Description
Modern laboratory buildings for research institutes have to live up to energy demands of our times. Energy efficient buildings with good facility management can achieve significant savings in running costs and are more convenient to use. In view of increasing global energy consumption and the growing exploitation of fossil fuel resources it must be a public priority to plan energy efficient buildings and to use renewable energy.
Laboratory facilities for research or industrial use have to meet different requirements than their office counterparts: primarily they have to ensure a smooth and safe operation of all service systems, constant supply, and a secure and environmentally friendly extraction and disposal of contaminated gaseous, fluid or solid chemical substances of the laboratory and production areas. High air change rates and constant climatic room conditions call for efficient air-conditioning and ventilation systems. Flexible floor plan layouts and technical building service systems are even more important than for office buildings. Laboratory facilities have to be able to accommodate changing research processes and methods, especially if the project is privately funded and tenants will be acquired only after completion. Planning parameters for office spaces in laboratory buildings, however, are the same as for pure office buildings: they have to provide a pleasant room climate for predominantly sedentary occupation, sufficient daylight and technical equipment that is easy to operate.
Planning and operation
All basic parameters for optimal operation and an economically viable building concept are defined at the planning stage. Therefore, the composition of the planning team and the communication between all involved parties is crucial for the success of a project. Often, facility managers join the planning process at an early stage to ensure the efficient operation of the building in co-operation with the architect, mechanical engineer, structural engineer and client. To achieve efficiency, architectural aspects have to be evaluated against the backdrop of technical and financial aspects.
Computer simulations can be useful design tools to estimate the future energy consumption of a building. Strategies worked out at planning stage can be double-checked after completion of the project and improved if required. This involves a detailed track record highlighting the actual energy consumption values that might differ from original estimates. Energy consumption may be recorded in relation to a particular research project or over a certain period of time. Ongoing control and documentation also reduce the risk of failures of the system. Constant improvement of the procedures of use and adjustment to the requirements of the users will enhance the energy performance of the building and make facilities more convenient and easy to use, which helps to avoid handling errors.
Energy concepts
The objective of an energy concept is the saving and efficient supply of energy. A study by Heike Kluttig, Andreas Dirscherl and Hans Erhorn concerned with the energy consumption of Federal German educational buildings found large differences between individual objects. Specifically, the consumption of heating energy and electrical power of various institute buildings were examined. It became obvious that biological, chemical, and pharmaceutical institute buildings had an above-average energy consumption compared to humanities faculties. Energy consumption for heating and power also varied significantly depending on the respective laboratory types and processes.
The high consumption of electrical energy for laboratory processes and cooling energy in research buildings calls for sustainable concepts like combined heat and power systems or desiccative and evaporative cooling systems.
The coordination of structure, façade, and technical service systems is essential when planning energy efficient buildings. An important aspect is the energetic evaluation of every individual component of supplied energy and the consideration of hidden potentials for the use of renewable energy sources such as natural daylight, natural ventilation, solar energy, and heat pumps.
A well-insulated building envelope in combination with a heat exchange system can reduce heating energy needs during winter. However, the largest energy consumption factors in laboratory buildings are lighting, refrigeration, and electrical power for lab equipment and air-conditioning. The high electrical energy demand in laboratories and production facilities can be met by combined heat and power plants; they also ensure emergency power supply and can be combined with DEC (desiccative and evaporative cooling) systems to provide power, heat and cooling. In wintertime, excess heat energy produced by electrical plants can be used for heating and changed into cooling energy during summer. Cooling is required to provide constant climatic conditions in research and industrial laboratories. In any event, the integration of heat pumps or solar power stations into the combined heat and cooling system should be considered. Façades offer another great potential for energy savings: sufficient daylight and effective solar protection reduce power consumption for artificial lighting and control solar heat gains. In office spaces in particular, cooling energy consumption can be reduced by passive core cooling (”thermal mass”) in conjunction with night-time ventilation. For high air change rates, mechanical ventilation can be used. However, in buildings with average air change rates natural ventilation is desirable as it increases user comfort and does not require power for ventilation and air-conditioning. Also, the general building layout should be integrated into the energy concept – an atrium, for instance, functions as a thermal buffer zone and can provide fresh air for office areas.
Summary
Efficient energy consumption and use of a building have to be based on a thorough planning process. This involves the conscious utilisation of energy and the application of intelligent technology as well as functional, sustainable building and service layouts. Consistent facility management and maintenance during the entire life span of a building ensure that the proposed strategies are put into practice and constantly revised. Employment of recyclable building materials and renewable energy reduce negative impacts onto the environment and enable an ecologically sound demolition and conversion of a building.
Originally published in: Hardo Braun, Dieter Grömling, Research and Technology Buildings: A Design Manual, Birkhäuser, 2005.