Green on a budget: Low- to no-cost sustainable solutions for labs By Laura Carlson, AIA, LEED AP “What will this cost?” When I talk to clients about building projects, more and more are interested in sustainable design: building practices that conserve energy, minimize waste, and use environmentally friendly materials. But their first concern is always, “How much will this cost?” If the intent is to have a building certified through the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program—the most widely used rating system for sustainable design—the cost of registering and certifying the project, as well as additional design fees for tasks like energy modeling, cannot currently be avoided, yet they really only account for a minimal percentage of the total cost for most laboratory buildings. Having a design team experienced in sustainable design issues, a well-prepared plan, and early and continuing commitment from all parties involved will help keep costs in check. Experienced architects and engineers who have worked on sustainable design projects from start to finish not only make the process easier, but also can help make sure the sustainable ideas are integrated, meaning they work in concert with each other and the rest of the building design. Often sustainable solutions can help reduce costs associated with other building systems. For example, if you improve a building’s window glazing, you may also be able to decrease the amount of air conditioning or heating systems needed—conserving energy and saving money. Overall, the cost of going “green” does not have to increase the construction cost for a building. According to the U.S. Green Building Council, increases in first costs for LEED buildings currently range from 0 to 5%, or about $0 to $10/ft2 of space, depending on the level of certification sought. Similarly, a study by Davis Langdon, an international cost estimating firm, in 2004 (“Costing Green: A Comprehensive Cost Database and Budget Methodology”) shows that money set aside for construction of LEED-certified buildings ranged from 0 to 3% of the initial budget. This study also stated that “The projects that were the most successful in remaining within their original budgets were those which had clear goals established from the start, and which integrated the sustainable elements into the project at an early stage.” Money can also be saved by cutting out more expensive finishes or materials (using ceramic instead of marble, for example). Those funds can be put toward sustainable options that might be more expensive up front, but will save in the long term. Operating cost savings should also be considered; money spent on energy saving design and construction will often be recaptured in operating costs over the first five years. The building envelope design on Duke Univ.’s Medical Sciences Research Building II optimizes energy savings and occupant comfort by integrating lighting design with siting of the building and mechanical design. Photo: Robert Lang. Click to enlarge. Why go green? Laboratory buildings are inherently energy hogs. Since they use more energy, they cost more to operate, and larger savings can be realized by implementing energy-efficient design for laboratories than with most other building types. At the recent Laboratories for the 21st Century conference in Portland, Ore. (www.labs21century.gov), there was a lot of discussion about “right-sizing”: finding the appropriate scale for your mechanical systems and utilities. When designing systems, from lighting and heating to electrical and plumbing, consider right-sizing the systems by applying realistic diversity factors to find out how taxed the systems will actually be. Systems can often be designed to be smaller, thus possibly costing even less than a traditional, more conservative design. Other items that might slightly increase first cost will definitely pay back over time. Going “green” can attract and retain good employees. There is a lot of competition for the best scientists, and a comfortable and attractive place to work can be an important factor in deciding where to work. Sustainable design is not just about saving the environment and saving energy, it is also about human comfort. Studies have shown that environmental factors important to sustainable design, such as daylight, have been proven to increase productivity. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) did a study in August 2000 showing that daylight improves student performance as well as health in schools with natural light. These ideas can be translated to any built environment. Sustainable design can also keep employees healthier. Increased pollutants in the indoor air can contribute to asthma and allergies, and in turn increase the number of sick days taken. Simple strategies for decreasing indoor contaminants and increasing ventilation effectiveness can help; healthy buildings decrease human costs. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in carpet, paint, and composite wood products can be irritating and potentially harmful, yet can be avoided with proper materials specification. The cost of “green” materials is decreasing, and will continue to decrease as more manufacturers realize the importance and marketability of sustainable products. Some things that used to cost more, such as products with recycled content, no longer do. Five low- to no-cost solutions Here are five of my favorite budget-minded strategies for making lab buildings “greener”: Location, location, location. Give thought to site selection and the orientation of the building. Locate your site or building with access to public transportation. Minimize site disturbance and destruction of natural site elements; locate the building on a previously built area if possible (such as parking lots). Study the costs for re-using existing structures; sometimes this is a cost-effective solution. Optimize the orientation of the building by minimizing east and west sun exposure. Get the right professionals involved as early as possible in the design to help with selection of a new site, or locating a building on an existing site or campus. “Right size” the building program. Make sure your planned program for the building is efficient as possible. Be realistic about program needs related to growth or expansion. Money can always be saved by making the building smaller—an inherently sustainable choice. Be creative about space use; well-designed spaces can often serve multiple building functions. Open lab design—labs that encourage technician interaction—can help with efficiency as well as improving daylighting and cutting down on waste caused by reconfiguration. (For more analysis of the potential space savings available with open labs, visit www.labdesignnews.com/LaboratoryDesign/HB_Chap6_1.asp.) Go for greater impact with integration. Design the building with an integrated approach. Sustainable lab design ideas should be implemented in concert with the design of other systems. Often the additional cost of sustainable solutions can be outweighed by savings in another part of the building. For example, if additional money is spent on an improved building envelope, costs may be saved in heating and cooling systems. The landscape design, particularly location of deciduous trees, should also be considered when designing the façade and mechanical systems. Daylighting strategies need to be designed in conjunction with landscape design as well as the interior lighting. Use renewable, recycled, or local materials. Be smart about materials design, selection, and specification. Sustainable products are not necessarily more expensive. Materials such as carpet tiles made from recycled products do not cost more, and the selection is improving. Investigate manufacturers to find out which ones are truly on board with sustainability for building products. If you are renovating, manufacturers will often take used product such as ceiling tiles off your hands and out of landfills. Don’t over-finish the building; for instance, consider eliminating floor finishes. If your building is in a region that has manufacturing, consider using local materials and products where you can. Not only does this save environmental impacts due to transportation, but those savings can often be reflected in product costs. Promote good lab practices. Through smart design and user education, good lab practices can help save energy and water. The practice by most industry and university safety offices of promoting lower hood sash heights for safety can also help save energy. Overall exhaust volume can be reduced if a smaller sash opening can be agreed upon and used. Investigate fume hood options: Consider sash stops with alarms, and even hoods with an auto-sash feature that closes or returns the sash to a set point. On a current project for Duke Univ., we found with a little research that we could get high-efficiency fume hoods from one manufacturer for essentially the same cost as traditional hoods; by using these hoods, the air handling system was decreased for cost savings. Open labs, like this one in the Snyderman Building at Duke Univ., typically feature large windows and materials designed to maximize daylight. The Snyderman Building’s labs also use low-VOC materials as well as materials with recycled content. Photo courtesy of Hillier Architecture. Click to enlarge. Make sure researchers understand all the reasons hoods should be closed when not in use. If the practices are agreed upon during building design, exhaust and make-up air systems can be reduced and possibly reduce initial costs—but the users must understand and adhere to the protocols. Use of closed-loop recirculation chillers in the labs can not only cut down on accidental flooding, but also save water by eliminating or reducing use of potable water for single-pass cooling. Educate researchers to turn off lights when not needed and when they leave (a goal that can also be accomplished with occupancy sensors). Make space for recycling, and educate the building occupants so that it is convenient and easy. As word spreads about the importance and ease of designing “green” buildings and labs, savvy professionals believe that thinking “green” will eventually become an automatic part of the design and construction process, negating any impact on building cost. In the meantime, the most important way to keep sustainability from adding to your project’s cost is to plan ahead. By keeping sustainable concepts in mind when thinking about the whole design process, you will keep costs in check. And remember, teamwork counts: Having the right team of professionals, future occupants, and administrators—all interested in sustainability as a goal—will not only make the process smoother, but also help keep sustainability from breaking the bank. Laura Carlson, AIA, LEED AP, is an architect and senior associate at Hillier Architecture, New Jersey’s largest architecture firm (www.hillier.com). Carlson works in Hillier’s Princeton, N.J., headquarters.