Designing the Pentagon for Performance

E. Franconi, J. Bradford, and M. Selch, Nexant, Inc.
D. Peters and S. Winkler, Southland Industries

Keywords

Abstract

The 59-year-old Pentagon is undergoing an eight-year renovation that includes stripping the building down to its structural members and reconstructing all new systems in Wedges 2 through 5. The renovation will be completed in phases, one phase per 1-million square-foot building wedge. This paper provides an overview of the design process for the renovation of Wedge 2, which is currently underway.

Renovation of Wedges 2 through 5 is being done using a design-build delivery method. This contrasts to the normal design-bid-build scenario used in Wedge 1 and historically favored by the federal government; a process that compromises the search for coordinated solutions to incorporate energy efficiency into the completed project. Besides improving on project coordination, the design-build approach also lowers the administrative overhead for the Pentagon.

A key feature of the Wedge 2 through 5 renovations is that the design-build team, meet a specified energy performance target. The energy budgets range from 68-100 kBtu/ft2/year and account for all energy crossing each wedge’s boundaries. Budgets vary because of differences in tenant composition. Actual Pentagon energy use is estimated to be 131 kBtu/ft2/year at the wedge level. As an incentive for the contractor to meet the target, monetary award fees are offered and linked to the team’s commitment to efficiency and achieved performance, as well as other contract goals.

For the Wedge 2 renovation, the distribution system design selected is an innovative fan-powered induction system. The DOE-2 computer simulation program was used to demonstrate that this system could meet the specified budget. The system design uses less above-ceiling space, allowing the architects more space and freedom in designing the building’s interior. A plan for the measurement and verification (M&V) of energy performance was developed as part of the design package. Meters included in the wedge electrical design (i.e., circuit board monitors) and the energy management and control system (EM&CS) are used to meet M&V requirements and to demonstrate compliance with the energy performance budget.