Jul 23 2010
Weifield Group, an electrical contractor located in Denver, Colorado, has completed a new design-build 222,000-square-foot, $64 million Research Support Facility (RSF) for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).
The RSF is located on the campus of the DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), and includes a next-generation 20,000-square-foot data center. The project is expected to be one of the most energy efficient buildings in the world. Weifield Group implemented the electrical and special systems for the facility, which is designed to be a model for sustainable building practices. The RSF will achieve the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) Platinum designation — the highest benchmark awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).
Weifield Group constructed a design-build 13.2 KV infrastructure to support the RSF and future campus expansions. Weifield installed electrical for all of the RSF subsystems and helped integrate a 1.2 megawatt photovoltaic system into the building. “We are thrilled to have completed this exciting project,” said Seth Anderson, President and CEO of Weifield Group Contracting. “The magnitude and energy goals of the RSF project are unparalleled, and to be at the forefront of this initiative required the highest degree of diligence and performance. We utilized our significant sustainability and industry experience, along with our process and customer focus, to help achieve outstanding results. We plan to continue applying our expertise on other federal government projects, as the Energy and Independence Security Act of 2007 requires all federal buildings have to be zero-energy by the year 2030.”
Approximately 800 staff from both the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory will occupy the RSF. The energy goal for the building is 35kBtu/sq. ft. per year, which is approximately 2/3 less than most commercial office buildings. To accomplish net-zero, the RSF will utilize energy efficiency lighting, daylighting, natural ventilation, wind power, bio-fuels, and photovoltaic systems. Net-zero energy is defined by the U.S. Department of Energy as “producing and exporting at least as much renewable energy as the total energy it imports and uses in a year.”
Weifield Group was selected for this project in January 2009. A member of the USGBC and an industry leader in LEED®projects, Weifield Group was the first electrical contractor in the state of Colorado to build a LEED® Platinum office building (the Signature Centre in Golden, Colorado). LEED® is an internationally recognized green building certification system.
“Without question, our LEED® project experience was critical to winning the RSF contract,” said Anderson. “Weifield Group is an emerging leader in LEED® initiatives and our plan is to lend our expertise to other net-zero design projects throughout the U.S. We think that these types of projects represent the future of the construction industry, and we look forward to being a part of it.”
Weifield’s partners includes Haselden Construction, RNL, and Stantec.
Source: http://www.weifieldcontracting.com/