Laboratories 2030: Implications of the 2030 Challenge for
the Research Building Sector
Jim Nicolow, Lord, Aeck &
Sargent
Victor Olgyay, AIA, RMI Built Environment Team
Labs21 was conceived to improve the energy efficiency
and environmental performance of laboratories. The program’s
focus includes all aspects of environmental performance. However,
the converging forces of global climate change and increasing fuel
prices are leading to growing public awareness of the need to address
energy efficiency.
In 2005, architect Ed Mazria created the "2030 Challenge"
to urge building designers and owners to rise to the global warming
challenge by designing buildings that have a lower carbon footprint.
Mazria called for a reduction in energy consumption by 50 percent
immediately, compared with the existing building stock, and increasing
the percentage reduction by 10 percent every five years in order
to reach carbon neutrality by 2030.
The 2030 Challenge energy performance benchmarks are based on the
Energy Information Administrations Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption
Survey (CBECS) data. However, the CBECS's data lacks information on
many building types, including laboratories.
Laboratories use as much as five to 10 times more energy per square
foot than conventional office buildings, so there is a tremendous
opportunity for energy savings and global carbon reduction with
this project type.
This study seeks to catalyze a conversation among the Labs21 community
about the 2030 Challenge and it’s implications for research
buildings. The presenters will investigate the Labs21 Energy Benchmarking
Tool data to identify appropriate 2030 Challenge targets for research
buildings. The tool contains energy use information from dozens
of laboratory facilities, including the whole-building metrics used
by the 2030 Challenge.
Upon establishment of a proposed 2030 Challenge benchmark for research
buildings, the presenters will evaluate the published Labs21 Case
Study projects to asses their performance relative to the 2030 Challenge
target and begin a dialogue in the Labs21 community about the steps
necessary to create 2030 Challenge-compliant research facilities.
The mission of the 2030 Challenge is closely aligned with that
of Labs21. A conscious exploration of the 2030 Challenge's implications
for the research building sector will broaden the high-performance,
sustainable laboratory design dialogue, while increasing the relevance
of Labs21 in the global warming debate.
Jim Nicolow and Vikram Sami of Lord, Aeck & Sargent Architecture,
Victor Olgyay of the Rocky Mountain Institute Built Environment
Team, and Susan Reilly of Enermodal Engineering conducted the study.
Biographies:
Jim Nicolow, a nationally
recognized expert on sustainable design, joined Lord, Aeck &
Sargent in 1997. Jim leads the firm’s Sustainability Initiative,
overseeing the incorporation of sustainable design strategies and
features into the firm’s design projects. He spearheaded the
development and integration of in-house quantitative analysis, including
energy and daylight modeling. As one of the firm's first of a growing
number of LEED® Accredited Professionals since 2001, Jim has
extensive knowledge of the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC)
LEED rating system and drives the firm's efforts to help other architects
become accredited.
As an expert in sustainable design strategy, Jim has worked on
a wide range of projects including research facilities for
Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the University of Michigan, the National
Park Service, Arizona State University, and the Georgia Institute
of Technology.
Jim is a frequently published author and noted presenter at conferences
nationwide, including the Labs 21 Annual Conference and the USGBC’s
GreenBuild International Conference & Expo.
Jim attended the University of Michigan, where he received both
his Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees in Architecture.
He is a member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), and
he is a National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB)
certificate holder. He serves on the Editorial Advisory Board of
Environmental Design + Construction, was a Labs21 EPC Version 2
developer, and contributed to a Labs21 Case Study and Best Practices
Guide.
Victor Olgyay,
AIA, is a principal and architect with RMI Built Environment Team
located in Boulder, Colorado. He has performed architectural design,
planning, environmental systems, acoustical, lighting, and daylighting
consultation on a wide variety of projects internationally, with
an emphasis in the areas of bioclimatic, ecologic, and low-energy
design.
Victor has worked as an architect and consultant independently and
with several private and state firms doing architectural design,
programming, post occupancy evaluations, and design guidelines. He
is active in lecturing and has published numerous research papers. He is also a primary writer and researcher with W.M.C.Lam
of Sunlighting as Formgiver for Architecture and co-author
of Architectural Lighting with David Egan. He was recently
a featured speaker at the Third International Humane Habitat Conference
in Bombay, India.
Victor's recent research has focused on ecological restoration
and ecosystem services as criteria for green building assessment.
This work has been presented at several conferences including the
American Solar Energy Society's Conference in 2002, and subsequently
published by Elsevier. His current research expands this research
into building tool application, especially for demonstrating the
reduction of carbon, water, and other ecological footprints.
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