Issue 18 - March/April 2011

In This Issue:

• Greetings
• Labs21 2011 Conference Updates
  • Conference Agenda Now Live
  • Exploring Rhode Island's Laboratories: 2011 Offsite Tours
  • Pre-Conference Workshop Offerings
  • Conference Registration Opens May 2
  • Early Bird Booth Registration Ends May 31
  • Go Beyond Awards Now Open for Nominations
• Training
  • Upcoming I²SL Course Schedule
  • I²SL's New High-Tech Talks Webinar Series
• I²SL's Spotlight On…
  • Sandia National Laboratories, 2010 Go Beyond Award Winner
• News You Can Use
  • Student Design Competition Will Gather Worldwide Talent
  • I²SL Goes to Singapore
  • Labs21 2010 Annual Conference Keynote Gives TEDx Talk
• Ask Your Laboratory Question
• Upcoming Industry Events
• Coming Next Issue ...

Greetings!

Each year the Labs21 Annual Conference is committed to bringing you the most up-to-date information on how to make your facility more sustainable and cost efficient. This year's conference agenda is looking better than ever, with brand new session topics, special-focus symposia, Technology Demonstrations, and more. Speaker notifications have been sent out, and we thank all of those who participated in the Call for Presenters. See what will be covered at the conference by perusing the conference agenda.

In addition to conference planning it's also been an exciting few months for I²SL as an organization. On behalf of I²SL, it's my pleasure to introduce three new additions to the I²SL Board of Directors. Please welcome:

• Robert Blakey, Founding Principal, Strategic Equity Associates
• Tim Kehrli, Director of Utility Energy Programs, Lutron Electronics Co.
• Jim Plourde, National Business Development Director, Schneider Electric

This robust team of experts on I²SL's Board of Directors, which also includes I²SL's three founding members and four existing board members, will help shape the focus and impact of our organization moving forward, including the Labs21 Annual Conference, Working Groups, Workshops, and much more.

In other news, I²SL is pleased to announce that we will move forward with the International Sustainable Laboratory Student Design Competition. I²SL is still seeking outside donors for this prestigious competition, so we encourage you to contact I²SL if you want to get involved.

Thank you,

Phil Wirdzek
President and Executive Director
I²SL

Labs21 2011 Annual Conference Updates

Conference Agenda Now Live

I²SL is excited to present the preliminary agenda for the Labs21 2011 Annual Conference. View the agenda to see who will be presenting, what symposia will be featured, and what you'll take away from this year's conference.

Did you submit an abstract to the Call for Presenters? Acceptance notifications were sent via email earlier this week. If you did not receive this email, please check your spam filter or contact I²SL.

Exploring Rhode Island's Laboratories: 2011 Offsite Tours

I²SL invites you to explore Brown University's Sidney E. Frank Hall for Life Sciences, an expansive, 169,000-square-foot research center located in the heart of the Providence, Rhode Island, campus and home to the departments of Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, Biochemistry, and Neuroscience.

Transportation will be provided to and from this event for tour attendees and a pre-tour reception with refreshments will be held at the facility. Registration for this tour opens along with general conference registration on Monday, May 2. Be sure to register early as space is limited. Visit I²SL's website for a full description of this tour location, and check back soon for information on I²SL's other 2011 offsite tour offerings that are in the works.

Pre-Conference Workshop Offerings

I²SL is proud to offer seven different pre-conference workshops at the Labs21 2011 Annual Conference, including three brand new courses. These workshops will cover a spectrum of topics from understanding the basics of laboratory performance to specifics like sub-metering and benchmarking, lighting, commissioning, ventilation, and laboratory equipment.

Workshops will be offered on Monday, September 19. Learn more about these courses:

Full Day Course (8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.)

• Data Centers Energy Efficiency Best Practices Workshop - Discounted registration rate for federal employees!

Morning Courses (8:00 a.m. to noon)

• Designing a Flexible Laboratory Equipment Environment Workshop
• Energy Sub-Metering and Benchmarking Workshop
• Labs21 Introductory Course: High-Performance, Low-Energy Design

Afternoon Courses (1:00 to 5:00 p.m.)

• Energy-Efficient Laboratory Ventilation Design Practices and Technologies Workshop
• Laboratory Commissioning Workshop
• Lighting Control Workshop: Effective, Efficient, and Sustainable Light Control Strategies for Laboratory and Healthcare Facilities

All courses listed above are eligible for at least three Professional Development Hours (PDHs) for professional engineers and three Continuing Education Credits (CECs) from the American Institute of Architects for registered architects.

Be sure to add a workshop or two to your conference registration!

Conference Registration Opens May 2

Now that you know all about the Labs21 2011 Annual Conference agenda, workshops, and tours, it's time to register for the conference! Registration opens on Monday, May 2, with great discounts available to those who register prior to Friday, July 15.

While you're at it, don't forget to sign up for a pre-conference workshop or an offsite laboratory tour offering you won't find anywhere else. Be sure to register early, as these great opportunities tend to fill up quickly!

Early Bird Booth Registration Ends May 31

More than half of the booths in the exhibit hall are already reserved for this year's Technology and Services Fair. Booth prices will increase by $500 per booth after Tuesday, May 31, so register today to get the best booth selection at the lowest cost. See who has signed up for the tech fair already, and which booths are still available.

Go Beyond Awards Now Open for Nominations

Nominations are now being accepted for the 2011 Go Beyond Awards. Now in its fourth year, this awards program honors individuals, organizations, projects, and manufacturers that "go beyond" the status quo to minimize the environmental impacts of laboratory and other high-technology facilities, including, but not limited to, cleanrooms, health care facilities, data centers, and vivaria.

The Go Beyond Awards are open to all related organizations and individuals within and outside the United States. The 2011 Go Beyond Awards will recognize these outstanding commitments in the following categories:

• Individual Award
• Organizational Award
• Equipment Manufacturers' Award
• Project Awards
• New Construction
• Renovation or Adaptive Reuse
• Innovative Technology or Systems

The Go Beyond Awards will be presented at the Labs21 2011 Annual Conference. Submit a nomination today for a deserving individual, organization, or project!

Thank You to Our Sponsors!

I²SL is proud to announce the newest sponsors of the Labs21 2011 Annual Conference!

Training

Upcoming I²SL Course Schedule

• San Francisco, California
  May 4, 2011
  8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. PDT
  I²SL will host the Labs21 Workshop: Occupant Matters — Sustainable Design Meets Researchers along with the Laboratory Commissioning Workshop.
  Workshop host PG&E will hold the course at the Pacific Energy Center Training Center.

Register for this great offering today!

• Westborough, Massachusetts
  June 30, 2011
  8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EDT
  I²SL will host the Laboratory Commissioning Workshop along with the Energy-Efficient Laboratory Ventilation Design Practices and Technologies Workshop.
  Workshop host University of Massachusetts Amherst will hold the course at the DoubleTree hotel.

Registration coming soon!

I²SL's New High-Tech Talks Webinar Series

Starting this May, I²SL will offer a monthly High-Tech Talks webinar series intended to educate and connect the sustainable laboratory and high-performance facility community. Webinar attendees will receive an exclusive opportunity to learn about the latest trends, innovations, and success stories in high-performance facilities, as well as ask direct questions to sustainability experts. Attendees may also be able to earn continuing credits through the American Institute of Architects, Green Building Certification Institute, or other professional organizations.

Interested in participating in the High-Tech Talks webinar series? Visit the I²SL website for the webinar schedule and to register to take part in the interactive webinar experience. The cost to participate is $95 per attendee for the live webinar, or $65 to view the recorded webinar.

Interested in presenting in the webinar series? Being a presenter allows you to speak virtually, yet directly, with an interested audience about your projects. To apply to present, please submit an abstract of no more than 250 words, plus three learning objectives, to I²SL.

I²SL's High-Tech Talks webinar series presents its first offerings:

• Labs21 Benchmarking Tool Demonstration
  Featured speaker: Paul Mathew, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
  May 2011

• Using Design-Build and a Hybrid Integrated Practice Approach to Create a High-Performance Sustainable Laboratory: A Case Study of the Cardiovascular Research Building (CVRB) at the University of California, San Francisco
  Featured speakers: Irene Monis and Suzanna Napier, SmithGroup Inc., and Peter Pobjoy, Southland Industries
  June 21, 2011
  9:00 to 10:00 a.m. EDT

Registration and more information on these webinars are coming soon.

I²SL's Spotlight On…

Sandia National Laboratories, 2010 Go Beyond Award Winner

As a Labs21 Pilot Partner, Sandia National Laboratories incorporates Labs21 goals and strategies into the design, construction, operations, and maintenance of laboratories on its New Mexico campus. These goals are typically incorporated into the design process, allowing for the greatest impact, but they are also evident in site-wide retrofits and pilot projects for new technologies.

Sandia's nearly completed Strategic Resource Management Plan integrates Labs21 goals and strategies to address natural resource management for energy, transportation fuels, and water. Sandia's Long-Range Development Plan addresses sustainability at the site level in an integrated manner. Sandia has seen significant energy and water savings due to the implementation of sustainable features in its laboratory facilities, including saving 1.42 million kilowatt hours of electricity from the fume-exhaust system in one laboratory.

News You Can Use

Student Design Competition Will Gather Worldwide Talent

I²SL recently signed an agreement with the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) to launch the International Sustainable Laboratory Student Design Competition. Architecture and engineering students from around the world are invited to participate in the competition to suggest designs for the new Salt River Bay Marine Research and Education Center (MREC). This facility will be located in Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve, a United States National Park unit on the island of St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands. ACSA will launch competition registration in August 2011.

The MREC, a 60,000-square-foot campus, will support marine research and education programs. Participants in the design competition are encouraged to provide new and innovative thinking for the MREC design to produce the most energy-efficient and environmentally-sustainable designs possible and to address the off-grid utility infrastructures needed for the campus. Depending on the timing of the MREC project, all or parts of the winning competition design may be incorporated into the MREC final plans. Winning students may also be eligible for prize monies.

Don't miss your opportunity to align with this innovative competition. Learn more about the benefits of sponsoring the student design competition or find out more about the competition process by visiting ACSA's laboratory competition website.

I²SL Goes to Singapore

I²SL is pleased to take part in the National Energy Efficiency Conference (NEEC) 2011 being held with the National Environment Agency, Singapore, May 24 to 25, 2011. Two workshops and a series of technical presentations will be offered. Additionally, I²SL plans to provide technical assistance to laboratories and related high-technology building projects during the visit. I²SL Board of Directors members Gordon Sharp, Aircuity Inc. and Dan Doyle, Grumman/Butkus, plan to present at the event.

Labs21 2010 Annual Conference Keynote Gives TEDx Talk

Dr. Jonathan Trent, a senior scientist at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Ames Research Center, gave one of the most memorable keynote addresses in recent memory at the Labs21 2010 Annual Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico. For anyone who missed Dr. Trent's captivating keynote address or who is craving more from this dynamic and inspirational speaker, we encourage you to watch the presentation he gave at the recent TEDxSanJoseCA event, which focused on biofuels and the OMEGA project he's leading at NASA.

I²SL also encourages you to view Dr. Trent's 2010 keynote presentation, and nearly all of the other past conference presentations from 2002 through 2010, by subscribing to the Labs21 Annual Conference Presentation Archive.

Ask Your Laboratory Question

Bruce McLean Haxton, a LEED AP^® architect, would like to ask this question of the I²SL community:

How much did it cost you to achieve LEED Gold or Platinum certification for your laboratory? Too many laboratory owners aren't aiming for higher sustainability in their facilities because of fear of costs. We want to see if their fear is real or if the costs associated with sustainability are more reasonable than many think. Please send us the name, location, square footage, and cost of your laboratory project. If you can share the energy use intensity of your facility, before and after LEED certification, that would be great!

Please submit your answer via email to I²SL, and we will share this information with Bruce and also in our next Sustainable Laboratory Times newsletter. All personal information will be kept in complete confidence.

Upcoming Industry Events

The 2011 International Conference on Research Facilities
National Harbor, MD (near Washington, D.C.)
May 9-10, 2011
Sponsored by: Tradeline, Inc.

American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Expo 2011
Portland, OR
May 14-19, 2011
Sponsored by: American Industrial Hygiene Association

Zero Net Energy Approaches for Building Systems Course
Madison, WI
May 18-20, 2011
Sponsored by: University of Wisconsin-Madison

National Energy Efficiency Conference (NEEC) 2011
Singapore
May 24-25, 2011
Sponsored by: National Environment Agency, Singapore

Labs, Data Centers, and High-Tech Facilities Training
Webinar
July 7, 2011
1:30 p.m. EDT
Sponsored by: U.S. Department of Energy's Federal Energy Management Program

Coming Next Issue…

• Access to Labs21 2011 Annual Conference abstracts
• Technology Demonstration schedule and presenters announced
• Spotlight on … Tek-Air, 2010 Go Beyond Award Winner