ABSTRACT
Design for the Rocky Mountain Institute’s (RMI) Innovation center began in 2013 and construction was completed in January 2016. It is located in Basalt, Colorado, USA. RMI had very challenging goals for radical reduction of energy use, no cooling, no heat pumps, and delightful workspaces. Modeling was done using Integrated Environmental Solutions. The first computer models used a simple rectangular box which tested multiple envelopes facing different orientations to discover what impact each had on interior comfort. RMI wanted the system to be adaptable for developments in energy management. This includes providing future functionality for bi-directional electrical vehicle (EV), DC power, and islanding. Conduit, and possibly existing circuits, to current EV stations could be reused for new bi-directional stations. RMI retains the solar renewable energy credits and has a power purchase agreement with the utility for the sale of the power distributed to the grid.
