Fostering the Interconnection of Education and Research in a High-Performance Environmental Sciences Laboratory
Thomas Kirk, Bohlin Cywinksi Jackson (BCJ)
Joseph DelPozzo, WSP Flack + Kurtz
Providing new laboratory space for research and teaching scientists can be a daunting planning and programming challenge due to unique areas of focus and technical standards. When the laboratory space in question is also meant to stand as the first green building on a bucolic mountainside campus, this challenge is further intensified. This was the task placed before the design Team for Lehigh University's new Science Technology Environment Policy and Society (STEPS) building.
To adequately address the sustainable goals, there are no better experts to collaborate with than the environmental scientists who are on front lines of climate change and happen to be the intended occupants for this new research and teaching facility. Add to this mix a venerable university simultaneously discovering the benefits of integrating green principles into every facet of their operations and these challenges are quickly transformed into exciting opportunities to conserve resources, eliminate historical boundaries between classrooms and laboratories, foster collaboration, and educate the community beyond the confines of the new building.
This session will examine the planning and design of a new environmental science building constructed at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The presenters will highlight how an interconnected design process and intense collaboration between the owner, researchers, and design team led to a successful building project that celebrates its surrounding community, achieves extraordinary benchmarks in terms of energy consumption and indoor air quality, and provides a strong identity for this vital group of interdisciplinary scientists.
One of the missions of the new research facility is to bridge the renowned fieldwork of Lehigh University's environmental scientists with more accessible disciplines such as anthropology, political science, and history. This type of cross-discipline effort will yield graduates who are well versed in the methods and formulas of research. It will also produce articulate advocates who may hold forth in a variety of public arenas. A spirit of transparency and collaboration guided the team through the early phases of this project and created a place conducive to both serious scholarship, as well as impromptu social interactions that enrich the everyday experience.
The speakers will present various stakeholder perspectives on the process and illustrate examples with slides and short video clips. The presentation will culminate in an open dialogue between the team and the session audience, fielding questions and offering additional thoughts on high-performance laboratory buildings and the relationship to occupant experience.
Biographies:
Thomas Kirk is an associate at BCJ, where he focuses on projects for academic institutions that embrace sustainable design issues. While at BCJ, Mr. Kirk has contributed to large projects for regional educational institutions, including Lehigh University and Princeton University, as well as award-winning projects such as the Field House for Germantown Friends School and Haverford College's Gardner Integrated Athletic Center. Mr. Kirk recently completed Lehigh University's new environmental science laboratory building, known as STEPS, which is pursuing LEED® Gold status. Mr. Kirk has presented the firms' work at regional and national conferences, such as the Ball State Greening of Campus and Society of College and University Planners, as well as at U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and ASHRAE events. Mr. Kirk is a member of the American Institute of Architects, USGBC, and the Delaware Valley Green Building Council.
Joseph DelPozzo is a senior vice president with WSP Flack + Kurtz, responsible for the design of building engineering systems. Mr. DelPozzo brings a value-based approach to systems engineering and implements a collaborative style that embraces the entire design team in order to develop creative concepts that respond to the owner's goals and architectural goals of the project. Mr. DelPozzo's knowledge of complex mechanical systems allows him to speak to all engineering disciplines and therefore foster integrated design and maintain sustainable project aspirations. Mr. DelPozzo has led project teams on the firms' most significant science facilities, including the STEPS building at Lehigh University, the Van Andel Institute II, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, and the award-winning Michael F. Price Center at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Mr. DelPozzo is certified by the National Council on Qualifications for the Lighting Professions and is a member of the International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering, American Society for Healthcare Engineering, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and Illuminating Engineering Society of North America.