Warren Woods in Belfast, Maine by GO Logic

Article source: GO Logic

The first Certified Passive House laboratory facility in North America, the Warren Woods Field station occupies a 42-acre site in southwest Michigan. It serves the University of Chicago’s Department of Ecology and Evolution, with facilities for research, educational programs, and retreats. In addition to a fully equipped laboratory, the program included seminar space, bathrooms, and a small kitchen.

Image Courtesy © Trent Bell

• Architects: GO Logic
• Project: Warren Woods
• Location: Belfast, Maine, USA
• Photography: Trent Bell

Image Courtesy © Trent Bell

The department’s ecological focus and remote location presented a natural fit for an energy efficient building with low maintenance and operating costs. But while residential in scale, the project posed technical challenges far beyond those of a typical Passive House program. To manage the large quantity of heat generated by plant-growth chambers, a -80°C freezer, and tools for DNA extraction, we located the laboratory space at the building’s relatively cool northwest corner, with a deep overhang shading its west-facing windows from the late-day sun. The ventilation system allows waste heat to be exhausted to the outdoors or retained to condition the entire building, as required.

Image Courtesy © Trent Bell

Image Courtesy © Trent Bell

A long shed roof yields a high, open volume for the main gathering spaces and accommodates a private loft over the laboratory. Extensive glazing along the south-facing wall collects passive solar heat during the winter months, while moveable, perforated-metal screens prevent overheating during Michigan’s hot, humid summers. The superinsulated concrete slab floor acts as a thermal flywheel to buffer temperature swings year-round.

Combining abstractly geometric massing, spare detailing, and industrial materials with a rustic skin of distressed cedar siding, the building’s form speaks to both its remote and beautiful setting and its role in the advanced study of natural systems.

Image Courtesy © Trent Bell

Image Courtesy © Trent Bell

Image Courtesy © Trent Bell

Image Courtesy © Trent Bell

Image Courtesy © Trent Bell

Image Courtesy © Trent Bell

Image Courtesy © Trent Bell

Image Courtesy © Trent Bell

Image Courtesy © Trent Bell

Image Courtesy © Trent Bell

Image Courtesy © Trent Bell

Image Courtesy © Trent Bell

Image Courtesy © Trent Bell

Image Courtesy © Trent Bell

Image Courtesy © Trent Bell

Image Courtesy © GO Logic

Image Courtesy © GO Logic

Image Courtesy © GO Logic

Image Courtesy © GO Logic

Tags: Maine, USA

Category: Laboratory

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