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© Flannery Construction
© Doug Shoemaker
© Doug Shoemaker
© Doug Shoemaker
© Doug Shoemaker
© Doug Shoemaker
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reARCH Case Studies
Flannery Construction
General Information
Project Name:
Flannery Construction
Location:
1375 St. Anthony Avenue, St. Paul, MN
Website:
www.flanneryconstruction.com
Architect:
Roark Kramer Kosowski Design
Builder:
Flannery
Construction
Building Size:
14,000 sq. ft.
Building Use:
Office, conference room, garage/workshop
Date of Completion:
November 2005
Ratings and Awards:
| • |
2007 Sustainable St. Paul Award
– City of St. Paul |
| • |
Best Office Building – Precast Concrete
Institute, Chicago, IL |
| • |
Sustainable Design Award – Precast
Concrete Institute, Chicago, IL |
Overview
Flannery Construction incorporated solar thermal
space heating and domestic hot water into their new facility to
match up with their goals and to apply for LEED certification. The
building itself was designed with energy efficiency strategies,
and provides a mix of office spaces, conference room, and a workshop
in the garage area. The solar thermal array is mounted on the rooftop
and one of the most visible systems in the Twin Cities as it sits
just off of I-94 by Snelling Avenue. Currently this is the largest
solar thermal installation in Minnesota. The collectors were flown
in by crane as three separate arrays, preassembled in the factory
by Solar Mining Co. This reduced some of the labor costs for connecting
individual panels.
Building Performance
Effective Energy
Use Solutions:
| • |
Energy-efficient heating and cooling systems
were employed |
| • |
Well-insulated building shell |
| • |
In-floor radiant heating |
| • |
Gathered activity spaces —
center of open seating plan in the office is on all day |
| • |
Perimeter of office lighting is on motion
sensors |
| • |
Lighting systems use Super T-8s |
| • |
Computers and office equipment Energy Star
rated |
| • |
Rooftop has an Energy-Star-rated white roof
of Duro-last |
Orientation:
East-west axis
Daylighting Strategies:
| • |
Every office workstation has
access to daylight and views |
| • |
Restrooms have Solatubes for natural light,
balanced with motion and light level sensors |
| • |
As the site is just above I-94, the windows
were angled to prevent sound penetration from highway |
Shading of Structure:
| • |
Sunshades on east-west windows |
| • |
Structural design of wall window system
provides shading |
Envelope:
| • |
Wall thickness: 9.5"
|
| • |
Insulation R-values:
| - |
Walls: R-value
14.71, precast concrete panels with insulation sandwiched
between concrete layers, no thermal breaks at corners |
| - |
Roof: R-value 31, fire resistant
acoustic material adds to R-value |
|
| • |
Windows:
| - |
High-efficiency, Low-E,
high-sound-transmittal coefficient (highway noise) |
| - |
Southside windows are transparent
with shade to prevent direct daylight |
|
Climate Control Systems:
| • |
Air handling systems: capturing
climate control temperatures to preheat/precool incoming air |
| • |
Heat exchange control system |
Backup Heating/Power:
Infloor radiant heating: Weil Mclain Ultra 310 Boiler with PhD reheating
system internal combustion unit using natural gas: efficiency rating
95.6%
Total Building Energy
Use:
| • |
1st year: 5170 ccfs natural
gas; electricity: 145, 280 kWhrs |
| • |
Overall building performance at 37% better
than code standard |
Renewable Energy System Information
Solar System Description
and Size:
| • |
Three solar thermal collector
arrays are mounted on the rooftop to provide domestic hot
water and primary garage space heating in a pressurized system
with solar electric panels powering the pumps. |
| • |
One array of 10 panels 10' x 4' (400 sq.
ft.), 2 arrays of 8 panels 10' x 4' (320 each=640) total 1,040
sq. ft. of collector area. |
| • |
Collectors supplied by Solar Mining Co.
are mounted at a 60-degree angle. |
| • |
One panel 3' x 3', 1 150-watt pv panel per
array for master pump, 4 panels at 10 watts act as sub-array
pv for powering pumps |
| • |
350-gallon storage tank by Design Tanks
with site-built heat exchangers |
| • |
The garage space heating has a 45–70
degrees Farenheit fluctuation before backup heating start
or shuts the system down. |
Solar System Cost:
Approximately $70,000
Financial Incentives/Donations:
| • |
Excel provided $485 incentive
for solar thermal |
| • |
Excel incentives were $5,500 for energy
efficiency strategies |
Payback:
| • |
Payback of comprehensive project:
7–8 years |
| • |
Payback of solar thermal system: 12–15
years |
Date of Installation
Completion: November 2005
System Designers:
Innovative Power
Systems (IPS) and Solar
Mining Co.
System Engineer:
Gausman & Moore
System Installer:
Innovative Power
Systems (IPS) (General Contractor) and Solar
Mining Co. (Sub-contractor)
Estimated Amount
of Energy Delivered by System: Approximately 2,000 therms
per year
Percent of Building's
Total Energy Use Provided by Solar: 6%
Tools Utilized
Modeling Software:
Energy modeling with engineering with Gausman & Moore
Motivation for Installation
| • |
Flannery Constructions goal
was to build its new headquarters in the most energy-efficient
manner possible with no more than a 5–7% increase in
upfront costs and a cost savings pay-off within 7 years. |
| • |
Flannery's healthy environment is greatly
appreciated by employees, who all have access to daylight
views from their workstations and benefit from a controlled
indoor climate through the building's in-floor radiant heat. |
| • |
Flannery Construction has a commitment to
using low-toxic finishes, sealants, carpet, and cleaning products.
The company offers yoga to the employees two times a week
and a place to shower and change afterwards. These steps were
taken because, according to owner Gerry Flannery, "Employee
health and well-being is directly correlated with productivity
and retention." |
Lessons Learned
| • |
This innovative construction
company evaluated its own work flow before designing the office
to minimize waste and to maximize efficiency. They were able
to appropriate some great ideas from the many offices they
have built for clients over the years. |
| • |
Solar thermal panels work well in this climate. |
| • |
Flannery recommends use of solar thermal
in facilities that use a large amount of hot water (showers,
swimming pools, etc.), as well as incorporating a way to harness
cooling energy from solar panels. |
Other Sustainable Features
| • |
50% of overall electricity
purchased from wind power |
| • |
Sustainable materials and low-toxic finishes
and cleaners used |
| • |
Recycled, reused, and reclaimed building
materials used |
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