Sustainability

Cedars-Sinai Health System opened the Advanced Health Sciences Pavilion in Los Angeles in summer of 2013. Integrating world-class patient care with medical research and teaching, the 11-story, 820,000-sf facility provides translational labs in close proximity to clinical settings. The pavilion was designed by HOK and houses the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute, the neurosciences program, the Regenerative Medicine Institute, an education center with advanced simulation labs, and two floors of procedural space.

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 Massachusetts Medical School is initiating an energy retrofit of the Lazare Medical Research Facility in Worcester. Airside solutions provider Aircuity will install demand control ventilation (DCV) systems on a total of nine floors, including eight floors of laboratory space and a vivarium level, to provide significant cost savings and optimal indoor air quality. The retrofit is expected to reach completion in spring of 2014.

The Hospital for Sick Children opened the $400 million Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning in Toronto in September of 2013. Designed by Diamond Schmitt Architects and built by EllisDon, the 21-story, 750,000-sf tower features advanced laboratories, learning facilities, and interaction spaces to support collaborative biomedical research.

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.

Richard Stockton College opened the $39.5 million United Sciences Center in September of 2013 in Galloway Township, N.J. The 66,350-sf facility provides technology-rich laboratories, classrooms, lecture halls, conference rooms, and computer labs. The sustainably designed building utilizes Richard Stockton College's existing geothermal heating and cooling system. The project team included EYP Architecture and Engineering, construction manager Bovis Lend Lease, and general contractor Dobco Group.

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.

Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) is proving that extensive planning and looking beyond typical short-term measures can net significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, as well as cost savings, even in high-powered lab facilities. In only the third year of a 17-year project, CUMC has realized a 4 percent drop in greenhouse gasses, and a 15 percent drop in utility costs.

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.

Montana State University is building the $18 million College of Business in Bozeman. The 45,000-sf facility will be aligned for maximal sunlight harvesting in the winter months with the south side of the building comprised almost entirely of windows. The building will utilize geothermal heat exchangers, an advanced air circulation system, and multiple renewable energy technologies.

North Middlesex University Hospital (NMUH) will open the two-story, 84,000-sf Women & Children’s Centre in London in November of 2013. The project is being delivered using the ProCure 21+ framework, with the building components being prefabricated in York by modular construction specialist Yorkon working in collaboration with main contractor Kier Construction. The facility will include 152 steel-framed modules with pre-installed utilities, doors, windows, and floors. The architect and project manager is AHP.

City University of New York has attained LEED Platinum sustainable design certification for Lehman College Science Hall. The $70 million facility was designed by architectural firm Perkins+Will and built by the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY). Construction was led by Gilbane Building Company and the project team included general contractor Calcedo Construction, B&G Electric, Aspro Plumbing, and BP Mechanical.

Glendale Community College will break ground in fall of 2013 on a 90,000-sf academic building in Glendale, Calif. A $34.6 million contract has been awarded to Mallcraft to build the three-story facility, which will provide classrooms and computer labs, as well as housing space for programs in culinary arts, anthropology, and writing. The total project cost is estimated at $40 million. LEED Silver sustainable design certification will be sought for the facility, which is slated for occupancy in late 2015.

The University of Florida celebrated the opening of the $45 million Clinical and Translational Science Building in Gainesville in August of 2013. The collaborative 120,000-sf project houses the 40,000-sf UF Institute on Aging, the Clinical and Translational Research Institute, conference rooms, training facilities, research laboratories, and clinical space. LEED Platinum sustainable design certification will be sought for the facility.

Hudson Valley Community College completed construction on its $40 million Science Center in August of 2013 in Troy, N.Y. The three-story, 100,000-sf facility provides two lecture halls, nine classrooms, faculty offices, a greenhouse, and 25 labs for biology, chemistry, and physics. General contractor U.W. Marx of Troy began construction on the center in October of 2011. Mosaic Associates of East Greenbush and Payette of Boston designed the building. LEED sustainable design certification will be sought for the project.