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| TCC Rotunda |
How TCC and Radio Shack came to share space in a really nice, very expensive building along the Trinity River is a very interesting story I'm sure. Even more interesting I imagine is how TCC became Radio Shack's landlord and has also managed to build a brand new building just to the east. But that is not the topic of this blog either. The topic of this blog is about the building itself, a LEED Silver complex that occupies the site that was once a well-known affordable housing complex called Ripley Arnold. The TCC campus is 38 acres and has spectacular views of the confluence of the Trinity River. The building has multiple green features as you might expect from a LEED Silver building. To obtain a LEED Silver designation, a building must have obtained 50 to 59 out of 100 points for including a variety of GREEN features. This building has all the staple green features such as low flow faucets, daylighting, recycled materials, bike racks and shower facilities, natural vegetation, recycling programs, and a stunning glass curtain wall with motorized shades. These are the obvious green features that you can see. But what green features lie beyond the obvious. Let's take a look!
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| Air Handlers |
Many of the buildings most impressive green features are out of sight and out of mind, but it is exactly these features that offer the largest contribution in terms of dollars saved. And, since being efficient and conserving energy are two main ingredients in a LEED certified building, it's important to look beyond the surface and see how the building really functions. Here you will find a state-of-the-art mechanical system with its own brain, the BAS or building automated system. In addition, you will find VFDs or variable frequency drives on anything that has a motor. As the name suggests, VFDs allow a motor to run at variable speeds eliminating the need to run at full capacity when it doesn't need to, a great way to improve efficiency and lower energy costs.
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| TCC Classroom |
The TCC classrooms look like ordinary classrooms but don't be deceived by looks. This classroom is thinking just like the students in it. Each classroom is constantly monitoring the environment, taking in information, and feeding it back to the building's brain. For instance, the classroom is equipped with sensors that monitor motion, CO2 levels, and temperature. As students come into the classroom, the monitors take note and send this information back to the brain which is programmed to respond accordingly. The lights come on automatically when the first person walks through the door. As more students come in the temperature in the room rises. This information is sent back to the brain and the air comes on to cool the room down. The air does not come from the ceiling like it does in a traditional classroom. Instead, it comes up from the floor. As a result, the cool air does not have to make its way through the hotter air that has risen to the ceiling. Another interesting feature about the AC which is not visible is there are no ducts. The air travels under a raised floor to the classroom and returns to the air handlers via space above the ceiling and it does so without the use of ducts which can trap particulates and pollute the air. It's all very simple and sophisticated at the same time.
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| Pumps, Motors, and Chillers |
The photo on the left shows the building's mechanical room or HQ for building maintenance. Although it's hard to tell, a lot goes on in the mechanical room - the location of the guts, the heart, and the brain of the building. Much of it has to do with water that is flowing through the large green pipes shown in the photo on the left. Heat from the building is transferred to chilled water at the air handling units. The water is then pumped through the chillers and heat is transferred to the refrigerant which is cooled in the condenser. The heated cooling water then passes through cooling towers where remaining heat is dissipated as steam. The recycling process is almost complete and the chilled water returns to collect more of the building's heat at the air handlers once again through a very highly advanced closed loop system. All the while, the BAS is monitoring the pressure and temperature of the water in the pipes. This process goes on continuously, helping to keep the building cool.
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| Sunset View from Balcony |
By utilizing the latest in modern technology, Radio Shack was able to build a structure that is very efficient and pretty well takes care of itself. The building is constantly monitoring itself and reporting back to the maintenance crew how well it is performing. It does so through a Building Automated System. This building is certainly great to have at downtown Fort Worth's northwest entrance. It is stunning to say the least. It is made all the more impressive when you understand just how efficient the building really is. Thanks to TCC's maintenance department for a great tour of an amazing facility and a special thanks for showing us the fantastic view of the Trinity from the boardroom.
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