Zero-Net Energy Housing and Devens, Mass.

Posted on 18. Aug, 2009 by in Industry Insights, Permanent Modular

We spend a lot of time talking and thinking about zero-net energy construction. Living and working off the grid, so to speak, is the ultimate sustainable practice. In California, the goal is to make zero-net the standard for all new housing by 2020 and all new commercial buildings by 2030. Triumph Modular is currently involved in a number of zero-net energy partnerships and projects for which we have high hopes.

And then there is this exciting and ambitious initiative in Devens – a successful development on the site of the former Ft. Devens U.S. Army base. Doing zero-net housing anywhere is a challenge. Doing it in the Northeast – where real serious winters demand real serious energy consumption – will present some very unique obstacles.

But according to Mass Development, which has overseen the redevelopment of Devens, no fewer than four teams of engineers, architects and other partners are confident they are up to the challenge.

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3 Responses to “Zero-Net Energy Housing and Devens, Mass.”

  1. Fred Turner

    25. Jul, 2011

    Do you have any examples of net-zero energy modular constrcution that have actual energy data?

    Thanks,
    Fred

  2. Fred Turner

    25. Jul, 2011

    Do you have examples of net-zero energy modular construction that have actual energy data?

    Thanks,
    Fred

  3. Glenn Cort

    16. Aug, 2011

    Fred, So sorry to have not responded in a timely fashion to this question, our excuses are many but none good enough. We did have a study done on one of our modular buildings, placed in Lincoln Mass, for energy performance and I can send that to you.

    As a dealer, distributor of modular buildings we work with Architects and fabricators that we choose to arrive at designs for certain use groups and applications. Our Eco-Fleet building that Harvard first used as child care center was a “green” design and won 2011 Innovation in Green Design award USGBC Mass Chapter, it was designed to be PV ready and if installed may have achieved net zero but the user and Triumph did not take it that far and we did not study actual data.

    I have asked the Architect of one of our newest prototypes designed to achieve net zero to comment from the design side, and with Summer vacations and the modular school season in full swing he hasn’t commented yet. I trust that he will chime in.

    We are trying to lead our prospects and callers for space solutions toward investing in green designs, and this allows for us to utilize architectural design to achieve great things when it comes to energy use reduction. We have tried to invest ourselves to make it easy for our clients/owners to take the leap of faith to plan on front and back end commissioning of buildings, and to study the data. As you are likely aware, we need our owners to want to take it that far.

    Also, because many of our installations in the education sector are capable of relocation, owners and designers have been leery of adding alternative energy sources to these buildings.

    We do believe more Owners are looking at permanent modular construction, and that we will be able to sell and collaborate with the user to study its use, quite possibly in conjunction with registering the project with the USGBC for a LEED rating.

    Please contact me for the study done on one of our projects. Sincerely, Glenn A. Cort

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