NCJ Number
215076
Journal
Forensic Magazine Volume: 3 Issue: 3 Dated: June/July 2006 Pages: 49-51,53
Date Published
June 2006
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article proposes strategies for forensic laboratory design that provide users with a comfortable, safe, and productive environment while supporting a building infrastructure that enables laboratory functions to be energy efficient.
Abstract
Regarding site selection, the laboratory should be close to public transportation so personnel can use mass transportation to get to work. Facility design can encourage fuel savings by having room for bicycle storage, preferred parking for car-pool vehicles, and refueling stations for alternative-fuel vehicles. Water efficiency can be achieved by using captured rainwater, recycled water, low-flow plumbing fixtures, and waterless urinals. Closed-loop cooling systems can be used, in which water is conditioned and recirculated to minimize waste water. Hot water at the sinks, benches, and fume hoods can be provided only when needed. Energy can be conserved and atmosphere pollution prevented by complying with the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning (ASHRAE) 90.1 energy standard. A commissioning agent should be included as part of the design and construction team in order to verify that the building is designed, constructed, and functions in accordance with the owner's requirements. For health and safety, variable volume supply and exhaust air system should be considered, which can reduce air volumes during nonworking hours. To ensure good indoor environmental quality, the laboratory should be designed to comply with the ASHRAE 62 standard for ventilation and indoor air quality. This standard pertains primarily to nonlaboratory spaces. Also, demand-based ventilation control through carbon dioxide monitoring should be considered. Further, critical environmental areas such as hazardous storage, spaces that require specific environmental control, and areas with unique noise and vibration requirements should be minimized. These types of areas require dedicated support systems. As these spaces become larger, the supporting building systems also become larger, using more energy. Since forensic laboratories are always changing, they should be designed for flexibility.