2010 Go Beyond Awards
Beyond Laboratories
Beyond Green
A unique awards program honoring organizations, individuals, products, and projects that are advancing sustainable, high-performance facilities.
Congratulations to the winners of I2SL's third-annual Go Beyond Awards. Awards were presented at a luncheon ceremony at the Labs21 2010 Annual Conference on September 30, 2010, in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Labs21 2010 Annual Conference Go Beyond Award Winners
I2SL, in partnership with R&D Magazine, is pleased to present the winners of the third-annual Go Beyond Awards. Go Beyond Award winners show their commitment to the goals of Labs21; and that excellence in sustainability means going beyond the laboratory, beyond the United States, and beyond being green when considering building projects, products, and services. The third-annual Go Beyond Awards recognized the following outstanding winners:
Individual Award
Punit Jain, Cannon Design
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Punit Jain accepts his award from
Julie Higginbotham of R&D Magazine as Karen Murray,
EPA, looks on. |
As a lead architect at Cannon Design, Mr. Jain works tirelessly to promote sustainability to his colleagues and clients. Internally, Mr. Jain regularly encourages laboratory architects and engineers to take the Labs21 Approach to their projects. He facilitates bi-weekly conference calls among sustainable design coordinators from Cannon Design offices to help share knowledge about sustainable laboratory design topics. Mr. Jain has also been vital in developing Cannon Design's sustainable operations plan and adding protection of the environment and sustainable design to the firm's guiding principles.
Mr. Jain's commitment to sustainable design and Labs21 extends to his work with his clients. As the lead architect on a laboratory project at the State University of New York at Oswego, he convinced the owner to use the Labs21 Approach to achieve U.S Green Building Council (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) certification and to raise the facility's sustainability aspirations from Silver certification to Platinum. He also persuaded the client to become a Labs21 Partner. Mr. Jain always promotes the Labs21 Approach to clients and also works with clients to pursue LEED certification for projects.
Mr. Jain regularly participates in the Labs21 Annual Conference and was vital to bringing the event to St. Louis in 2004, benefitting many architects and engineers in the area. He is also an accomplished speaker, having presented at numerous Labs21 conferences, as well as for colleges and universities, industry associations, and at green building conferences.
Dwayne Willmer, Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC)
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Dwayne Willmer, second from right, with the award presenters, from left to right, Julie Higginbotham of R&D Magazine, Beth Shearer of I2SL, Karen Murray of EPA, and Phil Wirdzek of I2SL |
Mr. Willmer, director of the laboratory Business Segment of PWGSC, has undertaken numerous activities during the last few years to promote Labs21 throughout Canada. Dwayne initiated a Labs21 Memorandum of Understanding between EPA and PWGSC. He hosted Labs21 Workshops and incorporated the Labs21 Environmental Performance Criteria into at least six Canadian laboratory projects. Mr. Willmer also began working with I2SL to promote the use of the Labs21 Energy Benchmarking Tool to representatives of Canadian ministries. Many federal Canadian laboratories are now entering information into the tool. Prior to the introduction of the Labs21 Energy Benchmarking Tool, facility managers were limited in their ability to measure or monitor facility performance at any level.
PWGSC developed and maintains a National Laboratory Knowledge Network, which was initially intended to serve the federal community with sustainability best practices, reference material, and case studies and serve as a source of technical knowledge. Since its inception six years ago, Mr. Willmer has actively promoted this network to all levels of governments, industry, and the academic community. PWGSC uses this tool to promote the principles of Labs21 within the larger industry and community of laboratory practice.
Mr. Willmer's continuous support of Labs21 has led to significant Canadian attendance at the Labs21 Annual Conference and to recognition of the Labs21 program and use of the Labs21 tools throughout Canada.
Organization
Sandia National Laboratories
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Birgitta Foster, second from left, accepts the Sandia National Laboratories award |
As a Labs21 Pilot Partner, Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) incorporates Labs21 goals and strategies into the design, construction, operations, and maintenance of laboratories on its New Mexico campus. These goals are typically incorporated into the design process, allowing for the greatest impact, but are also evident in site-wide retrofits and pilot projects for new technologies.
SNL's nearly completed Strategic Resource Management Plan integrates Labs21 goals and strategies to address natural resource management for energy, transportation fuels, and water. SNL's Long-Range Development Plan (LRDP) addresses sustainability at the site level in an integrated manner. Sandia has seen significant energy and water savings due to the implementation of sustainable features in its laboratory facilities, including saving 1.42 million kilowatt hours of electricity from the fume-exhaust system in one laboratory.
SNL further demonstrates its commitment to sustainability through its many renewable energy demonstration projects, including a building-integrated photovoltaic (PV) roof system, solar powered parking lot lights, a PV parking shade structure, and a PV-powered cart. SNL also hosts lunchtime workshops to educate staff about sustainable approaches in current projects. The commitment to spreading knowledge about sustainable technologies extends beyond SNL staff to the public, through various events. SNL promotes its successes and Labs21 at conferences, membership meetings, and working group activities.
Equipment Manufacturer
Tek-Air
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Tom Checksfield, second from right, accepts Tek-Air's award from the award presenters, from left to right, Julie Higginbotham of R&D Magazine, Beth Shearer of I2SL, Karen Murray of EPA, and Phil Wirdzek of I2SL |
Tek-Air, a regular vendor in the Labs21 Technology and Services Fair and sponsor of the Labs21 Annual Conference, approaches the market with a strategy that employs many Labs21 principles. When making presentations and training users on equipment, Tek-Air utilizes the Labs21 Low-Energy Design checklist to emphasize total building energy savings potential. Tek-Air's onsite teaching laboratory offers a personal, tactile way to promote the Labs21 principles. All ductwork and other installed devices are below the ceiling to offer a unique learning experience. The teaching lab is versatile and can be set up to accommodate an individual group's needs.
Beyond promoting Labs21, Tek-Air uses local vendors for product components when possible, and all its electronics are developed based on the latest standards and codes as they relate to environmental impacts. Tek-Air's Pneumavalve and Accuvalve operate at low static pressures, offering users significant energy savings. Tek-Air also promotes the use of technology and system designs that consume less energy.
Back to Go Beyond Awards Index