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Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Battelle

Site map of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's new Physical Sciences Facility

The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), operated by Battelle for the U.S. Department of Energy, is currently designing its new Physical Sciences Facility (PSF) in Richland, Washington. The 200,000-square-foot facility will have 66,700 square feet of laboratory space for radiological, materials science, and chemical research. With PSF set to begin construction in late 2007, the design team is currently deciding which environmentally friendly features to incorporate with the goal of reaching LEED® certification.

Features under consideration include utilizing:

  • Ground source wells for heating/cooling
  • Chilled beam technology in the offices/labs
  • A high-efficiency central chiller water plant
  • Condensing heating hot water boilers
  • Variable air volume (VAV) controls on radiological fume hoods
  • Automatic sash positioners on all VAV fume hoods

Water conservation measure options to investigate include:

  • Waterless urinals
  • High-efficiency toilets
  • Alternative water treatment methods (if cooling towers are used)
  • Process water use reduction.

The final decision on incorporating these features will rely heavily on the life cycle cost analysis that will be carried out comparing PSF with these features against the baseline facility without them. In order to directly monitor the success of features incorporated in the final construction, a submetering system is being planned that will document energy savings associated with each energy conservation measure. Labs21 will provide technical support for incorporation of new energy-efficient fume hoods, which will be one of the features monitored by the metering system. The Labs21 Team will also suggest additional features to incorporate and measures to take to help PNNL achieve LEED certification.


Since its creation in 1965, the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) has produced dozens of major innovations and advances in the areas of the environment, energy, health, national security, and the basic sciences that support these areas. Managed by Battelle, PNNL is dedicated to improving its environmental impact by being a member of EPA's National Environmental Performance Track and implementing an International Organization of Standards certified (ISO 14001) Environmental Management System. For more information, visit the PNNL Web site.Exit

 

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