WIT Press


A Regenerative High-rise Tower In Shreveport, Louisiana For Community Renewal International

Price

Free (open access)

Volume

142

Pages

7

Page Range

257 - 263

Published

2010

Size

3,693 kb

Paper DOI

10.2495/SW100241

Copyright

WIT Press

Author(s)

M. Garrison

Abstract

Zero Net Energy Buildings are increasingly being designed and constructed in response to the demand for sustainable buildings. But, we must now go beyond merely sustaining our environment for future generations we must provide regenerative designs that restore our natural environment. This paper will document the design of a regenerative high-rise tower in Shreveport, Louisiana, which will serve as a facility to train individuals in a non-profit organization’s renewal strategies and demonstrate by example the pedagogy of regenerative design. The 16-story structure – built in the 1950s and named the Petroleum Tower, reflecting the commodity that then ruled the local economy – was vacant and asbestos-laden when given to the non-profit Community Renewal International (CRI) in 2001. In 2006, funded by a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, workers removed the asbestos. Through a follow up grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to support the design process of a new CRI headquarters building, the University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture completed architectural design studies for the building renewal. The principles of this new design include: day lighting, envelope configuration, building integrated photovoltaic systems, green surfaces, ventilation strategies, advanced mechanical cooling systems, regenerative elevator systems, energy management systems, water harvesting, grey water systems, trigeneration systems and a combined heating, hot water and power biodiesel plant. Keywords: high-rise tower, regenerative design, renewal.

Keywords

high-rise tower, regenerative design, renewal