Innovative Materials Help Energy Innovation Center
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CONTINUING EDUCATION INNOVATIVE MATERIALS HELP ENERGY Presented by: INNOVATION CENTER EARN LEED PLATINUM CERTIFICATION AND HISTORIC TAX CREDITS THE CONNELLEY LEGACY CONTINUES The Clifford B. Connelley Technical Institute opened in 1931 as a Depression-era workforce development facility where students learned essential trades such as plumbing, carpentry, and mechanics. Connelly educated generations of skilled tradespeople and workers from Pittsburgh and the surrounding region but closed in 2005 after years of declining enrollment. Many educators and city leaders continued to advocate for a renewed investment in vocational education, particularly at a time when labor shortages in the construction industry were at an all-time high. In addition, sustainable design is on the rise, so the industry needs skilled laborers familiar with these innovative green materials and technologies. Mayor Bill Peduto called for a “Pittsburgh Connelley for the 21st century,” and today their vision has materialized in the new Energy Innovation Center (EIC).3 HISTORICAL FACTS ABOUT THE SITE AND ARCHITECTURE4 • The school is located in the Hill District neighborhood of Pittsburgh, a historically African-American cultural and business hub • The school was sited high on a hill so it could remain above the air pollution that plagued Pittsburgh • The architect, Edward B. Lee, was known for his work on academic buildings • The original main entrance is flanked by symmetrical academic wings, a characteristic of its Classical Revival architectural style • The shop building was designed to mimic an actual 1930s factory, and its unique saw-tooth roof was designed to maximize natural interior light • Students at the Connelley School learned plastering, bricklaying, plumbing, auto LEARNING OBJECTIVES mechanics, carpentry, cabinetry, electrical, agriculture, commercial arts, home economics, cosmetology, and nursing, among other skills Upon completion of this course the student will be able to: 1. Explore the history of the Energy Innovation Center—Pittsburgh project and how LEED Platinum Certification and Historic Tax Credits were achieved simultaneously. 2. Review how closed-cell spray polyurethane foam (SPF) insulation met wall assembly challenges. 3. Explore how polyiso board insulation met roofing design challenges at the Energy Innovation Center. 4. Describe how two-component waterborne polyurethane coatings were used on both concrete and wood floorings, as well as for an innovative wall coating. CONTINUING EDUCATION AIA CREDIT: 1 LU/ELECTIVE AIA COURSE NUMBER: AR052019-1 Use the learning objectives above to focus your study as you read this article. To earn credit and obtain a certificate of completion, visit http://go.hw.net/AR052019-1 and complete the quiz for free as you read this article. If you are new to Hanley Wood The Clifford B. Connelley Technical Institute opened in 1931 as a Depression-era workforce development University, create a free learner account; returning users log in as usual. facility where students learned essential trades such as plumbing, carpentry, and mechanics. CONTINUING EDUCATION THE ENERGY INNOVATION CENTER GLOSSARY Under the leadership of Pittsburgh Gateways Spray polyurethane foam insulation Corporation, and with the help of non-profits, A spray-applied cellular plastic made by mixing unions, foundations, research universities, chemicals that react very quickly, expanding on the U.S. DOE’s National Energy Technology contact to create foam that insulates, air seals, and provides a moisture barrier.1 Laboratory, and industry partners, the historic school has been transformed into a 200,000 Polyiso board insulation A closed-cell, rigid foam board insulation consisting square foot, LEED Platinum multi-disciplinary of a foam core sandwiched between two facers. campus. The Energy Innovation Center is a The facers are composed of various organic and not-for-profit organization with a mission to inorganic materials, usually paper and fiberglass. It engage corporate and community leaders, align is widely used in residential and commercial markets workforce development and education, develop for both roof and side wall applications.2 and demonstrate technology, and incubate Aromatic hardener businesses to support emerging clean and A reactive component of a two component coating sustainable energy markets.5 system with an amber to brown color. An aromatic hardener reacts with the resin side to produce a This 6.6 acre, urban commercial complex is coating film that is not light stable and will yellow The Energy Innovation Center is a leader in green adaptive reuse, as a collaborative hub that promotes energy- over time when exposed to sunlight or ambient the design of its building and grounds meets the highest standards light sources. sector research and innovation and creates of sustainability and energy efficiency while preserving the historical direct and deliberate bridges to job creation, character of the building. Aliphatic hardener A reactive component of a two component coating entrepreneurship, and urban economic sustainable footprint. Drawing on the Connelley system that is water-clear. An aliphatic hardener revitalization to support the Pittsburgh reacts with the resin side to produce a coating film 6 legacy, the new Energy Innovation Center is region’s emerging clean technologies. EIC is that is very light stable and will not yellow over time connecting sustainable careers aligned with the located in the heart of Pittsburgh’s Historic when exposed to sunlight or ambient light sources. region’s changing economy. Lower Hill District, a neighborhood located Solventborne (SB) carrier between several major research university SIMULTANEOUS GOALS OF LEED PLATINUM Coating where the primary co-solvent is an organic campuses and the downtown central business CERTIFICATION AND HISTORIC TAX CREDITS solvent which may or may not be classified as a VOC. district. This building serves as a ‘living Waterborne (WB) carrier laboratory' for industry education and training, The energy technology innovation cluster Coating where the primary co-solvent is water, accommodating hundreds of students in 28 in the Pittsburgh region has a rich history although it may still contain a small amount of apprentice programs. The EIC also houses and a promising future. World-class capacity organic solvent which may or may not be a VOC. diverse tenants, including a national research exists here in areas ranging from carbon Polyurethane dispersion (PUD) Typically contains a polymer dispersion laboratory, energy sector corporations, political management to nuclear reactor design, wind turbine manufacturing, materials and sensors, primarily composed of a polyester, polyether, or and community leaders, numerous nonprofits polycaprolactone resin pre-reacted with an aliphatic electric power distribution and control, shale and businesses, a co-working space, design hardener and dispersed in an aqueous carrier. lab, and five Pittsburgh universities.7 The gas production, and advanced building Additional additives may include pigments, flow and 8 basement alone will house a 9,500-square-foot systems. The Energy Innovation Center is a leveling additives, and/or defoaming agents. Community Kitchen facility to engineer new leader in green adaptive reuse, as the design One-component (1K) coating ways to make high volumes of food using fewer of its building and grounds meets the highest Ready to use out of the can, moisture cure (MC) or chemicals, electricity, paper, and gas. standards of sustainability and energy efficiency polyurethane dispersion (PUD). while preserving the historical character of Two-component (2K) coating Energy Innovation Center—Pittsburgh is the building. Through an integrated design- Contains a formulated resin component and a designed and equipped by corporate partners build process, EIC designers and engineers hardener component. such as building material manufacturers, lighting innovated to optimize the performance of Rehabilitation manufacturers, and a power company. High-tech vendor components. The EIC has earned LEED The process of returning a property to a state building materials can be found throughout the Platinum certification and meets the stringent of utility, through repair or alteration, which makes possible an efficient contemporary use facility, showcasing chemistry as a sustainable 2013 District energy, water, and transportation while preserving those portions and features of solution and helping the EIC maintain its 9 emissions reduction targets. the property which are significant to its historic, architectural, and cultural values. RENOVATION CHALLENGES In addition, the building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for The Energy Center is an 85-year old education Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation Rehabilitation facility, providing three renovation challenges: Used to determine if rehabilitation of a historic Historic Landmark, making it one of the • The building had little or no insulation property qualifies as a Certified Rehabilitation only LEED Platinum designed structures to for Federal tax purposes. The Standards intend to • The renovation had historical landmark qualify for Historic Tax Credits in the nation. assist the long-term preservation of a property's requirements According to architects DLA+, “The decision significance through the preservation of historic • The renovation needed to meet LEED materials and features. platinum standards to