Systems Performance Benchmarking

Nicholas A. Caronna, CRB Consulting Engineers, Inc.

Objectives:

Few facility types consume more energy than a research and development laboratory. Green laboratory design is an integrated design approach to proactively reduce the energy consumption and improve the environmental conditions within the facility. Opportunities exist on examining the various building mechanical/electrical systems and their corresponding energy consumption. Data will be examined for fume hood performance, central utility plant equipment, energy recovery, VAV, daylighting and green lighting, and water conservation methods. Increased security concerns, increased use of robotics, bioinformatics and data collection have impacts on the design of an energy-efficient laboratory today.

Mr. Caronna has been involved in the design of over 1.2 million SF of laboratory space. He has been leading the charge in the "greening" of this energy excessive building type. This presentation will discuss the relationship between the owners need for control of first cost, the facility managers need to control safety and operating cost and the designers responsibility for health safety and welfare. All of these decisions must be managed to balance the needs against the return on investment. Attendees will learn the pros/cons as well the reality of making educated energy-efficient laboratory decisions. He will discuss the sustainable lab design and explain why this one particular building type has so much opportunity to impact the environment.

Case study of a laboratory retrofit and operating cost impacts will be briefly discussed.

Key Issues:

• How to Manage the Energy-Efficient Laboratory Process
• How to Make Informed Decisions in the "Value Management" Process
• The Mechanical and Electrical Considerations for Green Laboratories

Findings:

This presentation will discuss the relationship between the owners need for control of first cost, the facility managers need to control safety and operating cost and the designers responsibility for health safety and welfare.

Labs21 Connection:

Mr. Caronna will discuss sustainable lab design and explain why this one particular building type has so much opportunity to impact the environment.

Biography:

Nicholas A. Caronna, P.E., is a licensed Mechanical Engineer in 10 states with over 22 years experience in programming and designing laboratories and challenging high-tech industrial and biopharm facilities for private and public sector clients. He has been involved in the design of over 1.2 Million SF of lab space. He has a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Syracuse University and is a member of ISPE, ASHRAE, and AFE. As a Senior Project Manager and Associate with Clark, Richardson & Biskup Consulting Engineers, Inc. ("CRB"), he is also the PharmaTech Team Leader, responsible for the pharmaceutical, laboratory and high technology business sector for the Southeast.

He is the Labs21 Biocontainment Roundtable Leader, has presented "Laboratory Flexibility and User Needs", at the Labs21 2002 Annual Conference; "Green Lab Design", at Tradeline on May 1, 2001; and authored "Preventing Combustion in Hazardous-Area Design" for Consulting-Specifying Engineer, May 1994.

He has recently served as Engineering Project Manager for:

• 1999 National Design/Build, Award-winning Eli Lilly/Sphinx Pharmaceutical Laboratory Building, RTP, NC (1998/1999)
• Closure Medical Lab/Manuf. Facility, Raleigh, NC (1999)
• Amersham Pharmacia Laboratory, Piscataway, NJ (1999/2000)
• Paradigm Genetics Laboratory Facility, RTP, NC (2000)
• Biogen Bio-24 Laboratory Facility, RTP, NC (2001/2002)
• Duke University BSL-3 Laboratory, Durham, NC (2002)
• Confidential Client Vivarium BSL-3 Facility Study, Athens, GA (2002)
• Confidential Client Laboratory Facility, Athens, GA (2002/2003)
• Biogen Pilot Plant, RTP, NC (2002 Design only)
• GlaxoSmithKline QC Laboratory Benchmark Study, Wavre, Belgium (2003)
• Trimeris Analytical and QC Laboratory Facility, RTP, NC (2003 Design)
• Triangle Life Sciences Center Laboratory Facility, RTP, NC (2003/2004 Design) - formerly the EPA Research Center.