Capability Replacement Laboratory
The Capability Replacement Laboratory represents the largest construction project in PNNL's 46-year history. But it is much more than bricks, mortar, and scientific instrumentation. These facilities are essential to retaining capabilities and expertise developed and nurtured over the past four decades.
As a national laboratory, we are stewards of the public trust on many levels. We are responsible for operating in a sustainable manner, and we are responsible for the dollars entrusted to us by the taxpayers. We continually look for opportunities to integrate advanced efficiency measures into our operations and to use our campus as a test-bed for the innovative technologies that our researchers are developing.
At PNNL, interdisciplinary teams work to ensure that sustainability is integral to both our research and our operations. We're in the business of pushing the edge every day. The Capability Replacement Laboratory is a strong example of this. The Biological Sciences Facility and Computational Sciences Facility were awarded Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design or LEED gold status. The Physical Sciences Facility was recently awarded Silver LEED Certification.
A typical laboratory building is a large consumer of energy and is not environmentally friendly. However compared with standard code-compliant designed laboratories the Biological Sciences Facility and Computational Sciences Facility and the Physical Sciences Facility will consume 30 percent less water and 30% less energy per year.
Many features contribute to this savings water-efficient landscaping, an environmentally-sensitive storm water management system, high-efficiency condensing hot water boilers, a heat recovery system, and energy-efficient lighting and controls. We believe all the CRL facilities will serve as a model of sustainability for the science and technology community.