LEEDing the way at Argonne National Laboratory

Clare Swanson, HDR
Karen Kosky, Argonne National Laboratory

Argonne, one of 10 national science laboratories in the United States, is a multidisciplinary research center, where 'dream teams' of world-class researchers work alongside experts from industry, academia, and other government laboratories to address vital national challenges in clean energy, environment, technology, and national security. However, Argonne's 50-year-old infrastructure had limited its ability to contribute fully to the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) mission. The new Energy Sciences Building (ESB) provides 21st century scientific infrastructure needed to advance Argonne's mission and will have as its focus the nation's most pressing challenge of the 21st century–clean, affordable, and diverse energy.

The ESB houses high-hazard laboratories including laser, chemical synthesis, and characterization applications. 103 fume hoods and 37 specialty gases serve the laboratories throughout the building. Coupled with the need to safely and efficiently manage the building's hazards was the desire for modular, flexible laboratories to accommodate changes in research staff and science with minimal disruption and cost. In addition, Argonne's Site Sustainability Plan calls for all new construction to achieve LEED Gold. The ESB achieves energy, water and material efficiency and sustainability without compromising environmental health, safety or security.

The design team implemented sustainable strategies and tactics to reduce the carbon footprint of the ESB. During construction, 92% of waste was diverted from landfills and 20% of all building materials contained recycled content. The completed building includes chilled beams, and employs a heat-recovery system to reduce energy consumption. Low-flow fixtures and native landscaping create a 31% savings in potable water over a conventional facility. Fume hood velocities were lowered from 100+ fpm to 80 fpm for the first time on this campus. The result is a building on track to achieve LEED Gold certification by the end of 2014.

Dr. Eric Isaacs, former Director of Argonne National Laboratory summarizes: 'Argonne's beautiful new Energy Sciences Building provides our world-class researchers with the flexible, state-of-the-art facilities they need to fulfill our laboratory's mission of discovery and innovation in the national interest. The building's innovative design both reflects and promotes the work of our interdisciplinary teams of engineers and scientists as they discover and innovate across a wide range of energy challenges.'

Learning Objectives

  • Participants will learn to assess and identify potential savings including energy, materials and costs on laboratory projects. They will understand a passive approach to sustainable design to maximize sustainability without necessarily increasing cost. Specific examples form the ESB project will be discussed to illustrate these savings.
  • Participants will learn how to evaluate specific materials and technologies to determine how they will affect the sustainability goals and other objectives of their projects. Specific examples form the ESB project will be discussed.
  • Participants will be able to apply a holistic approach to their sustainable laboratory projects to determine the right combinations of disciplines and experts to engage in their design process. Specific examples form the ESB project will be discussed

Biographies:

Clare's architectural experience encompasses more than 20 years of planning and designing laboratories for higher education, state and federal government, and the private sector. She has expertise in the design of many types of laboratories including high-hazard and highly-controlled environments. As an architect as well as a former research scientist, she understands the operational environment of science and has a clear understanding of how facilities support or inhibit research excellence.

Karen joined Argonne in 2013 as Sustainability Program Manager. She administers Argonne's energy management, environmental compliance, conservation, and sustainability programs through the development and management of an overall sustainability vision and strategic plan. Prior to joining Argonne, Karen managed sustainability and environmental programs for local governments in Michigan and Illinois, developing a strong expertise in water, energy, solid waste, and facility management projects.

 

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