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The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers looked to Syska Hennessy Group
to provide consulting engineering services for their new 255,000
sq. ft. materials research laboratory. The Army’s desire
to promote closer communication between their various materials
research divisions prompted them to consolidate five existing facilities
into this new single structure. This facility houses such research
concentrations as computer modeling, ceramics material processing,
micro-structural analysis, dynamic properties and chemical analysis.
In addition, it was the Army’s concern that the new facility
have a flexible design that would allow for the alteration of laboratory
systems to accommodate new research programs as they were introduced.
The labs needed to be quickly adapted for speedy adoption of new
research. The Army also imposed tight design and construction schedules
that had to be adhered to. These directives presented many complex
and challenging issues for Syska Hennessy to solve.
Our first step in the relocation effort was to visit the existing
satellite facilities and conduct detailed interviews with the scientists
to determine the function and operating needs of each of these
facilities. These surveys provided a valuable resource during the
design development phase.
A challenge we encountered during the development of our design
plan lay in the fact that several scientists decided not to relocate.
This resulted in the introduction of new scientists that had different
research methodologies than those we had surveyed. This situation
illustrated the need for a flexible design solution, as regular
staff changes and the development of new research programs would
require a laboratory facility with the ability to continually evolve.
As a result, all systems were designed with various features that
would facilitate modification. The ceilings in the facility, except
for some clean rooms, have been left open to allow easy access
to ductwork, sprinkler, and electrical systems in order to accommodate
systems alterations. A modular electrical system was also employed
which allows an area to modify its power needs with minimal impact
to the surrounding research labs. Other features of the facility
include a VAV based air conditioning system, “clean power” for
all sensitive electrical equipment including computers and a fire
protection system consisting of wet sprinklers, fire alarm, and
standpipe system, as well as a pre-action system for select areas.
This project was awarded the US Army Corps of Engineers
2000 Environmental and Design Excellence Award, demonstrating how Syska Hennessy Group
improved the efficiency of the government, by consolidating the
extensive research functions from five remote locations into one
energy-efficient facility.
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