Global Ecology Center at Stanford University

This case study describes the design and performance of the Global Ecology Center (GEC) at Stanford University, an 11,000-square-foot laboratory facility. Using the '10xE' integrative design approach by Factor Ten Engineering, the project achieved significant energy and resource savings through passive design, innovative cooling systems, and strategic spatial planning, resulting in a building with nearly half the operating costs of a comparable existing facility.

• The Global Ecology Center (GEC) achieved a 72 percent reduction in electricity use for HVAC and lighting compared to a 2001 California Title 24-compliant building, with a capital cost premium that was paid back within two to five years.
• When including process loads, miscellaneous equipment, and space heating, the GEC's whole-building energy savings are 27 percent compared to a similar-sized Title 24 code-compliant building, with a verified energy use intensity of 141 kBtu/ft2-y.
• The building utilizes a night-sky cooling system that sprays water over the roof at night to chill water via evaporation and radiation. This water is stored in a 12,000-gallon tank and distributed at 55–60 °F, using only 0.07 kW per ton of cooling for pump power, compared to nearly 1.0 kW per ton for a standard chiller.
• Strategic decisions to reduce loads and costs included moving laboratory freezers to an unconditioned nearby warehouse, which reduced the GEC's annual energy use by 15 percent, and adopting a two-story layout to focus aggressive ventilation only on labs.
• Laboratory ventilation efficiency was improved by using 24-inch low-pressure-drop ducts instead of 20-inch ducts, reducing fan power from ¾ hp to ¼ hp for 3000 cfm, and by implementing a 'cascading' airflow that blows outside air through the dry lab before the wet lab, reducing outside air needs by 20 percent.
• The project reduced its embodied emissions by 31 percent, from 302 to 209 metric tons, primarily through the use of salvaged materials and high-volume fly-ash (HVFA) concrete, which replaced 50 percent of the cement.
• Water usage was reduced by 33 percent through the use of low-flow faucets, dual-flush toilets, and non-irrigated landscaping, while 43 percent of precipitation is managed onsite.

APA

Bendewald, M., Harrison, J., & Pradhan, A. (2011). Global Ecology Center at Stanford University. RMI. https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_2011-08_10xEGlobalEcologyCenter.pdf

Chicago

Bendewald, Michael, Jennilee Harrison, and Alok Pradhan. Global Ecology Center at Stanford University. RMI, 2011. https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_2011-08_10xEGlobalEcologyCenter.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Bendewald |first1=Michael |last2=Harrison |first2=Jennilee |last3=Pradhan |first3=Alok |title=Global Ecology Center at Stanford University |publisher=RMI |date=February 2011 |url=https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_2011-08_10xEGlobalEcologyCenter.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{bendewald2011global, author = {Bendewald, Michael and Harrison, Jennilee and Pradhan, Alok}, title = {{Global Ecology Center at Stanford University}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2011}, month = feb, url = {https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_2011-08_10xEGlobalEcologyCenter.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }