Sustainability

The University of Liverpool will begin construction in November of 2014 on the Materials Innovation Factory in the United Kingdom. Developed in partnership with Unilever, the four-story, 125,000-sf building will provide materials science research labs with a total of 126 fume hoods. The project team includes architect Fairhursts Design Group, civil and structural engineer Curtins, building services engineer White Young Green, and cost consultant Turner & Townsend.

The University of Miami opened the $50 million Marine Technology and Life Sciences Seawater Complex in October of 2014 in Virginia Key, Fla. Located on the campus of the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, the facility will support advanced research on marine life, climate change, coral reefs, and hurricanes. The 86,000-sf project is supplied with 1,000 gallons of seawater per minute and features a 3D hurricane testing lab with a 38,000-gallon tank.

The Department of Energy opened the $54 million General Purpose Laboratory at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab in October of 2014. The 43,000-sf facility provides 33 labs for the study of renewable energy, battery technologies, and life sciences. Designed by RMW Architecture and Interiors, the sustainably designed project features occupancy sensors for lighting, temperature, and equipment. The General Purpose Lab will accommodate approximately 130 researchers and is part of an ongoing seismic renovation of the LBNL campus.

Binghamton University dedicated the $30 million Center of Excellence in Small Scale Systems Integration and Packaging (S3IP) in October of 2014. Providing laboratories, offices, and a symposium hall, the 114,000-sf facility will support collaborative research with industry partners on energy technologies, flexible electronics, and packaging. The sustainably designed center is part of Binghamton's Innovative Technologies Complex and features a heat recovery system, a highly efficient building envelope, and abundant natural lighting.

NASA Langley Research Center began construction in October of 2014 on a $23 million computational laboratory in Hampton, Va. The 40,000-sf facility will provide high-density offices and a consolidated data center to support aeronautical, space exploration, and science research. The general contractor for the sustainably designed project is Turner Construction. Occupancy is expected in August of 2016.

The University of Manchester is constructing the $98 million National Graphene Institute in the United Kingdom. Designed by Jestico + Whiles, the facility is being built by BAM Construction with completion expected in spring of 2015. Comprising two isolated concrete structures for vibration mitigation, the five-story, 84,000-sf building will provide 16,000 sf of dedicated cleanroom space as well as optical, laser, chemical, and metrology labs.

The University of Illinois dedicated the $95 million Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Building in Urbana in October of 2014. Designed by SmithGroup of Chicago, the six-story, 235,000-sf facility provides advanced classrooms, labs, and equipment suites for interdisciplinary research in biotechnology, communications, computing, energy, and nanotechnology.

The University of Ottawa opened the Advanced Research Complex in October of 2014. The $57 million interdisciplinary facility houses the Centre for Advanced Photonics and features a 44-ton accelerator mass spectrometer. Designed by COLE+Associates Architects, the five-story, 150,000-sf project was built with four vibration-resistant floating floors to accommodate advanced research in geoscience and nanophotonics. LEED Silver sustainable design certification will be sought for the facility, which was built by Pomerleau.

Colorado State University opened the renovated Animal Sciences Building in September of 2014. The $19.5 million project created technology-rich classrooms and teaching labs in the 42,000-sf facility. The Animal Sciences Building includes BSL-2 research areas, labs for anatomy and physiology, and instructional space for microbiology and food safety. New mechanical, electrical, and telecommunications systems were installed. Construction began on the LEED-certified project in June of 2012 with completion in August of 2014.

When compared to constant volume hoods (CV), variable air volume (VAV) hoods, and high-performance VAV (“low-flow”) hoods—based on a hypothetical 30-hood, 100,000-sf building—filtered hoods generate significant initial, operational, and environmental savings. This matters because chemical fume hoods used in commercial, research, and instructional laboratories are among the country’s biggest energy hogs.

The University of Bath opened the HIVE research facility in September of 2014 in Swindon, U.K. Located in the Building Research Park, the $1.6 million project will support energy efficiency testing for construction materials. The performance of building systems and structural elements can be evaluated in eight individual cells with partial exposure to the external environment. Facilities include a hygrothermal cell for heat and moisture studies, a double-height flexible construction design cell, and a flood cell for water resistance research.

Central Michigan University began construction in September of 2014 on the $95 million Biosciences Building in Mount Pleasant. Designed by Stantec, the four-story, 169,000-sf facility will provide teaching labs, research labs, a BSL-3 suite, lecture halls, classrooms, faculty offices, an auditorium, an herbarium, an imaging center, and an aquatic research vivarium. Occupancy is expected in January of 2017. LEED Silver sustainable design certification will be sought for the project, which is is being built by Clark Construction.

The five-story, 70,000-sf Duke Environment Hall, home of Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment, serves as a living laboratory of sustainable design. The building, which is tracking LEED Platinum, houses the rapidly expanding undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students in the Environmental Sciences and Policy program.

SUNY New Paltz broke ground on a $48 million science building in September of 2014. Designed by ZGF Architects, the two-story, 77,000-sf facility will provide classrooms and labs for STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) programs. Completion is expected in January of 2017. LEED Silver sustainable design certification will be sought for the project.

Murray State University broke ground on the new Breathitt Veterinary Center in September of 2014. Located in Hopkinsville, Ky., the $32.4 million facility will provide laboratories for pathology, virology, toxicology, microbiology, clinical chemistry, histology, serology, and molecular diagnostics. Replacing the state’s existing animal disease diagnostic lab, the 53,000-sf project will include a BSL-3 suite as well as technology-rich classrooms and collaborative research space.