(credits available dependent on building type)
Aim
To recognise and encourage laboratory areas that are designed to be energy efficient and minimise the CO₂ emissions associated with their operational energy consumption.
Assessment criteria
This issue is split into three parts:
- Prerequisite
- Design specification (1 credit)
- Best practice energy efficient measures (up to 4 credits), building type dependent
The following is required to demonstrate compliance:
Prerequisite
1 | Hea 03 Safe containment in laboratories has been achieved. |
One credit - Design specification
2.a | Description of purpose |
2.b | Occupant or process activities |
2.c | Containment requirements and standards |
2.d | Air change requirements |
2.e | Ventilation system performance and efficiencies |
2.f | Heating and cooling requirements (including heat recovery) |
2.g | Interaction between systems |
2.h | Flexibility and adaptability of laboratory facilities. |
3 | The design team demonstrates that the energy demand of the laboratory facilities has been minimised as a result of achieving the defined design performance criteria. This has informed the right-sizing (see Relevant definitions) of the services system equipment (including ventilation supply and extract). |
Laboratory containment devices and containment areas (criteria only applicable to buildings containing these facilities)
4 | Fume cupboards and other containment devices have a specification that is compliant with criteria 2 and 3 of Hea 03 Safe containment in laboratories, as appropriate to the containment device specification. |
5 | Where ducted fume cupboards are newly specified or present: |
5.a | Compliance with item A in Table 28 |
5.b | The measurement of volume flow rate should be taken in the exhaust duct (at the boundary of the laboratory) to take account of reductions in (inward) volume flow rate from fume cupboard leakage |
5.c | A reduction in air flow does not compromise the defined performance criteria and therefore does not increase the health and safety risk to future building occupants. |
Up to four credits - Best practice energy efficient measures
The following criteria are applicable where the laboratory area accounts for at least 10% of the total building floor area (see Relevant definitions).
6 | Criteria 1 to 5 are achieved (or criteria 1 to 4 where ducted fume cupboards are not specified). |
7 | Laboratory plant and systems are designed, specified and installed to promote energy efficiency, demonstrated through compliance with items B to L in Table 28 (see 7.a and 7.b for how credits are awarded): |
7.a | Up to two credits: the laboratory area (see Relevant definitions) accounts for at least 10% (but less than 25%) of the total building floor area; OR |
7.b | Up to four credits: the laboratory area accounts for 25% or more of the total building floor area. |
8 | To achieve credits for energy efficient measures, the chosen measures must have a reasonably significant effect on the total energy consumption of the laboratory, i.e. 2% reduction or greater. This must be demonstrated by calculations or modelling. |
9 | The energy efficient measures specified do not compromise the defined performance criteria, and therefore do not increase the health and safety risk to future building occupants. |
Checklists and tables
Table 28: Best practice energy efficient measures in laboratories
Compliance notes
Ref |
Terms |
Description |
---|---|---|
Shell and core (non-residential and residential institutions only) | ||
CN1 |
Applicable assessment criteria |
Both options: All criteria relevant to the building type and function apply. Refer to Appendix D – Shell and core project assessments for a more detailed description of the shell and core assessment options. |
Residential - Partially fitted and fully fitted | ||
CN2 |
Applicable assessment criteria - Single and multiple dwellings |
Both options: This issue is not applicable Refer to Appendix E – Applicability of BREEAM New Construction to single and multiple dwellings, partially and fully fitted for a more detailed description of residential assessment options. |
General | ||
CN3 |
Scope of this BREEAM issue | This issue is applicable only to higher education and university buildings that contain laboratory space and containment devices or areas. This issue is not applicable for school buildings (primary and secondary level). The laboratory criteria within issue Hea 03 Safe containment in laboratories should be followed for assessing laboratories and containment devices in these building types. Where there are a large number of containment devices (such as fume cupboards) present in a school or college assessment, BRE should be contacted for further guidance. |
Methodology
None.
Evidence
Criteria | Interim design stage | Final post-construction stage |
---|---|---|
1 and 4 | Evidence as required for compliance with the relevant Hea 03 Safe containment in laboratories criteria. | Evidence as required for compliance with the relevant Hea 03 Safe containment in laboratories criteria. |
2–3 |
Agenda or minutes from client consultation meetings. Suitable evidence demonstrating that the design team have considered consultation feedback and any subsequent actions. The relevant section or clauses of the building specification or contract showing defined laboratory facility performance criteria. |
BREEAM Assessor’s site inspection report and photographic evidence or as-built drawings. Supplier or manufacturers', or design team documentation for as-built specification. |
5– 9 |
Evidence as required for compliance with the relevant Hea 02 Indoor air quality criteria. Drawings, and the relevant section or clauses of the building specification or contract. Modelling results or calculations or manufacturers' information. Formal correspondence from the design team. |
As design stage, but for as-built information. BREEAM Assessor’s site inspection report and photographic evidence or as-built drawings. A commissioning report or similar demonstrating that the design containment performance and airflows have been achieved.. |
Additional information
Relevant definitions
- Laboratory areas
- Laboratory areas are defined as highly serviced (temperature, ventilation, humidity or containment controlled) spaces where physical, biological, chemical processing or testing is carried out. Such areas will have inherently high energy demands. In order to maintain controlled conditions to enable experiments and comply with health and safety standards, typically laboratories:
- Contain various exhaust and containment devices (such as fume cupboards and microbiological safety cabinets)
- Are heavily serviced to circulate air and to supply heating, cooling, humidity, and clean air
- Often require 24-hour access and failsafe redundant backup systems and uninterrupted power supply or emergency power to enable irreplaceable experiments.
- Write up or offices
- Meeting rooms
- Storage
- Ancillary and other support areas with lower servicing requirements.
- Teaching and other laboratory workshops with a limited amount of fume cupboards or other containment devices, or no energy intensive process equipment specified are excluded, unless the design team can provide evidence that their consumption is at least 50% higher than a typical office due to the laboratory process-related activities. Benchmarks for general offices can be found in Table 28 in CIBSE TM461 Energy benchmarks. Typically, in buildings where 40% of the floor area is laboratory related, only 10% will actually constitute laboratory areas as per the BREEAM definition. Different types of laboratories have different requirements for HVAC, plug load for small power equipment and access. This can lead to enormous variations in energy and water requirements. The main types of laboratories include.
- Wet laboratories - where chemicals, drugs or other material or biological matter are tested and analysed requiring water, direct ventilation and specialised piped utilities. They typically include chemical science laboratories. These laboratories require specially designed facilities.
- Dry laboratories - contain dry stored materials, electronics, or large instruments with few piped services. They typically include engineering or analytical laboratories that may require accurate temperature and humidity control, dust control, and clean power.
- Microbiological and clinical laboratories - often involve working with infectious agents. They typically require higher levels of primary containment and multiple secondary barriers including specialised ventilation systems to ensure directional air flow, air treatment systems to decontaminate or remove agents from exhaust air, controlled access zones, airlocks as laboratory entrances, or separate buildings or modules to isolate the laboratory.
- In vivo laboratories - these require highly controlled environments for the care and maintenance of flora and fauna. The facilities are complex, and expensive to build and to operate. Tight environmental control over the facility is required to avoid the introduction of contaminants or pathogens, and prevent the possibility of infectious outbreaks, and avoid the transmission of odours.
- Teaching laboratories - unique to academic institutes, they require space for teaching equipment, storage space for student belongings and less instrumentation than research labs.
- Clean rooms - refers to a controlled environment (air quality, temperature and humidity) which prevent contamination and require the regulating of environmental conditions, to facilitate accurate research and production needs. They are typically used in universities for nanotechnology, medical and pharmaceutical research or studies and microelectronics applications.
- Right-sizing
- Right-sizing principles encourage the use of better estimates in equipment loads from which services equipment is sized in comparison to traditional methods of estimates based on rated data obtained from manufacturers' literature or design assumptions from previous projects. This can result in construction cost savings in addition to life cycle cost benefits, while taking account of the need for appropriate contingency.
Other information
Synergy with BREEAM issue – Reduction of energy use and carbon emissions
This BREEAM issue has been developed to recognise improvements made to new laboratory areas or buildings that are not currently fully recognised in the National Calculation Methodology, used to assess and award credits in Ene 01 Reduction of energy use and carbon emissions.
BREEAM International New Construction 2016
Reference: SD233 – Issue: 2.0
Date: 03/07/2017
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