S-Lab conference to open at new GSK Carbon-Neutral Sustainable Chemistry Lab
The agenda for the Nottingham Conference on lab design, services and operation on 21 September is largely complete
The UK's University of Nottingham will be completing the GlaxoSmithKline Carbon Neutral Laboratory for Sustainable Chemistry on its Jubilee Campus this Summer. It is remarkable not only for its sustainability features but also because of its new approaches to science teaching and research.
The S-Lab Laboratory Design and Services conference will be held on the Campus and will combine content on, and tours of, the laboratory and other Nottingham developments, showcasing lab projects in other organisations plus best approaches to building management, sustainability, ventilation and other features.
This event helps launch the innovative GSK lab, which has been rebuilt since version one burned down just before launch in 2014. Keynote presentations and a dedicated parallel stream of talks examine the building's design features, adaptability, building controls, energy efficiency and renewable provision.
Other research-focused laboratory case studies include the new chemistry facilities at Imperial White City; the University of Birmingham's High Temperature Research Centre (largely funded by Rolls-Royce); the Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology Building at the University of Cambridge; University of Manchester's Cancer Research Centre; the Biocity innovation centre in Nottingham; the MRC Laboratories in Gambia; and Johnson Matthey research facilities in Asia.
The GSK lab and many of the other case studies demonstrate how to minimise energy use and environmental impact in design, and these lessons are paralleled by a stream on achieving operational sustainability through energy-efficient equipment; laboratory environmental assessment; and other means. There will also be an update on BREEAM and labs, and a comparison of using BREEAM and LEED in UK developments.
A parallel stream for any institution planning new or refurbished science teaching facilities includes case studies of refurbished chemistry and combined bioscience/veterinary teaching labs at Nottingham, the University of Liverpool's Central Teaching Hub (four-year update), and a similar multi-science teaching hub at the University of Birmingham. The various speakers will form a panel for a final discussion session on the design and operational implications of these developments. There is also an opportunity to tour the refurbished chemistry teaching laboratory at Nottingham.
Other sessions include laboratory performance metrics; innovation in fume cupboard and ventilation systems; 101 exhaust and wind dispersion; and laboratory design guidance for universities.
More than 25 industry exhibitors and institutions are signed up to exhibit at the event.