When John and Tashia Morgridge proposed the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery and Morgridge Institute for Research (WID|MIR), a joint public/private partnership with the University of Wisconsin-Madison, they envisioned a world class institute focused on biomedical discovery. As Chairman of the Board for both Cisco Systems and the Nature Conservancy, Mr. Morgridge also approached this venture with specific and quantifiable expectations relating to sustainability for the institute’s building.

University of Wisconsin Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery - Southwest View
Rendering courtesy of Ballinger

Plan for 2nd Floor Space Click image to view larger a floor plan

AEI immediately approached the WID|MIR project with a focus on meaningful innovation for substantive reduction in resource and energy use, raising such ideas as ubiquitous LED lighting and the use of chilled beam. Working with owner representatives and the architectural team, AEI led the development of a project approach based on “Building Life Cycle Stages.”

Informed by current research work of faculty at UW-Madison and the Israel Institute of Technology, building “sustainability” on the WID|MIR project is defined more broadly than the stated target of LEED® Gold Certification. Instead, the project uses a sustainability matrix comprised of five rows of targets (for 50% carbon emissions reduction, 50% water use reduction, 80% recycling and waste diversion, on-site native habitat, and physical and emotional health to support productivity*) and five columns for life cycle stages (making, operating, using, maintaining and changing, and deconstructing).

Current schematic design studies include systems such as chilled beam technology for high load laboratory spaces, natural ventilation for public and office space, displacement ventilation in the ground floor and two large atriums, abundant daylighting, and a hybrid geothermal system. At the conclusion of the Project Formation Phase, this $150 million, 300,000 square foot laboratory complex is estimated to use 180 KBTU/GSF/YR, or roughly half of other existing laboratory buildings on the UW-Madison campus.

*Relative to typical University of Wisconsin research facilities.