Infrastructure

Renovating older science buildings requires the application of appropriate sustainability technology to match building constraints.

The expansion and renovation of a 1970s Physical Science facility with low floor-to-floor heights at SUNY Oneonta is a good example of how this problem can be solved. Infrastructure design solutions for the project utilized Chilled Beam technology for heating and cooling of over 70% of the building area; mixed-mode ventilation in the public spaces, allowing natural cross-ventilation in the shoulder seasons; and sensor technology in the labs, tied to the building management system, providing real-time assessments of air quality. All of these systems enabled reduced primary equipment, a shallow ductwork distribution network, and higher ceilings in occupied spaces. Energy model projections rate this building 60% carbon neutral relative to the US average of this building type.