Share thisAlthough it is now 'hip' to be green, it is not always easy!
One of the most intriguing aspects of sustainable design and construction is how simple solutions to problems have evolved into accepted standards. I can remember when it seemed as if California were the only state that cared about recycling or conserving water or breathing clean air. Today, much of the general public is familiar with acronyms such as VOC, EPA, and GBC; terms that were previously recognized only by design professionals. It must be encouraging for environmentalists to know that being a "tree-hugger" no longer has negative connotations and more people than not are eager to take part in "saving the planet." But it is fair to say that we in the Science and Technology design community have not held up our fair share in promoting green solutions. We credit ourselves on knowing the intricacies of complex project types and design criteria, but we tend to excuse ourselves from implementing sustainable technologies. Those of us who take pride in working on labs and vivariums in particular are long overdue to accept the holistic and integrated concepts of green building design as innate to our mission, regardless of project type.
Similar to the technicalities of our projects, the means to sustainable success is also multi-dimensional. When it comes to designing energy-efficient research buildings and laboratories, the primary challenge is to achieve a balance between energy consumption and research efficacy. We must not only be cognizant of how important issues such as lab planning, quality control, and commissioning are, but we must convince our clients that it is in their best interest to contract these services as well. How many of us take the time to educate our clients in understanding the significant role that interdependent components and systems play in the success and the performance of these complex building types? Yet with all these added design criteria, why is it we do not champion the continuing rewards of sustainability; the concept that keeps on giving? We can no longer settle for the excuse that vivariums can not be part of the green paradigm shift that we are experiencing throughout this country.
Untapped Potential
The animal research industry has come a long way in the past few years relative to more efficient equipment, recyclable goods, eco-friendly finishes, and cleaning products. However, these are minor concessions relative to the untapped potential of how green vivariums can be. In truth, today's Science and Technology buildings can operate on far less energy with little or no added cost by proper siting, form, glazing, location of openings, and material selection without even getting to the real energy saving approaches available with good heating, ventilation, cooling, and daylight strategies. All aspects of the building from exterior to interior, from materials to infrastructure should be explored when designing a vivarium.
Although the particulars of vivarium design require an evolved and more sophisticated knowledge, there is no reason why an integrated approach cannot be ecological when planning and programming vivarium facilities. Key decisions regarding energy efficiency, life-cycle cost analysis, use of renewable energy sources, economies of agglomeration, zones, and adjacencies should be intrinsic to this project type. One could also argue that theoretically these components are applicable to the mechanics of research.