ASHRAE Technology Awards highlight outstanding building projects
Craig Watts and Fossil Ridge High School in Fort Collins win first for new institutional building

The importance of HVAC&R as it applies to a range of building types is highlighted in the winning entries for the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Technology Awards.

One of the five winners is Craig Watts, principal/vice president of MKK Consulting Engineers, Greenwood Village, Colo., who received first place in the new institutional buildings category for his design of Fossil Ridge High School, Fort Collins, Colo.

Designers of systems for a hospital, a poultry slaughter house, a community center, a school and a hotel were recognized for incorporating elements of innovative building design in the areas of occupant comfort, indoor air quality (IAQ) and energy conservation. Winners have applied ASHRAE standards for effective energy management and IAQ. The awards were presented at ASHRAE’s 2008 Winter Meeting held in New York City.

“While each project was unique in its application of the technologies, many of the projects used similar systems or ideas to reach a design solution on a wide range of building types,” Stephen Abernathy, P.E., chair of the Technology Awards judging panel, said. “With submittals from all over the world, the program spotlights engineering innovation in applying systems that have been around for years to new applications and sharing that innovative thought with others in our industry. This helps engineers realize that there are multiple solutions to everyday design problems and that we don't have to re-invent the wheel to come up with an answer that is workable and that contributes to our desire to sustain our environment and reduce our usage of natural resources."

Fossil Ridge High School functions as a small community in itself. The high school has several different types of mechanical systems ranging in size from small DX split systems for computer room cooling to large air handlers with energy recovery devices for spaces such as the auditorium.

When operated together as a package, these components provide the school with an innovative and energy-efficient mechanical system. The demand-controlled classroom ventilation via occupancy sensors and window sensors allows for reduced energy consumption by eliminating the treatment of unneeded outside air, while providing occupants with the ability to bring in naturally ventilated outside air when they feel it is appropriate.

The dollar value of the energy savings from the mechanical, plumbing, irrigation and building lighting systems projected over the life span of the building is estimated at more than $6 million at current utility rates.
Fossil Ridge High School also is the winner of the 2005 Colorado Renewable Energy in Buildings Award in the category for institutional buildings.

Fossil Ridge is the first high school in Colorado to certify with the U.S. Green Buildings Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). At the time of the award in June 2005, it became the fifth LEED-certified building in Fort Collins.

The high school was completed August 2004 and contains 296,375 square feet of floor area. It cost $135 a square foot to build. Approximately 1,800 students and staff members attend and work there. The school obtains 100% of its electricity from wind energy from the Platte River Power Authority’s green pricing program, Wind Power.

For more information: www.cres-energy.org/reba_2005_frhs.html