The University of Washington School of Medicine will see its new lab building in Seattle’s South Lake Union district both benefit from and embody the principals of energy efficiency and sustainability that distinguish this prominent new mixed-use R&D/commercial/residential neighborhood.

Smoke generators in full scale mock-up of a UW School of Medicine Phase 2 lab indicate the air flow patterns created by chilled beams, serving to document the technology's cooperation with architectural features and ventilation requirements. Photo courtesy of Trox

Due to size and weight, chilled beams must be hung independently, requiring close coordination between the ceiling structure and the beam. Because they operate in a dry mode, chilled beams require no more maintenance than periodic vacuuming, typically every one to three years. And because chilled beam systems allow installation of smaller air-handling units and smaller chillers, they reduce AHU filter, motor, and coil maintenance. The avoided costs of filter media, filter change labor, and filter disposal alone can be significant. Photographer: John Edwards

Identifying a lab program where heat gain, rather than fume ventilation, would primarily determine air flow rates, AEI saw conditions suited to the effective use of chilled beam technology, an energy-efficient decentralized approach to cooling. In addition to essential climate control and support of a functional and safe lab environment, the use of chilled beam technology represents potential energy savings, improved spatial efficiencies, simpler maintenance, quieter operation, and more uniform space temperature and velocity distribution.

Prior to the announcement of the UW School of Medicine project, AEI had teamed with a major chilled beam manufacturer to test several configurations of chilled beams in laboratories, a characteristic AEI critical assessment exercise for a promising application. Through a full-sized mockup process and extensive computational fluid dynamics analyses, one variation of chilled beam design was determined to optimize performance relative to benchtop loads while also accommodating maintenance access and laboratory piping umbilical drops. Mockup placements also resolved questions concerning cold air discharge impact on lighting system performance.

Upon completion in late 2008, the UW School of Medicine South Lake Union facility will be among the largest laboratory applications of chilled beam technology in North America. Located adjacent to closely comparable UW lab spaces using a conventional HVAC system, the new facility offers ideal circumstances for ongoing benchmarking of chilled beam technology. By separating the cooling demand from required ventilation, the peak air change rate for most lab and support spaces will be reduced by over 50%, from approximately fifteen air changes per hour to six.