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Planning for Sustainable Design
Ernie Staley, IDC Architects
This poster involves a 62,000 sq. ft. building that
combines laboratories for research and production in chemistry and
biology, as well as a quality control lab, auditorium and office
space. The client is the Molecular Probes Inc. (MPI) division of
Invitrogen Corporation, a world leader in the production of fluorescent
dyes for biomedical and other scientific research. The client's
objective was to achieve high-quality, cost-effective facilities
to maintain the company's rapid growth and market superiority.
Adding to the project's challenges was the requirement
for completion within an aggressive 18-month schedule. Our data
gathering efforts began with close interaction with the facility's
future occupants engaged in the distinctly different arenas of chemistry
and biology.
The uniqueness of needs within these two groups was
reflected in the building's design, which stacked two levels of
chemistry labs and two levels of biology labs on either side of
the building's main circulation and support spine. Our design team
was challenged to create opportunities for resource sharing and
collaboration between scientific disciplines. By carefully studying
the respective needs of these two user groups, we determined that
a deliberate separation by specialty would make the building's design
inherently more sustainable. Concentrating the high-exhaust and
utility-intensive chemistry labs in one, multistory zone allowed
for optimized HVAC design, and also allowed lab benches on both
floors to be served by a single utility lateral. Support functions
common to the two research groups, such as glasswash and administrative
support, were combined and centrally located for maximum space efficiency.
The final design solution featured shared office zones and open,
interactive meeting spaces along a "main street" which
joined both laboratory wings. This approach supported this project's
multiple goals of achieving functionality, sustainability, economy,
and collaboration between the research groups.
Labs21 Connection:
Our experience in the design of technology-intensive buildings
in dynamically evolving industries informed us that a client such
as this would require flexibility in its laboratories enabling rapid
and economical adaptation to new technologies. Labs were designed
as large, open suites with a minimum of permanent walls to facilitate
future facility reconfigurations. This focus on flexibility also
improved sustainability, since it required fewer construction materials
initially as well as downstream. Extensive planning of overhead
utility zones allowed maximum ceiling heights without increasing
floor depth, providing larger windows and better daylighting for
the same overall building height. Indirect lighting performance
was also increased by the higher ceilings. Detailed utility design
enabled pre-fabrication of lab utility laterals offsite, minimizing
time-consuming and costly on site fabrication activities while reducing
construction materials required. Building corridors were configured
to provide outside views from many parts of the building, including
outdoor views at deep interior vantage points. This important design
feature was facilitated by our unique design of the building's fire
sprinkler system, which replaced standard fire-rated construction
and expensive fire-glazing with standard glazing.
This project and our presentation reflects the principles of the
Labs21 Approach to laboratory design in nearly every respect, especially
regarding the project's careful pre-planned intent to apply a range
of resource reduction strategies, incorporate natural energy resources,
maintain sensitivity to life-cycle rather than short-term benefits,
and apply a "whole buildings" approach.
Biography:
Ernie Staley is the Senior Architect for Laboratory
Design for IDC Architects, with expertise in the planning, design,
project management, and technology of a wide range of research facilities.
Projects he has been involved with include chemistry, biology, electronic,
environmental, and astrophysics laboratories, many of which have
included biocontainment requirements at the BSL-3 and BSL-4 levels.
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