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Category : Science & Technology

NIST Net Zero House

Our Project
  • Look again! What appears to be a typical suburban Maryland home is a highly-engineered, $2.6 million NIST laboratory that was awarded the US Green Building Council’s LEED Platinum certification.
  • The project is a prototype for the ultimate energy-efficient dwelling and is part of NIST’s long-term study that will revolutionize the way sustainably-built homes of the future are designed and constructed.
  • The Net Zero Energy Residential Test Facility Overview
Why Therrien Waddell?
  • Therrien Waddell was an early advocate of energy-efficient construction methods. Senior leaders earned LEED accreditations and TW eventually achieved enough expertise to conduct sustainability information sessions.
  • NIST officials who attended one of TW’s sustainability sessions saw TW as a potential resource for this budding landmark energy efficiency project. Jerry Therrien says, “Our team was chosen for this project in a best value selection process, in large part because our experience has propelled us as subject experts in a multitude of sustainable practices.”
Challenges and Results
  • Highly specialized design and performance criteria, concerning every aspect of construction, demanded changes in accustomed means and methods. Adherence to these requirements, for example, led to a building envelope that exceeded all industry standards for air tightness in the first stage of construction.
  • The client’s requirement for all American-made materials (ARRA) was a major challenge, but the TW team was able to meet the budget and schedule despite this unusual specification.  
  • TW identified design conflicts by doing a Building Information Model (BIM) that was not required by the contract, but essential for early resolution of potential coordination issues.
  • Quality control, commissioning, oversight, and team coordination were critical because TW couldn’t alter design elements. Despite challenges, the project was completed on time to the client’s satisfaction and standards—remarkable for a project of this complexity.
Project Location
Gaithersburg, MD
Scope
New Building
Size
4,200 SF
Client
National Institute of Standards & Technology
Architect
Building Science Corporation

Subcontractors

Great Partnerships build great projects. The outcome of projects can only be as good as the people who make them happen. This is why TW Construction puts a high premium on creating lasting Subcontractor Relationships — the kind of relationships founded and sustained on quality, honesty, and professionalism.

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What Our
Partners Say

It is a pleasure working with your project manager. He exercised diplomacy and was always making efforts to satisfy the customer. Issues were fairly resolved and without nonsense. [ Project details ]

Bill Brown — Home Properties

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Building Partners
for Life

For more than three decades, the TW Construction team has built exceptional projects and durable industry partnerships in the metropolitan Washington, DC-Baltimore region-the kind that are forged from shared experiences and tempered by the bond of persisting through the hard times and the good times. Call us at 301.770.2275

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820 W. Diamond Ave., Suite 220

Gaithersburg, MD 20878

301.770.2275

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