Energy

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s Research Support Facility has attained LEED Platinum sustainable design certification. Located in Golden, Colo., the 222,000-sf project achieved all 59 targeted LEED points, including those for site selection, energy, materials and resources, and innovation. This is the highest score of the 10 U.S. federal facilities that have earned the LEED Platinum rating for new construction. The RSF also had a perfect score in the energy category, achieving all 17 points.

Argonne National Laboratory broke ground on the $95 million Energy Sciences Building in June of 2011. The facility will support research on advanced batteries, fuels, and photovoltaics. Completion is expected in 2013. LEED sustainable design certification will be sought for the project.

Siemens Energy began construction in May of 2011 on a wind service distribution center in Woodward, Okla. The 64,000-sf project will include two buildings to supply customers and industry partners with turbine blades, drive assemblies, and generators. Completion is expected in late 2011.

Clemson University is building a wind turbine drivetrain testing facility in North Charleston, S.C. The project team includes AEC Engineering and Choate Construction. The $98 million project involves conversion of an existing warehouse to provide research, development, and testing space for offshore wind turbines. LEED Silver sustainable design certification will be sought for the facility. Completion is expected in late 2012. 

AREVA will begin construction in spring of 2012 on the three-story, 650,000-sf Uranium Enrichment Facility near Idaho Falls, Idaho. The plant is expected to be operational in 2015. The project is supported by a $2 billion loan from the U.S. Department of Energy.

Rochester Institute of Technology broke ground on the $35 million Golisano Institute for Sustainability in April of 2011 in Rochester, N.Y. The 75,000-sf project is support by a $13.1 million NIST construction grant and $10 million in funding from the state of New York. The multidisciplinary facility will provide labs, classrooms, and conference rooms for research and development of sustainable business practices.

Rolls-Royce is planning to build two manufacturing facilities in Rotherham in the United Kingdom. The 150,000-sf Advanced Blade Casting Facility will produce jet engine turbine blades. The 209,000-sf Project PoWer factory will make vessels for nuclear reactors. Construction could begin in 2012.

Siemens will build an offshore wind turbine manufacturing facility in the Port of Hull in the United Kingdom. The construction cost of the production plant is estimated at $130 million.

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory will construct a $54.4 million a solar energy research center in Berkeley, Calif. The 21,471-sf, three-story lab and office building will accommodate research on materials science and biofuels. The sustainably designed facility will feature advanced lighting and building systems.

Lunera Lighting, a Silicon Valley company that designs, manufactures, and markets next-generation LED lighting, has announced the commercial availability of the 1200 Series Grid Lay-in Fixture. The energy efficient, dimmable, backlit luminaire provides high quality and affordable commercial lighting. The backlit design with removable LED modules for field serviceability enables easy upgrades, increasing the return on the initial fixture investment.

The design of UCLA's WIN-GEM Building and Engineering VI was recently awarded to BNIM + MRY Architects with Research Facilities Design (RFD) as the laboratory design consultant. The project involves the phased design and construction of a 130,000-gsf engineering complex. The facility will house research laboratories for the School’s Western Institute of Nanoelectronics (WIN) and Green Engineering and Metrology (GEM) programs.

National Cheng Kung University inaugurated the Y. S. Sun Green Building Research Center in January of 2011 on the Lis-Hsing campus in Tainan, Taiwan. Housing the Magic School of Green Technology, the zero-carbon facility is expected to attain LEED Platinum sustainable design certification and receive the highest rating from Taiwan's Ecology, Energy Saving, and Waste Reduction initiative. The 4,800-sm building includes three levels above ground and one underground floor.

Tonopah Solar Energy, a subsidiary of SolarReserve, will begin construction in mid-2011 on a $850 million solar power plant in Nye County, Nevada. Sited on 2,250 acres of public land, the 110 megawatt Crescent Dunes Solar Energy Project will use fields of mirrors called heliostats to focus sunlight on a receiver tower, heating a transfer fluid used to generate steam. The facility will generate enough electricity to power 75,000 households. SolarReserve is based in Santa Monica, Calif.

Texas A&M University will begin construction in late 2011 on the Urban Living Laboratory in Dallas. The mixed-use development will provide a living laboratory for sustainable design with residential, retail, office, and hotel space. The $127 million project will utilize sensors to collect data on building systems and technologies. The public-private development will be built by Realty Appreciation. The first phase of construction includes 300 apartment units. Subsequent construction phases will create a 1.1 million-sf sustainable community. 

The University of Wisconsin broke ground on the $75.7 million Wisconsin Energy Institute in Madison in November of 2010. The 200,000-sf facility was designed by HOK and Potter Lawson with M.A. Mortenson as general contractor. The sustainably designed building will house labs, offices, high bay space, and conference rooms for clean energy research and development. A second phase of construction will provide classrooms, a demonstration lab, and offices.