Rumsey Engineers today announced that two more of its projects have received LEED Platinum certifications, making the firm the first mechanical engineer in the United States to achieve 6 LEED Platinums. The two projects are the Aquarium of the Pacific Watersheds Exhibit in Long Beach, California and the Portola Valley Town Center in Portola Valley, California. The United States Green Building Council (USGBC) certifies projects under its LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) system, with Platinum being the highest level of certification.

The Pacific Watersheds Exhibit, part of Long Beach's Aquarium, is used as a classroom and a teaching exhibit space, and also serves as a meeting space for community groups, government agencies, and others. Hands-on exhibits demonstrate practical and environmentally friendly ways in which we can live more sustainably with nature and its resources. Surrounding the classroom and outdoor exhibits, native landscaping represents the flora found in the Los Angeles and San Gabriel Watersheds and illustrate how native gardens can significantly reduce water use. Appropriate to the context of the project, Rumsey Engineers' innovative plumbing system design uses graywater to reduce the use of city municipal water for irrigation and reduces potable water used for sewage conveyance by 100%. Teaming with San Francisco architects EHDD Architecture, Rumsey Engineers' also created a deep green, innovative mechanical system design for the project that incorporates several energy and resource-saving design features including: low-flow, solar powered, electronic hand washing faucets; a living roof that functions as a thermal mass; a photovoltaic system; and thermal mass passive heating and cooling.

The Portola Valley Town Center project weaves together oak wood¬lands, playing fields, and new buildings into a civic center that meets the town’s goal of complimenting the natural beauty of the site in the most sustainable way possible. Teaming with award winning deep green architects Siegel and Strain, Goring and Straja Architects, Rumsey Engineers integrated design approach began with the orienting of the buildings on the site to optimize the site's natural advantages. This allowed the architecture to incorporate daylighting, natural ventilation, sunshades, and thermal mass, resulting in smaller mechanical systems, lower overall energy use, and excellent occupant comfort. Small, efficient air conditioning units pre-cool makeup air and eliminate the need for full air conditioning. The 76 kW photovoltaic system supplies 40% of the electricity used by the building, nonrenewable energy costs are reduced by 51%, and operating carbon is reduced by 76.2 tons per year. A section of previously buried creek, now exposed to daylight, defines the fourth side of the town center courtyard. An abandoned culvert will become a cistern for storing 40,000 gallons of rainwater.

Rumsey Engineers has been a consistent leader in the development of new and innovative mechanical systems that significantly reduce building energy use. Though a relatively small firm, it was the first U.S. firm to reach 4 LEED Platinum certifications. Rumsey Engineers differs from other firms in their commitment to green buildings - all of their projects are focused on sustainable design. The firm's mission is to fundamentally redefine building practices to be dramatically more sustainable and resource efficient.

Rumsey Engineers, part of the Integral Group, is an Oakland California-based mechanical engineering firm that specializes in the design of simple, elegant, cost-effective HVAC systems for critical and green building environments. For more information please visit rumseyengineers.com and integralgroup.com

Integral Group

Integral Group

Integral Group (formerly Rumsey Engineers) is an interactive global network of design professionals collaborating under a single deep green engineering umbrella. We specialize in the design of simple, elegant, cost-effective systems for high performance buildings.

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