Facilities

Within its high-performance buildings for high-tech industries initiative, LBNL focuses on three broad classes of facility types. Each segment is experiencing rapid growth in the US and internationally. They have in common high energy intensity and exacting demands for air quality and up-time. By following these links, more can be learned about the latest research as well as practical opportunities for saving energy in these facilities.

• Cleanrooms -- Found across a wide number of industries, ranging from semiconductor manufacturing, to optics, to food processing, cleanrooms are characterized by high to ultra-high ventilation rates (up to 600 air changes per hour), and exacting standards for particle control.
   
• Laboratories -- Whether found in high school science buildings or large-scale biotechnology manufacturing settings, laboratories are energy intensive, due to a combination of the ventilation requirements and the research instruments used within them.
   
• Data Centers -- With the explosion of the internet and other communications systems, the need for data centers has expanded. Characterized by tremendous internal heat loads, emanating from servers and other IT equipment, data centers have significant HVAC demands.