Lab of the Year: High Honors
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Glass and black granite contribute to the minimalist aesthetic of The Eli and Edythe Broad CIRM Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at the Univ. of Southern California. Photo: Nick Merrick © Hedrich Blessing
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The Project:
Univ. of Southern California, The Eli and Edythe Broad CIRM Center for Regenerative Medicine and
Stem Cell Research, Los Angeles. Five stories plus a basement; 91,485 ft2; $65 million.
The building was funded in part by a generous $30 million donation from Eli and Edythe Broad,
philanthropists well known for their commitment to art, education, science, and civic
development.
This LEED Gold project received a High Honors award in the 2011 Lab of the Year competition for
its exemplary combination of architectural quality and laboratory design, incorporating
cutting-edge engineering features such as chilled beams and an energy-efficient, double-skinned
façade.
The Team:
ZGF Architects LLP, Los Angeles (architect/interior designer); Jacobs Consultancy, Solana Beach,
Calif. (lab consultant); Affiliated Engineers Inc., Madison, Wis. (MEP engineer); KPFF Consulting
Engineers, Los Angeles (structural/civil engineer); Van Atta Associates, Santa Barbara, Calif.
(landscape architect); Morley Construction, Santa Monica, Calif. (general contractor).
click to enlarge
The lab floors (three to five) consist of open assigned labs configured as interconnecting research neighborhoods, linked by perimeter walkways and a central linear equipment corridor. Floor two is similar in basic plan but includes core labs. Sky bridges connect the Broad Center with the adjacent Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute. Plan: © ZGF Architects LLP |
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The Users:
With construction supported by $27 million from the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine,
a state-funded initiative to foster stem cell research, the Broad Center is home to 15 faculty
members and more than 100 staff and students tackling fundamental questions in the field of
regenerative medicine. Increasingly, researchers are working with clinical colleagues at the
Keck School of Medicine at USC, as well as recruiting additional translational stem cell
researchers. The Southern California Stem Cell Scientific Collaboration (SC3) is one of the key
occupants, combining researchers from USC, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, the California
Institute of Technology, City of Hope, the House Ear Institute and the Univ. of California Santa
Barbara.
Focuses of teams working in the building include cancer, neurosciences, cardiovascular disease,
obesity/diabetes/metabolic diseases, and immunology/infectious disease. Professors at the Broad
Center and the Norris Cancer Center have already teamed up in a new Center for Molecular Drug
Discovery. Researchers from the Doheny Eye Institute are also working in the facility with Broad
Center stem cell researchers, looking for therapies for macular degeneration.
The Schedule:
Construction began in June 2008 and was substantially complete in August 2010.
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The open labs include both wet and dry zones that can be converted according to research needs. Overhead utility delivery, chilled beams and flexible casework contribute to adaptability. Photo: Nick Merrick © Hedrich Blessing
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The Goals:
The Broad Center is one of a network of new stem cell and regenerative medicine facilities funded
at least in part through the state’s CIRM program, with other buildings located at The Buck
Institute for Research on Aging, in Novato; Stanford Univ.; and the Univ. of California campuses
at Berkeley, Irvine, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Santa Barbara and Santa Cruz. An additional
facility, the Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine, is underway in San Diego as a
cooperative institution involving researchers from the Sanford Burnham Medical Research Institute,
the Salk Institute, the Scripps Research Institute and the Univ. of California-San Diego.
At USC, the goal was to provide appropriate adaptable, translational lab space to foster
collaboration, discoveries and expansion. A further goal was to create a new hub on the Health
Sciences Campus for projects spanning basic research through translational medicine through
clinical studies.
Ample interaction space was envisioned, as was a high degree of sustainability. Challenges
included dealing with a relatively tight and busy construction site, and ensuring an appropriate
degree of facility security. The available site has a 13-ft south-to-north slope, which also
influenced the design.
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The center spine serves as a linear equipment galley and is also the path for moving materials and supplies, keeping pedestrian traffic clear in the perimeter corridors. Photo: Nick Merrick ©Hedrich Blessing
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A connection to the adjacent Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute (ZNI) would be required, allowing
Broad Center researchers to access shared services such as CO2 and liquid nitrogen, as
well as the ZNI animal facility. Core labs in Broad were designed to serve researchers from both
buildings, and an additional vivarium dedicated to Broad’s researchers was part of the program.
Cage and rack washing equipment in the ZNI would be available for use by the Broad facility,
allowing a more modest vivarium sizing in Broad.
The Solutions:
The facility’s need to accommodate shifting, multidisciplinary groups drove all aspects of the
design. The first floor houses the most public zones, including an airy lobby and a 72-seat
seminar room, with state-of-the-art AV and videoconferencing capabilities. Much of the floor is
dedicated to mechanical/electrical space—a decision dictated in part by the sloping site and the
desire to offer as much daylighting to lab floors as possible.
Putting the support zone at the lower part of the slope made the best use of the space; the
main building entrance is at the higher end, at the same level as the entrance to the adjacent
ZNI. This decision also freed up the roof, eliminating the need for the typical mechanical
penthouses.
The four floors above are controlled through key-card access and consist of open lab
neighborhoods, linked by perimeter walkways and a central linear equipment corridor. The second
floor is dedicated to core labs that support researchers throughout the Keck School as well as the
researchers from SC3. These labs—the stem cell core, flow cytometry core, histology core and
imaging core—contain modern cell culture and microscopy equipment, plus collaborative space that
accommodates local teams and visiting scientists.
The second floor also hosts activities of the Stem Cell Collaborative and Training Core, part
of a CIRM requirement to teach and disseminate stem cell techniques; available facilities
include a standard complement of open benches, fume hoods, an environmental room and a sterilizer
facility.
The three top floors offer more general lab and lab support space, such as cell culture and
microscopy, and are used by the USC faculty and their teams. Ample amounts of dry space adjoin the
wet space since both are needed in stem cell research. Offices are clustered on the main
circulation corridor but adjacent to the relevant lab space. Walls are glazed to maintain
transparency.
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On the east elevation, a double-glazed curtain wall—consisting of translucent and transparent glass held by a stainless steel cabling system—allows air movement in the cavity during warm temperatures to reduce heat gain. In cooler temperatures, the cavity retains air to create an insulating brarrier. Photo: Nick Merrick © Hedrich Blessing
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Bench areas, consisting of flexible wood casework, can easily convert from dry to wet as
project needs change. Overhead service carriers provide quick utility connections and are
removable; environmental rooms are not recessed into the slab and can also be moved or removed if
required. Piped utility sources and waste/vent stacks are situated outside the lab proper, and
ample electrical capacity (including widespread availability of floor boxes) is provided.
Each floor also has a conference room, plus a nearby kitchen/break room and outdoor terrace
with seating. Open-air bridge links to the ZNI are provided on every floor, with seating and views
that make them viable options for informal interaction.
A modestly sized chemistry core lab and NMR lab are situated at the basement level, as well as
a liquid nitrogen storage core facility.
The Highlights:
Building engineering innovations help the Broad Center rise above current norms. Perhaps most
notable is a large-scale implementation of chilled beams in both wet and dry lab zones. Active
chilled beams were selected for their contribution to system flexibility. The use of chilled water
rather than chilled air as a means to reduce thermal loads allows a reduction of ductwork sizes,
air handling unit sizes, fan energy and (potentially) floor-to-floor heights. The chilled beams
also efficiently meet minimum ventilation requirements for appropriate indoor air quality.
Various configurations were investigated, with the ultimate solution placing one-way-throw
chilled beams directly over the lab benches, where the most heat gain occurs. The installation of
this technology is predicted to reduce annual energy consumption by 10 to 15%, as well as allowing
a ductwork reduction of ~35%.
Also notable from both an architectural and operational standpoint is the choice of a
double-skin façade for the prominent eastside of the building. Many variations of the scheme were
analyzed using software known as TRNSYS (TRaNsient SYstem Simultation). The simulation was used in
conjunction with an airflow analysis tool, CONTAM, to determine thermal conditions within the
proposed naturally ventilated cavity.
The ultimate solution features alternating patterns of transparent and translucent glass as the
outer façade, offset to create oblique views and a pleasing rhythm while controlling heat gain and
minimizing glare. The exterior layer is supported by stainless steel cables or cable netting, and
air moves through a thermal break between the façade layers. In warm temperatures air moves
through the space via convection, mitigating heat loads on the building. When temperatures are
cool, the air stays still, providing insulation. The western façade uses angled glass fins to
reduce afternoon glare, with high-performance glazing contributing to heat reduction.
Multiple additional green design features were incorporated in the project.
Additional strategies for Broad's LEED Gold
In addition to energy savings produced through the adoption of chilled beams and a double-wall façade, the USC Broad Center integrates multiple sustainability tactics:
- Lighting. Generous perimeter glass makes daylight permeable from both sides of the lab neighborhoods. Pendant luminaries offer primarily indirect distribution; light bounces off the ceiling for a shadowless wash of illumination at the benchtop. Fixtures use extended-life, low-mercury T8 lamps. Photocells are integrated with a low-voltage lighting control system, adjusting levels according to daylight availability. Basic daytime and nighttime settings are programmed, though users can override the presets if needed. LED task lights at the bench complete the plan.
- Recycled content. Rapidly renewable wood products include bamboo veneer doors and architectural casework.
- Low-emitting products were selected for carpets and fabrics to improve indoor air quality.
- Light pollution reduction. Fixtures located internally and externally are “dark sky” friendly and minimize light pollution.
- Landscape design. Native species require leds irrigation and maintenance.
- Heat island reduction. Low-albedo materials on roof surfaces mitigate the building heat island effect.
- Water conservation. Use of fixtures with flush valves and flow restrictors reduces water consumption by more than 30%.
- Transportation. The USC bus service, bike storage with readily available showers, and preferred parking for fuel-efficient cars reduce the need for fossil fuels required by transport.
- Commissioning and performance monitoring. Systems were commissioned by a third party throughout the construction process as well as at completion.
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On floors two through five, balconies with casual seating augment the opportunities for
interaction. Photo: Eric Staudenmaier
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The Results:
Lab of the Year judges complimented the way this project combined many best practices for modern
research buildings in a seamless, coherent and effective way. "This project is an integrated
facility of open laboratories, flexible casework, wellorganized systems, and sustainable
architectural features," says Barry Shiel, associate principal, Payette, Boston. "These are
brought together with a consistent expression of materials and exquisite details."
Independent lab consultant Richard Rietz, Helena, Mont., says, "This is the first double
exterior wall I have seen that actually seems to work; it provides a full wall of natural light
for the users but protects the lab benches and instrumentation from direct sunlight. The chilled
beams, lighting and casework were tastefully integrated into a pleasing whole. It’s encouraging to
finally see chilled beams being designed into U.S. laboratories."
The Contact:
Ted Hyman, FAIA, partner in charge, ZGF Architects LLP, ted.hyman@zgf.com.
