Jorgensen Laboratory, Caltech

Save the Planet: The Resnick Institute is a new division at the California Institute of Technology whose mission is to address the outstanding challenges in the generation, storage, transmission, and conservation of energy. Working hand in hand with the private sector and governmental agencies, its research will focus on the most effective solutions for the world’s energy problems.

Zero Energy: To create an appropriate new home for the Resnick Institute, a currently vacant, concrete structure will be transformed into a model of sustainability and energy efficiency. This process will involve the removal of large, light-blocking overhangs, the introduction of a large skylit atrium, and the retrofitting of a ring of terraces on the second floor into usable research space. The entire building will be reskinned with recycled cement board panels and double-paned, low-E glass. A computerized building management system will actively coordinate and control new automated windows and skylights, high efficiency lights and dimming systems (including fiber optic lighting systems), and a sophisticated hydronic heating and cooling system (active chilled beams). A rooftop photovoltaic system will provide enough power to meet the building's electrical needs, creating one of the first zero-energy laboratory buildings in the country. All materials have been chosen to maximize recycled content and minimize embodied energy. All of the graywater and stormwater produced on the building’s premises will be used to irrigate a new drought tolerant landscape. The project has been designed to attain LEED Platinum status.

Educational Tool: By displaying the work of the Institute’s scientists, as well as the numerous energy systems and technologies utilized throughout the structure, the building itself will also act as an educational tool. Groups of students, visiting professors, and alumni will be able to study a custom designed display to see the amount of energy the building is both using and generating.