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The $45 million State of Indiana Forensic and Health Sciences Laboratories in Indianapolis features several sustainable elements, including a low-impact building site, east-west building alignment and daylight harvesting. The building will be finished in November and be used to assess crime evidence and for other uses.
From the beginning, the people involved in creating the State of Indiana Forensic and Health Sciences Laboratories in Indianapolis wanted an environmentally friendly building.
"The LEED program takes a holistic approach to energy efficiency and environmental impact," said Ryan Decker, quality manager for general contractor F.A. Wilhelm Construction of Indianapolis. "You're taking care of the planet and taking care of the people inside."
To satisfy LEED requirements, the building design included strict specifications for materials. Even the carpet fibers had specific guidelines for recycled content.
Located amid a cluster of life-sciences developments near downtown, the $45 million, 283,000-sq.-ft. building will include three levels above grade plus a mechanical penthouse and a partial basement. The building features a concrete structure and is dressed in oversized brick masonry, curtain wall and metal panels.
Construction began in late 2004 and will be completed in November 2006.
The building will have three primary tenants, said Don Jerabek, project architect for Indianapolis-based designer Ratio Architects Inc. First is the Indiana State Police forensic lab.
"Any evidence for any crime in the state of Indiana, except Marion County, will come to this facility to be analyzed and stored - hair, cigarettes, tire treads, coffee tables, doors, vans," he said.
The second primary tenant is the Indiana State Department of Health laboratory that will analyze "anything from mosquitoes that may have West Nile virus to animals that might have rabies to the little bag of white powder that might be anthrax," Jerabek added
A third, but smaller, portion of the building will be a toxicology lab that will handle duties that include testing blood for drugs and toxins.
A LEEDing Building
What sets the project apart is the effort to gain Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification.
The LEED Green Building Rating System is administered by the Washington, D.C.-based U.S. Green Building Council and sets forth a lengthy list of standards designed to make sure buildings have a minimal impact on the environment and to ensure the quality and health of the inside environment.
In the case of the Indiana building, the green effort began with the choice of the location at 16th and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. streets.
"The state picked a site that would minimize the environmental impact," Decker said. There were no major buildings to tear down, which would have created waste. One small building on the site was dismantled and moved to another location.
Another site consideration was its location relative to bus stops, bike paths and such other transportation assets as the health provider Clarian Health Services People Mover monorail.
"If we can get people to our site without having to drive their cars, that's good," Jerabek said.
The site also allowed for an east-west alignment of the building, helping to increase its energy efficiency.
"As the sun moves around the south face of the building, we can better predict the heating load during the day," Jerabek said.
Two other design considerations relate to the sun. "We limited the width of the building to 85 ft. because part of the quality of the work environment is the distance someone is from natural light," Jerabek said.
The other is the use of daylight harvesting. "The artificial lighting in the room responds to the amount of light coming in the window," he said. "On a brighter day, the lights are automatically dimmer so that it uses less energy."
Buy Locally, Think Globally Instead of bringing wood from Washington state, supplies were obtained from Kentucky to eliminate shipping-related fuel consumption and pollution.
The health of building occupants was another consideration.
"You have to minimize certain items that would affect the indoor air quality and make sure you're using materials with low [volatile organic compound] emissions," Decker said. VOCs can be hazardous to human health.
Various solvents and adhesives are on the list of chemicals to avoid, and that has an impact on the choice of paint, plywood and pressure-treated wood products, carpeting, pipe dope and even furniture. When buildings are as tightly sealed as energy-efficient green buildings are supposed to be, it's especially important that the materials inside them aren't emitting toxic gases.
Just to be sure, there will be a flush-out of the building's air for a two-week period between its completion and any move-ins.
The architects also considered the impact of the various uses inside the building. Most of the toxic or hazardous materials to be used by the building's occupants will be stored on the first floor in rooms with watertight flooring.
Construction materials also were chosen for their energy efficiency, Decker said.
For example, the building is using a Sarnafil roof system that is a white membrane. That will reduce the heat-island effect and allow the HVAC system to be slightly smaller.
Making Inside Appealing
The building's indoor environment will be improved through a variety of construction practices.
"We try to minimize dust or debris getting into the HVAC system," by keeping duct ends wrapped to keep moisture and dust out, Decker said. The construction crew also must minimize standing water and cover various materials with tarp to keep them dry and clean.
LEED certification requires substantial efforts to keep waste building materials from landfills. At least 75 percent of debris must be diverted from the waste stream through recycling efforts that cover everything from concrete, metals, wood and drywall to shrink-wrap, cardboard and office paper.
When the building is finished, LEED requires a comprehensive building-commissioning process to be sure everything is performing the way it's supposed to.
"We go out and perform field installation verifications," Decker said.
He added that once the building is open for business, it should operate 20 percent more efficiently.
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