Green Institutional Science and Research Facility

摘要

"Green" and "sustainable" design for environmentally sensitive buildings has been a hot topic for the past two decades. Formed in 1993, the purpose of the USGBC is to promote buildings that are environmentally responsible, profitable, and healthy places to work and live. In 1998, the USGBC released the Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design (LEED) Standard rating system. The rating system is voluntary and participation provides a methodology to quantify and rate the sustainability of a building. Institutional science and research facilities are a diverse and complex building type requiring specialized laboratory ventilation and piping systems. The essence of a laboratory is a space that will create and sustain a safe environment for the manipulation of hazardous substances or processes. In the institutional arena the laboratories are used predominantly for experiential instruction and academic research. There are a myriad of regulations governing the life safety systems in laboratories including NIOSH, ASTM, ANSI, NFPA, ASHRAE, IBC, and IMC. With the high level of ventilation air required to adequately protect the occupants in a laboratory setting the energy operating cost of a science and research facility is significant. This should not be used as an excuse by the HVAC designer to install systems with little regard to energy conservation and to hide behind the guise of safety. There are many systems that will yield substantial annual energy consumption reductions with out compromising the safety of the building. This requires thought, understanding, and insight on the part of the HVAC design engineer.