At 210,K SqFt, the “Unisphere” is the single largest site-powered, net zero commercial structure in the United States. Designed by our friends at EwingCole, it houses clinical facilities for the treatment of pulmonary disease, heart failure, and organ transplantation, as well as a virtual drug development lab. The building employs multiple strategies in order to sustain itself, and has no operational carbon footprint because its energy is renewed onsite: among others, 3,000 photovoltaic panels generate 1,175 MWH of energy each year; a quarter-mile-long concrete maze called the “Earth Labyrinth”, located twelve feet below the complex, acts as a natural ventilation system, moderating indoor temperatures; also beneath the complex, 52 geo-exchange wells, 500′ deep, are used to store energy; also, windows in office areas are made of electrochromic glass which self-adjust their tints level according to the change of seasons, location of the sun, and cloud coverage.
