Feature Short

The Secret Math Behind RMI’s New Headquarters

Designing for net-zero energy and carbon in the nation’s coldest climate is not just a physics problem. There’s also the chemistry.

by P.J. Melton

The Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) Innovation Center is going to be one for the record books.

Naturally ventilated and with a minimal mechanical system, this 15,600 ft2 commercial office in Basalt, Colorado, was tracking a miniscule energy use intensity (EUI) of 17.2 kBtu/ft2 during the harsh winter months after its initial occupancy in December 2015. It’s a beautiful and innovative space whose passive systems are doing almost all the heavy lifting. These technological feats will be talked about for decades to come.

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Published April 4, 2016

Melton, P. (2016, April 4). The Secret Math Behind RMI’s New Headquarters. Retrieved from https://www.buildinggreen.com/feature-shorts/secret-math-behind-rmi-s-new-headquarters

Volume 25, Issue 4

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