ENGINEERING RESEARCH BUILDING THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT ARLINGTON
ENGINEERING RESEARCH BUILDING THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT ARLINGTON
OWNER
The University of Texas at Arlington LOCATION
Arlington, Texas DATE COMPLETE
March, 2011
ARCHITECTS DESIGN ARCHITECT
ZGF Architects LLP PageSoutherlandPage LLP
ARCHITECT OF RECORD
CONSULTANTS PageSoutherlandPage LLP Datum Gojer Engineers, LLC LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT J. C. La Foy & Associates, LLC LABORATORY PLANNER Research Facilities Design TECHNOLOGY CONSULTANT DataCom Design Group, Inc. COST ESTIMATOR Busby + Associates, Inc. M/E/P ENGINEER
STRUCTURAL / CIVIL ENGINEER
CONTRACTOR CONSTRUCTION MANAGER
Hensel Phelps Construction Company
SIZE
BUILDING PERFORMANCE
234,265 SF 178,917 SF WET LABS / LAB SUPPORT 55,348 SF
INNOVATIVE SYSTEMS
BUILDING SQUARE FOOTAGE
DRY LABS / OFFICES / CLASSROOMS
COST
Green roofs, rainwater management system LEED LEVEL LEED-Gold Certified Version LEED NC 2.2
$86,604,180 CM@Risk
DELIVERY METHOD
OVERVIEW The 234,265 SF, six-story building is comprised of efficient and flexible state-of-the-art teaching and research laboratories, laboratory support spaces, classrooms, and faculty, student, and administrative offices. Located on the north-central quadrant of the University of Texas at Arlington campus, the Engineering Research Building (ERB) will support the growing academic and research demands of the College of Engineering’s Department of Computer Science and Engineering and Department of Bioengineering, and units of the College of Science. These departments, which were previously scattered in other buildings, are now consolidated into a highly interactive research and teaching facility that is equipped to accommodate evolving technologies for teams of multidisciplinary research investigators.
DESIGN GOALS Designed to blend aesthetically with other buildings within the College of Engineering, the façade is comprised of locally quarried limestone, which is punctuated by glass elements and metallic panels. The L-shaped building creates a border for an outdoor courtyard. The shorter wing of the ERB connects to an existing engineering laboratory building via a third-floor bridge. The ERB has achieved the U.S. Green Building Council’s sustainable performance measure of LEEDGold Certification due to its numerous sustainable features, including rainwater harvesting, green roofs, recycled content materials and finishes, high-efficiency water-saving fixtures in restrooms, windows positioned to maximize natural light within interior spaces, and energy-saving sensors that will lower the light level when there is sufficient natural light. The ERB is the first LEED-Certified building on the Arlington campus.
View of north elevation. PHOTOGRAPHER Robert Canfield
SUSTAINABLE FEATURES A dry creek bed, which doubles as a landscape feature at certain times o fthe year, and provides flood control, combines with green roofs to slow rain runoff. It captures water before it leaves the site and diverts it to below-grade retention tanks where the water is stored for later use in irrigation.
RIGHT View of south elevation. PHOTOGRAPHER Robert Canfield
LEGEND
1 Engineering Research Building 2 Engineering Laboratory Building 3 Nedderman Hall
SUSTAINABLE DESIGN FEATURES Native Low-Water Landscaping The landscape surrounding the building consists of native plant species that are adapted to the region’s natural weather cycles. This not only minimizes the need for maintenance and irrigation, but also creates a natural habitat.
Rainwater Harvesting Rainwater from roofs and condensed water from the building’s air conditioners is filtered through natural vegetation and a creek bed, and stored in underground cisterns. The building harvests enough rain and condensate water to meet site irrigation needs.
Alternative Transportation Bicycle storage areas and showering facilities are provided to encourage building occupants to use environmentally friendly transportation. In addition, campus bus stops are located within a ¼ mile radius of the building to promote a walkable community.
Heat Island Reduction Green roofs mitigate stormwater runoff, insulate the building, and provide habitats for local fauna. Through a combination of vegetation and highly reflective materials, the building roofs reduce solar heat absorption, lowering the energy needs for air conditioning, and lessening the building’s heat island effect.
Recycled Content / Regional Materials Over 80% (4,597 tons) of waste from the construction of the Engineering Research Building was salvaged and recycled.
Collection of Recyclables Bins are provided in central locations for collection of recyclable plastics, metals, paper, cardboard, and glass.
Materials and Finishes The recycled content value of all materials used in the building is over 35%, with almost half manufactured or harvested within a 500-mile radius of the site to reduce their fossil fuel footprint. Interior finishes were selected on the basis of having extremely low volatile organic compound content for improved indoor air quality. In accordance with the Forest Stewardship Council’s (FSC) Principles and Criteria, over 57% of the wood products installed in the building are FSC-certified with a “seal of approval” awarded for adopting environmentally and socially responsible forest management practices.
Water-Use Reduction There are high-efficiency fixtures in the restrooms that will help the building achieve a savings of 47.3% in potable water use over a similar sized building with conventional fixtures.
Natural Daylighting and Views By narrowing the width of the building and locating regularly occupied spaces along the perimeter, over 75% of these areas have high levels of natural daylight, and over 90% have access to outdoor views. Light shelves and operable shades along the east, west, and south façades help regulate the levels of natural daylight, while energy efficient light fixtures with daylight and occupancy sensors reduce the building’s energy consumption.
Ventilation The heat recovery system captures energy from interior conditioned air before it is exhausted, thereby reducing the energy requirements for conditioning fresh air. Ventilation ducts throughout the building are sized to reduce the amount of energy needed to drive air through them. Additionally, chemical fume hoods in the laboratories have been rigorously tested to ensure safe and energy-efficient operation.
LEVEL 1
Conference / Classrooms
Laboratory / Laboratory Support
Office Circulation
Building Support
0
32’
64'
LEVEL 2
Conference / Classrooms
Laboratory / Laboratory Support
Office Circulation
Building Support
0
32’
64'
LEVEL 3
Conference / Classrooms
Laboratory / Laboratory Support
Office Circulation
Building Support
0
32’
64'
LEVEL 4
Conference / Classrooms
Laboratory / Laboratory Support
Office Circulation
Building Support
0
32’
64'
LEVEL 5
Conference / Classrooms
Laboratory / Laboratory Support
Office Circulation
Building Support
0
32’
64'
LEVEL 6
Conference / Classrooms
Laboratory / Laboratory Support
Office Circulation
Building Support
0
32’
64'
CREATING A QUAD Construction materials—red brick, limestone, glass and steel—were selected to both preserve the association with other university buildings and to communicate the building’s contemporary use. A tree-lined pedestrian mall replaces a former street, and two courtyards provide welcoming places for students to gather.
LEFT The ERB completes the boundaries of an engineering quad. PHOTOGRAPHER Robert Canfield
CIRCULATION The building allows computer science and biomedical engineers to work alongside students of chemistry, biology, physics, math, and genomics. A large conference room on the first floor further supports this interdisciplinary shift. Public and common spaces in the building have been designed to foster interaction and collaboration. These include not only the programmed areas, but the casual spaces for chance encounters.
LEFT Bright paint colors and wood accents add warmth to
classroom and laboratory corridors. ABOVE Connecting stairwells were thoughtfully designed to bring natural light into the building. PHOTOGRAPHER Robert Canfield
LEFT Study tables along perimeter corridor. ABOVE TOP Wet
laboratory. ABOVE BOTTOM Classroom. PHOTOGRAPHER Robert Canfield
ABOVE Pre-function areas are located on each floor outside of
shared conference facilities. RIGHT End of corridor meeting / collaboration room. PHOTOGRAPHER Robert Canfield
INFORMAL INTERACTION A variety of indoor and outdoor seating options are provided to encourage interaction outside of the laboratories and classrooms.
ABOVE Upper floor elevator lobby. RIGHT Outdoor patio. PHOTOGRAPHER Robert Canfield
ABOVE Casual seating lounge. RIGHT Informal conference area. PHOTOGRAPHER Robert Canfield
STUDENT TOUCHDOWN SPACES AND FACULTY OFFICES Study carrals, also known as “student touchdown spaces”, as well as perimeter faculty offices are awash with natural light. Sun-shading devices keep glare and heat from entering the offices, almost entirely eliminating the need for internal shading. Light shelves and clerestory windows pull natural light deep into the building, effectively eliminating the need for electrical lighting except after sunset.
LEFT Study carrels. ABOVE Private faculty office. PHOTOGRAPHER
Robert Canfield
ABOVE Large second floor conference room with patio seating. RIGHT Exterior view, northeast corner, showing conference balcony. PHOTOGRAPHER Robert Canfield
Printed on recycled paper.