The Road to Decarbonization
October 22-25 | Anaheim, CA
California Institute of Technology Chen Neuroscience Research Building; Pasadena, CA
Sunday, October 22
1:00 pm – 6:00 pm PT
Tour sponsored by:
Visit the historic campus of the California Institute of Technology in beautiful Pasadena. Founded in 1891, Caltech is a premier institution for research and education with a worldwide reputation for scientific innovation and exploration. This three-hour tour and discussion will be mostly hosted in the Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Neuroscience Research Building, the newest building on campus. Topics will include the Chen Building’s sustainable design features, laboratory tours, a discussion of the campus green labs initiatives, and a look ahead to the upcoming Resnick Sustainability Center, targeted for occupancy in fall 2024. Tour buses will leave Anaheim at 1 pm and arrive back at 6 pm. Light refreshments will be provided.
California Air Resources Board Headquarters; Riverside, CA
Wednesday, October 25
1:00 pm – 6:30 pm PT
Tour sponsored by:
This is an opportunity to visit one of the world’s most advanced vehicle emissions testing and research facilities dedicated to cleaning California’s air.
CARB’s new 402,000-square-foot headquarters is the largest building designed to be Zero-Net Energy (ZNE) in the United States. A beacon of environmental stewardship and community impact, the all-electric facility —an AEI, ZGF Architects, and Hensel Phelps design-build collaboration — advances CARB’s mission and revolutionary efforts to improve air quality through reduced vehicle emissions. CARB’s headquarters campus embodies the highest levels of sustainability and energy efficiency — garnering widespread recognition as the recipient of multiple industry awards, honors, and accolades. The facility exceeds Title 24 requirements by 30% through active and passive strategies such as skylights, active chilled beams, PV arrays, Aircuity® and demand control ventilation, adiabatic humidification, electric vehicle charging, exterior louvers, high-performance glazing, air handling unit condensate recovery, and high-efficiency plumbing fixtures — effectively lowering campus energy cost savings by 75%.
The new facility is organized to promote adjacencies between research and office areas, maximizing transparency and lines of sight into laboratory and testing functions. The campus’ structure enables the continuation of CARB's 50-year legacy providing revolutionary air pollution standards that preserve our planet and health. In addition, it contains the largest collection of climate- and air-quality themed public works of art in the world – promoting conversation around environmental threats, equity, and the impact of humans on the planet.
The general tour of this acclaimed facility includes:
-
A tour of the light- and heavy-duty testing labs where vehicles and engines of all sizes from weedwhackers and motorcycles to passenger cars and big rigs are tested to ensure they comply with California’s stringent emissions standards. The tour will include seven light- and medium-duty emission test cells; three heavy-duty test cells; and two motorcycle test cells.
-
A visit to the state-of-the-art chemistry lab that specializes in analyzing motor vehicle exhaust emissions, evaporative emissions, and transportation fuels.
-
A tour of the art collection featuring six major artworks dedicated to climate and air quality.
-
A visit to the 250-seat public auditorium where the California Air Resources Board meets in Southern California.
University of California Irvine
Wednesday, October 25
1:00 pm – 6:00 pm PT
Tour sponsored by:
Whether you’re planning to attend the Smart Labs workshop at the University of California Irvine (UCI) October 26 or not, this is a great introduction to Smart Labs in action! Attendees will hear an overview of the various zones of the 1,500 acre campus then take a tour of the science and medical sectors of the campus featuring two facilities:
-
The Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Building was the first building at UCI to employ the entire suite of Smart Lab features that have been applied on every new laboratory built on campus over the past 12 years. Gross Hall, completed in 2011, set a new sustainability benchmark for the campus, awarded LEED Platinum and outperforming California’s rigorous energy code, Title 24, by more than 50 percent. Every laboratory building built since Gross Hall has attained LEED Platinum, has have been achieved with zero capital budget augmentations by applying the campus’ Sustainability and Life-Cycle Performance Tool.
-
The recently-completed Susan and Henry Samueli Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Building (S&HS ISEB) has been awarded LEED Platinum and outperforms Title 24 by 55.5 percent. This track record of sustainability, exemplary energy efficiency, and green rankings has benefitted enormously from the collaboration, shared knowledge, and aspirational goals that have characterized I2SL. Many of the design and sustainability features and goals we have adopted in our LEED Platinum laboratories have emerged from I2SL discussions, best practices, and the culture of sustainability leadership.
Following the tour, the design-build firm Hathaway-Dinwiddie will host a reception in the S&HS ISEB building’s atrium. This firm has won design-build competitions for 10 buildings they have completed on the Irvine campus, of which eight are LEED Platinum. The bus will return to Anaheim Hilton following the tour; attendees who are staying on for the next day’s Smart Labs workshop can bring their luggage if they plan to switch to a hotel in Irvine. Note, UC Irvine is just 5 minutes from SNA. If you are flying home from the Orange County Airport Wednesday evening, you also might want to bring your luggage with you on the bus and take an Uber/Lyft/Taxi to the airport from UCI.