Better Labs at Lower CostsTen Tools for Challenging Conventional Lab Planning “Rules of Thumb”

Richard L. Kobus, AIA, FACHA

Senior Principal

One Brattle Square, P.O. Box 9114

Cambridge, MA 02138-9114

617-475-4000

www.tka-architects.com

© The New Yorker Collection 2003

Charles Barsotti from cartoonbank.com.

All Rights Reserved.

3

I N T R O D U C T I O N

Conventional “rules of thumb” drive designs to the outer fringes of what is necessary for the

majority of lab activity.

This session will demonstrate the implications of applying rules of thumb and provide tools to

challenge them in order to create better labs at lower costs.

Fig. 1 Designing for the extreme

Difficulthighly stable

Easy

Spectrum of Design Criteria

Lab

Act

ivit

ies

Difficulthighly contained

nano

P-c

hem

istry

chem

istry

bio-

chem

istry

engi

neer

ing

com

puta

tion

wet

bio

logy

geol

ogy

viva

riaB

L-3

BL-

4

4

C O N V E N T I O N A L P R A C T I C E # 1

#1 VIBRATION CONTROL

Conventional Practice: Design for 2000 mi/sec in all lab areas.

Implications: Steel cost and tonnage is higher than necessary — sometimes by as much as 50%.

Tools for Challenging Convention:

Results and Examples:

Fig. 4 Alternate framing

Fig. 3 Corridor placement

Fig. 5 Equipment placement

Fig. 2 Initial design

5

C O N V E N T I O N A L P R A C T I C E # 2

#2 PLUG LOADS

Conventional Practice: Design for 15–30 W/sf electrical load.

Implications: Overstated electrical demand creates a ripple effect of increasing costs for site utilities and

HVAC systems.

Tools for Challenging Convention:

Results and Examples:

Fig. 6 A vicious cycle

Fig. 7 Actual load versus design loads

6

C O N V E N T I O N A L P R A C T I C E # 3

#3 LOW-VOLUME FUME HOODS

Conventional Practice: Design fume hoods for 100 FPM assuming low-fl ow hoods are unproven.

Implications: More air and more energy are used to achieve marginal (if any) safety benefi ts.

Tools for Challenging Convention:

Results and Examples:

Fig. 8 Regular fume hood

Fig. 9 Low-fl ow fume hood

7

C O N V E N T I O N A L P R A C T I C E # 4

#4 FUME HOOD DIVERSITY

Conventional Practice: Assume no diversity for research fume hoods.

Implications: Zero diversity means poor laboratory practices are overcome by HVAC systems that are

overly expensive to build and operate.

Tools for Challenging Convention:

Results and Examples:

Fig. 10 Zero diversity

Fig. 11 Automatic closer

8

C O N V E N T I O N A L P R A C T I C E # 5

#5 MINIMUM FUME HOOD VENTILATION

Conventional Practice: Use 25 CFM/SF of hood deck for minimum ventilation.

Implications: Potential energy savings in unoccupied modes are not fully realized-with no appreciable

improvement in safety.

Tools for Challenging Convention:

Results and Examples:

Fig. 12 Minimum fl ow is based on deck area

9

C O N V E N T I O N A L P R A C T I C E # 6

#6 VENTILATION RATES

Conventional Practice: Rely on six to twelve air changes per hour

Implications: Designing for generic science results in systems that are oversized for their actual need.

Tools for Challenging Convention:

Results and Examples:

Fig. 13 Twelve air changes per hour Fig. 14 Six air changes per hour

Fig. 15 12 ACH acetone 5:1 Fig. 16 6 ACH acetone 5:1

10

C O N V E N T I O N A L P R A C T I C E # 7

#7 TEMPERATURE CONTROL

Conventional Practice: Segregate all air streams

Implications: Overly cautious design for contamination and stability results in wasteful energy practices.

Tools for Challenging Convention:

Results and Examples:

Fig. 17 Segregated air

Fig. 18 Borrowed air

Re-heat Coils(wastes energy usedto create 55º air)

Equipment RoomCooled

Open LabRe-heated

55º in 55º 55º

70º 70º 70º

70º out

11

C O N V E N T I O N A L P R A C T I C E # 8

#8 HEAT WHEELS FOR LABS

Conventional Practice: Assume heat wheels can’t be used for lab exhaust

Implications: Hasty risk assessment can prevent rational energy and capital-saving design measures.

Tools for Challenging Convention:

Results and Examples:

Fig. 19

Fig. 20

Summer

Exh

aust

Sup

ply

Exh

aust

Sup

ply

Winter

Exhaust Contaminants Exhaust Contamin

AHU AHU

70º50 RH

70º30 RH

90º70 RH

1010

12

C O N V E N T I O N A L P R A C T I C E # 9

#9 DAYLIGHTING AND TASK LIGHTING

Conventional Practice: Achieve light levels through overhead lighting

Implications: Overhead lighting placement can lead to higher than needed lighting power densities.

Tools for Challenging Convention:

Results and Examples:

Fig. 21 Overhead lighting

Fig. 22 Task lighting

13

C O N V E N T I O N A L P R A C T I C E # 1 0

#10 UTILITY DISTRIBUTION

Conventional Practice: Provide lab utilities to all areas of labs.

Implications: Overly fl exible labs can add to expense without providing the anticipated utility.

Tools for Challenging Convention:

Results and Examples:

Fig. 23

14

S P E A K E R S

Richard L. Kobus, AIA, FACHA

Senior Principal

A founding partner of Tsoi/Kobus & Associates, a 140-person architecture, planning and interior

design fi rm in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Rick has developed a national reputation for strategic

planning and design of highly complicated research facilities including the Earth and Planetary

Sciences Building at Washington University in St. Louis, the Translational and Biomedical

Research Center at Medical College of Wisconsin/Children’s Research Institute, the Centerra

Bio Labs for Dartmouth College, and the Center for Life Science Boston, Karp Family Research

Laboratories at Children’s Hospital Boston. With more than 30 years of experience, Rick is an

award-winning designer who believes that design should be a group effort and that everyone

involved is a valuable contributor — and he keeps the process moving forward through

consensus building and true partnering. He is a frequent presenter at conferences around

the country including Tradeline, Lab Design, International Facility Management Association,

Construction Owners Association of America, Build Boston, and Harvard University’s Graduate

School of Design.