Innovation is brewing in the Bay Area, and it’s not coming from another app development. FLEXLAB, a laboratory dedicated to studying energy efficiency, just opened up at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in the hills above UC Berkeley.
The lab is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, and as of now, it is the only one of it’s kind in the world.
“It’s the first that tests system level technologies,” says Cynthia Regnier, FLEXLAB’s executive manager. “[FLEXLAB] provides a platform upon which we could test these systems and revalidate performance and improve it before it gets committed and built in the order of hundreds of thousands of square footage and millions of dollars of investment.”
According to local newspaper Contra Costa Times, startups, architects, designers, utilities and manufacturers in the Silicon Valley are invited to use FLEXLAB for fees adjusted to specific needs.
There are four separate labs to test-drive different technologies: Heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems, lighting, windows and the building envelope.
Find out more at FLEXLAB’s official website.
Related Stories
Giants 400 | Sep 17, 2015
CONVENTION CENTER SECTOR GIANTS: Gensler, AECOM, Turner top rankings of nation's largest convention/events sector AEC firms
BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest convention/events sector design and construction firms, as reported in the 2015 Giants 300 Report.
Giants 400 | Sep 17, 2015
AIRPORT SECTOR GIANTS: KPF, Hensel Phelps, Jacobs top rankings of nation's largest airport terminal sector AEC firms
BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest airport terminal sector design and construction firms, as reported in the 2015 Giants 300 Report.
Museums | Sep 16, 2015
First look: Diller Scofidio + Renfro's The Broad museum in Los Angeles
LA's newest art museum combines gallery space and collection storage based around two design concepts: the veil and the vault.
Giants 400 | Sep 15, 2015
HOTEL SECTOR GIANTS: Gensler, AECOM, Turner among nation's largest hotel sector AEC firms
BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest hotel sector design and construction firms, as reported in the 2015 Giants 300 Report.
BIM and Information Technology | Sep 14, 2015
Is Apple's new iPad Pro a game changer for architects?
A stylus, split screen, and improved graphics make designing on the tablet easier.
Education Facilities | Sep 14, 2015
Gehry unveils plan for Children's Institute, Inc. campus in LA
The new facility, which will have rooms for counseling, afterschool activities, and youth programs, will allow CII to expand its services to 5,000 local children and families.
Architects | Sep 11, 2015
Haeahn Architecture wins design competition for Seoul work and press center
Building will have low roofs, open courtyard, and media facilities
Giants 400 | Sep 10, 2015
INDUSTRIAL SECTOR GIANTS: Stantec, Turner, Jacobs among top industrial AEC firms
BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest industrial sector design and construction firms, as reported in the 2015 Giants 300 Report
Giants 400 | Sep 10, 2015
MILITARY SECTOR GIANTS: Clark Group, HDR, Fluor top rankings of nation's largest military sector AEC firms
BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest military sector design and construction firms, as reported in the 2015 Giants 300 Report
Museums | Sep 9, 2015
Bauhaus Museum Dessau names two design winners
The German museum chose one sleek, no-nonsense concept and one colorful, complex entry.