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American Family East Regional Building (ERB)

Project Information

Client

American Family Insurance

Location

Madison, WI

Size

285,000 SF

Sector

Commercial & Mixed-Use

Services

Architecture, Engineering, Sustainable Design, Energy Modeling, Controls, Construction Administration, LEED, Building Condition Assessments

Experts

Senior Architectural Designer

AIA, LEED AP ID+C, WELL AP

President | Chief Executive Officer

AIA

Project Manager

Related Articles

Awards

USGBC Sustainability Award Nomination

Award of Merit

2020

LEED gold

2019

OBJECTIVE:

Rigorous Renovation

Strang’s work on American Family Insurance’s East Regional Building (ERB) was part of a four-year project based on a 20-year infrastructure improvement plan and 285,000 SF renovation. The largest obstacle in this project was the rigorous schedule which resulted in continuous use of the facility and nearly zero downtime of departments as the renovation progressed. The building accounts for around 850 people with anticipated growth to 1000 people and was seeking to update and renovate its systems to prepare for this expansion.

SOLUTION:

Designing Efficiency

The HVAC scope of this project included a complete replacement of all four main air handling units serving the office and cafeteria. The new air distribution greatly improved upon the IAQ and thermal comfort. HVAC design also included partial ventilation energy recovery and demand control ventilation strategies. This contributed toward energy cost reduction over the 30% baseline and maximized 10 LEED EA 1.3 credits. Commissioning was completed following the 15 phases of renovations as portions of the project were updated. This project has successfully achieved LEED Gold certification.

The existing gas-fired, hot water boiler plant was retrofitted with new high efficiency condensing dual fuel boilers. Strang also converted the building controls to the American Family Johnson Controls network, transitioning the existing chiller plant controls from the obsolete control system. Finally, the ERB required the replacement of all windows to increase energy efficiency. With Strang’s help, this multi-functional office and training space is now optimized for efficiency.