Integrated Design for a Sustainable Future:
Sustainability
UNC is a very green and highly sustainable campus. Sustainability was thus an integral part of the design process—and drove many ideas that, in turn, informed the design. The resulting aggressively sustainable agenda challenged many preconceptions and accepted standard practices about what was possible within a lab’s energy usage.
Lighting design—and the use of high-efficiency lighting that provides control based on daylighting—played an important role in this agenda. Natural light is not only sustainable, but also enhances the quality of the workspace. The lab’s design ensures that natural light is bounced deep into the building, thus reducing the need for electrical light.
A rectangular concrete tube encloses each pod; the open ends of the tube reach outward. Inclined vertical fins shade the east and west façades from direct, low-angle sun and help control glare, while horizontal light shelves help penetrate daylight deep into the lab.
The green roof holds an all-glass greenhouse, which is centered over Pods B and C. A lab within the greenhouse is used to grow plants under very controlled conditions.
Various engineering strategies work in concert with one another to yield a very high performing building. Energy consumption was cut by 25% when compared to ASHRAE standards. Even in comparison with UNC's own aggressive standards, the building shows a 10% reduction in energy consumption.
Labs use five times more energy per square foot than an average building, mainly due to the amount of conditioned air that must be moved through the building.
SOM engineers incorporated chilled beams within the lab spaces to help meet a portion of the building loads, allowing reduced air changes to condition the space. Instead of the average 12 air changes per hour, the lab has 6—a considerable energy savings.
In an average cooling/heating cycle, part of the cold or heat gets lost, resulting in an exhaust air temperature that may be cooler than the outside air temperature in summer and warmer than the outside air in winter. Energy-recovery in the lab contributes another energy efficiency measure: A run-around glycol loop recovers energy from the exhaust air and preconditions the incoming supply air.
A high-performance glazing system further reduces cooling/heating loads and energy consumption, as does a ventilated double wall in the office spaces. Additional heat minimization is achieved through the green roof, which provides increased insulation and also reduces heat island effect.
Water reduction is achieved with waterless urinals and low-flow plumbing fixtures. For landscape irrigation, water from the area’s frequent summer storms is captured, stored, and re-used.
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