TCC South’s Center of Excellence for Energy Technology, a Freese and Nichols-designed facility in Fort Worth, Texas, has been named 2016 Best Green Project by Engineering News-Record (ENR) in the Texas & Louisiana division. Freese and Nichols will be honored during an awards ceremony in Houston on Oct. 19, 2016.
The Center of Excellence for Energy Technology (CEET), an 87,000-square-foot, $42 million learning and training center, is TCC South’s first new building since the campus opened 50 years ago. Some of the elements that contributed to the “Best Green Project” win include: 416 solar panels providing roughly one-third of the building’s energy; LED lights to reduce energy usage and decrease cooling loads; geothermal heating and cooling systems; sustainable water management practices; an outdoor garden; and touch-screen monitors providing real-time data on the building’s energy consumption.
This state-of-the-art facility houses TCC’s Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration (HART) program, as well as training programs for oil, gas and renewable energy technologies.
“Our team designed and built toward a triple bottom line of sound financial investment, highly sustainable design and enhancement of the teaching environment,” said Freese and Nichols Project Manager Allen McRee, AIA, CCM. “The outstanding sustainability features serve double-duty as practical teaching tools, and the flexible spaces will enable adaptation as technologies and teaching tools change. TCC’s vision for this project is farsighted and exemplifies academic excellence; we are honored to be part of this team and pleased that ENR has recognized the accomplishment.”
ENR’s Best Project contest encompasses project types from 18 categories from across Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas and Oklahoma. A total of 92 entries in this year’s competition yielded 35 winners in 18 categories.