New Orleans BioInnovation Center Wins Sustainable Design and Building Performance Award

by CSB Staff • April 24, 2015 • Architecture & Design, Awards & Recognition, BioDistrict • Comments (0) • 6436

The New Orleans BioInnovation Center (NOBIC) has been awarded by the American Institute of Architects’ (AIA) Committee on the Environment (COTE) as one of the Top Ten Green Projects this year.

NOBIC is a four-story, 65,000 square foot building–designed by Eskew+Dumez+Ripple– that houses a business innovation center and biotechnology laboratories.

The Top Ten Green Projects program celebrates structures that use a thoroughly integrated approach to architecture, natural systems, and technology to provide architectural solutions which protect and enhance the environment.

The BioInnovation Center not only combines design elements with function and energy efficiency, but it is the first building of its kind in Louisiana to achieve LEED-Gold Certification.

“Laboratory buildings are among the most intense users of energy of all building types consuming, on average, more than four times (4x) that of commercial buildings,” says Z Smith from Eskew+Dumez+Ripple. “But in the case of NOBIC, the energy saved per square foot is comparable to making almost any other building type a net-zero building.”

“Our facility is an incredible addition to New Orleans and this recognition is truly deserved,” says Aaron Miscenich, President of the New Orleans BioInnovation Center. “Recognizing the specific needs of our tenants, EDR gave us a state-of-the-art wet lab facility while minimizing the operating costs of our building. Also, the EDR design of the BioInnovation Center has delivered a facility that encourages interaction and collaboration while providing an environment that is open and energetic.”