Intelligent building strategies were key components of IMEG’s design for the LEED Gold renovation of historic Marston Hall, home of the College of Engineering and a landmark on the Iowa State University campus since 1903. In addition to helping to attract the best faculty members and students, the college also sought high performance for the life of the building.

To help achieve this, IMEG’s design included submetering of key systems to allow ongoing comparison of performance to expected performance. As a result, the university was able to identify and correct a malfunctioning control valve in the HVAC system to save $24,000 annually in unnecessary energy use. Other intelligent building strategies included demand control ventilation that reacts to real-time occupancy; space-by-space humidity measurements to protect against windows being left open during high-humidity weather (to avoid condensation on the chilled beam cooling system); and occupancy sensor control of lighting.

Additional technology that contributed to the building’s high performance included dedicated outside air ventilation with heat recovery and passive dehumidification, underfloor air distribution, daylight harvesting, radiant heating, LED lighting, and low-flow plumbing fixtures.

The renovation remodeled the entire interior (except for the main east entrance), including the auditorium, classrooms, student and career services space, public and administrative spaces, and restrooms. Other spaces included open offices, conference rooms, a lobby, and student interaction spaces. Infrastructure upgrades included the HVAC systems, electrical and telecommunications, and new exit stairs and elevators.

Pre-renovation, the building’s annual energy was 146 kBtu/sf. After the renovation, the building is using 75 kBtu/sf annually, despite increased use of the building and compliance with ventilation codes.

In addition to LEED Gold certification, the project received a LEED innovation credit for complying with acoustic criteria set forth in LEED for Schools, even though it was certified under LEED NC.