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With the sound of drums and the aroma of Native American food the wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ Intellectual House had it’s grand opening on the University of Washington Campus today. The building is intended as a gathering place for Native American students and venue for community events.  It features a large community gathering hall, kitchen, conference room and an outdoor area with a fire pit and is designed to use less than ½ of the energy of other similar buildings on the UW campus. The mechanical system includes a novel mixed-mode natural/mechanical ventilation design with an Energy Recovery Ventilator, and variable capacity heat pumps sized for space heating. Ecotope provided HVAC and plumbing engineering design, energy modeling, and energy efficiency consulting.  Click here for more information about the event.