Department of Global Ecology at Stanford University

Stanford, California

The Department of Global Ecology at Stanford University is dedicated to studying interactions among the earth’s ecosystems. This 11,000 square-foot, two-story building houses 45 full-time researchers, and is comprised of a laboratory and investigation area on the first floor, with offices and meeting rooms on the second floor.
EHDD’s design for this project was driven by a desire to provide a very low energy cooling system that achieved sustainability without sacrificing economy, comfort, worker efficiency, or beauty.

While lab buildings typically use four times the energy of most campus buildings, the Department of Global Ecology reduces gas emissions to an absolute minimum. A night sky cooling system sprays a thin film of water on the roof, which radiates heat to the cold, deep space sky, producing chilled water. This water is stored and circulated through the granite slab floor to cool the spaces. In addition, a “windcatcher” and misters cool the indoor/outdoor lobby, lowering the temperature of air cascading into the space.

Client

Carnegie Institution for Science

Size

10,890 sf

Awards

2004 Honorable Mention - Consulting-specifying Engineer
2005 Energy + Sustainability Award - AIA San Francisco
2005 Lab of the year - Special mention R&D Magazine
2005 Award of Honor - Energy Eficiency Integration - Savings by Design
2007 Top Ten Green Building - AIA/Committee on the Environment
2007 Liveable Buildings Award - Center for the Built Environment University of California, Berkeley

Photographer

Peter Aaron

Energy Use Intensity

Measured: 150 kbtu/sf/yr

Scope

Architecture
Interior Design