The Information Resource for Lab Design, Engineering & Construction
Rotary vane vacuum pump with small footprint
February 27, 2013 4:05 pm | Product Releases | CommentsThe XS-series rotary vane vacuum pumps have a footprint one-third that of common belt-drive vacuum pump designs, and only half the weight. The result is a pump that occupies much less bench or floor space in crowded labs, yet offer comparable vacuum capacity to older designs, and higher pumping speeds.
Custom chamber built in two weeks
February 27, 2013 3:59 pm | Product Releases | CommentsTrinos Vacuum custom cubical vacuum chambers utilize rugged construction, customer specified ports, and are shipped in two weeks. The unit includes a 304 SS chamber; quick-release clamps for door seal; choice of stainless steel or acrylic glass door; and FPM/FKM door seal.
ASHRAE protocols for performance measurement published
February 27, 2013 3:38 pm | News | CommentsTools and techniques for measuring, managing and improving the performance of a facility as demonstrated by its energy and water use and indoor environmental quality, are contained in a new ASHRAE guide. The Guide presents step-by-step procedures at three process levels of performance, which are intended to match the level of cost and intensity of effort for a range of types and sizes of facilities.
LEED v4 comment period now open
February 27, 2013 3:31 pm | News | CommentsThe newest update to LEED -- LEED v4 -- will be open for public comment beginning March 31, 2013. During the public comment period, everyone is encouraged to view the most recent draft of the rating systems and provide comments on changes made since the last draft.
Shock tubes put glass facades to explosion test
February 27, 2013 10:05 am | News | CommentsGlass facades are attractive, but they also have to be safe. If a bomb were to go off nearby, would they withstand the blast? Researchers are using a shock tube to find out, and one of their projects is a new building complex in San Francisco.
Google to build largest radiant heat office complex
February 26, 2013 1:39 pm | News | CommentsScheduled for a 2015 completion date, the Silicon Valley complex will allow the majority of employees to work by natural light, without any glare from the sun. Most of the buildings will be four stories tall and shaped like bent rectangles.
3 Reasons to Not Miss the Lab Design Conference
February 26, 2013 10:57 am | News | CommentsWhy haven’t you signed up for the Lab Design Conference yet? Time is running out to reserve your space at this annual, lab design/planning/building event. This year's Lab Design Conference will be held April 8-10, 2013 in Houston. NOTE: The discounted room block ends on March 15th. Book your hotel reservation before this deadline to save!
NIST brings BIRDS and BEES together
February 25, 2013 2:54 pm | News | CommentsNIST has announced database and software tools that will debut in late 2013. BIRDS(Building Industry Reporting and Design for Sustainability) will be a free, Web-based tool kit to further research, design, and planning efforts focused on building energy use and technologies to improve energy efficiency.
Yale University, W-B 24 Scientific Research Facility, New Haven, CT
February 25, 2013 11:49 am | News | CommentsW-B 24 is part of Yale's West Campus Integrated Science & Technology Center (W-ISTC). The new spaces, which will accommodate the recently formed Nanobiology Institute and Cell Biology and Biophysics, are adapted within the laboratory and office spaces of a 136-acre former Bayer Pharmaceutical complex that Yale acquired in 2007.
Lab Design Conference Room Discount Ends Soon
February 22, 2013 3:08 pm | News | CommentsThe annual Laboratory Design Conference will be held April 8-10, 2013 at the JW Marriott Houston. The discounted room block rate ends March 15, 2013. Attendees and those who are considering attending are encouraged to make a reservation today to ensure accomodations at the conference rate.
Super Bowl blackout shines spotlight on smart grid technologies
February 19, 2013 12:31 pm | News | CommentsThe 34-minute delay during Super Bowl XLVII was explained by energy provider Entergy New Orleans as the result of sensors detecting "an abnormality in the system." While they continue to investigate the root cause, the issue of reliable and efficient electrical technologies has reached the populace.
Research space at academic institutions increased 3.5% between 2009 and 2011
February 19, 2013 12:27 pm | News | CommentsScience and engineering research space at the nation's research-performing colleges and universities increased 3.5% from 2009 to 2011, according to a recent National Science Foundation survey. The biological and biomedical sciences continued to account for the bulk of growth, increasing by 8.0% during this period.
Stricter energy standards don't raise construction costs
February 19, 2013 12:21 pm | News | CommentsFindings of a new study released by NIST showed that meeting higher energy-efficiency standards does "not increase total construction and future operation costs for new commercial buildings." The focus of the study was state adoption of standards for low-energy-use building designs.
NIST Precision Measurement Laboratory achieves LEED Gold
February 19, 2013 12:16 pm | News | CommentsOpened in the spring of 2012, the NIST Precision Measurement Lab received LEED Gold certification less than nine months later. The 297,000 square-foot, environmentally friendly and advanced laboratory building tightly controls environmental conditions to enable cutting-edge research with lasers, atomic clocks, and nanotechnology, and also has facilities for micro- and nanofabrication of custom devices.
Surprising breakthrough could bolster lighting devices, solar cell efficiency
February 19, 2013 12:07 pm | News | CommentsScientists from the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory and other laboratories have demonstrated a process whereby quantum dots can self-assemble at optimal locations in nanowires, a breakthrough that could improve solar cells and lighting devices.
