Northern Arizona University, with the help of the Labs21 Technical Team, constructed a new
Applied Research and Development Facility, that boasts one of the three highest LEED® Platinum certifications in the world. This facility
serves as a center for collaborative research in engineering,
biogenetics, and bio-informatics, and also acts as a technology
transfer hub to generate economic opportunities for Northern
Arizona and Colorado Plateau. This high-performance building is a regional, national, and international model for energy efficient laboratory
and building design, that incorporates learning principles that teach and demonstrate the best of today's renewable energy and
water conservation technologies.
Energy sources for the 59,821-square-foot ARD building include a photovoltaic solar power system, automatic shade controls, venting windows, and an enthalpy wheel to help regulate the building's temperature. The design and automated systems result in an overall reduction of energy consumed by 60 percent compared to traditional buildings.
In addition, about 30 percent of the building's supplies are from recycled materials, including thousands of pairs of denim jeans used for insulation, 57 percent of the materials are from local producers or manufacturers, and wood used in the building was certified to be harvested from a renewable forest-management system. Furthermore, 90 percent of waste materials generated from the building's construction made its way to recycling rather than landfills.
Additional sustainable features include a "green roof" on the building's conference unit that will serve as a place to grow and maintain an indigenous vegetation cover requiring minimal irrigation and a parking lot that uses pervious concrete, allowing water to be captured in natural aquifers to be used for irrigation purposes. The facility uses reclaimed water for landscaping use and flushing toilets, and water-efficient features such as low-pressure faucets and toilets reduce total water needs by 60 percent. Daylighting is another prominent feature, and provides 75 percent of the lighting that includes an atrium area.
Located in Flagstaff, Arizona, Northern Arizona
University is small university with a solid reputation. While
NAU's emphasis is undergraduate education, the university also
offers graduate programs and research that build from its base
on the Colorado Plateau and extend to such national concerns as
forest health and bioterrorism. For more on this project at NAU, please visit the NAU Web site.
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