Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is in the construction phase of a new 175,000-square-foot Science Center on its campus. The building, which is tracking to earn LEED® Gold certification or higher, will include nearly 120,000 square feet of laboratory space that will primarily function for biological science studies.
Throughout design, the main goal of the design team for this project was to reduce the overall energy footprint of the building. Using an integrated design methodology, key decisions (e.g., envelope and MEP and recovery systems) were made on the basis of life-cycle cost/benefit analysis. Modeling compared projected loads to initial energy metrics, which detailed loads for electric, steam, chilled water, and water systems.
So far, the building's features are designed to efficiently operate within the 95th percentile of existing buildings. Some examples of the sustainable features incorporated include chilled beams, water and heat recovery systems, efficient lighting rods, and an advanced VAV air change system. Because of this building’s efficient operating expectations, benchmarking is a primary focus of the design team.
The Labs21 Benchmarking Tool is the primary tool that Dartmouth will use to benchmark this facility. With such high performance expectations at a facility that includes more than 40 fume hoods operating in more than 30 different laboratory spaces, the Benchmarking Tool is the perfect outlet for owners to track building performance, and share information with others who hope to gain from their experiences. Recently, ENERGY STAR® partnered with Labs21 to use its Benchmarking Tool to set the ENERGY STAR rating for energy-efficient laboratories.
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Founded in 1769, Dartmouth College  is a member of the Ivy League with nearly 6,000 undergraduate and graduate students. The approximately 250-acre campus lies along the Connecticut River and uses its liberal arts focus to enhance the natural setting of the campus with classic architecture and art. However, the Carnegie Institute classified it as a research institution, with high research activity.
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