The Town of Needham retained Winter Street Architects to design a new Public Services Administration Building. The two story structure features private and open offices, conference rooms and public meeting spaces. While the town did not pursue LEED Certification the design incorporated eco friendly, cutting edge features without sacrificing style or quality. The completed facility provides a better working environment and a 30% reduction in the cost of operation.
Aspects of eco friendly design involved an abundance of innovative earth friendly concepts. • 100% storm water reclaimed on site • Drought tolerant/native species landscape design • Waterless urinals • Roof designed to receive future solar panels • Geothermal heating and cooling • BAS / active management of building energy • Maximized daylight and views for occupants The Service Administration Building employs a ground source heat pump (GSHP) system for heating and cooling. GSHP systems exploit the Earth’s ability to store and dissipate heat. A few feet below the surface of the earth, underground temperatures are stable throughout the year. This building has a series of (16) five-hundred foot deep wells located under the parking lot which collect available heat in the winter and discharge heat back into the ground in the summer.
