Over 75 people attended a USGBC tour of Downtown Tulsa Brady Arts District Projects. The group visited the recently completed Griffin Communications – KOTV, Guthrie Green and the Tulsa Paper Company: 1958 portion projects, and Visual Arts Center (AHAH). Although none pursued LEED certification, the projects served as examples for the use of sustainable technologies.

Griffin Communications utilizes a geo-xchange HVAC system to heat and cool the building, which significantly reduced the structural steel requirements to support rooftop units. The state-of-the-art news studio is the first of its kind to use only LED lighting for TV production. The split-level design takes advantage of the existing grade thereby minimizing the building’s overall footprint.

Guthrie Green, a former brownfield site where 15 underground petroleum storage tanks were discovered throughout construction, includes several sustainable features. Below the park’s surface is a geo-xchange well field comprised of 120 wells, which provides 600 tons of cooling capacity for the park’s pavilion, and the adjacent University of Tulsa Zarrow Center, Philbrook Museum, Tulsa Paper Company: 1958 portion and Hardesty Arts Center. A photovoltaic system utilizing 192 bi-facial solar panels that also serves as a skylight for the Guthrie Green’s pavilion. Because light shines through, energy is drawn from light reflected on the concrete to the PV cells on the panel’s underside, too. Rainfall on the Pavilion’s zinc roof drains into a gravel band surrounding the open-air structure. The drainage flows through bio-swales, which cleans the park’s runoff free of contamination before entering the city’s storm sewer. Guthrie Green’s stage structure is covered with greenscreen, a lattice system, that will eventually become fill with wisteria serving to reduce the heat island effect. LED fixtures are used for lighting throughout the entire park.

Tulsa Paper Company is an example of sustainable reuse of a historic building. The 40,000-square-foot historic renovation serves to maintain the district and decrease waste. The open floor plan and oversized windows optimize day lighting thereby contributing to reducing the energy demand. TPC 1958 utilizes Guthrie Green’s well field for its HVAC system.

OKC’s own LEED Silver Certified Fire Station 6 in Bricktown!  Deputy Chief Cecil Clay gave a great presentation of the facility

and even gave his personal experience with the LEED process!

The building entry’s 2-story, high-performance glass facade floods the entry area and mezzanine with natural light, highlighting top quality finishes and providing great outdoor views to building occupants.

The facility also utilizes smart strategies to increase its energy and water operating efficiency.  95% efficient boilers and heat recovery ventilators (HRVs) ensure that heating is optimized and recirculated, while light-colored roofing and site concrete keep the building cool and reduce heat island effects.

This 44,000 sf, $10.3 million dollar facility sits on approximately 4 acres in North Tulsa.  Connie McFarland, of McFarland Architects, stated that the project incurred a 1.2% cost premium to achieve LEED compliance, but the facility is also projected to be approximately 25% more energy efficient than a standard local building, making this building much more affordable to operate for years to come.

The building’s massive geothermal heating and cooling kept us cool as we roamed the hallways, science labs, mechanical rooms, the roof, and even the planetarium.  Several tall vertical-axis wind turbines line the sidewalks in front of the building, providing a valuable renewable energy learning opportunity for students.

Jenks Schools did a great job on this project, and they are raising the bar for new school construction all across Oklahoma.