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© Science Museum of Minnesota
© Doug Shoemaker
© Science Museum of Minnesota
© Science Museum of Minnesota
© Doug Shoemaker
© Doug Shoemaker
© Doug Shoemaker
© Doug Shoemaker
© Innovative Power Systems
|
reARCH Case Studies
Science House
General Information
Project Name:
Science House
Location:
Science Museum of Minnesota, 120 West Kellogg Boulevard, St. Paul,
MN
Websites:
www.smm.org/sciencehouse/,
www.bldgdesign.com,
www.twgi.com,
www.lsblack.com,
www.eere.energy.gov
Architect:
Janis LaDouceur, Barbour
LaDouceur Design Group
Builder:
LS Black Constructors
Energy Consultant:
Jason Steinbock, The
Weidt Group
Building Size:
1,690 sq. ft.
Building Use:
Teacher resource center
Date of Completion:
Original Construction: June 2003; Remodeling: May
2007
Ratings and Awards:
| • |
Most Innovative Method or
Result (Getting to Zero: Experiences of designing and monitoring
a zero-emissions building - the Science House in Minnesota),
European Council for an Energy-efficient Economy, May 29,
2005, Mandelieu, Côte d'Azur, France |
| • |
Environmental Sensitivity Award, Minneapolis-St.
Paul Chapter of the Construction Specifications Institute,
Annual Awards Banquet, May 10, 2004, Minneapolis |
| • |
Environmental Achievement Award in the Energy
Category, Minnesota Environmental Initiative, Annual Awards
Banquet, May 6, 2004, Minneapolis |
| • |
Excellence in Building Educational Achievement
Award, The Energy & Environmental Building Association,
Building Solutions Conference, October 18, 2003, Chicago,
Illinois |
Overview
The Science House at the Minnesota Science
Museum was designed as a zero-emissions demonstration facility and
is currently used as a Resource Center for Educators. Through careful
planning and collaboration, the design team chose to match energy
efficient strategies with solar electric technology for developing
a project that integrates the sun's energy for providing light,
power, and heat. The Science house was equipped for ongoing monitoring
of the building's performance, providing educational data
for informing future building designs.
The Science House runs entirely on solar electricity.
Producing more electricity than it uses from mid March through early
November, it then consumes more than it generates from early November
to mid March. The resulting net surplus of energy means that the
Science House produces more electricity than it uses on an annual
basis. Instead of storing electricity, the Science House feeds energy
to the Science Museum whenever it is producing a surplus and draws
current from the Museum whenever it is consuming more electricity
than it is producing.
The solar electric system powers the ground-source
heat pump that uses the Earth's constant temperature below the frost
line of about 9°C (49°F) to heat the building in winter
and cool it in summer. Energy-efficient windows and doors and wall
insulation are combined with passive solar heating and careful lighting
design.
Building Performance
Effective Energy
Use Solutions:
| • |
Econar ground-source heat pump
to heat and cool the building and to supplement the domestic
hot water |
| • |
Energy-efficient Andersen windows and doors |
| • |
Icynene insulation |
| • |
Lighting controls |
Orientation:
South
Daylighting Strategies:
| • |
Ground floor south-facing windows
combined with both north and south-facing clerestory windows
help ensure that daylight is distributed evenly through most
of the building, minimizing the need for artificial lighting. |
| • |
Properly sized overhangs prevent solar heat
gain in warm seasons. |
| • |
Light colors were selected for the interior
to help with daylighting. |
| • |
Motion detectors automatically shut off
lights if rooms are left unoccupied. |
| • |
Photosensors automatically dim and brighten
the fluorescent lights in response to changes in the amount
of lighting being provided by the sun. |
Passive Heating and
Cooling Strategies:
| • |
The building's south-facing,
energy-efficient windows combined with a tight, well-insulated
building envelope permit the sun to provide all of the heat
energy necessary to keep the Science House at its temperature
set point even on cold winter days. |
| • |
Sun angles were used to determine the size
of the overhangs to allow for winter season solar heat gain. |
| • |
The concrete floor serves as thermal mass
for storing the heat gain during the day and helping to balance
the inside temperatures by slowly releasing captured heat. |
| • |
Building placement set into the northern
slope allows for an earth berm to insulate a portion of the
structure. |
| • |
Natural ventilation occurs through operable
low windows on the south side combined with clerestory windows
and the entry tower allow for a chimney effect to help cool
the building by exhausting heat during the summer. |
Shading of Structure:
2' overhangs
Envelope:
| • |
Wall thickness: 2x6 walls |
| • |
Insulation R-values: Icynene
spray-in foam insulation
| - |
Roof: R-43, U-0.023,
10" of ceiling insulation |
| - |
Wall: R-28, U-0.035 |
| - |
Foundation: R-11, U-0.091 for
slab perimeter insulation |
|
| • |
Building tightness: Specific attention
was given to detailing the seams and prevention of thermal
bridging and energy loss through a tight building. |
| • |
Windows:
| - |
U-0.32, R-3 |
| - |
High-efficiency double-pane Andersen
window assembly |
|
Climate Control Systems:
| • |
Four-ton ground-source heat
pump |
| • |
Forced air |
| • |
Energy recovery ventilation |
Backup Heating/Power:
| • |
Electric resistance heating |
| • |
Utility grid inter-tie through the Science
Museum |
Total Building Energy
Use: 7,269 kWh, at 60% lower than the code base
Renewable Energy System Information
Solar System Description
and Size:
| • |
The photovoltaic thin-film
adhered to the troughs of the standing seam metal roofs of
the building and the adjacent shed make electricity from the
sun. |
| • |
The slope of the roof was adjusted to match
the sun's angle to improve production of solar energy.
This integration into the design and structure of the building
allows for different design decisions to be made about the
shape of the building. |
| • |
At the same time, this integration of systems
extends the life of the metal roof while reducing the need
for racks for mounting panels. |
| • |
10.2 kW Unisolar PV laminate |
Financial Incentives/Donations:
A grant from Xcel Energy's Renewable Development Fund covered the
cost of the PV roof.
Date of Installation
Completion:
| • |
First 8.8 kW – June 2003 |
| • |
Additional 1.4 kW – April 2007 |
System Designer:
Innovative Power
Systems (IPS)
System Engineer:
The Weidt Group
System Installer:
Innovative Power
Systems (IPS)
Estimated Amount
of Energy Delivered by System: 10,655 kWh
Actual Monitored
Energy Delivered by the System:
| • |
10,083 kWh (for the 8.8 kW
system. 12 months of monitoring data on the 10.2 kW system
is not yet available). |
| • |
Click
here to see a current Excel spreadsheet of the energy
production/consumption visit. |
Percent of Building's
Total Energy Use Provided by Solar: 139%
Tools Utilized
Modeling Software:
DOE-2.1E was used by the Weidt Group to analyze thermal energy and
lighting simulations for the building.
Motivation for Installation
The primary objective of this project was to
test the idea of whether it is possible to design, build, and operate
a building in this climate that is able to supply all of its energy
needs from renewable energy on an annual basis.
Lessons Learned
| • |
It is possible to design, build,
and operate a zero-emissions building in Minnesota. |
| • |
"The Science House, both as a building
and as a design process, was conceived as experimental in
nature. As the team developed the project, it confirmed many
of the original assumptions and discovered some unexpected
challenges. Site conditions had a noticeable impact on project
resources and the final building location. Because of the
site's geologic and commercial history, the project team devoted
significant time and money to designing a stable building
platform. The team even considered floating the building in
a pond." |
| • |
"A zero-energy building comes with
design trade-offs. The capability of the photovoltaic system,
as well as its module size, directly impacted the size and
shape of the building. The Science House's window placement,
in contrast to being based exclusively on views and facade
composition, was based almost entirely on its impact on the
building's energy efficiency through passive solar and daylighting
strategies." |
| • |
"During construction, additional logistic
considerations had to be made to assemble the photovoltaic
system on site while coordinating with other disciplines and
weather conditions. The client wanted the mechanical systems
visible for use as an educational tool; although this may
benefit this particular program, the impact on acoustics would
make this arrangement undesirable in most situations." |
(Source: U.S.
Department of Energy: Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Buildings
Technology Database)
Other Sustainable Features
| • |
Solar electricity powers a
ground-source heat pump that circulates a non-toxic fluid
through plastic tubes looped down four, 250-foot-deep wells.
The heat pump extracts heat from the earth to warm the Science
House in winter. The heat pump extracts heat from the Science
House and dissipates it into the earth to cool the Science
House in summer. |
| • |
Energy-efficient lighting and lighting controls
minimize the use of electricity to light the Science House.
|
| • |
Spray-in foam insulation in the walls and
ceiling creates a building envelope with a high R-value and
minimal uncontrolled air infiltration. |
(Source: Science
Museum of Minnesota)
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