The ONEder Grant Program is organized by One Workplace - an industry leading interior solutions provider. The main idea behind this program is to empower architects and designers to explore the impact of design on environments and help to uncover new perspectives on engagement, technology, design, wellness, network science and ESG applied to the workplace. Since 2019, fourteen $20,000 grants have been awarded to A + D firms across Northern California and Washington. ONEder Grant 2022 is focused on research proposals related to ESG (Environment, Social, Governance) Framework.
This year, DES has decided to participate in this competitive research grant program. The title of our research proposal is: Reducing Embodied Carbon of Life Science Buildings Through Mass Timber. DES is uniquely suited to study this because of (1) our life science expertise, and (2) as an integrated design firm, we collaborate across disciplines from architecture and sustainability to engineering.
We submitted our proposal at the beginning of July, went through a jury review process and competed against 7 other design team finalists. On July 18, One Workplace announced DES as one of the four grant recipients this year!
Life science buildings consume more energy and resources than other commercial office buildings due to more intensive requirements. The environmental impact is further amplified by the demand of new life science buildings and campuses everywhere, especially after the pandemic. By default, steel and concrete are the go-to structural systems, which have a high embodied carbon footprint and emissions. We think there must be a better way.
Building with wood offers a host of benefits including reduction in embodied carbon but one of the barriers we see to adoption of mass timber structures in the life sciences sector is the direct cost and value to the building owner. When applied to life science buildings, typical approaches to designing mass timber structures yield shorter clear spans, larger beams, and taller floor to floor heights than similar steel or concrete structures. The resulting initial cost often keeps owners and developers from considering mass timber options.
To overcome these challenges, we believe that it will be necessary to re-think how mass timber is utilized in these structures. In the next 6 months, our team will collaborate together on a multitude of deep-dive research and design activities. For example, we will study using deeper members that integrate HVAC and other distribution systems within the structure that can increase spans and reduce overall floor heights. We will also look at incorporating other materials where needed to enhance strength and vibration characteristics. We will then develop these ideas in enough detail that they can be benchmarked against typical steel, concrete, timber, and hybrid systems, and be further developed for a prototype mass timber life science building that reduces embodied carbon impacts.
The final research paper is due in January 2023! And DES’ team will get a chance to share the research results and design proposals through a podcast and a design community presentation!
We will be reporting the research progress along the way! Go Team DES!
The ONEder Grant Program is organized by One Workplace - an industry leading interior solutions provider. The main idea behind this program is to empower architects and designers to explore the impact of design on environments and help to uncover new perspectives on engagement, technology, design, wellness, network science and ESG applied to the workplace. Since 2019, fourteen $20,000 grants have been awarded to A + D firms across Northern California and Washington. ONEder Grant 2022 is focused on research proposals related to ESG (Environment, Social, Governance) Framework.
This year, DES has decided to participate in this competitive research grant program. The title of our research proposal is: Reducing Embodied Carbon of Life Science Buildings Through Mass Timber. DES is uniquely suited to study this because of (1) our life science expertise, and (2) as an integrated design firm, we collaborate across disciplines from architecture and sustainability to engineering.
We submitted our proposal at the beginning of July, went through a jury review process and competed against 7 other design team finalists. On July 18, One Workplace announced DES as one of the four grant recipients this year!
Life science buildings consume more energy and resources than other commercial office buildings due to more intensive requirements. The environmental impact is further amplified by the demand of new life science buildings and campuses everywhere, especially after the pandemic. By default, steel and concrete are the go-to structural systems, which have a high embodied carbon footprint and emissions. We think there must be a better way.
Building with wood offers a host of benefits including reduction in embodied carbon but one of the barriers we see to adoption of mass timber structures in the life sciences sector is the direct cost and value to the building owner. When applied to life science buildings, typical approaches to designing mass timber structures yield shorter clear spans, larger beams, and taller floor to floor heights than similar steel or concrete structures. The resulting initial cost often keeps owners and developers from considering mass timber options.
To overcome these challenges, we believe that it will be necessary to re-think how mass timber is utilized in these structures. In the next 6 months, our team will collaborate together on a multitude of deep-dive research and design activities. For example, we will study using deeper members that integrate HVAC and other distribution systems within the structure that can increase spans and reduce overall floor heights. We will also look at incorporating other materials where needed to enhance strength and vibration characteristics. We will then develop these ideas in enough detail that they can be benchmarked against typical steel, concrete, timber, and hybrid systems, and be further developed for a prototype mass timber life science building that reduces embodied carbon impacts.
The final research paper is due in January 2023! And DES’ team will get a chance to share the research results and design proposals through a podcast and a design community presentation!
We will be reporting the research progress along the way! Go Team DES!
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