White paper describes how Autodesk Consulting joined with the USACE in its first attempt to model and analyze an existing military installation for the purpose of achieving “net zero” at all U.S. military installations..

1. AUTODESK® CONSULTING
Customer Case Study
The Customer: Army Corps of Engineers HIGHLIGHTS
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is composed of 39,000
Autodesk
dedicated civilians and soldiers delivering engineering services in more than
Consulting joined
90 countries worldwide. The USACE is responsible for building and with the USACE in
maintaining America’s infrastructure and providing military facilities wherever its first attempt to
U.S. service personnel train, work, and live. model and analyze
an existing military
In recent years, terrorist attacks, actions by hostile political regimes, and
installation for the
purpose of
other factors have underscored the grave danger of leaving U.S. military
achieving “net
installations dependent on outside suppliers for water, oil, gasoline and other zero” at all U.S.
resources a military unit requires to function. military
installations..
In 2009, President Obama issued Executive Order 13514, requiring that “all
Ecotect Analysis,
new Federal buildings, entering the design phase in 2020 or later, are
Revit Architecture,
designed to achieve zero net energy by 2030.” 3ds Max and
Project Vasari
To achieve “net zero” a building or installation must be able to generate the Implementation
services necessary to supply energy, water, and dispose of waste internally, were used to
without relying on outside resources or services.
deconstruct,
analyze, and
model energy
As Katherine Hammack, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations,
usage and
Energy & Environment, explained: savings.
“Addressing energy security and sustainability is operationally necessary, This process will
financially prudent, and essential to mission accomplishment…We are be applied to other
facilities as work
creating a culture that recognizes the value of sustainability measured not just
continues to make
in terms of financial benefits, but benefits to maintaining mission capability, all military
quality of life, relationships with local communities, and the preservation of installations self-
options for the Army's future.”* sustaining by
2030. .
* Hammack, K. (2010). Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army. Retrieved 12 15, 2010, from
http://www.asaie.army.mil/public/IE
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2. Case Study: United States Army Corps of Engineers AC AEC
The Project
In 2009, the USACE hired the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and
the Construction Engineering Research Laboratory to analyze the energy
footprints of five standard designs currently used for U.S. military buildings
and determine what changes could be made to reduce the buildings’ energy
usage.
The study focused specifically on passive design strategies, and reported
that, while it was possible to reduce the energy consumption of these facilities
by approximately 20-30%, achieving the mandated reductions of 65% and
higher at existing facilities was not possible.
In the autumn of 2010, the USACE began work to create a process for
renovating, retrofitting, and designing military installations that would use only
internally available resources and be completely self-sustaining or “net zero.”
The decision was made to select one existing installation, analyze its specific
site and climactic conditions, and develop an integrated design that could be
applied to infrastructure, water, and waste treatment/disposal at all U.S.
military installations.
In January of 2011, 16 Army installations were asked to apply to become the
first “net zero” site for energy, water, and waste by 2030. The installation
selected was Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri.
Developing a plan to make Fort Leonard Wood self-sustaining was more than
a challenge; it was an imperative. The cost of supplying Fort Leonard Wood
with power had risen 55% in the previous year. Now, the supplier was about
to disappear entirely.
The Challenges
The team was tasked with developing comprehensive, synergistic solutions
for providing water to the base, handling its waste and reducing energy
consumption. These solutions would also need to be transferable to other
installations. Achieving this required creating a digital, simulated model
baseline for a “net zero” installation.
The first step involved deconstructing the installation’s master plan, design,
and the orientation of its facilities. The base’s specific needs and problems
were analyzed in light of the new self-sustaining imperative, which meant
challenging deeply ingrained beliefs and conventions. The orientation of
buildings, the placement of windows, building systems, and many other
factors had to be studied simultaneously to assess the feasibility of the
changes proposed.
The 26-person project team was highly diverse, multidisciplinary, and located
around the globe. The program sought to elicit conceptual thinking and
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3. Case Study: United States Army Corps of Engineers AC AEC
innovative solutions, and only employees who had been employed by USACE
for two years of les were selected for the team. The budget for the entire
project had been pared to the point where crucial analyses could be
conducted on only a small sample of the installation’s buildings.
The Solution
The program employed an iterative design process, and was completed in a
short time in a predominantly virtual environment.
The programs used in this project were Autodesk® Ecotect® Analysis,
Autodesk® Revit® Architecture, Autodesk® 3ds Max®, Autodesk ® Project
Vasari Implementation.
Ecotect was used to determine the best orientation for buildings, the amount
of direct solar radiation available to the site, and whether available wind
power was a viable source of renewable energy. It generated and critical
performance data regarding shading, solar path, insulation, radiation, and
glazing that was used to weigh and prioritize proposed options.
Vasari & Revit Architecture’s Conceptual Energy Analysis (CEA) functionality,
used in conjunction with the Green Building Studio (GBS) web service,
allowed building information to be restacked and rearranged to produce
simulated design alternatives, which were then compared to find the most
energy-efficient results.
3DS Max produced qualitative and quantitative data about natural lighting.
Throughout the four-month project, Autodesk Customer Success Manager,
Mike Juros, an architect and Senior Technical Specialist, provided online “train
the trainer” coaching and phone support to USACE Architect and Technical
Designer, Jennifer Ramirez, USACE for Vasari, Revit , and GBS.
AC provided the team with whitepapers, videos and guides to help facilitate
learning before formal training was mobilized. Key Architects and Engineers
from the Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL) received
special training.
ELA provided design and analysis software and ensured accessibility and
consistent performance.
The benefits of involving key stakeholders from the start became increasingly
clear as the project progressed. Engineers, local contractors, and the
construction manager were part of the team from the schematic design
phase.
During the process, many factors came to light. For example, it was
discovered that when soldiers’ barracks are empty, the lack of body heat
increases the disparity between the side of the building in the sun and the
side in shadow which, in turn, creates a lop-sided cooling/heating demand
that puts additional strain on the HVAC system. This knowledge led to a
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4. Case Study: United States Army Corps of Engineers AC AEC
reorientation of the building on the site, and reduced the energy demand
without moving any interior walls.
The Results
The project was presented to the installation and was well received.
The USACE intends to develop the processes used in the Fort Leonard Wood
study, and apply the same strategies to other installations that have similar
utilities issues. Based on the findings and success of this study, funding for
the planning of two more area developments has been secured, and these
projects are currently in progress.
Following the Ft. Leonard Wood pilot project period, AC conducted three
Sustainable Design sessions to train 36 people at locations in Omaha, NE,
Norfolk, VA, and Vicksburg, MS.
Autodesk AC and software played a key role in developing solutions that
demonstrate how U.S. military installations can dramatically reduce their
energy consumption. The data generated by the project provides good
reason to believe that, with continued research and study, the “net zero” goal
set by President Obama for 2030 may be achievable.
The Contacts
Xxxxxxxxxx
Customer Success Manager
Global Services, Autodesk Consulting
Direct: Xxx-xxx-xxxx
Email: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
White House press release for Executive Order 13514:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/President-
Obama-signs-an-Executive-Order-Focused-on-Federal-
Leadership-in-Environmental-Energy-and-Economic-
Performance/
FedCenter site providing informational links
http://www.fedcenter.gov/programs/eo13514/
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services offerings, and specifications and pricing at any time without notice, and is not responsible for typographical or graphical errors that may appear in this document.
© 2010 Autodesk, Inc. All rights reserved.
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