Building a Legacy

HARC was founded in 1982 by sustainability advocate and philanthropist George P. Mitchell, who was concerned about the long-term implications of population growth, resource depletion, and environmental deterioration. Mr. Mitchell and his wife, Cynthia, sought ways to address these problems and protect the natural environment. They believed that with the right research and creativity, there could be a world in which nature and humanity could coexist, in which people would thrive and nature would flourish. HARC was established as a research hub to find the right answers to the problems of sustainability and resilience.

HARC’s original campus was constructed in 1987.

As the organization grew, the leadership began to look for ways to construct a green facility, one that would be planned and built with sustainability in mind.

In 2014, HARC’s leadership moved forward with the design and construction of a building that would reflect the mission of sustainability. Working in partnership with Gensler, one of the world’s foremost leaders in architecture and design, HARC set out to create a building that would achieve a Leaders in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum level certification – the highest certification possible – issued by the US Green Building Council.

In May of 2016 HARC staff, board members, members of the design and construction teams and local officials gathered to break ground on the new building which embodies HARC's core values and mission. The  new headquarters  was designed to be a comfortable and productive work environment that embraces the site's natural resources to inspire harmony between staff and the surrounding environment. 

Bioswales and a center island pocket prairie capture rainwater from the building's roof, curbless parking lot, and grounds before the stormwater is allowed to leave the property and make its way to Bear Branch Creek. Riprap weirs and site specific native vegetation are bioswale design features that serve to slow stormwater. This increases the rate of infiltration, replenishing groundwater supplies and improving water quality.  

The building’s north/south orientation, roof slope, and special roof construction design provided HARC with the ideal platform for expand solar capacity. The building was originally constructed with 11.5 kW of rooftop photovoltaic (PV) solar, accounting for approximately 13% of the building’s energy usage. In December 2018, thanks to generous support provided by the Green Mountain Energy Sun Club, HARC added 77 kW of additional solar power. 

HARC’s building now has 252 roof top solar panels, resulting in 88 kW of on-site power generation. This enabled the facility to become the first commercial  Net-ZeroEnergy (NZE)  certified building in the State of Texas. Over the 25-year lifespan of the solar system, 1,375 tons of CO2 will be eliminated from HARC's footprint. That's the equivalent of planting 33,748 trees or driving 3,225,947 fewer miles.

The building is heated and cooled using a geothermal system designed by CMTA Consulting Engineers that, “harvests the natural cool of the earth." Thirty-six geothermal wells were drilled and located beneath the parking lot to a depth of 300 feet each. The use of novel materials to construct a building envelope and constant-temperature, high-efficiency heat pumps, coupled with the geothermal system, negate temperature variances and ensure optimal air flow in the indoor climate.

Gensler utilized a conventional technology in a new application to develop a thermally-vented cladding assembly and rain screen combined with an air-tight enclosure known as the building envelope. The cladding mitigates heat from direct sunlight hitting the facade by thermally venting it through a 1" air space between the enclosure and cladding. The cladding was extended to cover the slab-edge to protect it from direct sunlight inhibiting the slab from acting as an external heat sink. This is one technology that contributes to an approximate 70% less net energy consumption when compared to a similarly sized baseline project (energy model by CMTA).

Exposed structural materials such as polished concrete floors and painted steel columns reduce the amount of finish materials needed in the space; eliminating additional waste. Regional and recycled materials were used where possible as well as carpet tiles with recycled content and no adhesives. The efficient use of Portland cement achieved over 15%, 20%, and 25% reductions in the LEED categories of Smog Formation, Global Warming, and Acidification Potential respectively.

Walter P Moore mandated that the concrete mix supplier have Environmental Product Declarations and included mandatory language in the contract documents to limit the embodied impacts of the concrete mixes. Those limits helped achieve the impact reductions shown in the Whole Building Life Cycle Assessment (WBLCA) model, performed by Walter P Moore; HARC was one of the first in Texas to do so.

The building's automated system collects metrics from informational points that relay the data to a building dashboard. The public can see exactly how the building is performing with regards to energy usage by energy load type and area of the building. The system also monitors core temperature from a test geothermal well, water efficiency, and CO2 visibility in the building. 

Click on the hyperlink below to view HARC's building dashboard.

HARC has embraced its headquarters facility as a place-based research platform. This Living Lab enables us to research, test, and put into practice new and proven high-performance technologies and operations strategies as we look for solutions to go beyond net zero. To date, we have further reduced the energy consumption of the building by 30% and are currently working with partners to explore a variety of applied science approaches, including net positive operations, CO2-based demand response, and more.

To learn more or to partner with us, contact  HARCbuilding@harcresearch.org .

HARC’s headquarters will serve as a regional model of how a sustainable building can be built cost effectively while meeting the needs of employees. The opportunity to educate and assist is a priority for HARC as we continue to shape sustainable solutions that help communities and nature thrive.