Thornton Tomasetti provided consulting services for the Husson University Living and Learning Center. The 61,000 s/f project received LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. Fore Solutions, the green building consulting firm acquired by Thornton Tomasetti, was the owner's sustainability representative on the project and provided energy analysis and LEED consulting services.
The new 5-story living-learning facility constructed on the Husson Univ. campus includes five classrooms on the first floor and suite-style accommodations for 240 students.
Acting as the owner's sustainability representative and LEED consultant, Thornton Tomasetti/Fore Solutions played a role in the early stages of the project by helping to craft design-build qualifications with strict energy performance requirements and LEED criteria, setting the stage for an efficient and cost-effective project.
The project team included AlliedCook Construction and Winton Scott Architects.
Thornton Tomasetti/Fore Solutions organized a charrette with the design-build team that resulted in innovative energy efficiency recommendations, including a super insulated building envelope. Other advancements included a drain water heat recovery system, solar hot water system, high pressure low-flow showerheads and supporting the design of classrooms through daylight modeling services.
Since heating hot water for showers is one of the largest uses of energy for the building, project director Amanda Lehman implemented a low-flow showerhead experiment, testing more than 15 water-saving models. Installation of 1.5 gpm showerheads has resulted in 40% savings in both energy and water usage.
The facility is designed to use 46% less water and 37% less energy than a standard code compliant building, producing an estimated savings of $52,000 a year. Thornton Tomasetti/Fore Solutions also achieved a 66% reduction in hot water demand for the building's heating system, which is the largest single energy expense.
The building is equipped with a Green Education dashboard that will provide water and electricity usage data in order to create environmental awareness and modify occupant behavior. The dashboard, which serves as a centerpiece of the first floor, also includes slides highlighting the sustainable features of the building.
Michael Pulaski, Ph.D., LEED AP BD+C, associate, Portland office, Thornton Tomasetti said, "We are pleased to provide sustainability consulting for the Husson University Living and Learning Center, which has received LEED Gold certification. Our involvement from the pre-design phase through the completion of construction enabled us to identify innovative and practical measures that will produce significant energy savings, all within the project's original budget."
John Gordon, AIA, Maine Licensed architect, Husson Univ. project consultant said, "The process and the result have far exceeded our hopes and expectations - thanks mostly to Fore Solutions' diligence and guidance. It has been an extraordinary team effort that will provide a multitude of benefits to Husson University for many years to come. I couldn›t be more pleased with the result."
John Rubino, vice president of administration, Husson Univ., said "It has been a pleasure working with Fore Solutions on our campus' first LEED certified building. Under their design guidance, we will realize substantial energy savings for years to come. In fact between the energy cost savings and an Efficiency Maine incentive grant, their consulting services will have about a one-year payback."