LONG ISLAND CITY, N.Y.—The Berkeley Lab (LBNL) has produced a monitored evaluation study on The New York Times Building. The study shows that the innovations that lowered energy use by 24 percent are attainable, as MechoSystems has been promoting for several years.
The post-occupancy study reflects MechoSystems’ claims about its WindowManagement System: the SolarTrac can contribute to both a building’s energy efficiency, and overall occupant comfort. The New York Times Building’s annual energy savings (compared to an ASHRAE 90.1-2001 baseline, reported by the LBNL) highlight the former feature’s success:
• 43 percent lighting energy saved;
• 23 percent cooling energy saved; and
• 22 percent peak-day energy saved.
With sustainability and energy efficiency in mind, The New York Times Company pursued lighting and window-shading designs to also ultimately improve the quality of the workplace for its employees. According to the LBNL study, they were successful in reducing energy use and other operating costs, and MechoSystems’ SolarTrac contributed to an overall satisfaction with the new headquarters.
MechoSystems’ advanced SolarTrac is an automated-shading system engineered to:
• Increase opportunities for daylight, thereby reducing dependency on electric lighting.
• Reduce solar-heat gain so that air-conditioning needs are also decreased.
• Raise and lower the shades according to real-time, outdoor solar conditions.
• Maintain a comfortable work environment by managing brightness and glare.
The company has been creating sustainable products and energy-saving systems for its clients since entering the shading industry more than 40 years ago.
It is uncommon to scientifically compare the post-occupancy reality with initial sustainability goals and parameters, from the outset of building and design. Yet in order to examine the actual efficiency of a structure’s integrated systems, the post-occupancy study is vital. The LBNL study validates the benefit of automated shading in general (and MechoSystems’ SolarTrac, in particular).
Go to MechoSystems.
