Senior Thesis Kickoff Lecture
The
AE department was pleased to host the annual AE Senior Thesis Kickoff Seminar
on May 3, 2007, at the Nittany Lion Inn. The featured speaker was Roger Frechette
III, director of sustainable engineering at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP,
Chicago, who spoke about the Pearl River Tower in Guangzhou, China.
The 71-story Pearl River Tower epitomizes the supertall corporate headquarters building of tomorrow: an iconic, high-performance structure that is designed in such harmony with its environment that it potentially produces as much energy as it consumes. (i.e., a “Zero-Energy Building.”)
From its form to its siting, every aspect of the 309-meter high(169,000 sm floor area) tower is designed to harvest wind and solar energy. Pearl River would face the prevailing winds and use them to relieve aerodynamically the structural burdens imposed by high-wind pressures. In short, wind forces are so well managed they become “invisible braces” that help fortify the building.
Pearl River Tower’s sculpted body directs wind to a pair of openings at its mechanical floors. The traveling winds push turbines which generate energy for the building’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems. The openings provide structural relief by allowing the wind to pass through the building instead of pressing against it. This design relieves pressure on the side facing the wind and reduces potentially damaging negative pressures on the back side of the building.
Energy consumption is reduced by maximizing natural day-lighting, reducing solar gain in air conditioned spaces and utilizing solar gain for attaining the building’s hot water supply. The office tower is cooled by a combination of stack venting, radiant panel cooling and chilled beams. Solar collectors integrated into the façades transform the sun’s energy to usable AC current.. Rainwater is retained for gray-water usage.
Frechette is a registered professional engineer with over 19 years of experience. His work includes many significant projects, from laboratories, hospitals, academic buildings, and corporate offices to a wide range of government buildings and museums. He is currently leading the engineering teams for the Burj Dubai, which is planned as the world’s tallest building, and the subject Pearl River Tower in China, which is the world’s first supertall "zero-energy" concept tower.
Frechette, and others from the Design Futures Council, helped to draft a document known as the “Nantucket Principles.” These principles provide a road map for industry leaders to educate their employees and clients regarding the benefits of a sustainable approach. An active speaker, Frechette has presented at a number of educational seminars on the topic of “Green Engineering.”
In 2001, Frechette designed the National Wildlife Foundation Headquarters Building
in Reston, VA, voted by the AIA as one of the "Top 10" sustainable
buildings in the country. In 2002, he designed the Peri Headquarters Building
in Elkridge, MD, the first radiant slab building in the United States. In 2004,
Frechette received Congressional recognition for his work in building sustainability.