SST Planners Demonstrates Commitment to Energy and Water Efficiency through EPA/DOE "LABS FOR THE 21st CENTURY" Program

SST Planners along with other corporate, academic, and government pioneers is leading the way to sustainable laboratory design. By becoming a Laboratories for the 21st Century (Labs21) Supporter, SST Planners is actively committed to improving energy and water efficiency, encouraging the use of renewable energy sources, and promoting environmental stewardship in our nation's laboratories.

The Director of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Office of Administrative Services, whose agency co-sponsors the voluntary program with the U.S. Department of Energy welcomes new members to the program and encourages firms like SST Planners to continue to provide leadership as a Labs21 Supporter. "Public support for Labs21 and the broader goal of sustainable laboratory design helps bring new vigor to our shared vision of environmental excellence."

SST Planners (among the first 50 organizations to join Labs21 as a supporter in June 2004), plans and designs state-of-the-art laboratory space for research and teaching functions. Clients include private, government and academic clients with an emphasis on energy efficient design, the use of renewable resources, and the development of environmentally conscious systems design. Laboratory design strategies include:

Reducing the use of water for lab equipment cooling
Use of high performance fume hoods to minimize energy consumption
Functional zoning of floor plates to allow recirculation of air when allowable and safe
Specification of energy efficient equipment
Development --in concert with engineering team members-- of "hybrid" air distribution systems to maximize ventilation effectiveness

Because of stringent ventilation requirements and other health and safety concerns, the average laboratory uses at least five times as much energy as a typical office building. At SST Planners, we believe in designing new laboratory buildings with energy efficiency in mind. We support the Labs21 program, and we're looking forward to participating with a whole network of organizations with similar environmental goals in order to achieve improved efficiency in laboratory design. To download a zipped file of all the current Labs21 energy efficiency guides click on Labs21 Best Practice Guides (2006)

NEW Best Practices Guide: Chilled Beams A new Labs21 Best Practices Guide is now available: "Chilled Beams in Laboratories: Key Strategies to Ensure Effective Design, Construction, and Operation." Chilled beam systems are prevalent in European commercial office buildings but have not yet been widely applied in the U.S. Such systems offer many compelling benefits, including high cooling capacities, excellent performance, and dramatic energy savings for little or no additional costs over conventional systems. The guide presents best practice strategies for designing, constructing, operating, and maintaining chilled beam systems in laboratories. Labs21 Best Practice Guides and Technical Bulletins provide information on design, construction, and operation of specific technologies that contribute to energy efficiency and sustainability in laboratories. The guides include information from actual implementation of these technologies in various laboratory facilities by highlighting quantifiable performance goals and possible methods to achieve them. Learn more about the Chilled Beams guide at the Labs21 Best Practice Guide Web page

UPDATE 2009 CONFERENCE: The Labs21 2009 Annual Conference, the premier event for laboratory professionals will take place from September 22 to 24, 2009, in Indianapolis, Indiana. Featuring cutting-edge technology and information from around the world, the event will kick off with an opening plenary session, where John C. Lechleiter, Ph.D., Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Eli Lilly and Company, will deliver the keynote address. U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu is invited to speak during the opening plenary session. Other highlights include a tour of an Eli Lilly and Company research laboratory, several technical sessions on topics ranging from the latest fume hood standards to laboratory security and bio-containment, and a Technology and Services Fair that boasts some of the leading laboratory equipment manufacturers in the market today. Also, don't miss the pre-conference training sessions where you can learn the techniques and standards that will help you save money and increase efficiency at your facility. Pre-conference trainings include a complete offering of Labs21 Courses, as well as additional workshops discussing specific topics, such as data centers and user habits. For more information, visit the Labs21 2009 Annual Conference page

PAST CONFERENCES: 2004 Annual Labs21 Conference: The recent Labs21 2004 Annual Conference, October 5 - 7, in St. Louis, MO was an international event that featured tours, presentations, and in-depth working sessions that addressed issues of sustainable laboratory design, engineering, and maintenance. Information about the conference can be found on the Labs21 Web site at Labs21 2004 Conference

2005 Annual Labs21 Conference: October 18-20, 2005 Portland, Oregon: SST Planners participated in the three-day international event by presenting in the International Case Studies portion of the conference. The presentation--The Dr. Paul Janssen Research Center - "A Perfect Solution for Pharmaceutical Discovery" (Belgium)-- features a recently completed energy efficient drug discovery laboratory building in Europe. Information about the conference and the presentation can be found on the Labs21 Web site at Labs21 2005 Conference -International Case Studies

2006 Annual Labs21 Conference: The Labs21 2006 Annual Conference was held in San Antonio, Texas on October 17-19, 2006. Laboratory designers, SEFA members and engineers from around the globe explored both proven and emerging sustainable design strategies. Information about this and upcoming conferences can be found on the Labs21 Web site at Labs21 2006 Conference

2007 Annual Labs21 Conference: The Labs21 2007 Annual Conference was held in Charleston, SC on October 2-4, 2007 as was a great success! SST joined a growing number of laboratory professionals from across the country and around the globe at the Labs21 2007 Annual Conference. The 2007 conference provided an excellent forum for addressing the historic challenges of high performance facilities. The conference was held at the Charleston Area Convention Center Complex, located just a short distance from the heart of historic downtown Charleston. Information about this and upcoming conferences can be found on the Labs21 Web site at Labs21 2007 Conference

2008 Annual Labs21 Conference: "This September in San Jose, California‹the heart of the Silicon Valley‹Labs21 will host leading laboratory professionals from around the globe at the Labs21 2008 Annual Conference. Join more than 600 architects, engineers, builders, owners, and operators as we discuss the challenges and trends in designing, constructing, and operating sustainable, high-performance facilities." Information about this and upcoming conferences can be found on the Labs21 Web site at Labs21 2008 Conference

2010 Annual Labs21 Conference: September 28-30, 2010, Albuquerque Convention Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico. Information about this and upcoming conferences can be found on the Labs21 Web site at Labs21 2010 Conference Please also visit the Labs21 Program page for more information about all of the programs at Labs21.

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