We need to be clever in our approach to getting workers to engage with technology, because many of them are frightened and reticent about its adoption.
So, a key issue is to ensure there are aqequate cooling systems.But we were tasked to review all equipment specifications, for the chillers, air handling units, pumps, or anything else, essentially to protect the client and make sure they got they were paying for.
And once installation was completed, we helped with witnessing commissioning, and then monitoring the functioning of the new building through its defects liability period..Since that initial role, we have carried out a number of other MEP projects for Illumina, including extensive heat load testing, lab upgrades and the repurposing of existing offices and other facilities.One major issue for clients in this sort of field is that science moves so fast that buildings quickly become out of date.
And the changing use of building spaces has been exacerbated by COVID reducing the requirement for office space even further..In this context, we have converted offices to pilot labs with a high density of fume cupboards and clean room facilities.
We have also built an incubator/accelerator project; a lab building for startups.
The principal MEPchallenge here is catering for the air change requirements, which are clearly much higher in a laboratory than in an office.A heating energy demand of < 15 kWh/m²/yr or a maximum required heating power of 10 W/m2.
Avoid overheating or have a cooling system demanding < 15 kWh/m2/yr.Achieve an air tightness of ≤ 0.6 air changes/ hr @ n50.
The building design also needs to achieve low primary energy & renewable demand.This is a combined target and is based on the energy consumed by building systems and the renewable energy generated by building mounted wind, photovoltaics or solar thermal systems.. For the above reasons, Passivhaus is a suitable standard for clients and developers that seek a well-established, sustainability standard to deliver low energy buildings with the highest construction quality, aspiring to net zero carbon in operation.. Bryden Wood’s 10-step approach to Passivhaus building design and construction.