Research facility at University of California San Diego earns LEED platinum

The Health Sciences Biomedical Research Facility II at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine has received LEED platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

The $113 million, 196,000-square-foot building was completed in 2014 and houses programs such as bioinformatics, genomic medicine, pathology, immunology, psychiatry, neurosciences, glycobiology, infectious diseases and gastrointestinal medicine.

Some of the sustainable features that contributed to the platinum certification:

• Moisture generated by the cooling system and non-potable water collected from numerous sites within building is recycled to provide 100 percent irrigation of the lawn outside the building
• All plumbing is low-flow and can use non-potable water
• Windows are operable and employ both fixed and computer-controlled exterior shading
• Specialized systems and equipment monitor and optimize energy usage in labs
• Building materials were selected for low emission of volatile organic compounds, and much of it was recycled and locally sourced.

The facility, dubbed BRF2, is one of more than 20 buildings on the University of California San Diego campus that have received some level of LEED certification.

The architect for the project is ZGF Architects.