LEED Facts »
| Certified April 2010 | |
| Gold for NC v2.2 | 39/69 |
| Sustainable Sites | 9/14 |
| Water Efficiency | 4/5 |
| Energy & Atmosphere | 3/17 |
| Materials & Resources | 6/13 |
| Indoor Environ. Quality | 13/15 |
| Innovation & Design | 4/5 |
Architect: Payette Associates
Associate Architect: Lerner Ladds Bartels
Construction Manager: Gilbane Company
Landscape Architect: Carol R. Johnson & Associates
LEED Consultant: Michael Karr
Civil Engineer: PARE Engineering
MEP Engineer: R.G. Vanderweil Engineers
Structural Engineer: Simpson, Gumpertz & Heger
Project Size: 140,000 sq. ft.
Total Project Cost: $54,000,000
Cost per square foot: $337
Photographs Courtesy of Payette Associates
Project Background
URI’s $54 million Center for Biotechnology and Life Sciences is a state-of-the-art facility that advances scientific research and serves as a hub for education, research, and job creation in the life sciences. It houses modern teaching laboratories, high-tech facilities for DNA sequencing and analysis, faculty offices, a 100-seat classroom, and a two-story, 300-seat auditorium to meet the needs of URI’s growing environmental biotechnology, life and health sciences programs. A dramatic four-story atrium connects the research wing with the teaching wing, a rooftop patio, an open stairway that suggests the DNA double-helix, and interior spaces designed to encourage interaction among faculty and students.
Strategies and Results
The structure’s sustainable features include a ‘green’ roof that is partially covered in vegetation that serves to filter pollutants and reduce heating and cooling needs; a rain garden and storm water treatment feature with a sophisticated drainage and detention system; daylight harvesting technologies that brighten rooms and warm the floors; and an energy efficient heating and cooling system.
100% of the wood used in framing and interior finishes was certified by the forest Stewardship Council to have come from forests managed in a sustainable way. About a third of the materials used in the building were previously recycled and 79% of construction waste was recycled.
The research and teaching laboratory adopted strategies to maximize energy efficiency. Features include chilled beam technology, natural ventilation and conditioning for the main atrium. The laboratory environment requires exceptional indoor environmental quality, thus, low VOC emitting adhesives, sealants, paints, carpets,and other materials were used. Uri took steps to ensure occupant comfort with lighting controls for 97% of individual workstations and thermal controls for 56% of them. Besides, 92% of regular occupied spaces have direct access to exterior views.
Site grounds have no permanent irrigation system; landscape design strategies maximize open space and control the quantity and quality of stormwater through rainwater capture, filtration, and controlled discharge. transportation to the site is provided by 4 bus lines within a quarter mile of the site; bike racks and shower facilities provide alternative transportation options. Pathways have been paved with highly reflective materials and will be shaded within 5 years, hindering any heat island effects.
About the University of Rhode Island
The University of Rhode Island is the state’s principal public research facility with its main campus in Kingston, R.I. three other campuses are located throughout the state, including Providence’s Feinstein Campus, the Narragansett Bay Campus in Narragansett, and the W. Alton Jones Campus in West Greenwich. URI has 14,546 undergraduates and 4,549 graduate students. it is a land grant, sea grant, and urban grant institution.