Two
Brookhaven Lab Buildings Achieve LEED Green Building
Certification
Two
buildings on the 5,300-acre site of the U.S. Department
of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory have been
awarded a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design) silver rating by the U.S. Green Building Council.
The two buildings, the 94,500 square-foot Center for Functional
Nanomaterials (CFN) and the 65,000 square-foot Research
Support Building (RSB), are the newest on the Brookhaven
Lab site.
The LEED standard has been adopted nationwide by federal agencies, state and
local governments and interested private companies as the industry standard of
measurement for green buildings. The LEED green building rating system provides
credits for satisfying specified criteria. Projects are evaluated within five
categories: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials
and resources, and indoor environmental qualities. Silver is the third-highest
certification to be earned, based on points accumulated in these categories.
H.D.R.
Architecture, Inc., of Alexandria, Virginia, designed the
CFN; Ehasz Giacalone Architects P.C. of Farmingdale, Long
Island, designed the RSB; and E.W. Howell Co, Inc., of
Woodbury, Long Island, built both buildings. The $42.5-million
CFN, which has an additional $25 million worth of high-tech
equipment for scientists to explore and develop materials
on the nanoscale, was completed in the spring of 2007.
Construction of the $13-million RSB, which houses 170 staff
who provide support functions for the Laboratory’s
employees and guests, was finished in the fall of 2006.
The
sites selected for each building earned green points because
they were located in areas that were already partially
developed, contained no endangered species, and were not
near wetlands. Also, Brookhaven Lab agreed to preserve
open space double the size of each building in a wooded,
eastern portion of its site for the life of the buildings.
Preferred parking is provided for carpool vehicles, and
the buildings have changing rooms and showers for those
who commute to work by bicycle. Shade trees were planted
in the parking area at the CFN, and outdoor lighting is
subdued to reduce light pollution.
To gain
points in water efficiency, landscaping was planned so
that plantings around the buildings require minimum irrigation,
and no outdoor sprinklers were installed. Efficient toilets
and electronic sensors on faucets helped reduce water use
by more than 20% compared to the required baseline.
The buildings were designed to ensure low energy and maintenance costs, earning
numerous points in the category of energy and atmosphere. Installing an additional
six inches of insulation in the exterior walls helped increase energy efficiency
by 20% in the RSB. Both buildings were connected to the Laboratory’s
site-wide energy management control system, which monitors and controls heating
and cooling, thus saving energy.
Materials
and resources were conserved as much as possible during
the construction of the buildings. In both buildings, 75%
of construction waste was recycled or reused. For example,
at the RSB site, existing blacktop on the buildings site
was recycled, and used as the base for the new parking
lot. Ten percent of CFN construction materials were made
from recycled materials.
To preserve
indoor environmental quality, ductwork was kept clean and
dry during installation, and each building was flushed
with 100% of outside air for two weeks prior to occupancy.
Ventilation rates are based on carbon-dioxide sensors.
Water-based paint and other low volatile organic compound-emitting
materials were used in construction. In the RSB, 90% of
building occupants have a view of the outdoors. Occupancy
sensors in all office and circulation areas control efficient
lighting and thermostats are located throughout the buildings,
so that occupants can readily control the interior temperature
for comfort, within certain limits. Both buildings are
no-smoking sites.
