Reducing the carbon footprint
The challenge of making R&D spaces and laboratories – many of which have high energy requirements – more sustainable was another area of discussion.
The Glaxo Smith Kline Carbon Neutral Laboratory for Sustainable Chemistry was cited as an exemplar laboratory, ahead of its time for green design. “The embodied carbon of the GSK lab is under 200 kilos CO2 per square metre – that’s less than most typical new build schools; while the operational energy use is around 220 kilowatt hours per metre squared. That’s significantly less than most, if not all, contemporary labs in the UK."
“Advances in lab fit-out and design – such as variable airflow fume hoods and heat recovery on extractors – are enabling reductions in operational carbon across the board.
But not every laboratory can quantify their carbon use yet, be it embodied or operational. Given how energy-intensive many can be, that does need to change.”
There was a consensus that universities were ahead of the curve on the net-zero agenda, but that commercial R&D spaces were catching up due to investor and occupier demands.
“For some entrepreneurial startup and scaleups working in knowledge-led sectors, the focus is clearly on keeping the lights on and paying the bills. A building’s green credentials are less of a priority in many early-stage businesses,” said one person.
Another attendee contrasted this with higher education buildings, noting that students are laser focused on the origin of the energy and how much is being used.
Many agreed that as Generation Z graduate from university and launch businesses, or decide which science or technology company to work for, commercial laboratories and R&D spaces of the future will need to meet their unwavering demand for sustainable design.
