'Smartest' Buildings in America Named

Siemens Industry Inc. recently announced the two grand-prize winners and two runners-up in its inaugural Smartest Building in America Challenge.

Recognizing innovative and creative approaches taken by facility managers, the competition was open to all buildings with a Siemens APOGEE or TALON building-automation system (BAS). Participants were asked to submit a brief video explaining why their building is the smartest in America. A panel of five industry experts judged the entries, which can be viewed at www.smartestbuildinginamerica.com.

The grand-prize winners are:

• Duke Energy Center, Charlotte, N.C. Duke Energy Center is a 48-story, 1.5-million-sq-ft LEED Core and Shell 2.0 Platinum office tower. Using an APOGEE BAS, it creates operational efficiencies that have reduced energy consumption by 22 percent.
• Iowa Central Community College, Fort Dodge, Iowa. The Iowa Central Community College Biotechnology and Health Science Building is a LEED Gold facility utilizing a TALON AX system to integrate six mechanical systems and operate equipment such as water-to-air and water-to-water heat pumps and air-handling units.

The runners-up are the LEED Platinum-pending Cold Climate Housing Research Center in Fairbanks, Alaska, which uses an APOGEE system to handle Alaska's extreme climate, and the Rasmussen Building at Grand View University in Des Moines, Iowa, which uses a TALON system to automatically operate variable-air-volume boxes, raise and lower window shades based on time of day and interior-room temperatures, and adjust lighting for an art gallery and conference room.

The grand-prize winners will receive $25,000 in products and services from Siemens' Building Technologies Division or a $25,000 contribution to a qualified charity of their choice. The runners-up will receive $15,000 in products and services from Siemens' Building Technologies Division or a $15,000 contribution to a qualified charity of their choice.