Upcoming Events
Annual Conference Recap + Social
See some of the most popular presentations from the 2023 I2SL National Conference, network with fellow sustainability leaders, and learn about The Alexandria at San Carlos's sustainable facility. Plus, join a raffle for a free I2Sl membership or renewal!
Agenda:
• 4:00 pm-5:00 pm: Networking, Appetizers, and Drinks
• 5:00 pm-6:30 pm: 3, 20 Minute Presentations from our Panelists + Q&A Session
• 6:30 pm-7:30 pm: Networking, Appetizers, Drinks, and 1 Free Membership/Renewal Raffle
Panels:
Adaptive Reuse: A Viable, Practical and Sustainable Solution to Meet Sky-Rocketing Demand for Lab Space
Panelist: Emily English, Director of Sustainability at BNBuilders
The biotech revolution is booming, driving demand for life sciences R&D space off the charts. Lab space scarcity is propelling construction, but global supply interruptions have driven lead times for materials and equipment to double and even triple, challenging speed to market. At the same time, C-suites face mounting pressure to meet environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals. This session will make the case for looking to adaptive reuse of existing building stock as a solution to all of these issues. By considering the existing infrastructure onsite and asking what we can reuse, our project’s owner, architect and contractor team saved dollars, shaved time off the construction schedule, and achieved an embodied carbon win. Additionally, the client had LEED aspirations that were initially challenged due to intense energy use of the labs. Reuse of large sections of the envelope, roof structure and flooring, plus salvage of furniture and lab equipment, allowed us to earn multiple Materials & Resources credits, offsetting the lack of points available in Optimized Energy Performance, in order to achieve certification.
Decarbonizing Labs—A Case Study
Panelist: Brad C. Cochran, PE, Principal, CPP Wind Engineering Consultants
As codes, regulations, and owner goals push projects to shift from fossil fuel use toward all electric designs, projects need to consider new applications for existing technologies. In this session, we will look at innovative heat pump and heat recovery applications for laboratory buildings. A case study will be presented of a Boston based lab building utilizing exhaust source heat pumps. Real world application and associated energy and carbon savings will be shared.
GHG Inventory: A How-to Guide for Laboratories
Panelists:
Grace Olupinyo, Decarbonization and Sustainability Specialist at Mazetti
Terry Stelter, Principal & National Life Sciences Sector Leader at Mazzetti
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “Climate change is the single biggest health threat facing humanity.” The built environment accounts for around 40% of annual global greenhouse gas emissions. Translation--as building planners/designers/owners, we have both a responsibility and opportunity to both mitigate the impact of existing buildings and ensure new construction is carbon neutral. And, we know laboratory buildings are particularly challenging to decarbonize, given specific ventilation and exhaust, heating/cooling requirements, water usage, etc. How do we do it? The first step is to measure carbon footprint by completing a GHG inventory. This session will step through the measuring process, using real, timely examples from various healthcare and health sciences projects. A good inventory illustrates the information an organization needs to benchmark its impact, make an educated commitment, set achievable goals, and prioritize reduction efforts for greatest impact. Informed by the globally accepted GHG Protocol as a foundation, this session will address an overview of a lab-specific process, identifying the data to collect, how to most accurately and efficiently collect it (both the first time and annually thereafter). We will address the different tiers of “eligible” data, depending on what is available, i.e., fleet vehicle miles vs gallons of fuel purchased or supply chain items purchased vs overall spending cost.
More About The Alexandria at San Carlos
For more than 130 years, we have brought hope to humanity through the development of important medicines and vaccines. We aspire to be the premier research-intensive biopharmaceutical company in the world — and today, we are at the forefront of research to deliver innovative health solutions that advance the prevention and treatment of diseases in people and animals. We foster a diverse and inclusive global workforce and operate responsibly every day to enable a safe, sustainable and healthy future for all people and communities.
Merck's facility in SSF won the I2SL 2022 Sustainable Laboratory Award at the Annual Conference. Their building is LEED Gold, LEED 0 Carbon and Energy, WELL Silver Certified, and Fitwel Certified.