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ENVIRONMENT
EPA researchers formerly scattered among 13 different buildings are moving into a consolidated state-of-the-art laboratory facility that officially opened last week in Research Triangle Park, N.C. With 1.2 million sq ft, the $273 million facility is now the largest of EPA's dozen research sites across the U.S. It has 400 laboratories and office space for 2,000 people. Thus far, 1,600 EPA employees have moved into the campuslike setting.
ORD head J. Paul Gilman (see page 28) tells C&EN that bringing scientists into a single facility means that "the ability for cross-fertilization" of ideas among investigators "is spectacular." EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman, along with several North Carolina dignitaries, dedicated the building on May 29. Whitman touted the environmental friendliness of the facility. The new laboratory is 40% more energy efficient than comparable standard-design buildings. When it was built, 80% of the construction waste was recycled. Cafeteria scraps are composted as fertilizer for the grounds. And the parking area is 25% smaller than the initially planned size to encourage employees to carpool. "Through our partnerships with four federal agencies, three building companies, and two architectural firms," Whitman said, "we have built one of the largest 'green' buildings in the world--a model for others like it around the globe." EPA has had a presence in Research Triangle Park for more than 30 years. It first rented space for its scientists there in 1971, shortly after the agency was formed in December 1970. |
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