The Soka Gakkai International USA (SGI-USA) Buddhist Center is a new two-story religious and cultural facility in downtown Denver that replaced the organization’s former three-story center. Designed as a smaller, high-performance space, the center supports worship, education and community programming through a 300-person main worship hall, classrooms and gathering areas, exhibit space and a bookstore. The fully electric, net-zero energy facility also incorporates a high-performance exterior envelope and rooftop solar system as part of its broader sustainability strategy.
Bowman served as the project’s commissioning agent, providing commissioning services for the building’s heating, cooling and ventilation equipment, controls and lighting systems. The team developed the commissioning plan, prepared project-specific testing procedures and performed on-site functional testing to verify that systems were installed and operating as intended. Bowman also documented deficiencies, reviewed supporting project information and prepared commissioning reports to support compliance with City of Denver energy code requirements.
To support the building’s energy-efficiency and envelope-performance goals, Bowman also provided building envelope commissioning and testing throughout construction. Services included multiple inspections of the exterior air barrier, including the GreenGirt system, along with pre-drywall air-tightness testing that helped identify leakage areas while they could still be readily corrected. Bowman later completed final whole-building air-tightness testing and water-intrusion testing of selected windows, storefronts and curtain wall assemblies, helping verify the integrity of the completed envelope.