Daylight Harvesting for Research Laboratories

Kevin Chriswell, AIA, LEED AP, CRB
Jim Walsh, IES, LEED AP, Sundolier

The presentation will present the advantages of natural day-lighting within a research environment, with a focus on a daylight harvesting system that tracks and adjusts to the sun's position for maximum solar capture. The system collects daylight utilizing a rooftop fixture and focusses the daylight through a distribution tube, and then redistributes the daylight via a ceiling reflector within the space. The system can be combined with daylight sensors to dim artificial lighting within the space, thus reducing the direct energy costs associated with lighting while reducing mechanical energy costs due to heating gains from artificial lighting. The system produces a glare free, natural lighting effect, and filters can be employed to fine tune the desired spectrum of lighting produced. A case study of a laboratory facility on Long Island New York will be presented. The facility is a part of a consolidation effort for a pharmaceutical client to re-purpose an existing deep bay warehouse space into research laboratories and supporting office space.

The presentation will outline some of the challenges that facilities managers face in introducing natural day-lighting within the research environment, and in particular when re-purposing existing facilities. We will discuss the advantages a daylight harvesting system can provide in challenging locations, such as deep bay spaces where exterior window are not feasible and multi-story buildings which typically require light wells to provide light to lower levels. We will show that the system can provide natural day lighting to multiple stories without sacrificing floor area typically required for light wells. We will present a comparative review of the quality of light in relation to other day-lighting strategies, and show how this system can provide natural light without glare, with limited impact to the building envelope.

The audience will see the benefits of providing a controlled admission of natural day-lighting in to the research environment as natural daylight is one of the essential ingredients to a healthy and productive life, connecting people to a healthy circadian rhythm. In addition, they will see how natural day-lighting and a harvesting system is a sustainable solution that can contribute to LEED points in Day-lighting, Innovation in Design, and Energy & Atmosphere (Onsite Renewable Energy & Optimized Energy Performance). Furthermore, day light harvesters can offer net or near zero lighting to help meet the 2030 Challenge through the use of integrated photovoltaic panels. They will also see how natural day-lighting can help reduce lighting and mechanical energy costs, while providing opportunities for tax incentives and utility rebates.

Biographies:

Kevin is an architect and lab planner with the firm of CRB in Plymouth Meeting, PA. He has over 15 years as a project architect and a laboratory and vivarium planner for science and technology based buildings. He has experience in programming / planning, preliminary design, design development, construction documentation, consultant and engineering coordination, Basis of Design development, specification coordination, construction administration, Proposal preparation, and NIH grant applications. The type of projects he has worked on includes pharmaceutical, government, and higher education research laboratory buildings, quality control, and health care clinical laboratories, large and small animal vivariums, as well as non-human primate vivariums. Kevin is passionate about sustainable laboratory design and is actively engaged in providing creative solutions to reduce the impact of science and technology facilities on the environment, while providing an enhanced workplace.

Jim received his Master of Arts in Public Administration from the University of Colorado Graduate School of Public Affairs in Boulder, CO. His Graduate studies included an emphasis on energy policy analysis. He has founded several energy management and conservation companies including Energy Institute, Inc., and Energy Service Associates, Inc. Jim is currently the founder and President of Sunflower Corporation, DBA Sundolier. Sundolier is an international leader in the emerging industry of daylight harvesting. Mr. Walsh oversees all project design and installation services, and is responsible for product development efforts. He received the Association of Energy Engineers' regional Energy Manager of The Year award for 1993 for the Boulder Valley Schools' $8 million Energy Modernization Program. Mr. Wash was a key contributor to the Falcon School District 49 receiving a U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Star award in 2006 for its' 20% reduction in energy consumption since 2002.

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