The Hawaii Gateway Energy Center (HGEC), situated on the south coast of Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii, serves as the "Gateway" to the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii (NELH), and is the first phase of what will develop into a 6.5 acre campus of research, development, and demonstration facilities for energy and related high technology fields. The project was completed in January of 2005 and recently achieved LEED Platinum Certification by the US Green Building Council. It is the first project in Hawaii to achieve LEED-NC Certification and at the time of certification, was only the fifteenth project worldwide to achieve LEED NC Platinum. The Natural Energy Laboratory facilities are administered by the State of Hawaii, under an entity designated as the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority (NELHA). The 3,600 square foot net zero energy HGEC visitor complex houses administrative office space, restrooms, support space, and a 2,000 square foot multi-purpose space that will be utilized for displays, outreach, conferencing, and education. This uniquely designed facility has access to 42-degree (F.) deep seawater pumped from 3,000 feet below sea level. The seawater is used to passively condition the building by cooling outside air which is drawn over cooling coils and moved through the space via solar-induced stack effect, generated entirely by the architecture of the building. This system provides both passive cooling and ventilation that exceeds ASHRAE standard requirements. Landscaping is watered entirely from condensation created around the coils from the cold deep seawater. This provides 100% non-potable irrigation water. A 20 kW photovoltaic array is mounted on signature space frames that extend above the visitor center on the north, and serve as walkway canopies on the south. The calculated peak demand for the visitor center is approximately 10 kW. Thus, the HAGEC is a net exporter of power to the local utility. The project is entirely daylit during available daylight hours which was achieved through proper north-south orientation and excellent sun control. This paper will take a close look at the deep seawater passive cooling system and condensation irrigation system, solar-induced natural ventilation, the PV system and the other energy efficiency measures. The process of integrated design and applying LEED to this very unique facility will be presented.
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