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Nations First LEED Platinum Pool Features HVAC Natatorium
Design
Philadelphias Kappen Aquatic Center At The Overbrook School For The Blind
(OSB) Is The Nations First LEED Platinum Natatorium. The Energy-Efficient
Design Saves An Estimated 43% Of The 25,000-Sq-Ft Facilitys Energy Costs
Compared To A Conventional Natatorium. The Majority Of The Savings Comes
From Off-Peak Energy Loading, Architectural Building Envelope Features
Such As Insulated Concrete Forms And A HVAC Dehumidification System
That Uses Heat Recovery From Its Dehumidification Cycle To Partially-
Heat/Cool The Space While Also Providing Free Pool Water Heating To The
75 X 50-Foot Competition Pool And Large Therapy Pool.
10/06/2010
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Philadelphias Kappen Aquatic Center at the Overbrook School for the Blind (OSB) is the nations
first U.S. Green Building Council LEED platinum natatorium. Ironically, however, the $11 million
project for OSBs 200 visually impaired and handicapped children wasnt conceived as a LEED
project.
Instead, OSB officials had simply requested a green, energy-efficient aquatic facility to replace the
campus 102-year-old former pool building. Half-way through the project the design team realized
their creative green strategy specifications were so effective that enough potential LEED credits had
accumulated to qualify for the USGBCs highest distinction of LEED platinum. Our original goal was
just a very efficient green building, so we were surprised to discover our final design strategies
could accumulate 53 credits, which would qualify it as the first LEED platinum natatorium in the

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Page 1 of 4 Nations First LEED Platinum Pool Features HVAC Natatorium Design | Consulting-Specifying Engineer
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country, said Amie Leighton, AIA, LEED AP, project
manager, Daley + Jalboot Architects, Philadelphia.
Besides Daley + Jalboot Architects, other design team
members included construction manager, W.S.
Cumby, Springfield, Pa.; mechanical engineer,
Vinokur-Pace Engineering Services (VPES), Willow
Grove, Pa., and LEED consultant, Re:Vision
Architecture, Philadelphia.
The energy-efficient design saves an estimated 43%
of the 25,000-sq-ft facilitys energy costs compared to
a conventional natatorium. The majority of the
savings comes from off-peak energy loading, architectural building envelope features such as
insulated concrete forms by Nudura Corp., Barrie, Ontario, and a HVAC dehumidification system by
Dectron Internationale, Montreal, Quebec, that uses heat recovery from its dehumidification cycle to
partially-heat/cool the space while also providing free pool water heating to the 75 x 50-foot
competition pool and large therapy pool. Other factors racking up LEED credits were water efficient
landscaping, low-flow water-saving fixtures by Sloan Fixtures, Franklin Park, Ill., recycled and local
materials, low volatile organic compound (VOC) materials, 77% construction waste recycling, and
other features.
The HVAC portion of the design includes energy recovery equipment and fabric ductwork installed
by project mechanical contractor Tracey Mechanical, Newtown Square, Pa., and sheet metal
contractor, Hays Sheet Metal Co., Pennsauken, N.J. The BAS controlling, which was installed by
control contractor, Vortechs Automation, Huntingdon Valley, Pa., was also vital to the overall energy
savings.
The DRY-O-TRON model DS-282 by Dectron dehumidifies the space to 50% relative humidity (RH)
with its environmentally friendly R-134a dual refrigeration circuits, heats or cools the space, has
built-in exhaust, two-inch insulated casing, and uses a hot gas heat recovery method to provide
both free air and pool water heating prior to any heat rejection to the outdoor condenser. An
estimated 100,000 gal of recovered condensate from the dehumidification process is sanitized and
returned to the pool annually as a water conservation strategy. Manufacturers representative, Sass,
Moore & Associates, Woodbury, N.J., was instrumental as a liaison between the VPES design teams
energy efficiency requests and the Dectron factorys incorporation of them into the custom-
manufactured dehumidifier.
One of several engineer requests was exhaust energy recovery using the dehumidifiers glycol
Smart Saver passive heat recovery system. The use of glycol as a thermal fluid allows the Smart
Saver system to save substantial energy year-round by pre-cooling or pre-heating the outdoor air.
Likewise, the BAS is essential in the buildings energy efficiency. The two-block-long campus BAS
by KMC Controls, New Paris, Ind., is combined with Genesis32 Automation Suite, a human machine
interface (HMI) software by Iconics, Foxborough, Mass. The system inputs set point humidity and
temperature to the dehumidifiers on-board Supervisaire microprocessor that controls and monitors
the natatoriums environmental conditions. The BAS employs a demand control strategy to reduce
energy costs, thats incentivized with reduced energy rates by PECO, Philadelphia, a utility
subsidiary of Exelon Corp., that serves 1.6 million electric and 486,000 natural gas customers in
Southeastern Pennsylvania. Because its a school with a residential component, all the buildings

Page 2 of 4 Nations First LEED Platinum Pool Features HVAC Natatorium Design | Consulting-Specifying Engineer
12/21/2010 http://www.csemag.com/single-article/nations-first-leed-platinum-pool-features-hvac-natatorium-design/6dea36deb9.html
arent in full use at one time, said Walter Horigan, president, Vortechs Automation. Therefore we
can limit equipment operation during unoccupied high-peak energy periods and then ramp up to
optimum indoor conditions during off-peak hours.
Many of the projects contractors, including mechanical contractor Tracey Mechanical, helped
contribute to LEED credits because of their Green Advantage certification, an environmental
program that certifies contractors in green building techniques and materials. As a result, Tracey
Mechanical used low volatile organic compound (VOC) solvents, glues for PVC piping, proper
recycling techniques for job waste, and used mechanical equipment manufactured 500 or less miles
in proximity to Philadelphia, according to Jim Kohler, Traceys Green Advantage certified project
manager.


The locker rooms also received special energy-saving equipment. An enthalpy wheel-equipped
energy recovery air handling unit controls the locker room environment. The 4,000-cfm unit has
capabilities of pre-heating 11 to 58 F or pre-cooling 93 F dry bulb/75 F wet bulb to 81.7 F dry
bulb/68.4 F wet bulb.
Other equipment includes nine 310-Mbh, 93% efficient boilers for domestic hot water from the Ultra
Series 2 of Weil-McLain, Michigan City, Ind. All water circulating pumps are manufactured by Bell &
Gossett, Morton Grove, Ill.
Because touch and hearing are important to the schools vision-impaired students, the design team
incorporated several non-energy related features. The dehumidifier, for example, was built with the
two fan/motor/blower assemblies on springs to isolate any mechanical vibration from the building
structure.
Likewise, mechanical noise is also an issue for blind students. VPES specified a low sound outdoor
condenser to run at 560-rpm and a sound pressure rating of 62-dba at 10 feet from the unit, as
compared to a conventional units 1,140-rpm and 77-dba. The condensers were built by Dectron to
accommodate the lower rpms without affecting cooling capacity, said Bill Moore, president, Sass,
Moore & Associates.
The specification of fabric duct also complemented noise attenuation efforts. The softness of the
fabric versus metal duct reduces mechanical equipment noise reverberation and fabric ducts nozzle
flow strategies tend to produce less airflow sound versus metal duct with registers, according to
Leighton. The natatoriums return grilles as well as registers and diffusers in other parts of the
facility are manufactured with special corrosion-resistant metal by Titus, Richardson, Texas.
The architects also accommodated visually-impaired students with window and lighting placements
that eliminated glare and direct, high contrasting light conditions. Utilizing tactile floor treatments
that help students navigate away from pool edges or obstacles such as walls and handrails is a
revolutionary approach for handicapped aquatics.
Tectum, Newark, Ohio, wall panels were also used to suppress noise throughout the facility.
The OBS is an example of a design team that set out to fulfill energy efficiency and green requests,
but gave the client much more than it had asked for, LEED platinum.
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Page 3 of 4 Nations First LEED Platinum Pool Features HVAC Natatorium Design | Consulting-Specifying Engineer
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Page 4 of 4 Nations First LEED Platinum Pool Features HVAC Natatorium Design | Consulting-Specifying Engineer
12/21/2010 http://www.csemag.com/single-article/nations-first-leed-platinum-pool-features-hvac-natatorium-design/6dea36deb9.html