Part I of this report discussed the sustainable design strategies used by Canadian-based architects to construct and operate contemporary research facilities. Cost-effective solutions, improved energy performance, and an integrated design process are a few examples of the sustainable design elements used.

University of Victoria Medical Sciences Building

The University of Victoria Medical Sciences Building is a 43,000-sf facility that houses medical teaching and research as part of the undergraduate physician training program at the University of British Columbia. The $9-million building, completed in September 2004 and LEED-certified, includes lecture theaters, flexible research labs, gross anatomy labs, classroom space, rooms for distance education seminars, and faculty offices.

The building epitomizes the integration of planning and structure necessary to incorporate sustainable design concepts. Flexible space is available for labs, offices, classrooms, and animal care. Multiple users can be accommodated and space can easily be converted to suit the changing needs of researchers.

Separate theaters also enhance the efficiency of the facility. The lecture theater has an accessible ceiling for the future installation of updated audio/visual equipment. Support backing in the walls allows for power and data capabilities to be provided throughout the facility.

“The ground floor plan uses a very regular structural grid to keep the spaces that can deal with the structural grid in one contained area, and the lecture theaters that have a different floor-to-floor height requirement are pushed to the side,” says Naomi Gross, an associate at Chernoff Thompson Architects. “Therefore, the height for the entire building is not pushed up for those two special spaces.”

On the upper floors, the regular grid allows for faculty offices, teaching spaces, biochemistry research labs, and the gross anatomy suite. A notable sustainable idea about this facility is that the gross anatomy suite is located on an upper floor, offering better access to natural light and providing for future economical conversion to ordinary laboratory use should gross anatomy no longer be required. The anatomy suite features the use of a hanging pipe grid for future support of technical equipment, screens, lights, and audio/visual equipment. The gross anatomy suite of most medical schools is usually located in the basement, depriving students of natural light.

The building uses a plug and play HVAC system with the exhaust from the fume hoods collected in a plenum. The heat is recovered from those particular fume hoods before it is exhausted to the outside. Future additions of fume hood ducts can be accomplished by using capped openings in the roof. Perimeter fume hood shafts can be accessed from the exterior for future duct additions.

The exterior fume hood shafts, which have removable panels, form part of the sun shading system and support the horizontal shades on the south side of the building. Offices located on the north side of the building use natural ventilation, but the heavy equipment spaces that require air conditioning are located on the south side.

In terms of energy and resource consumption, the energy modeling programs show the facility uses nearly 40 percent less energy than the National Energy Code reference building. There is also a 100 percent reduction in potable water used for sewage conveyance.

Recycled materials play a role in the sustainability of the building. The recycled content includes 100 percent of the wood for form work, 80 percent of the casework, 45 percent of the curtain wall aluminum, 100 percent of the reinforcing steel, and 100 percent of the architectural millwork.

“We were able to source a great deal of materials locally and prevented about 87 percent of the construction waste from going to the landfill,” says Gross.

Other features include the bioswale system for cleaning storm water, no vehicle parking, bicycle parking, reduced gas emissions of 33 percent, fume hood demand control, and a high-performance building envelope.

Technology and Science Complex 2 at Simon Fraser University

The second case study involves the $48.6-million Technology and Science Complex 2 (TASC 2) slated for completion in September at the Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia. The 136,000-sf wet/dry lab building is designed for a range of research activities with more than 20,000 sf of highly specialized research labs.

The specific users were not known at the time of design and construction. Therefore, the design incorporates a generic, modular, highly flexible approach to layout and services. The multi-use building will accommodate researchers working in the areas of biochemistry/health, chemistry, materials sciences, applied science, and nanotechnology. Interaction spaces and natural light contribute to the pleasant working environment.

“They combined the needs of 19 different users from across multiple faculties into one large building rather than having three or four smaller buildings,” says Gross. “The building is zoned for optimum resource utilization with two wet/dry wings, allowing for a more efficient module and allowing us to get four stories into the space of three.”

Services are distributed down two central spines within each wing and fed laterally, keeping the duct size to a minimum and improving the exhaust capability. High-efficiency fume hoods use 50 percent less air than conventional hoods and a heat pipe recovery system results in a 38 percent savings in energy costs.

Water-efficient fixtures are used at the lab benches to reduce consumption by 30 percent. PIAB units create a vacuum from compressed air, eliminating the need for central vacuum pump units, piping, and aspirators. A chilled water loop provides process cooling for labs, resulting in no wasted water going down the drains from the rotary evaporation process, minimizing flood risk, eliminating the need for floor drains, and reducing the number of cup sinks.

Standard practices were developed, even in the synthetic chemistry and materials science chemistry labs, so that no solvents or chemicals are distributed down the drains. Therefore, there is no need for an acid-neutralization system. The design taps into the existing water system in the adjacent building and the existing central nitrogen tank. This provides a single point of maintenance.

The TASC 2 also features a storm water management system, including detention as part of the overall campus plan, and low-flow roof drainage with water-efficient landscaping.

Technology Enterprise Facility III

The Technology Enterprise Facility III (TEF III) is the third multi-tenant research building by Discovery Parks Trust Inc. on the campus of the University of British Columbia. The six-story facility, completed in 2003 at a cost of $12 million, provides space for a wide range of wet labs, offices, and information technology tenants. The 110,000-sf commercial research building includes systems and planning of the floor plates that provide efficient service connections and space layout. The design features flexible, efficient planning on full or partial floors for multiple uses.

It was the fourth facility registered as a LEED building in Canada, achieving 11 of 15 LEED points. This LEED Silver facility includes waterless urinals, VOC-free building materials, motion sensor light fixtures, high-performance HVAC system, shielded exterior light fixtures to minimize light pollution, and a green building education program. The water-efficient fixtures reduce usage by 40 percent and high-efficiency fume hoods use 50 percent less air than conventional units. There is a 30 percent reduction in overall energy consumption compared to baseline reference buildings.

Vertical elements are strategically located for flexible layouts, while distributed exhausts and plumbing risers provide easy access to services. Each module has its own air and services, and there is an abundance of natural light and outside views from 90 percent of the occupied areas.

Distributed drainage minimizes slab penetrations and facilitates economical change. Duct shafts have capoffs and exterior access. Floor-to-floor height is kept to a relatively aggressive 13 feet with integrated, laterally distributed services, making the facility more economical to build and operate.

Principals at Discovery Parks decided to obtain LEED certification after schematic design was completed, even though they did not have a clear understanding of the requirements for many of the categories. An additional $63,000 was incurred to obtain the certification with $37,000 being spent to make the necessary alterations to obtain LEED points, almost $20,000 to pay for a consultant, and $6,000 for the application and certification.

“The biggest cost benefit with respect to the overall sustainability objective of the building was an end savings of about one dollar per square foot for energy consumption,” says Tom Douglas, a principal at Discovery Parks. “We actually had a total savings of about $100,000 and an increase in the building’s value of between $1 million and $1.4 million.”

For anyone trying to obtain LEED certification, Douglas advises them to start at the concept stage, include the certification in the marketing program, and work with people who are professionals in LEED and sustainability issues.

By Tracy Carbasho

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