Stony Brook University, Advanced Energy Research and Technology Center

Completed in the fall of 2010, this Advanced Energy Research and Technology Center project includes new construction of a two-story, 57,000-square-foot lab building at the Stony Brook University Research Park. Flad Architects designed the lab building which is devoted to research on alternative fuels and energy conservation. The AERTC features many energy saving technologies and is LEED platinum certified by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), making it one of the first LEED Platinum buildings on Long Island.

The facility includes five scientific-focus areas: renewable energy, hydrogen energy, fuel cells, conventional fuels, and energy conservation. The Center’s objective is to provide a variety of flexible laboratory and technical spaces that are available to industry, university, and national laboratory communities. Core facilities to support these flexible labs include analytical chemistry, microscopy, chemical synthesis, and biofuel labs. Research programs in the flexible labs will continually change to accommodate new technologies and fields of study.

The Advanced Energy Research and Technology Center posed the challenge of coordinating the mechanical and electrical construction. Additionally, more time and coordination were needed for a LEED project of this scale.

Some of the elements used to reach LEED Platinum certification included:

• Vegetation to eliminate stormwater runoff and to create shade, reducing heat from the blacktop in the parking area
• No irrigation needed for landscaping
• Roof-water collection for redistribution in toilets
• Ample natural light and energy-efficient lighting
• Recycled building materials and 75 percent of construction waste diverted from landfills

The center is a true partnership of Academic institutions, Research institutions, Energy providers and Industrial Corporations. Its mission is innovative energy research, education and technology deployment with a focus on efficiency, conservation, renewable energy and nanotechnology applications for new and novel sources of energy.