Energy

Georgia Tech’s Carbon-Neutral Energy Solutions (C-NES) building sets a new standard for sustainable design for buildings of its type by optimizing passive energy technologies, reducing energy demand, and maximizing the use of renewable energy: A prototype living, learning laboratory that offers lessons for future net-zero attempts. Net-zero energy defies the historical reality that laboratories can consume 10 times the energy of a typical office building, and one six-foot fume hood consumes as much energy annually as a 2,500-sf home.

The University of Delaware will officially open the Interdisciplinary Science & Engineering (ISE) Laboratory in Newark in October of 2013. Designed by Ayers/Saint/Gross Architects, the four-story, 194,000-gsf facility provides eight general instruction classrooms and four problem-based instructional areas with adjoining labs to support interactive learning. The research wing features a 10,000-sf nanofabrication facility, a synthesis lab, an advanced materials characterization lab, and an imaging and microscopy suite.

The Air Force Research Laboratory has attained LEED Gold sustainable design certification for the 53,000-sf Advanced Power and Thermal Research Laboratory at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. The $21 million project included a complete renovation of the existing Static Test Laboratory, built in 1934, to provide areas for materials processing, data acquisition, cleanrooms, and fabrication facilities.

Non-residential construction volumes and pricing continued their upward trend in the second quarter, with prices increasing an average of 2 to 4 percent in the first half of 2013. These factors, along with growing market confidence and a narrowing labor supply, will continue to push new construction costs closer to the trend line for the near to medium term.

The University of Dayton completed construction of the $52 million Electrical Power Integrated Systems Research and Development Center (EPISCENTER) in summer of 2013. The 139,000-sf facility was created in partnership with GE Aviation. LEED sustainable design certification will be sought for the project, which features photovoltaic energy technologies and a sophisticated water management system. The cost of construction was $25 million with $27 million providing funding for research instrumentation. Ground was broken on the project in April of 2011.

Oak Ridge National Lab will dedicate the $20.5 million Maximum Building Energy Efficiency Research Laboratory (MAXLAB) in summer of 2013 in Oak Ridge, Tenn. The 18,000-gsf facility was completed in early 2013 and provides research facilities for the development and testing of building components and systems. The project team included architect and construction administrator Cannon Design of St. Louis, civil engineer Fulghum MacIndoe & Associates, and landscape architect Hedstrom Design.

The 282,000-sf, five-story Energy Environment Experiential Learning (EEEL) building at the University of Calgary provides instructional space for expanded programs in energy and environment; new laboratories for biology, chemistry, and civil, mechanical, and chemical engineering; and space for faculty and staff. With its distinctive glass and aluminum exterior, EEEL creates an impressive front door to the community as the first major University building at the north campus entrance.

The University of California, San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography opened the $26.5 million Marine Ecosystem Sensing, Observation and Modeling (MESOM) Laboratory in La Jolla in June of 2013. Accommodating 76 researchers and staff, the three-story, 40,100-sf facility provides 12 labs and 15 offices for the study of coastal ecosystems and climate change. LEED Platinum sustainable design certification will be sought for the project, which features abundant natural light and a rooftop photovoltaic array.

Lawrence Berkeley National Lab has released EnergyIQ, a free, Web-based energy benchmarking platform. The tool enables facility managers to compare energy end-use scores for individual building systems, predict return-on-investment for retrofit projects, and identify potential actions for improvement . EnergyIQ can be integrated with a variety of other platforms. The database currently includes facilities from the the U.S. Department of Energy Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey and the California Commercial End-Use Survey.

The Department of Energy opened the $135 million Energy Systems Integration Facility (ESIF) in June of 2013. Located at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colo., the 182,500-sf facility provides 15 labs and four outdoor test sites for electrical grid integration research. The center features a petascale supercomputer for advanced modeling and simulation as well as a hardware-in-the-loop system for product testing.

The University of British Columbia is partnering with Cisco Systems to develop advanced energy management technologies. The project includes the use of the UBC campus as a living laboratory to create new industry benchmarks for sustainable operations. Cisco will invest up to $1 million over five years to develop an integrated campus-wide energy management network and new automation technologies.

Continued signs of stable economic growth indicate that the recovery is gaining momentum in many parts of the United States and Canada. Construction selling prices for institutional projects grew at a 6 percent annualized rate in 2012, on top of a 3 percent increase in 2011. Construction costs are expected to continue stabilizing and rising in many regions as market confidence and capital spending increase.

Keyano College is building the $22 million Oilsands Power & Process Engineering Lab in Fort McMurray, Alberta. The 16,469-sf facility will feature a fully functional cogeneration plant with steam turbine generators, boilers, and condensers, as well as classrooms, mechanical shops, and support offices. The project team includes architectural firm Dialog, general contractor PCL Construction, and engineering consultant WorleyParsons.

The U.S. Department of Energy opened the $66.8 million Interdisciplinary Science Building at Brookhaven National Lab in April of 2013. Located in Upton, N.Y., the two-story, 87,700-sf facility provides 60 laboratories for research on renewable energy and nanomaterials. The ISB features a humidity-controlled dry room for battery assembly and testing and vibration-mitigated labs for spectroscopic imaging scanning tunneling microscopy (SI-STM) and molecular beam epitaxy fabrication.

Idaho National Lab dedicated its Energy Systems Laboratory in April of 2013 in Idaho Falls. Constructed by Ormond Builders, the 91,000-sf facility provides research, teaching, and demonstration facilities for the study of bioenergy technologies, hybrid vehicles, batteries, and biomass design and analysis. The building houses three reconfigurable high bay research areas, a biomass characterization lab, a computer-assisted virtual environment, and offices. Ground was broken on the project in February of 2011.