$100 Million LEED Gold R&D Tech Center
New Construction at R&D Laboratory
INDUSTRY
Technical Design Lab
LOCATION
Akron, OH
PRODUCT
(11) Thermo Scientific hoods featuring Erlab’s GreenFumeHood Technology
PROCESS
New R&D Lab that replaced ducted fume hoods with ductless filtering fume hoods, for newly designed R&D Space
“ERLAB EQUIPMENT PLAYS A VITAL ROLE IN SAFETY AND INDOOR AIR PURIFICATION
APPLICATION AREA:
Industrial Tire Tech Center & Lab
The laboratory manager of this prestigious racing tire tech center was given the opportunity to design a new world-class laboratory and wanted maximum flexibility to promote a productive workflow, encourage innovation, and allow for ergonomic placement of equipment. The lab is located on the fourth floor with a high ceiling and full length windows that give an open and innovative working atmosphere.
The new lab would be built upwind of a residential neighborhood and adjacent to a ball field, so they wanted to protect the community and create a positive impact on the local environment. Additionally, LEED Gold certification required thinking differently about the lab design.
THE CHALLENGE
When the lab manager first learned about Erlab’s GreenFumeHood (GFH) Technology she gave serious consideration to this innovative fume hood design because of its next-generation filtration technology that captured and retained contaminants at the source. She also learned that the filtration design included redundant “safety” filters and automatic detection of filter breakthrough. When the lab project was approved, she brought this new filtration technology before the board. They felt this was a safe, viable option because of the type of chemicals used for their research, provided it passed their testing. There were some individuals that were still skeptical to adopt this technology, so they purchased a GreenFumeHood and tested 306 chemicals over 20 months.
The results exceeded expectations, in fact precision weighing operations could now be performed within the hood because of the minimal vibration generated by the GFH technology. The GreenFumeHood Technology, which utilizes Neutrodine® filtration, proved successful and they determined that this was a safe, reliable technology.
THE SOLUTION
The new lab was originally designed on the top floor of the building to accommodate a ducted solution. However, when the GreenFumeHood Technology was selected, the engineers on the project reported that this technology provides substantial capital savings and reduced operating costs.
The MEP engineers removed the exhaust ductwork, and the new laboratory was designed with smaller mechanical systems. The lab’s ventilation system was designed with a simplified, lower cost, airflow control system. Flexibility Eight filtered fume hoods placed back-to-back in the center of the room allowed for easy access from the lab benches to the hoods where they would be used for wet chemistry. An additional three filtered hoods are placed throughout the lab, plus one ducted floor-mounted fume hood.
GreenFumeHood 3
Safe, Sustainable, Savings
Green Fume Hood Technology is the ONLY integrated filtration technology available and has been adopted by the world’s leading fume hood manufacturers. Unparalleled safety is delivered with the most advanced filtration, detection, and communication capabilities. With the marriage of Green Fume Hood Technology and our partners’ fume hood superstructures, you now have the best of both worlds when it comes to your fume hood needs. A traditional fume hood design without the need for costly HVAC upgrades and enormous operational cost. It’s time to make a change and be a part of the solution that is our energy and pollution crisis.
THE RESULT
Equipment Leading to LEED Gold certification
- LEED Gold certification awarded, V2.2 – Optimize energy performance – 6 out of 10 credits earned – Innovation credit – 11 filtered fume hoods saved 5.8% of the total building load
- The filtered fume hoods aid in cleaner air to the surrounding community.
- Improved laboratory personnel safety: Balances could now be utilized inside the filtered fume hoods keeping hazardous compounds contained within the hoods.
- GreenFumeHoods provided $385,000 of net operational cost savings over the first 10 years.
- Anecdotally, after the first three months of lab operations, corporate accounting inquired when the lab would go on-line because they had not seen an increase in their utility bills as they had seen with other new labs.
ABOUT ERLAB
We provide safety, we protect your health
Erlab invented the ductless fume hood in 1968. With more than 50 years of experience in the field of chemical filtration and protection of laboratory personnel; we know the formula for safety. With Erlab, you will never have to wonder or worry if our products are safe. Our process includes 5 ingredients for all of our products, and without all of them, your health and safety will be compromised.
ERLAB R&D LABORATORY
The engineers and chemists in our state-of-the-art R&D laboratory understand molecular filtration. We are committed to designing products that are safe and of the highest quality, strive to improve our products, and continuously develop new products that provide greater protection in the laboratory.
STRICT SAFETY STANDARDS
We hold ourselves to the highest standard and adhere to the strict AFNOR NF X 15-211: 2009 filtration safety standard as endorsed by ANSI Z9.5-2012.
A PUBLISHED CHEMICAL LISTING
It all begins here. Without this listing, we are not compliant with AFNOR NFX 15-211. Our in-house laboratory tests, as well as independent testing, to verify the retention capacity of over 700 chemicals for our filters.
INDEPENDENT TESTING
Erlab filters have been independently tested multiple times at various concentrations guaranteeing that our safety solutions all adhere to the strict performance criteria of theAFNOR NF X 15-211:2009 standard assuring that the emission concentration at the filter exhaust will always be lower than 1% of the TLV.
APPLICATION QUESTIONNAIRE (VALIQUEST)
Our laboratory specialists will recommend the appropriate filtration fume hood, type of filter, and personalized advice.
CERTIFICATE OF VALIDATION FOR THE CHEMICALS USED IN THE HOOD
A certified PhD chemist issues a Certificate of Validation with a list of the chemicals approved for use in the hood.
Our Safety Program
We back up our products 100%. This program includes your specialized chemical evaluation, validation of your hood upon installation, and a filtration safety specialist at your service to ensure that your hood is operating to its full potential.
