U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Research Triangle Park Campus
In Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, construction is underway on a new
one million-square-foot facility that will house the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency's largest operation outside Washington, D.C.
When the Agency was formed in 1970, a tract of federal land was set aside in
Research Triangle Park for a permanent research center. Today, more than two-and-a-
half decades later, the EPA has accumulated about a dozen "interim" facilities spread
across three counties.
This new EPA campus will consolidate the agency's scattered workforce, satisfy
its expanding research needs with state-of-the-art facilities, and save millions of dollars
each year.
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A Major Environmental Campus
The new EPA campus will
accommodate one of the world's largest
multidisciplinary groups of
environmental scientists. These
laboratories will house research that is
critical to our understanding of current
pollution problems and potential
solutions.
The Office of Research and
Development Laboratories investigate
the effects of various pollutants on
ecosystems and human health. Scientists
also study air pollution sources and
exposure, and develop innovative
technologies to prevent and control air
pollution. Their work provides the
scientific basis for much of EPA's
environmental regulation and decision-
making.
The Office of Air Quality Planning
and Standards implements the Clean Air
Act from its offices in Research Triangle
Park. In managing the nation's air
quality programs, this group works
closely with investigators in EPA's local
research laboratories.
The Office of Administration and
Resources Management also has a
number of major service operations in
RTP. This includes the National
Computer Center, which provides
centralized environmental data
management for federal, state and local
organizations nationwide.
This new campus will consolidate
the EPA's functions on a site adjacent to
the National Institute of Environmental
Health Sciences (NIEHS). The two will
share a centralized utility plant and
common services such as: conference
facilities, child care, cafeteria,
landscaping, security, and waste
management. This collocation creates
efficiencies and enhances opportunities
for collaboration between these two
prominent environmental organizations.
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Laboratories for the 21st Century
The backbone of effective environmental protection is
quality research. The new campus will equip EPA scientists
with laboratories designed to meet the emerging challenges of
21st century research. Built-in flexibility will enable the agency
to keep pace with the constant changes and growing demands
in environmental science.
Standard lab modules are paired with a flexible zone that
can accommodate either lab or office use. When labs are
reconfigured, the service ledge, lights, sprinklers, and ceilings
all remain in place. The result is flexibility to accommodate
changing research priorities along with significant reductions
in waste, down time, and cost.
The laboratory ventilation systems are designed to
conserve energy while promoting the highest level of safety.
Indirect lighting combined with task lighting in the labs, and
natural illumination in public areas provides significant energy
savings and improved lighting quality.
The labs are designed to conserve energy while also
promoting the highest level of safety. While laboratories are
not, by nature, energy-conserving building types, U.S.
Department of Energy statistics confirm that this EPA facility
uses much less energy than conventional lab buildings — with
no adverse effect on safety or first cost.
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Building Design in Harmony with the Environment
The EPA's new Research Triangle Park campus supports
a diverse group of scientists working together to protect the
environment. With careful regard for its mission, the site, and
the global environment, the EPA has created a facility design
that embodies its environmental ethics. This includes
preservation of the natural environment, resource conservation,
pollution prevention, and fostering education about sustainable
design.
The new campus rests on a gentle slope overlooking a
woodland lake and below a knoll that is home to the site's oldest
trees. Embedding the facility within the sloping terrain allows
the landscape to remain intact, reducing disruptions to the
natural habitat during and after construction.
Stormwater run-off will be naturally treated by plant
material on-site to remove contaminants. Natural woodlands
and wildflower plantings are used in place of turf grass to
minimize the use of water, fertilizer, and pesticides.
The EPA selected building materials that are durable and
low maintenance, and have the least environmental impact over
each material's life cycle. Detailed specifications ensure
compliance with environmental requirements for recycled
content, limits on chemical emissions, and prohibitions against
the use of hazardous materials.
Design flexibility conserves resources by minimizing the
impact of future changes. Integrated building recycling
facilities and on-site composting for landscaping debris
minimizes operational waste. During construction, many on-
site materials acquired from land clearing and excavation will
be reused rather than sent to the landfill. The EPA is also
implementing a comprehensive and cost-effective construction
waste recycling program.
Based on the principles of the EPA's Green Lights
Program, use of daylighting, high efficiency lamps and ballasts,
task lighting, daylight dimmers, and occupancy sensors yield
dramatic savings in electrical energy use. Highly efficient
campus building systems, together with integrated lighting
strategies, result in a 40% reduction in overall energy usage
compared to U.S. Department of Energy statistics fbr
comparable lab and office buildings.
Energy saving initiatives have not compromised indoor
air quality. The building design, combined with increased
ventilation rates and special construction requirements, will
contribute to superior indoor air quality throughout the
facility's life. An Indoor Air Quality Planning Guide will help to
assure that after construction the building will be operated
within the same high standards.
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A Cost-Effective New Campus
The new one million-square-foot facility will
accommodate a population of over 2,000 people and
will contain 6(1(1 laboratory modules. The EPA
expects to move out of seven leased laboratory and
office buildings in the Research Triangle Park area
to begin occupancy of the campus in 2001.
The complex includes four five-story
laboratory blocks, three three-story office blocks, and
a six-story office building that also houses special
program areas. Buildings are linked by a series of
atria that act as "main streets," to enhance
communication among professional staff. Careful
design of the atrium led to greater daylight access
for office workers and improved energy efficiency.
In addition to promoting collaboration among
EPA's researchers and air pollution policy makers,
consolidation on the new campus will eliminate
wasted time and fuel associated with travel among
dispersed EPA sites. Taxpayers will ultimately save
millions of dollars each year as the EPA eliminates
the expense of repairing, adapting, and maintaining
an assortment of rented buildings.
The new cost-effective, environmentally
friendly campus will provide an advanced and
productive working environment to help EPA meet
the challenges of 21st century environmental
protection.
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For more information please contact our web site at
www.epa.gov/rtp/new-bldg
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