Research Facilities by the WBDG Subcommittee

Overview

As symbols of the Nation's technological progress, research facilities are essential to the discoveries and breakthroughs of yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Thousands of public and private sector scientists and engineers from industries such as pharmaceutical, biomedical, manufacturing, and biotechnology use all types of laboratories and instruments to advance the frontiers of knowledge. At times, an entire facility may be built to support the specialized instruments required for research, including accelerators, light sources, research reactors, neutron beam facilities, plasma, fusion science facilities, genome centers, advanced computational centers, wind tunnels, model testing facilities, hot cells, and launch facilities.

William R. Wiley Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL), at DOE's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has unique and state-of-the-art research resources. Richland, WA.

There are many kinds of research facilities. Within the WBDG they are divided into two major groups: Animal Research Facilities and Research Laboratories. Research Laboratories are further categorized by type (e.g., wet labs and dry labs), and by sectors (e.g., academic, corporate, and government labs).

Many existing research facilities, especially those in government agencies and universities, are at an age when renovations are needed to support the state-of-the-art research required to be at the cutting edge of science and technology. While this section of the WBDG provides information on the design and construction of new research facilities, the principles covered can be applied to renovation projects as well.

Building Attributes

Example Design and Construction Criteria

For GSA, the unit costs for this building type are based on the construction quality and design features in the following table (PDF 353 KB, 22 pgs). This information is based on GSA's benchmark interpretation and could be different for other owners.

Classification

The Mark O. Hatfield Clinical Research Center on the National Institutes of Health campus in Bethesda, Maryland, provides a crucial link in rapidly moving research findings from the laboratory to mainstream medical practice.

Research facilities present a unique challenge to designers with their inherent complexity of systems, health and safety requirements, long-term flexibility and adaptability needs, energy use intensity, and environmental impacts. There are many different types of research facilities. Within the WBDG they are divided into two major groups, which are then further categorized by type and by sector:

• Animal Research Facilities, also known as vivariums, are specially designed building types that accommodate exquisitely controlled environments for the care and maintenance of experimental animals.
• Research Laboratories are complex, technically sophisticated, and mechanically intensive structures that are expensive to build and to maintain. Therefore, the design, construction, and renovation of such facilities are a major challenge for all involved.
  • Type: Wet; Dry
  • Sector: Academic; Government; Private Sector

A new model of laboratory design is emerging, one that creates lab environments that are responsive to present needs and capable of accommodating future demands. Several key needs are driving the development of a new model. See WBDG Trends in Laboratory Design for a complete overview.

Major Resources

Federal Agencies

• Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Laboratory Operations and ES&H—For examples of facilities to support instruments of science, see DOE's Brookhaven National Laboratory website
• Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Office of Construction & Facility Management (CFM)—VA Research Laboratory Design Guide
• Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Office of Administration (OA)
• General Services Administration (GSA), Office of Chief Architect (OCA)
• National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Facilities Engineering Division (Code JX)
• National Institutes of Health (NIH)—NIH's Office of Research Facilities Development and Operations (ORF) developed the NIH Design Policy and Guidelines to provide standards to assist planners, architects, and engineers in designing biomedical research and animal facilities for the NIH.

Organizations/Associations

• Laboratories for the 21st Century (Labs21)—Sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy, Labs21 is a voluntary program dedicated to improving the environmental performance of U.S. laboratories.
• A Design Guide for Energy-Efficient Research Laboratories—A reference that helps facility owners, managers, and designers apply energy-efficiency features in laboratories.
• Environmental Performance Criteria (EPC)—The Labs21 Environmental Performance Criteria is a rating system specifically designed for laboratory facilities. It builds on the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED® Green Building Rating System.
• Labs21 Design Process Manual—Includes a "quick reference" sustainable strategies checklist as well as links to key resources for each stage of the design process.
• Labs21 Tool Kit
• Labs21 2003 Annual Conference presentations
• U.S. Green Building Council, LEED® Application Guide for Laboratory Facilities (LEED-AGL)—Because research facilities present a unique challenge for energy efficiency and sustainable design, the USGBC formed the LEED-AGL Committee to develop a guide that helps project teams apply LEED credits in the design and construction of laboratory facilities.