




Bringing a 20th-century building up to date with 21st-century MEP systems is a difficult enough task. Add the fact that the building is on the National Register of Historic Places, and that compounds some of the challenges that come with renovating a science and laboratory space. Senior Project Manager Brett Dunlap details the team's approach and innovative solutions to completing an inspired renovation of the University of Minnesota's John. T. Tate Hall.

Named an R&D magazine project of the year, the NREL ESIF lab was the first-of-its-kind 182,500 sf research user facility that features a unique merging of three very specialized components: an ultra-energy efficient workplace that consumes 74% less energy than the national average for office buildings; one of the world's most energy-efficient high performance computing data centers; and sophisticated high-bay laboratory spaces with outdoor test areas.