RBA and UO co-present at Lab Design Conference
Rowell Brokaw's Austin Bailey at the International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories (I2SL) Conference in Minneapolis, MN .
RBA's Austin Bailey recently traveled to Minneapolis to attend the International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories' (I2SL) 15th annual design conference. Austin was in attendance to co-present a Case Study of one of RBA's recent laboratory renovation project with Fred Tepfer, senior planner at UO Campus Planning and Real Estate. The case study was of the UO Zebrafish Core Facility Expansion project recently completed at the University of Oregon.
The presentation entitled, Beyond its Boundary—Developing a Prototype Facility for Specialized Research, focused on one of the pressing challenges of modern day laboratory design: the renovation of outdated buildings to perform at today's laboratory standards. This particular project added the complexity of maintaining a fully operational aquatic research facility on-site, in the midst of construction, throughout the duration of the project.
In 2010, the University of Oregon was awarded one of the highly coveted C06 grants from the National Institute's of Health to renovate its zebrafish core facility, double its size and triple its capacity. Facilitated by a highly collaborative team and fueled by innovation the Zebrafish Core Facility was freed from the constraints of its physical boundaries to achieve a capacity, efficiency, and influence that defies the limits of its basic program. Through the use of both district and satellite-based centralized systems, the project was able to decrease energy consumption by almost 50% below the baseline, provide graywater capacity to fully support the adjacent Lewis Integrative Science Building, and centralize purified lab water production for the entire UO science complex.
The annual conference began 15 years ago as a joint endeavor by the EPA and Department of Energy to help facilitate a reduction in energy consumption for laboratories. The event has grown into the premier laboratory design conference held in the U.S. playing host some of the brightest minds in the laboratory industry. RBA was privileged to be a part of the event this year and thankful to the UO for the opportunity to work on such an engaging project.
Download the complete presentation here, Beyond its Boundary—Developing a Prototype Facility for Specialized Research.