10 LaboratoryDesign|MARCH|APRIL 2016
www.labdesignnews.com
High energy/low energy diagram.
Transfer air section.
Throughout the design process, the
design of the mechanical system and
design of the architecture were valued
equally, and work to support one another.
The building is organized into five
building elements; two laboratory wings
tucked into the hillside along the east edge
of the site, and three pavilions set in the
landscape to the west. The lab wings and
pavilions open to a glass enclosed atrium
space, nicknamed the Commons, which
promotes a community of science and is
a destination for the entire campus. The
Commons is then tied together by a symbolic
unifying element of a floating roof.
EARLY GOAL SET TING
Early in concept design, the owner
and design team set clear goals for the
project. One of those goals insisted that
the building be an environmentally
responsible project. Related to energy
efficiency, the agreed upon measure of
success for the project was a target EUI of
99 kbtu/sf-yr. This aggressive target for a
lab-intensive research and teaching facility
could only be met with a commitment
from all stakeholders involved in the
project.
Designing a high-performance,
architecturally-integrated
mechanical system
continued from page 1
PROGRAM ZONING AND BUILDING
MASSING
The massing of the New Science
Center is organized by three discrete
elements: a pair of laboratory bars set
behind three smaller pavilions nestled
in the foregrounded landscape, all
tied together by a shared atrium space.
Architecturally, this massing allowed
for key programmatic zoning coupled
with different mechanical demands.
The larger laboratory bars contain high-
energy, intensive research and teaching
separation of program coincides with
the separation of mechanical systems.
