Harrigan Centennial Hall

Sitka, Alaska

Reducing energy usage by a factor of three

Harrigan Centennial Hall serves as the convention center and main public gathering space for the City and Borough of Sitka, Alaska. It is the primary public building in town and serves as the welcome center to the thousands of cruise ship tourists that flood the town during the summer months. The building was renovated to add space for a museum and better serve the community.

One of the primary aims was to reduce their dependence on imported heating oil and make better use of the city-owned hydroelectric facility. Our design included:

• • Improved envelope and glazing
  • Heat recovery ventilation
  • Zonal cold climate variable refrigerant flow (VRF) heat pumps

The project was able to enlarge the facility while still reducing the amount of electricity used and completely eliminating the use of fossil fuels. In the end, energy use per square foot was reduced by a factor of three.