SmithGroup, a national architectural, engineering and interiors planning firm, says sustainable design is at the core of every one of its projects.  And at the center of most of SmithGroup’s sustainable efforts is Jason Sambolt, LEED AP, mechanical engineer and upfront CFD advocate.

UpfrontCFD talked to Jason about SmithGroup, sustainability, and the engineering tools that are fueling the green architectural movement.  Excerpts of the interview are below.  The full interview, along with more than a dozen articles on CFD, simulation and sustainability can be found in the eZine UpfrontCFD: The Built Environment Issue, available for free download.

Jason Sambolt, LEED AP, SmithGroup

What specific design, engineering and construction techniques are helping you improve LEED ratings and meet the rigorous energy standards of the Architecture 2030 Challenge?

There are multiple design approaches SmithGroup has used to improve building performance over the years. 

Constitution Center in Washington, D.C., was the first large-scale chilled beam installation in the United States.  The active chilled beam system in combination with dedicated outdoor air units with energy recovery produced significant energy savings in cooling, heating and fan energy consumption. 

SmithGroup used CFdesign to determine whether a building that originally implemented natural ventilation in 1881 was capable of providing enough natural ventilation after 100 years of urban growth around it.

A natural ventilation design strategy was implemented at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation Headquarters which helped in achieving the first LEED New Construction Platinum rating.  

 How does upfront CFD fit into your sustainable design efforts?

As the demand for sustainable design increases, so does the demand to be on the forefront of new technologies and to increase outside-of-the-box thinking.  This often means dealing with long-term untested practices.

An atrium temperature study conducted by SmithGroup for the L’Enfant Plaza retail renovation.

Upfront CFD has allowed SmithGroup to confidently implement new technology and ideas through proof of concept verification.  A room with a chilled beam system can be modeled quickly and easily during the design process to ensure thermal comfort will be maintained.

Another good example is the use of CFD to determine the feasibility of a natural ventilation design for a retrofit of an existing building.  SmithGroup used CFdesign to determine whether a building that originally implemented natural ventilation in 1881 was capable of providing enough natural ventilation after 100 years of urban growth around it.

At what point do you bring CFD into your design/engineering work for a new building?

At SmithGroup, architectural and engineering design teams collaborate at very early stages of design in order to create a fully integrated practice.

During these early design stages important decisions need to be made based on schematic-level energy analysis and CFD studies that greatly affect the overall design.  A relatively small effort early can produce invaluable information to help both the architect and engineer better understand a project.  This information not only ensures we are creating an energy-efficient building but that we are also producing the best product for our client.

What kind of cultural changes are required to integrate CFD into design and engineering processes?

The biggest change needs to be early integration.  Often times consulting engineering firms will be brought onto a job after the early phases of design have already been developed by an architectural firm.  By this point critical decisions have already been made without a full understanding of the design.

Do you think sustainability is going to continue being a watchword for the future?

Sustainable design is here to stay.  As we progress, the challenges of creating more environmentally responsible designs will increase and will begin to push the envelope of building design and technologies. This challenge will require architects and engineers to constantly expand their perception of sustainable design and push current boundaries to reduce our overall impact on the environment.

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