Project Overview

Tribe/Awardee:
Forest County Potawatomi Community

Location:
Milwaukee, WI

Project Title:
Energy Efficiency Improvements to Wundar Hall, a Historic Building on the Concordia Campus in Milwaukee

Type of Application:
Deployment

DOE Grant Number:
DE-EE0002501

Project Amounts:
DOE: $1,105,043
Awardee: $1,105,043
Total: $2,210,086

Project Status:
See project status

Project Period of Performance:
Start: June 2010
End: August 2012

Summary

The Forest County Potawatomi Community (FCPC) will implement energy efficiency improvements in revitalizing its historic Milwaukee inner-city trust property. The trust property is the former Concordia College campus and contains several historic buildings. Specifically, the tribe would like to install significant energy efficient fixtures and components as part of its renovation of Wundar Hall; a 34,000-square-foot building that was constructed in 1925 and is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places. The project will result in energy savings of more than 50% once Wundar Hall is renovated and fully operational.

This historic building will have the building envelope updated (replacement of windows, replacement of entry doors, repair of clay tile, installation of rigid insulation/dry wall, installation of blown-in insulation for the roof, and repair of exterior masonry); the HVAC system removed and optimized (demo/removal of existing HVAC system, finalizing of engineering plan, securing and approval of city permit, system testing and balancing); a plumbing system installed (demo/replacement of existing system and piping, installation of new domestic and fire-protection water service); new energy-efficient water heater and associated equipment installed; all electrical systems upgraded and rewired to meet current code standards; and new HVAC and other high efficiency mechanical equipment wired and installed.

Project Description

Background

The FCPC is a federally recognized Indian tribe located in northern Wisconsin and organized under a constitution adopted June 5, 1982, and approved by the Secretary of Interior on July 14, 1982. The buildings on the Concordia Trust Property are and will continue to be solely owned by the tribe. The tribe has worked with a team of consultants and contractors to assist it in developing energy efficient measures to incorporate into the renovation of Wundar Hall. Wundar Hall is one of several buildings on the Concordia Trust Property, and its renovation is designed to act as a catalyst to further renovation of the Concordia Trust Property and the neighborhood.

The tribe is engaged in redeveloping its architecturally significant but neglected Concordia Trust Property located on the near west side of Milwaukee, which was taken into trust for the Tribe by the United States on July 10, 1990. The City of Milwaukee has identified redevelopment of the Concordia Campus as a "Catalytic Project" for revitalizing the near west side. The ultimate goal of the tribe is to redevelop the Concordia Trust Property to meet the needs of both the Indian community in the Milwaukee area and the Milwaukee community as a whole. The tribe envisions a revitalized, mixed-use campus of community services, education, and economic development, providing services to the substantial Indian community and jobs to the neighborhood. To complete this effort the tribe is planning considerable investment of its resources.

Renovating the buildings on the Concordia Trust Property in an energy efficient way is consistent with the long-term energy vision of the tribe. The tribe's energy vision is to ultimately reduce its carbon footprint to zero and to be a leader in energy efficiency and renewable energy implementation, thereby leading the way to help enable others reduce their carbon footprints. Implementing energy efficiencies in its tribally owned facilities is a key component of this vision. FCPC recognizes funding for renovation of the building beyond the energy efficiency improvements is not part of the proposed allowable costs of the project for which the DOE grant is sought.

Project Objectives

Wundar Hall was a dormitory, has been used as apartments, and is now vacant. The tribe is planning that the renovated Wundar Hall will house a business incubator for either alternative energy or technology companies. The target objective for Wundar Hall is to make it an ENERGY STAR rated building at the completion of the renovation and upgrade. This objective requires a comprehensive strategy of improvements in building envelope/structure, mechanical systems, electrical systems, plumbing systems and building control systems. The measures proposed for implementation as part of this project include improving the integrity of the building envelope to increase its ability to resist heat loss; installing insulation in the exterior walls and roof; upgrading the building's heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems to increase its efficiency; and upgrading the electrical systems to increase efficiency of lighting and switching.

Scope

As part of the renovation of Wundar Hall, the tribe will install energy efficiency measures using an integrated, holistic approach. This approach means that all aspects of the building renovation will be examined for energy efficiency that will dramatically reduce the environmental impact of the building. The target objective for Wundar Hall is to make it an ENERGY STAR rated building at the completion of the renovation and upgrade. This objective requires a comprehensive strategy of improvements in building envelope/structure, mechanical systems, electrical systems, plumbing systems and building control systems.

The building envelope integrity and ability to resist heat loss is a high priority in rehabilitating the building. In addition to the roofing replacement and associated work, it is recommended that all existing single gazed operable windows be replaced with aluminum thermal flush-glazed fixed window units. Existing entry doors will be replaced with aluminum thermal flush-glazed door units with new hardware to be determined by architect. The exterior walls consist of stone and brick veneer and have areas where water infiltration is a concern. Masonry repairs will be conducted at the roof parapets, which are cracked at the corners and bowed in. In addition, masonry and tuck pointing will be conducted at the brick and stone accent at the east entry. To increase the energy efficiency of the building envelope, blown-in insulation in the cavity between the concrete deck and the wood roof framing will be installed. The lack of exterior wall insulation and water damage to the load-bearing clay tile support the need to remove the existing plaster, repair the clay tile, fur the inside of the clay tile exterior walls with 3-5/8" metal studs, infill the studs with batt insulation and 4 mil vapor barrier, and install new 5/8"drywall (taped and finished but not including paint).

TASK 1: Building Envelope:

  1. Replace windows
  2. Replace entry doors
  3. Exterior walls — repair clay tile, install rigid insulation, drywall
  4. Roof — install blown-in insulation
  5. Exterior masonry — repair and perform tuck-pointing to eliminate cracks

TASK 2: Building HVAC System:

  1. Demo and remove existing HVAC system
  2. Finalize engineering plan, receive approval, obtain city permit
  3. Install two new boilers (94% efficient or better)
  4. Optimize HVAC controls
  5. Test and balance system

TASK 3: Building Plumbing System:

  1. Demo and replace existing system and piping
  2. Install new combined water service (domestic and fire protection)
  3. Install new low-flow fixtures and piping
  4. Install new energy-efficient water heater and associated equipment

TASK 4: Building Electrical Infrastructure:

  1. Upgrade and rewire all electrical systems to meet current code standards
  2. Install energy-efficient lighting controls to meet Wisconsin Department of Commerce Building Code, Chapter 63
  3. Wire new HVAC and other high-efficiency mechanical equipment

Project Location

Wundar Hall is one of several buildings on the Concordia Trust Property located in the near west side of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Project Status

This project is complete. For details, see the final report

The project was competitively selected under the Tribal Energy Program's fiscal year 2009 funding opportunity announcement, "Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Deployment in Indian Country," and started in June 2010.

The November 2009, October 2010, and November 2011 project status reports provide more information.