California Polytechnic Center for Sciences
Ted Hyman, Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Partnership
Peter Rumsey, Rumsey Engineers
The Center for Sciences is a new 187,800-gross-square-foot teaching laboratory facility at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Envisioned as a laboratory building for the 21st century, its program includes space for administration, office, conferences, classrooms, lectures, laboratories, and laboratory support.
The building was designed using many of the principles outlined in the Labs21 Energy Efficient Research Laboratories Guidelines, such as low-pressure drop design, right sizing, energy recovery, and reheat elimination. Rumsey Engineers has been involved with Labs21 for several years, helping to develop best practices in laboratory design and performing critical early energy benchmarking for laboratories.
When completed, the project will feature one of the largest laboratory installations of chilled beams in the world. Active chilled beams, also called induction diffusers, allow laboratory designers to decouple ventilation requirements from sensible heating and cooling functions. If applied carefully, this strategy can dramatically reduce both reheat energy and the size of the air handling system. In one laboratory designed by Rumsey Engineers (who pioneered the use of chilled beams in U.S. laboratories), this strategy reduced outside air handlers and ductwork by 40 percent, and eliminated reheat completely.
Other sustainable design features in the building design include: radiant heating and cooling; displacement ventilation; water-efficient fixtures; daylighting; architecturally integrated electric lighting; and a highly efficient building envelope. The project is targeting a LEED® Gold certification, and is expected to be 25 to 30 percent more energy efficient than a standard design.
The project's design integration approach incorporated multiple disciplines and stakeholders in a series of sustainability charrettes held at the start of preliminary design that focused on achieving a high level of sustainable features and best energy management practices. These early meetings facilitated a productive discussion of the building design where a wide constituency shared their ideals, opinions, and concerns as a group. This resulted in a sustainable building design with a highly efficient building envelope that reduced heating and cooling loads and made it possible to downsize mechanical equipment. The project is also delivering a high level of sustainability on a relatively modest budget—approximately $500 per square foot—and no premium costs are being incurred for a LEED Gold level of design.
Biographies:
Ted Hyman, LEED AP, is managing partner of Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architect's Los Angeles office. Much of his professional career has concentrated in the areas of technical design and project delivery. He has led teams for many of the firm's most challenging and technologically complex projects, taking responsibility for the programming, management, coordination, production, and construction administration. Having been involved in the design of a number of new engineering, nanotechnology, and bioscience facilities over the last decade, Mr. Hyman is knowledgeable about the latest concepts and innovations in laboratory buildings. During his 20 years at Zimmer Gunsul Frasca, he has played a key role in guiding the development of the Los Angeles office, while also successfully directing and mentoring project teams for leading-edge research institutions. Ted earned a Bachelor of Science degree in architecture from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, and participated in an International Studies Program in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Peter Rumsey is a national leader in the design of low-energy buildings and the founder of Rumsey Engineers in Oakland, California. Rumsey Engineers was the first engineering firm in the United States to achieve four LEED Platinum projects. Mr. Rumsey has designed mechanical systems for data centers, clean rooms, and laboratories that are among the most energy efficient in the U.S. His firm's projects have received many local and national awards from prominent industry organizations, including the Association of Energy Engineers and the AIA. He is a registered professional engineer in 10 states, a certified energy manager, a Senior Fellow of Rocky Mountain Institute, and an ASHRAE Fellow. He is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley's mechanical engineering program and is a frequent lecturer at industry events, conferences, and colleges and universities, including U.C. Berkeley and Stanford University. The focus of Mr. Rumsey's career has been transforming the building industry by designing affordable, energy efficient buildings.