AKF - Services - Sustainable Design: Approach

Approach & Capabilities

Commissioning

Computation Fluid Dynamics

Design Experts

DOE-2 Energy Modeling

Profiles

US Green Building Council

Services: Sustainable Design

Approach
At AKF we believe sustainable design requires a commitment to integrated design that emphasizes the involvement of all stakeholders from the beginning of the design process. The opportunities for affordable sustainability are greatest at the project start and decrease significantly as the design progresses.

Our design paradigm is that the building architecture has the primary role in modulating the building's interior environment. The mechanical and electrical systems are not primary, but instead make-up for what the building fabric and site resources cannot provide. We believe this approach is important in achieving an integrated design at the lowest possible cost impact.

AKF takes a collaborative approach to sustainable design. We are proactive in expressing our ideas to other team members and are always ready to listen to suggestions that can improve our designs. This collaborative approach allows for the optimum integration of the engineering systems with the architecture and results in the best project.

Our philosophy of sustainable design is founded on three basic principals:

Harvest Free Energy - First, maximize the harvesting of available on-site renewable energy by advantageous building orientation and massing, correct placement of fenestration to maximize daylight potential and optimize solar gain, optimal placement of passive ventilation openings and discharge points and other passive strategies. The proper utilization of daylight has a profound impact on building energy use, occupant comfort and health. We are proponents of the use of natural ventilation, passive heating and/or cooling and geothermal energy where appropriate.
Reduce Building Loads - Second, optimize remaining loads that affect building performance. The design of efficient electric lighting systems, realistic plug load allowances, optimized building envelopes and the education of the building owner to alternative indoor environmental control systems and strategies have a major impact on the affordability of sustainable strategies.
Employ Efficient Systems - Finally, once maximum benefit is extracted from available site resources and building imposed loads are reduced to the greatest extent possible, we design efficient mechanical and electrical systems. These systems are "right sized" based on an optimized building, require less capacity and have a lower first cost than systems that are not designed in this manner. The opportunities to apply high performance, low energy systems and strategies are greater because the building systems are asked to do less. We believe our approach results in the realization of the maximum sustainable potential for the project at the lowest bottom line impact.

We also believe that the integrated process results in a better overall project in terms of energy use, operating cost and occupant comfort.

Capabilities
Our sustainable design capabilities start with our experienced professional staff and collaborative approach to engineering. We are members of the United States Green Building Council and three Partners of the firm are LEED® Accredited Professionals. Our sustainable design solutions have included geothermal heat pump systems, photo-voltaics, hybrid natural/mechanical ventilation, radiant heating and cooling, thermal storage, heat recovery, energy efficient lighting control systems, gray water storage and treatment systems, cogeneration plants and alternate fuel chillers. We have full building energy modeling capabilities utilizing the DOE II based VisualDOE program as well as the Trane Trace modeling software. AKF provides computation fluid dynamics modeling using Fluent software. We have also assisted our clients in the process of procuring rebates and incentives for energy efficient equipment and systems. Our Commissioning Group is available to provide basic and enhanced Commissioning Services for LEED® projects. Our services and capabilities including the following:

Building Energy Modeling
Computational Fluid Dynamics
LEED® Commissioning Services
LEED® Consulting Services
Rebate/Incentive Consulting Services
Sustainable MEP Design Services