The electricity grid had a much higher carbon factor a few years ago than it does now.
It is essential roof exhausts have efflux arrangements that ensure discharged fumes get sufficiently away from the building to prevent recirculation into make-up systems or to anyone on the roof or in a nearby building.In the UK, the British Standard has a blanket statement requiring fume stacks be either 3m high or 25% the building height – whichever is greater.
For tall buildings this can lead to very high stacks that would impact the building’s appearance and will likely require Planning Permission.For example, a 10-storey office building with an average floor to floor height of 4m would require a stack 10m tall (nearly 3 storeys.)There are a few ways to challenge this, including CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) modelling and the use of alternative discharge stacks (e.g.
strobic fans), which may be necessary for some office to lab conversions.Of course, local standards elsewhere will vary.. 5.
Existing office buildings may struggle to accommodate new laboratory utility plant and distribution.. A typical lab will consume two to five times as much energy as an office and may also have additional back-up power requirements.
This means more power and cooling, and therefore more plant (e.g.Often owned by the client, it gives greater control over IP and incorporates lessons learned to improve across design cycles.
Multiple use allows for more design refinement, amplifying the benefit of good design.It justifies a greater level of stakeholder engagement ensuring that designs are highly optimised in terms of layouts, space allocation, adjacencies, and functional flows.
Designers can focus more of their efforts on solving the site and context specific challenges.It facilitates efficient operation and maintenance.