The Importance of Constructing New or Renovated Biomedical Research Spaces That Are Sustainable and Flexible—A Deeper Look at BJC Institute of Health at Washington University and the George Washington University School of Medicine
Punit Jain, AIA, LEED AP®, Cannon Design
Modular and flexible laboratory design is as sustainable as it is adaptable to change. Biomedical research facilities, when planned to be modular and flexible, will serve multiple research needs for a long time, whether they are bench- or equipment-intensive. The sustainability and adaptability of modular and flexible laboratory design is universal, whether a project is new or renovation, large or small. This presentation compares and contrasts how the BJC Institute of Health at Washington University (new project) and the George Washington University School of Medicine's Research Center for Neglected Diseases of Poverty (renovation project) each achieved these goals, despite being very different projects; the presentation will offer insight into the lessons learned.
The new BJC Institute of Health at Washington University is a LEED® certified, 916,000-square-foot (SF) combination research/hospital facility for Washington University and Barnes-Jewish Hospital that supports a bold 10-year initiative aimed at converting knowledge of the human genome into effective, individualized medical treatments. The facility is situated in the center of the Washington University/BJH campus and is aimed at bridging the basic and clinical sciences. The project's first phase offers 280,000 SF for university research and 386,000 SF for an expansion of BJC Healthcare. This project demonstrates how flexible design accommodates a multidisciplinary research program with varying needs in a single building of this size and scale and has already helped the institution manage change. This project is a new build project that achieved its goals of being flexible, adaptable, and sustainable.
The renovated George Washington University School of Medicine's Research Center for the Neglected Diseases of Poverty is a centrally located, consolidated research complex focused on the development of new vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics for both neglected tropical diseases and a unique group of neglected infections present in the United States. The research center occupies 35,000 gross SF on the fifth and sixth floors of the Ross Hall Research Center, a circa 1973 facility on the university's main campus. This renovation project also includes strategic planning to convert four floors (approximately 250,000 SF) of the building into first-class, National Institutes of Health (NIH)-compliant research space to support grant-funded research. The initial two-floor renovation includes major infrastructure upgrades required to achieve the 20 percent spare capacity, frequent air changes, and emergency power prescribed in the NIH Design Requirements Manual. All spaces and circulation are configured to encourage informal interaction within an engaging and collaborative work environment. The project is pursuing LEED CI certification. This is a project that again achieves the need to be flexible, adaptable, and sustainable, but serves as an impressive renovation effort.
Biography:
Punit Jain is a key member of Cannon Design's Science and Technology practice, with extensive experience in laboratory architecture. Mr. Jain serves as Cannon Design's sustainable design leader, responsible for promoting high-performance design through LEED certification, conducting training for the firm's professionals, and championing sustainable design practices. Validating this commitment, Mr. Jain was elected to the National Board of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), which is widely recognized as one of the most influential institutions in the sustainable movement worldwide. Mr. Jain most recently presented at the 2010 Tradeline Conference and the Labs21 2010 Annual Conference, where he was also recognized with a 2010 Go Beyond Award. Mr. Jain has also been recognized with the Growing Green Award in the "Quietly Green" category for his dedication and service to the sustainable design in the community at large.