Green Labs!

This article, "Sustainable Science" from AIArchitect, by Zach Mortice, answers the question, "How do you . . . adapt LEED commercial interior standards for use in a university laboratory?" with an example from Yale University. Note: There are still a few spaces left in a related preconference workshop, "The Case for Green Chemistry: Integrating Sustainability into Curricula and Campus," at SCUP–42 in Chicago on Sunday, July 8 from 8:00 AM – 12:30 PM. The audience for this workshop would be administrators, educators, architects, and others looking toward renovation projects that require decisions pertaining to sustainability and green chemistry.

The newly renovated third floor of the Yale School of Medicine’s Sterling Hall is the first entry into two environmental firsts. It’s the first in a series of planned green renovations of the School of Medicine’s laboratories. It’s also the first LEED accredited lab anywhere.

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Now, 75 percent of the building has access to outside views and 85 percent is lighted naturally. Recycled blue jeans are used for cotton insulation in the wing’s 16,439 square feet, and 22 percent of the project’s materials, like wheat board cabinetry panels, are rapidly renewable (i.e., renewable in one year). More than 80 percent of all construction debris was kept out of landfills, and the campus’ urban location (walkable and near public transportation) also scored points for the project.