Green Laboratories

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Definition

What is a green lab and what are the…

Benefits Increased productivity Focus on health/safety concerns Reduced environmental impacts Reduction of regulatory burdens Reduction in operational costs Long term ROI/TCO

Opportunities in Laboratory Design

Where are the opportunities to “green” laboratories?

Integrated design Optimizing building systems Use of environmentally preferable

products purchasing Use of LEED and Labs21 EPC Social benefits

ChallengesWhat are the challenges to greening a lab?

Higher initial fees for integrated design (ID)—ID has proven to substantially reduce first cost of the building project. As a result, many LEED buildings have cheaper first cost than conventional buildings.

Perceived higher costs and efforts are cited as the overwhelming green specification barrier

Finding financing and incentive opportunities Resource availability and construction schedules Marketing opportunities and returns – does the

customer want to assume the additional costs in order to be publicly recognized as a “Green Lab”

“What is the Value”? Real or perceived? Resistance to change “typical” or “proven” solutions

because the consequences of failure are high.

Example: Site

Dr. Reddy’s LaboratoriesHyderabad, India

Greening a Laboratory - SiteSite Issues

Facility has to be designed to be ideally suited for lab building type

Conversion of existing facility to some other use if required

Neighborhood acceptance/social issues Transportation access and parking availability Brownfield development Chemical delivery and storage system – JIT

deliver and warehousing by suppliers. Switch central chemical storage to off-site location.

Air effluent dispersion and filtering Water effluent dispersions and filtering Security

Example: Water

Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories,Hyderabad, India treats all process water on site

Greening a Laboratory - WaterWater Issues

Laboratory equipment water Process water efficiencies Purity levels required in labs Additional filtering and polishing cost for RO DiH2O Exact procedures and protocol Vacuum systems (pumps) in lieu of water

aspirators Neutralization tanks and storage requirements Flow resistors and monitoring Rain water collections and alternate usage

Example: Energy

Greening a Laboratory - EnergyEnergy Issues

Right size lab equipment loads – heat and plug loads

CFD modeling 100% outside air Increased air change and negative pressure

requirements Non-operable windows in labs Unique lab specific equipment – Fume hoods,

BSC, cold rooms, environmental rooms, laminar flow cabinets, vacuum systems, HPLC’s and GC (instrumentation), refrigerators and freezers, etc.

Energy issues continued…

Energy Star lab equipment Unique commissioning requirements Unique solutions – high efficiency fume hoods,

Sash management plan, VAV systems, lighting controls, heat recovery, evaporative cooling, night setbacks, zones of control, metering controls for mechanical and lighting equipment, alternative exhausting devices, etc.

Proximity sensors for monitoring and control Green-e Power (www.green-e.org);

renewable energy

Example: Materials and Resources

Greening a Laboratory - MaterialsMaterials and Resources Issues

Resource availability and construction schedules Design for flexibility and modularity Building reuse Design in interstitial space or accessible ceiling plenum Resource reuse issues Rapidly renewable material selections FSC C-O-C wood Methods for evaluating environmental performance of

alternative materials Verification of performance requirements

Materials & Resources continued…

Recycled contents VOC and low emitting materials, paints, adhesives,

sealants, etc. Low emitting furniture, fixtures and furnishings Waste management and recycling plan Chemical resource management plan/JIT deliveries Lab specific materials – epoxyn resin, epoxyn

floors, polypropylene, phenolic resins, ceramics, unique floor etc.

Local and regional materials - locally extracted and manufactured

Example: IEQ

Greening a Laboratory--IEQ

Indoor Environmental Quality Issues specific to laboratory design

Ventilation Effectiveness Exterior door notification Controllability of systems Indoor Environmental Safety

Airflow modeling Fume hood commissioning Alarm systems

Additional IEQ issues…

Fume hood alarms and room pressure controls Non-operable windows in labs without alarms 100 % outside air Optimize indoor airflow based on CFD and/or

physical modeling Conduct fume hood testing based on ASHRAE 110 Incorporate hazard – specific air quality

monitoring Design for air change rate and high purging

exhaust using panic switch Chemical storage venting and storage Constructing management plan – pre and post Commissioning

Innovation and Design Process

Lessons Learned

Standards for LabsWhat standards support efficient and safe operation of laboratories?

Building codes Professional society standards--ASHRAE, SMACNA,

etc. EPA Labs21 Environmental Performance Criteria (EPC) LEED Application Guide for Labs Materials standards—FSC, MTS, Green Guard, Earth

Square, Green Seal, etc. SEFA standards specific for lab equipment, air flow

products, service fixtures, work surfaces, furniture Other regulations established by CDC, NIH, FDA,

USDA,NSF, JCAHCO, Blood bank, Infection control, etc. Unique code requirements – NFPA, NSF, etc.

EPC and LEED Application Guide for Labs

Using U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED 2.0, EPA/DOE Laboratories for the 21st Century initiative developed the Environmental Performance Criteria (EPC) for laboratories.

Building on lessons learned in EPC, USGBC volunteers are developing a LEED-New Construction Application Guide for Laboratories, commonly known as “LEED for Labs.”

Results

Ultimately, what does greening a lab do?

Benefits the environment, people, planet Influences safety and health Positively effects grants and endowments Increases productivity, recruitment and retention Supports product manufacturing process and

material sourcing Recognizes tenant perspective Demonstrates good stewardship and public policy Earns LEED credits Aligns facilities for Science with the humanistic spirit of

Science

Conclusions…

Assuage concerns about compromised performance Challenge established assumptions Just do it!

Resources

EPA/DOE Laboratories for the 21st Century— www.labs21century.gov/pdf/epc_printable_508.pdf

SEFA (Scientific Equipment and Facilities Association)– www.sefalabs.com

U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED for Labs – www.usgbc.com

ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, & Air-conditioning Engineers) – www.ashrae.com

Others…

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