Cambridge, Massachusetts, 2004

Genzyme Center
Behnisch, Behnisch & Partner
Julia Mandell
Building Climatology
Arch 516, Fall 2005
Genzyme Center
Behnisch, Behnisch & Partner
Te project is part of the Kendall Square
development, a 12 acre browneld reclamation
project in Cambridge that mixes laboratories, retail
and residential buildings in a dense setting that ex-
tends the surrounding urban fabric.
Because of stringent zoning requirements,
the buildings massing is straightforwardly rectan-
gular and does not add much to the designs energy
strategies. Te buildings orientation is also in no way strategic: It follows
the grid of the neighborhood, which is almost directly north/south. (build-
ing orientation: 3 degrees northeast). Te facade received almost equal
treatment regardless of orientation: 90% of the building is wrapped in
glass. Dierences in glare and heat gain are made up for with internal oper-
able shading systems and adjustable mechanical controls.
Home to the Genzyme Biotech
company, the Genzyme Center is an
attempt to create an innovative, low
impact workspace. Te architects
competition-winning design is an
eort to think of a building as a liv-
ing organism that interacts daily with
its occupants and the environmental
forces around it.
Because the building is a working
space, the focus of that approach is on
lighting and mechanical systems; the
architects and their consultants at-
tempted to create a sustainable system
that would be highly controllable and
would bring large amounts of daylight
to every occupant.
Building
Massing
Genzyme Center
Behnisch, Behnisch & Partner
To maximize daylight, the 12 story mid-rise building is organized
around a large central atrium that extends vertically through all of the
buildings oors. With the aid of a variety of daylighting details, the
atrium allows daylight from the roof to penetrate far into the oces
surrounding it.
Atrium Massing
Genzyme Center
Behnisch, Behnisch & Partner
Te daylighting in the atrium is helped by
features like heliostats, a pristmatic skylight,
and a reective chandelier.
Genzyme Center
Behnisch, Behnisch & Partner
Te buildings interior climate is controlled through both passive and active strategies. Ventilation
strategies cut down on heat gain in summer, and provide a climatic buer in winter. A doulbe facade system,
which covers 50% of the buildings exterior, creates a buer zone against outside temperatures. Te atrium is
used for a stack eect: air from the oces is returned into the atrium, where hot air rises and exits through
the roof. Tis constant ow and extracting of warm air keeps the interior cool and ventilated in warm
weather.
Heating is provided by heat exchangers, and steam-absorption chillers cool the building in summer.
Te chillers are supplied with waste heat from the developments power facilities. Te system is designed for
microclimate control, which is especially helpful in a scheme with so much transparencythere are 50 fan
coils per oor, and air temperature can be adjusted locally at each one. If windows are opened, the fan auto-
matically shuts o. operable and mechanical blinds and curtains protect much of the rest of the glazing from
seasonal heat gain and loss.
Genzyme Center
Behnisch, Behnisch & Partner
Genzyme Center
Behnisch, Behnisch & Partner
Energy 10 Analysis of Genzyme Center
Energy-10 Summary Page Dec 14, 2005
Project: genzyme Project Directory: C:\PROGRAM FILES\ENERGY10V1_5\PROJ1
Description: Reference Case Low-Energy Case
Scheme Number: 1 / Not Saved 2 / Not Saved
Library Name: ARCHIVELIB / Saved ARCHIVELIB / Saved
Simulation status, Thermal/DL missing/NA missing/out of date
Weather file: BOSTON.ET1 BOSTON.ET1
Floor Area, ft 350000.0 350000.0
Surface Area, ft 1062284.5 1062284.5
Volume, ft 52500000.0 52500000.0
Total Conduction UA, Btu/h-F 59764.1 38069.3
Average U-value, Btu/hr-ft-F 0.056 0.036
Wall Construction steelstud 4, R=8.1 steelstud 6 poly, R=19.2
Roof Construction concrete r-30, R=30.2 flat r-38, R=38.0
Floor type, insulation Slab on Grade, Reff=161.0 Slab on Grade, Reff=724.6
Window Construction 4060 double, low e, U=0.29 4060 low-e al/b, U=0.31
Window Shading None 40 deg latitude
Wall total gross area, ft 362285 362285
Roof total gross area, ft 350000 350000
Ground total gross area, ft 350000 350000
Window total gross area, ft 7440 35976
Windows (N/E/S/W:Roof) 93/62/93/62:0 360/249/360/178:352
Glazing name double low-e, U=0.26 double low-e, U=0.26
Operating parameters for zone 1
HVAC system DX Cooling with Elect Furn DX Cooling with Elect Furn
Rated Output (Heat/SCool/TCool),kBtu/h 13394/8030/10706 13394/8030/10706
Rated Air Flow/MOOA,cfm 288448/52500 288448/52500
Heating thermostat 72.0 F, no setback 72.0 F, setback to 67.0 F
Cooling thermostat 76.0 F, no setup 76.0 F, setup to 81.0 F
Heat/cool performance eff=100,EER=8.9 eff=100,EER=13.0
Economizer?/type no/NA yes/fixed dry bulb, 60.0 F
Duct leaks/conduction losses, total % 2/0 3/0
Peak Gains; IL,EL,HW,OT; W/ft 1.78/0.33/0.26/1.52 1.33/0.25/0.26/1.52
Added mass? none 175000 ft, 8in cmu
Daylighting? no yes, continuous dimming
Infiltration, in ELA=48183.8 ELA=13042.2
Results:
Energy cost 0.400$/Therm,0.054$/kWh,2.470$/kW 0.400$/Therm,0.054$/kWh,2.470$/kW
Simulation dates 01-Jan to 31-Dec 01-Jan to 31-Dec
Energy use, kBtu 33809864 33809864
Energy cost, $ 610264 610264
Saved by daylighting, kWh - NA
Total Electric, kWh 9908232 9908232
Internal/External lights, kWh 1891863/472164 1891863/472164
Heating/Cooling/Fan, kWh 3176853/711886/422024 3176853/711886/422024
Hot water/Other, kWh 415224/2818218 415224/2818218
Peak Electric, kW 3885.7 3885.7
Fuel, hw/heat/total, kBtu 0/0/0 0/0/0
Emissions, CO2/SO2/NOx, lbs 13316664/78275/40624 13316664/78275/40624
Construction Costs 37823583 39998989
Life-Cycle Cost 60504996 62879977