Coast is one of the twelve buildings that makes up the Lakeshore East Development located along Chicago’s downtown lakefront. dbHMS has worked with the developer on three buildings in the complex, providing sustainability consulting and commissioning services. For Coast, dbHMS helped to guide the sustainable design strategies and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED©) certification process for this 47-story luxury apartment tower. 

dbHMS developed an energy model for the building and compared the advantages of water source heats pumps versus two-pipe fan coil units. Glass performance, slab-edge conditions, and opaque wall insulation were explored with multiple iterations of the model to find the most efficient and cost effective combinations of materials. River water cooling, geothermal, and district chilled water were also investigated.

To help achieve the client’s goals of LEED© Silver level certification and lower operating costs, water-source heat pumps were used to condition the one- and two-bedroom apartment units. dbHMS developed the performance specifications for the HVAC design-build Contractors and defined boiler efficiency and exhaust air energy recovery methods.  We continued to work with the Engineer of Record to refine the strategies and design concepts that were incorporated throughout the construction document phase.