Dedicated to advancing sustainable laboratories globally.
2025 I2SL Sustainable Laboratory Award
Winners
The I2SL Sustainable Laboratory Awards Program recognizes outstanding projects, programs, and people exhibiting innovative and exemplary achievements in lab sustainability, energy efficiency, decarbonization, and waste reduction. There are three distinct categories of recognition:​ Lab Buildings and Projects Award, Lab Programs and Initiatives Award, and Phil Wirdzek Leadership Award.
​
The competition recognizes laboratory design innovation and leadership by leveraging I2SL’s reputation as the leading organization for sustainable, safe, and efficient laboratories. An I2SL Sustainable Laboratory Award provides global recognition and credibility to awardees. Award winners are publicized internationally through the I2SL Annual Conference, website, webinars, and communications and social media channels.
​​
I2SL recognized 12 organizations and three individuals at the 2025 Annual Conference in Dallas, Texas, October 21, 2025. Read more about the accomplishments of each award winner below.
Lab Buildings and Projects Awards
New Construction
325 Binney Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc.
Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. (Alexandria) is an owner, operator, and developer of collaborative life science innovation clusters known as Megacampus ecosystems; 325 Binney Street, designed and developed by Alexandria, is an ultra-efficient research and development hub on the Alexandria Center at One Kendall Square Megacampus in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Completed in 2023, this 462,000 rentable-square-foot LEED® Platinum facility prioritizes energy performance through design and operational efficiency. High-performance heating and cooling systems, energy conservation measures, and a commitment to renewable energy support the project’s decarbonization goals and its target to achieve LEED Zero Energy certification.
The building’s design was optimized to target an energy use intensity of 114 kBtu per square foot, and in operation, the facility achieved a Labs2Zero pilot Energy Score of 92 and pilot Operational Emissions Score of 96, indicating it outperforms 92 percent and 96 percent of similar facilities in energy efficiency and operational emissions, respectively. The project design achieved an estimated 97 percent emissions reduction relative to the 2020 Massachusetts Energy Stretch Code baseline for all fossil fuels to be consumed onsite. All electricity consumed at the facility is expected to be renewable through a combination of onsite generation and off-site procurement. A high-performance envelope, hybrid geothermal plant, electric steam boiler for partial electrified humidification, and heat recovery also contribute to the low energy use intensity and reduction in fossil fuel consumption.
The mechanical design of 325 Binney Street significantly reduces heating energy produced by natural gas. The heat recovery system and heat pumps run with a recovery loop, centrifugal heat recovery chiller, and highly efficient ground-source heat pumps. The heat recovery system reduces heating load by recapturing waste heat from exhaust air, while the heat recovery chiller reduces heating load by recapturing waste heat from the condenser. Other energy conservation measures include: a high-efficiency lighting design; fan coil units for space heating and cooling loads; ventilation airflow limited to 30 percent above code; and optimized airflow controls. A rainwater collection system captures water for cooling tower makeup.
Utilization of a closed-loop heat recovery system in conjunction with specialized heat pump exchangers achieves high heat recovery from exhaust air. A dedicated outdoor air system features hot and chilled water coils for primary air distribution with chilled beams for office and laboratory areas. As a result, sensible cooling is decoupled from outside air by reducing airflow. The lab building’s staged heating and cooling are configured so that the modular heat recovery chiller is operated first to balance heating and cooling loads simultaneously. When no simultaneous heating and cooling load is available, the geothermal system provides the first stage of heating or cooling, depending on the dominant load. Any supplemental heating is provided by five natural gas boilers as the final stage of heating. The supplemental cooling is handled with three 1,000-ton water-cooled chillers as the final stage of cooling.
New Construction
Emory University’s Health Sciences and Research Building (HSRB) II in Atlanta
Emory University’s new health science research building, HSRB-II in Atlanta, was designed to optimize energy efficiency and water conservation. Supported by HOK and completed in 2023, the design team used extensive energy modeling to evaluate 96 energy conservation measures to determine the most optimized and balanced solutions. The first step was to identify specific strategies, their associated costs, and simple payback. The team conducted a second round of analysis, bundling strategies together to determine the most cost-effective combination of measures to include in the final design. The project team optimized floor-to-floor height and the building enclosure using programming-based solutions. Computational analysis determined attributes such as window-to-wall ratios, glazing, shading, and the optimization of mechanical systems. Core facilities were located adjacent to one another to reduce outside makeup air volume.
This project achieved LEED® Gold certification and is on track to achieve a site energy use intensity of 151 kBtu per square foot per year. HSRB-II was broken into four distinct air systems: offices, laboratories, vivarium, and biosafety level three (BSL-3) containment labs. The offices use recirculated air and cascading outside air to minimize intake. The laboratory system employs enthalpy recovery wheels and high-performance ductwork to reduce energy use. Vivarium and BSL-3 systems have redundant air handling units and exhaust fans with air valves and reheat coils located to allow maintenance access without entering containment areas. All air systems have dedicated exhaust units connected to an energy recovery system. Thermal programming, daylighting, and cascading air systems help to optimize the ventilation systems for energy savings. The rooftop of HSRB II is designed for future installation of solar photovoltaic units.
Building cooling is provided by a 2,000-ton chiller plant, integrated with the existing HSRB I plant. The new plant includes high-efficiency, water-cooled centrifugal chillers and an energy recovery chiller that produces heated hot water. In warmer months, the heat recovery chiller provides most of the hot water needed. During winter, exhaust air energy recovery coils maintain hot water production. HSRB II was designed for water efficiency and resiliency in Atlanta’s climate, where there are both periods of insufficient water availability and excessive water leading to potential flooding. The HSRB-II cooling tower captures and treats rainwater and HVAC condensate for reuse as cooling tower makeup water. The system reclaims two million gallons of water annually, accounting for 28 percent of the total building demand. A 30 percent reduction in potable water use was achieved by installing high-efficiency fixtures. Total building water savings are projected at 6 million gallons per year.
Occupant well-being was also a priority in the building’s design. HSRB II incorporates natural materials such as stone and wood in the interior. Glare control strategies were implemented to enhance visual and thermal comfort, especially in lab and shared computational research environments. Natural design elements, such as a five-story green wall, reinforce occupant wellness through beautification. An atrium skylight brings natural light into the building, windows have views of Lullwater Park, and balconies on the North façade offer daylighting and provide spaces for relaxation and comfort.
Renovation
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Building 1, Wing 5
The NIST Building 1, Wing 5 project in Boulder, Colorado, is the largest renovation ever undertaken at the NIST Boulder campus. The renovation was completed to modernize the 79,300-square-foot wing’s entire infrastructure, including the engineering systems, utilities, and exterior walls, due to the original concrete structure’s insufficient thermal barriers. Supported by DLR Group, the project, completed in 2023, included upgrades to the building envelope, heat recovery measures, LED lighting, and fume hoods optimization.
To meet aggressive energy and sustainability goals, Building 1 incorporated a high-efficiency mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) strategy. A central dedicated outside air system delivers the minimum required ventilation with heat recovery and humidity control, supplying air at a neutral temperature to reduce reheat demand. Recirculating fan coils in each lab handle thermal loads and provide additional air changes featuring electronically commutated motors, heating/chilled water coils, and MERV-8 pre filters and MERV-15 final filters. A glycol run-around heat recovery system captures energy from exhaust air, while a separate air handling system for non-lab spaces integrates economizers and underfloor air distribution to improve ventilation efficiency in office areas. Other energy saving measures include LED lighting, low-flow fume hoods, closed-loop process cooling, and variable air volume lab terminal boxes for optimized airflow and reduced fan energy. In 2024, the building achieved a Labs2Zero Energy Score of 75 with a predicted 166 kilo-British thermal units per square foot per year energy use intensity (EUI), for a 20 percent reduction from baseline EUI.
Water efficiency upgrades such as installing WaterSense labeled fixtures resulted in a 40 percent reduction in indoor water use from the baseline. The design features over 3,300 square feet of rain gardens that reduce runoff and double as inviting seating areas. Efficient irrigation systems use moisture sensors and targeted spray heads to support plant health and
minimize water use during dry periods. Permeable pavers and porous surfaces reduce impervious area and help manage runoff. The plant palette features native, drought-tolerant grasses, shrubs, and trees, supporting biodiversity and low-maintenance growth.
By avoiding the most carbon-intensive activities—structural demolition and new envelope construction—the project reduced both embodied carbon and material waste. The renovation accounted for just 1,703 metric tons of carbon dioxide, which is a 70 percent reduction in embodied carbon compared to modeled new construction of the same facility. The estimated reduction of 4,260 metric tons of carbon dioxide from renovating instead of building new is the equivalent of removing 994 gasoline-powered cars from the road annually. A significant challenge was working within the existing building shell, which offered only 12 feet of floor-to-floor height, well below the typical 15 to 16 feet found in modern laboratories. This required meticulous planning and detailing to integrate mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection, and telecommunication systems within a limited vertical space.
Excellence in Design for Decarbonization
Caltech Resnick Sustainability Center
The Caltech Resnick Sustainability Center (RSC) in Pasadena, California, is an 80,000-square-foot, four-story hub for energy and sustainability research. Designed by CannonDesign with a focus on decarbonization, including reduction of embodied carbon, the LEED Platinum building will help meet Caltech’s goal of carbon neutrality. Building operational emissions are minimized through high-efficiency HVAC systems, advanced controls, and energy management protocols. Automated building management systems enable real-time monitoring and adjustment of mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems. RSC operates with six air changes per hour (ACH) of outside air to laboratory spaces when occupied and four ACH during unoccupied hours. Onsite and on-campus photovoltaic arrays generate renewable electricity, reducing reliance on grid power. LED lighting with advanced controls and daylight harvesting minimizes lighting loads. Although RSC is a fume hood-intensive building, they reported an energy use intensity of 169 kilo-Btu per square foot per year. RSC also achieved a Labs2Zero Energy Score of 63 and an Operational Emissions Score of 73.
Mass timber was selected for its low embodied carbon profile, and its biophilic properties to enhance occupant health and experience. The building’s envelope optimizes thermal performance, reducing heating and cooling loads. The building’s orientation has long north and south exposure, and façade design with integrated exterior shading reduces solar heat gain by 38.8 percent. Environmental product declarations (EPDs) were provided for 66 products used in the project, and material ingredient reporting requirements (providing the chemical inventory of products) were met for 53 products. RSC reframes laboratories as active partners in decarbonization and demonstrates how cutting-edge science and sustainable design can work together.
Excellence in Energy Efficiency
Gilead Sciences, Inc. Building 324
Gilead Sciences, Inc.’s Building 324 in Foster City, California, exemplifies how rebalancing and retro-commissioning an existing lab facility can yield substantial energy savings. To optimize operations in the 365,000-square-foot, four-story building, which houses 265 fume hoods, Gilead adopted the Smart Labs process with support from kW Engineering, 3Flow, EXP engineers, and Kaelin Construction. A 2022 laboratory ventilation risk assessment revealed that nearly half of the lab-designated floor space was being used for low-risk activities, with approximately 20 percent allocated to uses such as storage; airflow setpoints in these zones were adjusted accordingly. In higher hazard areas, fume hood exhaust was identified as the primary driver of airflow demand. Lab-level testing showed that minimum flow rates for 10-foot fume hoods could be reduced by 40 percent while still meeting containment and dilution requirements. Gilead implemented new setpoints based on risk control bands and reprogrammed fume hood occupancy sensors to revert to unoccupied airflow levels when no activity is detected.
A significant portion of the project’s savings stemmed from reducing airflow to the 10-foot fume hoods. Minimum setpoints were lowered from 750 cfm unoccupied and 950 cfm occupied to 440 cfm unoccupied and 550 cfm occupied. In total, the changes are projected to reduce annual energy use by over 30 percent, saving approximately $800,000 per year. Gilead anticipates annual electrical savings of 3.4 million kilowatt-hours, a 21 percent reduction, and a decrease in natural gas consumption of 280,000 therms, or 39 percent, which equates to 1,500 metric tons of COâ‚‚ emissions avoided. A solar array supplies about 4 percent of building electricity needs, with the remainder covered through solar and wind credits purchased via the local utility.
Excellence in Low Carbon Construction
PetroChina Shanghai Research Institute Technology R&D Center
PetroChina’s Shanghai Research Institute Technology Research and Development (R&D) Center is a 71,232-square-meter facility located in Lingang New Area, Shanghai. This project, developed by Dynaflow Lab Solutions Co., features an innovative modular and prefabricated construction approach that significantly reduced the carbon emissions associated with construction. Dynaflow used building information modeling (BIM) to create modular mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) design and transform abstract architectural and MEP blueprints into precise, three-dimensional models. The software identified spatial conflicts between building components before construction, eliminating costly construction issues, the need to rework designs, and material waste. The high-fidelity BIM designs ensured strict alignment between BIM documentation and implementation during construction.
Through BIM-driven design, MEP pipelines are standardized and modularized to meet the demands of automated production lines. MEP parts are prefabricated in plants that utilize unmanned robotics for production, which reduces labor costs and carbon emissions. In traditional construction, welding and cutting release untreated emissions and dust from equipment, with uncontrolled dispersion. During prefabricated construction, welding smoke and cutting dust were captured via fume extraction hoods, reducing associated emissions to 28 percent of traditional construction levels. Prefabrication also enhanced worker safety by decreasing the need for high-altitude work; only 15 percent of construction tasks required work above two meters. The project achieved a total reduction of 53.7 metric tons of carbon emissions across the entire campus construction compared to traditional construction methods.
Lab Programs and Initiatives Awards
Award for Organizational Commitment in Higher Education
McGill University Sustainable Labs Program
Since 2017, McGill University has invested in progressively ambitious projects and efforts to engage campus lab users. To ensure inclusion in all research areas, McGill designed a program to assess and benchmark labs against industry standards. Since its launch in 2023, over 300 lab-based staff and students have helped advance sustainable practices across 12 labs. Through this effort, staff discovered that waste management was the category where labs earn the lowest scores; as a result, McGill successfully negotiated with their recycling contractor to accept non-hazardous lab waste items, including nitrile gloves and plastics such as pipette tips and tip boxes. Up to 45 percent of McGill’s non-hazardous lab waste is now accepted in the recycling stream, and organic waste is now being collected by the city of Montreal for composting.
McGill University also prioritizes inclusion in their sustainable lab programs. Because they found that well-funded and well-staffed labs are more likely to implement environmental initiatives, participation in McGill’s sustainable lab program is free for all labs, both at McGill and its affiliated institutions. McGill also provides bilingual resources, including the Sustainable Labs Guide and lab waste guidance in English and French. To maximize the impact of sustainability projects, McGill University created a green fund derived from student fees, which is matched by the university. The fund supports staff or student initiatives ranging from $300 to $400,000 (Canadian dollars). McGill’s Office of Sustainability strives to make their resources accessible to all departments and contacts all STEM-based faculty directly when they offer new resources, conducts lab visits, and maintains resources online.
Award for Organizational Commitment in Healthcare
Boston Children's Hospital Green Labs
Boston Children's Hospital (BCH) Green Labs program has grown from a small volunteer effort into a hospital-wide movement and model for research efficiency and waste reduction in the healthcare industry. What began as a staff passion has evolved into a hospital-wide movement that enhances research efficiency, reduces waste, and promotes environmental responsibility. Through audits, data collection, and outreach campaigns, BCH Green Labs identifies unsustainable practices in lab spaces and provides practical solutions that ensure a healthier environment for children, both inside the hospital and in the broader environment. In 2024, BCH Green Labs partnered with the hospital Environmental Health and Safety staff to participate in I2SL’s “Shut the Sash” pilot, conducting walk-throughs encouraging researchers to close fume hoods when not in use, as well as hibernating unused hoods. These efforts helped BCH win the pilot competition.
Lab-level “green champions” act as peer advocates, and BCH Green Labs provides them with toolkits, signage, and hands-on guidance, including freezer-reducing energy discussions (F.R.E.D. Talks) and departmental seminars. The results are inspiring; BCH has been named the Top Clinical Organization in the International Freezer Challenge three consecutive years, with participation increasing from eight labs in 2022 to 53 labs in 2025. Between 2022 and 2023 alone, labs reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 108 metric tons. BCH has also launched a polystyrene and expanded plastics recycling program. And with the help of a $10,000 grant, BCH Green Labs expanded plastics recycling for pipette tip boxes and media bottles to 80 percent of labs.
Award for Organizational Commitment in the Pharmaceutical Industry
AstraZeneca
AstraZeneca’s commitment to sustainable science is focused primarily on green labs practices, both within lab workflows and across the broader pharmaceutical industry. In 2024, AstraZeneca achieved the highest number of My Green Lab certifications issued in the pharmaceutical industry, with 129 labs certified—91 of which received the highest level of certification—and engaged over 4,500 scientists. AstraZeneca has achieved 100 percent engagement in the green labs certification program, and all of the company’s manufacturing and supply sites have achieved green level certification—the highest level.
By engaging researchers in sustainability efforts, AstraZeneca’s labs have saved over 5,000 megawatt hours of electricity annually. Initiatives aimed at driving behavior change have been instrumental in reducing environmental impact, including the International Freezer Challenge, “shut the sash” programs for fume hood users, and AstraZeneca’s own Switch Off Optimization Program (SWOOP), which encourages employees to shut off select lab equipment when not in use. The company’s water reduction efforts have resulted in saving 11,000 kiloliters of water, by replacing single-pass cooling with recirculating water for equipment, installing low-flow taps, and improving cleaning and solution preparation methods. Lab waste management initiatives such as buying bulk consumables, improving test methods, and using digital solutions to manage solvents more effectively have helped AstraZeneca eliminate 300 metric tonnes of waste.
Award for Energy Reduction Behavior Change Initiatives
University of Alabama at Birmingham
The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Green Labs program implemented a pilot energy walk-through program to identify areas in their laboratories where they could save energy by encouraging researchers to change their behavior by shutting off unused equipment. Lab staff participating in the pilot completed a survey and attended a presentation by the program’s Green Labs Experts. These experts then conducted lab walk-throughs to review equipment use; they placed green, yellow, or red stickers on equipment to indicate whether it could be turned off after use, researchers should ask before turning off, or the equipment should be left on, respectively.
Using information from lab surveys and My Green Lab’s Impact Estimator, the UAB Green Labs program was able to estimate energy savings from turning off certain equipment. The results were multiplied by the building’s average kWh cost to determine how much each lab was saving UAB. Overall, 33 UAB labs reduced energy use by an estimated 1,589,708 kWh in 2024, saving a projected $150,000, by turning off lab equipment. To help pilot participants visualize the results and give them incentives to keep saving, the Green Labs program compared their savings to the average electricity use of a home. For example, one lab saved about 4.5 homes worth of electricity annually. Having Green Labs Experts conduct these walk-throughs significantly improved communications for the program and allowed them to answer lab-specific questions in real time. UAB’s Green Labs program also designed the pilot to be easily replicated and used by other institutions.
Award for Ecosystem Sustainability Initiative
AstraZeneca
AstraZeneca’s effort to significantly reduce, and ultimately eliminate, their labs’ reliance on horseshoe crab lysate for endotoxin testing demonstrates the company’s dedication to ecosystem sustainability. Endotoxin testing is essential for ensuring the safety and efficacy of pharmaceutical products, particularly injectables, where the presence of endotoxins from gram-negative bacteria can cause severe human reactions. Traditionally, horseshoe crabs have been bled to obtain the reagent to test for endotoxins. However, horseshoe crabs, which play a vital role in coastal ecosystems, are in decline due to multiple pressures beyond their use in reagents, including habitat loss from coastal development, extreme storms, pollution, and use in fisheries. AstraZeneca is working to address the pharmaceutical sector’s dependency on horseshoe crab blood, aiming to transition to testing methods requiring less reagent, while encouraging a shift to synthetic alternatives.
AstraZeneca successfully evaluated multiple recombinant platforms as viable alternatives for endotoxin testing and committed to completing the transition to water testing by the end of 2025. By adopting a microfluidic cartridge system, AstraZeneca achieved a 95 percent reduction in crab lysate usage. What’s more, transitioning to a microfluid cartridge system resulted in a decrease in testing time that saves approximately 3,000 hours of analyst time. The company’s laboratory network processes a substantial volume of pharmaceutical water testing annually, with over 30,000 samples. AstraZeneca is focusing on developing other synthetic alternatives and transitioning legacy product samples to recombinant methods of production.
Award for Waste Reduction and Employee Initiatives
InBio
InBio is a biotechnology company that manufactures highly purified proteins and immunoassays for research and diagnostics. The company has undertaken robust waste reduction efforts as part of their corporate sustainability culture. Using Polycarbin, for example, over the course of two years InBio has diverted over 1,800 pounds of rigid lab plastics for recycling that would otherwise be sent to the landfill. They have also partnered with suppliers to ship back or provide recycling for a variety of plastic lab waste, including packaging from Corning and refill wafers from USA Scientific. What’s more, InBio has focused on reducing plastic waste from the packaging and shipping materials they use for their own products. When they couldn’t find a viable alternative to the plastic shipping containers for their products, InBio created their own four-piece and eight-piece flatpack paperboard boxes. For larger orders, they were able to source 25-piece cardboard boxes that could be recycled.
Beyond waste diversion, InBio established a goal to reduce their operational greenhouse emissions 30 percent from a 2017 baseline by 2025. The company has already achieved this goal by installing rooftop solar panels on their facility in Charlottesville, Virginia, which offset 37 percent of the building’s electricity in 2023. Additional emissions reductions were achieved through HVAC equipment control modifications, which led to a 39 percent reduction in natural gas usage by 2023. And taking their sustainability commitment a step further, in 2022 InBio created a company-wide green benefits program that refunds 50 percent of personal sustainable purchases made by employees, such as e-bikes and energy-efficient appliances, up to an annual maximum amount.
Award for Pioneering Green Labs in Ireland
CÚRAM
CÚRAM is the Irish language word for “care,” and it’s the name given to the Research Ireland Centre for Medical Devices, headquartered in the University of Galway. CÚRAM has implemented and advocated for green lab practices extending beyond the institution to a national level. Beginning in January 2019, CÚRAM researchers implemented sustainable practices such as raising the temperature of freezers, adhering “Close the Sash” stickers to fume hoods, and explaining when lab equipment can be turned off. In 2020, Dr. Una FitzGerald developed a graduate course, Green Lab Principles and Practice, introducing students to topics such as the circular economy, green lab practices, and how to implement them. Over 170 students have taken the module, with some participating internationally through online streaming.
Along with other members of the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, Una established Irish Green Labs (IGL) in 2022. The IGL network, run entirely on volunteer time, promotes sustainable methods within public and private laboratories across Ireland. IGL supports over 37 organizations and has been critical in expanding and supporting the green lab movement in Ireland. Representing IGL, Una has given over 100 green lab talks sharing CÚRAM’s sustainability journey. In 2021, CÚRAM researchers collaborated in a CirculÉire-funded project to demonstrate that high-quality polypropylene biohazardous waste discarded from labs could be rendered safe and macerated, then remolded into 1-milliliter pipette tips. The tips performed as well as tips made from virgin polypropylene when tested using standard lab protocols.
Phil Wirdzek Leadership Award
2025 Phil Wirdzek Leader
Punit Jain, AIA, LEED Fellow
Punit Jain embodies what the Phil Wirdzek Leader Award is all about—prioritizing sustainability and efficiency in the design and operation of lab buildings, while connecting and inspiring others through mentorship, collaboration, and visionary leadership. As an architect and Principal at CannonDesign, Punit has guided the delivery of more than 50 laboratory buildings that integrate energy-efficient systems, water-saving strategies, renewable energy, and occupant wellness. His work exemplifies how technical innovation and human-centered design can come together to create high-performance environments that minimize environmental impact and elevate the broader design community. Beyond his work at CannonDesign, Punit has made many contributions to the lab sustainability community, championing I2SL’s mission and personifying the spirit with which Phil Wirdzek founded and led I2SL.
​
Through his innovative work and leadership, Punit has been advancing the field of sustainable lab design for decades, with notable LEED certified projects for the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Novartis Institute for Biomedical Research, Yale University, Caltech, Eckerd College, and Washington University in St. Louis. He also played a key role in aligning the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC’s) LEED® rating system with the unique needs of laboratory buildings. He is a thought leader and a sought-after speaker both nationally and internationally and has been named a LEED Fellow by the USGBC, its highest honor.
​
Punit has served on the I2SL Board of Directors since 2013, contributing to important work as an active participant on the Labs2Zero Leadership Council, I2SL Nominations Committee, and I2SL Membership Committee and co-chairing the I2SL Awards Committee. Punit helped found the I2SL St. Louis Chapter, which co-hosted the I2SL Annual Conference in 2024, and serves as President of its Board of Directors. Beyond his official roles within I2SL, Punit consistently advocates for I2SL’s mission in public forums and client engagements. He is known for combining technical depth with approachability to make complex lab design topics engaging and accessible. For more than a decade, he has written and taught a full-day course on Sustainable Strategies for Laboratory Planning, Design, and Operation with other engineers during the I2SL Annual Conference.
​
Punit has helped shape national and international lab designers throughout his career, building and supporting communities of practice across firms, cities, and regions while mentoring professionals to become sustainability advocates. For nearly 20 years, Punit has contributed his time and expertise to the lab community by serving as a juror for the prestigious Lab Design Newsletter and R&D Magazine’s and now the Scientific Equipment and Furniture Association’s Lab of the Year competition. Just as Phil Wirdzek did, Punit has dedicated his career to a team-building spirit and growing the broader sustainable lab community, truly exemplifying what it means to lead by example.
Emerging Leader Award for Healthcare
Chuck Blanchette
Boston Children’s Hospital
Chuck Blanchette has quickly made his mark as a sustainable labs leader within the healthcare community over the past four years. As Manager of Research Facilities at Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH), he developed the award-winning BCH Green Labs program, building a team that has woven sustainability into the research culture while collaborating with leadership and influencing institutional policy and partnerships. Chuck serves as the inaugural co-chair of Boston Children’s Hospital’s Environmental Sustainability Employee Lead Group (ELG). This hospital-wide group connects staff across departments to advance sustainable practices in both clinical and research operations, supporting BCH’s goals of carbon neutrality by 2030 and net zero by 2050.
Chuck helped launch a lab plastics recycling pilot program that, within a year, scaled to enterprise-wide implementation with full leadership buy-in. He spearheaded a polystyrene recycling program and an innovative initiative to reuse ice packs at a local cheese supplier. Chuck also secured a $10,000 grant to expand recycling efforts across three major research buildings. Under his leadership, BCH has competed in the International Freezer Challenge for four consecutive years, winning each time with growth in participation and earning the Top Clinical Organization or winning streak awards. He also initiated BCH’s participation in I2SL’s 2024 Shut the Sash pilot competition, leading efforts that helped the hospital win the pilot; Chuck is now helping to develop I2SL’s first international fume hood challenge.
Emerging Leader Award for National Labs
Shivani Saikar
Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory
Shivani Saikar has made a measurable impact on sustainability within the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia, Illinois. As Fermilab’s first full-time Energy Manager, Shivani supports over 370 conventional and scientific research buildings and leads several sub-teams that bring together multidisciplinary professionals from across the facilities to work toward the organization’s lab sustainability goals. Shivani also led the first electrification study at a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory and created an integrated approach to demand reduction and equipment efficiency that could potentially reduce Fermilab’s energy use intensity by 29 percent and annual energy costs by 17 percent.
Shivani led comprehensive energy and water evaluations of 10 Fermilab facilities, identifying retro-commissioning opportunities to reduce and optimize energy use to save over 1.8 million kWh of electricity, 71,912 Therms of natural gas, and over $118,000 annually. Her leadership in these roles reflects a deep commitment to growing not only a successful program at Fermilab, but a stronger and more connected community of lab sustainability advocates, including mentoring junior staff and interns to nurture the next generation of leaders. Even though she has only been with Fermilab since 2023, Shivani’s influence has had a large impact—streamlining the energy management program and initiating facility benchmarking to drive long-term energy efficiency and sustainability initiatives.