High-Performance Portfolio

Feature: Research Support Facility

"People ask me, 'How are you going to feel in 10 years, when someone outperforms this building?' " says Mr. Baker, the director of lab operations. "I tell them, 'We're going to feel great,' " he says. "Because they'll know where it all started."

from The Wall Street Journal

by: Stephanie Simon

Going "Green" means saving "Green"

In Pursuit of a Net-Zero Energy Building

The DOE/NREL Research Support Facility, located at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, is perhaps the world's most energy efficient building. DOE’s goal of creating a facility that demonstrated their core principles (renewable energy use and energy efficiency) was guided using the 3PQ Acquisition & Management System.

The Result: This project achieved a variety of DOE/NREL facility requirements, goals, and expectations - including both Sustainability & Budget Satisfaction.

At 220,000 SF (including the Campus Data Center), this LEED™ Platinum Certified facility has more LEED Credits (59) than any other Federal owned facility in the United States. DesignSense provided the development and documentation of the RFP and other supporting acquisition instruments to create this award winning office building.

With the RFP Documentation completed in 2007 and occupancy established in Spring of 2010, this world-class office building holds a remarkable record for speed of acquisition. At $259/SF construction cost (below average for the Denver market); the Research Support Facility

"is leading the way for the private sector"

(U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu: ENR, April 11, 2011)

YouTube-Video

The RSF Project has received more than 20 awards, including:

The Design-Build Institute of America

Award for Excellence

American Institute of Architects (AIA National)

AIA/Committee on the Environment (COTE) Top Ten Green Projects Awards

American Concrete Institute (ACI), Rocky Mountain Chapter

Award of Excellence for Green Construction

Engineering News Record (ENR)

2011 Award of Excellence