NAVFAC Building 33
Location
Washington, DC
USA
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Certifications & Awards
Project Team
- Owner: Naval District Washington
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Summary
Building 33 is located in the historic Washington, D.C., Navy Yard, and its construction dates back to 1850. Originally a 45-foot-high, open-bay factory building, the facility, along with a linked building cluster, underwent a substantial renovation. The building's primary function is to house the general offices of the Naval Facilities Engineering Command.
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Overview
- Location: Washington, D.C.
- Building type(s): Commercial office
- Renovation of a historic 1850 building
- 156,000 sq. feet (14,500 sq. meters)
- Project scope: 4-story building
- Urban setting
- Completed July 1998
Building 33 is located in the historic Washington, D.C., Navy Yard, and its construction dates back to 1850. Originally a 45-foot-high, open-bay factory building, the facility, along with a linked building cluster, underwent a substantial renovation. The building's primary function is to house the general offices of the Naval Facilities Engineering Command.
Environmental Aspects
The project's reuse of a brownfield site and reuse of an existing building were its most prominent green features. Energy efficiency was a high priority, and it was accomplished by improving the thermal envelope and by reducing electricity consumption. Generous amounts of insulation were added to the new, internally applied ceiling and wall assemblies, and insulated glass panels were installed on the interior of existing windows. Daylighting and task lighting were used to reduce the amount of ambient lighting needed, and occupancy sensors and automatic dimming controls further contribute to overall lighting efficiency. Recycled content materials were used throughout, and some materials were salvaged from the site and reused.
Owner & Occupancy
Owned and occupied by Naval District Washington, Federal government
Building Programs
| Indoor Spaces: | Conference, Other, Office, Mechanical systems |
Keywords
Design charrette, Simulation, Brownfield redevelopment, Insulation levels, Glazing, Lighting control and daylight harvesting, Efficient lighting, Salvaged materials, Recycled materials, Occupant recycling, Daylighting, Thermal comfort
Team & Process
No additional funding was allocated for this project to pay for sustainable building strategies, so applying such strategies with no or minimal increase in initial costs became a top priority during the predesign phase. Making use of the "building within a building" concept was also an important priority for reasons of historical preservation and avoidance of the need to construct a new building.
A green design charrette resulted in a "Greening Plan" that identified opportunities and parameters to be considered by the interested design-build teams.
The renovation of this building involved removing a large quantity of interior structural elements and hazardous materials, including asbestos. Due to the original open-bay configuration of the building, new floor structures had to be constructed to allow for the building's conversion to office space. The original outside structure of the building was retained, with the exception of a small, lean-to addition, which was demolished.
Preventive maintenance inspections are performed on a regular basis by Navy personnel.
Commissioning was performed on the elevator, the uninterruptible power supply, and the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems.
Energy consumption data is tracked by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.
DOE BLAST (Building Loads Analysis and System Thermodynamics) software was used for energy modeling.
Finance & Cost
- Equity: Government appropriation
- Procurement process: Design-build
Cost data in U.S. dollars as of date of completion.
- Total project cost (land excluded): $21,000,000
The net initial investment to implement green measures, over and above a minimally compliant building without such measures, was approximately $95,000, or less than 0.5% of the total project cost. The resultant energy savings are approximately $58,000 each year, which equates to a simple payback of less than two years.
Site Description
The building is located in the Washington, D.C., Navy Yard, on an industrial brownfield site that was decontaminated prior to the start of the renovation.
- Preexisting structure(s), Brownfield site
Water Conservation and Use
All toilets, urinals, showers, faucets, and drinking fountains were selected for their efficient use of water.
Low-Water-Use Fixtures
- Use low-flow toilets
Energy
In order to preserve the building's historical integrity, the exterior shell was retained, and new interior roof and wall assemblies were constructed. This "building within a building" technique allowed for additional insulation, resulting in major improvements in comfort and energy efficiency. In addition, insulated glass panels were installed on the interior side of many existing, architecturally significant windows, greatly enhancing energy performance.
The building has a somewhat narrow cross-section, which allows for balanced daylighting since light can enter from both sides of the building. For additional daylighting, skylights were installed; these skylights were limited to the side of the building that does not face the street, due to appearance constraints. Horizontal, louver-type blinds, with perforations, provide solar shading with a wide range of adjustability. Together with the application of task lighting, these strategies allowed ambient lighting levels to be reduced from 50 to 35 footcandles, which, adjusted for the task-lighting energy offset, still resulted in a net reduction in energy consumption. Lighting energy consumption was further reduced by the use of occupancy sensors and automatic dimming controls.
Due to the efficiency measures that improved the thermal performance of the building envelope and reduced internal heat gains, chiller capacity was reduced from 500 to 330 tons. Piping, ductwork, and associated distribution peripherals were also downsized accordingly. Variable-frequency-drive motors were used throughout the building. Steam for space heating, cooling reheat, and domestic hot water is supplied by the central campus system. For a period during the summer cooling season, however, the central steam system is shut down, and an electric resistance boiler and several water heaters provide reheat and hot water, respectively.
An uninterruptible power supply system was installed in the building.
Materials & Resources
Many of the furnishings, carpet, geotextile materials, and waterproofing materials used for the project have recycled plastic content. Poured concrete and concrete masonry units (blocks) used in the building have flyash content. The sheets of drywall contain recycled gypsum, and the ceiling tiles contain recycled newsprint. Some bricks were recovered during demolition activities, cleaned up, and reused on the site.
Construction and demolition wastes were recycled to the degree possible; however, recycling activities were not monitored or reported.
A raised access floor and modular office components provide some reconfiguration flexibility within the existing use of the building.
Recycling by Occupants
Specify recycling receptacles that are accessible to the occupants
Salvaged Materials
- Use salvaged brick
Indoor Environment
Prior to occupancy, the building was ventilated to purge any residual airborne pollutants. Also, construction events were sequenced to allow adequate time to pass between the application of offgassing substances and the installation of absorptive materials.
The relatively open floor plan, with partial-height partitions, permits multiple locations to have access to daylighting and allows employees to communicate freely. An extremely quiet (downrated) air handling system minimizes background noise. Such a design results in a quiet environment but may be perceived as lacking acoustical privacy.
Visual Comfort and Interior Design
Design open floor plans to allow exterior daylight to penetrate to the interior
Install large interior windows to allow for the transmission of daylight
Acoustics and Mechanical System Noise
Control noise with large-volume, low-velocity air systems instead of lined ducts
Ventilation During Construction
Purge the building of VOCs during furniture installation prior to move-in
Awards
NAVFAC Design Awards Program in 1999; Category/title: Commanders Award for Design Excellence
Closing the Circle Award in 2003; Category/title: Sustainable Design/Green Buildings in Adaptive Reuse
AIA Washington, D.C., Chapter in 2000; Category/title: Honor Award for Design
Lessons Learned
Overall, the project demonstrates that a historic building can be successfully converted into an efficient, green-oriented office facility without the loss of architectural integrity. Energy savings were somewhat lower than expected; however, the payback for the additional expenditures required to achieve such savings was extremely favorable. Some energy strategies, such as shutting down the central campus steam plant during the summer, were beyond the scope of the original analysis.
Additional efforts directed toward verifying contractor compliance with the green requirements of this project would have been advantageous; likewise, full, instead of partial, building commissioning would have been beneficial. The positive outcomes associated with this project would have been further enhanced and more readily obtained had green design strategies been considered at the outset of the project — even as early as the budgeting stage.
Learn More
Building 33 is located at 1322 Patterson Avenue Southeast, in the historic Washington, D.C., Navy Yard.
Michael Chapman (Tour Contact) Naval Facilities Engineering Command 1322 Patterson Ave. SE Washington, D.C. 20374 202-685-9175 [https://portal.navfac.navy.mil](https://portal.navfac.navy.mil)Web sites
Case Study: NAVFAC Building 33
Publication: Whole Building Design Guide
This case study provides a fairly comprehensive overview of the project.
Others
Newsletter: Building 33, Washington Navy Yard: Piloting the Way in Sustainable Development
Publication: Closing the Circle News (Fall - Winter 2002)
This newsletter contains a summary of the Building 33 project, as well as information on other green federal buildings. (PDF 734 KB) Download Acrobat Reader
