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Despite late-stage cost cutting requirements, the integrated design and retention of critical lighting components resulted in a magnificent entry to the zoo.

Daylight Penetration
Daylight penetration is important in this facility. To see more details of how daylighting was incorporated, click on the graphics below.

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Design Goals
The main goal for this building was to produce an environmentally responsible design that would demonstrate that energy efficiency can be elegant and beautiful.

Architect
The architects aimed for an ecologically balanced environment that would teach visitors about sustainable development.

Lighting designer
The goal was to balance daylight and electric light so that the electric light would only supplement the daylight, not duplicate it. Since the daylight was so plentiful, the electric lighting was designed for nighttime social functions, which meant that lower light levels and less uniform light was acceptable.

What were the constraints?
Money. The construction bid came in much higher than the construction cost estimate, so the project needed to trim 20% of the costs. Lighting controls were an easy target, since it didn't cost anything to eliminate them. If controls were more thoroughly integrated with the design from the outset, it would have been more difficult to remove them, and the energy savings would have been substantially greater.

What were the greatest challenges?
The need to educate the owner, architect, and contractor on the benefits of top-quality lighting equipment and controls. Lighting control technology was relatively unknown at the time of this project (designed 1992-1994, built 1994-1995), so there wasn't a lot of data or experience with controls.

What prompted the decision to use controls?
Using controls minimizes energy usage, and the philosophy behind the building argued for maximizing daylight use.

Was there a 'champion' for the use of controls?
The architect and lighting designer argued for their use.

Solutions
Education of the owner and architect was a key issue. Since cost cutting was a major issue, it took a lot of persuasion to keep the good quality lighting equipment on the project. Architectural changes are more costly, so it seemed like an easy fix to eliminate lighting controls to save initial cost. Due to the potential energy savings lost, the architect now regrets the decision to cut the lighting controls.

How did you meet the challenges and constraints?
We put in a lot of time educating the owner and architect on the value of energy-efficient equipment and controls. We were finally able to keep our top priority of T8 lamps and electronic ballasts.

What did you learn from doing this project?
Start the education process early!

What were the successful moments or unexpected consequences?
What was the worst problem you faced?
The worst problem was the cost cutting, but the most successful moment was when the owner and architect backed the use of good quality lighting equipment on the project and kept the T8 lamps and electronic ballasts.

Benefits
There were numerous benefits of the design decisions.

Reduced energy use - The building may not be achieving all of its potential energy savings, but at least the connected load is low compared to other public buildings of its type (0.8 watts/ft.2).

In the design phase, the energy use was predicted to be 78% lower than a conventional building of comparable size and use.

The mechanical (HVAC) system was down-sized because of the excellent glazing specifications and minimal electric lighting loads. This saved money for the total construction.

Human factors - The building itself is a living example of sustainable design. Visitors notice and enjoy the daylighting, and the educational aspect is very important to the owners.

Reduced construction or retrofit costs from integrated design - Minimal electric lighting and excellent glazing resulted in lower HVAC requirements, which saved on initial construction cost.

The best result is that the building is a beautiful example, practicing what it preaches. Visitors can see and feel the effects of designing ‘green’, and the staff have a top-quality work environment.

Specifications & Credits

Interview with Clint Blew Duration : 7 minutes 7 seconds

Owners :  Friends of the Zoo
Architects :  BNIM Architects (Robert J. Berkebile, FAIA; Thompson F. Nelson, FAIA; James C. Tomlinson, AIA; Dale Duncan, RA; David Bell, AIA; Clint Blew; AIA; Dan Maginn, Keith Muller, AIA), Kansas City, MO
Engineers :  Structural Engineering Associates, Kansas City, MO; M. E. Group, Kansas City, MO
Controls manufacturer :  Sterner Controls
Ballast manufacturer :  Advance Transformer Co.
Size :  72,000 sq. ft.