LEED-ing the Way at Harvard
When the Harvard University Dining Service set out to renovate and expand the one kitchen and two serveries that service its Dunster House and Mather House residence dining halls, its goal was green by design.
By Staff -- Foodservice Equipment & Supplies, 10/1/2007 12:00:00 AM
When the Harvard University Dining Service set out to renovate and expand the one kitchen and two serveries that service its Dunster House and Mather House residence dining halls, its goal was green by design.
Part of a larger two-year campus initiative, this renovation is among the first commercial-grade foodservice projects in the United States receiving Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). This means that, under the LEED Green Building Rating System, the project reached a nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation. According to the USGBC, the certification recognizes performance in five key areas of human and environmental health, including sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.
The LEED scorecard identifies these prerequisite points, which serve as credits to achieve different levels of LEED certification. The system designates a project as being certified when it accumulates between 21 and 26 points; silver certification between 27 and 31 points; gold certification between 32 and 41 points; and platinum certification between 42 and 57 points. This renovation received the silver certification, with a total of 30 points.
Cost Concerns
The team's initial concerns about this type of project potentially costing more and taking additional time turned out to be unfounded. In fact, the $7.1 million renovation of the 15,700-square-foot space was completed in just 10 ½ weeks during the summer break between the 2005 and 2006 school years. And this project came in both on time and on budget.
"It didn't cost more for a LEED project [in this case]," says Ted Mayer, Harvard's executive director of university dining services. Mayer added that this renovation benefited from the lessons Harvard and its team of vendors learned while completing other foodservice projects leading up to it. "So, we became better at energy conservation, recycling and the in-depth knowledge of equipment that would meet our needs and also be green."
The seamlessness of the project was remarkable, given the fact that it was a relatively new concept for the Council. According to Jack DeMelo, director of Harvard real estate services, this project followed the guidelines for USGBC's commercial fit out (or build out). "USGBC's focus previously was on new construction and not renovations. Because this was a commercial-grade kitchen, we were exploring new avenues in using this project as a test for new interior guidelines created by the USGBC. We saw this as a challenge," he says.
The project also was the first foodservice facility renovation at the university that paired a building performance program representative from The Harvard Green Campus Initiative (HGCI) with Harvard University Dining Services. HGCI helps promote LEED and sustainable designs for university projects. The organization makes available up to $12 million in interest-free loans for any size project that can show a five-year or less payback in energy savings.
The Dining Services team worked with the HGCI to review the LEED scorecard, which put everything in perspective from an eco-friendly standpoint. "It forced those involved with the project to question their options and decisions. For instance, we looked at where the tile came from and how the stainless steel was milled. Things you wouldn't normally consider on a project were being looked at," DeMelo says.
Under the LEED system, products used in renovations should be manufactured locally and contain local materials whenever possible. "We did not have to go to Brazil for exotic materials," Mayer says. "We dealt with local firms and local materials, keeping an eye out for those that had low or no volatile organic compounds (VOCs)."
Even so, the team couldn't accomplish everything on the LEED checklist. "Some items wouldn't work for our project. Others were rejected because the technology was too new and untested. And some of the options were too costly," Mayer explains.
According to DeMelo, achieving LEED certification was a group effort. "One of the real benefits with this project was that everyone was working on the same page for the same goal. We were renovating with the intent of saving energy, being sustainable and staying green. The disciplines with the design were woven together and interconnected. We found that one benefit would trigger another benefit," he says. For example, an idea from an engineer would have an impact on the reduction of energy consumption.
The Benefits
According to Kathleen Seelye, FFCSI, partner and president of foodservice design at Ricca Newmark Design and the first LEED-accredited foodservice consultant member of the USGBC, her firm received extra funding for energy usage studies prior to specifying the equipment. To accomplish this, an energy modeling package was developed that provided the daily usage and cost of utilities of new equipment vs. the current equipment being used.
"For this project, we needed to take a step back and question each piece of equipment and its specs from an energy usage perspective, rather than just considering production needs," she says.
Calculating the return on investment was complicated. "We created a matrix that anticipated the hours of usage each day, week, month and year for each piece of equipment. We also calculated the energy usage for each day part for each piece of equipment. Then we combined the information to gauge where the highest and best use of energy savings could take place," Seelye says.
While some of the equipment used on previous projects was replaced with more energy-efficient units, others were retained because production goals could not be met with the more energy-efficient alternatives.
"We were open to new ideas, but they had to meet the goals of the project, while being affordable and proven. For example, we looked at different refrigeration and cooling systems. We considered a brand new unit from Australia that uses exterior air to cool and refrigerate walk-in coolers," DeMelo says. This idea didn't pan out, though, because the ambient conditions in Cambridge were inadequate for running the unit.
Seelye says they discovered some of the most eco-friendly changes were minor. "Even something as small as a faucet fixture can have a big impact. For example, a $250 pre-rinse valve can save thousands of gallons of water a year," she says.
There were a number of substantial changes and newer technologies incorporated into this renovation. A new pulper/extractor was installed that saves 80 percent on water usage for the tray conveyor scrapping table. Lower flow sinks use only a half-gallon of water per minute. Two new energy-efficient dishwashers use a quarter of the water than the older models they replaced. This saves 500,000 gallons of hot water a year, conserving both water and the energy to heat it. Also, new lighting throughout the kitchen and serveries is 16 percent more efficient than before.
One of the most innovative additions was a custom-designed dedicated fryer waste oil system that pumps fryer oil directly to a holding tank at the loading docks. Campus delivery trucks pull up and vacuum the waste oil out for use as biodiesel SVO (straight vegetable oil) fuel.
In addition, new automatic variable-speed hoods were installed. "These save a substantial amount of energy," says Bob Leandro, director of facilities for Harvard University Dining Services. "Most of the paybacks are in less than four years with these systems."
The team also received prerequisite LEED certification points by purchasing in advance 500,000-kW hours of electricity, enough for two years of use. "We won't necessarily receive that much power over the two years, but we are supporting the use of it by paying for it now," Leandro explains.
According to Sean Callnin of Ricca Newmark Design, who served as project principal, an outside company reviewed the energy efficiency of all the equipment specified and projected a utility cost savings of $18,000 a year.
Seelye says much of the credit from an equipment standpoint should go to NAFEM member companies who are upping the ante with more energy-efficient designs.
This project benefited the environment in more ways than energy efficiency. For example, the team was able to divert almost all of the waste that would have ended up in landfills to recycling facilities, Mayer says. "We achieved greater than 95 percent recycling for demolition and construction waste," he says. This saved money for landfill fees, as well. In addition, all of the old foodservice equipment that was salvageable was donated to a Jamaican orphanage.
Recycling plays a big part in the day-to-day operation of the renovated facility. "One of the end results was in the day-to-day operation. When you add in composting, our facility is at 96 percent recycling by weight, which is huge," Leandro says.
And just as huge is the end result. According to Leandro, Harvard remains very pleased with the kitchen layout and performance, and the equipment has worked out well.
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