Sustainable and Interdisciplinary: How to Achieve Both

D. Bartley Guthrie, AIA, Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Partnership
Mario Loiacono, P.E., Bard, Rao + Athanas Consulting Engineers
Myron Taschuk, Duke University

Duke University's Center for Interdisciplinary Engineering, Medicine and Applied Sciences (CIEMAS) is a 330,000 sq. ft. center consisting of two buildings linked by a publicly accessible atrium and conference center. The building houses research and teaching activities for three initiatives: Materials Science and Engineering, Photonics and Communications, and Biomedical Engineering and Medicine. The School of Medicine Institute for Genomic Science and Policy and the departments of Biomedical Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering occupy the East Building while the departments of Photonics and Communication, Electrical Engineering and a 22,500 sq. ft. interdisciplinary academic clean room, characterization and testing facility occupy the West Building.

This dynamic mix of program requirements created a challenge. The design team was charged with developing the laboratory fabric based on 'best practice' concepts, while considering energy efficiency and maintaining the flexibility to adapt and refine space for specific research needs. The laboratories vary in services from dry to damp, from damp to predominantly wet and finally to more traditional biomedical research laboratories. Beyond traditional modular-based planning, a key strategy was to design a variety of laboratory types that varied in terms of floor plan, range of infrastructure services, and energy zoning.

Like many complex research facilities, the design process of this facility could be characterized as organized chaos. The final product, however, yielded a dynamic Interdisciplinary facility, with built-in flexibility to provide for the evolution and changing programs of research.

This is not a textbook story of institutional commitment from day one; rather, it is a real story, one of challenge, evolution, education, and collaboration. The collaborators included a handful of sustainable design champions, representing the owner/users, design team, and the construction management team. These individuals, together with external programs, including LEED®-NC and Labs21, helped develop the sustainable goals for the project, evidenced in the facility's LEED 2.1 Silver rating. The collaborative process further evolved into an institutional commitment to sustainable design at Duke University.

Labs21 Connection:

The team engaged the sustainability challenge and employed a "whole-building" approach for the project, starting with a multidisciplinary eco-charrette. Lab modularity, occupancy patterns, occupant health and safety, energy efficiency, flexibility, and reduced O&M costs became drivers in organizing the building program.

While research program needs change over time, flexibility can bring first-cost premiums and increased energy consumption. Therefore, the design team pursued a balance between flexibility and capacity on one hand, and customized, more tightly defined systems on the other.

Energy performance was optimized through various strategies. Co-locating similar building programs optimized energy use. The building envelope was designed to reduce heating and cooling loads. Glazing systems are carefully designed to allow controlled light and limit heat gain. Research hood densities were carefully managed to balance flexibility with energy consciousness. Right-sized custom-built air handling units, variable volume hoods, and heat wheel recovery systems for the auditorium and laboratory exhaust system balance comfort, safety, and efficiency.

Indoor air quality, both during and post-construction, was ensured through an aggressive IAQ moisture control plan. A 70,000 gallon rainwater and reverse osmosis reject water cistern provides a campus-precinct irrigation system. Waterless urinals and low flow fixtures yielded a 65 percent reduction of building water use. The University also has a multi-year contract to purchase renewable energy.

The lighting design incorporates high performance fixtures and controls. Offices and interaction areas have access to daylighting to reduce reliance on artificial lighting, while certain laboratories that would be hindered by daylighting are located in interior zones.

Finally, the expected energy savings are realized through an extensive building and fumehood commissioning program.

Biographies:

D. Bartley Guthrie is a principal of ZGF and has practiced architecture for over 30 years managing large, complex projects. His experience in the planning and design of research and teaching buildings is extensive and includes many award-winning projects, including facilities for The Johns Hopkins University, Duke University, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Dickinson College, and Mount Sinai School of Medicine. In addition, Bart is an urban designer and planner and has led master planning projects for the NIH, the Texas Medical Center/MD Anderson and Washington State University. He has a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Architecture from Rice University.

Mario Loiacono has over 30 years of experience in the design of research and laboratory facilities. His recent projects include Duke University CIEMAS, Cornell University Duffield Hall, Cornell Life Science, Genzyme Corporation Research Lab Headquarters, Novartis USA Research Laboratory Headquarters and the Harvard University Laboratory for Interface Science and Engineering, all multidisciplinary laboratory buildings. Furthermore, he has been a lecturer at both the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Harvard Graduate School of Design, and is considered a Clean Room Specialist in the industry. Mario earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Northeastern University.

Myron Taschuk is a project manger at the Facilities Management Department of Duke University. Working mainly on large capital projects, his efforts to promote sustainable and energy efficient building practice helped initiate the commitment by the University to the LEED program. Duke currently has four certified projects and five projects registered with the USGBC. Myron has a Bachelors Degree in Economics from Duke University, has completed training in Facilities Engineering Management at North Carolina State University, and is a LEED 2.0 AP.

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