Baltimore, Md. — RMF Engineering was recently selected to present at Engineering Sustainability 2013 (ES2013) conference hosted by the University of Pittsburg’s Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation and Carnegie Mellon’s Steinbrenner Institute for Environmental Education and Research. ES2013 brings together engineers and scientists from academia, government, industry and nonprofits to share results of cutting-edge research and practice directed at development of environmentally sustainable buildings and infrastructure.
RMF Project Manager, Avery Monroe PE, LEED AP co-presented at one of the conference’s technical sessions: “The Science of Water and How it Can Inform Design.” He presented along with Clark Nexsen Lead Designer / Project Architect, Don Kranbuehl, AIA, PE, LEED AP Associate.
Their presentation was based on a paper co-authored by Nancy White, MLA PhD, executive director of the UNC Coastal Studies Institute (UNC CSI) and Kranbuehl.
The presentation featured, “Water as Design Inspiration in Architecture and Engineering – The Design of the UNC Coastal Studies Institute”. It included discussion surrounding the importance of natural waters, building water systems and how the project team met the challenges of functionality, aesthetics and sustainability in the extreme conditions of the Outer Banks coastal environment in North Carolina.
UNC CSI is a new, 52,000 square foot research facility located on a 200-acre site along the Croatan Sound on the Outer Banks near the Town of Manteo. The facility includes research labs for marine archeology, coastal processes, estuarine ecology, public policy, and engineering, teaching classrooms and labs, as well as marine operations, administration and research offices.
The building is heated and cooled through the use of a central open loop geothermal system utilizing raw municipal well water provided by a partnership with Dare County in conjunction with a heat pump chiller/heater, pumps and central VAV air handling units. The chiller/heater is of modular design capable of simultaneously producing chilled water and heating water. The system is the first of its kind and of this scale in the state of North Carolina, facilitated through cooperation and integration of the county, the university and state agencies.
The facility was designed to achieve LEED Gold Certification, with particular emphasis on low energy use and water conservation.
It boasts 40% HVAC system energy savings over typical energy-code compliant systems, and 50% water savings over typical code compliant systems, utilizing low-flow plumbing fixtures and storm water collection systems. It is UNC CSI’s goal to be a model for sustainability in the local and regional communities.
Read more about the project here.
About RMF Engineering
Founded in 1983, RMF Engineering provides planning, design, engineering, commissioning and facility assessment services globally to clients in the healthcare, higher education, laboratory/research and government sectors. The firm leads the industry in the development of new engineering production methods and technologies, including Building Information Modeling (BIM), carbon reduction strategies, and in-depth assessment technologies. A privately held company headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland, RMF has more than 200 employees in 10 U.S. offices.
