May 31, 2006—The US Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) announced in late April that it plans to build a state-of-the-art office building that will integrate high performance design and building practices and showcase the latest renewable energy and energy efficiency technology advances at the laboratory’s 327-acre South Table Mountain campus in Golden, CO.
NREL’s vision is to design and build 210,000 square feet of research support facilities that would house approximately 780 staff, with initial plans for a smaller building to house up to 160 staff. NREL aims to achieve a Platinum rating from the US Green Building Council’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating system. The building should be completed by early 2008.
Currently, NREL is finishing construction of a 71,000-square-foot Science and Technology Facility on the campus that will enable scientists to work alongside industry partners in a research environment that will significantly accelerate the movement of new energy technologies from the laboratory to the marketplace, says NREL.
The S&TF’s sustainability features will provide a 40 percent reduction in energy use compared to standard laboratory buildings, says NREL. Daylighting will provide 100 percent of the ambient light requirements in the open office areas, while maximizing daylighting opportunities in the laboratories. The S&TF will recover 50 percent of its energy through energy recovery technologies. In light of Colorado’s climate, the building also uses evaporative cooling and a raised floor air distribution system.
