From the Technical to the Human Touch: Designing Modern, Sustainable Laboratories in Challenging Environments
Robert Skolozdra, Svigals + Partners
David Pinto, R.G. Vanderweil Engineers
This presentation will examine the 15-year evolution and challenges of transforming pre-World War II buildings at Yale University into state-of-the-art, sustainable laboratories. The discussion will center on the holistic planning and design challenges of maintaining a building's historic character while updating environments that were not designed for today's technology and concept of sustainability, all while setting national precedent in LEED® certification.
Attendees will gain a thorough perspective on creating world-class, LEED for Commercial Interiors Gold certified facilities in spaces never intended to house advanced communication and fire protection systems, highly developed technologies utilizing PCR tools, DNA analyzing equipment, electron microscopes, and mass spectrometers. Additionally, they will learn about progressive LEED initiatives to maximize energy savings, reduce water consumption, improve air quality, and effectively use recycled and rapidly renewable materials. The session will further examine the hurdles overcome in phasing these renovations one floor at a time, including the need to create swing laboratories for temporary relocation of occupants to avoid disruption of ongoing research.
The human aspect of contemporary laboratory design will also be explored. Integrating these decidedly technical environments with the architecture to create a vibrant, attractive "home away from home" is at the core of the design philosophy. Those in attendance will take notice of innovative design techniques that create more "livable" workspaces out of areas that are traditionally dark and uninviting, by providing generous access to outside views and daylight while preserving privacy needs. In addition, there will be discussion of the necessity to design common space and break rooms to include touches such as inspiring artwork, soft seating, and residential lamps.
The result is the creation of warm and inviting sustainable atmospheres that set the benchmark for future laboratory designs while maintaining architectural integrity, fostering increased productivity, and enabling laboratories to attract and retain top talent.
Biographies:
Robert Skolozdra, AIA, graduated from the School of Architecture at Roger Williams University. He joined Svigals + Partners in 1988 and was named partner in 2008. Mr. Skolozdra's 20 years of experience and interest in balancing architecture, art, and environmental engineering have lead him to manage several of the firm's science and technology clients. Responsibilities include directing the firm's staff in design, contract documentation, and construction phase services. At Svigals + Partners, Mr. Skolozdra has been involved in educational, research, commercial, and residential projects. Over the past 14 years he has managed more than 100 laboratory renovations at Yale University School of Medicine. He currently sits on the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED for Laboratories Committee and is responsible for coordinating efforts of engineering consultants and LEED/sustainability with Svigals + Partners design staff. The firm's innovative renovation of a 17,000-square-foot wing at Yale's Sterling Hall of Medicine, which Mr. Skolozdra directed, earned the LEED Gold rating for Commercial Interiors (CI) and became the first LEED-CI rated laboratory renovation in the United States. Mr. Skolozdra served as project manager for the Center for Information Technology at Norwalk Community College, a project administered by the State of Connecticut Deparment of Public Works. This was the first of the college's $40-million Master Plan projects to be implemented. The center includes computer classrooms, internet teaching laboratories, and video conferencing. Mr. Skolozdra was also project architect for a 120,000-square-foot interior renovation and addition to the Carroll School of Management at Boston College. Other projects include research laboratories for Kodak/SIS, BIOS, and CuraGen.
David Pinto graduated from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth with a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering. He is now the vice president of R.G. Vanderweil Engineers. Mr. Pinto has 13 years of engineering, construction, and project management experience. Five of those years were spent doing work specific to healthcare institutions. Mr. Pinto is responsible for implementing and supervising projects, taking an active role in everything from conception and design documents to specifications and field reviews. Mr. Pinto has been involved in the construction or renovation of numerous high-profile projects, including: the Bellevue Hospital DNA Forensic Laboratory; the University of Georgia Coverdell Biomedical Building; a 145,000-square-foot building for the Biomedical and Health Sciences Institute; Yale School of Medicine's Anlyan Center; and the Yale School of Medicine's MRC PET Center.