The lobby was set in the middle of the building to provide for the street-side restaurant. But because it occupies the core of the building, it could double as a heat sink—energy performance occurred as a result of design. Once that codependent pattern was established, other strategies fell into place. “The lobby became the nerve center for collection and distribution of the energy systems. Its integral mechanical room directly below became the convergence of energy storage, geothermal, energy recovery, and radiant heat,” Pierson explains.