The Q4 numbers indicate gradual improvement across the 13 largest U.S. life sciences markets and the potential for that momentum to carry through to this year. Leasing activity for lab space totaled 3.4 million sq. ft. in Q4, up 28% from a year earlier. The positive net absorption of 920,000 sq. ft. in Q4 — the difference between newly leased space and newly vacated space — is the third gain in the past five quarters.

The sector benefitted last year from record-high life sciences employment in the U.S., a number of new drugs receiving federal approval and a 19% year-over-year increase in venture capital funding for life sciences companies to $30.4 billion. Meanwhile, the primary factor boosting the national vacancy rate — a surge in lab construction that began during the pandemic — now is easing as construction completions deplete the construction pipeline. The 12.1 million sq. ft. of labs in progress at the end of Q4 is roughly two thirds less than at the peak in 2024.

Q4 market performance

On the market level, 10 of the 13 largest U.S. life sciences markets registered positive net absorption in Q4, led by the San Francisco Bay Area and San Diego.

Top life sciences markets: Select Q4 stats

The U.S. Life Sciences | Q4 2024 report Executive Summary is available at CBRE.

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The nine-story Research Tower represents a crucial step forward in Georgia State’s strategic commitment to research and innovation and to increasing placemaking efforts in the downtown community.

Georgia State President M. Brian Blake, who delivered comments at the groundbreaking ceremony for the building January 15, remarked:

This is more than just a physical space. This building expands our capacity for discovery and learning both at Georgia State University and in the Atlanta area. We’re grateful for the support that’s helped make it a reality.

Also on hand for the groundbreaking event were Gov. Brian Kemp, Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns, Board of Regents Chairman T. Dallas Smith, University System of Georgia Chancellor Sonny Perdue, and Georgia State Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Nicolle Parsons-Pollard.

As a highly active R1 research university, research expenditures at Georgia State have more than doubled in recent years, growing from just over $91 million in 2012 to over $215 million in 2022. This growth highlights the increasing demand for research space to support Georgia State’s expanding academic programs and knowledge community.

In addition to its academic and research goals, the new Research Tower will further strengthen Georgia State’s role in driving economic growth in the region. Georgia State University contributed $3.2 billion to the metro Atlanta economy in fiscal year 2023, according to a recent study prepared for the University System of Georgia.

According to GSU’s Facilities Management Services Major Projects page, the New Research Tower was designed by HOK and is being constructed by Brasfield & Gorrie.

Learn more about Georgia State’s Strategic Plan at GSU.

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The Recommendations help to identify thousands of products and services across 35 categories that conserve energy or water, include more recycled content, or reduce the use of PFAS and single-use plastics. By helping federal purchasers identify and procure environmentally preferable products and services, the Recommendations can save taxpayers money, reduce climate impacts, and prevent pollution.

The Biden-Harris Administration’s Executive Order on Catalyzing Clean Energy Industries and Jobs Through Federal Sustainability direct federal agencies to maximize the procurement of sustainable products and services and to prioritize products and services that meet EPA’s Recommendations.

The update proposes adding 14 standards and ecolabels to the Recommendations across three new product categories, covering healthcare, laboratories, and clothing and uniforms, and expanding the existing food service ware sub-category.

Jennie Romer, Deputy Assistant Administrator for Pollution Prevention in EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, remarked:

With hundreds of ecolabels in the marketplace, EPA’s Recommendations cut through the clutter and give federal purchasers and other sustainability-conscious consumers confidence when making purchasing decisions. The ecolabels and standards that EPA includes in the Recommendations have demonstrated that they can truly help us achieve sustainability at scale. Updating the Recommendations ensures the power of federal procurement, which accounted for more than $700 billion in annual spending last year alone, continues to advance the federal government’s effort to purchase products and services that are sustainable and climate friendly.

If finalized, the updates to the Recommendations would give federal purchasers and other buyers new guidance and options for purchasing sustainable products and services in four categories, which EPA proposes to divide into nine sub-categories, including by expanding the existing sub-category for food service ware. The Recommendations currently include only one recommended ecolabel in the food service ware sub-category, which covers compostable products. If finalized, the updated Recommendations would include three additional standards and ecolabels for food service ware, covering products that are reusable, certified compostable, and certified recyclable. EPA is also providing a new resource that outlines current best practices for the procurement of food service ware sub-categories, which is available on EPA’s website.

EPA assessed the environmental sustainability of the third-party standards and ecolabels under the Framework for the Assessment of Environmental Performance Standards and Ecolabels, and also assessed for a third-party certification program to verify product conformance.

In April 2022, EPA announced stronger eligibility criteria for including standards and ecolabels in the Recommendations, which require each standard and ecolabel to have a competent third-party verification program and a current directory of qualifying products and services. EPA is proposing to remove seven standards or ecolabels because they do not meet these new requirements, are discontinued, or are no longer required by regulation.

EPA will accept public comments on the proposed updates to the Recommendations for 30 days after publication (until October 15) via docket EPA-HQ-OPPT-2022-0835 at Regulations. EPA will use feedback it receives from public comments to inform the final updates to the Recommendations.

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Posted by Johann Nacario

AIHA CEO Lawrence D. Sloan remarked:

We deeply appreciate ACC’s continued support of the AIHA Guideline Foundation’s Emergency Response Planning Guidelines program. This contribution sustains the development of ERPGs and reinforces the essential partnership between our organizations to equip first responders and disaster relief professionals with the tools they need to ensure effective emergency preparedness and response.

Jeffrey Sloan, senior director for Regulatory and Scientific Affairs for ACC, commented:

ACC values our ongoing partnership with AIHA, and we continue to support this valuable program. Our industry’s top priority is the safety of our facilities and their surrounding communities, and we are pleased to support AIHA’s mission of advancing community and workplace safety.

Find out more about the the Emergency Response Planning Guidelines (ERPG) program at AIHA.

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These factors and others will influence the rapidly growing market for life sciences real estate. CBRE forecasts that cumulative square footage of lab space in the largest 13 U.S. life sciences markets, already having expanded by 47% in the past five years, will increase by another 22% within the next two years to 220 million sq. ft. as projects currently under construction are completed. Nearly a third of that space under construction is pre-leased.

That’s not to say the life sciences sector is immune to the economic slowdown, notes the report. Recent turmoil in the banking sector is likely to hamper venture capital funding this year for startup life sciences and tech companies. Initial public offerings by life sciences companies have fallen off. Job growth for life sciences professions slowed to a 4.1% gain in January 2023 from 6.4% a year prior. And U.S. lab vacancy rose to 5.7% in the fourth quarter from 5.1% in the third, though it remains low relative to many other real estate sectors.

Increase in clinical trials

Other indicators, especially in drug discovery and development, point to more growth for life sciences. Globally, the number of clinical trials increased to 444,567 by March 2023, up 36% from 2020, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine. In the U.S., the number of new Phase 2 and 3 clinical trials — when life sciences companies most often expand their operations — ramped up over the past decade to exceed 3,000 in each of the past three years.

Matt Gardner, CBRE’s Americas Life Sciences leader, stated:

The life sciences industry and the broader economy have hit choppy waters in recent months, but the industry’s most important gauge — the product pipeline — signals sustained, underlying growth. Many metrics have receded from their 2020 and 2021 highs, but they’re still above their pre-pandemic levels. There is a lot of promising science in the works to propel this industry forward once the lending environment settles.

Additional indicators: Annual funding from the National Institutes of Health has risen by 62% in the past decade, including an increase to $47.5 billion this year from $45.2 billion last. And U.S. life sciences companies had a cumulative $200 billion in cash reserves last year, a decline from the previous three years but still higher than 2018 and before. That capital could be a resource for mergers and acquisitions of smaller biotech companies.

Real estate impact

Despite these tailwinds, lab vacancy is likely to rise further in many markets due to new construction.

Ian Anderson, CBRE senior director of Research, added:

Greater availability of lab space will provide relief for occupiers in markets like Boston, the San Francisco Bay Area and San Diego, where available space has been scarce for many years.

CBRE’s report includes an analysis of the largest 30 U.S. life sciences leases of 2022, illustrating a concentration of big leases in the traditional life sciences hubs but also several in additional markets.

Market-by-market share of largest 30 U.S. life sciences leases 2022

To read the full 2023 U.S. Life Sciences Outlook report or an Executive Summary, visit CBRE.

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Representatives from co-developers Lendlease and Ivanhoé Cambridge joined elected officials and project partners on September 22 at the ceremonial groundbreaking for the development, which will deliver in 2024.

Known as FORUM, the $500 million life sciences development is located at 60 Guest St. in Boston. Upon completion, the nine-story, 350,000-square-foot life science building will rise on one of the last available sites in Boston Landing, a 15-acre mixed-use community along the Massachusetts Pike in Boston’s Allston-Brighton neighborhood.

Designed by SGA for LEED Platinum, WiredScore Platinum and Fitwel certification, FORUM will have net zero operational carbon upon completion, aligning with Lendlease’s Mission Zero initiative and Ivanhoé Cambridge’s commitment to achieve net zero carbon by 2040.

John Sullivan, AIA, president of Architecture at SGA, remarked:

FORUM will be an ultramodern life sciences building in an area that has such robust demand for specialized life sciences and research facilities, considering its close proximity to Kendall Square, the epicenter of Greater Boston’s life sciences sector.

The building will include office/lab space and a robust amenity program featuring a multipurpose ground floor and outdoor spaces at key locations throughout the building. Features that set 60 Guest St. apart from the rest of Boston Landing include a spacious two-dock loading area, a 5,000-lb. service elevator, parking within the building, and eclectic amenities at street level.

Boston Landing is home to New Balance’s global headquarters, the Boston Celtics’ Auerbach Center and Bruins’ Warrior Ice Arena, as well as an indoor track and entertainment venue, lab/office and residential uses, and a planned 175-room hotel.

The vision of Ivanhoé Cambridge and Lendlease is to deliver their tenant partners not only exceptional state-of-the-art labs/offices, but also curated spaces, experiences and accessible services that will propel their human potential. From easy transit access to sustainable infrastructure and indoor-outdoor experiences on multiple floors, FORUM is designed to be a perfect environment from which to do this important work in Boston.

Nick Iselin, executive general manager of Development in Boston for Lendlease, stated:

Upon completion, FORUM will establish Boston Landing as the leader of Allston-Brighton’s emerging life sciences cluster, offering a highly amenitized environment and industry-leading lab infrastructure that will attract and retain top biotech talent. With inviting and engaging public spaces, FORUM will also be the neighborhood gathering spot within the vibrant, urban mixed-use district.

Tenant amenities on the third floor include a shared kitchen and eating area, as well as a 7,000-square-foot terrace with cabanas, seating areas, grilling stations and high-speed Wi-Fi. Meeting and collaboration spaces with A/V capabilities are also offered in a variety of configurations to accommodate conferences and meetings. In addition to a 288-stall parking garage with electric vehicle charging stations, the building will offer storage for 146 bicycles and on-site locker rooms.

SGA notes that FORUM values community partnerships and will host programming to foster workforce development in the life sciences industry through a program with MassBioEd and serve as a showcase for local artists.

The leasing agent for the building is JLL. Consigli Construction Company is serving as general contractor, and BR+A Consulting Engineers as project engineer. McNamara • Salvia is structural engineer.

Additional FORUM renderings are available at SGA.

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The information in the user-friendly, pocket-sized TLVs and BEIs book is used worldwide as a guide for evaluation and control by industrial hygienists of workplace exposures to chemical substances and physical agents (which include those of an acoustic, electromagnetic, radiological, ergonomic, mechanical, and thermal nature) in such settings as manufacturing, laboratories, healthcare facilities and custodial work.

TLVs and BEIs are guidelines to be used by professionals trained in the practice of industrial hygiene, points out ACGIH; they are not designed to be used as standards. The TLVs and BEIs are health-based values established by committees that review existing published and peer-reviewed literature in various scientific disciplines. Based on the available information, ACGIH formulates a conclusion on what level of exposure the typical worker can experience without adverse health effects. There is no consideration given to economic or technical feasibility.

Threshold Limit Value (TLV) occupational exposure guidelines are recommended for more than 700 chemical substances and physical agents. There are more than 50 Biological Exposure Indices (BEIs) that cover more than 80 chemical substances.

A listing of the substances that were acted upon is available on ACGIH’s Substances and Agents Listing page.

The Notice of Intended Changes (NIC) list is comprised of those substances and physical agents for which a limit/BEI is proposed for the first time, for which a change in the Adopted value/index is proposed, for which retention as an NIC is proposed, or for which withdrawal of the Documentation and adopted TLV/BEI is proposed. In each case, the proposals should be considered trial values during the period they are on the NIC (approximately one year).

Documentation for the substances on the Notice of Intended Changes (NIC) List are available for purchase in PDF format (ACGIH members are entitled to 10 free downloads per year).

The Annual Reports of the ratifications of the ACGIH Board were published in the winter edition of the ACGIH newsletter, Exposure Weekly, and can be found online; ACGIH members can download the electronic version at no cost.

The 2020 TLVs and BEIs book is available in print or digital format.

The 2020 Guide to Occupational Exposure Values is a companion document to the ACGIH TLVs and BEIs book and serves as a readily accessible reference for comparison of the most recently published values from ACGIH, AIHA/OARS, OSHA, NIOSH and the German MAK Commission.

ACGIH is now offering these companion references as a combo set. The set includes the TLVs and BEIs book, the Guide to Occupational Exposure Values, and 8^th Edition Documentation of the TLVs and BEIs.

ACGIH recommends that all TLV and BEI users read the Statement of Position Regarding the TLVs and BEIs, which outlines the proper usage of TLVs and BEIs. This can be found in the TLV/BEI Guidelines section of the ACGIH website. In addition to the Statement of Position, visitors to this site will find other useful information on TLVs and BEIs.

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The awards are indicative of trends in education facility architecture and design as well as facilities management, including building monitoring systems to keep track of sustainability; spaces that can be reconfigured for flexible, maximized usage and that promote collaboration and different learning styles; and numerous energy-reducing initiatives such as an impressive Net Zero Energy laboratory. (Some of the FM-related features appear in boldface in the descriptions below.)

AIA describes the winning facilities below.

Awards of Excellence

Bridge for Laboratory Sciences, Vassar College, Integrated Science Commons; Poughkeepsie, NY; Ennead Architects

The new Vassar College Bridge for Laboratory Sciences (VBLS) redefines the sciences at Vassar. Spanning a creek and connecting two sides of campus, the VBLS houses state-of-the-art undergraduate teaching and research laboratories, offices and shared public spaces, and physically connects the sciences with the surrounding wetlands. Consolidating the sciences on Vassar’s campus, in addition to the new VBLS, the Integrated Science Commons includes the renovation of three buildings and ten acres of landscape to create a cohesive science precinct on Vassar’s campus.

Kohler Environmental Center, Choate Rosemary Hall; Wallingford, CT; Robert A.M. Stern Architects, LLP

This project achieves dual objectives by not only being a high-performance LEED-Platinum building, but also serves as a learning tool for students. The Kohler Environmental Center accommodates cohorts of up to 20 students for a total-immersion environmental living/learning experience. Feedback from the building’s monitoring systems enables students to teach themselves important lessons about how to live sustainably and responsibly.

Music and Arts Center; Wenatchee, WA; Integrus Architecture

The performing arts venues are positioned to welcome and engage the community, while the visual arts spaces allow students to use a preserved northerly grove of trees for artistic inspiration. A single pivot point between artistic disciplines serves as both a gathering space allowing students to continue learning outside the classroom and an area for patrons to gather prior to performances. The design integrates the historic heart of the campus with the existing and future circulation routes while preserving the integrity of the surrounding educational community.

Northwood Elementary School; Mercer Island, WA; Mahlum Architects

Northwood Elementary is located on Mercer Island, positioned directly between the cities of Seattle and Bellevue, and is the first school that the community had built since the 1950s. The project occupies the corner of a large, multi-use campus, adjacent to one of the last remaining stands of Madrona trees on the island, and nestles into a steeply sloped site at the head of a major geological outlet to Lake Washington. The design is an eco-system of flexible and fluidly connected spaces that promote active learning and support the Next Generation Science Standards.

University of Oregon Allan Price Commons Research Library Remodel-Expansion; Eugene, OR; Opsis Architecture

The Price Science Commons and Research Library creates an inviting identity for the Lokey Science Complex as a glass enclosed pavilion containing a social commons café and event space overlooking and connecting to the subterranean research library and landscaped courtyard. A hub of student activity, it is a technologically robust, dynamic learning environment for learning and discovery that reflects a 21st Century paradigm. The student-centered design promotes experimentation, collaboration, and investigation. Spatial flexibility, with classrooms that reconfigure into study groups and informal learning arrangements, promotes collaboration across diverse user groups. Science-specific study rooms support collaboration, tutoring, and hands-on learning.

Awards of Merit

Bates Technical College Advanced Technology Center; Tacoma, WA; McGranahan Architects

The Advanced Technology Center integrates student, faculty, project and instructional areas to provide pedagogical overlap to nurture student growth in STEM and broadcast technologies; attracting a diverse student body and supporting outcomes for a variety of educational capabilities and community benefits. The project inspired an exploration into shared craft and design methodologies that exist between building technologies and information architecture. The campus fosters student success by involving community and industry partners to support the college Foundation, which helps address financial needs of at-risk students. Project-oriented work, educational effectiveness, inquiry and collaboration among faculty and students is heightened through connectivity.

Chengdu International School; Chengdu, China; Perkins Eastman Architects

Born out of a need to accommodate a growing enrollment and expanding curriculum, Chengdu International School (CDIS) transformed a newly constructed structure from its original intended use as an elementary school for Chinese students, to an international school, grades pre-k thru 12, providing a Western-based educational model for foreign nationals living in China. The conversion of the 17,000-square foot, five-story building was extensive and highlighted the spatial, organizational and cultural differences between a Chinese teaching model. Drawing upon the rich use of color and frames in traditional Chinese architecture, a language of wrapping planes enfolds non-programmed and shared community space.

Cherry Crest Elementary School; Bellevue, WA; NAC Architecture

Building and site are woven into each other at Cherry Crest Elementary, making students feel not so much “in the building” as “on the site.” This integrated experiential environment stimulates both the curriculum and student engagement by offering a variety of learning spaces which encourage overlap of formal and informal interaction. Educational environment and physical environment intertwine and are inseparable. The building is a gentle part of the site and the whole site is a teaching tool.

University of California, Berkeley, Jacobs Institute for Design Innovation; Berkeley, CA; Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects

Founded on the conviction that design can help address some of society’s most pressing challenges, the Jacobs Institute for Design Innovation at the University of California, Berkeley, is devoted to introducing design innovation at the center of engineering education and university life. The project was conceived by the College of Engineering as an interdisciplinary hub for students and teachers from across the university who “love working at the intersection of design and technology”. It is designed as both a team-based, project-centric educational space and a compelling symbol to the region of the University’s commitment to enlightened, sustainable innovation.

The Winsor School, Lubin O’Donnell Center for Performing Arts and Wellness; Boston, MA; William Rawn Associates, Architects, Inc.

Committed to the school motto, “A sound mind in a sound body,” The Winsor School’s new mixed-use facility serves as the home for the performing arts, athletics, and wellness education at the center of the school’s historic campus. The project features a new 515-seat theater, which serves as the school’s main assembly space, as well as major athletic and recreation facilities, including a two-court gymnasium, five squash courts, and physical education spaces. Other program elements include rehearsal and teaching areas for drama, dance, music, and health and wellness.

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Electrical and Computer Engineering Building; Urbana, IL; SmithGroupJJR

The Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign consistently ranks among the top five engineering programs in the country. Known for groundbreaking research and technological innovations, the department needed a new home that reflected the program prestige by becoming the most sustainable laboratory classroom in the world. The 230,000-square foot building was designed with maximum energy efficiency in mind, eventually reaching a Net Zero Energy rating. This is an incredible feat, considering that to date the Department of Energy has classified only 10 U.S. facilities as net-zero energy buildings, each less than 15,000-square foot.

University of Pennsylvania Stephen A. Levin Building; Philadelphia, PA; SmithGroupJJR

The genesis for the new Neural and Behavioral Sciences (NBS) building is the acknowledgment that the study of complex behaviors will be a fundamental focus of life sciences in the 21st century. The NBS building strongly identifies itself as an iconic gateway into campus and celebrates a new life sciences precinct by defining a new academic quadrangle.

The 2017 winners of the Education Facility Design Awards are highlighted with photos and descriptions on the AIA Web site.

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According to Don Domoretsky, executive vice president in JLL’s New England Life Science Practice:

The Greater Boston market is among the top life science markets in the world, and leads the U.S. with the largest concentration of life sciences researchers. Perhaps more so than any other region, we possess an unparalleled mixture of world-class academic institutions, top-notch research facilities, and a tight-knit medical community — a combination that has proved to be the key in developing leading life sciences clusters.

The report found that life sciences professionals have high expectations for their workplace. It’s now important for companies to choose the right location and shape an engaging workplace. In fact, creating workplaces focused on the “human experience” is a competitive imperative in an era of growing business pressures, says JLL.

What can facilities managers (FMs) do to help?

FMs can contribute to a positive workplace that attracts and retains qualified talent by helping create innovative, collaborative spaces with a fully functioning digital experience; giving workers more choices and control over their individual workspace; and ensuring a comfortable, safe and efficient work environment.

Roger Humphrey, executive managing director and leader of JLL’s Life Sciences group, stated:

With Millennials often at the center of talent recruitment, life sciences companies are seeking spaces that improve employee well-being. Some are following the lead of technology companies and are creating workplaces that engage, inspire, attract and retain talent, because the people are the business.

Despite high lab rents, which are now $75.05 PSF in East Cambridge, and research and development (R&D) costs, life sciences executives continue to face pressure to decrease operational costs and maximize efficiency. Growing revenue and achieving sustainable growth means making calculated bets amid pending U.S. healthcare legislation and political uncertainty. These trends, a ranking of the top U.S. life sciences cities and submarkets, and an analysis of the industry landscape are all revealed in JLL’s sixth annual Life Sciences Outlook.

Top U.S. life sciences clusters

Greater Boston and the San Francisco Bay Area continue their reign as the top U.S. life sciences clusters. They share common characteristics such as world-class academic institutions, top-notch research facilities and a tight-knit medical community. Once again, talent and resources propelled these cities in the top 10 U.S. life sciences clusters in 2017:

Human capital is king

The demand for highly skilled labor and a limited pool of candidates has driven sustained wage growth. The average annual salary for R&D professionals has reached $135,000 in the past five years, while the average salary in the sector has increased 19.2 percent.

Many life sciences companies remain in top-tier clusters despite rising lab rents and R&D costs, indicating that talent is the top priority. Given the high cost of replacing valuable research talent, many companies are prioritizing locations, facilities and workplaces that improve the well-being of employees, and some landlords are responding with grand life sciences parks in the suburbs, while others are focusing on the development of urban lab space.

In the Seaport, for example, Related Beal’s Innovation Square (iSQ) project will offer 375,000 square feet of LEED-designed space aimed at attracting established biotech companies as well as smaller firms seeking incubator space. The Seaport submarket also boasts a strong high-tech presence, which offers an extension to a different type of talent pool.

JLL’s annual Life Sciences Outlook tracks geographic shifts in life sciences innovation, operations and facilities investments, including an analysis of markets actively investing in their life sciences sectors. It includes a ranking of the top U.S. life sciences clusters, as well as an analysis of global trends. The complete findings of the Life Sciences Outlook are available in a dedicated microsite.

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Laboratories are characterized by having high receptacle load due to their specialized needs, the need for fresh air dilution to meet safety requirements, and long operating hours. These result in labs being highly energy-intensive, typically consuming about three to five times more energy than a typical office space, says BCA. The group also pointed out that different laboratories have different specifications and safety requirements, making it a challenge to come up with a holistic system to rate them all.

The new program, called the BCA Green Mark for Laboratories, recognizes the sustainable efforts and commitment of laboratory owners and operators to reduce the environmental impact of lab operations. It also complements the BCA Green Mark for Buildings program by encouraging laboratory operators to adopt best practices and optimize the operations of laboratory equipment and systems, while addressing the safety requirements for laboratories.

Inaugural award winners of the new program demonstrate best practices

The two inaugural Platinum winners of the new program are the National University of Singapore (NUS) Chemistry Lab in Tahir Foundation Building and the Cambridge Centre for Advanced Research and Education in Singapore (CARES) laboratory. The third winner that clinched the Gold award is A*STAR’s Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology – IBN Chemistry Lab.

The chemistry laboratory in the Tahir Foundation Building at the National University of Singapore (NUS) was developed to incorporate green designs, features and practices that make them environmentally sustainable. For example, localized exhaust was installed for critical heat sources to reduce ventilation energy. On-site energy recovery was also implemented to reduce energy required for specific humidity control. Situated in a BCA Green Mark Platinum-awarded building, these sustainable laboratories require much lower demand for utilities as compared to similar laboratories, while at the same time ensuring high standards for health and safety.

The 846-square-meter Cambridge Centre for Advanced Research and Education in Singapore (CARES) laboratory, housed within the National Research Foundation (NRF) Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise (CREATE), contains collaboration labs for chemical and biological research in greener chemical engineering processes. The CARES lab was designed to take advantage of the CREATE building’s energy-efficient features. CREATE is also a BCA Green Mark Platinum building. Beyond that, the team also integrated a number of engineering and risk control strategies to deliver a functional, safe and energy-efficient facility as a common collaborative space for its extended family of researchers. These include the use of local extract ventilation (LEV) such as canopy hoods and fume extraction to reduce ventilation energy, and the use of energy-efficient LED luminaires for lighting.

Occupant-centric Green Mark programs: record number of awarded projects

Since the launch of occupant-centric Green Mark programs by BCA in 2009, there has been a steady rise in the take-up rate. This year, BCA saw a record high in the total number of occupant-centric program winners, at around 120 winners, more than double the number in 2015. As part of this group, the new BCA Green Mark for Laboratories encourages building users to adopt energy-efficient measures. Other programs include the BCA Green Mark for Office Interior, BCA Green Mark for Restaurants, and BCA Green Mark for Supermarkets, among others.

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