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Oregon Health Sciences University Biomedical Research
Building: Sustainable Design as a Recruitment Tool for a World Class
Research Facility
Joseph Collins, AIA, Zimmer Gunsul Frasca
Partnership
Mark Van Buskirk, Oregon Health Sciences
University
OHSU's Marquam Hill Campus has experienced unprecedented change
and growth during its transition from a tuberculosis hospital at
the turn of the century to the internationally recognized center
for research, education, and patient care. Sustainability, energy
efficiency, flexibility and occupant safety are the foundation of
the modernization of the OHSU campus. The design of the 274,000
GSF Biomedical Research Building (BRB) supports these high performance
goals.
OHSU demanded a world class research facility that would attract
top scientists and entrepreneurs at the forefront of biomedical
and translational research and development. To encourage interaction
and inspire researchers, offices and large interaction areas are
grouped together, separate from the labs.
This approach supports a flexible work environment and "energy
zoning". By separating spaces based on occupancy patterns and
energy use characteristics, mechanical zones are designed to carefully
meet the use of the spaces. For example, offices are served by partially
recirculated air, instead of the 100% outside air required in the
labs, resulting in significant energy savings.
Sustainability was a key consideration from the earliest design
decisions. The campus site utilizes existing infrastructure and
encourages staff to rely on alternative transportation. The building
siting incorporates open spaces and a public entry garden.
The hilltop location of the BRB required an innovative approach
to stormwater management. ZGF designers integrated the stormwater
detention system into the building massing by creating an elevated
"moat" of landscaped stormwater planters to detain and
filter stormwater before connecting to the storm sewer.
During dry summer months, rejected process water held in a storage
tank irrigates the landscaping. Since approximately 75% of each
gallon of water that enters the filtration process is rejected,
a 3,000 gallon storage tank was installed. This system, along with
careful selection of plant species, will meet 100% of the site's
irrigation needs.
Labs21 Connection:
Energy efficiency is a primary goal of the BRB. The building envelope
incorporates an air barrier system and rigid insulation to minimize
infiltration. Zoning separates spaces based on use and occupancy
patterns. For example, the areas that require high volumes of air
to mitigate odor, heat and moisture are served by a separate ducting
system with higher airflow rates, and laboratory air flows are matched
to loads through a variable air volume system depending on whether
the lab is occupied or fume hood sashes are lowered.
Another energy efficiency strategy uses heat from lab equipment
waste water to preheat domestic and lab water. Building water heaters
use less energy, and waste water does not have to run through an
additional cooling process before entering the sanitary sewer system.
Finally, a heat recovery system on the general exhaust air pre-heats
fresh air in the winter and pre-cools it in the summer.
The BRB is expected to perform 30% better than the stringent Oregon
Energy Code. The building and system design was reviewed by an independent
commissioning agent to ensure that the system would meet the owner's
requirements. Furthermore, performance of the energy and water systems
will be verified before occupancy.
Biographies:
Joseph Collins, AIA, is an architect and partner with the
Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Partnership (ZGF), a firm with an international
practice, based in Portland, Oregon. He is a recognized authority
on the planning/design of scientific research facilities and has
directed work on many of the firm's most complex projects, several
of which have received national acclaim, including: the Humanities
and Social Sciences Building at UC Santa Barbara, The California
Science Center in Los Angeles, and the 21,000-seat Conference Center,
a multi-use theater for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints, in Salt Lake City. In addition to the Biomedical Research
Building at Oregon Health and Science University, his current projects
include a new research center for the College of Oceanic and Atmospheric
Sciences at Oregon State University, the Robert Mondavi Institute
for Wine and Food Science and the Research and Teaching Winery at
UC Davis, and the Stanley Quantitative Biosciences and Bioengineering
Facility at UC Berkeley. He is a Summa Cum Laude graduate of the
School of Design at North Carolina State University.
Mark Van Buskirk, Associate
Vice President of Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU), directs
the school's comprehensive facilities program. OHSU is the west
coast's single academic medical center between Seattle and San Francisco.
Mark has been planning, designing, constructing and operating healthcare
and biomedical research facilities at OHSU for over 26 years, and
is still alive to talk about it. Mark earned his Masters degree
from Portland State University, with a focus in Finance and Administration.
OHSU's physical plant is approximately five million square feet,
with an additional one million expansion currently in construction.
Part of the expansion will connect the traditional hill top campus
with an exciting new river front campus, via a unique aerial tramway
system. In addition to the Biomedical Research Building, Mark led
the design and construction of other notable labs, including the
Mark O. Hatfield Research Center, Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute,
the Dotter Imaging Center and the Occupational and Environmental
Toxicology.
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