Schluter Systems shows off innovation in new facility

Schluter Systems plans to use its new distribution facility at Tahoe Reno Industrial Center as a research and proving ground for many of the company's tile-accessory products.

Schluter Systems, founded in 1975 by a German tile-setter, has installed many of its products throughout the 97,000-square-foot facility, which serves as its West Coast distribution center. The entire building envelope is wrapped in the company's bonded, waterproof Kerdi-board building panels, and all bathroom countertops are made from the same material. The company's radiant heating system is installed in the main walls of the distribution center as well as the floors of the office areas.

Schluter intends to pursue Gold Standard certification from the Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environment Design program. In addition to the company's products, which allow for a 10 to 15 percent savings on construction cost, there are a host of key energy-saving features that make the building like no other facility built at Tahoe Reno Industrial Center.

Among the crucial energy-saving features at the TRIC site:

* Ground-source heating and cooling. Thirty-six wells were drilled at an average depth of 300 feet to provide heating and cooling for the building. A closed loop system that uses 85 percent water and 15 percent methanol circulates in the ground to exhaust or recapture hot and cold air. The average temperature of water being re-circulated through building is 63 degrees.

"That is one of the biggest energy savings," says Joe Colasurdo, owner representative. "Depending on the building it could be as much as 35 to 40 percent."

* A solar wall. Perforated black metal panels were installed 18 inches away from the southeast side of building. When the sun hits the black metal it can warm the air in that envelope 50 or 60 degrees higher the ambient temperature. The heated air will be pumped throughout the building.

* A 700-square-foot living wall inside the main atrium that includes a waterfall. The plant life growing on the wall oxygenates and humidifies the building.

* An earth tube. Fresh air travels into the building via a 200-foot-long, 3-foot diameter pipe dug 9 feet into the earth. As air travels the length of the tube, it cools 14 degrees from the ambient temperature.

"That's 14 degrees of free cooling," Colasurdo says.

* Extra insulation throughout the building envelope. The walls, wrapped with the company's insulated building panels, have an R-value better than 35, and the ceiling has an R-value greater than 50. Thermal breaks prevent outside temperatures from reaching conditioned indoor temperatures.

* A heat recovery system that recaptures 90 percent of conditioned air exhausted from the building and re-releases it into the air being drawn into the building from the earth tube.

"We are not expelling all the heated or cold air," Colasurdo says.

Other more standard energy-saving approaches include: A white roof to reflect the sunlight; a solar water panel to heat all of the hot water for the building's requirements; reflective windows that deflect 90 percent of the sun's rays; and low-flow faucets and waterless urinals that will lead to a 50-percent reduction in water usage.

Schluter Systems has installed 13 sub-electrical meters to help track energy savings and ensure each system is performing properly. Colasurdo says the building's energy model stands about 48 percent or better over traditional heating and cooling systems.

Much of the technology was modeled after the company's facility in Montreal, which was built two years ago. Construction costs can run between 15 and 20 percent higher with all the innovative features, but Schluter expects return on its investment in as little as six or seven years.

"In Montreal, comparing 261 comparable office buildings in that market, total energy costs were running anywhere from $3.75 to $4.25 a square foot because we are in a northern climate where there is a lot of energy being consumed," Colasurdo says. "Our building is at 81 cents a square foot, or approximately 73 percent of typical energy costs. That is how it pencils out."

Encore Audio Visual Design of Reno installed an advanced integrated audiovisual system in the distribution center.

Cary Richardson, vice president of business operations with general contractor Miles Construction, says the Schluter Systems facility continually tested the skills of construction crews.

"We have done several LEED-certified buildings, and each one had its challenges," Richardson says. "This one by far raised the bar with the innovative systems that were used."

The facility also includes 22,000 square feet of offices and training space for Schluter employees to instruct tradesmen and dealer representatives on the benefits of using the company's products.

"This is a very important component of the business model," says Colasurdo. "Part of their marketing program is to instruct not only tile setters and distributors but also architects, engineers and tradespeople. They bring them in and show them the product line, have them work with it and go back out and be their spokespeople. It has worked very, very effectively."

Schluter operates a manufacturing and training facility in Plattsburg, N.Y., and another training center in Montreal.

The company's founder, Warren Schluter, began making a transitional profile piece for a cleaner-looking edge between tile and carpet or tile and wood, and has since brought dozens of new product lines to market, including radiant heat systems and shower assemblies. The company has more than 5,000 items in its inventory.