C A S E S T U D Y H URT BUILDING

BY VIRGIL SUDDUTH The Hurt Building in downtown BUILDING AT A GLANCE

has survived almost 100 years of technical Name The Hurt Building change and history to emerge as an example Location Atlanta, Ga. Built 1913, 1924 of energy efficiency and sustainability that Major Renovations 1953 elevators upgraded to can rival the best of its modern peers. automatic dispatch 1956 air-conditioning is added 1983-84 total interior retrofit, plus asbestos abatement he main shaft of the build- adjustment according to current (building closed for almost two years) ing was erected in 1913. condition requirements. 1995 upgrade to T-8 fluorescent lighting Said to be the 17th larg- The perimeter system air handlers 2002 and 2003 variable speed est office building in the are presently being outfitted with chillers replace R-11 machines worldT at the time, it is considered variable frequency drives to pro- 2008 Web-based direct digital controls (DDC) system added a good example of the skyscraper vide incremental starting as well as 2008 low-flow plumbing fixtures developed by Louis Sullivan and the speed control during atmospheri- installed Chicago School. World War I delayed cally opportune times. Principal Use Commercial Office the construction of the wings and In addition to the perimeter Employees/Occupants 650

CLASSICAL light court until 1924. system, each floor is equipped 2 Gross Square Footage 522,502 ft The building has largely tracked with two air-handling units supply- Conditioned Space 436,340 ft2 technology through the years, often ing the building interior and core at the front end. The elevators, for areas that are connected to variable Occupancy 72% example, were upgraded to automatic air volume distribution boxes. Duct Distinctions/Awards National Register of Historic dispatch in 1953, and the number static pressure is accomplished Places (1977) reduced from 16 to 12 to create floor by variable inlet air vanes, with ENERGY STAR (2007, 2008, 2009) space. The upgrade was featured in upgrades to variable frequency BOMA International Office Building GREEN of Year for Historic Buildings Otis Elevator advertising. drives a future possibility. (2006 – 2007) Central air conditioning was One of the original R-11 chiller LEED-EB Gold (2009) introduced to the building in 1956 machines was replaced in 2002 with BOMA 360 Performance Building (2009) when a chilled-water cooling system a modern 650-ton variable speed BOMA Earth Award (2010) was installed by Carrier Corp. This machine. The original wooden cool- system is largely unchanged, except ing tower was replaced as well with ENERGY AT A GLANCE that motors have been replaced. a modern unit using variable speed (2008–2009) Two large air handlers provide control on the fans. 2 constant volume air delivery to The second chiller machine was Annual Total (Site) Energy 60.86 kBtu/ft Natural Gas 6.65 kBtu/ft2 perimeter distribution units, which replaced in 2003 with a second 650- Electricity 54.21 kBtu/ft2 also provide fresh outside air infu- ton variable speed machine, giving Annual Source Energy 188 kBtu/ft2 sion for building comfort. The the building total redundancy in ENERGY STAR Rank 91 percentile perimeter distribution units also are respect to chillers. The operation of equipped with a tempered water coil these primary machines using vari- to provide downstream temperature able speed technology is credited

4 6 HIGH PERFORMING BUILDINGS S pring 2010 S p r i n g 2 0 1 0 HIGH PERFORMING BUILDINGS 4 7 This article was published in High Performing Buildings, Spring 2010. Copyright 2010 American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air- Conditioning Engineers, Inc. Posted at www.hpbmagazine.org. This article may not be copied and/or distributed electronically or in paper form without permission of ASHRAE. For more information about High Performing Buildings, visit www.hpbmagazine.org. with allowing the building to earn a using in-house labor to accomplish BUILDING TEAM high ENERGY STAR score, which is the retrofit process. Tenants have The floor plate of the building consists of a main shaft that splits into two wings. currently 91. been educated in respect to com- Present Owner The mechanical systems are similarly split The Hurt Building was an early pact fluorescent lighting CFL( ) that Hurt Financial Associates, LLC into north and south air-handling units and north and south water loops. candidate for a fluorescent lighting replaces incandescent in many of Architect upgrade. The building was retrofitted their specialty downlights, and many J.E.R. Carpenter (1867 – 1932) from T-12 fluorescent lighting to T-8 have made the change to the energy- Owner/Engineer/Builder (1850 – 1926) fluorescent technology in the mid- saving technology. 1990s in tenant areas. Maintenance Building management installed Present Manager Harbor Group Management Co. engineers continued the upgrade motion sensors in all common area Present Facility Manager when all restroom and individual restrooms to provide lighting control Shannon Westberg floor mechanical rooms were when these areas are not inhabited. Present Chief Engineer changed to T-8 technology in 2007, As for the future, the building man- Virgil Sudduth agement system will be used to pro- LEED Consultant Barry Abramson vide lighting control in many com- (Servidyne Systems) mon areas to reduce the light levels during unoccupied times. Stairwell and set schedules for the building lighting control is also being con- systems. This new system allows sidered that would reduce light lev- engineering to control all aspects of els in the three egress stairwells as

well, saving energy 24/7. To maintain private ownership of this pub- A modern direct digital controls licly used space, an old law required Hurt building management system was Building owners to fence the space for at least 24 hours every seven years. Today, Joel Hurt J.E.R. Carpenter installed in 2008 to allow building brass markers in the sidewalk confirm the engineering staff to better monitor building’s ownership without inconvenienc- The Hurt Building was built by Joel Hurt, ing pedestrians. an engineer by training, who is known as the person who brought electric street- cars to Atlanta. Hurt also was a major force in banking, insurance and develop- ment in turn-of-the-century Atlanta. He is credited with developing in 1888, Atlanta’s first suburb. He also organized Kirkwood Land Company to develop the Druid Hills area, engaging Frederick Law Olmstead to landscape it. Hurt died in 1926. The building was sold on the courthouse steps in 1936 during the Great Depression. Eventually, it was acquired by Atlantic Investment Company, which owned the building until 2006. The final design for The Hurt Building was completed by J.E.R. Carpenter, a MIT-educated and French-trained archi- tect who designed most of the residen- tial buildings on Park Avenue in . He was a well-known figure in NYC society and prominent in the Florida winter colony at Palm Beach. He died in 1932 at the height of the Depression. His obituary in the New York Times says he left an estate of $149,000 and debts of $911,000.

4 8 HIGH PERFORMING BUILDINGS S pring 2010 HPB.hotims.com/30304-14 the building primary systems, includ- direct IP address. Considerable util- Original toilets and urinals were The triangular form of the Hurt ing boilers, chillers, primary pumps, ity savings have been achieved as a equipped with 4.5 gpf and 1.6 gpf Building was dictated by its irregu- tempered water, fan coil units, cooling direct result of the improved access flush valves, respectively. To meet larly shaped site at Five Points in tower and ventilation. and ability to adjust systems conve- the water use prerequisites required the city center of Atlanta. At 18 floors, the building was said to be This system was installed as a niently. As described previously, the by LEED-EB, 40% of the toilets the 17th largest office building in Web-based system, allowing build- building management system will were replaced with low-flow 1.6 gpf the world when construction started in 1913. The building opened about ing staff to monitor and control sys- allow for increased lighting control units. The remaining toilets were Oct. 1, 1913, after the main shaft tems from multiple areas within the to bring about substantial utility retrofit with 3.5 gpf flush kits, and was completed. World War I delayed building, and also from the Web via savings. all urinals were retrofit with 1.0 gpf the construction of the wings and light court until 1924. As a result of the LEED-EB pro- flush kits. Restroom sink aerators The Hurt Building closed completely in cess, several measures were insti- (three per restroom) were changed 1983 and 1984 for complete renovation and asbestos abatement. The process tuted. The most dramatic is savings from 1.5 gpm flow to 0.5 gpm units. was timed to coincide with the move of in water use in the building. These improvements were made by its major tenant, Southern Bell, which had built a major office building nearby. The Water is a critical issue in Georgia, building engineering staff at a con- grand lobby was completely renovated in particularly in the city of Atlanta. siderable cost savings for labor. 1985. It has rose granite walls and black marble floors.

5 0 HIGH PERFORMING BUILDINGS S pring 2010 S p r i n g 2 0 1 0 HIGH PERFORMING BUILDINGS 5 1 Learn How to Commission Your High Performing Building!

Payback on materials was less than six months. When 2009’s actual usage is compared to 2008, indoor fixture water use was RIGHT FROM THE START— reduced 27% for an annual water April 21, 2010 1:00 – 4:00 P.M. EDT savings of 1.3 million gallons, or an annual cost savings of $29,000. Commissioning for High The Hurt Building has a rainwater The building’s most notable architec- collection system in the building’s FREE Webcast from ASHRAE tural feature is a three-story, street- Performing Buildings level rotunda that has a moderate basement, which redirects rainwater dome set on marble columns. The from the building roof and stores domed ceiling is decorated with star- bursts and gold leaf panels. that water in two 500 gallon tanks. Other classically derived elements The original intent of this system are the balustrade located on the top was to stop flooding of the basement of the rotunda and pilasters that sep- arate the windows of the ground floor. level, but has since been used to Most of the building’s windows are store water for interior plant irriga- original, as are the ornate doorknobs. The steps leading to the rotunda tion. A reclamation system also was are made of Alabama white marble. installed on the primary air handlers, This marble also was used in the storing water from the condensation interior, but was carpeted over at some point. In 2006, the carpet was at the chilled water coils and deliver- removed, revealing the white marble ing it to the cooling tower basin to for the first time in decades. replace purchased utility water.

Hear from leading commissioning experts about how commissioning supports a smoother construction process, maximizes energy and cost reductions, and provides a facility that operates as intended. This program will define the “what, why, when, and who” of the commissioning process and provide you with tools to commission your high performing building.

Online registration begins March 2, 2010, at www.ashrae/Cxwebcast.com. There is no fee for registration.

For details on the program and presenters, visit www.ashrae/Cxwebcast.com.

HPB.hotims.com/30304-21 HPB.hotims.com/30304-2 H IGH

This free webcast is sponsored by the ASHRAE Chapter Technology Transfer P ERFORMING Committee with support from ASHRAE’s High Performing Buildings Magazine. B UILDINGS

Commissioning Webcast HPB2.indd 1 11/23/2009 2:09:28 PM 54 YEARS LATER THE HURT’S SYSTEMS STILL DELIVER

Much of the Hurt Building’s air-handling sys- tem stands just as it was in 1956. Motors have been replaced, chilled water coils have been changed out, but other parts, such as the steam coils, are original. And, the system still works as designed 54 years ago.

Air-Handling System. Tempered air is delivered to perimeter terminal units from two large built-up air handlers located in the penthouse. This air can be discharged either as cool base temperature air (about 56°F to 60°F), or can be discharged as warm air for heating purposes during cold weather or morning warm-up. The built-up air handlers are divided from a common return air plenum and have the ability to control discharge air temperature using a number of methods. The units are designated as north and The water is temperature regulated using either a steam-to-water heat south, with the south approximately one-third exchanger to warm water, or by using actual chilled water for cooling. larger to handle the building’s sizable sun load absorption. The south air handler deliv- ers air to all terminal units that face either south or east, with the north unit delivering air to all terminal units facing north. Each air-handling unit is equipped with preheat coils for freeze protection, as well as individual circulated chilled water coils for cooling and dehumidification. Each unit has an individual reheat coil used to raise the discharge temperature when needed. The two units also are equipped with outside air and exhaust dampers to provide an air-side economizer to deliver cooling using cool out- side air when conditions are favorable. Core areas of the building are supplied cool air by two air handlers per floor, desig- nated north and south. These units supply variable air volume dampers that allow for zoned cooling using local area thermostats. Each floor is equipped with two air-handling units that supply the building Hydronic System. Each perimeter discharge interior and core areas. The air handlers are connected to variable air volume unit is equipped with a circulated tempered distribution boxes. water coil that allows for local control of actual discharge air temperature to the building tenants. This water is temperature water source heat pumps for heating and 650 ton chiller can carry the entire cooling regulated using either a steam-to-water heat cooling. A separate tenant loop circulates load, providing 100% redundancy. exchanger to warm the water, or by using condenser water throughout the building The building grand lobby uses a dual deck actual chilled water for cooling purposes. 24 hours a day. This loop uses a plate- multizone air handler for cooling and heat. As with the air handlers, a north and south and-frame heat exchanger to reject heat by water loop allows versatility for meeting the means of the building cooling tower. Building Management System. The building building’s needs. Chilled water is produced using two cen- management system was upgraded in 2008, Heating is accomplished by low-pressure trifugal chillers sized at 650 tons each. providing a computerized control system, with steam, which is used in the preheat coils, These chillers replaced the original chill- most actuators remaining pneumatic. This reheat coils, and in the tempered water heat ers that were installed in 1956, and were system is accessible from multiple points exchanger described previously. Two boilers installed in 2002 and 2003, along with a using the management company’s local net- are used for steam production. One is 18 hp, two-cell cooling tower to replace the original work, and is also Web based to allow access and a second is 250 hp. These boilers are wood constructed tower. Both chillers as from outside the building using a dedicated fired by natural gas supplied by the local utility. well as both tower fans are equipped with IP address. This allows building engineers to Lobby level retail spaces, as well as the variable frequency drives to provide speed check systems operations from multiple sta- restaurant and tenant data rooms use control as required by building load. Either tions as well as from home or from a laptop.

5 4 HIGH PERFORMING BUILDINGS S pring 2010 HPB.hotims.com/30304-5 Sustainability at The Hurt Building F I G U R E 1 W ATER USE LESSONS LEARNED has expanded more than origi-

nally envisioned. In addition to a Get Tenants Involved renegotiated as more is put into recycling standard recycling program that Tenants must be on board for and less into the landfill. A waste stream includes paper, plastic, aluminum, sustainability initiatives to succeed in a audit can highlight the areas of improve- multi-tenant high rise office building. The ment for your building. glass and cardboard, a furniture tenants at the Hurt Building are primar- recycling center was instituted. ily non-profits, foundations and lawyers. Recycled Paper Products Have Improved These civic-minded people were the driving Recycled paper products are better than This center offers an alternative to force behind many of the green initiatives. they used to be. Not so long ago, using tenants who buy new furniture and recycled toilet paper and paper towels in need to dispose of or donate their Hire an Experienced Consultant your restrooms was certain to get your ten- We credit our consultant for getting ants complaining. Currently, there are core- original pieces. Viable items are LEED-EB Gold, instead of LEED-EB Silver. less, recycled toilet paper products as well moved to the furniture recycling We sometimes give them credit that we as recycled hand towels that are as soft and Ornaments at the top of the building. have a plaque at all. durable as the less environmentally friendly center, where any other tenant who products of the past. Make the switch. might be able to reuse that item Green Initiatives Pay ABOUT THE AUTHOR Note: Restrooms were upgraded in 2008. can take it free of charge, rather Low-flow plumbing fixtures pay for them- Use the ENERGY STAR Web Site selves, often in the first year, and the ben- Use the ENERGY STAR Web site to track Virgil Sudduth has served as chief engi- F I G U R E 2 E LECTRICITY USE than it being removed to a landfill. efit continues indefinitely. “Green” vendor building performance and highlight areas neer at Hurt Building since June 2006. He Recently, a nonprofit tenant moved contracts are made where possible. At the that are easy to improve. The Web site is a previously served (1998 – 2006) as chief Hurt Building, janitorial, HVAC water treat- free service, so you can use this informa- engineer at , a nine- to The Hurt Building, and was able ment, pest control and window cleaning tion and benchmarking comparisons even building complex that includes a museum, to furnish their entire office of three are all “green” contracts. In each case, if you are unable to qualify for the ENERGY symphony hall, live theater, art conserva- individuals at absolutely no charge the contract expense decreased, often STAR label. Through benchmarking on the tion and storage, parking, college campus because the products are less expensive. ENERGY STAR site, The Hurt Building has and residence. He is a trained electrician, to their organization. Increased recycling reduces waste removal reduced electricity use by almost 15% over earning his journeyman status in 1978 In addition, an e-waste recycling expense. Trash handling contracts can be the last three years. and his master license in 1983. program that collects all electronic waste including toner cartridges was established. It allows tenants to place electronics into the center for reuse by other tenants, or if non- functional, to be recycled. A partnership with the Bobby Dodd Institute of Atlanta, the larg- est employer of persons with dis- F I G U R E 3 G AS USE abilities in the southeast, facilitates the recycling of used toner as well as offers recycled and refilled toner cartridges for purchase. Many Hurt building tenants buy their toner car- tridges from the institute. Managing your property in a highly performing and sustainable way will soon be an industry standard. The Hurt Building is a great example that a building’s age and construction is not necessarily a barrier to being an industry leader in high performance and sustainability. •

HPB.hotims.com/30304-22

5 6 HIGH PERFORMING BUILDINGS S pring 2010