Innovating at RMI’s New Innovation Center

The RMI Innovation Center was constructed using an Integrative Project Delivery (IPD) contracting model to foster collaboration and cost-effectiveness. The building is designed for extreme energy efficiency in a cold climate, targeting an energy use intensity of 17.2 kBtu/ft2. RMI utilized a multi-party agreement to share risks and rewards among project participants and established an operational incentive pool based on avoided energy costs to ensure performance after occupancy.

• The RMI Innovation Center is designed to be highly energy efficient, with an anticipated energy use of 17.2 kBtu/ft2, which is described as the lowest energy use in one of the coldest climate zones in the United States.
• RMI employed Integrative Project Delivery (IPD), a contracting methodology that uses a multi-party agreement to incentivize teamwork and cost savings. Under this model, cost savings are shared among team members, while budget overages are funded from a team profit pool known as the Incentive Compensation Layer (ICL).
• The project faced specific challenges with IPD, including the need for better contractor onboarding, the tension between driving down costs through optimization and the need for creative solutions to meet innovation goals, and the inability to trade costs between the design budget and the PV system, which was funded via a power purchase agreement (PPA).
• To ensure the building meets its performance targets after occupancy, RMI established an operational incentive pool funded by avoided energy costs. A bonus is provided to the architect, MEP, and contractor if the building exceeds its energy use intensity (EUI) target of 19 kBtu/ft2, verified 18 months after occupancy.

APA

RMI (2015). Innovating at RMI’s New Innovation Center. https://rmi.org/resources/innovating-rmis-new-innovation-center/

Chicago

RMI. Innovating at RMI’s New Innovation Center. 2015. https://rmi.org/resources/innovating-rmis-new-innovation-center/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=Innovating at RMI’s New Innovation Center |date=18 November 2015 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/innovating-rmis-new-innovation-center/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2015innovating, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{Innovating at RMI’s New Innovation Center}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2015}, month = nov, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/innovating-rmis-new-innovation-center/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }