Enlarge: Transsolar - Loyola University Chicago Campus

By carefully taking into consideration the different site factors, programmatic requirements and energy targets Transsolar developed climate and energy concepts for each building to ensure highly comfortable environments and low energy consumption. Passive strategies such as natural cross ventilation driven by stack-effect in a central atrium or double facade which act as insulating layer in winter were integrated in the concepts. Furthermore Transsolar performed daylight and advanced thermal simulations to analyze, validate and optimize the performance of the developed concepts.

Energy Efficiency Achieved

All six buildings already achieved or are targeted for a LEED Silver or Gold certification; two are ready for a net-zero operation. The implemented technologies and concepts reduce the energy consumption of the buildings by 33-61% compared to the then valid ASHRAE energy code.

Learn more about the project in the brochure for the technology showcase.

About the technology showcase "Energy Efficiency Award Challenge - German Innovation in U.S. Buildings"

The Award Challenge was created as part of the German Energy Solutions Initiative, sponsored by the German Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, to recognize the positive impact German businesses have in the U.S. building sector. It is designed to help German companies strengthen their position in the U.S market and make new connections within the U.S. sustainable building industry. The competition provided participating German companies with the chance to showcase their technologies and services that focus on increasing overall building performance across the U.S. The five finalists of this years’ challenge were: 1100 Architect, Arnold Glas, Kaeser Compressors, Meteoviva and Transsolar. These five presented themselves and their projects in front of the jury and audience. After careful consideration, two winners were selected: MeteoViva and Transsolar.

Current market trends suggest that building owners and managers will invest $960 billion between now and 2023 on “greening” their existing building infrastructures. In terms of growth throughout the sustainable building industry, the U.S. is still lagging behind Germany and other European countries that prioritize reducing CO2-emissions. The aforementioned trends towards a more sustainable and energy efficiency-focused method of building, coupled with the exemplary efforts to prioritize developments in this industry throughout Europe, have created increasing market opportunities in the U.S. for German companies in this field. The Award Challenge aimed at providing both applicants and attendees with the chance to learn more about energy efficient solutions from German manufacturers, as well as how they are being implemented in the U.S. building sector.