EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This is the final report in a yearlong investigation of the mechanical systems designed for the additions to the Sunnylands campus in Southern California. The focus of this report is the analysis of the re-design of the mechanical system in an attempt to improve the performance at Sunnylands. Specifically, this report aims to answer three main questions:

1. What else could have been done in the mechanical design of the Sunnylands campus additions?

2. Is this alternative feasible?

3. What are the repercussions of this design change?

In order to determine the success or failure of the design options investigated for this report, a system of checks and balances had to be established.  While improving the mechanical system performance was the most important task, it had to be balanced with keeping costs down and managing water consumption responsibly. 

The main goals established by the owner for the Sunnylands campus include cultivating an innovative work environment and an environmentally conscious mechanical system. In drought-ridden California, an environmentally conscious mechanical system includes limited water consumption. For this reason, the owner ruled out the possibility of using a water-based system in the early stages of design. The depth of this report aims to challenge that initial opposition and document an in depth investigation into energy savings of an evaporative cooling system at Sunnylands. Additionally, this report will document the investigation of two breadths which address the main repercussions of this change in design: fewer solar panels required to power the site and offsetting the increased on-site water consumption.

1.1 Mechanical Depth

The main analysis of the mechanical system at Sunnylands will be dedicated to switching the direct expansion system with an evaporative cooling system. The four additions to the Sunnylands campus would each receiver their own evaporative cooling tower.  The expected result of this change is a substantial reduction in annual energy costs. The evaluation of this energy savings will be carried out through the development of an energy model. The energy model will be created using Trane Trace 700 and will be compared to the energy model generated for the purposes of Technical Report 2 which documents the current mechanical system at Sunnylands.

1.2 Electrical Breadth

By switching to an evaporative cooling system, the mechanical systems will be able to operate more efficiently than the current design. As mentioned above in the depth description, an energy model will be generated to document the amount of energy saved by switching systems. Since the Sunnylands campus is designed to be net-zero, the campus will utilize a solar panel array to offset the energy consumption on site. By reducing the amount of energy consumed, the number of solar panels can be reduced. This proposal suggest re-evaluating the number of panels required to offset the energy consumption on site per year. In addition to re-evaluating the number of panels needed, the array location and arrangement will be studied as well.

1.3 Plumbing Breadth

The second breadth under investigation in response to the depth of this project is the impact of consuming more water on site. Since it is unlikely that there will be enough collecTable rainfall on site to combat the use of water in the mechanical system, an investigation will be led into the impact in the community of the water consumption on site. This total consumption will be offset slightly by the on-site water collection plan and the engineered wetlands, but not enough to counteract the vast majority. In response to the great amount of water used on the Sunnylands campus, a responsible water consumption plan will be developed in this breadth. This consumption plan will recommend ways to save water on campus, evaluate the amount of water the Sunnylands campus takes from the surrounding community and the impact this has on the state of California in times of drought.