Thursday, July 9, 2015

How to design a lab: Part 11 of a series of posts

“I was recently on a tour of Latin America, and the only regret I have was that I didn't study Latin harder in school so I could converse with those people” -- Dan Quayle (American 44th US Vice President under George Bush (1989-93). b.1947)

Laboratories are complex organisms. Each is unique. Consequently, when visualizing your new lab, nothing beats eyes on the prize. Towards that end, the annual Laboratory Design Conference (http://www.labdesignconference.com/) is worthy of serious consideration.  Because, in addition to the typical conference networking opportunities, this conference includes optional tours of working laboratories.  For example, the 2015 Conference, held in Atlanta, included the following tours …

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Laboratory Design Conference
April 27-29, 2015
Hyatt Regency Atlanta Hotel
Since 2002, the Laboratory Design Conference has provided a dynamic educational and networking event for those involved in planning, designing, engineering, constructing and operating laboratory facilities. Meeting sessions feature recognized experts delivering unique presentations on trends in creating the most efficient, state-of-the-art facilities.
Held each spring, the conference also marks the official “reveal” of the Laboratory of the Year winners, with in-depth discussions by the winning project teams.
Tours of exemplary lab facilities, including those to which attendees would not otherwise have access, are an integral part of the overall Lab Design Conference experience.
Credits for presentations are available through the American Institute of Architects as well as the Green Building Certification Institute, and are also offered as general CEUs for non-AIA/GBCI members.
Scheduled simultaneously with the conference, the Laboratory Design expo allows attendees to learn about companies offering relevant products and services to the laboratory design industry. Social gatherings provide plenty of opportunity for relaxation and networking.
Optional Lab Tours
Each year, the Laboratory Design Conference features tours of key local labs of various types.
Each tour goes inside facilities with a facility manager and a member of the design team as tour guides.
The line up of the 2015 Atlanta area tours are listed below: Tour A, Tour B, Tour C, Tour D and E.
2015 Tour A:
Georgia Tech, Engineered Biosystems Building
Georgia Tech’s Engineered Biosystems Building will provide 218,880 gross square feet of flexible interdisciplinary laboratory space for researchers collaborating in the fields of Chemical Biology, Cell Therapies and Systems Biology. The project will create a unique environment that connects people from multiple disciplines and departments to focus on specific societal problems in a holistic manner. A principle goal of the design is to foster interaction between chemists, engineers, biologists and computational scientists from two separate Colleges, the College of Engineering and the College of Science. The project will also generate significant economic impact through new research awards and commercialization of technologies developed within. The project is seeking LEED

Georgia Tech, Carbon Neutral Energy Solutions Lab
2013 Laboratory of the Year High Honors Winner
Georgia Tech has a clear mission for its new Carbon-Neutral Energy Solutions Laboratory: carbon neutral "net-zero site energy use." The facility sets a new standard for sustainable design for buildings of its type by optimizing passive energy technologies, reducing electricity loads, and maximizing the use of renewable energy. It houses a variety of energy research programs requiring large scale (high-bay) and intermediate scale (mid-bay) capabilities, and the design is intended to express its mission simply, directly and honestly; a "no frills" design. The laboratory has achieved LEED-NC Platinum certification.

2015 Tour B:
Emory University, Atwood Hall
Cooper Carry began multi-phased renovations and additions to the Chemistry Center in 1996. This latest phase of this project, a 70,000 square foot addition and 40,000 square foot renovation, is designed to create a new “front door” for Emory’s multidisciplinary chemistry based research programs. Teaching and research space will be integrated with a shared focus on the building’s common space. Labs feature open plans, significant day lighting and “plug and play” laboratory furniture.

Emory University, Health Sciences Research Building
Designed by ZGF Architects, this 212,000 SF facility enhances translational research and provides connections to Emory's core campus. The program includes pediatric, cancer, immunology, and drug discovery research and is comprised of three components: a wet laboratory building; a dry research tower over public spaces; and a dry research bridge connecting to the main campus.

2015 Tour C:
Kennesaw State University, Science Laboratory Building
When booking your return trip home please note that the trip back to the hotel will take approximately 40 minutes.
The new 73,000 building addition enables the university to expand its masters’ degree offerings for integrative biology and chemical sciences. The addition houses undergraduate teaching labs on the ground floor with three floors of upper level research. Linking the addition to the existing science building, a multi-story atrium serves as a central commons for the college. This space brings people together for informal learning, productive impromptu conversations and formal events.
The project is tracking LEED Gold certification with a significant focus on energy reduction.  The main energy recovery unit in the penthouse includes an enthalpy wheel for recovering energy from the lab general exhaust airstream and a heat pipe for recovering energy from the fume hood exhaust airstream.  Non fume hood intensive labs were designed to have a constant 6 air changes per hour while utilizing active chilled beams to handle the balance of the cooling load.  This reduction in outside air requirements from an industry norm of 10-12 air changes per hour decreases the building heating and cooling load significantly.  A welcome by-product of the chilled beams is that the labs are as quiet as a conference room.  Condensing boilers were provided to allow the hot water system to operate at 120°F, a 60°F reduction from typical systems.  This lower hot water temperature means that not only will less energy be lost from heat transfer through the piping, but allows the heat recovery chiller to efficiently transfer waste energy from the chilled water system to the heating hot water system.

2015 Tour D:
Georgia Institute of Technology, Marcus Nanotechnology Building
The Nanotechnology Research Center (NRC), formerly the The Microelectronics Research Center (MIRC), has been expanded into The Institute for Electronics and Nanotechnology (IEN). IEN is one of several new thematic Interdisciplinary Research Institutes (IRIs) at Georgia Tech that represent individual faculty members, PIs, Centers, and Programs that are engaged in the areas of electronics and nanotechnologies research at Georgia Tech.
IEN is led by Executive Director, Professor Oliver Brand, with Professor Emeritus James D. Meindl acting in an advisory capacity. Professor Brand is supported with a senior staff leadership team of: Mr. Dean A. Sutter, Associate Director for Operations and Industry Engagements; Mr. Gary Spinner, Sr. Assistant Director for Laboratory Operations; Ms. Traci Walden-Monroe Assistant Director Administration, Accounting and Finance; and Mr. Robert Rose, Assistant Director for Buildings and Support Systems.

2015 Tour E:
Georgia Gwinnett College, Allied Health Building
The Georgia Gwinnett College Allied Health Building is a multi-storied building consisting of approximately 87,000 gross square feet. The new building includes a technology center, computer labs, biology, physics and chemistry labs, lab preparation facilities, storage facilities, office space, break rooms and support space.  It is envisioned the design of the facility will incorporate materials that blend with and complement existing campus structures as specified in the Campus Master Plan, and will be integrated physically and functionally, as well as connected in some manner, with the recently completed Instructional Lab Facility on the campus quad.
source: http://www.labdesignconference.com/
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