To create this inspirational and instructional model of sustainable design, Yale University  brought together the some of the world’s leading architects and engineers: Hopkins Architects, Centerbrook Architects and Planners , ARUP engineers, and Atelier Ten environmental designers. The U.S. Green Building Council awarded Kroon Hall LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum certification in February 2010.

Alteris Renewables was hired as an EPC subcontractor to design and install the 100 kW photovoltaic roof system.  The building’s vaulted roof design, featuring a curved exterior steel exoskeleton to support the solar array, required both innovative engineering and precise fabrication for the array supports.  To follow the curve of the roof, PV modules were arranged in landscape orientation with each row at a different angle to match the curve of the roof.  To facilitate daylighting at the top of the roof, custom modules were manufactured and installed along the top rows that have clear back sheets, allowing natural light to pass through the modules into the building.

Other sustainable features include ground source heat pumps, displacement air systems, high thermal massing and retention, daylight harvesting, energy recovering ventilation, a rainwater collection and cleansing pond, a green roof, and recycled, local, and sustainable building materials. With its energy saving features, Kroon Hall uses only 42% of the energy that a new, similarly sized, code-compliant commercial building would use.

To learn more about this remarkable building visit AI Magazine for an in-depth article on the building.