Closing the Water-Energy Nexus in Laboratories
Emory University in Atlanta, GA faces the same challenges as many institutions: how to manage energy and water resources across a diverse building portfolio. On the forthcoming 340,000 SF Health Science Research Building, the project pushes the envelope towards the University's ambitious sustainable goals.
This advanced session will focus on the water-energy nexus and how these precious resources can be thought of holistically to reduce overall consumption while achieving cutting edge science. Due to the complex interrelation of energy and water systems, the design team first developed a menu of individual strategies, then parametrically cross-pollinated to determine the most economical and effective design based on initial cost, energy and water use intensity, simple payback, and other qualitative benefits.
Presenters will share their early dynamic modeling process and tools, and show how this can be used not just for large, technically complex projects in challenging climates, but for any project trying to achieve aggressive EUI or water goals with site area, floor height, budget, operational or other constraints.
Learning Objectives
- Recognize the impacts of water and energy consumption in laboratories;
- Identify, assess, and obtain informed owner buy-in to sustainable design strategies;
- Realize offsets in basis-of-design first cost to pay for sustainable design elements; and
- Determine synergistic benefits and optimal solutions for high performance laboratory design.
Presenting with Scott Rose (HOK)