Nestled deep into the hillside, the sleek cantilevered nanotechnology laboratory’s building design grasps the awe of the landscape and offers brilliant views of San Francisco for the scientists and students who use the facility. First introduced in 1959 and put into practice in the early 1980’s, nanotechnology is a fairly new science. As such, there are yet only a few research centers in the U.S. devoted to its rapid development. Matching in scientific excellence, the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) – The Molecular Foundry is the first LEED Gold laboratory in California, consuming 35% less energy than is required by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Standard 90.1 (1999).
So, in my opinion, the new laboratory gets what I will call, "double points." One point for gorgeous design and one point for exceeding green requirements. This project is also a beautiful example of teamwork between the client and architect. LBNL conducted much the brainy green techno research while the architect, SmithGroup of San Francisco, created a breath-taking elegance.
LBNL took primary responsibility for the energy consumption design of their new Molecular Foundry building. “With in-house engineers focused on energy savings, they went on-site to three other campus labs and monitored their energy usage by tracking their lab usage meters. Then they averaged this usage to reasonable loads that the new building design should be targeted to meet,” says Napier of SmithGroup. Oversizing mechanical and electrical systems is often a reaction taken by engineers making conservative design decisions, not necessarily accurate decisions. As a result, oversizing accounts for wasted energy consumption, a weaker life-cycle economic advantage, and perhaps reduced human comfort from over-heating and over-cooling.
http://www.eco-structure.com/laboratory-projects/achievements-through-work.aspx
March 2009 Issue of EcoStructure
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