This document summarizes the design and features of the UCSC Biomed building, which incorporates sustainable techniques to reduce energy usage without compromising safety or the environment. The 100,000 square foot building with four floors of labs, offices, and administrative space is located near related research buildings to encourage collaboration. Care was taken to provide daylighting, views, ventilation and comfort while achieving sustainability. Constant volume ventilation systems were implemented to enhance energy efficiency at a lower cost compared to variable air volume systems. The design explored hybrid concepts like natural ventilation and chilled beams to arrive at an appropriate sustainable solution that meets research needs and safety requirements.

1. UCSC Biomed incorporates the latest techniques available for reducing
energy for a research lab building with no compromise in safety and envi-
ronment.
The building is located on the northeast corner of Science Hill, adjacent
to the new Physical Sciences Building and directly north of the Science
Library. The site is within close proximity to Sinsheimer Laboratories,
Thimann Laboratories and Baskin Engineering Building – each with related
programs. These adjacencies are intended to create a compact hub of
interdisciplinary research and collaboration that preclude the unnecessary
duplication of expensive space and equipment.
The building, completed in early 2012, is 100,000 gross square feet (gsf)
with four floors of research laboratory, office and administrative functions
over a basement level vivarium. The final program consists of 20,000 net
square feet (nsf) of research laboratories, 20,000 nsf lab support space,
10,000 nsf of research offices, administrative offices and meeting rooms,
and 14,000 nsf of vivarium.
Careful planning, with an eye to sustainability and human comfort factors
are paramount. Daylighting, views, ventilation and design are balanced to
provide a long lived, sustainable and pleasing experience for the research-
ers and to enhance campus life.
CAV systems have been chosen for ventilation systems for laboratories for
decades. Recently, VAV (Variable Air Volume) systems have seen increased
popularity as an alternative that improves energy efficiency. However,
these improvements come at a significant cost and complexity premium.
By matching ventilation rates to exhaust rates, constant volume systems
can be employed to deliver enhanced energy efficiency at lower cost.
Implementation of sustainable techniques and overcoming hurdles, chal-
lenges and myths associated with research labs has resulted in a suc-
cessful academic research environment. Exploring ideas of hybrid de-
sign concepts, using mixed mode systems such as natural ventilation,
CAV(Constant Air Volume) systems with night setback and chilled beams,
Resulted in an appropriate solution based on process needs, client require-
ments, environmental health and safety issues as well as sustainable goals
that are tied to the broader campus setting and to Coastal California.
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