SUSTAINABLE DESIGNS
While 20/10 Engineering Group, LLC provides quality Structural, HVAC, Plumbing, Fire Protection, and Electrical system design for all types of buildings, we are particularly proud of our sustainable designs. Our firm is a member of the United States Green Building Council and we have extensive experience in design of projects to attain LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Certification. Fully 75% of our design engineers are LEED Accredited Professionals. Submitting a project for LEED Certification provides a vehicle to measure its sustainability, however we understand, and can appreciate, that some building owners who are interested in sustainable design may not be interested in submitting their project for LEED Certification. Our goal is to always incorporate sustainable features into our designs where there is no additional first cost to the owner. Where there is additional cost for sustainable features, we will counsel the building owner in the benefits, as well as the associated costs, and incorporate those features where the building owner finds added value.

Examples of our recent sustainable projects are described below.

ACCESS LIVING HEADQUARTERS
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
Completed in early 2007, this project is a new 50,000 SF headquarters for Access Living, a not for profit Chicago based advocacy group that provides services and support for people with disabilities. Staffed with a large number of people with disabilities, the building has been designed for a wide range of occupants and users according the principles of Universal Design. In the spring of 2008, the building was awarded a LEED Gold certification. 20/10 Engineering Mechanical/Electrical sustainable design features include a highly efficient rooftop heating/cooling unit with evaporative condensing section, CO2 sensing to control levels of outside air, use of non-HFC refrigerants, computerized perimeter lighting system which automatically dims based on daylight levels, computerized mechanical shading to reduce solar heat gain, and low flow lavatories and showers to reduce water usage. In addition, the building features a “green roof”.

51.2 KW PHOTOVOLTAIC INSTALLATION
RONALD REAGAN MIDDLE SCHOOL
DIXON, ILLINOIS
This summer 2004 project was the design of a 51.2 kilowatt photovoltaic installation at the Ronald Reagan Middle School in Dixon, Illinois. The Reagan Middle School, located in the town where the late President grew up, is the largest ground-mounted system for an elementary-middle school in the State of Illinois. The system provides the equivalent annual electricity used by 7-10 Illinois homes. The system furthers the role of solar electricity in an educational environment where it is used for teaching children and parents the value of clean energy sources. 20/10 Engineering is proud to have been on the front end of this renewable energy solution - particularly a solar installation of this size. During times the building is unoccupied, the system is designed to sell power back to the grid. Funding for the system came from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation, and ComEd.

McDONALD’S RESTAURANT
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
Completed in August 2008, this project is the first ever corporate LEED® McDonald’s in the world. The restaurant is a sustainable adaption of the standard prototype McDonald’s. The project was designed to be constructible in ”Anytown, USA”. Therefore, our design concentrated on sustainable solutions that could be easily operated and maintained in remote areas. Designed to meet the requirements of LEED® NC V2.2, the project also served as a pilot project for the LEED® For Retail category subsequently released in 2009. The building received a LEED® Gold certification. 20/10 Engineering Mechanical / Electrical sustainable design features include highly efficient cooling only rooftop units, hot water heating provided by 92% efficient gas fired boilers, CO2 sensing to control levels of outside air, a heat recovery module to extract excess heat from the kitchen refrigeration equipment for purposes of domestic water pre-heating, underground cistern to recover rainwater, condensate, and RO system waste water for irrigation, computerized dining room lighting system which automatically dims based on daylight levels, photovoltaic site lighting, ultra-low flow lavatories/urinals/water closets to reduce water usage. In addition, the building features a “green roof” which allowed for an accelerated ”green building permit”.

WASTE MANAGEMENT TRANSFER STATIONS
ELGIN, ILLINOIS
TAZEWELL, ILLINOIS
CRYSTAL LAKE, ILLINOIS
These three projects are similar in nature, the first being constructed in 2006 and the last currently under construction. Each consists of a building used for the transfer of waste from local refuse trucks to large semis for transportation to a landfill along with a ticket building. 20/10 Engineering staff applied sustainable design principles to both buildings which are projected to earn LEED® Gold certification. Rainwater is collected in an underground cistern and utilized for flushing toilets and urinals. High efficiency condensing domestic water heaters were utilized. The HVAC system utilizes high SEER cooling units, 90%+ efficient gas heating, CO2 sensors, occupancy sensors, and heat recovery ventilators for maximum energy savings - 64% better than ASHRAE 90.1-1999. High efficiency lighting was utilized throughout the facility to reduce energy consumption while maintaining lighting levels acceptable per IESNA.