How are High-Performance Buildings Performing? An Evaluation of Recent Sustainable Laboratories

Laura Carlson, AIA, LEED® AP, Ballinger
Jonathan Friedan, LEED AP, Ballinger

We are in a period of great innovation in research facility design and engineering, especially in reducing carbon footprint and energy use. This has led to the introduction of a number of high-performance technologies such as energy recovery wheels, chilled beams, heat pipes, and demand controlled ventilation. There is also an increase in the design of facades that increase the daylight into the buildings while minimizing heat gain. The question is: how are these technologies working? We have returned to a number of these installations after they have been in operation to see how well they are actually performing and to see what we could learn about how their application could be optimized. In this session, we will review our findings and see what it means for future designs.

For the energy recovery wheels for instance, we are interested in actual energy recovery performance. Do the wheels actually raise or lower entering outdoor air conditions as designed? Have there been any problems with cross contamination? How much air is lost to purge? Are the units experiencing any operational problems? For chilled beam systems, we are interested in such questions as: have there been any problems with condensation? Are the units maintaining good temperature control? How long does it take room conditions to recover after night or unoccupied setbacks? Has fan energy been reduced as advertised? How flexible have the systems been to accommodate changes to research function/space? Is the actual daylight meeting the calculated foot-candles from design, and do the building occupants benefit from improved daylighting?

Installations which we will discuss include major new and retrofit projects at research and teaching institutions including, Cornell University, University of Pennsylvania, Furman University, and Virginia Commonwealth University. These installations cover a wide range of research types, including biomedical (translational research), molecular biology, chemistry, and chemical engineering.

Ultimately, there is nothing like built experience to help determine which technologies are appropriate for new projects. There are risks involved in any adoption of new technologies. This session will help in mitigating those risks and in ultimately making good technology decisions to reduce energy use in both new and existing facilities.

Biographies:

Laura Carlson, AIA, LEED AP, senior project laboratory designer at Ballinger, has been planning and designing laboratories for 21 years. Ms. Carlson's project experience includes research as well as teaching laboratory commissions for prominent clients such as the University of Wisconsin, Grove City College, Duke University, and pharmaceutical giant, Boehringer Ingelheim. Her work has taken her across the globe—including laboratory design for Champalimaud Foundation in Lisbon, Portugal. Ms. Carlson is not only an expert in laboratory design, but is also one of the firm's sustainability resources. Ms. Carlson, a graduate of Syracuse University School of Architecture, is a past presenter at the Labs21 Annual Conference, and has been published in R&D newsletter as well as the 2006 and 2007 R&D Laboratory Design Handbook.

Jonathan Friedan, PE, LEED AP, is an engineering principal at Ballinger, a nationally prominent architecture and engineering firm based in Philadelphia, whose focus is the design of technically complex facilities. He has spearheaded the programming, planning, and design of mechanical and electrical systems for major institutional and corporate facilities over the past two decades. His most recent work includes the Sidney E. Frank Hall for Life Sciences at Brown University, the new Molecular Medicine Research Building at Virginia Commonwealth University, Cornell University's East Campus Research Facility, and the University of Maryland's Bioscience Research Facility. Mr. Friedan authored the engineering sections of the National Science Foundation guidebook on research facilities and has given lectures nationally on sustainable HVAC design and retrofit strategies. A graduate of Columbia University with both a bachelor's and master's degrees in mechanical engineering, he is an active member of ASHRAE, ISPE, and the American Society for Hospital Engineers, and is a past presenter at the Labs21 Annual Conference.