Some science-design experts once believed high levels of sustainability would be possible only for low-intensity labs in temperate zones. However, LEED Silver- and Gold-rated science projects, including chemistry-heavy facilities in extreme climates, are no longer viewed as particularly remarkable.
Advancements in HVAC get much of the credit since controlled pressurization and once-through airflow are the main reason labs have historically used so much energy. Today’s Building Teams are striving to understand actual environmental requirements for safety and good science, instead of using dubious rules of thumb that drive overdesign. For instance, continuous air-quality assessment is now possible through sensor-based demand-controlled ventilation, decreasing reliance on arbitrary guidelines for air changes per hour. Other enabling technologies include advanced ductless fume hoods and submetering to assess plug loads.
Chilled beams, geothermal, photovoltaics, radiant heating and cooling, process water recycling, and passive design are among the essential ingredients for the next generation of super-green S+T projects. To date, fewer than 40 labs have earned LEED-NC Platinum—reflecting the typology’s difficulty level, as well clients’ cautiousness. The short list of completed net-zero S+T buildings includes the J. Craig Venter Institute, opening this month in La Jolla, Calif.; Georgia Tech’s Carbon-Neutral Energy Solutions Laboratory, the Platinum winner in BD+C’s 2013 Building Team Awards; and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s Research Support Facility, primarily devoted to computational work. Three small educational science buildings have also been certified under the Living Building Challenge.
The sector’s dedication to sustainability has been tested by the withdrawal of all federal funding for Labs21—an EPA- and DoE-sponsored program that long led the charge toward greener labs. Funding cuts have also constrained the participation of leading researchers, particularly at NREL and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories—a nonprofit that had already been running the group’s annual conferences and continuing ed programs—has instituted a new membership-based structure and a mechanism for regional and local chapter formation, similar to that of ASHRAE.
“I2SL perpetuates and expands on the mission of Labs21,” says Phil Wirdzek, President and Executive Director. “We are actively working to develop training and share expertise on creating sustainable labs and related high-tech facilities.” I2SL (www.i2sl.org) is now coordinating working groups to address the obstacles to achieving net-zero and other aggressive levels of green for new and existing facilities.
Perkins+Will recently completed the 120,000-sf Clinical and Translational Research Building for the University of Florida, serving not only the Gainesville campus but also the state at large. Tenants include the UF Clinical and Translational Science Institute and Institute of Aging, as well as groups studying biostatics, epidemiology, muscular dystrophy, and health outcomes and policy. Targeting LEED Platinum, the building includes PVs that will generate 8-12% of its power needs, advanced daylighting, rainwater recycling, and displacement ventilation systems. Also on the Building Team: AEI (MEP), Structural Engineers Group (SE), and Skanska USA (GC). PHOTO: © ROBIN HILL
Related Stories
| Nov 2, 2010
Energy Analysis No Longer a Luxury
Back in the halcyon days of 2006, energy analysis of building design and performance was a luxury. Sure, many forward-thinking AEC firms ran their designs through services such as Autodesk’s Green Building Studio and IES’s Virtual Environment, and some facility managers used Honeywell’s Energy Manager and other monitoring software. Today, however, knowing exactly how much energy your building will produce and use is survival of the fittest as energy costs and green design requirements demand precision.
| Nov 2, 2010
Yudelson: ‘If It Doesn’t Perform, It Can’t Be Green’
Jerry Yudelson, prolific author and veteran green building expert, challenges Building Teams to think big when it comes to controlling energy use and reducing carbon emissions in buildings.
| Nov 2, 2010
Historic changes to commercial building energy codes drive energy efficiency, emissions reductions
Revisions to the commercial section of the 2012 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) represent the largest single-step efficiency increase in the history of the national, model energy. The changes mean that new and renovated buildings constructed in jurisdictions that follow the 2012 IECC will use 30% less energy than those built to current standards.
| Nov 1, 2010
Sustainable, mixed-income housing to revitalize community
The $41 million Arlington Grove mixed-use development in St. Louis is viewed as a major step in revitalizing the community. Developed by McCormack Baron Salazar with KAI Design & Build (architect, MEP, GC), the project will add 112 new and renovated mixed-income rental units (market rate, low-income, and public housing) totaling 162,000 sf, plus 5,000 sf of commercial/retail space.
| Nov 1, 2010
John Pearce: First thing I tell designers: Do your homework!
John Pearce, FAIA, University Architect at Duke University, Durham, N.C., tells BD+C’s Robert Cassidy about the school’s construction plans and sustainability efforts, how to land work at Duke, and why he’s proceeding with caution when it comes to BIM.
| Nov 1, 2010
Vancouver’s former Olympic Village shoots for Gold
The first tenants of the Millennium Water development in Vancouver, B.C., were Olympic athletes competing in the 2010 Winter Games. Now the former Olympic Village, located on a 17-acre brownfield site, is being transformed into a residential neighborhood targeting LEED ND Gold. The buildings are expected to consume 30-70% less energy than comparable structures.
| Oct 27, 2010
Grid-neutral education complex to serve students, community
MVE Institutional designed the Downtown Educational Complex in Oakland, Calif., to serve as an educational facility, community center, and grid-neutral green building. The 123,000-sf complex, now under construction on a 5.5-acre site in the city’s Lake Merritt neighborhood, will be built in two phases, the first expected to be completed in spring 2012 and the second in fall 2014.
| Oct 21, 2010
GSA confirms new LEED Gold requirement
The General Services Administration has increased its sustainability requirements and now mandates LEED Gold for its projects.
| Oct 18, 2010
World’s first zero-carbon city on track in Abu Dhabi
Masdar City, the world’s only zero-carbon city, is on track to be built in Abu Dhabi, with completion expected as early as 2020. Foster + Partners developed the $22 billion city’s master plan, with Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, Aedas, and Lava Architects designing buildings for the project’s first phase, which is on track to be ready for occupancy by 2015.
