In accordance with the government’s commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, Atelier Ten is guiding the sustainable design of the Design Excellence building to reduce operational resource demands and restore a working wetland.
The design of the Design Excellence office building began shortly after the GSA announced its goal of “net zero environmental impact.” Atelier Ten worked with the landscape, civil, and plumbing engineers to restore working wetlands, manage stormwater, and dramatically reduce potable water use in the building, cooling towers, and irrigation.
Atelier Ten worked closely with Krueck + Sexton Architects to develop a high-performance building envelope. The façade glazing performance and shading geometry were developed through iterative daylight and energy analyses. The result is a comfortable, daylit office that also meets solar control, privacy, and blast requirements. Furthermore, Atelier Ten identified and modeled energy efficiency strategies to reduce the building’s peak electrical load and to reduce annual energy cost.
