Being able to make the necessary conversions to provide high-quality, efficient work space quickly and at a reasonable cost can be difficult given the challenges facing academia. In particular, universities are typically constrained by space shortages, old buildings, and a corresponding outdated infrastructure, as well as structural limitations.

“When universities are trying to recruit, they must have the tools to say ‘This is what it looks like now, but this is what it could look like,’” says June Hanley, principal and senior laboratory planner at CUH2A, an architecture, engineering, and planning firm in Princeton, N.J. “It’s important to remember that recruiting new faculty today does not involve the same old demographics. It is a much more inter-cultural world with more women and more minorities serving as researchers. In order to attract and retain the best researchers, professors, and students, universities need to provide something special.”

The Chemistry Department at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., illustrates the steps one institution took to keep a talented scientist who envisioned introducing green chemistry to the campus.

Challenges at Northwestern University

Owen Priest, who heads the Organic Chemistry Department at Northwestern, is a strong advocate of green chemistry. Also known as sustainable chemistry, green chemistry refers to environmentally friendly chemicals and processes that result in safer products, reduced waste, and lower consumption of energy. Green chemistry in the classroom means conveying these principles to students so they understand the ramifications of what they do in the academic setting and later in their scientific careers.

While the implementation of green building practices into the operation of campus facilities is not new to universities, incorporating green science into the actual curriculum is cutting-edge. The opportunity to create a unique, sustainable chemistry lab at Northwestern received the necessary support from the dean to move the project forward.

Developing the green chemistry lab required the renovation of 7,000 nsf of existing laboratory space on the second floor of the Technological Institute. This area of the Institute, known as the D Wing, was built in 1980 and presented challenges to the design team. For instance, there were no accessible fume hoods, sinks, or windows in the existing space. The project was further complicated by the existence of occupied laboratories and offices below the D Wing and the need to complete the project quickly before fall enrollment. The renovation began in March 2006 and was completed in January 2007. Although the location of the renovation next to a dormitory created some constraints, the project was completed on schedule and within budget.

The goals were to increase the number of student stations in order to maximize class enrollment while increasing safety; create a hands-on, collaborative learning environment for chemistry majors and non-majors; reduce energy consumption and costs; and make the laboratory compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Unlike traditional chemistry laboratories, the green chemistry lab involves less hood space and more bench space per student, uses energy-efficient hoods, and provides the ability to turn off the hoods when the lab is not in use.

“The biggest challenges for the design team were getting nearly double the students, or about 73 instead of 45, in the same amount of space, adding bench space and some hoods, while decreasing energy consumption, and giving life and vibrancy to a windowless space,” says Hanley. “The biggest mistake that design teams make is assuming that their paradigms about laboratories in new buildings must apply to older buildings.”

Creativity and resourcefulness are often necessary when renovating an existing space in an older building. The Technological Institute, built in the 1950s with additions at later dates, is a flexible building with solid infrastructure, good bay spacing, and sufficient floor-to-floor height. The building also had ample utilities and plenty of corridors to support the renovation, which ultimately provided more bench space for green chemistry and decreased the length of fume hood per student. An existing penthouse provided the minimum exhaust routing.

The Solution

“We wanted to create a really open space that was conducive to teaching even though we were very constrained in terms of the amount of space,” says John R.A. Scott, principal and project director at CUH2A. “When you come into the lab, you can see all the way across the room. The back benches are wide open to facilitate another aspect of green chemistry—taking as much work outside the hood as possible in order to reduce the amount of air and energy that you use to do your teaching.”

The solution involved a $2-million renovation ($280/sf) to create green chemistry labs that feature a majors area, a non-majors area, shared instrumentation, a computer lab, problem-based learning rooms, a teaching lab, an office for teaching assistants, a prep lab, and an NMR lab. Class enrollment has been maximized without increasing square footage and, while the number of fume hoods has been increased to accommodate the increased student load, the linear footage of hood per student has decreased. Built-in safety precautions include see-through student fume hoods and safety showers that are prominently featured as design elements.

Sustainable design is evident with the use of efficient fume hoods. Since these are teaching hoods and are not used for research, the HVAC system was designed so that the hoods can actually be turned off when the lab is not in session. In addition, two old 50,000-cfm air handling units were replaced with one new unit. Both the HVAC system and the lighting systems can be controlled and set to an occupied or unoccupied mode, thereby enhancing energy efficiency.

The labs used by students feature plenty of indirect lighting to prevent glare on the work surface and piped-in music to create a calm atmosphere conducive to productivity. The white boards used in the labs are actually panes of glass that have been painted white to provide easy cleanup.

The problem-based learning room is essentially a conference space with walls that are adorned with the periodic table. The main lab has special wallpaper featuring green shapes and chemical formulas that Dr. Priest actually uses in his teaching. The wallpaper is intended to offset the windowless space. Special wallpaper is also used in the computer room to make the area seem more open and transparent.

The result of the project is a sustainable chemistry pedagogy that enables the University to offer a new green-chemistry track for majors.

Lessons Learned

Converting an existing space for use in scientific research, especially green chemistry, must be accepted by the dean, health and safety officers, as well as facility personnel to ensure there are no surprises. Therefore, all key players must be informed and must support the project. Design expectations should be developed with involvement from all key personnel at the beginning of a project, facilitating a close integrated working relationship between the planner, architect, and engineer. Input should be obtained from personnel in the facilities and operations departments, as well.

If the project is located adjacent to an occupied structure, do not underestimate the influence the surrounding users may have on the construction schedule. Three-dimensional tools can be used to assure that all stakeholders understand the design before it is incorporated into the construction documents.

“The biggest mistake that owners make is not getting or giving enough information about the nature of the existing space when they develop a preliminary budget for the project,” notes Hanley. “At minimum, it needs to be clear whether utility capacity exists for the project or whether infrastructure money should be provided in addition to the actual project costs. Know how the space you are being asked to renovate connects to other spaces beside, below, or above it and how other occupants of the building are likely to be affected. Don’t be drawn into the nature of the space as it exists, or you are likely to miss some opportunities to be creative and take advantage of some of the positive features of an older building.”

As with any project, make sure there is ample room to serve as the construction staging area in order to avoid problems as the project progresses.

When renovating existing older spaces into modern research labs, designers must remember the usual rules do not apply. They must be prepared to deal with numerous opportunities and constraints, such as low floor-to-floor height, that do not occur in newer buildings.

“The most important thing to look at when you’re doing a renovation for a science facility in an existing building is the structural grid,” says Scott. “If your grid is not going to support the module you need to create the space for the science, you’re out of luck. If you don’t have the proper floor-to-floor height, you won’t be able to bring in the utilities that you need to support the fume hoods and the other equipment used in the science.”

Scott points out these constraints can be addressed by leaving some of the ceiling exposed or by finding holes in the beams. However, the structure of the building itself must support the program with the necessary MEP capability and capacity. It is also essential to make sure the technology infrastructure is capable of supporting the state-of-the-art science endeavors.

Program issues that must be addressed include establishing a rapport, even if it is long-distance via the Internet, with principal investigators who might not be familiar with the institution. Be sure to fully understand the program requirements, the available infrastructure support, and any applicable codes.

“If you don’t have a master plan for a building when you’re doing a renovation, use that project as an opportunity to think outside the box about what adjacent spaces might be or what other programs might be on the adjacent floor,” suggests Scott. “It really will help you in the future.”

By Tracy Carbasho