This vignette is piece of a multi-part series that will highlight the work being done surrounding Washington State Executive Order 20-01. The International Living Future Institute (ILFI) has been working closely with Washington State for nearly two years to support agencies in their development of Zero Energy projects. ILFI has developed a toolkit of resources for project teams in the state to help them understand definitions around Zero Energy, build powerful teams, and set appropriate targets in order to make designing and building to Zero Energy a feasible goal. Each vignette will shine a light on a project, meeting, or event wherein Zero Energy work was the forefront of the conversation as teams work diligently to implement the Executive Order and achieve their Zero Energy goals.  

Project Name: Labor and Industry (L&I) / Department of Agriculture (WSDA) Safety & Health Lab & Training Center

Project Stage: Schematic Design

Event: Owners Workshop 1

Date: February 13, 2020

Agency Contacts: Reuben Amamilo (LNI), Maurice Perigo (LNI)

Attendees: Design Team, Agency project manager, Facilities, Agency Staff

Keywords: zero energy, local government

Summary: LNI kicked off its owners workshop series by introducing: Lab Modules/Layouts, Structural, LEED, Energy Options, Water, and Site/Parking Configurations.

Representatives from ZGF Architects presenting high-performance laboratory case studies and recommended concepts to consider for the project program and energy approach.

Highlights:

• The workshop began by clearly stating the Executive Order requiring achievement of Zero Energy and reductions in embodied carbon, and how these goals apply to the project

• The design team shared examples of existing projects with high-performance systems in the same geographic region

• The group identified opportunities related to specific conditions of the building program

• The group reinforced the need to maintain cost balance, constructability and health/safety in any decision

• The group provided information in different forms, which made it accessible to different thinking/learning types: diagrams, photos, metrics, pro/con lists, tables, narratives, physical models

• Agency representatives vocally validated the State’s goal of achieving zero energy, stating that it is possible and shall be pursued.

“In this project, we have an opportunity to marry a state-of-the-art lab facility with the State’s highest sustainability goals.”

Maurice Perigo, LNI

Next Steps: The next workshop will take a deeper dive into the building program and site layout to better understand the operational functions and site conditions that must be addressed.

Representatives from Site Workshop using physical models to engage the LNI stakeholder team in considering options for the building program, layout and site configuration.
Written By

ILFI Staff

The International Living Future Institute’s mission is to lead the transformation toward a civilization that is socially just, culturally rich, and ecologically restorative.