Washington State University Life Sciences Building
Vancouver, Washington.
BEST PROJECT, HIGHER EDUCATION/RESEARCH, and EXCELLENCE IN SUSTAINABILITY
Presented by Andersen Construction Co.
owner Washington State University
Leading design company SRG+CannonDesign
General Contractor Andersen construction
Road engineer Harper Houf Peterson Righellis Inc.
Structural Engineer Chain Consulting Engineers
MEP engineer Affiliated Engineers Inc.
electrical engineer Samata Consulting Engineers
This $57 million, 55,000-square-foot teaching and research facility is the university’s first new academic building in 11 years. It houses cutting-edge teaching and research laboratories for neuroscience, molecular biology and nursing. It also has specialized greenhouses and nursery space.
Since the building functions as a laboratory facility and must meet the strict requirements of the Washington Energy Code, a heat recovery chiller (HRC) was installed and connected to the campus heating and chilled water loops. Integrating HRC with building and campus systems required extensive team coordination.
During pre-construction, the team saved nearly $1 million by changing the massing of the building to take advantage of the site’s natural grade. Because the structure sits on a hill, instead of building for a third floor, the team dug down a little further to create an additional floor below. The main entrance is presented as a single level building, creating a more welcoming entrance. The building would have been 15 to 20 feet taller, which would have also obstructed views of nearby buildings.
Photo by Benjamin Benschneider
Locally sourced massive plywood and low-carbon concrete contributed to the facility’s LEED Gold certification. The teams also ensured 61% diversion of construction waste. Native and indigenous plants selected with members of the Cowlitz tribe ensure cultural representation.
The fully automated greenhouses feature ridge vents, sunshades, evaporative cooling, grow lights and VRF systems that control atmospheric conditions for plant and butterfly research, all done with the help of a specialist national greenhouse contractor. Meanwhile, the vivarium uses dedicated outdoor air and negative pressurization to maintain environmental control and ensure the safety of animals and research staff. The team hired third-party commissioning agents to ensure these complex systems worked as needed.
For the exterior wall assembly, the team chose to use solid plywood panels, which are similar to tilt-up panels with a pre-installed weatherproof barrier and pre-cut window openings. All of the exterior solid plywood panels were installed in just two weeks, resulting in a significant schedule savings, with the project being completed several days faster than planned.
