Lubber Run Park: Achieving net-zero status with copper

by arslan_ahmed | March 24, 2023 10:00 am

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By Larry Peters

When officials in Arlington, Virginia, initiated a project to revitalize Lubber Run Park—the county’s first, established in 1942—their first instinct was to maintain its green space. To achieve this, they wanted to place a new community center at the periphery of the site, separating the structure from natural areas. However, a process of community engagement and mapping site usage, including trails, indoor activities, play areas, and outdoor sports, led project architects VMDO to take the opposite approach. They proposed a design which placed the new Lubber Run Community Center at the heart of the green space.¹

“Arlington is a very involved community. They wanted a say in how this [project] was developed. It was also important to bring neighbors and residents along with us on this journey,” says Nina Comiskey, VMDO associate. “The engagement process led to a design that integrates the center and the park; bringing nature into the building so it can be enjoyed by people of all different ages and abilities.”

To maintain the green space as a park, the project team designed a structure that would integrate with the adjacent stream and woodlands. The project features a low-slung profile and a green roof, easing the transition between the built environment and its natural surroundings. The material palette, including wood beams, copper panels, and exposed concrete walls, gives the facility an elemental appearance.

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“We found people responded to materials that are more natural in appearance and are intrinsic to themselves, like concrete, copper, and wood,” says Comiskey. They wanted materials that would “age naturally and change over time, minimizing paints and finishes. Copper fit that bill perfectly, so when the contractor asked us what element we really wanted to keep [during the budgeting process], we said the copper.” Copper’s inherent resistance to corrosion and natural weathering contributes to its long product life, reducing the need for periodic painting or other maintenance efforts often required with less resilient materials.

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The center’s understated aesthetic belies a building that delivers high performance, achieving net-zero status with a sophisticated combination of sustainable systems and materials. “The project is designed to meet 100 percent of its energy needs through on-site renewable generation and is ‘net-zero-ready,’” according to VMDO. “This is accomplished through passive strategies, such as proper orientation, reduced window/wall ratios, daylighting, shading, and a high-performance envelope); and active strategies, such as geothermal heat pump systems for heating, cooling and domestic hot water, high efficiency lighting, and dedicated outdoor air systems with heat recovery; and renewables.” Structural walls employ a composite of concrete and insulation materials to deliver improved thermal performance.

Geothermal heat pumps linked to 20 ground-source water loops reduce the building’s energy usage. Roller shades in the offices and across the south facade control glare and reduce solar heat gain. Along with the vertical standing-seam copper cladding, the rainscreen facade includes thermal break Z furring with more than 114.3-mm (4.5-in.) of insulation, contributing to the community center’s overall energy efficiency.

The copper panels not only boost the resilience and energy efficiency of the building envelope, but they also enhance the overall exterior aesthetics and the beauty of the design.

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“Looking at the massing of the building, we wanted the copper to move across the north facade but there were windows there. To keep the views, we perforated some of the panels,” explained Comiskey. “I was surprised how open it is when you look from the interior. You can even see trees across the street.”

Other building elements include about 304.8 mm (12 in.) of polystyrene geofoam above the garage which create grading without excessive weight loads, reducing the concrete needed to maintain structural integrity. An efficient water-management system that collects and filters stormwater for use in irrigation was added as well, and wood paneling and other interior elements made from trees which were cut down during construction. Further, structural walls that employ a composite of concrete and insulation materials to deliver improved thermal performance, and roller shades in the offices and across the south facade to control glare and reduce solar heat gain. All these design elements contribute uniformly to the sustainability of this building.

The Center’s holistic design and advanced performance earned itself wide recognition, including a “best project” citation from the Engineering News Record² and a North American Copper in Architecture (NACIA) award from the Copper Development Association (CDA).

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“The Lubber Run Center not only delivers a high level of sustainability, but also has design features that fit the location and use extraordinarily well,” says Andy Kireta, CDA president and CEO. “The judges particularly recognize how the copper facade panels will oxidize naturally from brown to green over time, helping them integrate even more into the surrounding park.”

Since the building opened, Comiskey says one of the most gratifying aspects of the project has been the positive reactions they have received from Arlington residents.

“It is great how much the community loves the facility,” says Comiskey. “At the beginning, some of them said ‘You’re going to ruin our park,’ but now they are using it, they tell us ‘Wow, we love this,’—this is the best testimony. People are loving how the building just fits with the park.”

Notes

¹ To learn more about the project, visit www.vmdo.com/lubber-run-community-center.html.

² To read the Engineering News Record article, visit www.enr.com/articles/52633-best-sports-entertainment-and-excellence-in-sustainability-award-of-merit-lubber-run-community-center.

Author

Larry Peters is the project manager and architectural applications specialist for the Copper Development Association (CDA), a U.S.-based, not-for-profit association of the global copper industry, bringing together the North American copper and copper alloy semis fabricators and global copper mining and production industries. To view more examples of how architects and designers are incorporating copper in today’s building systems and more, visit www.copper.org.

Source URL: https://www.constructionspecifier.com/lubber-run-park-achieving-net-zero-status-with-copper/

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