L A B O R A T O R I E S F O R T H E 2 1 ST C E N T U R Y :


C ASE S TUDIES


U.S. Department of Energy 

Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy 

Case Study Index 

❏ 

❏ 

❏ Clean room 

❏ New 

❏ Retrofit 

❏ 

❏ Manufacturing 

❏ 

❏ 

❏ Biology 

❏ Electronics 

❏ Suspended ceiling 

❏ 

❏ Interstitial space 

❏ Fume hoods 

❏ Controls 

❏ Mechanical systems 

❏ Electrical loads 

❏ 

❏ Renewables 

❏ Sustainable 

design/planning 

❏ On-site generation 

❏ Daylighting 

❏ Building commissioning 

❏ Diversity factor 

❏ Carbon trading 

❏ Selling concepts to 

stakeholders 

❏ Design process 

LEED Rating 

❏ Platinum 

❏ Gold 

❏ Silver 

❏ Certified 

✔ 

✔ 

✔ 

✔ 

✔ 

✔ 

✔ 

✔ 

✔ 

✔ 

✔ 

✔ 

✔ 

✔ 

✔ 

✔ 

✔ 

✔ 

Laboratory Type 

Wet lab 

Dry lab 

Construction Type 

Type of Operation 

Research/development 

Teaching 

Chemistry 

Service Option 

Utility service corridor 

Featured Technologies 

Water conservation 

Other Topics 

DONALD BREN HALL, 


SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA


Introduction 

The Donald Bren School of Environmental Science & Management at the University of 

California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) “walks the talk” and exemplifies its mission. Because of its many 

energy-efficient and environmentally sound features, Donald Bren Hall has received a Platinum 

rating—the highest—under the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and 

Environmental Design (LEED)TM rating system (Version 1.0). In October 2003, this building was 

one of only two certified Platinum in the nation, and it is the only laboratory to achieve this level 

of recognition. 

The mission of the Donald Bren School is “to play a leading role in researching environmental 

issues, identifying and solving environmental problems and training research scientists and 

environmental management professionals.” The school trains graduate students in rigorous, 

United States 

Environmental 

Protection Agency Federal Energy Management Program 

Timothy Hursley/PIX12820 
2 L A B S F O R T H E 2 1 S T C E N T U R Y 


interdisciplinary approaches to environmental problemsolving in a curriculum that blends natural science, social 

science, law, and policy. It can accommodate about 100 

master’s degree students and 50 doctoral students annually. 

During the development of construction documents 

for the school’s new building in the late 1990s, and following an endowment from the Donald L. Bren Foundation, 

the advisory board decided that it should be a “living laboratory” for the technologies and design approaches that 

it advocates. The school then commissioned reviews by 

various outside experts and, midway through the design 

process, began moving toward being the “greenest” building on the UCSB campus. The Greening of Bren Hall, a 

report issued in October 1999, described how the building 

could set an example of what can be achieved through the 

conscientious application of sustainable design principles. 

“Architecture holds a mirror before society: Design 

interprets our values, reassesses our priorities, and 

reflects them back to us. Sustainable design can embody 

ideas about environmental responsibility, inspiring and 

educating its users.” The Greening of Bren Hall, October 

1999 

Ultimately, Bren Hall was designed to surpass 

California Title 24’s required standards for energy efficiency by more than 31%, through its many energy-efficient 

features. These include naturally ventilated rooms in the 

office wing of the building, premium-efficiency equipment motors, variable-volume pumps, variable-airvolume (VAV) laboratory exhaust and supply systems, 

and daylighting controls. Staff also obtain real-time building performance data as part of an extensive energy-use 

monitoring and management system. 

The university’s experience with Bren Hall has 

prompted it to adopt sustainable design guidelines for all 

UCSB projects. These guidelines include mandating the 

attainment of a LEED Silver certification and establishing 

a campus-wide approach to LEED. 

This case study of Bren Hall is one in a series produced by Laboratories for the 21st Century (“Labs 21”), 

a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). 

It is geared toward architects and engineers who are familiar with laboratory buildings. This program encourages 

the design, construction, and operation of safe, sustainable, high-performance laboratories. 

Project Description 

Donald Bren Hall is a four-story classroom, office, and 

laboratory building that houses the Donald Bren School of 

Environmental Science & Management at UCSB. Bren Hall 

contains three floors of teaching and research laboratories 

and four floors of offices. The architect was Zimmer, 

Gunsul, Frasca Partnership of Los Angeles, California. 

The mechanical and electrical engineer was Flack + Kurtz 

Inc. of San Francisco. 

The building contains 84,672 gross square feet (ft2) 

(46,304 net ft2) of space (see Table 1). The construction cost 

was $22 million ($260/gross ft2), and the total project cost 

was $26 million. 

The design goal was for Bren Hall to be the bestperforming sustainable building to date—one of the very 

best of UCSB’s teaching and research buildings—and a 

model not just for other UC buildings but for all those 

in California. Dennis J. Aigner, Dean of the Bren School, 

said, “What we want to do is create a new standard for 

construction, not just at UCSB but throughout the whole 

university system.” 

Layout and Design 

Bren Hall includes faculty and administrative offices, 

research and teaching laboratories, and seminar rooms 

for applied and quantitative ecology, earth sciences, 

environmental engineering, environmental microbiology 

and toxicology, and environmental policy and resource 

management programs. An open courtyard unites the laboratory wing and the office wing. Upper-level walkways 

provide access to offices as well as spaces for planned and 

spontaneous interdepartmental interactions. A floor plan 

is shown in Figure 1 and the courtyard in Figure 2. 

(In net ft2

Function Size (ft2) (1) 

Labs (BL-1) 21,058 45% 

Administration (offices, 25,246 55% 

classrooms, conference) 

2 46,304 100% 

Other (2) 38,368 

2 84,672 

Notes: 

2 equals 

gross ft2 

2. Other 

electrical rooms and shafts, and structural elements like columns. The net-togross-ft2 ratio is 0.54. 

Table 1. Bren Hall Space Breakdown 

, unless otherwise noted) 

Percentage 

Total net ft

Total gross ft

1. The percentage shows a breakdown of the net square feet only. Net ft

minus “other.” 

includes circulation, toilets, stairs, elevator shafts, mechanical and 
LABS FOR THE 21ST CENTURY
 3 

Figure 1. Bren Hall second floor plan 

The form of the building serves to mediate between 

the campus and its coastal location, taking advantage of 

the site’s sea air and views. On the eastern side of the 

building is a four-story, rectangular laboratory wing with 

east-facing exterior terraces on the third and fourth floors. 

On the ocean side of the campus, a less formal, “organic” 

curve defines the office wing. 

A sawtooth pattern along the office wing’s façade is 

designed to maximize views and provide natural light for 

offices. The ground floor of the office wing houses spaces 

dedicated to teaching; it includes a lecture hall that can 

seat 100 people and several 1,200-ft2 classrooms and 

breakout rooms. The first floor also includes “wet” teaching labs with fume hoods for watershed science. Figure 3 

shows the interior of a teaching laboratory. 

The prefunction space for the rooms is an interior 

courtyard that can be accessed via three portals at north, 

south, and northeast points of the building. Stairs near 

the portals lead to a large, second-level terrace offering 

panoramic ocean views. The second floor contains 

both “wet” and “dry” labs for teaching environmental 

microbiology, chemistry, and geography. It also houses 

departmental administrative offices, support facilities, and 

a conference room. On the third floor are the computer 

science labs. 

Interior terraces (see Figure 4) at the second and third 

levels overlook the courtyard below. The courtyard’s open 

walkways are lined with a two-story vertical trellis that 

will be covered with green vines when they are fully 

grown. 

Utility Servicing 

Utility servicing is provided by a horizontal piping 

distribution system. Laboratory piping utility racks are 

located in the corridor. Each room has an isolation valve 

for each service. Access to each lab's mechanical equipment, ductwork, laboratory waste piping, and ventilation 

piping is above the ceiling. 

Design Approach 

In 1997, the school received a sizable endowment 

from the Donald L. Bren Foundation, established by 

Donald Bren, a California real estate developer who 

strongly supports sustainable design. Although the design 

process for a new building had already begun, the school 

advisory board decided at that point that a School of 

Environmental Science & Management should be a 

living laboratory. So, the project moved from simply 

constructing a building in which environmental science 

is taught to creating a structure that is itself an example 

of environmental sensitivity. 

Timothy Hursley/PIX12822 

Figure 2. Bren Hall features an open courtyard between 

laboratory and office wings. 
4 LABS FOR THE 21ST CENTURY
 Timothy Hursley/PIX12819 

Figure 3. Interior of a teaching laboratory in Bren Hall 

UCSB then commissioned the architect to prepare a 

feasibility study that would show how the building could 

achieve the greatest level of sustainability. Many recommendations from the resulting Greening of Bren Hall 

report were implemented in the new building, which was 

completed in 2002. In addition, Bren Hall is the first UCSB 

building to have been fully commissioned by a third party. 

In this case, an independent commissioning authority conducted a review of the design and construction documents 

at multiple phases throughout the design process. 

Technologies Used 

Among the sustainable technologies used in Bren Hall 

are numerous recycled materials, natural ventilation, daylighting, and energy-efficient motors and fans. A solar 

electric system has also been installed to generate some 

of the building's power. 

Recycled Materials 

Recycled, sustainable materials were very important 

in the design and construction of Bren Hall. The original 

site was a parking lot; all the old asphalt and concrete 

curbing were ground up and reused as base. Contract 

specifications required the builder to separate and reuse 

waste and to minimize debris taken from the site. 

Desilting facilities were placed at each drainage outlet, 

and hay bales and fencing helped to control soil erosion 

and sediment. After each rainstorm, silt and debris were 

removed and the hay bails were replaced. One hundred 

percent of the demolition waste and 93% of the construction waste were recycled. 

In the structural construction, a 20% fly-ash mix in the 

concrete was used in the first two floors, and a 17% mix 

was used in upper floors. The building’s structural steel is 

80% recycled material, and rebar has 80%–100% recycled 

content. The pan deck is constructed of 30% recycled 

material, and fireproofing is 20% recycled material 

containing gypsum, polystyrene, common cellulose, 

and recycled newsprint. 

Recycled materials are also in carpets, lab casework, 

rubber flooring, fabrics, wallboard, tiles, ceiling tiles and 

grids, insulation, and furniture. Wood paneling and cork 

flooring are from certified sustainable harvests. Bathroom 

partitions are made of 90% recycled plastics. And restroom 

countertops contain 80% post-consumer recycled tumbled 

glass. 

Linoleum, a biodegradable product, is one of the main 

flooring materials used in the hallways. In addition, a 

room on the third floor that houses lockers, a kitchenette, 

and vending machines has a 100% recycled rubber floor 

made of recycled tires. For every 100 square feet of this 

rubber flooring, as many as 7.5 tires are diverted from 

landfills. Another room has a cork floor. 

Other floor areas are covered with “renewed” 

carpet—10-year-old carpet tiles that are “super-cleaned” 

and redyed. This carpet is free of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) 

and is off-gassed before installation to enhance air quality. 

In all, 14 tons of used carpeting were recycled rather than 

placed in landfills. 

Outside, grids around the bases of trees are made of 

100% recycled metals. The fire road around the structure 

consists of permeable turf-block with a grass overlay. 

The building footprint was carefully designed to preserve the site’s landscape and its habitats. Original trees 

were protected throughout the project, and native trees 

were added to provide shade at the west façade. Small 

plants on the old site were ground up and reused as mulch 

on campus. All native soil from the site was retained and 

reused. 

Natural Ventilation, Daylighting, and 

Lighting 

Because it faces the ocean, the office wing needs no 

air-conditioning. It relies instead on flow-through ventilation, using operable windows and transoms. Windows in 

the office wing have a mechanical interlock (a small sensor 

in the frame); when the windows are opened, hot water 

convectors (radiators) automatically turn off. 

Daylighting is featured in the offices. Photosensor 

controls detect the amount of natural lighting in a room 

and dim the artificial lighting accordingly. The offices also 

have on/off light switches for the electric lighting, which 

incorporates energy-efficient fixtures and bulbs and 

motion controls. 
LABS FOR THE 21ST CENTURY
 5 

Energy Efficiency 

Bren Hall surpasses California’s Title 24 requirements 

for energy efficiency by more than the estimated 31%. 

A computer simulation estimated annual energy use at 

144,700 British thermal units (Btu) per square foot per year 

(144.7 kBtu/ft2/yr). Data based on actual measurements 

collected in 2003 from the building’s energy monitoring 

system (Table 2) show that the building is using significantly less energy than the estimate—106.7 kBtu/gross 

ft2/yr for electricity and gas combined. 

These are the building’s primary energy efficiency 

and renewable energy features: 

• Naturally ventilated offices 

• Premium-efficiency motors on all equipment 

• Variable-volume pumping systems 

• 	Variable-air-volume laboratory exhaust and supply 

system 

• Daylighting controls 

• Maximized chiller and cooling tower efficiencies 

• A 47-kilowatt (kW) photovoltaic (solar electric) system 

There are 17 VAV fume hoods in the building. 

Measured data show that the labs use approximately 8 

air changes per hour (ACH) when occupied, and about 

4 or 5 ACH when unoccupied, such as at night and on 

weekends. (See page 7 for more details.) 

The three exhaust stacks on the roof are each a different size. Each one has a different-sized fan: one for 16,000 

cubic feet of air per minute (cfm), one for 23,000 cfm, and 

another for 30,000 cfm. The system design and controls 

ensure that only one of these fans or a combination of 

them is running at any given time, as required to maintain 

a minimum static pressure in the exhaust control loop. 

If the static pressure can’t be maintained, then the next 

larger fan or combination of fans turns on as the fan that 

was previously running turns off. The exhaust fans use 

variable-frequency drives and a bypass damper to maintain the proper exhaust stack discharge velocity. Bren Hall 

received a LEED innovation credit for the design of this 

exhaust system. 

The building is connected to a new, multi-building 

chilled water loop to provide cost-effective cooling for the 

laboratory wing. This loop connects Bren Hall’s chiller to 

all other chiller plants on campus, so the loop is operated 

as if it were one large campus chiller plant. Bren Hall’s 

chiller, which has a run time of about 15%, can thus take 

on a portion of the total campus load as needed. This 

allows other chillers to be fully loaded (and operating 

most efficiently) before bringing in the Bren Hall chiller. 

Because of UCSB’s “virtual central plant” control 

strategy, the Bren Hall chiller is sized at 300 tons—or 

about 25% larger than the building requires. The building 

has its own cooling tower. And to reduce the “heat island” 

effect, an Energy Star®-rated "white cap" roofing material 

reflects sunlight and helps to keep the building cool. 

Bren Hall’s 47-kW photovoltaic system was designed 

to meet about 7%–10% of the building’s total electricity 

needs. In addition, 31% of Bren Hall’s electricity is 

supplied by another renewable power source—methane 

landfill gas—through a contract with a “green power” 

provider that runs through 2004. 

Indoor Environmental Quality 

Products such as paint and carpeting had to meet 

stringent criteria for low amounts of volatile organic 

compounds, or VOCs. There are no asbestos or mineral 

fibers in the materials, and no hydro-fluorocarbons, 

hydro-chloro-fluorocarbons, or chloro-fluorocarbons 

(CFCs) were used. All paints, adhesives, and finishes 

exceed the new South Coast Air Management Air Quality 

Standards for 2005. 

When the building was completed, all the mechanical 

systems were run for two weeks at full capacity. Then all 

the filters were changed before occupancy, which greatly 

improved indoor air quality. A carbon dioxide monitoring 

system also ensures fresh air in assembly spaces. 

Water Efficiency 

Reclaimed water is piped from the local water utility 

to meet 100% of the site’s landscape irrigation needs. The 

landscaping also features drought-tolerant native plants. 

Timothy Hursley/PIX12821 

Figure 4. Both interior and exterior terraces overlook Bren Hall's 

courtyard. 
6 L A B S F O R T H E 2 1 S T C E N T U R Y 


Toilets on the first floor also use reclaimed water from 

the local utility. None of the urinals contain water, and 

each is estimated to save 45,000 gallons of water per year. 

All toilets have automatic flush valves, and low-flow 

fixtures are used throughout the building. 

Measurement and Evaluation 

Approach 

Bren Hall has a metering system to help operate the 

building efficiently; the system has an educational function for students and faculty, as well. Additional metering 

monitors the actual loads of dry labs, wet labs, and offices. 

For ease of access, Web interface systems also monitor 

many of these items. The resulting data are being shared 

in “Labs 21” benchmarking efforts to assist others in the 

design of new laboratory buildings. The data will also 

help the University of California with designs for future 

sustainable buildings. 

Building Metrics 

The data in Table 2 compare design estimates to 

building energy performance estimates calculated from 

System Key Design Annual Energy Use Annual Energy Use 

Parameters (based on design data) (based on measured data) 

Supply = 1.08 W/cfm 7.8 kWh/gross ft2 2.9 kWh/gross ft2 

(Sum of wattage Exhaust = 0.72 W/cfm (15.8 kWh/net ft2) (3) 

of all the supply (1) 

and exhaust fans) (0.5 cfm/gross ft2; 1.0 cfm/ 

net ft2 and 2.2 cfm/net ft2 for 

labs)(2) 

Cooling plant 300 tons 4.1 kWh/gross ft ) 1.1 kWh/gross ft2 

0.54 kW/ton 

Lighting 1. 6 W/gross ft2 in labs; 5.4 kWh/gross ft 8.7 kWh/gross ft2 

1.1 W/ft2 

Process/Plug 30.1 W/net ft2 of labs; 33.6 kWh/gross ft 4.4 kWh/gross ft2 

1.81 W/ft2 

Heating Plant NA NA 47 kBtu/gross ft2/yr 

50.9 kWh/gross ft2 /yr 17.5 kWh/gross ft2/yr for electricity only 

(estimate based on design 

data for electricity only) 

173.7 kBtu/gross ft2/yr for 59.7 kBtu/gross ft2/yr for electricity only (7) 

electricity only (7) 

NA 106.7 kBtu/gross ft2/yr for electricity and gas 

NA $2.34/gross ft2/yr estimated annual cost for 

electricity and gas 

Notes: 

average = 0.9 W/cfm. 

2 = 1.0 cfm/net ft2; 46,000 cfm/84,672 gross ft2 = 0.5 cfm/gross ft2; 46,000 cfm/21,058 net ft2 of 

labs = 2.2 cfm/net ft2 of labs. 

2 x 8760 hours x 2/1000 = 7.8 kWh/gross ft2 (15.8 kWh/net ft2). 

2 = 4.1 kWh/gross ft2 

oversized by 25%, for the purpose of this estimate only 75% of the chiller plant size was assumed). 

2 (weighted average) x 4534 hours /1000 = 5.44 kWh/gross ft2 (2.2 W/net ft2 x 0.54 = 1.2 W/gross ft2) (assumes lights are on 87.2 

hr/week). 

2 (weighted average of 30.1 W/net ft2 for the lab area of 21,056 ft2 and 1.8 W/net ft2 for the rest of that area) x 0.80 x 5256 hours/1000 = 

33.6 kWh/gross ft2) (assumes that 80% of all equipment is operating 60% of the hours in a year). 

Note: Santa Barbara has 

approx. 1458 heating degree-days and 727 cooling degree-days (based on Los Angeles, CA, weather data). 

NA = not available. 

Table 2. Donald Bren Hall Building Metrics 

Ventilation 

Average = 0.9 W/cfm 

2 (4

2 (5) 

everywhere else 

2 (6) 

everywhere else 

Total 

1. W/cfm for supply air = (82.5 horsepower (hp) x 746 W/hp) /56,900 cfm = 1.08 W/cfm; for exhaust air (45 hp x 746 W/hp)/46,000 cfm = 0.72 W/cfm; 

2. 46,000 cfm (total cfm based on exhaust)/46,304 net ft

3. 0.9 W/cfm x 0.5 cfm/gross ft

4. 0.54 kW/ton x 225 tons x 2890 hours / 84,672 gross ft (assumes cooling runs 33% of the hours in a year. Since the chiller was 

5. 1.2 W/gross ft

6. 8.0 W/gross ft

7. Estimated data are presented in site Btu (1 kWh = 3412 Btu). To convert to source Btu, multiply site Btu for electricity by 3. 
L A B S F O R T H E 2 1 S T C E N T U R Y 
 7 

How Bren Hall’s Variable-AirVolume Controls Work 

First, as each fume hood sash is raised or lowered, 

the sash sensor signal to the fume hood’s monitor changes 

proportionally. This signal prompts the fume hood monitor to generate another signal that controls the hood’s 

exhaust valve, maintaining a constant average face 

velocity at each hood opening. Each fume hood exhaust 

valve thus sends a feedback signal (proportional to the 

cfm flow at the valve) to the make-up air control panel. 

The make-up air controller card calculates total fume 

hood exhaust volume by summing the feedback signals 

from the hood exhaust valves and generating a total hood 

exhaust signal. The make-up air controller card maintains 

a constant, adjustable net negative offset between the control zone’s total exhaust and the make-up air volumes. 

This offset should not vary with changes in the volume 

of the exhaust. 

To maintain a negative room offset, the make-up air 

controller card resets the total hood exhaust signal by subtracting the quantity of offset desired. The result is a total 

fume hood make-up air signal; it represents the volume 

of supply air needed to satisfy fume hood demand with 

respect to the desired constant offset. 

The make-up air controller card maintains a minimum volume of ventilation make-up air to the laboratory, 

because supply air to the space should not fall below this 

volume. The make-up air command signal is generated 

when the system compares the minimum ventilation 

signal to the total hood make-up air signal and selects 

the higher of these two signals as the command. 

When the minimum volume of ventilation make-up 

air is being delivered to a room, and the fume hood 

exhaust valve is exhausting less than this minimum volume, the make-up air controller increases the command 

signal to the room's general exhaust valve. This valve 

opens inversely to the fume hood exhaust valve when the 

hood's sash is lower than it should be for the make-up air 

valves' minimum volume of ventilation. 

When a control zone occupancy sensor indicates that 

the zone is unoccupied, the energy management control 

system (EMCS) resets the minimum ventilation air volume 

to the scheduled value for an unoccupied zone. If the signal is lost, either because the zone becomes occupied or 

the sensor fails, the control zone minimum ventilation air 

volume is reset to the scheduled value for an occupied 

zone. 

On a call for cooling, the EMCS sends a signal to the 

make-up air control panel. This signal resets the minimum 

ventilation signal from the scheduled supply flow minimum to the scheduled flow maximum. 

measured data collected in 2003. Data measurements 

taken for a shorter period of time were extrapolated for a 

full year, because the building was just completing its first 

year of operation. 

The table shows that measured energy use for ventilation is lower than estimated. The estimate did not assume 

that all the exhaust and supply fans would be operating 

together. As noted earlier, the exhaust fans operate in 

stages, based on need. The design estimate assumes 

2.2 cfm/net ft2 for ventilation in the labs. Measured data 

show only about 1 cfm/net ft2. The cause of this discrepancy could be that some planned lab equipment has not 

yet been installed, as well as that the innovative exhaust 

control strategy is working as designed. Because this 

mixed-use building has both classrooms and labs and not 

many fume hoods, ventilation loads will be lower than 

those of many other buildings in the Labs 21 benchmarking database. 

Table 2 also shows a discrepancy between design 

estimates and measured data for plug loads. One reason 

is that Bren Hall plans to purchase and install significantly 

more new lab equipment. Given the measured data for 

plug loads, and assuming 1.8 W/ft2 of plug loads in all 

spaces but labs (and other assumptions listed in Table 2, 

footnote 6) actual plug loads in labs are probably about 

2.2 W/ft2. 

The design estimates in Table 2 indicate that the 

building would use 197 kBtu/ft2/yr for electricity only. 

This estimate is high because it doesn’t account for usage 

schedules. The Bren Hall energy simulation predicted 

energy use in the “as-designed building” at 144 kBtu/ft2/yr 

for electricity and gas. Based on this simulation, the building was estimated to be 31% more energy efficient than 

the Title 24 base case at 209 kBtu/ft2/year. The measured 

performance is almost 50% better than this simulated 

base case. Measured performance is 107 kBtu/ft2/yr, 

however, or 25% better than predicted for this building 

in the simulation. 

Summary 

Bren Hall at UCSB’s Donald Bren School of 

Environmental Science & Management is one of two 

LEED-certified Platinum buildings, and the only laboratory building to achieve this recognition. Once the decision 

was made to make this a high-performing, sustainable lab 

and classroom building, this goal was embraced by the 

school’s leadership and accomplished. Its design incorporates many energy-efficient and sustainable features, 

making it a living laboratory for students and faculty. 

Its Web site carries this a step further by sharing information about greening product suppliers and the cost of 
8 

various measures (see www.bren.ucsb.edu/about/ 

greening_information.html). 

The building also includes a comprehensive real-time 

energy-use monitoring system. This system aids in 

managing the building’s energy use and helps to identify 

more opportunities to save energy at the University of 

California and elsewhere. Bren Hall thus represents a 

great resource for teaching the next generation of policy 

and environmental management professionals and 

research scientists. 

Acknowledgements 

This case study would not have been possible without 

the contributions of Jim Dewey and Perrin Pellegrin at 

Donald Bren Hall; Stacey Williams of Zimmer, Gunsul, 

Frasca partnership; Todd See and Stephen Scaife of 

Flack + Kurtz; and Lisa Fay Matthiessen of Davis Langdon 

Adamson. This study was written by Nancy Carlisle of the 

National Renewable Energy Laboratory with the assistance of Otto Van Geet, P.E., Paula Pitchford, editor, and 

Susan Sczepanski, graphic artist, all of NREL. 

Laboratories for the 21st Century 

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Office of Administration and Resources Management 

For More Information 

On Donald Bren Hall: 

Jim Dewey 

Physical Facilities 

University of California, Santa Barbara 

Santa Barbara, CA 93106 

Phone: 805-893-2661 x1101 

E-mail: jim.dewey@pf.ucsb.edu 

On Laboratories for the 21st Century: 

Daniel Amon 

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 

1200 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W. 

Washington, DC 20460 

202-564-7509 

amon.dan@epamail.epa.gov 

Will Lintner, P.E. 

U.S. Department of Energy 

Federal Energy Management Program 

1000 Independence Ave., S.W. 

Washington, DC 20585 

202-586-4858 

william.lintner@ee.doe.gov 

Nancy Carlisle, A.I.A. 

National Renewable Energy Laboratory 

1617 Cole Blvd. 

Golden, CO 80401 

303-384-7509 

nancy_carlisle@nrel.gov 

www.epa.gov/labs21century/ 

In partnership with the 

U.S. Department of Energy

Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy 

Federal Energy Management Program 

www.eere.energy.gov/femp 

Prepared at the 

National Renewable Energy Laboratory 

A DOE national laboratory 

DOE/GO-102004-1794 

February 2004 

Printed with a renewable-source ink on paper containing at least 

50% wastepaper, including 20% postconsumer waste