The International Living Future Institute (ILFI) has been working with the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation (ICECF) for numerous years to help support projects that have the target of Zero Energy in mind. The following is a result of a conversation that Haley Gardner, Manager of Energy + Carbon at ILFI, had with Gabriela Martin, Program Director, Energy at the ICECF, to discuss the overall achievements of the foundation, highlight some successful projects, and discuss the future of the foundation’s work. This program hopes to inspire other municipalities and project teams to evaluate potential catalysts similar to this foundation that can help move the market and support the development of more new net zero energy buildings.

Overview

The Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation (ICECF) was founded in 1999 by a local utility as a private foundation with a $250 million endowment with a three-part mission: 1) advance energy efficiency, 2) promote renewable energy, and 3) preserve natural areas within the state of Illinois. The foundation’s grant making is restricted to 501c3’s and local government agencies that serve Illinois residents.

Over the last 10 years, the focus started to shift towards buildings being celebrated for their performance rather than design. The ICECF had found that projects could submit promising modeled data but once the projects were checked up on, their performance data sometimes told a very different story. Therefore, they pivoted to requiring teams to submit actual performance data instead of modeling information. This new rigorous element added to the grant dovetailed nicely into kicking off a net-zero building target as it became easier to encourage teams to aim for this higher efficiency goal once their building’s performance was understood. 

Net Zero Energy Buildings

In 2016, the ICECF launched the Net Zero Energy Building Program to further focus their support of high-performing buildings that achieve an energy balance via energy efficiency and on-site renewable energy. In order to be an eligible applicant for this program, the building project must be registered with either Passive House (PHIUS+) or any International Living Future Institute (ILFI) program, such as Zero Energy or Living Building Challenge (LBC). If pursuing PHIUS+, the teams must receive a Pre-Certification Confirmation letter from Passive House wherein the project’s drawings, models, and other relevant documents are reviewed. If pursuing an ILFI program, the team must receive a Design Development Review Report from ILFI which shows a project team’s alignment with applicable requirements based on design drawings and narratives describing relevant energy systems.

When the Net Zero Energy Buildings Program was created, there were not very many projects pursuing net-zero energy in the midwest. However, the ICECF was confident this was the right path to forge. Local professionals in the AEC community had been under the impression that net-zero was not a feasible target for buildings in this region due to a climate that experiences a more extreme climate and does not receive constant sun. However, case studies started to arise about more and more buildings in harsher climates with less sun achieving this balance through intentional decisions made early on in design.

“Many architects at the time would add green building elements the way you would hang ornaments on a Christmas tree, not as an integrated strategy. With net-zero as a goal, we wanted to force designers to begin this thought process right from the beginning.” -Gabriela Martin

ICECF understood the potential of these types of projects and therefore sought to jumpstart this work and support teams who wanted to take on this challenge in order to work towards a more sustainable future. The Foundation also saw net-zero as a simple concept that was easy for newcomers to understand – take what you use and what you generate, now make sure it balances out. It was a calculation that was easy to hold people accountable for when those numbers were combined, without adding any convoluted data around EUI (energy use intensity) or any other metrics. 

Grant Process and Successes

Over the last  years, the Foundation has awarded 11 grants (4 schools, 3 recreational centers, 2 affordable housing projects, 1 community center, and 1 municipal complex) that range in size from 14,000-73,000 square feet. At the Foundation’s founding, the anticipated target audience was going to be small to medium projects (5,000-25,000 SF) as they did not anticipate any larger projects to be interested in taking on the challenge. However, from the onset they were surprised at the scale of projects that applied and showed great potential for achieving this goal of net-zero.

In order to receive a grant, the teams need to follow a 3-step application process: 

1. Provide an RFI (request for ideas) wherein the Foundation will assess if they should be invited to go on to the next step,
2. The Pre-Proposal where a more comprehensive application that aligns with the completion of schematic design reviewed, and 
3. The Final Proposal due upon completion of design development. 

During this process, the two key attributes the ICECF looks for in an applicant are their commitment to the goal of net-zero and that they are early in their design process. Additionally, while it is important that the team is not only applying for the monetary benefits of this grant, they must be financially stable and have all other funding prepared such that the project team is progressing in a timely manner once the grant is awarded. In order to ensure the team is committed, the Foundation looks to understand that they are willing and ready to perform ongoing monitoring to ensure targets are met and that they are early enough along to integrate best practices into their strategy and come in with a concept and completed research, rather than belatedly adding elements on quickly at the end. Lastly, they are looking to ensure that the level of complexity of the building operations will be manageable for the building occupants. 

Project Spotlight

Out of the projects that have either been awarded or applied for the grant through the ICECF, four have chosen to pursue ILFI’s Zero Energy Program. A summary of each project can be found below.

Adlai Stevenson High School (Lincolnshire, IL)

A 56,800SF addition to Adlai Stevenson High School that provided spaces for new language classrooms, maker space labs, multi-purpose presentation spaces, and physics + engineering lab spaces. There is also rooftop access to a greenhouse and other botany spaces making the project a living lab. The project achieved ILFI’s Zero Energy Certification in December of 2020. 
Explore ILFI’s case study here and the architect’s project write-up here.

Academy for Global Citizenship (Chicago, IL)

The Academy for Global Citizenship’s new six-acre campus includes a 72,000SF school building for nearly 600 students, preschool through 8th grade. The space also includes a three-acre farm with a barn, multiple greenhouses, hoop houses and livestock. The project team has a holistic design approach that they hope will serve as a learning lab as well as a model for modern school design, with aims to have a very positive impact on the community it serves. 

The Academy completed the Design Development Review Report in June of 2021 that confirmed its potential to achieve a net-positive energy balance, and is aiming to achieve ILFI’s Living Building Challenge.
Learn more about the school itself here and read more of its project details from the architects here.

Oak Park Community Center (Oak Park, IL)

In pursuit of Zero Energy Certification, the Oak Park Community Center is a 42,000SF building that includes a multitude of spaces such as a fitness center, locker rooms, eSports rooms, multipurpose meeting rooms, and a wellness suite. This is a community-centered project that is aiming to be a comfortable space for all occupants. The project incorporates numerous sustainable design features on top of all elements needed for net-zero energy design, including a green roof, bioswales, and permeable pavers. 

Learn directly about the project from the community here.

Countryside Municipal Complex (Countryside, IL)

In pursuit of Zero Energy Certification, this 36,000SF government building that includes a city hall and police station became the first municipal building in the state of Illinois to perform at net-zero energy. Located off of historic Route 66, this project sets the example for what all new government projects should look like. Additionally, despite having no utility bills due to a local franchise agreement with the utility, this project still chose to pursue net-zero energy to achieve this high level of sustainability within the building sector.

Learn more about the project from the designers here.

Future Plans

One of the most exciting next steps for the grant is to start outreach to keep spreading the word of the excellent work they are doing. They currently work with local Passive House and ILFI Collaborative chapters, but are just beginning to think about what they can do in 2022 to share what they have learned so far. Some plans include building owner outreach, collaboration within the AEC community, research on building codes and any barriers that may remain, and the creation of working groups to directly work together on these issues.

Call to Action

The ICECF exists to show people that net-zero is a feasible target for all projects. They want people to be willing to take the risk so they can realize that it is worth doing. Yes, there is extra effort required and there may be moments early in design when difficult decisions need to be made, but it is work doing for the sake of the project’s impact and the environment, not to mention the extra funding for the project itself. It is especially beneficial to schools and non-profit organizations that are better off spending their funds on their programming instead of utility bills. ICECF welcomes teams to dream about what more they can do with this money saved when net-zero is the goal. 

ILFI invites project teams to reach out to their local municipality or governing agency to see if there are similar programs or funding opportunities in their area to support the development of net-zero projects. If no such programs exist, consider advocating for their creation as one way to support the creation of a Living Future for All.

For more information about the ICECF or their green building program, please reach out to Gabriela Martin at gmartin@illinoiscleanenergy.org.

The 303 Battery Street project is a new high-rise residential project in Seattle, Washington, developed by Sustainable Living Innovations (SLI). The project is located at the corner of Third Avenue and Battery Street in the Belltown neighborhood, directly northwest of downtown. This 15-story, includes 112 residential units and ground floor retail and is pursuing International Living Future Institute’s (ILFI) Living Building Challenge Petal Certification by targeting the Energy, Place, and Beauty Petals. This project is participating in the City of Seattle’s Living Building Pilot Program (LBPP), a local ordinance-based land use incentive program, to show their commitment to going above and beyond what sustainable construction looks like in Seattle. 

In order to achieve Petal Certification, this project was tasked with fulfilling requirements that include incorporating urban agriculture, achieving a net-positive energy balance, and prioritizing tenant education and engagement with the building. The team has worked from early stages to prioritize the sustainability and positive impact of this project from both a social and environmental perspective.

The project broke ground in June 2021, and ILFI’s Energy + Carbon Manager Haley Gardner had the chance to talk with SLI’s Chief Technical Officer, Eric Hinckley, to learn more about the impact and progress of this innovative project! 

Q: What were your sustainability goals for this project? Why did you choose to pursue Petal Certification with ILFI?

A: ​​SLI set out to build one of the most technological and energy efficient high-rise apartment buildings in the world. ILFI sets the most rigorous standard for efficiency in the built world, thus the reason SLI chose to partner with ILFI on this exciting project. 

Q: How do you expect your prefabricated construction process to go? Have there been any big hurdles to overcome using this innovative delivery method, and if so how have you addressed them? 

A: Approximately 95% of the 303 Battery panels have been assembled and are in storage. This means that 95% of the building (above grade) is already built! Those panels will be shipped to site for erection starting September 2021. The biggest struggle has been the effects of the pandemic and Covid-19 related to labor, and the general slowdown of the world. Additionally, the global supply chain has thrown a wrench in our well-oiled machine. Supplies have been slow to get, causing panel assembly delays and ultimately onsite erection delays. 

Q: What is the anticipated timeline for construction and how does this compare to a more typical timeframe?

A: We anticipate having the building completed by July of 2022, approximately 30% quicker than a typical, conventionally built high-rise apartment building. Once the podium is constructed, i.e. the conventionally built portion of the building process, SLI can then begin the panelized portion of the erection, which is where the speed of our process really takes off. 

Q: How did you make sure that your sustainability goals stayed a top priority through every stage of the design and delivery process?

A: Every part of our design process starts with sustainability or resource elimination. One of our design mottos is: use the delete key! By that we mean, what can we remove from our design that does not add value, efficiency or is redundant? Additionally, we also seek to use all free space to maximize renewables, like mounting solar panels on our balconies, SE-facing vertical building wall, and a covered rooftop patio.

Q: What is something that did not go as expected during the design process that resulted in the team having to be a bit creative in their problem solving?

A: Designing and inventing a new building system takes time. Challenges arise often.  We have a very robust design and engineering team along with a back office process that ensures success. Additionally, we leverage industry-leading technology solutions and tools like BIM in order to stay ahead of issues and roadblocks. Ultimately, internal coordination and communication is absolutely necessary to achieve the level of success we strive for. 

Q: The building includes roof-top solar in addition to panels on two facades in order to maximize solar production in a dense urban setting, an approach that is creative to say the least. Why did you take this approach, and what have been the benefits and challenges to this approach from planning through construction? 

A: We wanted to maximize all available space in order to maximize our solar panel count and thus produce as much energy as possible. For example, the products to support solar panels on a vertical wall on a building or to mount to a balcony do not exist.  All facades containing solar panels are custom in-house design and built. We have had to go through long and lengthy engineering and testing in order to satisfy all code officials, in addition to making the building look as beautiful as possible. I am very proud of the end result. Certainly not an inexpensive endeavor, but one that adds another unique aspect to the building’s design and functionality.

Q: Achieving net zero energy involves a lot of work during design and construction, but nearly the same amount of coordination during operation. Typically, residents of high rise multifamily housing play a key role in the amount of energy used and can make or break a net zero project staying on track. What strategies are you planning on implementing during occupancy to ensure those energy targets are met?

A: We have developed our own in-house smart home technology and software solution to help customers track their daily, monthly and annual energy and water use. Additionally, we provide all tenants a view of anonymous data on how they compare to the other tenants in the building. Early testing has shown that folks are naturally competitive and will work towards maximizing their energy and water savings use in order to “be the best.” Lastly, our software contains an “artificial intelligence” or machine learning platform, which will assist building facilities managers in identifying and responding to abnormal energy and water usage patterns.

Q: You are pursuing the Energy Petal under the Living Building Challenge, along with Place and Beauty. Why did you choose to pursue the Place and Beauty Petals specifically? What benefits did the team experience when creating a more holistic design that goes beyond Zero Energy?

A: We wanted a well-rounded product. Energy is a notable petal, but Place and Beauty are just as important, especially as we think about a Living Building. Place and Beauty allow us to connect with the local environment, people and culture. A rooftop balcony covered in solar should be the standard for an Energy/ Place petal combination. It doesn’t get better than that! 

Q: What advice would you give to other developers or owners of high rise or multifamily projects?

A: Go for it. Think different. Be different. Create something amazing! While the process is not easy, the outcomes are more than worth it! Through our design and engineering process, we have made many innovations that previously did not exist in the built world. Our journey to achieve an ILFI-certified building has led us down a path of innovation and invention. We now have a whole slew of products that have the capability to materially change any and all future apartment buildings for the better in the built world.