Interdisciplinary collaboration and science flexibility features: How are they actually being used?

Sara Howell, ZGF Architects LLP

The 90,000 SF Molecular Engineering & Sciences Building at the University of Washington in Seattle is a study in sustainable strategies designed to support the energy needs of a high-use laboratory space, while accommodating long-term flexibility and providing a space to bring together a diverse group of researchers previously dispersed across campus.

The design team and University worked closely to re-examine air change rates and re-introduce the practice of natural ventilation – requiring significant solar gain reductions – for the office portion of the building. For this project, the University of Washington was also focused on providing a safe and sustainable space for lab researchers with access to daylight and views. In addition to energy efficiency, the building is designed for collaboration, and to bring together researchers from across the campus to accelerate inquiry and discovery. The goal to facilitate cross-disciplinary collaboration is apparent in the largely open lab spaces and office-lab connection, along with the various collaboration spaces spread throughout the building.

This session will reveal the strategies for integrating energy-efficiencies within an environment designed to be highly collaborative. The architect and owner will elucidate energy reduction techniques including optimizing air change rates, heat recovery, chilled beams and radiant cooling in computational spaces, and tactics to achieve separate zoning of the HVAC systems for the offices and laboratories. The University will also share feedback from building users about the collaborative benefits of the open-office, laboratory connections and various collaboration spaces. Attendees can use the 'lessons learned' from the architect-owner team to benefit their current and future work.

User Feedback
Researchers and students at the MolES building, which opened in July 2012, have testified that the building design has greatly contributed to their research and ability to think and collaborate across science and engineering disciplines. Data collected from building users will give attendees a 'day / week / year' in the life of a building user perspective.

Facility Management Response
The building recently concluded its commissioning cycle. Data collected during commissioning will make clear the challenges and lessons learned encountered during a completed project designed for collaboration and energy efficiency.

Sustainability Reporting
The LEED-Gold certified building employs the use of Phase Change Material as one of the energy-saving strategies. Data collected from the PCM monitoring devices will validate the practicality of this strategy for other building owners.

Learning Objectives

  • Assess how sustainability goals influence research facility construction and renovation projects from three perspectives: trending drivers behind science facility sustainability goals; how sustainability features affect how science gets done; and whether energy-saving systems really delivery predicted operating costs.
  • Evaluate how laboratory design goals including flexible design, accommodating high density, equipment sharing and a collaborative environment can be successfully achieved.
  • Apply tools and analysis to other similar research laboratory projects, and be able to identify the viability and usefulness of these systems and the benefits of a collaborative environment in your projects.

Biography:

Sara Howell is an Associate at ZGF Architects with over 14 years of experience. Her strength is collaborating with, and leading, team members, consultants, and clients throughout all project phases from programming and pre-design through construction administration. She has worked on a variety of project types, providing innovative sustainable design solutions for new construction, historic restorations and renovation projects. Sara was the Project Architect on the Molecular Engineering and Sciences Building at the University of Washington, which featured the first natural ventilation system in a research laboratory on the campus and responds to the evolving interdisciplinary nature of teaching.

 

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