Published May 19, 2015 on labdesignnews.com.
In this month’s column for Lab Design News we explore strategies to achieve net zero energy laboratory buildings, which are typically been the most energy-intensive facilities.
As a building type, labs have historically been the most energy-intensive facilities. This poses a tremendous challenge when designing lab buildings as net-zero energy consumers. A few prototype lab projects with net-zero energy intent do exist, usually with unique conditions of light lab programs and/or favorable climates. However, achieving this goal may be possible for a broader spectrum of academic science buildings, because teaching spaces have lower energy demands than primarily wet research, fume-hood intensive lab facilities. These academic labs are typically university teaching facilities that house a blend of chemistry and biology labs, dry instrumental and computational spaces with varying proportions of classroom, office, conference and public gathering spaces. While we know net-zero is achievable in relatively “light” research buildings, the real challenge is attaining this level of performance in high-intensity use labs for which these “light” research buildings serve as a case study.
Cape Cod Community College’s Frank and Maureen Wilkens Science and Engineering Center is a net-positive energy building designed to transform the heart of campus.
The project approaches sustainability through a holistic and global approach, implementing a range of moves including passive solar shading overhangs, air-source heat pumps, high performance materials with low embodied carbon and the expansion of the range of thermal comfort and lighting power density. Combined with on-site photovoltaics, the project achieves net-positive energy use.
The project’s thermally modified wood rainscreen façade is a study of the modern expression of vernacular Cape Cod architecture while reducing embodied carbon. Early lifecycle assessments identified the immense carbon savings of wood over fiber cement. The design team did not stop there, furthering reductions by peeling back unnecessary finishes like carpet and ceilings. Together, these decisions enabled a 19% reduction in embodied carbon.
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