The Sir Samuel Griffith Centre at Griffith University in Brisbane, Australia, is the embodiment of a living laboratory. The project, funded through the Australian government’s Education Investment Fund, delivers the world’s first large-scale, zero-emission research and teaching facility that utilizes solar power and energy storage as hydrogen.
Washington State University broke ground in March of 2014 on the $52.8 million PACCAR Clean Technology Laboratory Building in Pullman. Supporting research on advanced materials, renewable energy, atmospheric science, and hydrology, the 96,000-sf interdisciplinary facility will provide specialized core labs, common support areas, offices, faculty and student research space, and conference areas. The project team includes LMN Architects, general contractor Skanska, and laboratory design consultant Research Facilities Design.
The Wisconsin Energy Institute (WEI), at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, brings together researchers from multiple disciplines to collaborate on solving the world’s energy needs. Occupied in January 2013, the five-story, 102,000-gsf building is designed to flex and adapt to evolving directions in clean-energy research.
The Phase II renovation of Michigan Memorial Phoenix Laboratory (MMPL)—located in a three-story, Cold-War-era facility—contains more than 3,000 sf of chemistry wet lab space, plus a 10,161-sf addition housing the University of Michigan Energy Institute (UMEI, formerly called the Michigan Memorial Phoenix Energy Institute). The UMEI, previously housed in temporary administrative offices, develops, coordinates, and promotes multidisciplinary energy research and education at the University.
The mission of the award-winning Campus for Research Excellence and Technology (CREATE) in Singapore is to stimulate innovation, discovery, and entrepreneurship through the interaction and collaboration of a broad spectrum of scientists and engineers representing world-class research universities, institutions, and corporations.
Interdisciplinary research groups (IRGs) from around the world will be co-located for five years at a time, coalescing around five research themes:
Michigan State University broke ground in spring of 2014 on the $730 million Facility for Rare Isotope Beams. Located in East Lansing, the project will be a national user facility for nuclear science research and is created in partnership with the Department of Energy. The first $165 million phase of construction includes a 227,000-sf building with extensive underground infrastructure to accommodate a superconducting linear accelerator. Completion is expected in 2018.
The Energy Biosciences Building at the University of California, Berkeley, is a facility for the Energy Biosciences Institute (EBI), a 10-year, $500 million program created to address challenges in climate change and the rising price and diminishing supplies of carbon-based fossil fuels by applying the advanced knowledge of biological processes, materials, and mechanisms.
The Energy Production Infrastructure Center (EPIC) at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte, brings together the traditional disciplines of civil, environmental, computer, and electrical engineering in a collaborative, innovative research and teaching community. Activities are focused on the development of energy and power production, from microchip fabrication and development of new structural materials to solar and wind power.
The Department of Energy will begin construction in April of 2014 on a $10 million research facility at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Wash. The project will be designed and built by DGR Grant Construction in collaboration with Meier Architecture & Engineering. The 22,000-sf facility will provide labs, computational space, and offices to support research on power grid dynamics and renewable energy technologies, as well as housing PNNL's Building Operations Control Center and sustainability program.
The five-story Wisconsin Energy Institute (WEI) serves as an interdisciplinary center of research on alternative energy, and as a living example of sustainable design.
The University of Michigan has completed the second renovation phase of the Michigan Memorial Phoenix Laboratory in Ann Arbor. Designed by Lord Aeck Sargent, the $11.1 million project included construction of a 10,161-sf addition to house the University of Michigan Energy Institute and the creation of advanced laboratory space on the second floor of the existing building. The completed facility includes a 2,108-sf chemistry lab with 12 fume hoods, a 1,082-sf chemistry lab with two fume hoods, research offices, and an executive conference room.
General Electric will begin construction in January of 2014 on the $110 million Oil and Gas Technology Center in Oklahoma City. Located adjacent to the University of Oklahoma Research Campus, the 95,000-sf facility will support collaborative R&D with academic partners to create innovative energy solutions. The new building is being designed by Miles Associates and is expected to house 130 employees. Occupancy is slated for spring of 2015.
Clemson University opened the SCE&G Energy Innovation Center in North Charleston in November of 2013. The facility is located on the Restoration Institute campus and will provide advanced wind turbine drivetrain testing capabilities. Developed in collaboration with industry partners including S.C. Electric & Gas Company, General Electric, Duke Energy, and Savannah River National Lab, the building houses the Duke Energy eGRID (Electrical Grid Research Innovation and Development) center which can simulate energy grid performance for any country in the world.
Eastern Kentucky University's utility costs have remained stable over the last two years due to the implementation five years ago of an Energy Savings Performance Contract (ESPC) with Siemens Building Technologies. Aiming to generate savings and address deferred maintenance needs, the $27 million contract included extensive infrastructure upgrades to HVAC, lighting, and water systems, as well as the integration of building automation technologies.
Washington State University is planning to build the $52.8 million Clean Technology Laboratory Building on its Pullman campus. Housing programs in science and engineering, the 96,000-sf interdisciplinary facility will accommodate research on advanced materials, atmospheric science, and hydrology. The project team includes LMN Architects, general contractor Skanska, and laboratory design consultant Research Facilities Design. Completion is expected in summer of 2015.
