Sustainable Refurbishment of a Historical Building: Linde - Robinson Lab at Caltech

To attain the most effectual way of renovating a building, sustainable strategies should be incorporated into the design process. In this review, one of the renowned historical science labs has been studied focusing on its energy efficiency and heritage preservation, including restoration of a coelostat for daylighting. A humongous shaft that once housed a solar telescope has now been adapted to deliver light from the roof to below ground level. It is estimated that 80 % less energy will be consumed in the lab, in comparison with a typical lab under identical conditions. This decrease in energy consumptions was made possible by introducing various schemes to cutback on energy use and to utilize locally available resources including solar energy. The first LEED Platinum physical environmental science research lab was created, which represents the lowest energy use lab in the US. It is believed that the lab will serve as an exemplary model triggering ripple effects on innovative eco-redesigning of existing buildings, thus promoting ecological sustainablility.