Abstracts

Public Services and Procurement Canada’s Laboratories Canada program is a relatively new initiative, created in 2019, to build and restore federal science and technology infrastructure capacity. Its mandate is to work “with federal scientists and researchers to create together a national network of modern, multipurpose, scientific infrastructure”. A guiding principle of the overall strategy deals is environmental responsibility. In accordance with federal polices to meet national emissions targets, and the goals of the Greening Government initiative, the Laboratories Canada Strategy aims to “green” federal science and technology facilities. Laboratories and research facilities traditionally use higher amounts of energy, emit more greenhouse gases, and cost more to operate than equal size buildings of almost every other type, due to the precise environmental conditions required for conducting experiments. The objective of this presentation is to introduce the program’s progress in developing its first environmental strategy. The benefits of a federal labs environmental strategy will be described. Some benefits considered include: lower greenhouse gas emissions, lower cost of building operation, lower water use, lower cost spaces and equipment (due to sharing and collaboration), provision of appropriate and comfortable environmental conditions through the use of smart building systems, reduction of deferred maintenance, specific procurement strategies and greater employee satisfaction in working in a green workspace.

La recherche scientifique n’a pas besoin d’être à forte intensité de carbone, ni non durable. Le programme Laboratoires Canada de Services publics et Approvisionnement Canada est une initiative relativement nouvelle, créée en 2019, pour renforcer et rétablir la capacité de l’infrastructure scientifique et technologique fédérale. Son mandat est de travailler « avec les scientifiques et chercheurs fédéraux pour créer ensemble un réseau national d’infrastructures scientifiques modernes et polyvalentes ». Un principe directeur inclut la responsabilité environnementale, et notamment la Stratégie pour un gouvernement vert : Une directive du gouvernement du Canada. En raison des conditions environnementales précises requises pour mener des expériences scientifiques, les laboratoires et les installations de recherche utilisent traditionnellement de plus grandes quantités d’énergie, émettent plus de gaz à effet de serre et coûtent plus cher à exploiter que des bâtiments de taille égale de presque tous les autres types. En tant que chef de file de l’analyse éclairant les installations de science et la technologie fédérales, Laboratoires Canada est bien placé pour amorcer la réduction des gaz à effet de serre en améliorant les cadres d’exploitation des bâtiments, en promouvant les matériaux et l’équipement de construction à faible émission de carbone (grâce au partage et à la collaboration). Les présentateurs discuteront des défis uniques, des opportunités et des voies à suivre, y compris le financement, la collaboration (au sein du gouvernement et avec des partenaires externes) et de repenser l’approvisionnement en construction en tant que service de performance.

Canadian campuses have extensive stock of older lab buildings facing end of life or significant renewal requirements to continue to operate in a cost-effective manner. Faced with pressures for increase research density and GHG emissions reductions, along with limited annual budgets. This puts a constant strain on the institution, academics and students.

Upgrade strategies must provide flexible planning for research intensification while prioritizing the necessary mechanical and electrical upgrades that can support GHG emissions reduction and ready the facility for the adoption of renewable energy and net zero performance.

Planning for such endeavors is complex with multiple interdependent upgrade priorities. An overarching plan, which is both strategic and scenario driven, can serve as a tool to align research, funding and facility upgrades over the long term for efficient project execution.

The Biological Sciences Building on the UA campus has undergone such a master planning effort and has initiated several space renewals and infrastructure upgrades intended to transform the facility into high density modern research and a learning centre for the campus.

À l’heure actuelle, un vaste réseau de campus postsecondaires canadiens dispose d’installations en laboratoire vieillissantes et désuètes qui nécessitent d’importants travaux de rénovation afin de continuer leurs utilisations de manière rentable. D’un autre côté, ces institutions font face à de nombreuses pressions telles que l’augmentation du nombre et de l’importance des projets de recherches, la réduction d’émissions GES, ainsi que des budgets annuels limités. Par conséquent, ce sont les universités ainsi que leurs étudiants qui ont à composer avec cette tension supplémentaire.

La stratégie de réhabilitation des installations de laboratoire doit intégrer l’augmentation de la capacité de ces installations tout en conservant des mises à niveaux mécaniques et électriques qui soutiennent la réduction des émissions GES, les énergies renouvelables ainsi que l’engagement Net-Zero.

La planification d’une telle stratégie est complexe due à sa multitude de priorités. À cet effet, un plan global basé sur différents scénarios peut devenir un outil efficace afin de concilier l’augmentation de la recherche, le financement et la mise à niveau à long terme des installations.

Le bâtiment des Sciences Biologiques du campus de l’Université de l’Alberta est un excellent exemple d’installations modernes en laboratoire qui fait l’objet d’un plan directeur visant la réhabilitation de l’établissement existant en un centre de recherches et d’apprentissages moderne.

Society is facing unprecedented challenges in the 21st century, including a climate emergency, ecosystem destruction, global urban migration, pandemics, and emergence of new technologies. These complex and interconnected challenges are driving the shift towards what will become a new normal, which may be different for everyone. Adapting and responding to these challenges necessitates new approaches to traditional activities, including research. How and where research takes place are becoming critical questions to ask, and even more importantly why and with whom. Over the last decade, the University of British Columbia has been tackling these issues through its Campus as a Living Lab (UBC-CLL) program.

Living laboratories are physical spaces and human systems in which we design, test, study, and learn from social and technical innovations in real time and real-world contexts. They support collaborative experimentation, piloting of innovations, critical assessment of results, and exchange of knowledge.

UBC’s Campus as a Living Lab integrates academic research and teaching with campus planning, infrastructure, operations and community development to respond to global challenges in our local context. We use our university campus as a large-scale laboratory to explore, experiment and demonstrate new ideas, while learning from both our successes and failures. Campus Living Lab projects bring together collaborations of academic researchers, students, staff and partners to engage in innovative research projects that aim to address the connections between ecological, social, human health and technological issues. Two recent examples include a new facility that accesses campus wastewater and a pilot carbon capture and conversion installation, both of which support diverse research projects and testing of innovative technology. Others include use of campus as a lab to develop new research tools and techniques that can be deployed in more remote areas thereby improving field research, such as using drone technology, remote sensing and machine learning to map tree canopies or insect populations.

This presentation will provide an overview of UBC’s Campus Living Lab program and examples of current and past research projects to illustrate different principles and practices. Information will include the use of the campus itself as an effective ‘lab’, collaborations between academic researchers, operational staff and industry, deployment of new technologies, and strategies to improve equity and inclusivity. We will share our experiences and lessons learned from the planning, design and implementation of these living lab projects, and the implications for UBC facilities and infrastructure as well as future research opportunities.

Long-term investments in research and equipment rely heavily on the building enclosure to moderate the outdoor environmental conditions and maintain an operational indoor environment. With the changing climate, the demand on laboratory buildings enclosures is evolving to mitigate more intense weather events. Climate variables such as increased rainfall, rising or falling temperatures, more extreme winds, or more frequent intense storms can impact building enclosure design in different ways and require specific design strategies to reliably perform during extreme weather. Incorporating resiliency measures can help ensure laboratory buildings maintain their functional use and prevent losses during utility outages.

This presentation will begin with an overview of climate forecasting and adapting the project requirements to the future needs of the laboratory. The discussion will focus on the implementation of specific construction approaches from schematic design through construction and integration. Each approach will be considered with respect to reducing operational energy use through strategies such as increased insulation, increased air tightness, and optimal daylight design. Beginning in early design, building material and assembly selection must prioritize increased resiliency and durability, including redundant passive systems where necessary.

Consideration for ongoing maintenance and adaptation of the existing building stock is crucial for a comprehensive enclosure design. Finally, the design approach must consider the ability to maintain comfortable or operable interior conditions during catastrophic events. This session includes several case studies with key considerations for academic and research laboratory facilities that are looking to improve sustainability, resiliency, and durability to future-proof buildings against more extreme climate events.

North America experienced major economic growth and prosperity following the Second World War. Hundreds of laboratory buildings that were built in the 1950s and 1960s are now considered obsolete and could face decommissioning. But is it sustainable to demolish such large scientific infrastructure? Could there be a way to preserve and upgrade this vast expanse of laboratories and bring these facilities up to date?

Speakers Lachance and Tremblay will present the project that they designed and completed for McGill University – the major infrastructure upgrade of the Lyman Duff Medical Building. The Duff is an existing bio-medical research facility of more than 14,000 m² (over 150,000 ft²) built in several phases (1923, 1965 and 1971), located in an area of significant heritage value and in a dense urban environment – one where the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital directly adjoins the building.

The project consisted of the complete replacement of the electrical and mechanical systems of the complex’s laboratory wings, including the construction of a brand-new mechanical room and emergency generator installation on the roof of the 1971 wing. The project also involved the complete reconstruction of all the technical service shafts of the 8-storey research tower.

All of the construction occurred while the building was occupied, without interrupting or hindering ongoing research activities and operations – a colossal challenge that was met through a process of sustained collaboration with the building occupants. An accelerated construction schedule required by the Federal Government’s funding program, led BGLA and PMA to recommend pre-purchase equipment and component lots, and multiple construction lots.

The new design corrected many shortcomings in the existing building systems:

• by adding air conditioning / ventilation capacity that was deficient;
• by adding heat recovery systems that were absent from the original systems ;
• by adding an emergency generator; and
• by adding high-dispersion evacuators.

The result is a building infrastructure whose useful life has been extended by at least 30 years and which now makes efficient and environmentally friendly use of energy.

This presentation will explore the latest developments in acoustics for laboratory design, from human comfort and research integrity to sustainability and new building types. Join Steve Titus in examining these advancements, challenges, and solutions with accompanying case studies. When acoustical planning is part of the early design process, it is possible to enjoy the latest in technical innovations, building a flexible and resilient space without compromising acoustic performance.

Human Comfort in the Workplace
The lab is a unique office environment, filled with noisy equipment and hard, reflective surfaces. A loud lab has been accepted as the status quo, forcing researchers to endure uncomfortable conditions. We all know that the status quo isn’t good enough to attract and retain talent. Using the latest in modern workspace standards, acoustics for comfort, wellness, and productivity can be tailored to any lab environment. This presentation will outline the lab ready applications of office acoustic design strategies. Using built examples, this will include strategies for locating noisy equipment, placing and shaping collaboration zones to facilitate cross pollination and hybrid work, and quiet spaces for focus.

Research Integrity
An emerging focus on the acoustical environment of animal research facilities has reshaped vivarium research conditions and design standards. One recurring theme stands out: the most sensitive vivarium research equipment may not be the equipment at all. Acoustical design standards typically focus on the human hearing spectrum. Applying the same approach to a different species yields whole new criteria for perception and comfort. The impact of acoustic phenomena on vivarium research validity, grant funding, and animal safety can be substantial. This presentation will discuss the expected and unexpected sources of acoustic disruption in vivaria and creative strategies for mitigation. Case studies will include Carleton Health Sciences and Sick Kids Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning.

Sustainability
Mass timber construction is an evolving building type. While primarily used in commercial and residential design, mass timber is becoming more popular for technically complex projects – such as laboratory and research developments including the new CAMH Research Centre. The current industry standards do not always work with wood construction. Careful and innovative approaches are required to find practical and cost-effective solutions, particularly with the highly technical requirements of research projects. Mass timber’s lightweight construction presents challenges with vibration isolation for research imaging and sound isolation performance across all spaces. Steve will discuss strategies to resolve these issues, including strategic location of sensitive uses, adding resilient pads between structural timber elements, and incorporating decoupling elements into the wall or floor assemblies.

As we continue to work to reduce our climate change impact through energy reduction and decarbonization we cannot deny that the climate has already changed. We are seeing hotter, dryer summers leading to drought and health risks, more intense rainfall leading to flooding, increased wildfire leading to poor air quality to name a few. It is now imperative to consider these and future projected changes into our design process to minimize risk to our buildings and processes. For lab buildings where air quality, safety, and continuity of operations are often essential, resilient design decisions are even more important. This session will review current best practices for evaluating future climate considerations for a site and discuss potential mitigation measures that can lead to more resilient lab buildings in the face of a changing climate.

There has been significant growth in both private and public research institutions, and an increase in enrollment in university STEM programs. Demand for lab and research space is rising but the pace of new construction cannot keep up with the demand. Coupled with the urgent need to reduce building energy consumption and carbon emission, it’s becoming more and more common for companies and universities to renovate and upgrade existing facilities to create lab spaces to meet the demand for both research space and energy reduction.

While it’s difficult to predict the future of research and what it needs, designers must do their best to incorporate services and features that allow for growth when renovating a lab. Energy retrofits need to be examined through the lens of research: Will it support additional lab equipment while reducing energy and water consumption? Is the new mechanical system compatible with any energy or decarbonization plans the institution might have? Will the renovated facility be resilient to climate change and environmental disaster? These are some of the questions the project team needs to consider when defining the project objectives.

The presentation will review energy retrofit projects done at universities and public research facilities to examine retrofit strategies that support both lab changes/expansion, and energy reduction.

The new National Research Council facility in Winnipeg, MB was designed for adaptability and flexibility as an applied research lab. This initial adaptability was challenged, as with all projects, during the pandemic. Through a lens of resiliency, the presentation will talk about the evolution of the project prior to the pandemic, as well as during with the introduction of laboratory fit-outs implemented during construction. The continuing evolution of the project and pandemic are factors that were challenged to ensure labs continue to meet the primary objectives set out at the beginning of the project. This holistic approach to the building will also be explored beyond the laboratories and describe how all common areas and the building exterior was designed to react to future expansion and adaptability.

La nouvelle installation du CNRC à Winnipeg, au Manitoba, a été conçue pour être adaptable et flexible en tant que laboratoire de recherche appliquée. Cette capacité d’adaptation initiale a été mise à l’épreuve, comme pour tous les projets, pendant la pandémie. À travers une lentille de résilience, la présentation parlera de l’évolution du projet avant la pandémie, ainsi que pendant avec l’introduction des aménagements de laboratoire mis en place lors de la construction. L’évolution continue du projet et la pandémie sont des facteurs qui ont été remis en question pour s’assurer que les laboratoires continuent d’atteindre les objectifs principaux définis au début du projet. Cette approche holistique du bâtiment sera également explorée au-delà des laboratoires et décrira comment tous les espaces communs et l’extérieur du bâtiment ont été conçus pour réagir à l’expansion et à l’adaptabilité futures.

Specialized laboratory equipment often requires low-vibration environments for proper functionality. On elevated floors, occupant footfalls are often the most critical source of vibration. Individual footfall forces depend primarily on the weight of the walker and on his or her pace frequency. Traditional methods for predicting footfall-induced vibration recommend using the weight of an average person and a range of expected walking frequencies. However, no consideration is given to the probability of occurrence of each walking frequency. Enveloping the worst-case of all possible walking frequencies can result in an overly conservative design, especially in cases in which occasional exceedances of vibration criteria are tolerable.

This presentation will highlight a novel performance-based design approach in which known statistical distributions of various walker parameters (e.g., walker weight and pace frequency) are used to determine statistical representations of expected floor vibrations (e.g., vibration levels expected to be exceeded 10% of the time the floor experiences footfall excitation). This allows for a cost-effective and sustainable design in cases where occasional vibration-criteria exceedances are tolerable. This statistical representation also allows for risk-based decision making in which costs are weighed against vibration risks. Cases in which traditional versus the novel statistical approach might be most appropriate will be discussed.

Les équipements de laboratoire spécialisés nécessitent souvent des environnements à faibles vibrations pour fonctionner correctement. Sur planchers surélevés, les pas des occupants sont souvent la source la plus critique de vibrations. La force des pas individuels dépendent principalement du poids du marcheur et de la fréquence de son pas. Les méthodes traditionnelles de pour prédire les vibrations induites par les pas recommandent d’utiliser le poids d’une personne moyenne et une gamme de fréquences de marche prévues. Cependant, aucune considération n’est donnée à la probabilité d’occurrence de chaque fréquence de marche. Envelopper le pire cas de toutes les fréquences de marche possibles peut entraîner une conception trop conservatrice, en particulier dans les cas où des dépassements occasionnels des critères de vibration sont tolérables.

Cette présentation mettra en évidence une nouvelle approche de conception basée sur les performances dans laquelle les distributions statistiques connues de divers paramètres du marcheur (par exemple, le poids du marcheur et la fréquence de pas) sont utilisées pour déterminer les représentations statistiques des vibrations attendues du sol (par exemple, les niveaux de vibration devant être dépassés de 10 % du moment où le sol subit une excitation de pas). Cela permet une conception rentable et durable dans les cas où des dépassements occasionnels des critères de vibration sont tolérables. Cette représentation statistique permet également une prise de décision basée sur les risques dans laquelle les coûts sont pondérés par rapport aux risques de vibration. Les cas dans lesquels l’approche statistique traditionnelle par rapport à la nouvelle approche pourrait être la plus appropriée seront discutés.

Designing and constructing new buildings to zero carbon levels of performance is a critical strategy to contribute to meeting climate action commitments, for Canada and for other nations. In the coming years, laboratory buildings are expected to make up a substantial proportion of new development for the Government of Canada and for other developers of real estate, as demand for the science and technology sector remains high. Achieving zero carbon performance is uniquely challenging for laboratory buildings where plug and process loads are high, outdoor air volumes must satisfy a high number of air changes, and laboratory environmental conditions are critical to maintain.

This session will provide an overview of the importance of laboratory buildings in achieving a zero carbon future, the unique challenges in achieving this objective, and examples from Canada and worldwide of successful developments that are targeting this level of performance. Insights will be provided which focus on technical solutions as well as innovative process for design and engagement with laboratory users.

The objectives of this presentation include:

• Providing a global understanding of the importance of zero carbon and how this target applies to laboratory buildings.
• Providing real-world examples of facilities designed to achieve zero carbon and emerging technologies that enable zero carbon (building envelope, HVAC, renewable energy).
• Describing an inclusive and engaging design process whereby laboratory users are fulsomely engaged to provide insight and perspective on laboratory equipment and processes.
• Providing an understanding of strategies for designing high-performance lab buildings including pre-design and programming stages, optimizing air change rates, modeling process load energy consumption, development of outcome-based specifications and documents.
• Providing an engaging and interactive session which inspires team members to innovate and collaborate on future projects.

The intent of this discussion will be to look at a case study in Vancouver, Canada, for Precision Nano-Systems’ new pharma manufacturing lab, and what we believe is a requirement for new facilities to focus on carbon reduction, even where not mandated by authorities having jurisdiction. This new facility is going into an existing building, and had little energy/carbon targets put on it by the City’s permitting processes. This presentation will show how some private pharmaceutical companies are taking carbon and energy reduction targets into their own hands and how they can cost effectively reduce their footprint.

Lessons Learned

1. What the current Vancouver market baselines are for current industrial/laboratory zoned facilities, and what the baseline for this facility was.
2. How a small amount of energy modeling at the outset of the project, and work with suppliers and local utilities resulted in five major carbon reducing strategies that would be implemented to reduce overall facility carbon output by over 70%.
3. How local incentive funding can support private companies move forward with the increased capital required for carbon/energy reducing measures.
4. Outline what PNI’s corporate goals are for energy/carbon and GHG reductions, showing that there are some pharmaceutical companies that are driven to meet the global 2030 emissions reduction targets.

We will discuss the project timeline, methodologies for analyzing each ECM, outcomes and how these support the corporate goals of PNI.

Simon Fraser University is on track with the 50% GHG reduction target by 2025. One of the core strategies is energy efficient upgrade and decarbonization in existing buildings.

Originally built in 1965, the Shrum Science Chemistry Building, 9,706 m², at the Burnaby campus was renovated in 2010 earning the University first LEED Gold certification, but that’s just the first step of the deep energy retrofit of the building. Since then, a number of energy conservation strategies were implemented and that included the heat pumps optimization and innovative strobic fans optimization through wind sensing technology.

Recently, SFU has embarked on a fumehood upgrade project to convert more than 50 CAV fumehoods to VAV in the occupied spaces. Through the upgrade, lab users are also able to have real time data of the fumehoods. The project is expected to improve the safety of students and researchers and generate more than 350,000 kWH of energy savings.

The presentation is to describe the process involved in the fumehood upgrade in an existing operating laboratory with minimal down time within the lab and showcase the technology and energy savings of such upgrade.

As part of ongoing energy conservation efforts, the University of British Columbia is targeting high intensity research spaces for implementing a decentralized demand controlled ventilation (DCV) to allow for airflow reduction. DCV systems were installed in vivarium spaces of the Centre for Comparative Medicine (CCM) and Pharmaceutical Sciences Centre (PSC), in 2020 and 2022 respectively. The systems included monitoring of pollutants in accordance with CCAC guidelines including particulate matter, ‘Total’ Volatile Organic Compounds (TVOCs), and ammonia, among others. The project at CCM resulted in an annual average reduction in airflow of 55% within affected spaces and reduced the building energy use intensity by ~30% without compromising IAQ or comfort within the affected spaces. The installation in PSC is in the commissioning phase and anticipated to achieve similar savings results.

This presentation will discuss the process for implementation including achieving user buy-in, selection of appropriate areas for installation, and the M&V process. Challenges and solutions will be discussed including elevated pollutant levels, odour issues, and educating staff and researchers on their existing HVAC system and the newly installed DCV system. An overview of lessons learned will be provided as well as plans for potential future projects and modifications to past installations for further improvements.

Though the pandemic has dramatically expanded work-from-home possibilities in many industries, it has also shown how hands-on and equipment-dependent research continues to rely on purpose-built laboratory spaces. As downtown cores continue to struggle with high vacancy rates, the potential for converting office space to research labs has received considerable attention. This is particularly true in cities like Toronto, where the convergence between academic research, the healthcare sector and the biotech industry has gained traction over the past decade, yet the availability of appropriate leasable space for wet bench research remains in short supply.

Retrofitting conventional office space to labs allows institutions and start-ups to expand their research footprint without having to build new facilities. While this strategy also offers new possibilities for commercial landlords, it has inherent challenges related to providing infrastructure requirements, life safety, security and containment, the needs of which often exceed the typical office building provisions. It also requires working with existing structural grids, and the typical floor-to-floor heights for office real estate, which can be challenging when incorporating additional mechanical systems and providing exhaust systems per local regulations. However, with innovative and integrated design and construction strategies, it is possible to repurpose office spaces to laboratories, thereby opening a new avenue for regenerating urban cores while reinforcing the S+T sector.

The presentation will share the challenges and lessons learned from an office-to-lab renovation in a downtown Toronto office tower for the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Medicine. We will explore the functional needs, integrated design strategies and constructability issues, which were resolved through the active collaborative efforts of the landlord, stakeholders and design team. We will review the project’s development from the feasibility study to design, and through (early) implementation, highlighting the space and circulation planning approach, provision for infrastructure upgrades and regulatory requirements, containment and security considerations and construction strategies to meet schedule and budget.

While renovating existing space is an implicitly sustainable act when compared with new construction, if not carefully implemented it can cause significant disruption to adjacent tenants and core building infrastructure. Our project demonstrates the fundamental feasibility of introducing highly serviced laboratory space into existing office buildings in a minimally invasive and self-contained manner. In addition, we will address our approach towards resilient design, whereby we have shaped this lab-of-the-future to be agile – moving away from research-specific programmatic and infrastructure requirements to a flex lab approach which can adapt to future changes without requiring further renovations. Furthermore, this project serves as a model for reimagining multiple floors of this and other commercial towers and for the university’s Faculty of Medicine to test this agile “new normal” space planning approach as they embark on a major redevelopment project at their core campus.

Alors que les espaces de bureaux commerciaux ont connu une baisse de la demande des locataires conventionnels, les institutions et les start-ups biotechnologiques ont toujours besoin de plus d’espaces pour faire leur recherche. Toutefois, l’espace disponible est en forte baisse dans la plupart des villes Canadiennes. L’objectif de cette présentation est de discuter des défis et des possibilités pour redéfinir les espaces dans les centres urbains, qui ont été appris lors d’une rénovation bureau-à-laboratoire et qui pourrait servir en tant que modèle pour la reconversion du secteur immobilier commercial pour la recherche scientifique.

Alors que la pandémie a dramatiquement élargi les possibilités pour le télétravail dans plusieurs industries, on voit également comment la recherche pratique exigeant de l’équipement continue à dépendre des espaces de laboratoires conventionnels. Alors que les centres-villes continuent à combattre les taux élevés de bureaux vacants, le potentiel pour convertir les espaces de bureaux en laboratoires de recherche a reçu une attention considérable. Ceci est particulièrement vrai dans les villes comme Toronto, où la convergence entre la recherche académique, le secteur médical, et l’industrie de biotechnologie est devenue de plus en plus populaire durant la dernière décennie. Malgré cela, il n’y a toujours pas assez d’espaces à louer pour la recherche.

La transformation d’espaces de bureaux conventionnels en laboratoires permet aux institutions et aux start-ups d’étendre leur empreinte de recherche sans avoir à construire de nouvelles installations. Même si cette stratégie offre plusieurs nouvelles possibilités pour les propriétaires commerciaux, il y a des défis liés à la fourniture d’infrastructures, la sécurité des personnes, le confinement/sécurité, dont les besoins dépassent les provisions d’un espace de bureau typique. Ceci exige aussi de travailler avec des grilles structurelles existantes, et hauteurs d’étages typiques pour l’immobilier de bureaux, ce qui rend plus difficile d’incorporer des systèmes mécaniques additionnels et fournir des systèmes d’échappement selon les règlements locaux. Par contre, avec les stratégies innovantes et intégrées dans la conception et la construction, il est possible de transformer des espaces de bureaux en des espaces laboratoires, qui vont ouvrir de nouvelles voies pour régénérer les noyaux urbains tout en renforçant le secteur des sciences et technologies.

Notre présentation va partager les défis et les leçons apprises d’une rénovation bureau-à-laboratoire dans une tour de bureau au centre-ville de Toronto pour la faculté de médecine à l’Université de Toronto. Nous allons explorer les besoins fonctionnels, les stratégies de conception intégrées et les questions de constructibilité qui se sont réglées par les efforts de collaboration active entre le propriétaire, les parties prenantes, et l’équipe de conception. Nous allons revoir le développement du projet, de l’étude de faisabilité à la conception, et du début de sa mise en œuvre, en soulignant l’approche de planification de l’espace et de circulation, les provisions pour l’amélioration des infrastructures et des exigences réglementaires, les considérations de confinement et de sécurité ainsi que des stratégies de construction pour respecter l’échéancier et le budget.

Tandis que rénover un espace existant est un acte durable comparé à la nouvelle construction, si le projet n’est pas soigneusement mis en œuvre, le chantier peut causer une perturbation considérable aux locataires adjacents et aux infrastructures du bâtiment de base. Notre projet démontre la faisabilité fondamentale d’introduire un espace laboratoire hautement équipé dans des espaces de bureaux déjà existants d’une manière autonome et très peu invasive. De plus, nous adresseront notre approche sur la conception résiliente, où l’on a influencé ce laboratoire d’avenir pour qu’il soit agile – en s’éloignant des exigences de programme et d’infrastructure spécifique à la recherche, et pour adopter et pour développer une approche de ‘laboratoire flexible’ qui peut s’adapter aux futurs changements sans nécessiter des nouvelles rénovations. De plus, ce projet servira de modèle pour réimaginer plusieurs étapes durant la rénovation et d’autres immeubles commerciaux et permettre la faculté de médecine de l’Université de tester cette approche de planifications d’espaces agiles “nouvelle norme” tout en embarquant dans un projet de redéveloppent majeur sur leur campus principal.

Many buildings designed for life at the office are being converted to lab spaces in the hopes of attracting future, long-term tenants. These buildings are often located in mixed-use, urban areas and require significant changes to mechanical systems to accommodate lab ventilation requirements. Designers need to provide flexibility in the core design to accommodate various types of lab tenants while also considering possible future tenant needs. A key challenge to the design process is locating lab exhausts and AHU equipment within the physical constraints of the building, while maintaining safe air quality in, and outside, the lab. Re-entrainment of exhaust contaminants can affect air quality within the building and at neighboring mixed-use buildings. Prudent planning during early design stages using typical parameters can help to properly locate core building exhaust and HVAC equipment, and future tenant exhausts, resulting in a final design that is both safer and more energy efficient. The I2SL Exhaust Design Guide provides several concepts that can be especially beneficial. However, detailed evaluation is often necessary to confirm exhaust dispersion performance and maximize long-term energy savings.

This presentation will outline design planning strategies using specific examples that can be used early in the design process to reduce air quality impacts of the new lab exhausts on the renovated building and its neighbors.

When people think of sustainable building design, we often think of the types of materials, or energy consumed by a building. However, when one considers how to incorporate these features into laboratory design, wind begins to play a critical role in turning an average design into an elevated one.

Starting with how we define design wind speeds and extreme events, the source of our wind data is the first key step that defines the rest of the design. From structural to mechanical, a site-specific design wind speed can provide material savings when accurate wind loads are available, successful implementation of on-site energy generation, green roofs that last within the built environment, reduced operational downtime during severe weather events, and ventilation systems that are safe and energy efficient. When and how wind engineering is incorporated into the design process is just as important as the design itself and can define what value can be gained.

A well thought out design strikes a balance between comfort, safety, and sustainability. This presentation will focus on how wind engineering typically considered in design and provide insights into how a detailed wind engineering analysis can contribute to sustainability, energy use, and decarbonization goals associated with laboratory design.

The time is now to create a resilient lab to address decarbonization and prevent exceeding the 1.5C threshold. Lab buildings are a large source of energy and carbon reduction opportunity to reach stated goals. A Top 15 Life Sciences Company deployed an “efficiency first” airside optimization programs in six of their labs and are receiving $900,000 in annual energy savings and every $1 invested in airside optimization will generate a 5x return on investment on future decarbonization efforts in just five years. This case study will be shared with details on airside’s impact on electrification along with how and why an “efficiency first” approach should be taken in other research facilities to create the new normal from a sustainability perspective.

L’heure d’aborder la question de la décarbonisation pour éviter de surpasser le seuil de 1,5°C est arrivée. Les bâtiments de laboratoires offrent une importante réduction des émissions de carbone et source énergétique pour atteindre les objectifs fixés. Le Top 15 des compagnies de recherche pour les sciences de la vie a déployé le programme d’optimisation Airside « Priorité de l’efficience » pour six de leurs laboratoires et profite d’une économie énergétique de 900 000 $ annuellement. Chaque dollar investi dans l’optimisation Airside multiplie par cinq le rendement de l’investissement sur les efforts futurs de décarbonisation. Cette étude de cas sera partagée avec des détails de l’impact d’Airside sur l’électrification, ainsi que sur la façon et les raisons pour lesquelles l’approche « Priorité de l’efficience » devrait être adoptée dans d’autres installations de recherche pour créer la nouvelle normalité du point de vue de la durabilité.