms.Photocopiersandotheroffceequipmentcan
causelocalhighconcentrationofinternalpollutants,
suchasVOCs,particulatesandozone.Dedicatedtenant
riserswillremovethesepollutantsfromthesource,while
separateroomswillkeepthemapartfromthepeople
workinginthebuilding.
increaseswithtemperatureup
to2122C,anddecreaseswith
temperatureabove2324C.The
highestproductivityisatatem-
peratureofaround22C.Thestudy
alsonotedthathightemperatures
wereoftenassociatedwithlowven-
tilationratesandpoorairquality,
whichcouldalsoaffectproductiv-
ity.Individual/desktoptemperature
controlshavealsobeenstudied,
withone
34
reviewof20studies
showingameanincreaseinpro-
ductivityof5.5percent.Therewas
alargevariationinresultshowever,
from0.2percent
35
to24percent
36
.
Humidityalsoaffectscomfort.
Arangeof4060percentrelative
humidity(RH)isgenerallyconsid-
eredacceptable.Thecombination
ofhightemperaturesandhigh
humiditycauseafeelingofoppres-
sionorsultriness,whichoccurs
ataround70percentRH21C,or
60percentRHat23C.Thisalso
affectsperceivedindoorairquality
(IAQ):loweringthetemperature
andhumidityimprovesperceived
IAQ,evenwhentheventilation
ratereduces
37
.Whenthehumidity
dropstolessthan40percentRH,
dryskin,lipsandthroatscanbean
issue,andbelow20percentitcan
havenegativeeffectsontheeye
blinkingrate(contactlensusers
areparticularlyaffected).Lower
humiditypromotesdustgenera-
tion,increasetheperceptionof
smellsandirritationfromcigarette
smoke
38
.
Thekeyoutcomesforthe
thermalenvironmentareto
provideanenvironmentthatmeets
comfortstandardsintermsof
temperatureandhumidity,while
allowingoccupantssomemeans
oflocalcontrol.Thismayinclude
openingwindowsinnaturally-
ventilatedbuildings,orhaving
localthermostatsandfansinair
conditionedoffces.
Conclusions
Ourresearchidentifespractical
measuresthatcanbeimplemented
inoffcestoimprovethehealth
andwellbeingofoccupants,
rangingfrommeasurestoimprove
airqualityandtheacoustic
environment,throughtoimproving
thedaylightandviewout.The
researchshowslinksexistbetween
greenandhealthybuildings,but
somemeasureswithpositive
healthbeneftsareactually
detrimentaltotheenvironmental
impactofthebuilding.
Mostimportantly,thereis
aglobalbodyofevidencethat
showslinksbetweenthese
healthybuildingmeasuresand
improvementsinproductivity,
physicalandmentalhealth,and
employeeengagement.
David Cheshireisasustainability
consultantbasedinAECOMs
LondonOffce.
E:david.cheshire@aecom.com
Our research identifes
practical measures that can
be implemented in offces
to improve the health and
wellbeing of occupants.
Meeting the
sustainable vision
Landmark buildings can both look good
and successfully exceed sustainability
expectations. Its a matter of integrating
building form and function with world-
class low-energy knowledge and a rigorous
design approach, reports Marcello Greco.
The vision for the four-story
7,200-square-meter building at 2
Victoria Avenue, Perth, was to achieve
a sustainable design that exceeded the
previous standard design practice for
Western Australia.
Thespeculativecommercialoffce
developmentwascommissionedby
Stockland,Australiaslargestdiversifed
propertygroup,aleadingdevelopment
companythatownsandoperatesmajor
landmarkoffcesandretailcomplexes.
LikeAECOM,Stocklandhasanenlightened
reputationforrespectingtheenvironment,
identifyingandrespondingtotherisks
andopportunitiesassociatedwithclimate
change.
Stocklandsetadualvisionforthe
building,believingenvironmentaland
economictargetstobeasimportant
ascreatingavisuallystimulatingnew
landmarkbuildingforPerth.TheTerrace
RoadlocationoverlooksPerthsSwan
Riverforeshoreanopenrecreational
parklandabuttingtheriver,andadjacent
tothepicturesqueSupremeCourtGardens
andfamousBellTower.Giventhescenic
location,thenewbuildinghadtointegrate
sympatheticallywiththeimmediate
environment,aswellasdeliverastatement
ofthedevelopmentcompanysstrong
principlesofsustainabilityandquality.
Exceeding the vision
TwoVictoriaAvenuewasdesigned
byWoodheadArchitects,withAECOM
commissionedtodevelopthebuilding
servicessolutionsandprovideadviceon
acoustics,sustainability(ESD)andGreen
StaraccreditationwiththeGreenBuilding
CouncilofAustralia(GBCA).
Ourdesignsolutionsaddressedthebrief
toevolveavisuallyinterestingfour-story
sustainablebuildingthathasquickly
becomeacceptedasanewlandmarkfor
Perth.Asustainableagendainformedthe
AECOMteamsthinkingforeachdesign
challenge.Thefexibledesignsolution
allowsformaximumcommercialviability
throughthepotentialforsplit-tenancy
occupationofthelargerfoorplates.All
tenancyareasarecooledbyactivechilled
beamswithfoor-by-foorplant.Fully
automatedoperablelouversminimize
solarradiationload,whileindividually
addressablelightingdesignallowsgreater
fexibilityoftheoffcespacesandprovides
outstandingenergyusagecontrol.
Thefrstthreehelicalwindturbinesin
WesternAustralia,locatedontherooftop,
providegreenenergytoaportionofthe
building,withtheon-sitegeneratedpower
reducingdemandfromthegridandthe
buildingscarbonfootprint.
Theprojectbeatallexpectations,
achievinga6StarratingontheGBCAGreen
Staraccreditationscheme,basedonthe
OffceDesignv2ratingtool.A6Starrating
isthehighestpossible,representativeof
worldleadingsustainabilitypractice.The
developmentalsoachieveddesired5star
NABERSenergyeffciencyratinganda
PropertyCouncilofAustralia(PCA)GradeA.
GREAT EXPECTATIONS
2 Victoria Avenue Benchmark
WATER USE kL/m
2
0
0.75
0.50
0.25
1.0
1.25
1.50
Saving
4414
kL
0
.
6
9

1
.01
Equivalent of
~$4400 or ~4.4 Olympic-
sized swimming pools
Equivalent of
~54 households or
~6,400 m
2
of 5 star ABGR offce space
CO
2
EMISSIONS kg of CO
2
/m
2
150 0
75
50
25
100
125
5
1
.
7

1
1
4
Saving
-447.3
tonnes of
CO
2
150
ENERGY USE kW.hrs/m
2
0
75
50
25
100
125
Saving
-520.5
MW hrs
5
1
.
5
*

1
2
4
Equivalent of
$78,000 per annum
*(including 36 MW.hrs from wind turbines
which represents 10 percent of the
buildings energy use)
Two Victoria Avenue, a prestige
new speculative commercial
offce development in Perth,
Western Australia, is the frst
project to be awarded a 6-Star
rating (Offce Design v2) under the
Green Star environment rating
scheme established by the Green
Building Council of Australia
(GBCA).
Setting the standard
from start to fnish
Thedeveloperseconomic
targetswereofequalimportanceto
thelesstangibleaestheticobjec-
tivesofcreatingalocallandmark
buildingforPerth.Thesetargets
affectedthedecisionmaking
processfortheproject,infuenc-
ingeverydesigndiscipline.Allof
themanyinnovationinitiatives
developedtodeliveragainstthe
challengingbriefweresubjectedto
wholelifecostingandcostbeneft
analysesusingcuttingedgetech-
nology.Indeed,insomeinstances
analysisavailabilitytrailedbehind
ourdesignagenda.
Thisrigorousprocesstookthe
projectbeyondinitialestimates,
providinganexemplarybuilding
wheretheimpactofsuccessful
sustainabledesigninitiativesis
validatedbysolidengineeringand
economicviability.
Theinitialcapitalrequiredto
deliverthebuildingwasapproxi-
mately15percenthigherthan
theequivalentcostofastandard
offcebuilding.However,energy
andwatereffciencyimprovements
Thefaadelightingprovidesabalancing
architecturalelementto2Victoria
Avenue,Perth,WesternAustralia.
Green Star isacomprehensive
environmentalratingsystem
establishedbyGreenBuilding
CouncilAustralia(GBCA)toevalu-
atetheenvironmentaldesignand
constructionofbuildings.Similar
toBREEAMorLEED,GreenStar
wasdevelopedfortheproperty
industryinorderto:
- establishacommonlanguage
- setastandardofmeasurement
forgreenbuildings
- promoteintegrated,whole-
buildingdesign
- recognizeenvironmental
leadership
- identifybuildinglife-cycle
impacts
- raiseawarenessofgreen
buildingbenefts.
NABERS isaperformance
basedratingsystem(formallythe
AustralianBuildingGreenhouse
Rating)forexistingbuildings,
developedbyGBCA.NABERS
measurestheenvironmental
performanceofabuildingduring
itsoperation.
PCA Grades.TheProperty
CouncilofAustralia(PCA)grades
buildingsfromA(Highest)toD
(Lowest)accordingtocriteriaset
outinthePCAGuidetoOffce
BuildingQuality.
reducedandthusoffsetopera-
tionalcostbyapproximatelyA$
80,000perannum.
Allofthesustainabilityinitiatives
implementedweremonitoredand
trackedthroughouttheconstruc-
tionphasetoensurethatallthe
stringentGreenStarratingcriteria
werefollowed.Thisincludedthe
useofAmericanSocietyofHeating,
RefrigeratingandAir-Conditioning
Engineers(ASHRAE)andU.K.s
CharteredInstitutionofBuilding
ServicesEngineers(CIBSE)
guidelinesforpre-commissioning,
commissioningandqualitymoni-
toringforthebuildingservices,
controlandmanagementsystems,
duetotheabsenceofequivalent
AustralianStandardsforthese
processes.
Sustainable
design
initiatives
are validated
by solid
engineering
and
economic
viability.
AUSTRALIAN BUILDING
RATING SCHEMES
1 Daylight harvesting via light
sensors, and the dimming of
artifcial lighting
Presenceandlightdetectors,
combinedwithstrategiczoningof
thebuildingenabledenergysavings
tobemaximized.
2 Victoria Avenue CO
2
emissions breakdown
Heating 1%
Cooling
25%
General
ventilation 4%
Domestic water
heating 4%
House lighting
18%
Lifts 15%
Generator
testing 4%
Supplemental
cooling loop 8%
Pumps
6%
Fans
15%
2 Vertical axis wind turbines
Thewinddirectionisfairlypredict-
ableinPerthwithsouth-westerly
windsintheafternoonswhich
workswellforthisbuildings
location,makingverticalaxiswind
turbinesparticularlysuitable.
Thecentrallocationof2Victoria
AvenueinthePerthCBDprovided
challengestoouracousticteam,
whoevaluatedtheenvironmental
impactaspartoftheirdutiesinthe
projectteamandadvisedthecity
authorities,enablingnegotiations
withtheneighbors.
2 VICTORIA AVENUE: SUSTAINABLE DESIGN FEATURES
3 Grey water treatment plant,
waterless urinals
Thegreywatertreatmentplant
recycleswaterfromshowersand
basins.Combinedwithwatersaving
accessories,theplantsavesmore
thanfourOlympic-sizedswimming
poolsofwatereachyearwhen
comparedtoanaveragebuilding.
4 Indoor air quality
Theairexchangeeffectiveness
wassubjecttocomputermodeling,
combinedwithnaturallightand
viewstotheoutside.Thisinnova-
tionmakestheinteriorenvironment
pleasingandcomfortable.The
lowerairfow,inconjunctionwith
thechilledbeams,enablesafull
freshairsystemthatprovidesa
betterinternalenvironment.
Air exchange effectiveness
demonstrated by
CFD modeling
Tenant equipment is excluded from the base build assessment,
however the energy use compares well against predictions. Our
team carried out tenant reviews to ensure that the ft out design
aligned with the landlord systems and energy saving initiatives.
Total tenant occupancy and hours adjusted
Modeled total
tenant
5 star tenant
Tenant BMS
measurements
D J F M A M J J A S
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
T
o
n
n
e
s

C
O
2
Month
Carbon emissions track well in comparison with the prediction
and NABERS rating target.
Predicted vs actual cumulative CO
2
base building emissions
Month
D J F M A M J J A S
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
T
o
n
n
e
s

C
O
2
Actual
consumption
Predicted
consumption
5 star NABERS
energy benchmark
Whole building occupancy and hours adjusted
Modeled total
tenant
5 star whole
building
Whole building BMS
measurements
D J F M A M J J A S
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
T
o
n
n
e
s

C
O
2
Month
Chillers occupancy and hours adjusted
Modeled total
base building
5 star NABERS
energy
benchmarks
Actual BMS
measurements
D J F M A M J J A S
20
16
12
8
4
0
M
W
h
Month
HVAC fans occupancy and hours adjusted
Modeled total
base building
5 star NABERS
energy benchmarks
Actual BMS
measurements
D J F M A M J J A S
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
M
W
h
Month
Water is the most heavily weighted resource in the Western
Australia version of the Green Star rating tool. The initiatives in
2 Victoria Avenue exceeded expectations.
DHW cumulative predicted vs actual energy usage
Actual
consumption
Predicted
consumption
5 star NABERS
energy benchmark
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
T
o
n
n
e
s
C
O
2
D J F M A M J J A S
Month
PERFORMANCE TRACKING
Natural light and views to the outside help
make the internal environment comfortable.
0 5 10 15 20 25
$6.5M
$5.5M
$4.5M
$3.5M
$2.5M
Year
N
P
V

c
u
r
r
e
n
t

d
o
l
l
a
r
s
VAV
Displacement
Chilled beam
5 Active western faade
Thewesternfaadeprovidesthe
greatestheatgains,accordingto
thecomputermodelofthethermal
performanceofthebuilding.A
solartrajectorymodelfor2Victoria
Avenuedemonstratedthebenefts
ofautomaticsolarpatternoper-
atedlouversprovidedabeneftin
termsofnetpresentvalueofthe
building.
Theoperatedlouversare
supportedbyapurposedesigned
secondarystructure.Ourlighting
engineersdesignedacablingsys-
temthatprovidedawardwinning
faadelighting,withallassociated
wiringcarefullyconcealedinthe
system.
6
Effcient water cooling
towers for chillers
Thecoolingtowersusedinthe
coolingsystemat2VictoriaAvenue
havebeenspecifedtobleed
approximately40percentless
waterthanthedesignstandardfor
WesternAustralia.Theseenviron-
mentalinnovationsallowforwater
savingsintheorderof4,414kLor
nearlyfourandahalfOlympicsize
swimmingpoolseveryyear.
7
Active chilled beams
Activechilledbeamsusewateras
themainheattransfermedium,
whichcomparedwithairbased
airconditioningsystemscan
exchangeheat4,000timesmore
effcientlythanair.Asmallamount
ofairinducesairfowthroughthe
activechilledbeamsandproduce
netsavingsontheplantroom
foorspace,fanpowerandenergy
requirements.
Air side life cycle analysis
The design
included complex
computer
modeling and
simulation.
Thefnalstagesofcommission-
ingoverlappedwiththefrstof2
VictoriaAvenuesoccupantsmoving
in.AECOMengineerswereable
toremotelyaccessthebuilding
managementsystemandassist
withthedetectionofteething
issuesintheinstallations.Lighting
controls,advancedlouvercontrols,
irrigationwaterusage,were
amongstsystemsthatwereclosely
monitored.
AECOMhascontinuedtomonitor
andcontrastbuildingperformance
againstmodeledperformance
post-construction.Ourteampro-
ducesregularreports,comparing
designintentwithactualperfor-
manceonanumberofparameters.
Thedesignincludedcomplex
computermodelingandsimulation
thatpredictedtheperformanceof
thebuildingoverseasonsandin
accordancetooccupancylevels.
Ourdesignestimatesprovedtobe
accuratewhencomparedtothe
actualenergyusageofthefnished
2VictoriaAvenueinuse.
Marcello Grecoisanassociate
director,BuildingEngineeringwith
AECOM,basedinPerth,Western
Australia.
E:marcello.greco@aecom.com
AECOM continues to monitor and contrast building
performance against modeled performance.
The award winning
building exterior
lighting solution
carefully conceals
wiring within the
faade.
Designing for the big one
Shaken, but
The brief to design a critical essential service
facility that must survive major seismic activity
gave AECOM engineers an opportunity to break
new ground. David Kilpatrick and Shafq Alam
report from California, U.S.
The $28.9 million IETMC building
is located at the southeast quadrant
of Interstate 15 and State Route 210,
Fontana, California, U.S.
The new facility houses the
combined services of the California
Highway Patrol (CHP), the CHP
911 communication center and
the California Department of
Transportations management and
emergency services groups.
The new building, operational 24
hours a day, seven days a week, is
equipped with the latest technologies
to respond to any major emergencies.
The building is also designed to
function as a 911 emergency operation
center that will serve as the command
post for the county and local
municipalities in the event of a major
public catastrophe.
With a location close to major
earthquake fault lines, it was impera-
tive that this important building be
designed to remain standing in the
event of any scale of seismic activity.
INLAND EMPIRE TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT CENTER (IETMC)
not
stirred
The IETMC building, Fontana,
California, U.S.A.
Building design for high seismic
areas draws on the thoughtful
expertise of experts responsible
not just for the building, but
protecting human life during an
earthquake.
Structural engineering in high
seismic areas such as Southern
California, U.S. involves design
methods above and beyond
conventional building engineering
practice. In-depth expertise in the
feld of earthquake engineering
is essential in order to develop
structural solutions that suc-
cessfully protect human life and
property during a signifcant
seismic event. The responsibil-
ity of such a design challenge
becomes all the greater, and even
more complex, when the brief is to
design a critical essential service
facility able to remain operational
during and subsequent to a cata-
strophic earthquake. Particularly
when the building in question is
to be located near major seismic
faults. AECOMs structural team
in Orange, California took on this
challenging task designing the
Inland Empire Transportation
Management Center (IETMC)
for The Department of General
Services (DGS), State of
California.
Californias new 43,000-square-
feet IETMC essential facility is
located near three major faults,
including the San Jacinto and the
famous San Andreas Fault. Both
faults are capable of a 7.5 magni-
tude seismic event with little or no
warning.
With the brief to design a
facility with an excellent chance
of survival during a catastrophic
seismic event, AECOMs structural
team drew on innovative building
technology and performance-
based design expertise to meet
this unique design challenge.
The team
The California Building Code
(CBC) approval and review require-
ments for a base-isolated building
involve a very comprehensive
process. Design and performance
of the isolators and dampers,
including critical material proper-
ties, must be verifed by full scale
testing in order to be acceptable
by the designer and building
authorities.
A group of highly trained
professionals from various felds
of expertise worked together as
an integrated team to complete
the task. AECOM in conjunction
with DGS assembled a team of
highly qualifed technical experts
to navigate through the rigorous
design process.
Base isolation is a structural
engineering technique that
enhances the performance of
the structure of a building by
reducing its response to ground
accelerations. This reduces the
force levels felt by the structures
lateral load resisting system and
also the foor level accelerations
that non-structural components in
the building will experience.
It is common for the loss
associated with damage to a
buildings contents to exceed the
cost of damage to the buildings
main lateral resistance elements.
In the case of the IETMC, as an
essential service facility, it was
not only critical to protect the main
structural system but it was also
necessary to prevent or minimize
any damage to the non-structural
building systems. This allows the
user to maintain critical mission
capabilities with minimum
interruption.
The IETMC building rests on a
base isolation system of natural
rubber isolators in conjunction
with viscous fuid dampers. This
combination is expected to deliver
the high level of performance
demanded by the exacting and
uncompromising project design
criteria.
T
1
T
2
Period
B
a
s
e

S
h
e
a
r
Without
isolation
With
isolation
Increasing damping
Effect of seismic
isolation
(Acceleration
response spectrum
perspective):
increased period
of vibration of
structure to reduce
base shear.
BASE ISOLATION BASE ISOLATION
Site geo-hazard determination
Thefrststepindesigningabase
isolatedbuildingistodetermine
thesite-specifcseismicdemand,
intheformofasite-specifc
responsespectradeveloped
usingaprobabilisticseismic
hazardapproach(PSHA).Next,
representativeground-motiontime
historiesareselectedfromasuite
ofexistinggroundmotions,with
considerationgiventoresponse
spectradevelopedforthesite,
localandregionalgeologyandsite
faultingcharacteristics.
ThePHSAforthesitewas
performedtoestimatepeak
horizontalandverticalground
accelerationsandfvepercent
dampeddynamicresponsespectra
fortwodesignearthquakeevents
designatedasthedesignbasis
earthquake(DBE)andtheupper-
boundearthquake(UBE).
ThePSHAyieldedpeak
horizontalgroundaccelerations
of0.7gforDBEand0.85gforUBE
events,whichwerecomparedwith
CBCrequiredminimaandfoundto
exceedtheCBCrequirements.The
verticalpeakgroundacceleration
valuesforDBEandUBEwere
0.64gand0.81grespectively.
Representativetimehistories
withmagnitudes,faultdistances
andsourcemechanismsthatare
consistentwiththosethatcontrol
thedesignearthquakeswerethen
TheCBCdefnesdesignbasisearthquake
(DBE)andupper-boundearthquake
(UBE)asseismicdesigneventshaving
exceedanceofprobabilitiesoftenpercent
in50yearsandtenpercentin100years
respectively.Thesetwoeventscorrespond
toapproximately475-and950-year
averagereturnperiod(ARP)earthquakes.
TheUBEismathematicallyequivalentto
themaximumcapableearthquake(MCE)
defnedinCBC1655Aforseismicdesignof
baseisolatedstructures.
EarthquakesneartheIETMCprojectsite
areexpectedtobeashighas7.5onthe
Richterscale.
4.2kmfromtheCucamongaFault
(Potential6.9Richterscale)
11kmfromtheSanJacintoFault
15kmfromtheSanAndreasFault
Table 01 Recommended earthquake events and strong motion recording stations for
selected time histories.
E
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d
i
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t
o

f
a
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(
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s
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c
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i
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c
a
t
i
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Izmit-Koeaeli,
Turkey
1999-08-17
7.4 rt lat strike
slip
274
247
255
89
89
89
180 Yarimca
Petkim
Station 772
KOER 2.6 USGS C
Landers, CA
1992-06-28
7.3 rt lat strike
slip
355
140
90
90
180 Yermo Fire
Station
CSMIP 31.0 USGS C
Landers, CA
1992-06-28
7.3 rt lat strike
slip
355
140
90
90
180 Lucerne
Valley
SCE 1.1 USGS A
Northridge, CA
1994-01-17
6.7 thurst/
reverse
122 40 180 LA reservoir
Rinaldi
Station
LADWP 8.6 USGS C
Faultsources,historical
seismicityandliquefaction
susceptibility
Key
Site
Faults
Seismicity
8.5 to 9.5
7.5 to 8.5
6.5 to 7.5
5.5 to 6.5
Less than 5.5
Unknown magnitude
Liquef. Suscept.
(USGS OF00-444_PP1360)
Very high
High
Moderate
Low
Very low
Earthquakes
near the
IETMC
project
site are
expected to
be as high
as 7.5 on
the Richter
scale.
selected.ThePacifcEarthquake
EngineeringResearchCenter
(PEER)recommendation,selecting
recordswithmagnitudeswithin
0.25unitsfromtargetvalues,was
used.Thetargetvaluesforthesite
wereestablishedbetween6.5and
7.5forthemaximummagnitude
earthquake.Threetimehistories
werethenselectedandscaled
usingEZ-FRISKversion7.20(Risk
Engineering,2006),fortheDBEand
UBEevents.
Preliminary building and
isolator design phase
Whilethegeo-hazardreport
wasbeingdeveloped,thestruc-
turalengineeringteamworked
withotherdisciplinesandclient
todevelopthebuildinglayout
thataccommodatedtheclients
requirementsandallowedfora
baseisolatorlayoutthatwould
minimizeupliftonthenaturalrub-
berisolators(elastomericisolators
canresistlimitedtensilestresses
The facility is built to survive
the tests of time and nature.
EARTHQUAKE PROBABILITIES
Typicalcrosssectionattheisolator Damperpedestalandconnection Damper pedestal and connection
BASE SOLATOR
CCL CC JACK CCCCLL CCCC
PER
NOTE:
FOR BALANCE OF NFORMATON
SEE DETAL
NOTE:
FOR DAMPER CONNECTON TO BEAM
NFORMATON SEE DETAL
COLUMN PER PLAN
BEAM PER PLAN
S-006
6
S-501
20
S-006
6
30 1/2"
10"
PER
1" THCK PLATE
1 1/2" THCK
STEEL PLATES
FOR BALANCE OF NFORMATON,
REFER TO DETALS & .
S-501
28
S-501
5 REFER TO DETALS & . REFER TO DETALS & .
S-006
28
NOTE: SEE JACKNG PONT LOCATON NOTE ON S-001
NOT TO SCALE S-501
8 DAMPER PEDESTAL AND CONNECTON
Typical cross section at the isolator
3
" C
L
R
.
T
Y
P
.
2-#5 EQUALLY 2-#5 EQUALLY
SPACED
SEE FOUNDATON PLAN
FOR RENFORCEMENT FOR RENFORCEMENT
CRAWL SPACE
TOC= -8' - 0"
1
0
"
(3) #5 BARS
CENTER ON
SHEAR KEY SHEAR KEY
6'-0" DA PLASTER
SOLATOR PER PLAN ROUGHEN CONCRETE TO 1/4" AMPLTUDE
BEFORE POURNG NEW CONCRETE,
NTERFACE SHALL BE CLEAN AND
FREE OF LATANCE.
8" SQ.x10" DEEP SOCKET
FOR HSS SHEAR LUG PER
S-006
28
(3) #5 EDGE BARS
22
PLASTER
PLAN
2
' - 0
"
ADD'L #5
5
"
C
L
R
3/4" = 1'-0" S-500 S-200 S-500 S-200 S-500 S-200 S-500 S-200
15
TYPCAL CROSS SECTON AT THE TYPCAL CROSS SECTON AT THE
SHEAR KEY
withoutsignifcantsoftening).In
addition,anisolatorlayoutthat
balancedthegravityloadswas
selected.Thisallowedforacom-
monisolatorsize,somethingthatis
importantconsideringtheamount
ofprototypetestingandverifcation
requiredforthesecomponents.
Athreedimensionalbuilding
modelwascreatedinETABSV9
(Computers&Structures,Inc.
Berkeley,California).Thissimpli-
fedmodelwasusedtoestimate
thebuildingmass(approximately
6800kips)andresultedintheuse
of31isolatorsmountedinacrawl
spacebeneaththebuilding.At
thispointapreliminarybearing
stiffnessestimatewasmade
assumingasystemnaturalperiod
from2.3to2.7seconds.Knowing1/
T=(1/2)(K/M),wethenestimated
KminandKmaxfortheoverall
system,(Kmin=100kips/inchand
Kmax=135kips/inch).Thesevalues
aretheoverallsystemstiffnesss
thataredividedbythenumberof
isolators(31)toyieldtheminimum
andmaximumbearingstiffness
requirements.Kmin=3.23kips/inch
andKmax=4.37kips/inch.
ForastaticanalysistheCBC
requiresthatthebaseisolated
buildingbedesignedforaminimum
designdisplacement(DD=(g/42)
CVDTD/BD)andamaximum
displacement(DM=(g/42)CVM
TM/BM).CVM,CVD,BD,BMare
valuesrelatedtothecodebased
siteseismiccoeffcients,andthe
amountofeffectivedampingfor
thesystem.Althoughatimehistory
approachwasanticipated,these
valueswereusedasbeginning
benchmarkvalues.
Inordertoprovidesupplemental
dampingnecessaryforasystem
utilizinglowdampingrubber
isolators,thedesignteamused
eightviscousfuiddampersat
theextremecornersofthebuild-
ing.Thispositionmaximizesthe
dampersabilitytocontroltorsion
responsesduringthedesignearth-
quake.Thedampersalsoresist
lowlevelwindandseismicforces.
Damperdesignparameterssuchas
thetotalstroke,maximumvelocity
andthedampingvelocitycoeff-
cientandexponentaredetermined
duringthetimehistoryanalysis
phasebasedonaniterativetrial
anderrormethodology.
Non-linear time history analysis
Theanalyticalmodelofthe
isolatedstructurecreatedearlier
usingETABSwasrefnedtoinclude
theisolatorsandthedampers.
Bilinearbiaxial(shear)hysteretic
elementswithlinearaxialstiff-
nesswereusedtomodelthe
elastomericisolators.Becausethe
isolatorshaveloweraxialtensile
stiffnessthanaxialcompression
stiffness,threeETABSelements
werenecessarytomodelthe
isolatorbehavioranISOLATOR
1elementwithhorizontaland
verticalstiffnessequaltothe
actualisolator,aGAPelementwith
averticalstiffnessequaltothe
differencebetweentheisolators
compressionandtensionstiff-
ness,andanextremelyrigidLINK
elementconnectingtheothertwo
elements.Dampingelementswere
addedtothestructuretoexplicitly
modeltheviscousfuiddamp-
ers.Byadjustingthevaluesand
checkingthedisplacementsduring
trialrunsthedesignteamwas
abletoestablishtargetupperand
lowerboundsforthesevaluesthat
providedconsistentandcontrolled
responses.
Initiallyallthreesetsoftime
historyinputdatawererunto
determineifoneoftherecords
governedoverothers.Thisrequired
fourindependentmodelsusing
theDBEandMCEtimehistoriesas
wellastheminimumandmaximum
bearingstiffnessanddamper
characteristics.TheLandersearth-
quake(LucerneStation)wasfound
togovernforalldesignparameters,
(baseshear,overturningmoment
andisolatordisplacement)atthe
1 Isolator
- Naturalrubbermaterial
- 31isolatorsintotal
- Diameter:29.5inches
- Height:26.6inches
- Max.displacement:26inches
- Max.verticalload954kips
- Min.verticalload:-125kipsuplift
- Max.lateralload:117kips
2 Damper
- Viscousfuiddamper
- 8dampersintotal
- Totalstroke:26inches
- Designvelocity:62inchesper
second
- Forcesat MCE439kipsmax.and
325kipsmin
A three-
dimensional
building
model was
created.
Isolator (1) and damper (2)
1
2
SEISMIC ISOLATION SYSTEM
Individual isolator specifed design properties
Type of
isolator
Displacements (inches) Vertical loads
(kips)
Effective stiffness
1
(kips/ins)
@DD @DM
DD TD DM TM LT ST AL MIN TARGET MAX MIN TARGET MAX
B-1 13.0 14.1 22.9 26 785 930 268 3.23 3.80 4.37 3.23 3.80 4.37
Isolation system specifed design properties
Type of
isolator
Number Aggregate effective stiffness @ DD
2
(kips/inches)
Aggregate effectiv stiffness @ DM
2

(kips/inches)
B-1 31 100 118 135 100 118 135
Total 31 100 118 135 100 118 135
Notes:DD=DesignDisplacement;TD=TotalDesignDisplacement;DM=MaximumDesignDisplacement;TM=TotalmaxiumDesignDisplacement;
LT=LongTermMax.Load;(D+L)max;ST=ShortTermMax.Load(1.2D+L+Emce)max;AL=Averageisolatortestload;(D+0.5L_averageatD
D
;
D=DeadLoad;L=Codereducedliveload;Emce=MCEearthquakeload;MAX.andMIN.=Upperandlowerboundproperty,respectively,accounting
forallfactorsincluding,butnotlimitedto,manufacturingtolerances,age,dynamiceffects,environment,scragging,recoveryetc.Firstcyclevirgin
stiffnessshallbeusedastheupperbound(MAX)andlastcyclestiffnessasthelowerbound(MIN)stiffness.
Accelerationtimehistoryand
accelerationresponsespectraof
inputgroundmotion.475-YrARP,
1992LandersFaultparallel
(YernoStation).
475-YrSpectrumcompatible
timehistory1992Landers
Faultparallel(YernoStation).
475-YrInitialcorrectedtimehistory
1992LandersFaultparallel
(YernoStation).
Each
isolator is
basically
a uniquely
designed
component.
MCElevels.AtDBElevelsitwas
foundthattheLandersearthquake
(YermoStation)governedbase
shearandisolatordisplacement,
anditalmostgovernedoverturning
momentaswell.Inordertosimplify
futureruns,thistimehistorywas
usedwithanincreasefactorof1.15
toassurethatitalsogovernedthe
overturningmoments.
InordertomodeltheCBC
mandated5percentaccidental
masseccentricitythecenter
ofmasswasoffsetinallfour
quadrantdirections,resultingin
fouradditionalbuildingmodels.
Thesewerecheckedforthemost
criticaldirectionandtheresulting
modelandmassoffsetwasused
forallothermodelsandanalysis
runs.Eightadditionalmodels
werecreated,eachwithaspecifc
purpose.ThesemodeledMCEand
DBEevents,withisolatorupper
andlowerboundpropertiesand
damperupperandlowerbound
propertiesinordertocompletely
envelopethebuildingsdisplace-
mentresponsesaswellascompo-
nentstresslevels.
Isolator testing
Becauseeachisolatoris
basicallyauniquelydesigned
componentandthedesignprocess
fortheminvolvesmaterialproperty
assumptions,itisnecessaryto
haveaprototypeandproduction
testingprogram.TheCBChas
specifcprototypeandproduction
testingrequirementsthatwere
followedontheIETMCproject.
Thespecifcationsprovidedthe
isolatordesigncriteriaforuseby
themanufacturer.
-0.9
0
0.9
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45
Time (sec)
Final
-70
0
70
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45
Time (sec)
Final
-60
0
60
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45
Time (sec)
Final
-60
0
60
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45
Time (sec)
Initial
-0.7
0
0.7
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45
Time (sec)
Initial
-70
0
70
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45
Time (sec)
Initial
-0.7
0
0.7
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45
Time (sec)
Initial
0
1
2
0.03 0.1 1 55
Target
Start of Round
Matched
Original
A
c
c
e
l
e
r
a
t
i
o
n
(
g
)
A
c
c
e
l
e
r
a
t
i
o
n
(
g
)
A
c
c
e
l
e
r
a
t
i
o
n
(
g
)
V
e
l
o
c
i
t
y
(
c
m
/
s
e
c
)
V
e
l
o
c
i
t
y
(
c
m
/
s
e
c
)
D
i
s
p
l
a
c
e
m
e
n
t
(
c
m
)
D
i
s
p
l
a
c
e
m
e
n
t
(
c
m
)
S
p
e
c
t
r
a
l
a
c
c
e
l
e
r
a
t
i
o
n
(
g
)
Period (sec)
Prototype testing
RSLsinitialisolatordesignhad
acalculatedeffectivelateralstiff-
nessof3.65kips/in,withanaxial
compressionstiffnessofapproxi-
mately10,200kips/in.Firstarticle
testingoftheirprototypeisolatorin
theirmanufacturingplantindi-
catedthatthedesignedisolators
hadlateralstiffnessof3.87kips/
inwhiletheaxialcompression
loadstiffnesswasonly6,652kips/
in.Theprojectspecifcationfor
compressionstiffnesswasfound
tobe9000kips/in.
Thedesignteamre-ranthecriti-
caltimehistorymodelstoconfrm
thatthissofterverticalstiffness
didnotadverselyaffectthe
displacementsandstresslevels
inthebuilding,andwasableto
modifythespecifcationtoreduce
therequiredverticalstiffnessto
6000kips/inasaresult.
Twoprototypeisolators
weretestedattheUniversityof
CaliforniaSanDiego,Charles
LeePowellStructuralResearch
Laboratories/CALTRANSSRMD
TestFacility,inordertoconfrm
thephysicalcharacteristicsof
theisolatorsdesignedbyRSL.
Eachisolatorwassubjectedto27
differentloadvariationsinorder
tomeasuretheisolatorseffective
stiffnessundervaryingcompres-
sionsloads,ratesofloading,and
defectionamplitudes.Results
fromthesetestsconfrmedthe
designoftheproductionisolators.
Production testing
Productiontestingduring
thefabricationprocessatMIN
IndustriesinBaranangSelangor,
Malaysiainvolvedanabbreviated
versionoftheprototypetest
schemes.Eachproductionisola-
torwassubjectedtoasustained
onehourcompressiontest,a
compressionstiffnesstest,a
combinedcompressionandshear
loadtest,andatensionstiffness
test.Thisdatawascomparedwith
theprototypetestdataandthe
targeteddesignvalues.
Finalproductiontestingincluded
fourrandomlyselectedisolators
fromtheproductionrun.Thesefour
productionisolatorsweretested
atboththeproductionfacilityin
MalaysiaandagaininSanDiegoat
NON-LINEAR TIME HISTORY ANALYSIS
Damper testing
Theviscousfuiddampers
designedandfabricatedbyTaylor
Deviceswerealsosubjectedto
rigoroustestprotocoldeveloped
byTaylorDevicestoconfrmtheir
design.Thedampersdonotinvolve
thelevelofmaterialvariability
associatedwithnaturalrubber
isolatorsthereforethetestand
qualityassuranceprogramsfocus
onconfrmingmanufacturingtoler-
ance,materialgradesanddamping
characteristicofthedamper.All
thetestresultsofviscousdamper
werewithintheacceptablerange
giveninprojectspecifcations.
Theseresultswerereviewedbythe
engineerofrecord,independent
peerreviewerandDSA,priorto
fnalapprovalandinstallation.
Insummary,thedesignofa
baseisolatedbuildinginvolvesthe
integrationofmultipleengineering
disciplines,complexmathematical
analysisandelaboratetesting
protocol.Theendresultisafacility
withanexcellentchanceofsurvival
Damper design requirements
MCE Design
Force at MCE Design
Velocity (Kips)
Total Stroke
(inches)
MCE Design
Velocity (ips)
Daming Velocity Coeffcient (C) and
Exponent ()
Quantity of
dampers
325min.to439max.* +/-26 62 Lowerboundcurve:C=68.51,=0.38;
Upperboundcurve:C=92.69,=0.38
8
F=CV
;
F=DameprMCEDesignForce(Kip);V=DameperMCEDesignVelocity(inches/second);
C=Dampingcoeffcient,asdefnedbyF/V
(kip-sec/inches); =DampingVelocityExponent
Topleft:UCSDtest
labreactionbeam
andmovement
table.
Bottomleft:The
UCSDtestfacility
wasusedbecause
theMINIndustries
testingequipment
couldnotmove
laterally26inches.
Right:Compression
stiffnesstestatMIN
Industries,Malaysia.
Installeddamper
andisolatorsin
thecrawlspace
belowthebuilding.
A facility
to survive
the tests
of time and
nature.
theUCSDtestfacility.Thisadded
verifcationwasusedtocalibrate
theUCSDandproductiontest
results.
Theproductiontestresults,
alongwiththerandomsample
tests,providedthenecessarydata
tovalidatetheconsistencyofthe
productionisolatorsproperties
andconfrmtheanalyticalbuilding
model.Theresultswerereviewed
bytheengineerofrecord,inde-
pendentpeerreviewerandState
ofCaliforniaplancheckdivision
(DSA)priortofnalapprovaland
installation.
duringacatastrophicseismic
event,builttosurvivethetestsof
timeandnature.
Acknowledgements
Theauthorswouldliketothank
allspecialtyconsultantsand
productmanufacturersfortheir
contributiontotheprojectincluding
CoffmanEngineers,Diaz-Yourman
&Associate,WilsonGeosciences
Inc,HAI,MACTEC,Stantec,Taylor
Devices,RSLandIDS.
David Kilpatrickisassociate
principalandseniorstructural
engineerwithAECOMbasedin
Orange,California.
E:david.kilpatrick@aecom.com
Shafq Alamisvicepresident,
BuildingEngineeringandstructural
engineeringmanagerwithAECOM,
basedinOrange,California.
E:shafq.alam@aecom.com
Thefacilityis
designedto
surviveevena
catastrophic
seismicevent.
Staying green,
keeping warm
Sustainable buildings in cold climates
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2500
2000
1500
1000
500
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Annual sunshine hours
Annual average solar
insolation (kWh/m
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)
4
3
2
1
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Design low
Design high
Design temperatures
in order of increasing
latitude (C)
40
30
20
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THE EXTREME CLIMATE CHALLENGE
Jill Pederson and John Munroe look at two
new Canadian buildings that showcase
successful energy effcient solutions
despite their extreme local climate.
Designing a highly energy effcient
building with a comfortable
environment for occupants that
is also cost effective in a climate
where the temperature can vary
by 65C (117F) over the course
of a year, is the kind of challenge
that engineers fnd hard to resist.
An extremely cold climate
can present unique challenges,
but can also provide a means to
achieve even greater sustainable
solutions compared to other
buildings in the same climate, if
approached properly.
These two case studies, both
buildings recently completed in
Canada, demonstrate that it is
possible to design highly energy
effcient buildings that operate
successfully and sustainably in an
extreme climate.
There are two key factors behind
the design of success and
sustainable buildings for cold
climates.
1 Understand the local climate
Athoroughunderstandingofthe
climateandanalysisofweather
informationcanallowdesignersto
fndadvantages.Solarinsolationcan
bequitehighinanextremelycold
climate,despitethetemperature
variance.Capturedappropriately,
solarenergycanprovideanexcellent
sourceofdaylightandradiantheat
inthecoldmonths,reducingthe
energyrequirementforabuilding.
2 Buffer the building
Providingabufferbetweenthe
buildingoccupantsandtheextremes
oftheclimateiscritical.Ahigh
performancebuildingenvelopecan
dramaticallyreducetheloadsonits
operatingsystemsandtheimpact
oftheweatherextremesonthe
occupants.
An extremely cold
climate can present
unique challenges,
but can also
provide a means
to achieve even
greater sustainable
solutions.
03CFDSimulationofOption#1Curtainwall
3
.
Thepinktoplinerepresentstemperedair
beingdeliveredtothespace,thebottom
darkbluelinerepresentsthereturnairout
ofthespace.Theturquoiselineontheright
siderepresentstheinteriorpaneofglazing
atatemperatureof15.1C(59.2F).
An energy effcient offce building
maintaining thermal comfort in a
varied and cold climate.
Building envelope
Thebuildingenvelopeplays
acriticalroleinenergyuse,
particularlyinanextremeclimate.
Theenvelopeisvitaltomaintain
adequateoccupantcomfort,
provideathermalbarriertothe
outdoorsandminimizeeffects
oflargetemperatureswings.The
EpcorTowerbuildingenvelopehas
awindowtowallratioof49percent,
withunitizedcurtainwallglazing.
Toensureenvelopeperformance,
fourcurtainwalloptionswereevalu-
atedforenergycostandthermal
comfort(Table 01).
Afullbuildingenergymodel
usingEE4Version1.7
1
wasusedto
comparetheannualenergycosts
ofthefouroptions. Figure 01shows
energycostsavingsofeachoption
relativetotheworstcase,option#4.
Themodelingsoftwareprovided
thermalcomfortresultsbasedon
defnedtemperatureranges.
Figure 02showsthethermal
comfortineachbuildingorientation.
Theoption#1productwasselected
basedonincreasedenergycost
savingsandaddedthermalcomfort.
TheoverallglazingsystemU-value
wascalculatedtobe1.23W/m
2
K
(0.216Btuh/ft
2
F).Asimulation
usingWindow5.2adeterminedthe
temperatureattheinsidepaneof
glassonawinterdesigndaytobe
15.1C(59.2F).Thecomputational
fuiddynamics(CFD)simulationwas
usedtodetermineifperimeterheat-
ingcouldbeeliminated.Atypical
offcebaywasmodeledtocalculate
interiortemperatures.Figure 03
showsaplanviewofatypicaloffce
bayduringtheCFDsimulation.
Table 01 Fourcurtainwalloptionsevaluatedwithcentre-of-glassU-values.
Option #1 #2 #3 #4
Description Triple-glazedA Double-glazedA Triple-glazedB Double-glazedB
U-Value (W/m
2
K) 1.01 1.48 1.20 1.69
U-Value (Btuh/ft
2
F) 0.178 0.260 0.211 0.297
Option #4 1.69
Option #3 1.20
Option #2 1.48
Option #1 1.01
0.0%
4.61%
2.37%
6.75%
0% 1% 2% 3% 4% 5% 6% 7%
01Annualenergycostsavingsoffour
typesofcurtainwall
2
.
North Tower
zone
East Tower
zone
South Tower
zone
West Tower
zone
500
450
400
350
300
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Too hot
02Thermaldiscomfortoffourtypesof
curtainwall
2
.Toohotisabove27C(81F).
Toocoldisbelow18C(64F).
26.00
24.30
22.60
20.90
19.20
17.50
15.80
14.10
C
186.86 mins Resultant temperature
Epcor Tower
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
EPCOR TOWER
TheEpcorTowerislocatedindowntown
Edmonton,Alberta,Canada.At53.3
latitude,thedesigntemperatureis-34C
(-29F)inwinterand28C(82F)DB/19C
(66F)WBinsummer(annual62Cor111F
delta)basedontheAlbertaBuildingCode.
Theclimateposedinterestingbuilding
designchallenges,particularlyenergyuse
andoccupantcomfort.
Thefrsthigh-risetobebuiltinEdmonton
inover20years,EpcorToweris66,974m
2
(720,902ft
2
)intotalarea,withabuilding
footprintof3,073m
2
(33,077ft
2
).Itincludes
atwostoryretailpodium,26foorsofoffce
space,andamechanicalpenthousefoor.
Fourlevelsofbelowgradeparkadehavea
totalareaof28,288m
2
(304,489ft
2
).
Rendering of Epcor Tower courtesy of Kasian
Architecture
Too cold
Energy savings
C
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h
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o
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d
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o
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f
o
r
t
Thespaceismaintainedatan
operativetemperaturerangeof
19.2C(66.6F)to22.6C(72.7F)
onawinterdesignday,meaningthe
requirementforperimeterheating
wasdeemedunnecessarywiththe
triple-glazedOption#1curtainwall.
Earth tubes
EpcorTowertakesadvantage
ofauniquesystemofearthtubes
usedtopre-heatandpre-coolthe
buildingoutdoorair.
Thetowerwasdesignedwith
twoverticalintakeshaftsdown
theparkadeexteriorwalls,con-
structedwithglycolheatinglines
toutilizelowgradeheatrecovered
fromastackcondenseronthe
boilerplant.Oncepastthelowest
parkadelevel,theshaftsturn90
tocontinuehorizontallybelowthe
parkadestructure.Theearthtubes
formalooparoundthebuildings
core,connectingtothemaintower
airhandlingunitwhichprovidesthe
restoftheconditioning(Figure 04).
Theearthtubesareacombina-
tionofprecastconcretepipesand
pouredconcreteplenumswith
internalcolumnsforstructuralsup-
port.Theplenumsare9.5meters
(31.2feet)wideand2.5meters
(8.2feet)high.Withanairfow
rateof18,877L/s(40,019cfm)
perearthtubethisequatestoa
velocityof0.79m/s(155.5fpm).The
earthtubesaredesignedforthe
maximumload,whichoccursin
heatingmodeforthisbuilding.The
desiredtemperatureriseisfrom
-34C(-29F)to6C(43F),6C
(43F)beingtheconstantground
temperaturebelowthefrostline,
resultingina40C(72F)delta.
Usingaheattransferrateof0.5C/
meter(10.0F/ft)eachearthtube
neededtobe80meters(262feet)
inlength.Theactuallengthofthe
constructedearthtubesare116
meters(380feet)and97meters
(318feet).
Theearthtubesprovidesig-
nifcantsavingsontheventilation
heatingandcoolingloadsforthe
EpcorTower.An8,760-hourannual
analysiswasusedtocalculate
energysaved.Inheatingmodethe
earthtubesaves1,473,994kW/year
(5,033,953MBH/year).Incooling
modeitsaves84,874kW/year
(289,860MBH/year).Thisequates
toapproximatelyCDN$51,687/year
incostsavings.
Earth tubes: a quick guide
Earthtubesexploitgeothermal
exchangebetweentheairandthe
surroundingearthusingthermally
conductivematerialasaseparation.
Thegreaterthesurfaceareaincontact
withtheground,thebettertheheat
transfer.Becausegroundtemperature
remainsconstantbelowthefrostline,
thegroundcanbeusedtoheatair
inwinterandcoolairinsummer.To
maximizetherateofheattransfer,itis
idealtofowairatlowvelocitythrough
theearthtubestoprovideadequatelag
timeforheattransfertooccur.Based
onpreviousexperienceinthisclimate,
effectiveheattransfercanbeachieved
atanairspeedof1.02m/s(200fpm).
05Schematicofboilerstackcondensersystem.Theheatingsystem,sizedfor7,719kW
(26,362MBH),hasthepossibilityforfutureexpansion.Thestackcondensingsystem
increasestheoverallboilerplanteffciencyfrom85percentto95.5percent,adifferenceof
998kW(3,408MBH)ofinputpower,bycapturingbothsensibleandlatentheat.
04 Thedesignoftheearthtubesystem
wasoptimizedtomakeuseoftheexisting
foundationsystemtominimizeanynewwork
ormaterials.
Epcor Tower takes advantage of a unique
system of earth tubes used to pre-heat
and pre-cool outdoor air.
F
l
u
e

g
a
s

o
u
t
Heating water
heat exchanger
Glycol heat
exchanger
To/from boiler
return water
To/from intake
shafts
Supply fan
C
o
m
m
o
n

s
t
a
c
k
Boiler Boiler Boiler
Exhaust air heat recovery
Aheatrecoveryunitlocatedat
theexhaustoutletcaptureswaste
heatfromexhaustairinthegeneral
exhaustsystemandreturnsittoa
heatingcoilinthemaintowerair
handlingunitviaaglycolrun-
aroundloop.
Theexhaustairheatrecoveryis
capableofprovidinga19C(66F)
temperaturerisefor37,754L/s
(80,0038cfm)ofoutdoorair.This
lessenstheloadonthemainheat-
ingcoilinthetowerairhandling
unitandboilersystem.
Winter free cooling
InEdmontonsclimate,winter
freecoolingispossible.Duringthe
wintermonthswhentheoutdoor
airwetbulbtemperatureisless
thanthechilledwatertemperature,
inthiscase6.7C(44.1F),the
entirecoolingloadcanbeachieved
throughthecoolingtowers.Thisis
accomplishedbyprovidingcooling
towerscapableofrunningyear
roundwithintegralimmersion
heaters.Infreecoolingmode,
thechillersareturnedoffand
bypassedcompletely.
Thechillerplantiscurrently
sizedat6,400kW(1820tons)with
thepossibilityforfutureexpansion.
Winterfreecoolingcanbeused39
percentoftheyearinEdmonton,
givingasignifcantloadreduction
fromthechillersystem.
Stack condenser
Thebuildingdeploysconven-
tionalboilersinconjunctionwith
astackcondenser.Theboilersare
breechedtogethertocombinefue
gasespriortoenteringthestack
condenserasshowninfgure 05.
Heatinthefuegasesisextracted
intwoseparateheatexchanger
coilswithinthestackcondenser:
oneusingwaterandoneusing
glycol.Thefuegastemperatureis
loweredbelowitsdewpoint,result-
ingincondensationandextraction
oflatentheat,inadditiontothe
sensibleheat.Waterfromthefrst
heatexchangerisreturnedtothe
heatingwatersystemandpreheats
theboilerreturnwater.Glycolfrom
thesecondheatexchangerisused
toheattheintakeshaftsofthe
earthtubesasadditionalpre-
heatingfortheincomingair.

Analysis
Thebuildingisexpectedtouse
121kWh/m
2
/year(40.5MJ/ft
2
)of
regulatedenergy
4
.Theannual
projectedbuildingenergycostis
CDN$767,177/year
4
(2009Canadian
dollars).Thereferencebuilding
followsASHRAEStandard90.1.
TheEpcorTowerdemonstrates
energyeffciencyinasevere
climatewhilemaintainingoccu-
pantcomfort.Usingtheenergy
savingmeasures,thebuildingis
expectedtoachievea41.4percent
energyusereductioncompared
toASHRAEStandard90.1
4
.The
projectistargetingaLEEDSilver
ratingforthecoreandshell,and
iscurrentlyontracktoachieve
LEEDGold.
06Energymodel
results
4
.
Energy summary by end use Energy type Proposed building Reference building Energy
savings
[%]
Energy
[MJ]
Intensity
[kWh/m
2
]
Energy
[MJ]
Intensity
[kWh/m
2
]
Regulated energy
Lighting Electricity 11,041,525 32 11,041,525 32 0.0%
Spaceheating Naturalgas 11,735,923 34 33,868,138 99 65.3%
Spacecooling Electricity 1,921,993 6 2,239,791 7 14.2%
Pumps Electricity 1,006,892 3 510,488 1 -97.2%
Fans Electricity 12,404,154 36 14,095,987 41 11.4%
Servicewaterheating Electricity 3,322,195 10 3,322,195 10 0.0%
Subtotalregulatedenergy 41,522,690 121 65,078,123 190 36.2%
Non-regulated energy
Plugloads Electricity 6,286,640 18 6,286,640 18 0.0%
OtherBaselinepart-control
packageheat
Naturalgas 22,699,697 66 22,699,697 66 0.0%
Subtotalnon-regulatedenergy 28,986,336 85 28,986,336 85 0.0%
Total energy summary Proposed building Reference building Percent savings
Energy
Percent
savings cost
Energy
[MJ]
Cost
[$]
Energy
[MJ]
Cost
[$]
Electricity 36,073,404 $301,490 37,496,625 $833,117 3.8% 3.8%
Naturalgas 34,435,622 $305,184 56,567,834 $501,331 39.1% 39.1%
Total 70,509,026 $1,106,674 94,064,459 $1,334,447 25.0% 17.1%
LEED EAc1
Subtotalregulatedenergycosts 41,522,690 $765,821 65,078,123 $993,593 36.2% 22.9%
Exceptionalcalculationmethodearthtubeheating -4,736,330 -$41,976 0 $0 0.0% 0.0%
Exceptionalcalculationmethodearthtubecooling -305,802 -$6,704 0 $0 0.0% 0.0%
Exceptionalcalculationmethodprop.part-condparkadeheating -973,443 -$8,627 0 $0 0.0% 0.0%
Manualcalculationcondenserpumps 2,641,967 $58,700 0 $0 0.0% 0.0%
Manualcalculationexteriorlighting 6,052 $54 6,052 $54 0.0% 0.0%
Renewableenergycredit 0 $0 0 $0 0.0% 0.0%
Net total 38,155,128 $767,177 65,084,175 $993,646 41.4% 22.8%
This type of
low energy
approach
can offer
signifcant
annual
energy
savings.
Manitoba Hydro: A building designed to
dynamically adapt to the climate
ManitobaHydroisanew24-storyoffce
tower.With10,620heatingdegree-daysand
awinterdesigntemperatureof-35C(-31F),
theprojectlocationindowntownWinnipeg,
Manitoba,Canada,presentedtheproject
teamwithuniqueclimaticchallenges.
Energyeffciencydesignfeaturesinclude
optimizedbuildingorientation,envelope
bufferzoneusingwintergardensand
adoublefaadeforpassivesolarpre-
conditioningoffreshair,naturalventilation
andopenablewindows,ageothermalheat
exchanger,thermo-activeslabheatingand
cooling,displacementventilation,asolar
towerandnaturaldaylighting.
Thebuildingdynamicallyadaptstothe
continuouslychangingclimaticconditions.
Occupantsmayindividuallyinfuence
theirenvironmentthroughglazedbuffer
zones,operablewindowsandadjustable
airdiffusers.Beyondenergyeffciency,the
65,000m
2
(699,654ft
2
)buildingprovidesa
newlevelofoccupancycomfort,especially
duetothefactthatallworkstationshave
accesstothefaade.
The Manitoba Hydro building
achieves 65.9 percent energy
savings compared to Canadas
Model National Energy Code for
Buildings (MNECB) and consumes
88kWh/m
2
/year (29.4MJ/ft
2
/year)
of energy.
ManitobaHydrosetdauntingly
highgoalsfortheirnewdowntown
offcebuildingintermsofwork-
spacequality,signaturearchi-
tecture,positiveurbanimpact,
environmentalperformance(60
percentenergysavings),and
competitivecost.Throughaclosely
integrateddesignprocess,the
designteamofclient,architect,
andconsultantsproducedatruly
outstandingdesign.
Thisbuildingpotentiallysets
anewNorthAmericanstandard
fortheintegrationofworkplace
qualityandenergyeffciencywith
elegant,humanearchitecture,
andisaleadingglobalexample
forcold-climateintegrated
buildingdesign.Thebuildingslife
expectancy,andfexibilitysup-
portslongevity.Withcolumn-free
spaces,highceilings,raisedfoors,
andtheabsenceofductwork,the
designcouldhardlybemoreeasily
adaptabletochangesinuse.This
buildingisdesignedtolast.
Ofgreaterimportance,though,
isthebenefttopeople.Supporters
ofsustainabledesignoftenargue
fortheeconomicbeneftofeven
smallincreasesinemployee
productivity,citingthatannual
salariesaretypicallylargerthan
thecapitalcostoftheentirebuild-
ing.Butowingtotheambitious-
nessofitsgoals,thebuildings
valuewilleclipseconsiderations
ofproductivityinfosteringcom-
munity,garneringappreciationand
instillingpride,publiclyaswellas
withinitsownwalls.Thisbuilding
isdesignedtobevalued.
Winter fresh air heating and
humidifcation
Forthisdistinctivebuilding,
energyuseisminimizedduringthe
coldseasonbycarefullyrestrict-
ingheatlosses,andcollectingas
muchheataspossiblefromnatural
sources.Attentiontoradiantheat
exchangeeliminatesunnecessary
energyusewhileprovidingsuperior
thermalcomfort.
Thefreshairsupplytoeachsix-
storymodulefrstexchangesheat
withexhaustairviaarun-around
glycolloopintheper-moduleair
handlingunit.Theairhandlingunit
furtherheatsair(whenrequired)to
10C(50F),andblowsitintothe
southatrium.Theatriumisabuffer
zone,mediatingarchitecturallyand
thermallybetweenindoorsandout.
Itisasemi-heated,sunnyspace,
lessconfningthananoffceinterior
yetprotectedfromtheelements.
Theminimumtemperatureof10C
(50F)isnotuncomfortableon
sunnydays.Atthesametime,the
lowtemperatureallowstheatrium
toeffcientlyheatincomingair.
Thisisbecausethesun-warmed
surfacestransferheattothefresh
airatarateproportionaltothe
differenceoftheirtemperatures.
Theatriumfeatureswater
wallsthatenrichthespacewhile
effcientlyadjustinghumidity.The
waterisheatedforhumidifcation
inwinter,chilledfordehumidifca-
tioninsummer,andachieves
effciencyavoidingtheuseoffans.
Theintermediatetemperatureof
theatriumallowstheinteriorglaz-
ingtoactaspartoftheenvelope.
Thebuildingiseffectivelytriple
glazedonallsurfaces,although
inthenorthandsouthatriumand
doublefaades,theenvelopeis
delaminatedintodistinctsingle
anddouble-glazedwalls,witha
bufferzonebetween.Byallowing
thetemperaturebetweenthetwo
wallstofuctuatenaturallyfor
07Winterclimateconcept.
Manitoba Hydro
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
MANITOBA HYDRO
08Summerclimateconcept.
mostofthewinter,theyexceedthe
performanceofastandardtriple-
glazedfaadeconfguration.While
thebufferzonesareconfguredin
winterforthermalinsulationand
freshairheating(inthecaseofthe
southatrium),theirconfguration
changeswiththeseasons.
Per-foorairhandlingunits
furthertemperfreshairasneces-
saryandblowitintoapressurized
subfoorplenumoneachlevel,from
whereitenterstheoffcespaceat
outletslocatedmostlyalongthe
perimeter.
Summer fresh air cooling and
dehumidifcation
Thebuildingstayscoolbyresist-
ingheatgainsandtappingnatural
sourcesforcoolingandventilation.
Activationofthebuildingmasspro-
videscomfortableradiantcooling
andreducesthesizeofmechanical
equipment.
Freshairentersthemodule
throughthesouthatriuminsum-
meraswell,althoughinthiscaseit
fowsfreely,withouttheaidofthe
permoduleairhandlingunit,since
heatrecoveryisnolongerneeded.
Aninternalshadeisdrawntoblock
solargains,forminganexhaust
plenumbetweenitselfandthe
faade.Highandlowopeningsfeed
ventilationoftheplenum.Thewater
wallisactivatedwithchilledwater
tocoolanddehumidifyincoming
air.Althoughitmayseemstrange,
awatersurfacethatiscoolerthan
thedewpointoftheairwilldehu-
midifyit.Thefrstmechanicalair
conditioningsystemsworkedinthis
way,bysprayingdropletsofcold
wateracrossastreamofair.The
per-foorfancoilsfurthercondi-
tionfreshairandblowitintothe
pressurizedplenum,fromwhich
itcontinuesthroughthedisplace-
mentventilationsystem.
Thedoublefaadeisrecon-
fguredtorejectsolarheatand
sealtheinteriortohotoutdoorair.
Inwinter,bothfaadewallsare
sealed,whereasinsummerthe
lineofenclosureretreatstothe
innerwall,behindtheprotectionof
thehorizontallouverblindsinthe
faadecavity.Solarheatabsorbed
bytheblindsispurgedthrough
fapsautomaticallyopenedinthe
outerfaade.Theinnerfaadeis
keptclosedtopreventthepassage
ofhotairintotheinterior.
Airexitstothesolarchimneyvia
thenorthatrium.Theairthenrises
naturallyupthesolarchimney.As
inafreplacechimney,theairrises
becauseitiswarmer,andtherefore
morebuoyantthanthecoolerair
surroundingit,andbecausewind
acrossthetopofthechimney
generatesadraft.Ablackbody
massexposedtosolarradiation
suspendedinthesolarchimney
collectssolarheat,augmentingthe
buoyancyeffectbywarmingtheair
within.
Intermediate season
Whenoutdoorconditionsare
pleasant,theyarefreelyadmit-
tedtothebuildinginterior.When
thedirectuseofnaturalsources
maintainsacomfortableenviron-
ment,theairhandlingunitsare
deactivated.
Theconditionsforthismode
dependmostlyonthetemperatures
ofoutdoorairandthefaadecavity
buttypicallyareaminimumout-
doorairtemperatureof10C(50F),
andafaadecavitytemperature
rangeof15C(59F)to25C(77F).
Ventilationiscompletelydriven
bysolar-augmentedthermal
buoyancyandwind,throughthe
solarchimney.Sincetheairisnot
conditioned,itcanenterthrough
largeopeningsinthefaaderather
thantherestrictiveheatingcoil,
coolingcoilorheatexchangerinan
airhandlingunit.Thusairmove-
mentrequiresmuchlesspower,
sothatthepressuredifferences
generatedbythechimneyare
suffcient.
Boththeinnerandouterwalls
ofthefaadeareopened,the
innermanually,andtheouter
automatically.Thesouthatriumis
alsoconfguredthisway.Thisvents
solargainsfromthefaadecavity
oratriumwhileallowingventilation
airintotheoffces.Shadesand
screensaredrawnasnecessaryfor
glareandsolarloadcontrol.

09Intermediateseasonclimateconcept.
This building potentially
sets a new North American
standard for the integration
of workplace quality
and energy effciency
with elegant, humane
architecture.
Year-round daylighting strategies
Thebuildingenjoyshighceilings
thatallowdaylighttopenetrate
deeperintothespace.Natural
lightingprovidesamorepleas-
antworkplaceenvironmentand
reduceselectricalenergyusefor
lighting.Sincenaturallighting
produceslessheatthanelectric
lighting,itcanalsoeffectively
reducecoolingloads.
Daylightpenetrationispre-
served,whenblindsinthefaade
cavityareclosed,bylightredirec-
tion.Theupperportionoftheblinds
areindependentlyadjustable
torefectsunlightontotheceilings
oftheoffces.
Thedoublefaadepresenteda
challengefordaylighting,because
itextendstheedgeofthebuild-
ingbeyondtheperimeterofthe
occupiedspace.Thismeansthat
thedepthofeffectivedaylighting
wouldbereduced.Thischallenge
wasmetbysteppingtheslabup,
inthefaadecavity,tothelevelof
theraisedfoorabove.Thisallowed
daylighttopenetratedeeperinto
thespace.
Simulation results
Detaileddaylightsimulations
evaluatedthenaturalluminous
environmentforthenewdowntown
offce,givinghighlyaccuratepre-
dictionsoflightlevelsandbright-
nessdistributionsinthevisual
feld.Thesimulationsinthisstudy
areforanovercastsky,typically
usedbecausethesymmetryofits
brightnessdistributionaboutthe
verticalaxisgivesagoodimpres-
sionofoverallperformance,and
allowsfaircomparisonbetween
differentschemes.Thesimulation
resultsshowdaylightperformance
withdaylightfactorsofabout3
percentinthemiddleofthefoor
plate.Thisleadstoadaylight
autonomyofabout70percent
closetothefaadeandabout40
percentatadepthof10meters(33
feet).
Detailedthermalsimulations
onTRNSYSevaluatedthethermal
conditionsaswellasbuilding
energyconsumption.Acomparison
toareferencebuildingin
accordancetoCanadasMNECB
showedenergysavingsof60
percent.
Radiant slabs
Eachfoorinthetoweris
2,744m
2
(29,536ft
2
),dividedinto
two828m
2
(8,913ft
2
)loftspaces,
a193m
2
(2,077ft
2
)centralbridge,
coreareaandtwoatria.Thetwo
lofts,andthecentralbridge,are
thedesignatedworkspaceoneach
foor.
Heatingandcoolingisachieved
primarilyviaexposedradiant
ceilings.Thefoorsareconstructed
of240millimeter(9.5inch)thick
concrete,with19millimeter
(0.75inch)tubing,on203millimeter
(8inch)centers,embeddedata
depthof65millimeter(2.5inches)
fromthebottomoftheslab.
Eachloftisdividedinto9-meter
12Daylightsimulationresults
5
.
Distance to faade [meters]
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
D
a
y
l
i
g
h
t

a
u
t
o
n
o
m
y

[
%
]
h = 3.3m h = 3.5m
12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
13 Simulationresultsonbuildingenergy
performance.
Total energy savings: -60.1%
25,000
20,000
15,000
10,000
5000
0
T
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a
l

e
n
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Reference Proposed
-81%
-63%
-30%
Tower Podium Parkade
(30-foot)by12-meter(39-foot)
zones.Eachfoorhas12,192linear
meters(40,000feet)ofembedded
tubing,controlledfromindividual
manifolds,in120-meter(394-foot)
sections.Theslabswithinthe
doublewallcavitiesalsohave
tubing,inaseparatecontrolzone
fromtheinteriorspace.
Incoolingmode,waterbetween
18.3C(64.9F)and20C(68F)
iscirculatedthroughthetubing.
Basedonthemodeledinternal
loadsof45W/m
2
(14Btuh/ft
2
)
(averageacrosstheloft)this
willmaintainaceilingsurface
temperatureofbetween20C
(68F)and22C(72F).Inheat-
ingmode,theslabtubingwater
temperatureisadjustedtothe
range23.9C(75.0F)and29.4C
(84.9F),whichmaintainsaceiling
surfacetemperatureofbetween
22C(72F)and25C(77F).
Theslabswithinthedoublewall
faadearemodulatedbasedon
curtainwallframetemperature.
Thetemperatureiskeptabove4C
(39F)topreventcondensation.
Thesemeasuresresultinoperative
spacetemperaturesof20C(68F)
to26C(79F)annually.
Displacement ventilation
Ventilationisprovidedbyan
underfoor,displacementsystem.
Pre-conditioned100percent
outsideairisdrawninoneach
foorfromthesouthfooratrium
byfourcustomunderfoorfancoil
unitsof604L/s(1280cfm)each.
Detailed
daylight
simulations
evaluated
the natural
luminous
environment
for the new
downtown
offce.
Eachunitconsistsofacentrifugal
fan,heatingcoilandcoolingcoil.
Humidifcationismaintained
throughsurfaceevaporation,and
condensationonaheatedand
cooledwaterfeaturelocatedinthe
southatrium.
Thefancoilsprovidefnal
temperingtotheatriumair,
discharging18.3C(64.9F)airyear
roundintotheunderfoorplenum.
Thehumidityofthedischarged
airiscontrolledbetween15
percent(minimumwinter)and50%
(maximumsummer).Thefancoils
maintainaminimumplenumstatic
pressureof37.4Pa(0.005lb/in
2
).In
foordisplacementdiffusersallow
airtopassintooccupiedspace
atamaximumvelocityof0.2m/s
(39.4fpm).
Asolartoweronthebuildings
northenddrawsstratifedairfrom
eachfoor,dischargingatthetop
duringcoolingmonthsorintothe
parkadeduringheatingmonths.
Duringthecoolingseason,ablack
bodyabsorberatthetopofthe
solartowerisheatedbysolarradia-
tiontoenhancethenaturaldraft
ofstratifedairfromthefoors.The
parkadeairhandlingunitshave
heatrecoverycoilsthatextract
excessenergyfromthesolar
towerairandreturnthisenergyas
pre-heatingtothesouthatriumair
handlingunits.
Geothermal system
Allbuildingcoolingseasonheat
rejectionisstoredina280borehole
geo-exchangefeldbeneaththe
building.Spacedat4.5-meter(15-
foot)centers,eachboreholeis122
meters(400feet)deep,providing
atotalinstalledlengthof68,320
linearmeters(224,147feet).
Theaveragegroundtemperature
atdepthindowntownWinnipegis
approximately11.1C(52.0F).The
feldrejectsandabsorbsheatto
thegroundatlooptemperatures
varyingfrom-3.9C(25.0F)atpeak
extractionrateto38.6C(101.5F)
atpeakchargerate.Theenergy
storedandreleasedisequivalent
to2,400MWh/year(8,640GJ/year).
Peakextractionrateis1,406.8kW
(4,800MBH)andpeakstoragerate
is3,517kW(12,000MBH).
Chilled water plant
Three1,580kW(449tons)screw
chillersusingR-134arefriger-
antchargeanddischargethe
geothermalfeld.Duringwinter
(geothermalfelddischargemode),
thechillersoperateat-3.9C
(25.0F)/1.7C(35.1F)chilledwater
supply/returntemperatureand
38.6C(101.5F)/32.7C(90.9F)
condenserwatersupply/return
temperature.Thecondenser
waterisusedtoprovidealow
temperature(32.2C/26.7Csupply/
14 Summeroperativetemperature. 15 Winteroperativetemperature.
The design could hardly be more easily
adaptable to changes in use. This
building is designed to last.
return)loopservingthemainfan
coilunitsinthetower.During
summer(geothermalfeldcharge
mode),thechillersoperateat4.4C
(39.9F)/11.1C(52.0F)chilled
watersupply/returntemperature
and32.2C(90.0F)/26.7C(80.0F)
condenserwatersupply/return
temperature.
Boiler plant
Tomakeupthetotalheating
load,sevenhigheffciency,natural
gascondensingboilersof985kW
(3,362MBH)inputcapacityeach
areinstalled.Thesefeedahigh
temperature,71C(160F)/50C
(122F)supply/returnloopthat
servepre-heatcoilsintheatria.
Theboilershaveanominal90.4%
effciency(thermal)atpeakoperat-
ingconditions.Theboilersprovide
2,470MWh/year(8,892GJ/year)of
thebuildingheatingload.
Jill Pedersonisamechanical
designerwithAECOMbasedin
Calgary,Canada.
E:jillian.pederson@aecom.com
John Munroeisvicepresident,
Design+Planning,CanadaWest
withAECOMbasedinCalgary,
Canada.
E:john.munroe@aecom.com
A solar
tower on the
buildings
north end
draws
stratifed air
from each
foor.
Under the watchful eye of the
international airport industry,
the frst airport terminal to
be built in America since 9/11
had to exceed high traveler
expectations. The design team
collaborated on an American
airport frst, developing Air
Chairs for sleek new Terminal
B, San Jose Airport. Alastair
MacGregor and Jim Saywell
report.
Part of a major airport expansion
and renovation program, the
construction of Terminal B at
the Norman Y. Mineta San Jose
International Airport, the frst
new terminal to be constructed in
America since 9/11, is a landmark
development, designed to handle
a passenger capacity of 8.5
million travelers a year.
Designed by Fentress
Architects, the new Terminal B
at San Jose is one of the most
advanced airport terminals in
the United States. Located in the
heart of the Silicon Valley, sus-
tainability and energy effciency
were key drivers for the program.
The design-build project
was awarded to Hensel Phelps
Construction Company in 2006,
with AECOM providing high per-
formance building consulting ser-
vices including the development
of the conceptual MEP design
solution, energy simulation and
building commissioning.
Even taking into account that
a large percentage of an airports
energy requirements are due
to equipment that is diffcult to
make more energy effcient, such
as baggage handling systems
and jet bridges, the new terminal
design was able to reduce the
energy use of the building by over
6,600,000kBTU/year, a reduction
of over 13.5 percent from the
California Energy Code baseline.
The new terminal at San Jose
Airport has won a number of
prestigious awards including the
Best Overall Project and Best
Transportation Project at the
2010 Best of Awards (Northern
California) since it opened during
summer 2010.
Air Chairs: seats of cool
The challenge at San Jose
SanJoseAirportsnewTerminal
Bincludesexpansionofthehold
room/concourseoftherecently
completedNorthConcourse,allow-
ingoperationofthetwoprojects
asasinglecombinedconcourse
withthesameventilationstrategy
throughouttoavoidoccupantcom-
fortissuesorenergyineffciencies.
TheNorthConcourseemployed
anairdisplacementsystemaspart
ofthelow-energydesignstrategy,
designedtocoolandventilatethe
high,openconcourseandadjacent
holdroomareas.Thistypeoflow
energyapproachcanoffersignif-
cantannualenergysavingsovera
moretraditionalmixed-airsystem
intheMediterraneanclimateof
SanJose,astheelevatedsupply
airtemperatureallowsforagreater
periodoffreecooling.
Theimplementationofsuccess-
fuldisplacementventilationatSan
Josewas,however,complicatedby
theadjacentholdroomareas.The
holdroomsaretheareasalongside
theconcoursewherepeople
congregateastheywaittoboard
fights.AtSanJoseInternational
thisspacehasafully-glazedwest
faadeandalowerceilingheight
thanthemainconcourse,andis
generallymoredenselyoccupied.
Thusthecoolingloadinthespace
issignifcantlyhigherthanthe
concourse.Asaconsequence,
theoriginaldisplacementdesign
waspushedtothelimitintermsof
coolingcapacity.Inordertokeep
thedischargevelocitybelowthe
recommended0.4m/sandsupply
temperatureabove64F(~18C)to
avoidoccupantcomfortissues,the
originalNorthConcoursedesign
wasforcedtoutilizelargedrum
diffusers,whichwerepositioned
every15feet(~4.5meters),along
thefullyglazedwestfaade.
However,duringtheconstruction
ofTerminalBitbecameappar-
entthattheinitialdisplacement
ventilationstrategywithinthe
NorthConcoursewasraising
concernbothoperationallyand
aestheticallywithintheholdroom.
Thoughthisdesignperformed
DISPLACEMENT VENTILATION: THE FACTS
adequatelyfromacoolingand
ventilationperspective,therewere
severaloperationalissuesthatdis-
satisfedtheclient:theaesthetics
wereobjectionable,withthelarge,
whitedrumstakingupasignifcant
amountoffoorarea,limiting
furniturelayoutsandboarding
queuingzones.Inaddition,the
drumdesignhadalreadybeen
adaptedtoincorporateadomed
toptopreventthembeingusedasa
surfacewheretravelerscouldleave
unwanteditems.
The new
terminal
design
reduced
energy use.
Existingdrum
diffusersusedinthe
airportterminal
passengerareas.
Athermaldisplacement
ventilationsystemsuppliesairata
temperatureafewdegreesbelow
ambientatlow-levelfromaninterior
perimeter,allowingittodriftacross
thespace.Thecool,freshairrises
overheatsources,suchasthe
occupantsorasurfacebeing
warmedbythesun,ascendingto
highlevelswhereitisexhausted
fromthebuilding.
Displacementventilationis
well-suitedtohighvolumespaces
likeanairportconcourse,wherehigh
ceilingsallowtheairtostratify,
keepingtheoccupiedlevelcoolwhile
warmstaleaircollectsatthetopof
thespace,whereitisexhausted.The
qualityofenvironmentis
signifcantlyimprovedwhen
comparedtoamoreconventional
mixed-airsystem.
Airstreamlines
andtemperature
atSanJose
airportterminal.
buildingspecialistsinvestigated
potentialalternatedisplacement
ventilationstrategies,looking
todevelopasolutionthatwould
providetheperformancelevel
required,whileincreasingthe
fexibilityoftheholdroomand
improvingthevisualinteriordesign
aesthetic.
Giventhatthischallengewasset
duringconstructiontherewerea
numberofsystematicandphysical
constraintsthatwereinevitably
carriedforwardfromtheoriginal
installationthatneededtobe
considered,includingthenumber
andpositionofthepenetrations
inthefoorslabthroughwhichthe
supplyairwastobedelivered.
Solutionsconsideredincluded
developingsmaller,more
frequentlyplacedbutaesthetically
appealingdiffusers;andincorpo-
ratingdiffusersintopiecesoffxed
furnituresuchasthegatecounters.
Thecoreobjectiveoftheinitial
studywasasolutionproviding
greaterfexibilityforthefunctional
useofthespacethatwasless
intrusivewithintheoverallinterior
designaesthetic,whilemaintaining
thetechnicalpurposeoftheair
conditioningsystem:namely
keepingpeoplecomfortablein
asenergyeffcientamanneras
possible.
Afterevaluating,thepreferred
conceptwastointegratethe
diffuserterminalsintothe
furniture,specifcallyfndingaway
ofdeliveringairviathebanksof
passengerseating.
TheFentressArchitects-led
designteamhadsuccessfully
incorporatedadisplacement
ventilationstrategy,withitsinher-
entenergysavingandoccupant
comfortbenefts,withinthenew
TerminalBssleekinterior.With
itsclerestoryglazingandcurved
ceilings,thespaceofferedlimited
opportunitytodistributeairathigh
level,andtheholdroomfurniture
offeredlimitedfoormounted
solutions.Withthebuildingalready
underconstruction,thechallenge
wasontoensureaneffective
displacementsolutionwas
implemented.
Conceptual solutions
AspartoftheTerminalBdesign
team,AECOMshighperformance
OursolutiontoprovidinggreaterfexibilityforthefunctionaluseoftheconcoursespaceatSanJoseAirportwhile
enhancingtheoverallinterioraesthetic,wastodeliverairconditioningthroughdiffusersdiscretelyintegratedinto
banksoffxedpassengerseating,keepingpeoplecomfortableinasenergyeffcientamanneraspossible.
The
challenge
was to
ensure an
effective
ventilation
system.
Virtual protoyping
Integrationofairdisplacement
diffusersintoairportholdroom
seatingisnotastandardsolu-
tion,usedrarelyandthenasa
secondarysourceofconditioning
toprovidelimitedairperbankof
seats.Asolutionthatcouldoperate
astheprimaryairconditioning
sourcefortheholdroomwasa
uniquechallenge.Thedesign
wouldneedtosupplysignifcant
airvolumeswhilemaintaininguser
comfort.
Recognizingthatdetailedanaly-
sisofthepotentialsolutionwasa
crucialfrststepinthisprocess,we
appliedcomputationalsimulation
toassessthefeasibilityofthe
concept.Multiplelevelsofanalysis
wereneededtounderstandthe
environmentalfactorswithinthe
holdroomandthemicroclimate
aroundthebankofchairsthat
wouldserveassupplyairdiffusers.
Thefrstlevelofanalysisfocused
onyear-roundperformance,which
helpedidentifyspecifcconditions
thatneededmoredetailedstudy.
Astheoccupancyprofleswere
virtuallyimpossibletopredict,
dynamicthermalmodeling(DTM)
wasrununderseveraldifferent
levelsofoccupancytogetafeelfor
therangeofcoolingrequirements
thatthedisplacementsystem
wouldneedtodealwith.TheDTM
allowedtheAECOMteamtoiden-
tifytheworstcaseconditionsthat
wouldneedtobesimulatedusing
computationalfuiddynamics
(CFD),thesecond,moredetailed
toolforanalyzingthemicroclimate
aroundtheseating.TheDTM
demonstratedthatthesystemwas
capableofdeliveringthecapacity
ofspacecoolingrequired,while
theCFDallowedthespaceto
bemodeledintermsofdetailed
airfowpatterns.Accountingforthe
radiativeeffectsofdirectsunlight.
Thefrststepinthedesign
developmentprocesswasto
assesstheperformanceofthe
existinginstallation,aseriesof
drumdiffusersevenlyspacedalong
theconcourse.UsingCFD,itwas
quicklyrealizedthattheproximity
ofthediffuserstothewindow
meantthatatpeakdesignvolume,
thecalmstratifcationofdisplace-
mentventilationwasunlikelyto
beachieved,andinsteadthere
wouldbeasemi-mixedsystem.
Theimplicationofthiswasthat
fulladvantageofthestratifcation
effectcouldnotbetakenwhen
designingtheairsupplytem-
peratureandfowraterequired
fordealingwithpeakcooling
demand.Thisinformationfedback
intothedesigncalculations.After
determiningthenecessaryair
supplyconditionsatpeakcooling
throughthisiterativeapproach,
theproposeddesignsolutionwas
re-modeledusingCFD.
Throughthisvirtualprototyping
effortitwasconcludedthatthe
onlypracticalwayofincorporating
adisplacementterminalwithinthe
seatingdesignthatwascapable
ofprovidingthenecessarycooling
capacitywastocentreamodule
ofseatingovertheexistingholein
thefoorslab,allowingaplenum
tobecreatedbetweentherows
wheretheymeetback-to-back:the
diffuserscouldthenrununder-
neaththeseats.Seatingcomes
instandardunits,whichpresents
bothlimitationsandopportunities:
thedimensionsoftherowsof
seatinglimitthewidthandheight
ofthediffuser,whilethemodular
natureoftheseatswouldallowa
standardplenumanddiffusertobe
developedthatcouldbereplicated
throughouttheterminal.
AECOMsmultifacetedanalysis
approachdemonstratedthatfor
thevastmajorityofthetime,the
loadconditionsinthespacewould
requiresupplyairtemperatures
andfowrateswellbelowthe
traditionalruleofthumblimitof
40W/m
2
,and,assuch,thesystem
wouldoperateasatraditional
displacementventilationsystem.
ThemoredetailedCFDstudy
confrmedthatunderthese
conditionsthepercentageof
peopledissatisfedwouldbe
withinacceptablelimits.However,
theanalysisdidhighlightthat
achievingcertaincomfortcriteria
stipulatedwithinASHRAE55(An
Americanstandardforoccupant
thermalcomfort),suchasthe
differenceintemperaturebetween
ankle-levelandheadlevel,were
borderlineinpeakconditions.
Giventherelativeinfrequencyof
thisoccurring,theteamconcluded
thatthedesignwasworthpursuing
The design
would need
to supply
signifcant
air volumes.
Theairchairdesign
withtheintegrated
diffuserinplacewas
testedrigorously,
withmonitors
carefullyplacedto
measureair
movement.
furtherwithmorerefnedvirtual
prototyping,withthegoalof
furtherreducingtheriskofthermal
discomfortforoccupants.The
CFDanalysiswassubsequently
expandedintovarioushigh-load
scenarios.Throughtheevaluation
ofvariousdiffuserlocations
withintheseating,theteamwas
confdentthatconditionsinside
theterminalwouldbewithinthe
ASHRAE55comfortcriteria.
Tofacilitateaneffcientdesign,
itwasessentialthattheseating
wasstandardized,whichwould
allowrepetitionthroughout
theterminal.Thenextcrucial
stepintheprocesswasfnding
aseatmanufacturercapable
ofintegratingaplenum/duct
equippedwithdiffusersintoone
oftheirseatingdesigns,and
adiffusersupplierwhocould
providewhatwasneededin
termsofdiffuserdimensionsand
performance.Asaresultofthe
virtualprototypingeffort,AECOMs
highperformancebuildingsteam
developedaninitialdesignconcept
thatwasincorporatedintothe
furniturebidpackage.
From the theoretical to the real
Tosuccessfullytransition
fromthecomputerscreentoa
fnishedproduct,itwascritical
thattheseatingmanufacturerbe
involvedinthedesignprocessin
ordertodevelopasolutionthat
bothperformedandcoalesced
aestheticallywiththespace.
Zoeftig,aEuropeanseating
manufacturerwithsignifcant
experienceinthedesignofairport
seatingthatincorporatehitech
featureswasselectedtoleadthe
developmentofthisinteresting
product.Zoeftigpartneredwith
KrantzKomponenten,alsobased
inEurope,oneoftheWorlds
leadingexpertsinairdistribution,
withvastamountsofexperiencein
displacementventilationsystems
toassistinthedevelopmentofthe
fnalproductfortheairport,the
AirChair.
Zoeftigcommissionedtestingof
samplediffuserunitstodevelopa
diffusercapableofdeliveringthe
requiredvolumesofairnecessary
tomeetthedesiredspecifcation.
Thefnaldesignreliesonairdiffus-
ers,eachcomposedof70individual
nozzlediscsthatcanbeadjusted
todirectfowinawiderangeof
directions.Thisallowsthediffusers
tobeadjustedtomaximizeperfor-
mancedependingontheirposition
andthedesiredoptimalconditions.
Zoeftigthencommissioned
physicaltestingonaprototypeof
theirplenumdesignincorporat-
ingthedevelopeddiffuserunits
completewithseatingforatotally
representativeexperiment.
Zoeftigsdesignwasmeticulously
testedattheCaverionresearch
facilityinAachen,Germany,
underwinterandsummerdesign
conditions,aswellastypicalload
scenariostoassesstheacoustic,
thermalcomfortandairdelivery
performance.Representatives
fromFentressArchitects,AECOM
andZoeftigattendedtoobserve
thetests,witnesstheperformance
anddeterminewhetherthe
diffusersweregoingtoworkunder
therequiredconditionsandassist
intheiroptimization.Therewas
littledoubtthatthediffuserswould
beabletoperformundernormal
conditions.Eachwitnesssaton
thetestchairtrousersrolledup
beforeagreeingthattherewas
norealissuewiththermalcomfort
duringnormaloperation.
Themainareaofconcernprior
tothephysicalprototypingwas
thatthediffuserwouldnotperform
totherequiredpeakconditions
standardsetoutinthebasisof
designdocument,sotheairfow
wasrampedupandthescenario
tested:thoughsubjective,noneof
thewitnessesfoundtheairfowto
beunpleasantlycold.Introducing
afogfuid(smoke)totheair
streamallowedavisualoftheair
fowpathwhichdemonstratedthat
atallairfowrates,displacement
isachieved.Thispeaktestsup-
portedAECOMsreckoningthat
thesystemceasedtooperatein
thelocalmicroclimateasatrue
The seating
was
standardized
to enable
repetition.
Thechairswith
integrateddiffusers
wererigorously
testedforboth
summerandwinter
designconditions
andtypicalload
scenarios.
displacementsystem,instead
operatingasamoretraditional
mixingsystem.Fortunatelythis
localizedeffectdidnotadversely
impacttheoveralldisplace-
mentstrategywithintheoverall
concourse/holdroom,andonly
occurredatpeakconditions.
Asearlieranalysiscarriedoutby
AECOMpredictedthatforthevast
majorityofthetimetherequired
fowratewouldbelessthan60
percentofthepeakvolume,itwas
decidedthatthenozzlepositions
shouldbeoptimizedfor0.30liters/
second(insteadofmaximumfow
rateof0.47liters/second).The
diffuserswouldstillbecapableof
achievingpeakfow,butoptimal
acousticandthermalperformance
wouldbeachievedwheninnormal
operation.
Followingthisconceptualdesign
guidancefromAECOM,further
analysiswascarriedoutbyKrantz
toassesstheperformanceofthe
chairunit.Itwasfoundthatthe
acousticperformancewaswithin
therecommendedlimitsforallfow
ratesupto67percent,andslightly
exceededthecriteriaatfowrates
at100percent.Mostthermalcom-
fortcriteriasetoutinASHRAE55
werealsometforthevastmajority
ofthetime,withtheexceptionofa
slightlyhighthermalgradient(the
differenceintemperaturebetween
ankleandhead).AECOMsCFD
analysishadalreadypredictedthis
issue,anddemonstratedthatwhen
comparedtotheoriginaldrum
diffuserdesign,asimilarcondition
wasobserved:theconclusion
thattheperformanceoftheAir
Chairstechnicallymatchedthe
performanceofthedrumdiffusers,
whileoutperformingitonall
practicalandaestheticcriteria.All
partiesagreedthatperformance
wasacceptable,andthoughat
highairfowstheperformancewas
notideal,itwasdeemedthatthe
infrequencyandshortdurationof
peakconditions(whichonlyoccur
whentheholdroomsarestanding
roomonlyinthelateafternoon,at
therighttimeofyear,whenthesun
shinesthroughthewest-facing
glass)meantoccupantdissatisfac-
tionattheinternalconditions
createdbytheventilationsystem
wouldberare.
Theseatingrangewasthen
developedbyZoeftig,withinput
fromKrantz,tothespecifcations
issuedbyFentressArchitectsand
AECOM.EachAirChairprovides
freshairdirectlytopassengers
frombeloweachseat,alongwith
individualpoweroutletsforcharg-
ingpassengerlaptopsandmobile
devices.Itwasinitiallytrialledat
twogateswithinTerminalBatSan
JoseAirport.Feedbackfromboth
travelersandairportstaffwas
extremelypositive.Theseating
wassoonrolledout,with1,200
AirChairsinstalledthroughout
TerminalB,andmoreretroft-
tedthroughoutthewholeNorth
Concourse.
Zoeftigiscertainlypleasedwith
theresultofthecollaborationwith
Fentress,AECOMandKrantz.The
seatingmanufacturerhassince
incorporatedthedesigndeveloped
forSanJoseintoitsZenkyrange,
creatingtheZenkyAir.
ThenewTerminalBatNorman
Y.MinetaSanJoseInternational
Airportoffciallyopenedattheend
ofJune2010.ItachievedSilver
intheinternationallyrecognized
greenbuildingratingsystem,LEED.
TheAECOMHighPerformance
Buildingteamwhodevelopedthe
AirChairconceptwere
Alastair MacGregorand
Andrew Bickerdyke,Orange
Country,California,U.S.A.and
Jim Saywell,Manchester,U.K.
E:alastair.macgregor@aecom.com
E:james.saywell@aecom.com
E:andrew.bickerdyke@aecom.com
Each Air
Chair
provides
fresh air
directly to
passengers.
EachAirChairprovidesfreshairdirectlytopassengersfrombeloweachseat,alongwith
individualpoweroutletsforchargingpassengerlaptopsandmobiledevices.
PicturecourtesyofMarkRothman,FentressArchitects.
Dynamic
Design
FC Spartak Moscows
new stadium
The response of structures to vibration is
an increasingly important area of work for
structural engineers. And nowhere more so
than in a major football stadium, where crowds
have ever increasing comfort expectations
when they come to watch the game.
Stadia must provide unobstructed
views for spectators and clear
access and circulation within the
concourses, a brief that lends
itself to long cantilevers and
slender members with column-
free spaces.
Consequently, these structures
can be sensitive to dynamic
loading. A further complication
comes with the behavior of
crowds reacting to the spectacle
on show. Whether an exciting
game of football or a high tempo
rock concert, the crowd itself
applies a dynamic load to the
stadium structure that can excite
natural modes of vibration.
Modern methods of computer
analysis, the constant drive for
improved economy and better
use of materials, particularly
in this time of global recession,
mean that stadium structures
are becoming lighter and spans
longer. The result is reduced
natural frequencies, reduced
modal mass and increased levels
of vibration response.
AECOM is delivering engineering design
and design project management for the
new 44,000-seat stadium for FC Spartak
Moscow Russias best-known football
team.
Thenewgenerationstadiumhasbeen
designedinsupportofRussiassuccessful
2018FIFAWorldCupbid,withAECOM
engineersworkingincollaborationwith
architectSportConcepts.
Thefrstcustom-designedvenuefor
Spartaksincetheclubwasformedin1935,
theworld-classstadiumisdesignedtomeet
currentFIFAandUEFAbestpractice,while
stillmaintainingtheuniqueintimacyofa
clubstadium.
AsaformerSpartakplayer,itslikea
dreamcometrue,SergeiShavlo,theclubs
directorgeneral,hascommented.Many
generationsoffootballplayersandfans
havebeenwaitingforthis.Wewanttobuild
astadiumthatwillbecomeourhomeand
attractnewfans.
Thestadiumwillbeformedfrompre-cast
concreteterracingandasteeltrussedroof.
Theroofisdesignedtocopewithtempera-
turesrangingbetween-40Cand40C.Twin
steel-archedtrussesdealwiththespecifc
needseffcientlywhiletakingtheroofloads
toeightpointsofsupport,givingitthe
structuralintegritynecessarytodealwith
heavysnowloads.
Thestadiumisthefrstmajornew
stadiuminRussiatocomplywithrecent
governmentlegislationtocounterpotential
terroristattacks.Thelegislationincor-
poratescounterterrorismmeasuresinto
thedesignofbuildingsandpublicspaces,
particularlyinhigh-riskareas,through
increasedstructuralredundancy.
TeamsofprofessionalsfromAECOMs
LondonandMoscowoffcesworkedtogether
todesignanddeliverthenewstadium,
showcasingthecompanysinternational
capabilityinstadiumdesigncoupledwith
localprojectmanagementtodeliveraworld-
classfacility.AECOMisalsocompletinga
masterplanforthesite,anoldaerodrome,
toincludea12,000seatconferencearena,
shoppingareaandotherleisurefacilities.
FC SPARTAK STADIUM
7500 8000 10000 9000 10400 8000 10000 9000 10400 8000 10000 9000 10400 8000 10000 9000 10400
16275
9150
VIP
01 Sectionthroughpublic
grandstand
02 PlanofthenewSpartakMoscow
footballstadium
Stadium design
ThenewSpartakMoscow
stadiumfeaturesconcretegrand-
stands.Aseriesoflongspansteel
trussessupportthecanopyroof
overtheseats.Thestadiumislaid
outinabowlshape,withregular
spacingof7.6metersbetween
grids.Ateachgrid,acastin-situ
concreteframeprovidessupport
topre-castconcreteseatingunits.
Thegrandstandshavetwotiers,
withamainconcourseatground
foorandanupperconcourseto
servetheuppertier.Vomitories
(entrances)andstaircasesformed
frompre-castconcretewilldeliver
spectatorareasfnishedtoavery
highstandard.
Thegrandstandsaresplitinto
twoseparateareas,withonelong
sideofthepitchreservedforVIP
spectators,thefootballcluband
pressfacilities.Theremainder
ofthe44,000-seatstadiumis
designatedforthepublic.
Allowingforhighthermalmove-
mentsduetothewidetemperature
rangeexperiencedinMoscow(from
-40Cto+40C),movementjoints
areincorporatedintothegrand-
standsatapproximately53-meter
centers.Vibrationanalysiswas
carriedoutonthepublicareaof
thegrandstand.
Stabilityisprovidedthrough
shearwallsatthebaseofthe
lowertierraker,liftshaftsand
staircores.IntheVIPsection,the
liftsandstairsriseupthroughthe
fullheight,meaningthebuilding
canbetreatedasabracedframe.
However,inthepublicareasthe
staircoresonlyrisetotheupper
concourse,meaningthestructure
fortheuppertierbehavesmore
likeaswayframe.Signifcantly,
fromthepointofviewofdynamic
analysis,thissuggeststhatthere
willbelowfrequencyswaymodes
thatmaybefurtherexcitedbythe
behaviorofthecrowds.
F(t)
v
03SDOFvibratingsystem
v
u
04 MDOFvibratingsystem
Vibration analysis theory
Thereisadifferencebetween
thedynamicanalysisoffootfall
vibration(theeffectofasingle
personwalkingonastructure)
andcrowdorrhythmicactivities.
Thisarticleisexpresslyconcerned
withtheeffectsofcrowdson
grandstands,sofootfallvibration
thatiscausedbywalkingisnot
explored(althoughtheprinciples
arestillvalid).
Source
Inthepast,stadiawere
analyzedbasedontheeffectsof
harmonicloadinganddidnottake
intoaccounthumanstructure
interaction.Thisisaconservative
methodthatattemptstomodel
crowdbehaviorasaharmonicinput
forcetoasingleormulti-degree
offreedomsystem.Atheoretical
forceisappliedtothemodelof
thestructureandthebehavior
ofthestructurethenestimated.
Thevariationwithincrowdsis
takenintoaccountbytherangeof
possibleinputforces,withmuch
researchworktotrytoquantify
theseforces
2
.Thismethodcanbe
describedbythesingledegreeof
freedom(SDOF)systemshownin
Figure 03.
However,theSDOFmethod
doesnotmodelhowcrowd
behavioraffectsloadsappliedto
thestructure,knownashuman
structureinteraction(HSI).The
realizationthattheinputtothe
vibratingsystemisaffectedby
thevibrationitselfleadstothe
nextlevelofanalyticalcomplexity.
Figure 04isarepresentationofthe
revisedmodel,nowamulti-degree
offreedomsystem(MDOF)where
thereisabasicfeedbackloop
thevibrationofthestructure
affectstheforceappliedwhichis
drivingthevibration.Thismodel,
currentlythemostappropriate
analysismethodforgrandstands,
hasbeenappliedtotheSpartak
Moscowdesign.
Theadditionalmass,springand
dampergroupisreferredtoasa
bodyunit.Themassrepresents
themassofthecrowd(M
c
)ina
particulararea(socanbeequalto
The
properties
of the
structure
can be
estimated
in several
ways.
anynumberofpeople),thespring
anddamperrepresentthestiffness
anddampingofthelegsofthe
peopleinthecrowd.
Theinternalforcepairdriving
thesystem,P(t)istheinputrelating
tothetypeofeventtakingplacein
thestadium.Thereforethisinput
asdefnedinEquation 1 differs
dependingonwhethertheevent
underconsiderationisastandard
sportseventorahightempomusic
eventsuchasapopconcert.G
i
is
theithGeneratedLoadFactor
(GLF)defningtheloadcaused
bytheactivityofthecrowd. is
thecrowdeffectivenessfactora
measureofwhetherthecrowdis
likelytoreactwithdiscomfortor
evenpanicinextremecases.
EQUATION 1
P(t) = mg G
i
cos(2ift+i)
i=3
i=1
TheGLFsarebasedonaseries
of1000testsofpeoplebobbing
onastiffplate,undertakenby
ParkhouseandEwins
3
.Thedata
hasbeenusedbyDougilletal
4
to
enablethepropertiesofbodyunits
tobedetermined.
Equation 1characterizesthe
inputtothesystemofbodyunit
masses.However,thecontact
forceontheactualstructureis
differentfromP(t).Ifwecallthe
contactforceF(t),thisisequivalent
totheeffectofP(t)onthebody
unitmasses.Thisforcedrivesthe
structure,modifedbytheinterac-
tionofthebodyunitmasses.
Path
Conventionalmethodsoflinear
dynamicanalysiscandetermine
theseparateresponsesofthe
systemduetoeachharmonicofthe
sourceinput.Whilstthesourceand
receiveraresubjecttothediffcul-
tiesofmeasuringandmodelingthe
realworld,thepathistheapplica-
tionofwelldevelopedtheory.
Forthestructure,thegoverning
equationofmotioncanbewritten
asEquation 2:
EQUATION 2
Mv + Cv + Kv = F(t)
Considerationoftherelative
displacementofthebodytothat
ofthestructure,w(wherew=u-v)
showsthat:
EQUATION 3
mw + cw + kw = P(t) mv
ComparisonofEquation 2and
Equation 3demonstrateshow
themotionoftheSDOFbody
unitischaracterizedbytheinput
harmonicforce,P(t)andaterm
proportionaltotheacceleration
ofthestructureitself.Thisisthe
effectofhumanstructureinterac-
tiononthebasicequationsof
motionofthislinearsystem.
Afullderivationofthesolutionto
Equation 3,forharmonicexcitation
andwithcontinuousfunctionsfor
P(t)andF(t),canbefoundinDougill
etal
4
.
Thepropertiesofthestructure
canbeestimatedinseveralways.
Anapproximatemethod,suitable
forhandcalculation
6
isauseful
checkthatshouldbeusedin
parallelwithanumericalmethod
suchasfniteelementanalysis.As
thedynamicbehaviorofstructures
ishighlydependentonthesebasic
values,itisimportanttoestimate
thesevaluesascloselyaspossible.
Commonfniteelementanalysis
softwarecanmeasurenaturalfre-
quenciesandmodalmasses,and
providemodeshapes.Caremust
betakenwhenbuildingthemodel
ascommonidealizationscanhave
unwantedeffectsonthevaluesof
calculatednaturalfrequency.
AsimplifedmethodofHSI
analysishasbeensuggested
byParkhouseandWard
7
.This
approachallowsthedesignerto
estimatethebehaviorofthestruc-
ture,includingtheeffectsofHSIby
usingsimpledesignchartsshowing
thattheresponsetodynamic
crowdactiondependsprimarilyon
twoparameters:theratioofmodal
mass,,Equation 5andtheempty
structurenaturalfrequency.
Table 01 Scenarioinformationfordesignofgrandstands
2
Scenario Exemplar event Crowd expectation
Route 1
(Hz)
Route 2
(%g)
1
Sporting events with less than
maximum attendance
Comfort 3.5 N/A
2
Classical concert or well
attended sporting event
Comfort 3.5 3
3
High profle sporting events
and concerts with medium
tempo music
Tolerable comfort for
most, some complaints
6 7.5
4
More extreme events including
high energy concerts
Excitement and motion,
expectation of personal
safety
6 20
TheInstituteofStructuralEngineers
(IStructE)setupajointworking
grouptitled,Dynamic performance
requirements for permanent
grandstands subject to crowd
action.InDecember2008,the
grouppublished
1
recommendations
forthemanagement,designand
assessmentofgrandstandswhich
presentsthemajorissuesand
discussessensiblemeasurestolimit
dynamiceffects.
TheIStructEjointworkinggroup
guidanceofferstwoseparateroutes
tocheckthesuitabilityofstructures.
Route1relatestothefrstsignifcant
naturalfrequencyofthestructure
whereasRoute2requiresan
estimateofacceleration.Itcanbe
shownthatgrandstandsthatfail
theRoute1testmaypasstheRoute
2test,inwhichcase,Route2takes
precedence.
Themodalmassofthecrowd
canbecalculatedasEquation 4:
EQUATION 4
M
c
= m
i
2
iv
iv
isthevalueoftheverticalmode
shapeforthecrowdunit.The
modalmassratio,is:
EQUATION 5
=
M
c
M
s

ThebehavioroftheSpartak
Moscowgrandstandswasanalyzed
usingthedesigncharts,Figure 08
and Figure 09.Totakeintoaccount
theshapeofthegrandstandand
thepositioningofthecrowd,a
furtherfactorwasapplied,the
crowdlocationfactor,.
EQUATION 6
=
0
m
i
iv
M
c

Receiver
Theoutputofvibrationanalysis
isoftenameasureofacceleration
i.e.theaccelerationatagiven
timeandinagivenlocationonthe
structure.
Inthecaseofstadiumdesign,it
canbethatthedesignerisworried
aboutserviceabilityaswellas
possibleultimatelimitstatesfora
rangeofscenarios.Table 01 shows
thevaluesconsideredacceptable
forthevariousdesignscenariosfor
grandstandsquotedasapercent-
ageoftheaccelerationdueto
gravity,g.
Testing at the Spartak Moscow stadium
will be undertaken as construction of
the grandstands nears completion.
DYNAMIC PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS
Dynamicanalysistoobtainmodal
propertiesisamorediffculttask
thanstandarddesignforstrengthand
defection.Modelingsimplifcations
shouldbelimitedandcaretakenwhen
buildingamodelwithFE.
Itissensibletofollowtheoretical
analysiswithphysicaltestingtoverify
thesuitabilityofthestructure.Testing
attheSpartakMoscowstadiumwill
beundertakenasconstructionofthe
grandstandsnearscompletion.The
Russianauthoritieshavestipulatedthis
asarequirementpriortoallowingthe
stadiumtoopentopayingspectators.
MODELING CONDITIONS
Important modeling assumptions for
Spartak Moscow stadium analysis

Modeling condition
1
Dampingfactorconditions
estimatedas2%critical
2
Allmassduetosuperimposeddead
loads,includingexpectedpartition
loads,includedintheanalysis
3
Stiffnessduetonumberand
locationofpartitionsnotincluded
4
Connectionsatin-situconcrete
jointstreatedasrigid
5
Sectionsofstadiumbetween
movementjointstreatedas
independent
6
Foundationfexibilityignored
7
Uncrackedconcretesections
assumed*
8
Pre-castseatingunitstreatedas
bothfxedrigidlytothesupporting
structureandaspinnedsupports**
*Asensitivityanalysiswascarriedoutto
determinetheeffectofusingacracked
sectionfortheconcreterakingbeams.
Thisresultedinavariationofnatural
frequencyoftheorderof5percent.To
reducecomputationtime,uncracked
sectionshavebeenassumed.
**Bothtypesofsupportwereused
independentlyintheanalysis.Inreality,
theconnectionbetweenthepre-cast
unitandthein-siturakingbeamwillbe
somewherebetweenapinandfullyfxed.
Therefore,thisanalysisshowsanupper
andlowerboundontheeffectofthis
connection.
Analysis
Afullanalysisandprediction
processwasundertakenusing
thesemodelingconditions.Asthe
simplifedapproachusesagraphi-
caltechnique,itwasimportantto
reducethenumberofmodeshapes
includedintheanalysis.Thiswas
donethroughanassessmentof
themassparticipationfactors
ofthemodeshapesinthethree
orthogonaldirections,wheremass
participationisameasureofthe
signifcanceofthemodeshapein
theultimatedynamicbehaviorof
thesystem.
Figures 05,06 and07showthe
resultsofthistechniqueforthe
threeorthogonaldirectionsof
motion.Xaxiscorrespondstosway
movementofthegrandstandfrom
sidetoside.Y-axismotionrelates
toaforwardsandbackwards
noddingstylemotion,andZ-axis
isthestandardverticalmotionof
thecrowd.Thecrowditselfismost
sensitivetotheverticalmotion(and
itistheverticalaccelerationand
displacementthatiseventually
assessed).Inthiscase,theX-axis
motionisnotconsideredtoaffect
HSIandisdiscounted.
Figure 07showsthatthemost
signifcantmodeshapesforZ-axis
motionarewellabovetheRoute
1limitof6Hzi.e.despitethe
relativelyhighmassparticipa-
tionfactorsforanumberofthe
Z-axismodeshapes,theirnatural
frequenciesaresuffcientlyhigh(of
theorderof1215Hz)thattheycan
alsobediscounted.
Itisonlythosemodesfalling
intotheRoute2analysiswithin
theY-axisgraphthathavebeen
includedinthevaluesforpredict-
ingtheeventualbehaviorofthe
grandstand.

Figure 5: X-Axis Mass Participation

Figure 6: Y-Axis Mass Participation
ROUTE 1 ROUTE 2
ROUTE 1 ROUTE 2

Figure 7: Z-Axis Mass Participation

Figure 5, Figure 6 and Figure 7 show the results of this technique for the three orthogonal
directions of motion. X axis corresponds to sway movement of the grandstand from side to
side. Y-axis motion relates to a forwards and backwards nodding style motion, and Z-axis
is the standard vertical motion of the crowd. The crowd itself is most sensitive to the
vertical motion (and it is the vertical acceleration and displacement that is eventually
assessed). In this case, the X-axis motion is not considered to affect HSI and is
discounted. Figure 7 shows that the most significant mode shapes for Z-axis motion are
well above the Route 1 limit of 6Hz i.e. despite the relatively high mass participation
factors for a number of the Z-axis mode shapes, their natural frequencies are sufficiently
high (of the order of 12 15Hz) that they can also be discounted.

It is only those modes falling into the Route 2 analysis within the Y-axis graph that have
been included in the values for predicting the eventual behaviour of the grandstand.

Sub heading Results

Figure 8 and Figure 9 and Table 3 show the results of the analysis based on the
Parkhouse and Ward simplified method. These estimate the acceleration and
displacement based on frequency of mode shape and ratio of modal masses. However,
the design charts have been written based on a crowd location factor of 1.5. Therefore the
values read from the charts must be factored to take into account the actual position on
the model where the test is taking place. For this analysis a grid of six locations (A-F) on
the model was tested. These are positioned at likely worst case locations, for example, at
ROUTE 1 ROUTE 2
05X-axismassparticipation 06Y-axismassparticipation 07Z-axismassparticipation

Figure 5: X-Axis Mass Participation

Figure 6: Y-Axis Mass Participation
ROUTE 1 ROUTE 2
ROUTE 1 ROUTE 2
A crowd
is most
sensitive
to vertical
motion.
Results
Figures 08 and09andTable 02
showtheresultsoftheanalysis
basedontheParkhouseandWard
simplifedmethod.Theseestimate
theaccelerationanddisplace-
mentbasedonfrequencyofmode
shapeandratioofmodalmasses.
However,thedesignchartshave
beenwrittenbasedonacrowd
locationfactorof1.5.Thereforethe
valuesreadfromthechartsmust
befactoredtotakeintoaccountthe
actualpositiononthemodelwhere
thetestistakingplace.Forthis
analysisagridofsixlocations(AF)
onthemodelwastested.These
arepositionedatlikelyworstcase
locations,forexample,attheend
ofacantileverorinthemiddleofa
bay.Table 02givesresultsvalues.
Noneofthelocationsshow
RMSaccelerationvaluesgreater
than20%gordisplacementvalues
ofgreaterthan7millimeters.
Therefore,thisanalysispredicts
thatthebehaviorofthegrandstand
willbewithinacceptablelimits
forScenario4typecrowdevents.
Itisworthnotingthatthesystem
issensitivetotheendfxityofthe
pre-castunits.Naturalfrequencies
varyby23percent,butresultant
RMSaccelerationvaluescanvary
byupto24percent.Therefore,itis
importanttoconsiderbothstates
totrytounderstandapredicted
upperandlowerboundonthe
behavior.Inthiscase,theupper
boundiswellwithinthe20percent
glimitforScenario4.Thepotential
forhighvariationdependingon
boundaryconditionsemphasizes
howimportantphysicaltesting
istovalidatethemodel,withthe
expectedtestedvaluestoliesome-
wherebetweenthetwopredicted
values.
Conclusions
Recentlypublishedguidance
andtechnicalliteratureallowsthe
investigationandpredictionofthe
effectsofhumanstructureinterac-
tionongrandstandstructures.
ThedesignofthenewSpartak
Moscowstadiumhasbeenusedto
demonstratethisprocessandthe
behaviorispredictedtoliewithin
thelimitsofallowableacceleration
anddisplacementsuggestedbythe
IStructE.
ForthenewSpartakMoscow
stadium,physicaltestingtovali-
datethepredictionswilltakeplace
afterthestructurehasbeenbuilt.
Constructionhascommencedand
isdueforcompletionin2012.
Andy Coward isaseniorstructural
engineerwithAECOM,workingin
London,U.K.
E:andy.coward@aecom.com
The potential for high variation depending
on boundary conditions emphasizes how
important physical testing is.
Table 02 ResultsfollowingtheParkhouseandWardsimplifedmethod.
Free connections Fixed connections
Position f (Hz) a
4
/1.5 aRMS (%g) d
4
/1.5 dRMS (mm) f (Hz) a
4
/1.5 aRMS (%g) d
4
/1.5 dRMS (mm)
A
2.12 5.5
5.6
3.3
3.4
2.17 4.9
5.1
2.8
2.8 2.92 1.0 0.3 3.00 1.1 0.3
5.76 0.3 0.0 5.95 0.2 0.0
B
2.12 4.4
4.7
2.7
2.7
2.17 3.8
4.5
2.1
2.2 2.92 1.5 0.4 3.00 2.5 0.7
5.76 0.3 0.0 5.95 0.2 0.0
C
2.12 3.5
5.0
2.1
2.4
2.17 2.8
6.2
1.6
2.2 2.92 3.6 1.0 3.00 5.5 1.5
5.76 0.3 0.0 5.95 0.2 0.0
D
2.12 5.5
5.6
3.3
3.4
2.17 4.9
5.0
2.8
2.8 2.92 0.9 0.3 3.00 0.9 0.3
5.76 0.3 0.0 5.95 0.2 0.0
E
2.12 4.4
4.6
2.6
2.7
2.17 3.8
4.5
2.1
2.2 2.92 1.4 0.4 3.00 2.4 0.7
5.76 0.3 0.0 5.95 0.2 0.0
F
2.12 3.2
4.9
2.0
2.2
2.17 2.7
6.2
1.5
2.1 2.92 3.6 1.0 3.00 5.5 1.5
5.76 0.2 0.0 5.95 0.2 0.0
09 DesignchartextractfromParkhouseandWard
10
08 DesignchartextractfromParkhouseandWard
10
PARKHOUSE AND WARD SIMPLIFIED METHOD
High and mighty
The striking 258-meter-tall Grand Lisboa hotel and casino project in
Macau was completed in 2008 on schedule and within budget using
fast-track construction techniques. This article describes the project
requirements and the innovative contractual and technical solutions
adopted, including top-down construction, diaphragm walling, piling,
rock excavation, composite construction and fber-reinforced sprayed
concrete. Wherever possible, temporary works were combined into the
permanent structure to achieve rapid construction at economic cost.
Grand Lisboa hotel and casino, Macau: a fast-track high-rise
Thetowersitsonanelliptical
podium,whichhousesthecasino,
entertainmentfacilitiesand
restaurants,beneathwhichisa
four-storeybasementcontaining
afurtherpartofthecasino,the
parkinggarageandback-of-house
facilitiesforthehotelandcasino.
Thereisalsoatunnelandfoot-
bridgegivingaccesstotheadjacent
hotelandcasino.
Site constraints and planning
Thesiteinvestigationidentifed
ahighrock-headlevel,indicating
thatthefour-levelbasementwould
requirealargeamountofrock
excavation.Theinvestigationalso
indicatedgroundwaterataround
2.5metersbelowtheexisting
groundlevelabout3meters
aboveprojectdatum(PD).
Thesiteconstraintsandother
issueswhichinfuencedconstruc-
tionplanningincluded:
Macauseconomyhasgrown
rapidlyduringthelastfewyears
thankstogovernmentmeasuresto
stimulatetheentertainmentand
tourismsectors.Severallocaland
internationalleisureoperatorshave
investedintheregion,resultingin
theconstructionofnewcasinos
andhotels.The258-meter-tall
GrandLisboahotelandcasino
development,completedin2008,is
oneofthemostrecentexamples.
Theclient,SociedatedeJogos
deMacau,wantedtodevelopthe
11,626m
2
sitenexttoitsexisting
Lisboahotelandcasinoand
appointedaprofessionalteamcon-
sistingofarchitectDennisLauand
NgChunMan;servicesconsultant
ParsonsBrinckerhoff;quantity
surveyorDavisLangdon,anAECOM
company,andSeah;andengineer
AECOM.Thebriefwastocreatea
luxurioushotelwhichwouldbean
originallandmark,unlikeanything
elseinthearea.Theprojectneeded
tobecompletedwithintheshortest
timepossible.
Thearchitecturalsolutionwasa
lotus-leaf-shaped,48-storyhotel
towerwithmulti-level,long-span,
overhangingfoorsontwosides.
Innovative
contractual
and
technical
solutions.
Thesouthernhalfofthesite
restsonthehighrock-headlevel
area,requiringbulkrockexcava-
tion.Thebasementconstruction,
excavationandlateralsupport
sequencehadtobewellplanned
tominimizeconstructiontime.
Thestabilityofadjacentroads
andbuildingshadtobeclosely
monitoredduringbasement
excavationandconstruction.
Thegroundisunderlainbyfll,
marinedeposits,alluviumand
decomposedgraniticrockof
variousdegreesofweathering.
ThelevelofgradeIII/IVorbetter
rockvariesfrombetween6mPD
upto41mPD.
Thesiteislocatedinahigh
water-levelarea,implyingthat
dewateringandwaterproofng
worksduringandafterthe
basementconstructionwould
becritical.
Constructionofthetunneltothe
existingLisboahotelandcasino
wouldrequiretraffcdiversions
andwellplannedconstruction
methodstominimizetraffc
disturbance.
High-strengthconcrete(60MPa)
wasuncommonatthattimein
Macaubutitsusewouldhelpto
maximizetheusablefoorarea,
soearlyliaisonwiththebatching
planttoconfrmthemixdesign
wouldbeimportant.
Thecomplexbuildingshapefor
boththetowerandpodiumand
therequirementforrapid
constructionmeantthecontract
arrangementsandcontractors
experienceandcapabilitywere
absolutelycritical.
Rockexcavationforthebasement
wasapotentiallytime-consuming
andnoisyprocess.Top-down
methodswerethereforechosenfor
thebasement,enablingsimultane-
ousconstructionofthesuperstruc-
tureandbasementandsoreducing
totalconstructiontime.Asrock
excavationiscarriedoutbeneath
thegroundfoorslab,thenoiseof
theworkiseffectivelyscreened
fromabove.
Steelconcretecompositecon-
structionwasadopted.Structural
steelworkhastheadvantagethatit
reducestheamountoftemporary
worksuchasshoringandpropping
andallowsthetemporarystructure
tobecombinedintothepermanent
structure,againreducingtime.
Earlyconcretetrialmixescon-
frmedthevalidityofusinghigh-
strengthconcreteontheproject.
Macaus
economy
has grown
rapidly
during the
last few
years.
Thestriking
leaf-shapedtower
andellipticalpodium
oftheGrandLisboa
hotelandcasinoin
Macauwere
completedin2008.
andafterbasementexcavation
works.Inareaswithahighrock-
head,thediaphragmwallpanels
sitonsoundrockhigherthanthe
bottomlevelofthebasement.
Thesepanelswereunderpinned,
androckboltswerealsoinserted
duringexcavationtoensurethe
integrityofthediaphragmwall.
Thebasementfoorsaresup-
portedbetweenthediaphragm
wallandcentralcoreby83
compositecolumns,consisting
ofasteelstanchionencased
withreinforcedconcrete.They
aresupportedinturnbylarge
diameterboredpiles,whichsocket
0.5metersintothebedrockto
achieveanallowablebearing
pressureof8000kPa.Thesteel
stanchionswereplungedintothe
toppartoftheboredpilesprior
tobasementexcavation,provid-
ingtemporarysupportforthe
concretefoorsduringtop-down
construction.
Forthecentralcorewall,
conventionalbottom-upconstruc-
tionwasadopted.Itwasoriginally
plannedastop-downconstruction
butthehighrock-headlevels
meantboredpilingwouldbetoo
slow.Thecoreareawasexcavated
withinstruttedsheetpiling,after
which150pre-boredsteelH-piles
wereinstalledatthebase.The
pileswereinsertedintoa560mil-
limeterdrillhole,socketedatleast
8.3metersintosoundrockand
haveadesigncapacityof8.3MN.
Duetospaceconstraints,the
Osterbergcell-loadmethodwas
adoptedforstaticpile-loadtesting.
Withthereviseddesign,core
wallexcavationandsteelH-piling
wascompletedwithinthedesired
foundationconstructionperiod.
Furthermore,thecentralcore
wallexcavationwascarriedout
concurrentlywiththediaphragm
wallingandboredpiling,reducing
theoverallprogram.
89 diaphragm wall panels
Rock bolts
83 top-down columns
Rock
contour
Sheet piles for bottom-up
central core construction
-15.7m
+2.7 m
150 pre-bored H-piles 83 bored piles
Figure 01showsacomparisonof
theprojectprogramsforamanage-
mentcontract,lump-sumcontract
andpackagetendercontract.The
estimatedconstructiontimefrom
demolitionworktocompletionfor
thethreedifferentcontractual
arrangementswas36,40and41
weeksrespectively.Theelimination
ofsomeofthetenderingprocess
meantthemanagementcontract
approachgaverisetotheshortest
constructiontime.Italsogavethe
designersalongertimetooptimize
thedesignandavoidrushingthe
tenderpreparation,ensuringthe
designsolutionwouldbemore
cost-effective.
Amanagementcontractalso
enabledthecontractortowork
asateamwiththedesignersto
eliminateunnecessarycontractual
disputesduringthework,thus
avoidingprojectdelays.
Top-down construction
Thebasementmainlyconsists
ofparking,loadingandunloading
zones,workingareasforhoteland
casinostaff,storageareas,plant
roomsandpartofthecasino.
Thegroundfoorisaconven-
tionalreinforcedconcreteone-way
slabonadownstandbeamsystem.
ThefourbasementlevelsB1
toB4haveafatslabdesign,
leadingtomoreeconomical
form-workfortop-downworkingas
wellasreducingexcavationdepth
andacceleratingconstruction.
SlabthicknessforlevelsB1toB3
is350millimeterswhereasthe
B4slabis1200millimetersthick
andconstructedinwaterproof
concrete,resistinggravityloads
aswellassignifcantgroundwater
pressure(Figure 02).
Adiaphragmwallformsthe
basementouterwall.Constructed
in89panels,thisalsoactedasthe
lateralloadresistingsystemduring
A diaphragm
wall forms
the
basement
outer wall.
02Below:Cross
sectionof
basementthis
wasconstructed
top-downapart
fromthelower
core,whichwas
built-bottom-upat
thesametime.
Package tender contract
Lump-sum contract
Management contract
C
o
n
t
r
a
c
t

t
y
p
e
10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 0
Weeks
01Comparisonofthe
projectprogramsfora
managementcontract,
lump-sumcontract
andpackagetender
contract.
The building podium
houses the main part of
the casino, a clubhouse,
restaurants and offces.
Intheexcavationdesign,
AECOMscomputerprogram
DIANA,wasadoptedtomodelthe
basementconstructionstages.The
bendingmoments,shearforces,
walldefectionandcorresponding
proppingforcesinthefoorslabs
wereallestimatedbytheprogram.
Podium frame and shell
Thebuildingpodiumhousesthe
mainpartofthecasino,aclub-
house,restaurantsandoffces.
Steelratherthantraditionalrein-
forcedconcretewasadoptedas
theprimarymaterialforthepodium
frameduetotheadvantagesof
shorterconstructiontime,lower
weightandsimplerintegrationwith
theellipticaloutercompositeshell.
Theframeconsistsprimarilyof
steelcolumnsandbeams,with
acompositeone-waybeam-slab
systemspanningoffthetowercore
(Figure 03).Thelargeopenareasof
thethreemainpodiumfoorsfor
thecasinoarecreatedby40-meter
spansteelPratttrusseswhich
arethensupportedontocomposite
circularcolumns.
Thetwintrussesarefxedeither
sideofthesteelcolumnstanchions
priortocastingthegrade60
columnconcrete.Thetrussesare
designedtoactcompositelywith
theconcretefoorslabsaboveand
withtheconcreteinfllbetweenthe
bottomchords,whichenhances
bucklingstrengthandimproves
dynamicperformance.Twintrusses
arealsolighterandshallowerthan
anequivalentsingletruss.
Structuraldesignofthetrusses
satisfescoderequirementsfor
ultimateandserviceabilitylimit
states.Fortheultimatelimit
state,theloadcombinationwas
inaccordancewiththeMacau
loadingcode,RSA
1
.
Oncompletionofthepodium
steelwork,workstartedonthe
reinforcedconcreteshellstructure
whichprovidesthewallsandroof.
Athree-dimensionalcomputer
analysismodelwasdevelopedto
simulatetheshellandgeneratean
optimizedproflewiththeresult
thattheloadtransferismainly
througharchingaction.
Conventionalconcretingwasnot
suitablefortheshellsofbre-
reinforcedpolymerconcretewas
designedtobesprayedontometal
decking.Thesprayedconcrete
shelliswatertight,hashighadhe-
siontothesubstrateandprovides
suffcientstrengthforfxingthe
complexexternallightingsystem
thatcoversthepodiumsurface.
Fire protection
Aperformance-basedapproach
wasadoptedforfredesignofthe
podiumshell.Advancedcompu-
tationalfuiddynamicanalyzes
wereundertakentoassessthe
maximumtemperaturesofthe
steelroofstructureundercritical
frescenariosusingrepresentative
freloads.Twofrescenarioswere
considered:asingleoccurrence
ofaverylargefreandmultiple
occurrencesoflargefresonthe
upperfoor.Sevenlikelyfreposi-
tionswereselectedontheupper
podiumfoor(see Figure 04)andsix
frecaseswereinvestigated.
Theresultofthecomputational
fuiddynamicanalysisinbothfre
scenariosIandIIindicatesthatthe
maximumtemperatureinthesteel
roofstructureisenvisagedtobe
552CatpositionR,wheretheroof
is6.8metersabovethefoor.Inall
theotherfrescases,thetempera-
tureoftheroofstructurewaswell
belowthelimitingtemperature
of550C,atwhichthesteelloses
strengthsignifcantly.
Fireprotectionwasthusapplied
toallstructuralsteelmembers
within7metersofthepodiumfoor.
Composite slab Concrete inll
Plan
Detail of twin truss
Section A-A
A
A
40 m
40m Twin trusses
Position S
L
Section A-A
Section B-B
B A
A
B
88.8m
L
R
R
42.8m
50.5m
13.2m
10.0m
Posion P
Position S
L
Position R
Position T
L
Position Q
Position P
Position S
Position Q
Position T Position T
Position R
The sprayed
concrete
shell is
watertight.
04 Positionof
likelyfre
sourcesonthe
upperpodium
foor.
03Twinsteeltruss
beamswith40
meterspansare
usedtocreate
largecolumn-free
areasforthe
casinofoorinthe
podiumthe
trusseswork
compositelywith
thefoorslaband
concreteinfllin
lowerchords.
code
1
isshowninTable 01andthe
wind-inducedacceleration
responseofthebuildingisshown
inFigure 07.
Table 01 Windforcefromwindtunneland
MacauCode.
Variable 10 years return period
acceleration: g x 10
-3
Xacceleration 3.7
Yacceleration 10.5
Torsional
acceleration
7.1
Thewindforcesobtainedfrom
windtunneltestsarelessthan
thatobtainedfromtheMacauwind
code
1
duetotheshelteringeffects
ofadjacentbuildings.Thetest
indicatedthatoccupantcomfort
willbewithinacceptablelimits
fora10-yearreturnperiodwind.A
hybridstructuralsystemwas
adoptedforthetowertoincorpo-
ratetheuniqueoverhanging
sectionsatoppositesidesofthe
building(Figure 08).
Inthenon-overhangportion,the
towercorewalltogetherwithexte-
riorcompositecolumns,reinforced
concretebeamsandslabswere
Tower design and construction
The40-storeytowerabovethe
podiumcontainshotelrooms,
restaurants,aswimmingpool,
clubhouseandanobservatorydeck
atthetop.Typicalstoreyheight
is3.4metersand,asthecolumn
gridforthetowerissmallerthan
thatforthepodium,thetower
issupportedonatransferslab
locatedatpodiumrooflevel.
ThecomputerprogramETABS
2
wasusedforanalysisofthetower
structure.Thetowerisdesigned
forwindloadswitha200-year
returnperiodinaccordancewith
theMacausafetyandloading
regulationsforbuildingstructures
1
.
Seismicloadingwasdetermined
withreferencetotheChinesecode
forseismicdesignofbuildings
3
,
withsevendegreesofseismic
intensityand0.1gasthedesign
accelerationofthegroundmotion.
Thestoreydriftsofthetowerunder
windandseismicloadsareshown
inFigure 05,fromwhichitcanbe
seenthatwindisthecriticalcase
forlateralloading.
Thebuildingisdesignedwith
alimitingdefectionofH/800for
frequentseismicactionandH/830
forshort-termserviceabilitylimit
stateunderwindloading,thatis,
forwindloadoccurringwithin5
percentofthebuildinglifetime.
Windtunneltestingwascarried
outtoverifythedesignwindforces
onthebuildingandalsotoconfrm
thatthecomfortoftheoccupants
wouldbewithinacceptablecriteria
(Figure 06).Acomparisonofthe
windloadsobtainedfromwind
tunneltestsandtheMacauwind
Wind X Wind Y EQX EQY
250
200
150
100
50
0
4
0
0
2
0
0
0
Defection (mm)
B
u
i
l
d
i
n
g

h
e
i
g
h
t

(
m
e
t
e
r
s
)
4
0
0
2
0
0
04
0
0
2
0
0
04
0
0
2
0
0
0
07Right:
Comparisonof
windloadingfrom
modeltestsand
windcodeshows
theshielding
effectofadjacent
buildings.
05Estimated
internaldefectionof
thetowerdueto
windand
earthquakes.
constructedmonolithicallytoresist
lateralandgravityloads.Steel
systemformworkwasusedtocast
thecentralcorewallandaluminum
tablesandtimberformworkwas
adoptedforthebeamsandslabs.
Thefoorlayoutswereprepared
withearlyinputfromtheformwork
suppliertoaccommodatethe
aluminumtableformwork.
Thetowerwasthenconsecu-
tivelyenlargedontwoopposite
sides,foorbyfoor,fromthe15th
foortothetopfoor,forminga15
meterwide,multileveloverhang
structure.Ineachoverhangingpor-
tion,thefoorissupportedbytwo
reinforcedconcretewallbeams
cantileveredfromthecentralcore
wall,togetherwithsteelfoor
beamsandinclinedsteelcolumns
formingahybridstructure.
Traditionaltimberformworkwas
adoptedforthecantileverwall
beamsandthefoorslabswere
castonmetaldeckssupported
bythewallsandbeamstoreduce
false-workrequirements.
Atypicalthree-dayconstruction
cyclewasachievedinthecentral
non-overhangportion.Thetypical
cyclefortheoverhangpartwas
The tower is
designed for
wind loads
with a 200-
year return
period.
S
t
o
r
e
y

h
e
i
g
h
t

(
m
e
t
e
r
s
)
250
200
150
100
50
0
4
0
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
Wind force (kN) X Wind force (kN) Y
4
0
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
Wind tunnel Macau wind
code
06 Left:Windtunnel
testmodel.
Thetunnelisareinforced
concreteboxstructureandwas
constructedinsectionsusingcut-
and-coverconstruction.Tomini-
mizethedisturbancetoroadtraffc
andexistinghoteloperations,the
tunnelworkwasprogrammedand
progressedtogetherwithutilityand
highwayimprovementscarriedout
byagovernmentcontractor.
Summary
TheGrandLisboahoteland
casinowasafast-trackproject,
involvinganumberinnovative
designandconstructionsolutions.
Initialprojectplanningstarted
in2003,foundationworks
startedinSeptember2004,and
superstructureandbasement
worksstartedinmid2005andwere
completedinjust18months.
Thesuccessfulcompletionof
thestructuralworkswithinthe
programandbudgetisattributedto
sophisticatedforwardplanning,the
adaptationofappropriatedesign
andconstructionmethodsandthe
commitmentandcollaborationof
thewholeprojectteam.
Thispaperfrstappearedinthe
CivilEngineeringspecialissueof
theproceedingsoftheInstitution
ofCivilEngineers,November2010,
andisreproducedwithpermission.
Overhanging portion Steel tie and strut
Overhanging
portion
Wall
beam
aroundfvedaysduetotherequire-
mentforthepourofconcretein
thecantileverwallbeambelowto
belefttocuretogainathree-day
strengthof20MPa.
Connecting footbridge and tunnel
Afootbridgeandpedestrian
tunnelwerebuilttoprovidelinks
totheexistingLisboahotelboth
above-groundandatbasement
level.
Steelconcretecomposite
constructionwasusedforthetwo-
spanfootbridge,whichconsists
ofanumberofbuilt-upsteel
plategirdersintegratedwithatop
concreteslabtoformacomposite
multi-webfangebeam.
08 Towerdesignand
typicalfoorlayout
showinglocationof
the15-meterwide
overhangingsections
abovethe15thfoor
andhowtheyare
supportedby
cantileverwallbeams
andrakingsteel
columns.
The Grand
Lisboa
hotel and
casino was
a fast-track
project.
The successful completion of the structural works
within the program and budget is attributed to
sophisticated forward planning, the adaptation of
appropriate design and construction methods and the
collaboration of the whole project team.
Thedesignofthe
GrandLisboaHotel
andCasino
incorporatedmany
innovativedesign
andconstruction
solutions.
As the world emerges from the chal-
lenges of economic recession, other
issues come to the fore, especially for
the cities seen as emerging stronger and
in a better position to take advantage of
the global commercial stage.
Understanding the challenges that
face emerging and world-class cities
as they grow, and providing solutions
drawn from experience working with
thriving city communities around the
world is one of the key strengths that
AECOM can bring.
The city of Moscow is in just such a
position, emerging into the international
commercial spotlight, whilst still facing
the challenge of managing the inevitable
growth that success brings, as well as
the higher expectations of inhabitants.
AECOM has made a point of focusing
on the big issues. The companys world-
class practitioners work worldwide with
city governing regimes to help identify
and understand the issues that these
cities face, and then present possible
solution options. The frms commit-
ment to this high level approach to city
development is underlined by AECOMs
sponsorship of the Global Cities
Institute.
The city of Moscow is growing, a
development that brings with it the
need to understand the signifcance
of the emerging markets and impacts
that growth can have on a changing
city. One of the key impacts Moscow is
currently experiencing mirrors currently
a global phenomenon: the urbanization
of populations. 2004 saw a tipping point
when the population of cities passed
50 percent of the global population. By
2050 this level is predicted to pass 70
percent. Many western E.U. countries
already see cities absorbing around 90
percent of the population.
The second catalyst is the drive for
manufacturing and new technology
industries to help feed the developing
Emergingcity
challenges
market. Consumer growth and demand,
as increasing wealth, creates the focus
of GDP growth in the economy. Such
demand only serves to increase the rate
at which jobs are created in urban areas,
with resultant population increases
bringing greater demand on public
transport, increased car use and freight
traffc, all combining to result in pres-
sure on infrastructure.
One aspect of infrastructure devel-
opment that is often overlooked is
the demand for more energy. The link
to climate change that comes from
building more power stations and
increased greenhouse gas emissions
is being experienced now, most visibly
through more extreme weather events.
A balance needs to be struck, one that
can ensure continued economic growth,
yet achieving increased energy capac-
ity. This crucial point is where energy
effciency starts to become an increas-
ingly important aspect in policy making.
We are seeing the frst signs of this issue
now coming to prominence in Russia.
Comparing Russia with the position of
other E.U. countries, however, there are
two key drivers of policy not present. In
Western Europe, energy costs have risen
dramatically over the last ten years.
Alongside this, legislation to curb energy
AECOMs experts work worldwide with city
governing regimes to help identify the
challenges that face emerging and world-
class cities as they grow.
use has been introduced. Neither of
these key drivers high energy costs
nor energy effcient legislation are as
yet present in Russia.
Federal Law 261 is catching up
with the English Building Regulations
Approved Document Part L 1995. It
was not until 2002 that the frst carbon
benchmark was introduced driven
by the Kyoto Agreement. In 2006 this
benchmark was reduced by 20-28 per-
cent as a result of the European Energy
Performance of Buildings Directive, and
there was a further 25 percent reduc-
tion in 2010. Currently we are looking at
a further 25 percent reduction by 2013.
Importantly, as energy effciency is
becoming culturally embedded as a
principle within governments and the
built environment industry, the focus
is switching to carbon, embracing the
emergence of zero carbon buildings
and a low carbon economy. The reason
is a key indicator: carbon emissions,
as a measurement, can cover a much
wider range of issues. Thus when a
building is effcient in terms of energy
use, focus can shift on travel to and
from the building, looking for example
at vehicle emissions. This has a wider
impact, as infrastructure provision and
investment becomes important. Against
this emerging background, the question
facing Russia is whether or not to real-
ize this pattern and thus move to a low
carbon focus earlier in the legislative
process, accelerating presence on the
global stage in this area as a result.
Moscow is a city facing challenges
and from this brief overview it is clear
how interrelated the policy impacts are.
It is only by bringing together current
city leadership with planners who have
been involved with, and observed simi-
lar situations from other global cities,
coupled with looking across to see the
subsequent effects of changes made
in other cities that a coherent strategy
can be achieved. Outcomes for Moscow
moving forwards must satisfy demand,
encourage continued economic growth
and allow citizens a healthier lifestyle
and improved living standards, all the
while empowering a lower impact on the
environment for future generations.
Andy ParkmanisheadofBuilding
EngineeringforAECOMinRussiaand
theCIS.
E:andrew.parkman@aecom.com
Emerging markets and growth can have signifcant
impact upon our cities, with the phenomenon of
Moscow a case in hand. Andy Parkman considers
the challenges facing city leaders.
Are green buildings healthy? (page 8)
1
CIBSE Guide A, 2007a
2
2003, quoted in Bluyssen, 2009
3
Bluyssen
4
Kreuger & Killham, 2006; Newsham et al, 2009
5
Bell, 2004
6
Newsham et al, 2009
7
Haynes, 2007[quoted in Miller & Pogue, 2009].
8
EPA,2010
9
Birt & Newsham, 2009
10
Brand, 2008
11
Leaman & Bordass, 2007
12
Heschong, 2003
13
Kreuger & Killham, 2006
14
Figuero et al, 2002
15
Lomonaco & Miller,1997
16
Elzeyadi, 2010
17
Heschong, 2003
18
Lee & Guerin, 2010
19
Wargocki and Wyon, 2000
20
EPA, 1989
21
Abdou and Lorsh,1994
22
Apte, Fisk & Daisey, 2000; Erdmann, Steiner &
Apte, 2002
23
Fisk & Seppnen, 2007
24
Bako-Biro et al, 2004
25
James and Yang,2005
26
Tarran, Torpy &Burchett, 2007
27
Liu, 2002
28
CIBSE 2006b
29
Hancock, 2007
30
Fanger, 1970
31
de Dear & Brager, 1998
32
Nicol & Humphreys, 2002
33
Seppnen, Fisk & Lei, 2006
34
Lam Date
35
Hayashi et al, 2003
36
Korhonenen et al, 2003
37
Fang et al, 2004
38
CIBSE, 2006b
Dynamic design (page 30)
1.
Joint Working Group. Dynamic performance
requirements for permanent grandstands
subject to crowd action: Recommendations for
management, design and assessment. s.l.:
IStructE, 2008.
2
Kerr S C. Human induced loading on staircases.
s.l.: PhD Thesis, University of London, 1998.
3
Parkhouse J G, Ewins D J. Crowd induced
rhythmic loading. s.l.: Proc. ICE, Structures and
Buildings, Oct. 2006.
4
Dougill J W, Wright J R, Parkhouse J G, Harrison R
E. Human structure interaction during rhythmic
bobbing. s.l.: The Structural Engineer (84), Nov
2006.
5
Beards C F. Structural Vibration: Analysis and
damping. s.l.: Butterworth-Heinemann, 1996.
6
Blevins R D. Formulas for natural frequency and
mode shape. s.l. : Robert E Kreiger Publshing
Company, 1995.
7
Parkhouse G, Ward I. Design charts for the
assessment of grandstands subject to dynamic
crowd action. s.l.: The Structural Engineer 88 (7),
7 April 2010.
Staying green, keeping warm (page 24)
1
National Resources Canada. 2005. EE4 Version
1.7.
2
Perrot, Cindy. 2008. Curtainwall Option Analysis
April 22, 3008. Integrated Designs,
Saskatoon, Canada.
3
CFD Simulation completed by Angela Bennett,
AECOM, Calgary, Canada.
4
Perrot, Cindy. 2009. Model Submittal Summary
December 8, 2009. Integrated Designs,
Saskatoon, Canada.
5
Daylighting and thermal simulations were
carried out by Transsolar, Germany.
High and mighty (page 44)
1.
Macau Regulation 56/96/M: Regulamento de
Segurana e Aces em Estruturas de Edifcios e
Pontes (RSA).
2.
ETABS Plus Version 8.3.7.: Integrated Building
Design Software.
3.
Chinese National Standard GB 50011-2001: Code
for Seismic Design of Buildings.
References
ThecontentsofAgendaareforgeneralinformation.TheopinionsexpressedinAgendadonotnecessarilyrefectthose
oftheeditorialboard,donotconstituteadviceandshouldnotberelieduponinmaking(orrefrainingfrommaking)any
decision.TheinformationinAgendaisprovidedonanASISbasis,andallwarranties,expressedorimpliedofanykind,
regardinganymatterpertainingtoanyinformation,adviceorrepliesaredisclaimedandexcluded.AgendaMagazine,
AECOManditsassociatesshallnotbeliable,atanytime,fordamages(including,withoutlimitation,damagesforlossof
anykind)arisingincontract,tortorotherwisefromtheuseoforinabilitytousethemagazine,oranyofitscontents,or
fromanyactiontaken(orrefrainedfrombeingtaken)asaresultofusingthemagazineoranysuchcontents.
Foreword
As building engineers, our role is to
design solutions that work better,
perform more effciently and deliver
more productively.
Some of our many ideas for new
ways of delivering sustainable
thinking around the world have found
their way into this issue of Agenda.
Weve selected projects that refect
the breadth and range of creative
engineering innovation that AECOM is
known for, delivering sustainable
thought leadership in particular.
Even the smallest project can cast a
wide sphere of infuence. A great
example is the zero carbon homes
development in the U.K., a potential
blueprint for future housing develop-
ments that is generating considerable
interest. At the other end of the
sustainable scale, our work delivering
two key commercial buildings in
Edmonton, Canada, demonstrates
that it is possible to build sustainably
while facing the extreme challenges of
a cold climate. Integrating form and
function gave rise to a visually
exciting, highly sustainable offce
development in Perth, Australia.
Seismic activity sets its own set of
design challenges. Our team rose to
the challenge when asked to design a
critical essential services facility able
to withstand powerful earthquakes in
California, U.S. Vibration in building
movement, but from a different
perspective, infuenced our thinking
for a new home for the highest
resolution microscope in Australia.
Similarly, FC Spartak Moscow Stadium
has sophisticated advanced analysis
to thank for its elegant yet robust
structures. In Macau, a new tall
building has made headlines, built
using our innovative fast-track
construction solution.
AECOM is committed to igniting
creative excellence. Our experts
continue to think ahead, leading the
way on key issues worldwide. In this
issue, David Cheshire puts forward
some thinking about occupant
comfort green buildings, while Andy
Parkman considers the opportunities
facing city leaders.
Agenda is a rich showcase for the
dynamic variety and breadth of
challenge that we face in our day-to-
day work, driving our determination to
evolve the best possible solutions for
our clients worldwide.
Ken Dalton
Chief Executive
Global Building Engineering
E: ken.dalton@aecom.com
With the low carbon agenda driving thinking at
government levels globally, now more than
ever AECOM continues to evolve new ways to
drive a sustainable agenda.
26
4
6
34
Construction is well underway
at Zayed University, a prestige
education campus that will
enhance the social and economic
development of Abu Dhabi
through higher education.
The 75 hectare green-feld site
will provide state of the art
classroom and laboratory
facilities for teaching and
research across 27 buildings,
serving a mixed, segregated,
daytime population of 6,000
students ,with capacity for future
expansion to accommodate
10,000 students.
AECOMs team in the Middle
East developed the master plan
for the entire full build-out of the
$879m campus, and delivered
full multidisciplinary design
services for 19 buildings.
With structural work well
advanced, the landmark
university project is due for
completion in mid 2011.
ON SITE: ZAYED UNIVERSITY, CAPITAL
DISTRICT - ABU DHABI, U.A.E.
2 Agenda Spring/summer 2011
Shaken, but
not stirred
Buildings designed
for Californian
earthquakes
The technical journal for AECOMs global
Building Engineering services
Spring/Summer 2011
Printed using vegetable based inks on material made from 50
percent recycled, 50 per cent virgin fber from sustainable sources.
About AECOM
AECOM is a global provider of professional technical and
management support services to a broad range of markets,
including transportation, facilities, environmental, energy,
water and government. With approximately 45,000 employees
around the world, AECOM is a leader in all of the key markets
that it serves. AECOM provides a blend of global reach, local
knowledge, innovation and technical excellence in delivering
solutions that create, enhance and sustain the worlds built,
natural and social environments. A Fortune 500 company,
AECOM serves clients in approximately 125 countries and has
annual revenue in excess of $7.0 billion.
More information on AECOM and its services can be found at
www.aecom.com.
Staying green,
keeping warm
Sustainable
buildings
for cold climates
High and
mighty
A new tall building
for Macau
A
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n
d
a

S
p
r
i
n
g
/
S
u
m
m
e
r

2
0
1
1
A
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C
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M
Are green
buildings
healthy?
Building Engineering

Agenda-Spring Summer 2011

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Agenda-Spring Summer 2011

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Shaken, but

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