The New Orleans BioInnovation Center (NOBIC) is a four-story, 64,000-square-foot research facility constructed on a remediated brownfield site. This LEED Gold laboratory is a proudly modern structure that draws from vernacular climate-responsive design strategies—the slatted shutter, the landscaped courtyard water feature, the sheltered porch—to create an environmentally responsive facility that uses less energy per square foot than 89% of comparable labs, with first-year energy use 67% below the median. This has been achieved through an efficient building skin, strategically deployed glazing with solar controls, targeted ventilation, efficient equipment and lighting, and fine-grained monitoring. Landscape, hardscape, and water features work together to handle typical intense rainfall events without water leaving the site.
JURY COMMENTS:
We like the floor plan and purpose of the building and admire the shading system. The building is simple, elegant, and beautiful. The shading system is the most striking part of the building. It also demonstrates loose fit: the entire plan was modular and the building has a variety of clients floating in and out, so the plan is loose fit in action. They have demonstrated very high levels of energy performance, especially given a very challenging climate. This is difficult to accomplish in New Orleans. The façade treatment had thoughtful and well-proportioned shading on the SW elevation.
BY THE NUMBERS:
Estimated % of occupants using public transit/cycling/walking: 26%
Daylighting at levels that allow lights to be off before nightfall: 75%
Lighting power density (watts per square-foot): 1.16 watts/sf
Outdoor views: 77%
Reduction of regulated potable water: 40%
Total EUI (kBtu per square-foot per year): 119
Net EUI (kBtu per square-foot per year): 119
Percent Reduction from National Median EUI for Building Type: 67%
