Administrators at the University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington didn’t think much of the 1970s building they planned to turn into the school’s Cell and Genome Sciences Building. It’s not that the former toxicology research facility was in such terrible shape, but the 117,800-sf structure had almost no windows and its interior was dark and chopped up.
Enter the Building Team of Goody Clancy (architect) and FIP Construction (GC), who worked with the university to create an open, bright, and sustainable home (targeting LEED Silver) for three major research programs: UConn Stem Cell Institute, the R.D. Berlin Center for Cell Analysis and Modeling, and the Department of Genetics and Developmental Biology.
But how to get daylight deep into the lab spaces? Fortunately, the one-story framework allowed light to be brought in from above. The Building Team ran a 464-foot-long skylight the length of the main corridor, and clerestory windows were installed above the “Crossroads,” a central gathering and eating space that features a newly raised roof.
Additional daylighting comes from 56 new windows installed in exterior walls—not an easy task, given the building’s concrete panel construction. The team calculated the maximum window size allowable without compromising the panels and then standardized all windows to that size. Louvered sunshades were added above each of these.
Interior walls were also punched through with window openings to further distribute daylight. Leaving interior walls largely in place also kept construction costs down, to $259/sf (inclusive of site work). Also helping the budget: refurbishing and reconfiguring existing metal casework in research labs, which were extensively upgraded to modern research and safety standards, and finishing the new 100-seat auditorium in wood paneling left over from another campus project.
The facility’s wetlands site was carefully reconfigured to accommodate extra parking, and a bioretention pond was added to control runoff and keep stormwater out of the town’s sewer system. Also, because the existing building lacked a recognizable “front door,” a proper front entrance was added.
“It’s very difficult to do these types of buildings, and this one was very well done,” said David Callan, SVP, Environmental Systems Design, Chicago. “Excellent job on a low budget.” BD+C
PROJECT SUMMARY
Building Team
Submitting firm: Goody Clancy (architect)
Owner/developer: University of Connecticut Health Center
CM: FIP Construction
Structural engineer: LeMessurier Consultants Inc.
M/E engineer: Cosentini Associates
Plumbing engineer: BVH Integrated Services
General Information
Size: 117,813 gsf
Construction cost: $30.53 million
Construction time: September 2008 to June 2010
Delivery method: CM at risk
Related Stories
| Aug 11, 2010
USGBC honors Brad Pitt's Make It Right New Orleans as the ‘largest and greenest single-family community in the world’
U.S. Green Building Council President, CEO and Founding Chair Rick Fedrizzi today declared that the neighborhood being built by Make It Right New Orleans, the post-Katrina housing initiative launched by actor Brad Pitt, is the “largest and greenest community of single-family homes in the world” at the annual Clinton Global Initiative meeting in New York.
| Aug 11, 2010
AIA report estimates up to 270,000 construction industry jobs could be created if the American Clean Energy Security Act is passed
With the encouragement of Senate majority leader Harry Reid (D-NV), the American Institute of Architects (AIA) conducted a study to determine how many jobs in the design and construction industry could be created if the American Clean Energy Security Act (H.R. 2454; also known as the Waxman-Markey Bill) is enacted.
| Aug 11, 2010
Architect Michael Graves to be inducted into the N.J. Hall of Fame
Architect Michael Graves of Princeton, N.J., being inducted into the N.J. Hall of Fame.
| Aug 11, 2010
Modest rebound in Architecture Billings Index
Following a drop of nearly three points, the Architecture Billings Index (ABI) nudged up almost two points in February. As a leading economic indicator of construction activity, the ABI reflects the approximate nine to twelve month lag time between architecture billings and construction spending.
| Aug 11, 2010
Architecture firms NBBJ and Chan Krieger Sieniewicz announce merger
NBBJ, a global architecture and design firm, and Chan Krieger Sieniewicz, internationally-known for urban design and architecture excellence, announced a merger of the two firms.
| Aug 11, 2010
Nation's first set of green building model codes and standards announced
The International Code Council (ICC), the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), and the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IES) announce the launch of the International Green Construction Code (IGCC), representing the merger of two national efforts to develop adoptable and enforceable green building codes.
| Aug 11, 2010
David Rockwell unveils set for upcoming Oscar show
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and 82nd Academy Awards® production designer David Rockwell unveiled the set for the upcoming Oscar show.
| Aug 11, 2010
More construction firms likely to perform stimulus-funded work in 2010 as funding expands beyond transportation programs
Stimulus funded infrastructure projects are saving and creating more direct construction jobs than initially estimated, according to a new analysis of federal data released today by the Associated General Contractors of America. The analysis also found that more contractors are likely to perform stimulus funded work this year as work starts on many of the non-transportation projects funded in the initial package.
