(continued)

The primary circulation centers on two atria, which allow visibility across glass-walled laboratory "neighborhoods" and bring daylight into the labs. On the ground floor is the major social gathering area, resembling an outdoor terrace, with a fountain, ample daylight, and lively colors.

On the upper floors, researcher offices are located adjacent to the labs, along the building's perimeter. They are open to the labs or separated by glass walls to permit researchers to monitor lab activity from their offices.

Each large office area is shared by four people. This configuration was preferred over individual cubicles with barriers to foster interaction. Enclosed rooms at both ends of each neighborhood provide space for meetings or private work.

Because of the omnipresence of chemicals, countless measures were taken to ensure a safe environment. Five entrances/exits allow for easy access. The fumehoods are located on the side walls of labs, reducing the staff traffic near the hoods and enhancing safety.

All staircases have "places of refuge" for the disabled in the event of emergency, and all labs have three routes of exit that exceed Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) minimum exit width requirements.

Creating a Green Lab

To achieve a high LEED rating, the owners and architects considered sustainability at every turn. This goal informed their site selection, their initial debate whether to simply rehabilitate an older building, their recycling practices during demolition, and their choices of materials and of structural and mechanical systems.

The steel frame is 100 percent recycled steel; a large part of the wallboard is synthetic gypsum, a byproduct of utility plants; the carpet yarns and backing can be endlessly recycled into new carpet; and the ceiling tiles have recycled content as high as 80 percent. The wood veneer on interior doors is from certified "well-managed" forests.

A significant amount of the building material came from within a 300-mile (480-kilometer) radius, including the mechanical equipment. The building received a site credit for efficient location in the LEED rating system because the campus is within a quarter mile of two bus lines. It scored additional credit for alternative transportation because of its bicycle racks and staff showering facilities.

Recognizing that key design choices needed to be made early, Bill Browning of the Rocky Mountain Institute, led a predesign charrette. A multidisciplinary approach permitted all team members — site planner, landscape architect, architects, engineers, interior designers, lighting designers, owner, and contractor — to share their specialized expertise at the conception of design.

Because laboratories tend to be highly energy-consumptive, energy conservation required special attention. For example, at Pharmacia, variable-air-volume fumehoods with in-hood flow sensors monitor sash position, calculate the open area, and adjust airflow instantly.

The controls not only save on operational costs but also help to maintain the desired pressurization for the labs. A heat recovery system nets an additional six percent savings in energy use.

Occupancy sensors in a dual function mode reduce the fumehood face velocity control setpoint, as well as control the local lighting. The control setpoint of the fumehood face velocity is reset from 100 to 75 feet per minute (30 to 23 meters per minute), and the laboratory lights are turned off when the labs are unoccupied.

DOE-2.1E modeling was used to study net energy use for over 80 design alternatives. Extensive 3D modeling and rendering using Lightscape was performed to optimize daylighting performance. From these studies, the architects learned they could supplement daylighting with simple, inexpensive T8 fluorescent strip lights with dimming ballasts.

In the atria skylights, a passive solar optical system combining a refractive and reflective 3M radial lens and reflective panel configuration delivers up to eight times as much daylight as a conventional clear-glazed skylight with improved uniformity and directional coverage. The lenses also camouflage the mechanical equipment on the roof.

LEED Rating Expected

This project was one of about 40 participants in the U.S. Green Building Council's pilot program to test the LEED rating system's applicability for laboratories.

No single feature makes a facility green. The rating evaluates performance from a whole-building perspective, and considers site, water efficiency, energy efficiency and the atmosphere, materials and resources, and indoor environmental quality. It is expected that Pharmacia's new building will receive a silver-level LEED rating when the evaluation is complete.

Also important in today's competitive hiring environment, this new building is expected to be an important recruiting tool attracting new scientists, while fostering retention of key researchers.

Architect: Flad & Associates
Principal Consulting Engineer: Affiliated Engineers Inc.
Daylighting Consultant: The Weidt Group
Construction: Turner Construction
Laboratory Casework: Kewaunee Scientific Co.

The glass-walled conference rooms make visual connections to the central atrium. Photo: Hedrich Blessing The skylights feature special lenses to optimize daylight while concealing rooftop equipment. Photo: Hedrich Blessing The lab "neighborhood' concept allows simplified lock-down in the event of a serious chemical release. Photo: Hedrich Blessing A typical laboratory, with borrowed daylight and visual connections to other labs and offices. Photo: Hedrich Blessing Second floor plan. Labs are shown in yellow, offices in blue, lab support in peach, and service/mechanical in gray. Image: Flad & Associates Longitudinal section. Enclosed areas are shown in peach, interstitial areas in blue, and open areas in white. Image: Flad & Associates The ground-floor lecture hall serves the entire campus. Photo: Hedrich Blessing The "waterfall" stair, leading to the smaller atrium, hides the first floor mechanical space. Photo: Hedrich Blessing   Click on thumbnail images to view full-size pictures.