This ranks among our most challenging missions: Constructing mechanical and plumbing systems for a “living building” on the campus of Georgia Tech in Atlanta. Opened in 2019, the Kendeda Building creates more natural resources than it uses. B&K played a pivotal role developing and installing an unusually large area of radiant flooring. We also had to keep all plumbing “off the grid” – as well as find a solution to an unexpected budget cut without forfeiting an plumbing capacity.
The most environmentally advanced education facility of its kind in the South.
The most ambitious project ever attempted at its scale in hot, humid weather.
And expected soon: Certification in 2021 by the Living Building Challenge, the top green building program in the world.
This is Georgia Tech’s Kendeda Building, a 47,000-square-foot facility that gives back more energy and water than it uses.
As a mechanical and plumbing partner during construction, Batchelor & Kimball was brought on to help develop the system of sending chilled and hot water through the floors — the primary means for heating and cooling the building.
But before any work began, an issue surfaced: The project was over budget.
“The team leading the project turned to us and said we had to find a way to cut $80,000 from the plumbing budget,” says Josh Trice, B&K’s project manager. “And we had to do it without forfeiting any of the system’s performance.” Complicating the challenge, he added, was the requirement that all of the plumbing in the structure had to be off the grid. “The project, after all, had to be the picture of sustainability,” Trice said.
When inside this amazing building, look up and you’ll see some of B&K’s craftsmanship…
In working with our partners to explore options, we hit upon an idea. What if we eliminated one of the two water treatment skids planned for the project – but added a water pump?
The second pump would provide needed redundancy without need for a full skid. Money would be saved. Square footage, too — it could be used for other purposes.
With that problem solved, B&K turned to the challenge of radiant flooring, one of the largest such installations in a commercial building in Georgia.
To fully cover the area of heating and cooling, we tightly packed radiant tubing throughout the slab floors. Ordinarily, such a task is highly labor-intensive. But we reduced 75% of labor hours by using ergonomically designed staple guns to fasten the tubing to the flooring in an upright position. (Our team was thankful to be standing up, rather than crouching over, for the task.)
Left: B&K’s Patricia Powell at work onsite. Right: Installation of thermal piping to support the radiant flooring that helps keep the Kendeda Building warm or cool.
Left: B&K’s Patricia Powell at work onsite. Right: Installation of thermal piping to support the radiant flooring that helps keep the Kendeda Building warm or cool.
The solutions wouldn’t be the only instance of B&K reaching a little deeper for an important project. At no cost to the client or our partners, we developed a mockup for a system to collect rainwater from the roof and solar panels to supply the building with potable water. We then tested drainage, storage and water quality to validate the idea.
And: When an outside vendor hit a wall with figuring out a way to build a workable composting system in a tight space, we turned to our network and brought in a new vendor who solved the problem and saved the day.
Update: In August 2020, Engineering News Record (ENR) named the Kendeda Building “Best Green Project.”
But before any work began, an issue surfaced: The project was over budget.
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