Morristown Municipal Parking Authority

Morristown, New Jersey

Firm: Minno & Wasko Architects and Planners

Lead Architect: Eric J. Giuliano, AIA

Products: Commercial Fiberglass SeriousWindows

Objectives: To deliver the highest possible energy savings and occupant comfort in Morristown’s new Municipal Parking Authority & Dodge Foundation Headquarters. Additionally, a key factor was determining how to make this building look like a historic 100+ year old building, while incorporating the best of modern, energy efficiency technology for high whole building energy performance and savings.

Modern Technology in Historic Downtown

About 25 miles west of New York City, Morristown, New Jersey is a town with a very rich history. Because of its strong heritage, the town was the perfect location for the Dodge Foundation Headquarters as well as Morristown’s new Municipal Parking Authority office, to be housed in the same building. But before any work could begin, Morristown’s historic board needed to review all project plans.

According to Eric Giuliano, the lead architect on the project, “The most important factor was determining how to make this building look like a historic 100+ year old building while incorporating the best of modern, ‘green’ technology.” In fact, the building is one of Morristown’s first LEED-certified projects, and has the potential to be one of the only LEED platinum-certified buildings in New Jersey, if their platinum rating submission is approved.

Giuliano adds, “It is one of the few modern LEED buildings that has a very traditional look, but with all the benefits. When the people from the town see it, they don’t realize how much is going on inside the building, other than what they see on the outside.”

Set to open in October 2008, the project started in early 2004 when the Geraldine Rockefeller Dodge Foundation was looking for a corporate headquarters. The organization contacted the Morristown Parking Authority, which was also looking to build a new office.

“It was the Dodge Foundations that spurred the LEED angle for the project,” says Giuliano. “The two organizations got together and decided it was a great idea. In addition, they decided that only non-profit organizations would be allowed to lease in the building as well as groups wanting long-term contracts, to be a part of the LEED process from day one.“

The organizations held a week-long design charette, which involved the Rocky Mountain Institute. RMI introduced Serious Energy's SeriousWindows to the project team.

The most important factor was determining how to make this building look like a historic 100+ year old building, while incorporating the best of modern, "green" technology.

LEED By Design

The project was financed by the Geraldine Rockefeller Dodge Foundation who will occupy the 4th floor. “This is a wonderful example of a non-profit organization funding a LEED certified project to make their lease-held spaces better for the whole building,” says Robert Clarke, the Serious Energy Project Manager. “They contributed to the research and upgrade of materials and have made it an exemplary LEED project.” See how SeriousWindows can contribute to LEED credits.

“We learned more and more about the windows as the process went on,” admits Giuliano. “There was always the question of whether another company could do the same thing as SeriousWindows, but for less money. Every time there was a comparison made with another manufacturer, they just couldn’t provide the performance of the SeriousWindows technology.”

And that’s what really drove the use of SeriousWindows in the building. “Other companies tried to come up with better performance numbers, but not only did the windows fail, they hurt the mechanical systems we had put in place.”

Serious Energy recommended directionally “tuned” SeriousWindows to balance daylighting, glass insulation and mid- to late-day solar-heat rejection. With a full-frame R-value of 5.88, the windows, powered by SeriousGlass, more than doubles the insulating performance of standard triple or low-e glass.

SeriousWindows: Design Freedom & Aesthetics

In following Morristown’s tight historic guard, “low profile SeriousWindows fiberglass frames enable architectural designs that mimic historic steel windows”, says Clarke. “Also, simulated divided light ‘muntin’ bars applied directly to the exterior of the window, further enhance the traditional appearance of these windows.”

Serious ROI: Reduced HVAC Loads, Lower Thermostat Setpoints & Improved Radiant Comfort

“The building is designed so efficiently that any change in the window would have a huge impact on the mechanical system design,” says Giuliano. “Buildings are set up in such a way that most of the heat gain and heat loss occurs through the windows - any change in the window would have thrown everything off."

Heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) objectives for the building included radiant comfort provided by warmer-winter and cooler summer glass temperatures. “In the winter, the SeriousWindows super-insulating windows will enable the building’s thermostats to be set up to 5 degrees lower than in a building with standard double or triple glazing - particularly in perimeter office zones where occupants will be in close proximity to windows,” states Clarke. “Summer air conditioning loads will also be dramatically reduced, as lower SeriousGlass temperatures contribute to ‘radiant cooling’.”

Giuliano has been involved in this project from day one, beginning with the design of the building and is in charge of seeing it through. He concludes, “My team is very proud of this project. SeriousWindows have contributed greatly to the building’s status of one of the most outstanding LEED buildings to be completed nationwide.”