User`s guide

14
PV panels on the Ramona’s roof
GREEN BUILDING FEATURES
In addion to the water and energy saving appli-
ances described in the previous pages, there are
numerous less visible materials, technologies and
design decisions integrated into the Ramona to help
make it one of the most energy ecient residenal
buildings in Portland.
From the very beginning of the design process we
looked for ways to incorporate sustainable pracces
and materials into as many aspects of the building
as possible. Before the architects began draing, the design team assessed eight dierent build-
ing conguraons for factors such as light, noise, aesthecs and energy eciency and found the
best combinaon of these elements in an east facing U-shaped building.
Aer the building’s shape was decided, the design team put their focus into making sure that
the Ramona had a very ght building “envelope”. The building was carefully designed to mini-
mize all opportunies for cold air to seep into apartments and for hot air to leak out. This was
done by creang a connuous air barrier between the inside and the outside environments of
the building with an exterior Tyvek wrapping and interior permeable membrane. Aer the air
barrier was created the walls were lled with blown-in insulaon for maximum coverage and
heat retainage. A double layer of sheetrock with overlapping joints and rigid roof insulaon add
to the building’s ght seal.
A large array of photovoltaic (PV) solar panels on the roof of the building are expected to pro-
duce energy to run the elevators and most of the hallway lights. In addion, 64 solar hot water
panels will generate enough heat to provide half of the building’s hot water supply.
Sharing the roof with the PV and solar hot water panels is an expansive garden of Northwest
nave plants. The garden, also
known as an ecoroof, is designed
to absorb and lter the water
from Portland’s generous rain-
falls. Combined with the court-
yard landscaping and planters,
the ecoroof will treat 100 percent
of the building’s stormwater run-
o.
Other energy ecient and responsible building pracces include a heat recovery system in the
ac that re-uses 70-80% of the heat from the exhaust system, and a sophiscated venlaon
system that pulls air from bathrooms and kitchens and replaces it with fresh air that is either
heated or cooled, depending on the outside temperature.
Solar hot water panels on the Ramona’s roof