Revamp restores usefulness to 1960s chemistry facility By Thomas C. Brockway, PE, and Alex Shirshun Up-to-date chemistry research and teaching can be a challenge if facilities are sub-par. Like many academic institutions, Wayne State Univ. of Detroit saw its facilities wane in usefulness as decades progressed and standards evolved. The goal of increasing safety, efficiency, and adaptability has recently been addressed with a $25 million renovation, providing a competitive environment that advances the university’s research activities. Labs were designed with new modular dimensions to accommodate modern fume hoods and equipment. All photos: Curt Clayton/ Clayton Studio. Click to enlarge. Designed by Harley Ellis Devereaux, Southfield, Mich., the project transformed the north half of the university’s Chemistry Building, inserting modern open labs and an increased number of new fume hoods. An efficient arrangement and flow of lab spaces, distinct non-lab student work areas, and specialty rooms were created in a well-organized and flexible plan. Existing mechanical and electrical systems were replaced with high- efficiency systems, including a new main air handler and lab exhaust system. The air shaft was reconfigured, capturing formerly unused space in the central utility spine and corridors to dramatically increase space utilization, security, and efficiency. The redesign decision In fall 2003, WSU began addressing facility and space requirements for the Chemistry Building, originally designed in 1966 as student teaching labs, as well as goals for faculty and graduate student recruiting. Housing four floors, a penthouse, and an occupied basement, the existing building had eight labs on each floor. Each floor was divided by a central east-west corridor separating the building into north and south portions, and a central north-south shaft combining utilities, and supply air and exhaust air ducts. David M. Coleman, associate chairman of the chemistry department, was involved throughout the renovation project from inception. Summing up the need for change, he says, “Safety throughout the labs was a very critical component. Efficiency and use by today’s standards was also important. The existing configuration of 2,000-ft2 labs provided either too much space or not enough. Some labs had only three fume hoods where we required 20. We needed modern flexible space that relates to current needs and future change.” WSU asked the design team to conduct an initial study to determine the best approach to renovation, since a totally new facility was not feasible. The firm had already worked on a number of research projects for WSU, including a study that evaluated and inventoried all of the research buildings on campus. James R. Sears IV, associate VP, WSU Facilities Planning & Management, says, “We had identified a number of facilities as high priority to further our initiatives. The Chemistry Building was marked as a key area in which to make an investment. A mix of fixed and movable bench space adds flexibility while suiting the client’s budget and needs.Click to enlarge. Following intensive meetings with faculty and staff members, Harley Ellis Devereaux’s lab planners developed a program and test-fit drawings for the renovation of half of the floor, while the firm’s engineers prepared detailed evaluation of the building’s electrical and mechanical systems. Based on the evaluation findings, available funding, and departmental needs, WSU set a project budget of $25 million, including a construction budget of $22 million or $282/ft2. The approach to the project was to close the north half of the building to undergo complete renovation of the four lab floors, totaling 71,500 ft2, and the north half of the 6,600-ft2 penthouse. Including new mechanical systems for this portion of the building, the work encompassed replacement of one of the two main air handlers, modification of the main air shaft, and the installation of a new lab exhaust plenum and exhaust fans. This phase of the project included the creation of open labs, lab support, and open student work zones. The electrical system was replaced with new primary electrical service and primary switchgear for the entire building in a new building addition. Other improvements included renovation of elevators and upgrades to meet ADA accessibility requirements, new toilet rooms, roof membrane replacement, replacement of secondary power distribution, and installation of a new life safety and fire alarm system (involving manual pull stations, horns and strobes in public spaces and labs, and smoke detectors in the new HVAC ducts). Security systems and card access for all doors provide added space control measures. Creative use of MEP space Addressing the replacement of mechanical and electrical systems simultaneously with more efficient lab plans, the design solution captures 6,400-ft2 of previously unused utility shaft and corridor space—the equivalent of a new addition—and transforms it into modern laboratory support space shared by the surrounding labs. Click to enlarge. Click to enlarge. Before (left) and after plans for the north wing of the Chemistry Building, now devoted to biochemistry research. Reworking the HVAC design opened up shaft space for use as lab support, as well as allowing a higher concentration of fume hood positions on several floors (and removal of other hoods that had previously mostly been used for storage). This was accomplished by reconfiguring the main air shaft. Supply air is introduced into the labs through a raised ceiling, in effect making the entire ceiling area the diffuser for the lab areas. This creative engineering strategy minimizes both noise in the lab areas and turbulence at hood faces. Lab floors were reconfigured to maximize flexibility and accommodate open lab space with an increased number of fume hoods. Labs are designed with new modular dimensions to accommodate today’s fume hoods and equipment, such as glove boxes with larger space needs. Shelf heights are controlled to provide views through the lab area. Coleman says, “The design uses space efficiently. We can place more people in smaller spaces. The increase in fume hoods has resulted in a safe operating environment—each student has a modern, safe hood. Fume hoods with a split-sash design improve safety and reduce energy consumption. Click to enlarge. “HVAC systems in chemistry buildings can be notoriously inefficient. One factor that went into the design of our fume hoods is the computer-controlled HVAC system to carefully monitor and adjust air flow rates as needed for safety and to save as much energy as possible, as well as have a quieter environment.” Dedicated student work areas, with bistro-like counters and sinks, provide attractive space outside the labs. Students use the space during breaks and lunch and are encouraged to do their non-lab work there to improve lab safety. Clear interior windows between the labs and student spaces visually connect the areas, while glass block walls admit light from the exterior corridors, creating a pleasant environment with a sense of openness and increased safety. Entry to labs is controlled by secure zones on each floor. Coleman points to the student work areas as an issue discussed in depth early on in the process. “The student areas accomplish a number of our important objectives. They provide attractive space, and give students a safe place for desks, connectivity, and eating that is physically separate from the labs. Large plate glass windows look into the lab, allowing students to monitor and see what is happening in the labs.” Open student areas provide desk space, collaborative space, and excellent connectivity. Click to enlarge. The design team met with lab users individually and in small groups to understand what was important, then weighted the issues and established goals. Primary objectives included lab safety and providing new state-of-the-art lab facilities attractive to students and researchers. A critical strategy for meeting these needs was increasing the quantity of fume hoods and linking them with the new mechanical systems, as well as creating dedicated student areas. Noise and turbulence were minimized to create a quiet, high-quality research environment. Another set of goals involved compliance with new codes. The arrangement locates labs dealing with higher quantities of hazardous or flammable liquids, and thus requiring more fume hoods, on the lower levels of the building and labs with lower hazards on the upper floors. Special attention was placed on equipment requirements and minimizing cross-contamination in special areas such as tissue rooms. The first and second floors are designed to meet the needs of organic and inorganic chemists, with the emphasis on research performed under a fume hood. All of the existing twenty-four fume hoods were removed and replaced with 82 fume hoods, 16 exhaust connections for glove box work, and seven snorkel locations. This represents a four-fold increase in the “under the hood” space on the first and second floors. Flexible lab space is key for the transitional third floor, accommodating bio-chemistry and analytical chemistry. Renovations to this level encompassed the removal of all 16 fume hoods and the installation of 27 new hoods. Large areas with overhead service carriers and movable benches increase flexibility for future research needs and allow for reconfiguration by researchers. Benefiting from the recovery of the formerly unused shaft space, the third floor introduces shared walk-in cold-rooms, a glass- wash area, and a large autoclave. Housing biochemistry, the fourth floor also has additional walk-in cold rooms and an autoclave in a shared space between the labs. Eight hoods were provided to replace 16 that had been removed, some of which previously only had been used for storage. New biosafety cabinets and tissue culture rooms requested by the bio-chemists are efficiently located outside of the overall space devoted to labs, adding to the flexibility for accommodating future change without disruption to main labs. Coordinating the renovation In addition to the complexity of planning and design, the project involved a myriad of scheduling and budgeting details. With the significant costs of mechanical and electrical systems, the team emphasized budget control throughout planning and design, conducting biweekly progress meetings with a core user group. This core group also reviewed the design. The north half of the first through fourth floors of the building was vacated during the renovation. Researchers were relocated in the south half or moved to other buildings during the renovation. The first and second floors were returned to research after 12 months, with the entire project completed in 16 months. With the efficiencies gained in the renovation, researchers moving into the new space required a smaller floor area than occupied in the previous floor plan. As a result, significant areas of the new labs were opened up for new use following move-in. Construction manager DeMaria Building Co. joined the project team at the end of the schematic design phase. Contractors John E. Green and Center Line Electric were brought on board early due to the significance of mechanical and electrical components, and provided design assist services, design to budget validation, field inspection, and selective demolition services during the design phases. They also provided advice on their approach to the renovation project. The first floor renovation, devoted primarily to inorganic chemistry research, shares the general layout of higher floors but has a shared equipment area housing gloveboxes.Click to enlarge. The collaboration of the team ensured that design, construction, and budget remained in alignment. As a result, the project was delivered for bidding on time, and construction was accomplished on time, December 2005, and under budget: a testimony to the entire team working on a complicated renovation in an occupied building. $15 million worth of major sensitive equipment in the basement area, including nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometers, mass spectrometers, and a transmission electron microscope, was kept operational ~80% of the time during construction—well beyond the typical. Coleman credits the collaborative involvement of the entire team. “Our weekly meetings were absolutely essential to our continuing to operate while half of the building was under renovation. We were able to adjust as issues arose and to make changes due to the openness of the environment.” Faculty and graduate student recruitment efforts, along with tours of the renovation progress, began as demolition was being completed. Coleman comments, “Clearly we anticipated that recruitment would be a key factor for the new space. Now that it is done, it has proven itself a very powerful recruitment tool. We have made it a priority to build the department and to put new people in the new space.” He continues, “Every candidate who has come through our new laboratories has been amazed by the quality of our facilities. Students and faculty are proud of being in facilities that really shine.” Thomas C. Brockway, PE, is associate/ project manager, and Alex Shirshun is associate/senior laboratory planner in the Science & Research Studio of Harley Ellis Devereaux, an architecture, engineering, and lab planning firm (www.harleyellisdevereaux.com). The firm works extensively throughout the U.S. and has offices in Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit, and San Diego.