Digital Commemorative Magazine - 48

SUSTAINABLY ADVANCING THERMAL COMFORT WITH BIG ASS FANS

Being a leader in heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration motivated ASHRAE to
showcase new integrated building technologies in
the renovation of their global headquarters in
Atlanta (Climate Zone 3A). The 66,700 ft2 (6197 m2)
facility houses more than 100 ASHRAE employees
and serves as an industry showcase as a high
performing, net-zero energy building. The design
encompasses ASHRAE's long-held value of
sustainability and sets the standard for occupant
productivity and wellness. Big Ass fans play a
central role in delivering superior occupant comfort
while ensuring energy eﬃciency.

The Goal
The path to a net-zero energy building retroﬁt
called for cutting-edge HVAC technologies and
novel design features to comply with ANSI/
ASHRAE Standard 55 (2017) and deliver yearround occupant comfort. Integral Group, an
industry-leading engineering ﬁrm, focused on load
reduction while selecting rightsized equipment to
meet the 21.4 kBtu/ft2*yr (243 MJ/m2) energy use
intensity (EUI) target. Cooling was projected to be

the largest portion of energy use in the humid,
subtropical climate. The design team worked
closely with Big Ass Fans to develop a low-energy
solution to meet, and exceed, the ambitious EUI
goal by combining overhead radiant panels with
Haiku ceiling fans, allowing for an expanded
comfort zone using elevated air speeds.

The Design
Pairing the overhead radiant system with classleading ceiling fans oﬀers unique advantages over
conventional radiant system installations. By
selectively using air movement over the panels,
the team at Big Ass Fans achieved greater
capacity (see Karmann et al, 2018) from the

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