Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's Building 74 Modernization - A Case Study in Strategies and Lessons Learned

Stan Lew, RMW architecture & interiors
Richard Stanton, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

With limited campus space and funds, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory frequently repurposes existing facilities. When Building 74 was slated for seismic retrofitting, it was an opportunity to upgrade the 50-year-old laboratory and office building to meet modern needs and to reconfigure a facility that suffered from lack of common space and clear circulation. In this presentation we will discuss how, through a collaboration that included practical application of research by LBNL division scientists, the design team was able to modernize Building 74 to become Berkeley Lab's first LEED Platinum certified facility.

Situated in the Strawberry Creek area of the campus, Building 74 was conceived of as an animal research facility and evolved over the decades both in size and function. The building was constructed in increments over three decades in response to changing research agendas and techniques. Given limited funds and requirements for a structural seismic upgrade in the context of an ambitious modernization program, design strategies needed to be responsive to mission needs while bringing about much needed upgrades to the building.

The physical reorganization of the building had to be clearly redefined to collocate laboratory and office functions such that collaboration was encouraged without sacrificing efficiency. Environments for effective sharing of instrumentation and support areas were created in response to the program. Research areas were developed with flexibility in mind to accommodate a range of research modes.

Energy efficiency improvements for the building were designed to maximize utility while conserving energy. New to LBNL were auto-sash closers for fume hoods which presented unique implementation and adoption challenges. Energy modelling predicts 42% improvements over the ASHRAE 90.1 2004 baseline.

During construction, the project's end-users were changed from the Life Sciences Division to the Earth Sciences Division. This required changes be identified swiftly and implemented in the field to minimize 'redo' work. Some laboratory research functions were deleted entirely while new functionality was added due to the new end-users. The building design's flexibility for changing research needs was being tested before construction was even close to completion.

The Building 74 project at LBNL yields many insights into challenges facing legacy laboratory buildings in campus environments. Lessons learned include strategies that enabled great change to be accommodated during construction while achieving building performance goals.

Learning Objectives

  • Identify opportunities within existing laboratory buildings for maximizing flexibility for continued service.
  • Understand how flexibility in the design can be the mechanism to accommodate change.
  • Understand challenges with implementing new technologies in an existing campus environment.

Biographies:

Stan Lew, AIA LEED AP, is an architect and principal with RMW architecture & interiors in San Francisco, CA. He leads the firm's environmental initiatives and focuses on technical and high-performance building projects. With an emphasis on design for research facilities, Stan works closely with clients to achieve project goals. His recent work on the Building 74 project at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, led to the campus' first LEED Platinum building certification.

Richard Stanton, AIA is a Project Director for Facilities Design and Construction Management at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Mr. Stanton is a registered California architect with over 35 years of experience as an owners representative for the design and construction of new buildings and renovation projects. He has extensive project management experience at LBNL in maximizing the efficiency and utility of laboratory buildings to meet scientific research needs.

 

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