Human Factors and Architectural Expression: Daylighting and Delighting the Researchers

Mark Loeffler, IALD, LEED AP®, Atelier Ten
Debi McDonald, AIA, LEED AP, NBBJ

This session addresses human issues to be considered in the planning and design for high-performance and sustainable laboratories. The speakers will discuss emerging trends in the integration of sustainable design and lighting approaches within the context of overall laboratory planning for responsible, effective, and comfortable outcomes. Through a series of conceptual case studies, the speakers will demonstrate practical, cost conscious, and sustainable approaches to create functional and desirable research environments in support of developing future research needs.

There is an increasing requirement to design laboratories for future flexibility and adaptability to anticipate upcoming developments in research, to design spaces that can weather frequent changes in layout, and to reduce costs of frequent renovations. Additionally, laboratories are increasingly geared toward collaborative work and social interaction, making an appealing and comfortable visual experience a necessity.

This session will outline potential approaches to laboratory design that will create flexible, sustainable, and highly desirable laboratory environments:

  • Diligent programming to create appropriate balance and configuration of laboratory/bench area, support spaces, and collaborative/community spaces.
  • Thoughtful and efficient planning to cluster shared support spaces together and reduce overall footprint of support spaces, and create more open and flexible laboratory/bench areas.
  • Consideration of long term flexibility and adaptability, in addition to specific research needs, to achieve more efficient, open, and flexible laboratory design, saving significant first costs, operational costs, and savings for future renovations.
  • Optimized daylighting to connect occupants with the outside and minimize reliance on electric lighting. This includes exterior and interior shading strategies as well as space planning to take best advantage of available daylight.
  • Integrated architectural lighting systems to meet specific task and ambient illuminance requirements in combination with daylight.
  • Implementation of new light sources, such as solid-state light-emitting diode lighting, to provide reliable, cost-effective, and high quality illumination that is responsive to daylight, occupancy, and varying task lighting requirements.
  • Integration of programming, planning, and lighting design in the context of sustainability, user flexibility, and user comfort.

Part two of this presentation will occur in session D4: Laboratory Safety and Energy Efficiency: Delighting Owners, Facilities Directors, and Operations Managers, which continues this discussion of sustainability in laboratory planning and design, expanding it to include energy efficiency and laboratory safety.

Biographies:

Mark Loeffler is a director of Atelier Ten and head of the New Haven office. An accomplished lighting and environmental designer, Mr. Loeffler has lectured widely and consulted on many significant green building projects in the United States and abroad. His projects include several award-winning, LEED®-certified academic, and research facilities, such as the LEED-NC Platinum Dartmouth Life Sciences Building. An editorial advisor to Architectural Lighting magazine, he is a member of the International Association of Lighting Designers and the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America; Lighting Certified by the National Council on Qualifications for the Lighting Professions, and a LEED AP. Mr. Loeffler holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Texas at Austin and a Master of Fine Arts in architectural lighting design from Parsons The New School for Design. He has conducted lighting and sustainable design presentations at American Institutes of Architects, the Labs21 Annual Conference, Greenbuild, and many regional gatherings.

Debi McDonald has focused most of her career on programming, planning, and architectural design for college and university clients, with a focus on academic, science, and research facilities. She champions a design approach that maximizes the value of existing campus resources through thoughtful, strategic, sustainable renovations, that reposition underutilized space into high performing research space. Several recent renovations transformed existing warehouse space at Tufts University into National Institutes of Health-compliant space for translational research. Ms. McDonald received bachelor's and master's degrees in architecture from Cornell University. She was a recent regional representative and board member of the Society for College and University Planning and a recent board member of the Boston Society of Architects. Ms. McDonald has presented sessions and workshops at numerous national and regional conferences, including many related to planning and design for academic and science facilities.