Integrated Design & Construction for Energy Projects
Category: Built Environment, Business Agreement Format
Using an outcome-based, integrated design and construction approach for energy infrastructure projects can result in significant energy savings and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. This approach considers engineering, design, construction, and commissioning concurrently, ensuring maximization of value at every project phase.
The partner takes full accountability for the project, including cost control, quality, project management, timeline, and required pivots. Then, the partner’s compensation depends upon the project outcomes and achievement of performance requirements. This allows the delivery of multiple goals concurrently, including financial, environmental, operational, resiliency, occupancy comfort, and asset renewal targets.
Hiring one multidisciplinary team to perform all aspects of a project maximizes efficiency across construction, cost control, and communication.
Benefits of Integrated Design & Construction
- Incentivizes one accountable partner to maximize project results and ensure longterm infrastructure efficiency
- Project success criteria are measurable, including outcomes and performance requirements important to the campus.
- Can make fixed payments based on milestones and achievements
- Results are guaranteed, including project cost, savings, and incentives, GHG reduction and operational performance.
- Master planning is typically part of the planning and design stages
Challenges
- May require a change in the way a campus typically procures projects
- Requires a collaborative mindset among campus and partner stakeholders
- Finding a project champion dedicated to working with multiple stakeholder groups to meet complex needs
Impacts
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GHG Impact
Large
More InfoThe integrated design and construction approach frequently leads to the deepest GHG reductions possible from an energy infrastructure upgrade.
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Economic Impact
Net Savings
More InfoEssential deferred maintenance is incorporated into integrated design and construction projects, which eliminates one of the most significant costs to the campus.
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Feasibility
Doable
More InfoIntegrated engineering and construction projects are tailored to a campus’s long-term strategic goals, pain points, infrastructure needs, desired outcomes, and risk profile.
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Timeline
2-5 years
More InfoA planning, design and construction timeline of 2-5 years is typical and depends on the size and complexity of the project.
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Maintenance
Moderate
More InfoA regular maintenance schedule is required as is common with all energy infrastructure.
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Publicity
That's cool
More InfoDeep energy savings and GHG emission reductions are possible, making these projects attractive to broadcast to students, faculty and the broader community.
Ecosystem and DePauw University: An energy infrastructure for the future
DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, enrolls almost 2,000 students on its 655-acre campus. The university had specific goals related to its energy infrastructure: replace aging assets, reduce the environmental footprint, lower energy bills by at least 25%, and improve operational performance. To achieve these goals, they partnered with Ecosystem Energy to develop a campus energy management plan and integrated design-build project with performance guarantees.
Ecosystem and Vassar College: Investment Roadmap to Net Zero
Vassar College needed to expand upon their 2016 climate action plan and achieve carbon neutrality by 2030. Ecosystem Energy helped them conduct an iterative analytical design process to determine the best path forward. Ecosystem worked with internal stakeholders to ensure that each of their needs were met. The study identified future campus projects and investments to bring Vassar to net zero. Ecosystem then moved forward to implement the proposed plan with Vassar.
