This fall Lab Design published our article, “Lab synergistics enhance energy efficiency.” Andrea Love looks at integrating energy-efficiency strategies into design early in the process and viewing strategies in tandem rather than isolation. We’ve shared an excerpt here. For the full article, visit Lab Design.
Many energy-efficiency strategies are often viewed in isolation, not allowing projects to realize their full potential. When viewed as part of the cooling system, the integration of a high-performance envelope with exterior shading is able to decrease the size of equipment needed. Decoupling the heating and cooling loads from the ventilation with a radiant system, along with the integration of an ambient and task lighting scheme, can allow a building to reduce its floor-to-floor heights. These symbiotic relationships between systems can save construction costs, while yielding high-performance, low-energy research labs. Conventional thinking assumes there’s a premium to be paid for a “green” building. However, we have observed that a high-performance building can also be a lower-cost building through the integration of synergistic strategies.
For the full article, click here.