to establish a distinct volume and provide
the required structural module.
Arranging the labs in “neighborhoods”
around the atrium increased the complexity
of the project. The lab fronts were made
transparent, but met the necessary requirements to fulfill control zone, fire rating and
smoke control needs. Cantilevered pods,
intended to house collaborative meetings,
extend out into the atrium. Two sides of the
lab were glazed in order to offer the maximum amount of transparency and light, and
to allow its inhabitants to see from one end
of the building to the other.
Vibration performance of the labs was
2,000 mips to 4,000 mips. In order to
accommodate these requirements, detailed analytical models were employed to
create vibration maps that visualized the
anticipated vibration performance. The
Institute and engineering team worked
together to tune the structural system in
order to create the best performance for
their needs without sacrificing structural
depth and flexibility.
Sustainability features included in the
building are reduced energy consumption, radiant panel ceiling, data center
heat recapture, chilled beams for cooling
and a fly wheel back-up battery system—
an emergency power and battery storage
system necessary to guarantee uninterrupted usage of data center servers.
“This is one of the projects you feel
privileged to work on in your career,” said
Kornovich. “It pushed me as planner, a
designer and a creator of scientific work
places. It created a new paradigm in how
architecture can support the scientific
behavior that will change the world.”
The team tasked with renovating the Integrative Biosciences Center (IBio) at Wayne State University found
themselves faced with a monumental
task—to transform a 1920s auto dealership into a state-of-the-art facility that
would draw in bright young researchers
and innovators who could sufficiently
target medical issues that affected the
Detroit region’s racial and socioeconomic
groups. And, in order for WSU to procure
$30M in Michigan state funding, the team
had to complete their programming and
schematic planning within five weeks.
Architecture firm Harley Ellis De-
vereaux of Southfield, Mich., began to
develop a program and schematic design
for a new multidisciplinary biomedical
research facility that re-shapes the way
science approaches urban health issues.
“Adapting the building for lab use … was
a huge challenge,” said Mark Hartmann,
Lab Planner. “The building was structurally unsuited to lab planning, with a host
of existing conditions in desperate need of
correction or repair. Portions of the original
An impossible building
The Integrative Biosciences Center, Wayne State University wins 2017 Renovated
Laboratory of the Year
At the Allen Institute, collaboration ‘pods’ hang out into the atrium to provide unique collaboration
spaces. Credit: Lara Swimmer
ProcessLaboratory
Spectroscopy
Electrochemistry
Ion Chromatography
Titration
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