Tradeline's industry reports are a must-read resource for those involved in facilities planning and management. Reports include management case studies, current and in-depth project profiles, and editorials on the latest facilities management issues.
Latest Reports
Mars Center for Science and Technology
The Mars Center for Science and Technology, Wheaton College’s largest-ever building project, creates a cornerstone of the College’s interdisciplinary curriculum called “Connections,” providing enhanced facilities for scientific research and study, as well as scholarly connections across the disciplines, where scientists and humanists co-teach courses to highlight the unique contributions of each discipline. The building, certified LEED Gold, also fulfills Wheaton’s commitment to sustainability.
The Current State and Projected Future of Research Facilities
The following is a condensed transcript of a panel discussion from Tradeline’s 2013 International Conference on Research Facilities. The panelists are William Gustafson, principal at Ballinger; Steven Frei, principal at Affiliated Engineers, and Michael Reagan, vice president of Stantec. The moderator is Steve Westfall, founder and CEO of Tradeline.
Measurement, Materials & Sustainable Environment Center
The Measurement, Materials & Sustainable Environment Center (M2SEC) at the University of Kansas School of Engineering is a 46,735-sf interdisciplinary engineering research facility focused on energy/transportation, global change, composite materials/technology, and sustainable building practices. Funded in part by a $12.3 million National Institute of Standards and Technology grant, the flexible research environments include:
Forward-Thinking Design Ensures Uninterrupted Operation of AAHL
The Australian Animal Health Laboratory (AAHL), a high-containment facility in Geelong, Victoria, has been operating 24/7 with no shutdowns, even for maintenance or upgrades, for nearly 30 years, thanks to the initial design, selection of materials, and quality of construction.
The AAHL—with BSL-2, BSL-3, and BSL-4 biocontainment areas—has an extensive redundant plant to ensure that critical systems, such as the air handling units, remain continually operational. The facility was one of the first in the world to use microprocessor control for all engineering systems.
Carbon-Neutral Energy Solutions (C-NES)
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.