IDeAs performed the electrical engineering for the J Craig Venter Institute in La Jolla, CA, a cutting edge, net zero energy, genomic research lab. The facility includes office space and wet labs as well as an energy intensive server room. The design team still managed to reduce energy use to less than 50% of a normal wet lab. The project included a sophisticated daylighting design that optimized a 420 kW photovoltaic screen that covered the roofs of both the lab wing and administrative wings and vaulted over the courtyard between them with strategically placed slots that allow filtered daylight into the offices and the lab spaces while also allowing for venting smoke in the event of a fire. The project won an AIA COTE Top 10 Award and is LEED Platinum certified.
