The path to net-zero energy is filled with promise. Campus buildings offer a unique opportunity: they can be testbeds for new ideas and may also double as teaching tools.
In the fourth episode of the Holcim Awards 2023 limited webinar series, we speak with Ryan Bussard of Perkins&Will and Erik L’Heureux of the National University of Singapore (NUS).
Their respective Holcim Award-winning projects are North America Bronze winner Kaiser Borsari Hall (Bellingham, USA) and Asia Pacific Bronze winner NUS Yusof Ishak House (Singapore). Despite their very different settings, these two campus buildings are bound by a desire to decarbonise and enhance well-being.
This conversation brings to light the hardware and mindware needed to achieve net-zero design, particularly in a campus setting. Cutting energy demand is part of the equation, but net zero can also require a shift in culture — decoupling wants from needs. A lifecycle approach is also critical.
Kaiser Borsari Hall was designed by Perkins&Will as a net-zero facility for multidisciplinary collaboration on Western Washington University’s campus.Kaiser Borsari Hall, says Ryan Bussard, is an upcoming 54,000-square-foot mass-timber building on Western Washington University’s campus in Bellingham, USA. It integrates otherwise fragmented academic departments under one roof. It is the first higher education STEM building in the United States to pursue the Zero Energy and Zero Carbon certifications from the International Living Future Institute.
The use of timber will shrink the building’s embodied carbon footprint by 68%.The project uses a cross-laminated timber structure to reduce embodied carbon, and on-site energy generation and storage to decrease operational emissions. Over 105% of its energy use will be produced through renewables on and off site.
Named after Singapore’s first president, NUS Yusof Ishak House has been a social and cultural hub for the students of NUS for over fifty years.NUS Yusof Ishak House, explains Erik L’Heureux, is an adaptive reuse project on the NUS campus. The building has been serving as a student centre since the 1970s. The new design amplifies the existing structure’s architectural language while championing net-zero energy and decarbonisation.
Large openings will allow for natural ventilation, while also connecting the students to the tropical landscape surrounding NUS Yusof Ishak House.To minimise energy consumption, the building’s existing six vaulted arches are amplified and elongated so they draw in the equatorial air, creating generous naturally ventilated spaces. Additionally, a hybrid cooling system uses fans to accelerate air that is cooled in strategic locations. A rooftop photovoltaic array generates energy.
Two key aspects make a net-zero-energy building successful: first, the design must bring about significant cuts in energy usage; and secondly, it must produce enough power on site to cover its operational requirements. The process of designing and delivering such a building, therefore, looks significantly different.
Multiple systems work in sync to maximise energy and resource efficiency at Kaiser Borsari Hall.Ryan points to the importance of a co-design process in which all stakeholders — including architects, engineers, specialists, end users, and building operations and maintenance staff — should be at the table from the beginning to find alignment. Erik seconds the idea, but also emphasises the role of the architect as the driver of the conversation, with the ability to synthesise voices.
To diminish energy consumption, both Ryan and Erik underline the importance of passive design as the first tier of response. For instance, the openings in Kaiser Borsari Hall’s facade were optimised to to decrease solar gain while maximising daylight and views; they take up only 34% of the vertical surface area but illuminate 90% of the interiors.
The hybrid cooling system at NUS Yusof Ishak House disassociates temperature from comfort, using ceiling fans to accelerate 100% fresh air.The second tier of response, suggests Erik, is pushing and managing expectations, particularly those of the end-users and facilities managers. For instance, pushback about the exclusion of vending machines from NUS Yusof Ishak House was reconsidered after communication about the reduction of plug loads and energy goals.
Solar panels cover over 75% of the roof area at the Kaiser Borsari Hall to maximise the energy potential of the site.Earning stakeholders’ trust, it turns out, is key to the success of a high-performing building. Both Ryan and Erik stress that the relationship needs to be cultivated and requires constant upkeep, which increases efficiency over time.
A new brise-soleil sunscreen has been introduced at NUS Yusof Ishak House to improve the solar shading performance of the building envelope.The good news is that buildings focused on efficiency and impact are becoming increasingly affordable. By being smart about the dollars, says Ryan, such structures can be built within traditional budgets. Erik estimates that costs related to net-zero goals for NUS Yusof Ishak House will be recovered within its first eight years of operation.
For Ryan, Kaiser Borsari Hall is also an essential teaching tool — it makes visible its mechanical and structural systems for all to see. For Erik, the learning simply lies in the building’s performance. A well-functioning space, he believes, invites more people in, and in turn, increases the demand for such high-performance buildings.
This limited webinar series is created in collaboration with:
| The Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction
The Holcim Foundation helps drive systemic change towards a more sustainable built environment. It was founded in 2003 to define and promote the key principles of sustainability for the construction sector and is committed to accelerating the sector’s transformation so that people and the planet can thrive. The Foundation has investigated various aspects of sustainable construction via a series of roundtables and conferences with international experts. It has also recognised excellent contributions to this field with the Holcim Awards which are considered the world’s most significant competition for sustainable design. Committed to a holistic approach that recognises the equal importance and interdependence of four key goals, the Foundation combines the collective knowledge, ideas, and solutions of our global community of experts with our recognised platform of international competitions to democratise thought leadership for the entire sector. The Holcim Foundation is proud to team up with Ecogradia and the host of its podcast, Nirmal Kishnani, with whom we share a common goal: contribute to a just, equitable and sustainable future via sustainable construction and design. |
 |
This limited webinar series is created in collaboration with:
The Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction
The Holcim Foundation helps drive systemic change towards a more sustainable built environment. It was founded in 2003 to define and promote the key principles of sustainability for the construction sector and is committed to accelerating the sector’s transformation so that people and the planet can thrive.
The Foundation has investigated various aspects of sustainable construction via a series of roundtables and conferences with international experts. It has also recognised excellent contributions to this field with the Holcim Awards which are considered the world’s most significant competition for sustainable design.
Committed to a holistic approach that recognises the equal importance and interdependence of four key goals, the Foundation combines the collective knowledge, ideas, and solutions of our global community of experts with our recognised platform of international competitions to democratise thought leadership for the entire sector.
The Holcim Foundation is proud to team up with Ecogradia and the host of its podcast, Nirmal Kishnani, with whom we share a common goal: contribute to a just, equitable and sustainable future via sustainable construction and design.
Representing Kaiser Borsari Hall (Bellingham, USA) is Ryan Bussard, Design Director and Principal at Perkins&Will. Other team members behind the project include Susan Clark (Perkins&Will), Andy Clinch (Perkins&Will), Anthony Gianopoulos (Perkins&Will), Shanni Hanein (Perkins&Will), Devin Kleiner (Perkins&Will), and Jason McLennan (International Living Future Institute).
W | Perkins&Will
Representing NUS Yusof Ishak House (Singapore) is Erik L’Heureux, Dean’s Chair Associate Professor, Department of Architecture at the National University of Singapore. Other team members behind the project, also from the National University of Singapore, include Giovanni Cossu, Bertrand Lasternas, and Yan Leng Koh.
Host
Nirmal Kishnani
Producer
Maxime Flores
Editor-at-large
Narelle Yabuka
Senior editor
Tyler Yeo
Senior communications executive
Sana Gupta
Art director
Alexander Melck | Phlogiston
Sound technician and editor
Kelvin Brown | Phlogiston
Video editors
Guellor Muguruka | Phlogiston
Madelein Myburgh | Phlogiston
You can follow us and share your views on
If you like this episode and want to hear more, head to one of these podcast directories
or other listening apps where you follow podcasts. There, you can listen to other Ecogradia episodes and write a review.
Better still, subscribe to our podcast today. Every new episode will be automatically downloaded on your chosen device, ready to be enjoyed offline, anytime, anywhere. And by doing so, you’ll be helping us produce even more great content.
Subscribe to our newsletter and be the first to know
Sign up to find out who’s next on the show, which ideas and solutions are moving sustainability forward. Get our newsletter in your inbox once every two weeks.
Recent podcast episodes
Recent blog posts
Before posting, please review our comment policy here.
Ecogradia is a new platform on sustainable architecture and urbanism. Here and on our podcast, you’ll find stories, ideas and solutions from thinkers and makers who are shaping a regenerative future, one blueprint at a time.
© 2022–2024 Ecogradia Private Limited. All rights reserved.
25 Responses
3d9wrl
cfc4x2
I will right away grab your rss as I can not find your email subscription link or newsletter service. Do you have any? Please let me know so that I could subscribe. Thanks.
Valuable information. Lucky me I found your web site by accident, and I am shocked why this accident did not happened earlier! I bookmarked it.
Great post however I was wondering if you could write a litte more on this topic? I’d be very grateful if you could elaborate a little bit more. Thanks!
I simply couldn’t leave your site prior to suggesting that I actually enjoyed the standard info an individual supply for your guests? Is going to be back regularly in order to investigate cross-check new posts.
Hi there, You’ve done a fantastic job. I will definitely digg it and personally recommend to my friends. I’m sure they’ll be benefited from this website.
Hmm is anyone else having problems with the images on this blog loading? I’m trying to find out if its a problem on my end or if it’s the blog. Any feed-back would be greatly appreciated.
I’ll right away clutch your rss as I can’t to find your e-mail subscription hyperlink or newsletter service. Do you have any? Kindly let me recognise in order that I may subscribe. Thanks.
What’s Going down i am new to this, I stumbled upon this I’ve found It positively helpful and it has aided me out loads. I hope to contribute & assist other users like its aided me. Good job.
certainly like your web-site but you need to check the spelling on several of your posts. Many of them are rife with spelling problems and I find it very bothersome to tell the truth nevertheless I will certainly come back again.
Zencortex reviews
Good – I should definitely pronounce, impressed with your site. I had no trouble navigating through all tabs and related information ended up being truly easy to do to access. I recently found what I hoped for before you know it at all. Reasonably unusual. Is likely to appreciate it for those who add forums or something, web site theme . a tones way for your customer to communicate. Nice task..
Keep up the fantastic piece of work, I read few content on this site and I believe that your web site is rattling interesting and holds sets of superb info .
I’m not sure why but this site is loading very slow for me. Is anyone else having this problem or is it a problem on my end? I’ll check back later on and see if the problem still exists.
Very interesting points you have observed, thanks for posting. “These days an income is something you can’t live without–or within.” by Tom Wilson.
I simply could not go away your site before suggesting that I extremely loved the usual information a person provide in your visitors? Is going to be again ceaselessly in order to check out new posts
I will immediately clutch your rss as I can’t find your email subscription hyperlink or newsletter service. Do you’ve any? Please let me realize in order that I could subscribe. Thanks.
Gucci Handbags Have you investigated adding some videos for your article? It will truly enhance my understanding
Outstanding post, I think website owners should larn a lot from this web blog its very user genial.
As I website owner I believe the content material here is real fantastic, appreciate it for your efforts.
Do you have a spam issue on this website; I also am a blogger, and I was curious about your situation; many of us have created some nice practices and we are looking to exchange methods with others, please shoot me an email if interested.
Thanks for another excellent post. Where else could anybody get that kind of information in such an ideal way of writing? I’ve a presentation next week, and I am on the look for such information.
After study a few of the blog posts on your website now, and I truly like your way of blogging. I bookmarked it to my bookmark website list and will be checking back soon. Pls check out my web site as well and let me know what you think.
excellent post, very informative. I ponder why the other specialists of this sector don’t understand this. You should proceed your writing. I’m confident, you have a great readers’ base already!