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NewsBriefs 2009
Quick Links to Articles Below:
-Arizona scientists secure $33M
-Forensics Lab First WVU LEED
-Institute Laboratory Building Awarded LEED™ Gold Rating
-The University of Oregon green chemistry building and systems achieve efficiency and sustainability.
-Architectural Woodwork Institute
-Vestar 'green' shopping center first in AZ
-Phoenix-Dubai agreement aims to promote business
-Midwestern University expansion is under way
Arizona scientists secure $33M
Federal grants to fund big cancer study, other projects
by Ken Alltucker - Oct. 5, 2009 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic
A Phoenix laboratory will claim a share of $275 million in federal research grants that will drive a massive study of the genetic roots of cancer. The International Genomics Consortium, at the downtown Phoenix Biomedical Campus, said the cancer-research project called the Cancer Genome Atlas will allow the biomedical research lab to more than triple its workforce of 45 employees.
Lab managers still do not know how much money they will get, but the scope of the project could require IGC to add more than 100 high-paying jobs such as scientists and lab technicians to downtown Phoenix. "It's a remarkable award for Arizona," said Robert Penny, IGC's chief operating officer. "This is a big honor for us to be part of this bold initiative."
Although the Atlas project could be the largest new science project for Arizona, research labs across the state will be buzzing with activity due to a new batch of federal stimulus grants. Aizona scientists secured 101 research grants that are collectively worth more than $33 million, a Republic analysis of National Institutes of Health records shows. The grants are part of a $5 billion infusion of stimulus funds announced last week by President Barack Obama.
States with strong science bases such as California, Massachusetts and New York, each landed more than 1,000 grants. Twenty states secured fewer grants than Arizona's haul of 101 awards.
Arizona scientists will study things such as predicting asthma in babies, prostate cancer and the behavioral responses of kissing bugs, which are blood-sucking insects linked to a blood-borne disease that afflicts 11 million to 13 million people in Mexico and Latin America. Arizona scientists say the batch of stimulus dollars through the NIH is a welcome change from years of stagnant federal funding for scientific research. "There was no increase in federal funding for cancer research for five years - that was devastating," said Dr. David Alberts, director of the Arizona Cancer Center in Tucson. "Now, I'm encouraged."
IGC seeks larger role
IGC, the non-profit that helped launch the Phoenix area's push into the biosciences this decade, has been a key spoke for the Cancer Genome Atlas project since the pilot program started three years ago. IGC manages the project's tissue bank, which involves securing and storing tumor samples and sending those samples to researchers nationwide. The Atlas pilot project has focused on uncovering genetic clues to brain, ovarian and lung cancers. National Cancer Institute officials said IGC will continue to mange those three types of tumor samples, and the Phoenix lab will seek a share of a larger project that will be expanded to 20 or more types of cancer. "IGC is a big part of this," said Joe Vockley, the National Cancer Institute's Atlas project director.
The overall project will be funded with federal stimulus dollars and grants administered by the National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute and the National Human Genome Research Institutes. The Atlas project will draw on more than 150 scientists and their staffs from more than one dozen universities, and research centers will research different aspects of the Atlas project such as high-speed gene scans of diseased tissue and data analysis. Vockley said the project likely will expand to study the 20 most common types of cancer, including breast cancer, but such an expansion will depend on the researchers' ability to secure enough diseased tissue samples to study.
A National Cancer Institute spokeswoman said there likely will be more than one tissue bank selected for the next phase of the project that tackles the 17 or so additional types of cancer. The agency will vet proposals and award contracts within the next six months, she said. So far, IGC has collected about $8 million for the three-year $100 million pilot project. IGC will expand its workforce for its current contract and potentially secure a larger role as the Atlas project grows. Richard Mallery, IGC's chief executive officer, said the downtown lab's federal award shows that the community's investment into biosciences has paid dividends. "This is the culmination of everything we've worked for since 2001," said Mallery, who launched IGC after his wife died of cancer. Other Arizona cancer researchers said that IGC's role in such a large-scale research project may help raise the state's profile in research circles. "This is a terrific opportunity for the biomedical corridor in Phoenix," Alberts said.
Other stimulus grants The NIH will inject more than $33 million to Arizona's research labs.
The University of Arizona secured 58 grants, the most of any university or research lab in the state. Arizona State University won 26 grants.
Other groups to snag stimulus grants include ASU's Biodesign Institute, Translational Genomics Research Institute, Arcadia Biosciences Inc., Inter Tribal Council of Arizona, Mayo Clinic, Northern Arizona University, Banner Health's Sun Health Research Institute and St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center.
Forensics Lab First WVU LEED
September 4, 2009
Originally constructed in 1917, Oglebay Hall has become West Virginia Univ.'s first building to obtain Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.
LEED is an internationally recognized green building certification system which provides verification that a facility was constructed with energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality and other sustainable features.
The historic Oglebay Hall underwent a $23.5 million renovation in 2002 and reopened in 2007 with the top two floors as the new home of WVU's Forensic and Investigative Sciences Program. Some of Oglebay Hall's impressive new features include water-saving fixtures, a synthetic, slate roof made of recycled rubber, use of natural daylight in more spaces, sustainable heating/cooling units and more.
"The LEED system offers an excellent framework to benchmark our practices with all aspects of building such as design, construction, commissioning and occupancy," said Clement Solomon, director of the WVU Office of Sustainability. "WVU Facilities Management has also been proactive in adopting many of these same sustainable standards and protocols all over campus."
"I think this development means that the university as a whole from the administration to the students has embraced the sustainable concept of living. This is a visible commitment to not only the current University family, but the University family for the future as well," says Eric Rosie, construction project manager. With Oglebay Hall on the National Register of Historic Places, the construction and design teams proceeded carefully to preserve the historical significance of the facility. "One of the most difficult challenges was the fact we were trying to make a LEED certified building with a high-tech Forensics occupant fit into a building that was constructed in 1917," Rosie said.
Institute Laboratory Building Awarded LEED™ Gold Rating
Leading-edge building design houses leading-edge medical research
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) presented the gold LEED™ (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating to the University of Pittsburgh's McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine Laboratory Building. Pitt Chancellor Mark A. Nordenberg accepted the award from USGBC board member Rebecca L. Flora, who also is executive director of the Pittsburgh-based Green Building Alliance. The building, in Pittsburgh's South Side, is a 45,200-square-foot, two-story building approximately three miles east of downtown Pittsburgh on a former LTV steel site. The building holds office and laboratory space for more than 100 scientists, researchers, and staff developing such cutting-edge medical breakthroughs as artificial hearts and lungs and other life-saving devices.
Currently, Pitt is the only university in Pennsylvania to have received the gold award. Across the Commonwealth, only 13 buildings-including the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh-have been so designated. Nationwide, 96 buildings have reached the gold level. The University of Pittsburgh has a long-standing commitment to environmental quality and sustainability. That commitment is reflected in pioneering educational programs such as the School of Engineering's Mascaro Sustainability Initiative.
To earn the gold rating, the McGowan Laboratory Building achieved 39 points on the LEED scale, and its most notable green features include:
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Reuse of the site of a former industrial brownfield;
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Storage tank that collects rainwater to be used for toilet flushing and drip irrigation, reducing the flow of storm water into Pittsburgh's rivers;
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State-of-the-art heat recovery systems to reduce energy use and increase the efficiency of outside air spaces;
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Use of a large volume of locally manufactured or fabricated materials; and
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Extensive availability of alternative transportation, including bicycle racks, preferred spaces for carpoolers, and accessibility of public transit.
The LEED™ award is given only after a rigorous evaluation process and rewards the extent of sustainable building practices employed in design and construction. The LEED™ Green Building Rating System® is a voluntary, consensus-based national standard for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings.
The University of Oregon green chemistry building and systems achieve efficiency and sustainability.
The American Chemical Society Green Chemistry Institute describes green chemistry as the “design of chemical products and processes that reduce or eliminate the use and generation of hazardous substances.” Like green building, green chemistry is a commitment to continuous improvement toward sustainability in design. More than that, green chemistry has the potential to alter laboratory design as we know it.
Whereas the safety goal of traditional laboratories is to reduce exposure to hazards, green chemistry eliminates many hazards in laboratories. If there exists little or no hazard in the chemicals being used, a laboratory spill, for example, will not endanger researchers or necessitate a potentially costly, time-consuming and work-disruptive cleanup.
Preventative measures can be costly, so greening a chemical process makes fiscal sense. Traditionally, the more toxic and dangerous a chemical process, the more advanced, and typically energy intensive, safety precautions are required to prevent accidents. Paul Anastas, Ph.D, director of the Green Chemistry Institute, writes, “It is through this method that the costs of everything, from engineering controls, to personal protective gear, to regulatory compliance, can be minimized, if not avoided, and the associated expenditures prevented.” Through a commitment to green chemistry curriculum, the impact on laboratory design, both in terms of operations and capital costs, can be huge.
Green Chemistry Lab Design
The University of Oregon Green Chemistry program, one of the first green chemistry laboratories on a university campus, was developed in response to increased student enrollment, inadequate laboratory space, and a small renovation budget. It was found that the program’s pre-1992 laboratory, able to accommodate 60 students, relied on a chemical ventilation system that inadvertently deposited exhaust in the neighboring laboratory prep room. The awareness of this condition spurred immediate action to improve the laboratory environment and safety, and in 1992, new laboratories in the building were renovated to include additional fume hoods — one for every two students.
With the additional fume hoods taking up valuable bench space, the new lab was able to accommodate only 18 students. However, with a shortage of space, lab sections were held on weekends or at night, thereby taxing instructors and students with elongated schedules. Alternatives to this situation were to either hire additional staff, or add additional laboratory space, both of which proved to be costly options. The solution was to rework the chemistry curriculum to reduce the number of chemicals that required the use of fume hoods. The University of Oregon Green Chemistry was born! The newest of the laboratories was easily retrofitted from an existing storeroom space and, with relatively few hoods, the configuration allowed open lines of sight to students working on benches and hoods, as well as daylight and views through the extensive glazing in the space. Interestingly, with a reduction in hazardous practices, it is possible for an instructor to oversee additional students safely and effectively.
Traditional laboratories consume three to eight times more energy than other buildings, largely because of high ventilation rates and associated energy loads. Because of a reduced level of risk in green chemistry labs, it is possible to reduce the number of required air changes, extend ventilation setbacks, or utilize remote air sampling systems to ensure good indoor air quality. Likewise, green chemistry reduces the number of chemical storage areas and hazardous waste disposal measures and fees. Collectively, these measures can result in real savings. In the case of University of Oregon, reducing the number of hoods from 22 to five saves in the order of $90,000 annually and also reduced the renovation costs by one-third, according to research performed by Kathryn E. Parent in 2006.
Furthermore, additional bench space accommodates a greater number of researchers per floor, or a smaller building, substantially reducing laboratory construction and operating costs. In conventional labs, a great number of hoods must be arranged along the perimeter, thereby reducing the potential for effective daylighting and views in the space, or grouped together back to back or in alcoves. Therefore, a compromise is created between good sight lines and daylight and views. With fewer hoods, both important objectives can be achieved.
As laboratory loads shift from ventilation-driven to heat-gain driven loads, opportunities arise for additional efficiencies, such as the use of radiant cooling systems and chilled beams. It is easier to condition a space when having to only remediate the heat load as opposed to excessive ventilation loads. Along these lines, it makes good sense to look for root problems and upstream solutions, rather than trying to treat the symptoms. As fewer toxic chemicals are used in the laboratories, additional heat recovery options such as enthalpy wheels become more desirable because of the reduced risk of toxic entrainment through cross contamination.
The savings from the reduced number of hoods and associated mechanical systems, as well as a reduced floor-to-floor height because of smaller ductwork, can be invested in enhanced green features, such as a more efficient mechanical system or green curriculum development, in the case of a university. A typical modern chemistry lab costs between $350-400 per square foot, resulting in bench space that costs approximately $2,000 per linear foot in a market such as Atlanta. That cost can quadruple in places like New York City. When combined with avoided costs of $15,000 per installed fume hood and associated ductwork and HVAC capacity, green chemistry offers the potential for tremendous savings.
Not only are there real operational and capital savings in the laboratory, associated environmental impacts are radically reduced. It is important to understand the benefits of applying these principles, especially to laboratory buildings that require large inputs of energy to operate, and elaborate systems to treat and dispose of waste. With the evolution and implementation of green chemistry practices, the design process of the building and its systems can in turn become more efficient and sustainable — and positively impact students, researchers and the community at large.
Architectural Woodwork Institute
AWI has signed a historic operating agreement with two industry associations to develop a single
architectural woodwork standard that will be developed by a Joint Standards Committee.
The three associations – AWI, Architectural Woodwork Manufacturers Association of Canada
(AWMAC) and the Woodwork Institute (WI) – are equal partners in this important endeavor, according to
an agreement signed August 7, 2007 by AWI President Ed Brewer.
“This agreement will help produce one woodwork standard for the industry, eliminating the confusion of
multiple standards, which will benefit manufacturers, suppliers, and the design community. It will also provide
a single strong unified base, which the certification entities can use to provide requested compliance oversight.
This is a history making event that demonstrates the possibility of combining the efforts of multiple associations
to provide leadership for the industry.”
The operating agreement results in a historic cooperative project that will ultimately produce new,
unified architectural woodwork standards for the entire North American industry.
Vestar 'green' shopping center first in AZ
Most retailer claims to green-ness have to do with their products and practices, rather than the buildings within which they are located. However, Phoenix-based Vestar Development Co., builder of retail strip malls and larger "power centers" such as Tempe Marketplace, said Wednesday that it believes shopping centers should go green along with office, residential, government and other buildings. On Wednesday the company announced that one of its shopping centers had achieved an Arizona first: certification by the U.S. Green Building Council as a bona-fide green shopping center. As a result, Vestar will be the first retail developer in Arizona to find out whether consumers prefer a “green†grocery store, tanning salon or restaurant.
The company's Oro Valley Marketplace, completed in 2008 in the posh Oro Valley community northeast of Tucson, qualified for the council's Silver Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification, also known as LEED certification, a feat no Arizona mall had yet achieved. Vestar executive vice president David Larcher said the company has launched a company-wide initiative, dubbed "GreenStar" to use green materials and practices in all new commercial projects. Unfortunately, with the economy in recession and nearly 10 percent of Arizonans jobless, the near-term opportunities to build green retail could be relatively slim. Still, Larcher said the certification proves grocers really can be green, along with all other retail businesses. "Vestar is proud of its corporate commitment to creating projects that have a positive impact on the surrounding community," Larcher said.
Phoenix-Dubai agreement aims to promote business
by Scott Wong - Apr. 30, 2009 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic
Nick Oza/The Arizona Republic
With guidance from United Arab Emirates' economy minister Sultan Bin Saeed Almansoori (center), Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon (right) signs a partnership agreement with Dubai Director General Hussain Nasser Lootah Wednesday in Phoenix. After a two-year courtship, Phoenix and the Persian Gulf port of Dubai made their relationship official Wednesday in a ceremony packed with smiles and handshakes, gift exchanges and goodwill.
Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon and Dubai Director General Hussain Nasser Lootah signed a partnership agreement aimed at promoting trade and foreign investment between the two cities. "We see there is a future where we can cooperate. We see a future where we can work together," said Lootah, making his second visit to the Valley since he graduated from Arizona State University in the 1980s. "We can exchange best practices from the things you are doing here and the things we are doing in Dubai."
While touching on broad themes, the partnership specifically calls for more frequent visits by business delegations; collaborations on solar energy and other green projects; greater efforts to launch a direct commercial flight between the two cities; and a sharing of cultural ideas and scientific research. The ceremony, which took place during a special City Council meeting at the Phoenix Convention Center, was attended by Sultan Bin Saeed Almansoori, the United Arab Emirates' economy minister, and other officials from the country, located along the Middle East's Persian Gulf between Saudi Arabia and Oman.
Dubai, one of seven city-states that comprise the United Arab Emirates, experienced a construction and real-estate boom in recent years, fed by investments from oil-rich neighboring governments. But similar to Phoenix, growth has slowed significantly in the emirate due to the global recession, which has tied up credit and pushed down property values. Gordon and other Valley business leaders have been working on a deal with Dubai for the past couple of years. It's a relationship they hope will lead to Dubai investments in local construction projects, solar technology and education. "This is an agreement and friendship between the fastest-growing and most dynamic city in the Middle East and the fastest-growing and most dynamic city in the United States," Gordon said. "This is about employment and direct investment."
Midwestern University expansion is under way
by Meghan E. Moravcik - June. 1, 2008 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic
While many industries are facing an economic slowdown, Midwestern University in Glendale sees this as a great time to expand. The state's largest medical school has a $150 million expansion in the works that will add classrooms, student housing, an auditorium, parking, new programs and about 70 additional faculty and staff. "Our mission is to fulfill the health-care needs of the community," said Kathleen Goeppinger, the university's president. "We have shortages of physicians and dentists, especially in rural Arizona . . . and the needs are going to continue to grow." And officials have found that now is a good time to build.
"Our subcontractors aren't taking us for granted," Goeppinger said. "They really want to do a good job." The first round of big changes will come this fall, with the addition of a new dental school, an expanded osteopathic-medicine program, a new master's program and several new facilities. "(We're here to) provide more health-care professionals that are well-trained and highly qualified for the state of Arizona," Goeppinger said. "We have to constantly be looking ahead and see what are the new needs and how do we meet those needs."
Here's what the money is paying for:
Opening soon
• Glendale Hall - A 140,000-square-foot building that will house classrooms, labs and faculty offices.
• Auditorium - It will house 3,000 people for large events, such as graduations, but can also be partitioned into five classrooms.
• Student services - An expanded student-services area to give various departments more room and expand the cafeteria.
• Wellness and recreation hall - It will have everything from gyms and Pilates rooms to music and craft rooms to help students unwind.
• Non-denominational chapel.
• Research hall - The current research hall will double in size.
Upcoming projects
An additional 90 student apartments.
Two parking decks that will house 1,350 more vehicles.
Two clinical buildings.
Programs
New four-year dental school will start this fall.
The osteopathic-medicine program will be expanded to include more students.
New one-year master's degree program to help students with non-medical backgrounds prepare to enter the medical field. The program starts this fall.
Doctorate program in physical therapy will be offered in a year.
College of optometry will be offered in a year.
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