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55
ZEB
annual report 2014
“It’s often called the “cathedral effect”. The
story goes, when two masons were asked
what they were doing, one said he was laying
bricks and the other that he was making a
cathedral – and they’re both doing the same
job, you know.” (i2)
In order to achieve this, the combination
of solutions has been the focus to a higher
degree, than say, introducing the most
powerful piece of equipment in each isolated
sector of building operation. This has provided
both a material and energy saving result.
Making this the main goal has meant putting
the total energy budget first, and that again
has made interdisciplinary co-operation a
virtue of pure necessity. It makes the process
a bit heavy on the nose compared to standard
contracting, but it pays for that weight in terms
of results in the end. In concrete terms it has
in fact rewarded PH Kjørbo with a BREEAM
“Outstanding” performance rating for the
project phase.
However, in this case it also provided some
challenges for the inhabitants. First and
foremost, as the energy targets required
exposed concrete, this created issues on the
acoustic side. As many of the workspaces
are in landscape mode, this was not such
a trivial problem. A large effort to mitigate
this is shown by the extensive use of sound
baffles instead of the standard system ceiling,
and although it goes a long way towards
suppressing unwanted noise, was not as
efficient as would have been for instance your
standard system ceiling. This was one case of
give and take. Otherwise, making use of a low
power ventilation system and thermal inertia,
the temperatures inside the building are
allowed to be kept somewhat less constant
than in a traditional building. This means that
when outdoor temperatures are extreme,
keeping temperatures within comfort levels
inside needs a bit more planning than with a
conventional HVAC solution. This is achieved
with a wide use of sensoring and automation,
as well as hands on system operation. Finally,
the energy targets require the lighting system
to dim down or go off automatically according
to the presence of people. This is achieved
with a sensor system, but meeting the target
– auto-off after 7 minutes inactivity – has
proven quite a challenge, and at the time of
the study, work was still in progress to figure
out exactly the right placement of sensors to
prevent unwanted shut offs and frustrating
work interruption (we have all been there,
a late night in our office chair, stretching for
the light). These kinds of challenges are the
stuff of running-in periods and processes
of domestication. As it turns out, user
expectations – and their alignment – proved
essential in the case of PH Kjørbo.
Radical changes: Hard core efficiency
demands + unobtrusive = true?
Stepping inside PH Kjørbo is an immediate
and striking experience, and the attention paid
to visual detail alone is initially substantial
enough to amalgamate it. But spending time
there every day brings one in touch with some
of the tweaks of the buildings personality, both
in good and bad terms. But let’s face it, such
it is with every building – not just experimental
grade zero emission ones. As one support
staffer working with the running-in period said:
“It’s good. A building is never really right in
the very beginning, it takes about a year or so
before you get… it takes time to get it right.
[…] but in my opinion, there are a lot less
things not working here than what we’ve had
with other projects” (i3)
Making use of any building requires one to
get acquainted with it, from taken for granted
aspects like the locations of rest rooms
and caffeine dispensers. And in the case
of PH Kjørbo and according to this building
operators’ advice, maybe remember to keep a
sweater handy:
“[Temperatures] have been within the defined
limits. There is an assumption in the project…
but of course, there are some who think it’s
cold when it’s 22 degrees. Then the message
is: put on some clothes. There is no point
walking around half-naked if you’re cold when
it’s 22 degrees. […] If there’s an agreement
to stay above 21 degrees, then forget
commenting. Then you need to do something
else if you’re cold.” (i1)
This strict (but tounge-in-cheek) comment
aside; there has been ample focus by the
building operators and relevant contractors on
acknowledging user concerns and improving
problems continuously. Building users are
prompted to report issues via a sort of
“help desk” for the office environment, and
administration staff brings these concerns
to bear on the running-in process in a so-