The David and Lucile Packard Foundation

Los Altos, California

Architect: EHDD Architects 

Design Firm: Integral Group

Structural Engineers: Tipping Mar

Electrical Engineers: Integrated Design Associates

Lighting and Daylighting Engineers: Loisos & Ubbelohde

General Contractor: DPR Construction

Glazier: Architectural Glass & Aluminum (AGA)

Product: SeriousGlass super-insulating architectural glass 

Construction Type: New Construction 

Design Standard: LEED Platinum, Net Zero Energy Building 

  Packard Foundation Drives Energy Footprint to Net Zero

Objectives:

The David and Lucile Packard Foundation is one of the largest private foundations in the world, providing grants to worthy not-for-profit organizations since 1964. Yet, a visitor might not guess its size and global impact based on the unassuming one and two-story village storefront buildings that currently comprise its headquarters in Los Altos, CA. But, the small footprint is just the point. The Packard Foundation understands profoundly how the built environment, particularly how buildings use energy, impacts each of its three primary areas of philanthropy-Conservation and Science; Population; and Children, Families, and Communities. So when it needed to expand in Los Altos, the foundation’s leaders wanted its new headquarters to continue to fit unobtrusively into the community, and to have energy performance that the whole world would notice and emulate.

In line with this fundamental goal, the Packard Foundation is designed to achieve net zero energy consumption on an annual basis and qualify for LEED Platinum certification. The new headquarters was also designed to allow staff to work in closer proximity rather than in isolated locations, as well as optimized for superior acoustics and the highest level of comfort. The building exemplifies the foundation’s broader commitment to raising awareness and increasing sustainability in local communities. Net zero energy design is synonymous with integrated whole building design. Every factor contributing to the ultimate energy performance of the building has to be considered upfront in the design process – particularly the building envelope. Thus, it became clear that glass and windows would be a critical component of the strategy to successfully meet these standards. Design architects, owners and engineers set out to reach an ambitiousU-value of .25 and high visual light transmittance, consistent from room to room.

Serious Solution:

In the energy modeling process, lead mechanical engineer Peter Rumsey of Integral Group and architect Brad Jacobson of EHDD determined that the thermal performance of super-insulating SeriousGlass architectural glass would deliver the best whole building performance as well as occupant comfort benefits compared to other high performance glazing considered. The Serious team custom-designed a structural silicone package to provide the center of glass U-value of .14 (R-value 7.14), which exceeds the performance target by over 40%. Additionally, in vertical windows, SeriousGlass glazing units were customized to fit specified frame applications, included laminated glass for safety, all while maintaining a consistent level of performance throughout the whole building. To achieve high natural light transmission, the team configured customized skylights which maximize daylighting, minimize summertime heat gain, and outfitted them with etched glass that scatters light to reduce glare. Additionally, SeriousGlass has an ancillary benefit: noise reduction. Due to the multiple chambers created by suspended film systems, the large cross-sectional dead air space reduced the transmission of sound from the noisy highway adjacent to the building.

To learn more about the new building, visit the David and Lucile Packard Foundation’s website.

Serious ROI:

Brad Jacobson of EHDD Architecture explains that when designing the zero-energy building, the measurement for savings is not based solely on year-end consumption. With an integrated whole building design, the energy offsets (specifically, the PV panels) exceed the cost of SeriousGlass, and therefore result in overall first cost savings . The windows’ ability to reduce HVAC costs and maintain comfort around the peripheries of the building have several benefits; it eliminates the need for additional photovoltaic panels and reduces fixed mechanical costs by shifting from a four-pipe to a two-pipe system. The premium for the higher quality SeriousGlass windows delivers a first cost savings of $375,000 for this new building. Watch Brad Jacobson, EHDD Architecture, explain the whole building energy performance and cost-effectiveness of SeriousGlass below.

Click here to watch Brad Jacobson give the full presentation to the AIA San Francisco Committee on the Environment.