Project Name: 

Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Moshannon District Office

Project Square Footage (ft²):

18,000

Year Built:

2004

Green Building Certifications: 

LEED Gold

Project Team: 

Seven Group-MEP / Miller Brothers - Design/Build

 

Please provide a brief description of the project.

One story regional HQ for PA DEP. DEP leases the building from the developer, Miller Brothers. The building configuration and orientation is a reaction to the small and irregularly shaped area where it could be built. Enough natural light enters the building through its clerestory windows so that artificial lighting is not required. Open landscape workstations, some private offices and some meeting rooms plus a garage/workspace comprise the program of requirements.

 

How did the building's team work together to address sustainability and building performance?

The MEP engineers were experienced in designing the raised floor HVAC system, one of several key energy conserving building features. The developer who was also the builder, provided the structural design. He worked with the design team very cooperatively. His willingness to adopt the unusual design was the key reason that the project succeeded.

 

What were major challenges in the project related to building performance and how did the project team work to overcome them?

The configuration of the area where the building could be placed was very difficult. Mining underneath most of the site made it impossible to be sure if even a one story building could be supported. North facing clerestories and relatively few windows on the longer east and west sides provided view without discomfort or excessive energy demands.

 

What are the project's key sustainability features?

North-facing clerestories in a sawtooth configuration / Raised floor HVAC system / Highly insulated walls / Low impact plantings

 

What are your main take-aways or lessons learned from this project? Have these lessons informed other projects?

A very problematic site can lead to a very distinctive and interesting solution.

 

What was the intended or actual impact of the project on its users or the surrounding community?

The area's mines were not being monitored well enough until this facility was completed. A strip mined, underground mined industrial waste land site was restored to habitable, useful property.

 

 

Hero image by Ed Massery