IMEG provided engineering design of all non-radiological facilities, including all central systems, for the new Materials Design Laboratory (MDL), the first building visitors will encounter at the Argonne National Laboratory site.

The MDL is a current, state-of-the-art laboratory/office facility, enabling Argonne to maintain a leadership position in energy science research. The MDL was designed to provide the maximum practical flexibility to support changes in research for 10 to 20 years with minimal modification. Spaces include wet and dry labs, conference rooms, lobby area, private offices, restrooms, as well as areas for maintenance and storage. The entire third floor houses a radiochemistry suite.

The design complies with the U.S. Department of Energy’s High Performance and Sustainable Buildings requirements, incorporating maintainability, energy efficiency, and environmental sustainability. Key sustainable features will include LED lighting, heat recovery, occupancy sensors, daylight harvesting, low-flow plumbing fixtures, radiant heating, and building automation systems controls. The building is LEED Gold certified and winner of the Chicago Building Congress 2020 Merit Award for Commercial Construction over $50 million.

Project challenges included acoustical control, connecting multiple buildings, integrating BAS, maintaining proper pressure relationships between spaces, maintaining reliability, providing system redundancy, rerouting distribution systems and limited site access. Key tools for meeting these challenges included energy modeling and the use of Navisworks for BIM coordination.

IMEG coordinated with Argonne to analyze the oxygen depletion hazard due to the cryogenics located within the building to minimize the risk of danger to the occupants.