Kalwall Energizes Campus Central Energy Plant

To meet all of the electrical demands of the campus, the University of California's Davis Medical Center in Sacramento has constructed a new central energy plant, designed by Siegel Diamond Architecture of Los Angeles and NCHD and Brown & Caldwell Engineers, both of Sacramento. The central plant will utilize co-generation, the simultaneous generation of electricity and heat from the same fuel; by-products are captured and circulated to conserve energy and eliminate waste. The new 58,000-square foot facility will serve the entire Medical Center Campus, providing chilled water and power to meet the estimated power demands through the year 2020.

"The building is designed to both serve and express its function on multiple levels," says Kate Diamond of Siegel Diamond Architecture. "It is organized to insure an efficient functional flow, minimizing the length of large piping through effective adjacencies." Built to be congruous with its industrial function, the plant is constructed of concrete block, corrugated metal siding and roofing, and Kalwall translucent curtainwall panels.

"This energy cascade is visually translated into the powerful Kalwall wedge starting at the tower of the co-generation stack and pouring down towards the distribution to the campus," explains Diamond. "The translucent wall panels not only define the metaphor of the energy cascade but they also contribute directly to energy savings by providing valuable daylighting throughout the central plant. Additionally, the Kalwall, back-lit by the essential lighting necessary to operate the central plant through the night, provides a dramatic reminder of the 24-hour nature of the plant through the night."

Kalwall's diffuse light properties deliver the best quality of balanced natural daylight while eliminating harsh glare, hot spots and shadows associated with traditional glazing. Even on cloudy days, usable natural light fills the interior. Kalwall offers light transmission ranges from 3% to 75%.

As Diamond describes it . . . "The aesthetic hierarchy starts with the purely expressive nature of the dynamic 'energized' form, continues through to the symbolic expression of the underlying principle of co-generation process -- the 'energy cascade' -- and culminates in the visible display of the key equipment as beautiful objects within glazed 'jewelry cases.'" The $6.7 million structure stands on a 2.54-acre triangular site the defines the southeast perimeter of the campus.

"At the UC Davis Medical Center, compressed natural gas fuels a generator that produces electricity. Heat in the form of exhaust is contained and routed to a heat-recovery boiler, which releases high-pressure steam that is fed through turbine generators to produce additional electricity. This process also generates heat that is captured and converted to steam for campus heating."

The design and building's organization supports the traditional educational tours of the facility."The second floor/mezzanine allows visitors to view all stages of the co-generation process directly and safely while a hole cut within the lobby floor allows visitors to view the three-foot diameter pipes, which transport both hot and cold water to the entire campus," says Diamond. "The second-story mezzanine overlooks the massive mechanical equipment inside the wedge-shaped volume."

Concludes Diamond, "To quote our client, Tom Rush, AIA: 'SDA's efforts have substantially exceeded the University's expectations. Not only did [SDA] succeed in overcoming the design constraints posed by the industrial nature of the building and its systems; [SDA] actually turned those constraints into assets. The building design is a unique statement, both functionally and symbolically, and I am convinced that our Central Plant will be a landmark structure for the Medical Center and for Sacramento.'" This project received a 1999 AIACC Merit Award for Design Excellence.

Architect: Siegel Diamond Architecture

Kalwall Specifications:
Exterior/interior color: crystal
Trim: gray
"U" factor: .22 (1.2 W/m²k)
Light transmission: 15%
Shading coefficient: 0.15

For more information, contact:

Bruce Keller
Kalwall Corporation
1-800-258-9777