Georgia Public Health Laboratory (GPHL)

Building Technologies Database (http://eere.buildinggreen.com/overview.cfm?projectid=212) on 2009-06-06. Please confirm that the import was successful, login, and remove this message. Help make the Green Building Brain better.**

Overview

• Location: Decatur, GA
• Building type(s): Laboratory
• New construction
• 66,000 sq. feet (6,130 sq. meters)
• Project scope: 2-story building
• Other setting
• Completed November 1997

The GPHL is the primary clinical testing laboratory for the state of Georgia. This state-run facility is located on the outskirts of Atlanta near other government facilities on a busy, multi-use street. More than 90 personnel conduct about 2.5 million tests in the laboratory each year on over a million specimens in the areas of virology, parasitology, bacteriology, mycology, and immunology. In 1998, the GPHL was selected by Research and Development Magazine as the Laboratory of the Year.

Environmental Aspects

The GPHL's energy efficiency can be attributed both to its many sustainable design features and to a strong retro-commissioning effort. Along with an innovative use of recycled materials (the exterior facade is made of recycled copper shingles and granite scrap salvaged from local tombstone manufacturing operations), design features that contribute to the building's energy savings include: tight envelope construction, air handlers located on the floor directly above the chillers, closely grouped loads (such as low-temperature freezers), natural lighting, an HVAC system that uses one-pass air in the laboratory and support spaces and recirculated air in the administrative spaces, direct digital controls, and lower nighttime settings for supply and exhaust air. Also included are a reflective roof surface, sunscreens to control solar gains, and low-emmissivity glazing.

The GPHL's layout was designed to minimize life-cycle costs, materials consumed, and remodeling time over the life of the building. Much care was also taken to create a pleasing work environment. Natural light and exterior views permeate the building, making even the innermost laboratories bright and spacious.

Owner & Occupancy

• Owned and occupied by State of Georgia, State government
• Typically occupied by 90 people

Building Programs

Indoor Spaces:

Laboratory (53%), Other (27%), Office (21%)

Keywords

Simulation, Commissioning, Operations and maintenance, Indigenous vegetation, Insulation levels, Glazing, Airtightness, HVAC, Salvaged materials, Recycled materials, Local materials, Connection to outdoors, Daylighting, Ventilation effectiveness, Indoor air quality monitoring

Team & Process

The designers worked with the GPHL staff to better understand their needs. To help streamline workloads and processes, the designers studied the logical path of a lab specimen and used this information to place key areas of the facility. Above all, the laboratory personnel emphasized the importance of bright, spacious work areas with views to the outside, and much care was taken to satisfy this request.

Flexibility was a major goal of the design approach. In order to accommodate changes in public health priorities over time, the designers developed an easily adaptable, open laboratory plan. Offices were designed so they could be reconfigured later, if necessary, and lower level doors were strategically aligned so staff could replace chillers without having to demolish walls.

This project was completed before the State of Georgia had fully embraced building commissioning. By the time construction was finished, only traditional test and balance procedures and basic operational training were completed.

A short time after the building was occupied, the owner began to notice that some systems were not operating as needed. To address these problems, the owner formed a "retro-commissioning team." This team consisted of the owner's building manager; an independent test and balance firm; a mechanical maintenance firm; an electrical maintenance firm; the original controls subcontractor; a mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) engineering firm; and members of the architecture firm.

In the first year, the team members identified and corrected several operational problems. They established how each system should work and confirmed or corrected each aspect of each system so the building would function as intended. The team learned that, from an economics and efficiency standpoint, it is important to start commissioning a building during the design and construction phase.

During the first few years, the GPHL tracked measurable indicators of performance, e.g., outside temperatures and how the building's systems responded internally. These were tracked initially to help GPHL understand how to optimize the building's performance.

Beers/Skanska Construction Contractor Atlanta, GA [http://www.beers.skanska.com](http://www.beers.skanska.com)

Delon Hampton & Associates Civil engineer Atlanta, GA [http://www.delonhampton.com/](http://www.delonhampton.com/)

Lord, Aeck & Sargent Architect Atlanta, GA [http://www.lordaecksargent.com](http://www.lordaecksargent.com)

[Jim Nicolow](learnmore.cfm?ProjectID=212) Lord, Aeck and Sargent Architect Atlanta, GA [http://www.lordaecksargent.com/](http://www.lordaecksargent.com/)

Stanley D. Lindsey & Associates, Inc. Structural engineer Atlanta, GA [http://www.sdlal.com](http://www.sdlal.com)

Carla Wertheimer Tre-Haus Landscape architect Atlanta, GA

Bill Thompson W.L. Thompson Company, Inc. Mechanical and electrical engineer Atlanta, GA

Finance & Cost

Cost data in U.S. dollars as of date of completion.

• Total project cost (land excluded): $10,498,770

• Some of the hard costs:

  • construction: $159 per sq foot ($1,710 per sq meter)

Site Description

After several design iterations, the design team determined that it would be most sensitive to the site to locate the building on the north portion of the site and place parking areas on the southern portion. This allowed many trees to be retained and required only minimal grading.

Taking advantage of the naturally sloping site, the rectangular second floor of the laboratory is larger than the first floor, extending on-grade much farther north than the first floor. This allowed many laboratory areas to be built on-grade, reducing vibrations where sensitive equipment is used.

• Lot size: 5.30 acres
• Building footprint: 41,600 sq ft (3,860 sq meters)

• Previously undeveloped land

• Siting Analysis

  • Hire a landscape architect to help with siting of buildings and infrastructure

• Low-Impact Siting

  • Site development carefully to protect significant ecosystems

• Site Planning

  • Site buildings so as to help occupants celebrate the natural beauty

  • Provide for solar access

Energy

The building envelope is well-insulated with R-19 wall insulation and R-21 roof insulation. The roof, which is almost an acre in size, has a highly reflective surface to minimize heat gain, and low-e glazing optimizes the building's heating and cooling efficiency.

To supplement daylighting, labs and offices have direct/indirect lighting fixtures, which use T-8 lamps and electronic ballasts. Automatic dimming controls were not incorporated into this design, but they could provide a means to increase the energy savings resulting from the use of natural lighting.

The HVAC equipment is a constant-volume system that moves air at 70,000 cubic feet per minute (cfm). The 11 fume hoods in the building are connected to a manifold exhaust system. Six high-induction air exhaust fans are on the roof directly above the service corridor, and exhaust stacks are 12 feet high above the roof line.

Fans have variable-frequency drives and direct-drive motors to balance the air in the system. The motors are directly coupled to a fan and do not use belts. The air-handling unit is located on the second floor directly above the mechanical room, which contains the chillers and boilers. Inlet air is drawn from the north side of the building at ground level. A direct digital control system is used for equipment controls.

Each of the two 200-ton chillers can provide enough cooling for the entire building. Heating is provided by two 125-boiler horsepower (BHP) gas-fired steam boilers. There are three shell-and-tube heat exchangers—one for domestic hot water, one for humidification, and one for reheat coils. Steam is used for sterilizers and glassware washers. Emergency power is provided by a 400-kilowatt generator with a natural-gas engine.

 

Materials & Resources

Materials were chosen primarily for their durability, cost-effectiveness, and environmental qualities. Recycled materials were used extensively on the exterior facade. Durable granite, salvaged from the waste of local tombstone crafting operations, forms tapered vertical piers that act as sunshades for west-facing windows. Recycled copper was used over structural metal studs to cover the upper portion of exterior walls. These materials cost no more than a standard brick wall.

Indoor Environment

To provide the laboratory staff with bright work areas and views to the outside from almost anywhere inside the building, recessed clerestory windows above the offices provide a direct line of sight to the outdoors from the labs and clerical spaces. Although these windows face west, glare from late-day sunlight is controlled by vertical granite piers on the facade and a 12-foot-deep roof overhang. The furniture in the clerical areas is designed to have low partition walls that do not block the view of the trees and sky. Interior windows between the labs, offices, and office support areas also allow light to permeate the building, and create an open, seamless feel.

The lab areas and support spaces take up approximately 34%, or 22,906 gross feet of the building and use 100% outside air. The remaining areas use 20% outside air with 80% recirculated air. In both the BL-2 and BL-3 labs, there are 10 air changes per hour (ACH); at night, setbacks drop this to 6 ACH.

• Visual Comfort and The Building Envelope

  • Use skylights and/or clerestories for daylighting

• Visual Comfort and Interior Design

  • Use low partitions near the exterior glazing to promote daylight penetration

  • Install large interior windows to allow for the transmission of daylight

• Ventilation and Filtration Systems

  • Provide heat-recovery ventilation

Awards

• Research and Development Magazine "Lab of the Year" in 1998

Lessons Learned

The GPHL shows the advantages that can be gained by designing and building a laboratory with the staff's needs, as well as the building's energy efficiency, in mind. The designers took into consideration the requests of laboratory personnel in designing this comfortable, light-filled facility. It makes very good use of daylighting while providing direct views to the outdoors from almost anywhere in the building. To determine the placement of key areas of the facility, the designers also took into consideration the tests and other processes that would be carried out. The result is an increase in productivity and a more streamlined work process, as well as enhanced satisfaction with the laboratory on the part of its occupants.

The designers employed numerous energy-efficient materials and equipment to enhance the efficient design. As a result, the GPHL is more energy efficient than a comparable building using a more conventional design and equipment. Using some relatively inexpensive recycled materials in the facade, the designers also made sure that the building would be attractive.

Another lesson learned in the design and construction of the GPHL is the importance of commissioning a building as construction progresses and is completed. In this case, commissioning was performed after the building was constructed and operating. The success of the retro-commissioning effort was due in large part to its thoroughness and the expertise of the team that accomplished it.

Learn More

It is possible to visit this project and tours are available. Contact Karl Hoenes, Building Manager, if interested in touring the Georgia Public Health Laboratory.

Karl Hoenes (Tour Contact) Georgia Public Health Laboratory 1749 Clairmont Road Decatur, GA  30033-4050 404-327-7900

• Others

  • Article: Laboratories for the 21st Century: Case Studies: Georgia Public Health Laboratory, Decatur, Georgia (December 2002)
    Prepared by the Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Energy, this article provides a thorough description of the project and its energy saving methods. http://labs21.lbl.gov/cs.html

*Primary Contact* Jim Nicolow Lord, Aeck and Sargent Architect 1201 Peachtree Street NE, Suite 300 Atlanta, GA  30361-3500 404-253-1400 [http://www.lordaecksargent.com/](http://www.lordaecksargent.com/)