State University of New York at Albany

Led by SUNY Albany and supported by New York State’s Empire Development Corporation, the U.S. Weather Bureau, and private industry, the Center for Environmental Sciences and Technology Management (CESTM) houses research, teaching, and commercial applications in the environmental sciences. The winning entry in an invitational design competition, the design expresses the pathway of technology transfer, from advanced research and development to business incubation and public dissemination.

CESTM incorporates energy-efficient measures and renewable technologies into a cohesive design aesthetic. Rows of photovoltaic panels function as sunshades for windows on the southern facade, reducing heat gain as well as capturing solar energy. Designated a photovoltaic demonstration project by the New York State Energy Department, this installation is among the largest building-integrated photovoltaic assemblies in the United States. A second freestanding photovoltaic array standing in a semicircle on a nearby ridge harmonizes with landscape features.

Other energy-efficient measures that help minimize heating/cooling loads on an already energy-efficient mechanical system include clerestory windows, which increase daylighting of perimeter offices, and the building’s optimal south/east facing orientation.

• Structure minimizes disturbance to the natural setting and surrounding woodlands
• Building orientation optimizes both eastern and southern exposures for photovoltaic solar collection

• “Slip-on” mounting system integrates PV panels into building facade without penetrating exterior envelope, providing ultimate flexibility in removing or replacing panels as needed

• Clerestory windows increase daylighting in perimeter offices
• Maximum physical separation between air intake and exhaust for lab component of building and upblast high velocity laboratory exhaust fans prevents re-entrainment

• Unistrut grid ceilings maximize flexibility to accommodate changing research initiatives
• Structural-steel system and corrugated-aluminum cladding meets recycled-building-content targets

• PV panels integrated into south-facing exterior shade windows, reducing cooling load
• PV array provides power to ventilator fans and emergency lighting throughout building
• Heat-recovery coil loop optimizes mechanical system by preheating/cooling 100% of incoming air
• Direct digital control building automation system optimizes energy efficiency of mechanical system
• Variable volume laboratory exhaust system reduces outside air to be conditioned
• DDC control allows occupied/unoccupied scheduling of each individual laboratory
• Independent HVAC system serves space dedicated to U.S. Weather Services, which operates 24/7

A thin-film technologies transfer center housing research centers in:

• Atmospheric research
• X-ray optics
• Advanced materials laboratory
• Business incubator program