Introducing the Third and Fourth Levels of Flexibility in Sustainable Laboratory Buildings: Real Case Studies
Adelmo Antelo, High Identity Buildings, S.L.
Antton Altube, High Identity Buildings, S.L.
Laboratories are highly complex facilities, due to their equipment, risks associated with products and operations performed inside, and the high environmental impact of their activities. These characteristics underscore the need to work to improve these facilities, incorporating technical and technological advances that allow for the optimization of resources.
The new global challenges that society must face highlight the need to opt for technology as a lifeline. Among these challenges for the laboratories in the twenty first century is the high speed at which lines of research change in the global world, which makes it possible that a scientific facility located in a particular site may need a change of location to ensure its viability. Both are reflected in a clear concept: flexibility.
This presentation shows the possibility of a new laboratory model, facing the new challenges of flexibility of the twenty first century, while at the same time keeping some other features as to be people-oriented, to optimize resources and to respect and protect the environment. The third and fourth degree of flexibility aims to develop a building system designed for laboratory use, which might match new challenges.
Three real case studies are shown in the paper with different levels of implementation of the modular system for the building structure.
- CEBEGA building: In this project, the system was implemented and connected to an existing concrete structure and was used in order to give a maximum flexibility in the laboratory areas of a vivarium, allowing future changes in the layout without major changes.
- INGIRD building: This project considered the system for an entire wing of the building, which meant not only its use in order to create a flexible installation substructure, but also to give a solution to all the structural requirements of the area affected.
- GALCHIMIA project: This project was designed entirely with the system, which supposed a milestone for its implementation. In this example, the system showed a range of possibilities in terms of easy future expansion of the facility with minor interruptions to users' activity.
The system is focused in building flexible, industrialized, and eco-technological laboratory buildings that can be adjusted in an quick and flexible way to different laboratory types and user needs. Aspects are constantly changing due to changes in the research, new regulations, and new relocation needs of the growing market demand. This presentation shows some examples of buildings where this philosophy has been applied.
Adelmo Antelo is the managing director of High Identity Buildings, S.L. and S*concept and the president of MAITE Foundation. After more than 15 years of experience developing projects in the field of laboratory facilities around Europe, he founded High Identity Buildings and S*concept three years ago. As the former managing director of subsidiaries of specialized company in planning and manufacturing laboratory furniture, Mr. Antelo was a member of the Lab 2020 project of Fraunhofer Institute. He is presently a board member of EGNATON (Europäische Gesellschaft für Nachhaltige Labortechnologien, translated to mean Registered European Association for Sustainable Laboratory Technology) and council member of the Global Sustainable Laboratory Network.
Antton Altube is an industrial engineer focusing in chemistry, from the High School of Engineering of Bilbao, Spain (ETSI - UPV/EHU, 1994). He is the technical manager and chief innovation officer of High Identity Buildings. He is the former technical manager of a specialized company in planning, equipping, and installing laboratories as well as the former gas installation department manager of an engineering company. Since 1997 he has been involved in the elaboration of laboratory standards and technical reports both for Europe and Spain, such as the EN 14.175 (fume cupboards) and the NTP 677 for the Spanish Ocupational Health and Safety National Institute. Mr. Altube is the present chairman of WG4 of EGNATON (European Association for Sustainable Laboratories) and present chairman of WG3 of Lab*s (a Spanish sustainable laboratory network).