Georgia Tech Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design

The Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design is a living-learning laboratory supporting the study and promotion of sustainability in the southeast. Located in the Eco-Commons space of the Georgia Tech campus, the building comprises classrooms, makerspaces, student collaboration and research space, areas for public gathering, and an auditorium. Sustainable features include, radiant cooling and heating, daylight harvesting, automatic externally operated shades, natural ventilation, rainwater harvesting, condensate recovery, a Dedicated Outside Air System, a high efficiency envelope, demand control ventilation, occupancy sensors, and photovoltaics. This facility earned earned LEED Platinum certification, an AIA COTE Top Ten Award, and Living Certification for the Living Building Challenge 3.1.

Acoustics

Architectural acoustics to create an acoustical environment conducive to lecture, learning, group work, and communications for a living-learning laboratory. Acoustic isolation and absorption materials incorporated into reclaimed wood systems to provide sound isolation and reverberation control while featuring wood reclaimed from fallen trees on the campus.

Audio-visual

Audio-visual systems using RoHS compliant hardware with low energy usage. Through AV over IP systems, all video and audio signals are streamed over the network, resulting in very little power consumption at remote locations due to the use of centrally powered and efficient PoE components. The building audio-visual systems are fed by a centralized AV rack closet, so the majority of all power and cooling requirements are relegated to a single location. Through use of traditional network switches, rather than dedicated AV switches, the systems use substantially less energy than traditional audio-visual systems. Additionally, all audio-visual systems are automatically turn off when not in use, and interface with a resource management system to monitor all system usage and provide alerts upon errors. All projectors utilize a laser light source, drawing less energy and producing less waste than lamps that have to be replaced. The audio-visual systems of the building adhere to the Georgia Tech standard functional requirements for classrooms, laboratories, and auditorium spaces.

Communications

The structured cabling system serves as the main distribution platform for building controls, AV over IP, energy management, access control and video surveillance signaling and communications between the main headends and peripheral devices. A high density wireless system throughout the building and the exterior green spaces reduce hard data connections for staff and students network use.

Security

A control system secures the building perimeter, departmental suites and equipment access management, and credentialing. The video surveillance system is an expansion of the campus-wide video management system (VMS) and is integrated with the access control system with multi-sensor and directional cameras to monitor the common areas, entrances, and exterior green spaces.

Awards

The Atlanta Better Buildings Challenge presented the Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design with its annual Game Changer Award in 2018. Additionally, this project received a 2020 Project Achievement Award in the category of “Public Building | New Construction” for both “Constructed value less than $20M” and “Sustainability”, as well as the 2020 “Project of the Year”, by the South Atlantic Chapter of The Construction Management Association of America. In 2021, this facility earned LEED Platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, and a COTE Top Ten High-Performance Award by the American Institute of Architects (AIA). In April 2021, The Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design earned the Living Building Challenge 3.1 Certification, making it the first Living Building facility in Georgia and 28th in the world.