Daylighting Colorado's Seven Generations
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By Maria Stamas
Rocky Mountain Institute's work on the Seven Generations Office Park has helped the Fort Collins property become the first in North Colorado to receive the distinguished LEED platinum award.
By incorporating a combination of high-performance window glazing, light shelves, high ceilings and other innovations, Victor Olgyay and Josh Hathaway -- consultants with RMI’s Built Environment Team -- ensured the 56,000 square-foot office space received all of the LEED daylighting credits. This means that 90 percent of the building is 'day-lit' -- utilizing as much natural light as possible.
As well as adding windows and other components, the consultants determined how to best direct the light. For instance, inside light shelves can bounce light off of ceilings, light tubes can direct overhead sun into a room and high ceilings allow for deeper penetration of natural daylight.
These measures not only lower electricity use and minimize cooling loads, they also provide a comfortable internal environment that boosts health and productivity among the building's occupants.
Window glazing reduces heat gain and loss with no compromise in lighting.
External light shelves, which are horizontal light-reflecting overhangs, improve daylight penetration, create shade near the window and help reduce window glare.
The offices' high ceilings also allow sunrays to enter from a higher angle with light able to permeate throughout the office.
Seven Generations incorporates a variety of other best green building practices, including: native landscaping, which helped reduce exterior water use by 84 percent; recycled and locally-sourced materials; highly efficient HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) systems, that contributed to a 50 percent reduction in total energy usage.
Attaching photovoltaic panels to window overhangs clinched the LEED platinum designation. The overhangs create energy while improving visibility.
LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high-performance “green” buildings, according to the U.S. Green Building Council.
It promotes a whole-systems approach to sustainability by recognizing five categories for which companies are awarded points for certification: sustainable site development, water efficiency, materials and resources selection, energy efficiency and indoor environmental quality.
According to its developers, leasing and sales prices of Seven Generations are comparable to conventional designs while operating costs are approximately 50 to 70 percent less than average through increased energy and resource efficiency.