Project

NanoSonic's solar InSpire wall begins receiving sunlight as soon as the sun comes up in the east, over the Appalachian mountains. The concept of InSpire is to preheat outside air before it enters the building, lowering energy consumption and decreasing utility bills. It also insulates buildings’ inner walls by shielding them from direct sunlight during the summer. ©2011 NanoSonic, Inc. / Liz Gladwin

Solar Wall
The aluminum InSpire solar wall panels form a second skin mounted a few inches from the building’s outer wall; they contain precision perforations that allow outside air to travel through the face of the panel. Solar-heated air at the surface of the panel is drawn through the perforations where it rises between the two walls and enters the building's ventilation system. In the summer, the InSpire panels help prevent normal solar radiation from striking the building's main wall. Hot air is thermally siphoned up the wall and vented through holes at the top of the system. During the summer months, bypass dampers allow fresh air to be drawn directly into the building, maintaining indoor air quality. The solar wall has been measured to show a maximum differential of ambient temperature-to-delivered temperature from the wall of about 55 degrees, i.e. 20 degrees outside with 75-degree air coming into the ductwork.

Windows
The building is oriented so that windows in primary office and breakroom spaces are on the south and east sides, with some on the west, for best daylighting and views. Windows are low-E coated for better, more energy-efficient performance – they reduce undesirable heat gain in summer and reduce heat loss in winter while still allowing in lots of daylighting. The staff also enjoys mountain and pasture views from windows that look out over 130 acres of EcoPark farmland, helping maintain a certain balance of high technology and nature. Minimal openings are placed on the north side of the building to limit infiltration of winter wind and cold. The loading dock area on the north side is air-sealed to minimize interference with the total building HVAC.

Lighting
The building also contains innovative ‘light harvesting’ lighting control in the labs, using light sensors in the laboratories and skylights to provide the recommended level of illuminance for employees. When it’s sunny, light streams through the skylights and the energy-efficient lighting throttles back halfway; when it’s cloudy, the interior lights are full on – the interior lights toggle on and off as big puffy clouds and wind alternately block the sun outside. Occupancy sensors detect motion in a room; when no motion is detected for a period of time, the light fixtures are automatically shut off. They come back on when someone reenters the room. Outdoor lighting uses low-voltage safety fixtures.

HVAC
Energy efficiency is a high priority in this building full of R&D, according to facilities engineer Dave Wood; a typical laboratory can be from three to eight times as energy intensive as a conventional office building, with costs running about three times higher. Ventilation and air conditioning are typically the biggest energy consumers in a lab, and safety concerns usually drive requirements. But more air changes per hour is not necessarily better, says Wood, and at NanoSonic it was optimized downward, which provides a less turbulent air flow for better hood performance, safety and energy efficiency while still providing high indoor air quality. NanoSonic’s demand-driven, Energy Star-rated system enables users to turn off equipment, and occupancy sensors and automatic sash shut-offs further contribute to reducing energy use when not needed. Often, around 80 percent of fume hoods in the labs are not being used at any given time, but would continue to operate without these controls - using a significant amount of energy in the process.

An HVAC display system allows constant checks to the system and vents can be closed or opened at the touch of a finger. When Wood designed the system, he says they started with right-sized equipment, but have the option of adding air handling units if needed based on new loads, equipment or hoods. In addition, an energy recovery ventilator (ERV) exchanges the energy contained in the exhausted building air and uses it to precondition the incoming outdoor ventilation air in the HVAC system. In NanoSonic’s building the ERV is mainly used during the cooler seasons to humidify and pre-heat fresh air. This improves the indoor air quality while reducing the total HVAC equipment capacity. Wood estimates that the mechanical systems help provide approximately 14 percent energy savings when compared to a similar building.

Stormwater
The pastoral setting begged for natural solutions to stormwater runoff, so the civil engineers channeled runoff into a natural “sinkhole” depression on the southeast side of the building, with natural weirs to slow the flow and prevent erosion. Even in the heaviest rains, there has been no standing water in this bioswale. Weirs were added to the north side also, to capture runoff from the loading dock, roof and pavement. Water conservation inside the building includes dual-flush toilets that separate flush modes for liquids and solids, and low-flow fixtures for faucets and showerheads.

Site
Native vegetation - which is adapted to the region and therefore requires little to no irrigation - was planted on the site to eliminate the need for an irrigation system, which reduces water consumption. NaoSonic staff members also salvaged plants from a demolition site and planted them around the building.

Building Materials
Materials were chosen for their sustainable qualities including low-VOC paints, adhesives, sealantys and other coatings, as well as recycled rubber flooring and cork flooring. More than 25 percent of the materials used to construct the building are made from recycled materials. The building’s shell was constructed using a pre-engineered metal structure. This reduced waste generated by the building’s construction because the quantity of materials needed was calculated before the parts were built. Then, only the necessary components were sent to the site for construction. Sixty percent of the shell structure is composed of recycled steel. Also, more than 11 percent of the materials were extracted, manufactured, and distributed within 500 miles of the site, reducing fuel consumption and emissions resulting from the transport of materials.

Manufacturing
NanoSonic’s equipment, used mostly for room-temperature applications, helps ensure that the company’s processes conform to green manufacturing practices. The 10,000 square foot R&D lab and an open 10,000 square foot process scale-up and manufacturing lab include research equipment that ranges from six well-equipped chemical fume hoods to 20 and 100 liter reactors, to self-assembly robotic systems and small-scale composite production units. Support testing equipment includes UV-vis, FTIR, DSC, TGA, a computer-controlled Instron load frame and others. Separate support labs are available for electronic, optical and microelectronic device fabrication and analysis, including an anechoic chamber that inhibits reflections of electromagnetic waves. Process scale-up equipment includes a 55 gallon drum reactor that produces up to 4,000 pounds of product per day, a CAD-driven fabric cutter, and large-scale self-assembly systems. Products include NanoSonic’s HybridShield™ Fire Retardant protective coatings that are made using environmentally-benign methods, and that provide state-of-the-art fire and flame protection to a broad spectrum of materials without the threat of toxic byproducts during combustion.

Recycling
NanoSonic also maintains a dedicated dumpster outside for recycling cardboard. Inside, there are bins for recycling batteries, metal, shredded paper, cans. The company also recycles pallets with Giles County.

Education
NanoSonic practices and shows corporate sustainability on a local community level, too, where educational efforts are inherent to everything the company does. Tours of the building include laboratories and manufacturing facilities where staff members show visitors nanotechnology and other processes. Tours of the building are offered to students, school groups and professional visitors so NanoSonic can share its green building experiences and help promote environmentally-friendly business practices.

Community Service
As part of its commitment to the environment, NanoSonic picks up trash four times a year along the highway next to its offices via the state’s Adopt-a-Highway program. The company participates in other environmental group stewardship activities such as the Renew the New River trash cleanups of the nearby New River.

Architect
Designed by local firm Craddock Cunningham Architectural Partners, the building is a LEED-Certified Green Building using LEED NC 2.2 for New Construction.

Documents

  NanoSonic's Green Offices in Virginia, USA (294 kb)

Resources

Craddock Cunningham Architectural Partners

NanoSonic

Videos
	NanoSonic Electrostatic Self Assembly Video