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2024 GFD 🏆 Awards

Gold Winner | Suffolk County Community College Renewable Energy And Stem Center | AECOM

The Renewable Energy and STEM Center at Suffolk County Community College is both the first net zero energy building for Suffolk County Community College and Long Island itself, showcasing the advantages of renewable energy and sustainability. Embracing the three main points of the sustainability triangle: economic, environmental, and social, this building serves as an ambassador of sustainability to the school; a foresighted endeavor to improve lives in the community.

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Gold 🏆 Winner
Global Future Design Awards 2024

Suffolk County Community College Renewable Energy And Stem
Center
Sustainable Architecture (Built)

Firm
AECOM

Architect/Designer
AECOM

Design Team
Jason Vollen, Rob Rothblatt, Jeff Burke, Roxanna Kariyannis, Francis Cooke

Location
Crooked Hill Rd, Brentwood, NY 11717

Country
United States

Photographer/Copyright
©AECOM

Architecturally a triangular wedge, the building is infused with natural light from all directions, featuring a full roof of PVs, insulating berms, and a demonstration roof garden at its heart. Compact at 25,000sf, the building showcases the exact energy systems students are learning; water and energy flow is expressed, celebrated, and calculated in a centrally located room.

The main objective is to establish a facility where the installation, maintenance, and repair of renewable energy systems, as well as the principles of sustainability and energy efficiency, can be taught and assessed. The center intends to provide incubator space for institutions and organizations involved in the development of innovative and marketable technologies. As a community college, these partnerships and opportunities are deemed vital for preparing students for transfer to four-year institutions or entry into the job market.

This project prioritizes sustainability through a reduced building footprint, optimizing roof geometry for solar exposure, and balancing the Window-to-Wall Ratio for energy efficiency and occupant comfort. Adhering to Passivhaus standards, the enhanced envelope, with R-40 insulation and U-0.15 glazing, ensures thermal performance. To combat extreme temperatures and poor air quality, permanent solar shades and Solar Tubes with daylight sensors are strategically placed, reducing reliance on artificial lighting. Both Green Roof and High Reflectance Roofing Material address heat island effects.

The HVAC system employs a Variable Refrigerant Flow system, coupled with a Ground Source Heat Pump, ensuring efficient ventilation with minimal energy consumption. Flush-mounted PV modules on the roof, optimized for solar exposure, exemplify the project’s commitment to renewable energy. In essence, the design harmonizes environmental responsibility, occupant well-being, and energy conservation, creating a sustainable and resilient architectural solution.

Using Revit’s daylighting analysis tool Autodesk Insight 360, simulations were conducted to assess Spatial Daylight Autonomy (sDA) and Annual Sunlight Exposure (ASE), prioritizing the well-being of occupants, which ensures optimal daylight metrics, contributing to a healthier and more comfortable indoor environment. Crafted as a Net Zero Energy building with LEED Gold certification, this design seamlessly combines priorities: enhanced indoor environmental quality for well-being, a living laboratory as the core teaching approach, and the synchronization of passive house techniques with active building systems. The result is a reduction in operational energy demands and both capital and operational costs, thanks to on-site renewable energy generation. The Renewable Energy and STEM Center epitomizes this design, offering a dynamic space that functions as a living laboratory—flexible, smart, high-performing, and adaptable. It’s not just a space; it’s a creative haven for teaching.