Join NESEA for a Pro Tour of a high performance, 55,000 square foot building on the Dartmouth College campus that combined a major addition with targeted renovation to house the newly created Irving Institute for Energy and Society.

Completed in 2022, this building fulfilled the client’s vision to marry aspirational architecture with energy efficiency and sustainable design elements for a building that is best-in-class for its time. Having started as a 1970s building, which was renovated and expanded, the final project demonstrates methods for decarbonize existing structures while piloting integrated systems rarely seen in Climate Zone 6, including automated natural ventilation, radiant floor and ceilings, automated shading systems, and daylight features.

The event hosts, van Zelm Engineers, will be leading the event and are eager to share their work with the NESEA community. The tour will begin with an opening workshop where the team will discuss the history, goals, and design and construction strategies. You’ll also learn about the actual vs modeled building performance with data from its earliest stages of occupancy to date. Attendees will then break into small groups to tour the facility while hearing more from the interdisciplinary team of experts who made the building possible. After the tour, you’ll regroup for a reception and Q&A, giving attendees the opportunity to chat with the day’s speakers and each other.

More About the Building:
The high-performing envelope drives down heating and cooling loads, allowing the building to operate with ultra-efficient radiant ceilings throughout workspaces and a radiant slab in the large atrium space. The building’s innovative, architecturally integrated cooling and ventilation strategies will help it meet future needs, with 83% of occupied spaces being served by the automated natural ventilation system. The centerpiece of this system—a double-skin glass portico at the main entrance—echoes the campus’s traditional architecture while enhancing ventilation performance. Physically weaving together old and new structures resulted in embodied carbon savings (through material reductions) and operational carbon savings (through system upgrades) to support campuswide decarbonization goals. Other architectural components that support the natural ventilation system include the rooftop thermal vent to drive natural ventilation system, full-height dampers architecturally integrated in atrium wall, and automated awning and parallel project windows.

The team also worked to identify and eliminate harmful substances and avoiding Red List materials. Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) and bio-based materials were also favored wherever possible, contributing to lower carbon emissions, improved air quality, enhanced thermal comfort, and support for biophilic design principles.

Certifications:
LEED Platinum Certification

Awards:

• USGBC New Hampshire Building of the Year
• Market Leader Award for Energy and Water Efficiency, USGBC Massachusetts
• Excellence in Architecture Merit Award, AIA New Hampshire