In 2011, the Department of Energy created the Consortium for Building Energy Innovation (CBEI)—formerly the Energy Efficient Buildings Hub—with the goal of developing the means to reduce the energy usage of commercial buildings 20 percent by 2020. CBEI comprises more than twenty member organizations, led by Penn State University, who are working toward whole building-system solutions. Kieran Timberlake undertook the retrofit of a former recreation center at the Philadelphia Navy Yard to serve as headquarters for this innovation cluster, along with a new classroom building on an adjacent site.
The Georgian-style brick building constructed during World War II and updated in 2015 serves as the headquarters for CBEI. (OT061652-OT061661)
The newly constructed building across the street will serve as a teaching facility for Penn State’s College of Engineering. (OT052939-OT052951)
Just as the renovated headquarters building demonstrates best practices for an affordable, energy-efficient retrofit of an older building, this facility demonstrates best practices for a prototypical new commercial building. It demonstrates a fully holistic approach to sustainable systems coupled with close integration to the building’s site and an adjacent park. Environmental features include a green roof, a gray water reuse system, integrated daylighting strategies, innovative facade approaches for shading and thermal performance, and geothermal wells. (Kieran Timberlake)