New England Biolabs’ Patrick Norton on building sustainability into our communities. “That is really where it all starts – the willingness to make that commitment”.
Written By Ella Borgman and research by Natalie Whitten
How many of us associate nature with a commercial building, or for that matter our own house? Not many. However, one green pioneer is changing this dynamic right here in our own community: New England Biolabs (NEB). They’re proposing an expansion of their Research, Manufacturing and Production facilities that would add 100,000 square feet. This expansion, unlike other developments, shows us that it is possible for nature and humanity to grow alongside one another. As we dangerously exhaust Mother Nature’s tolerance, we need leaders like NEB to show us the power in partnering with her. I’m extremely grateful for the insight NEB Associate Director of Facilities and Engineering, Patrick Norton, provided through our dialogue. Let’s ALL learn about building sustainability into our communities.
Patrick initially sat down for an in-person interview with Natalie Whitten, and subsequently had the following conversation with Ella Borgman:
How do you see smaller businesses taking NEB’s green details such as a biophilic design (a space that enhances the well-being and performance of individuals as based on the natural world), and realistically incorporating them into their infrastructure? In other words, are the NEB green designs easily translated to other layouts? This really strikes at the core of what it means to make a commitment to preserving biodiversity and our environment. The goal at NEB is to design facilities that support the development of cutting-edge research and production in alignment with our core values. And that is really where it all starts for companies – the willingness to make that commitment. Smaller businesses have every opportunity to adopt sustainability initiatives. We hope that our facilities provide an example of how to adopt green initiatives and apply them to design. The new building will include many sustainable strategies to obtain a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification. Buildings worldwide are part of the LEED certification program and Ipswich is lucky enough to have NEB joining such global initiatives. The current building was one of the first laboratories to achieve a LEED certification in 2007.
Does NEB see green infrastructure as an extra cost or a beneficial investment? For example, the extra cost of environmentally sourced building materials. There are certainly a lot of benefits to investing in green infrastructure. The health of employees, neighbors and our environment are a top consideration when specifying materials used in construction. We analyze use of materials based on impact to the environment throughout its entire lifecycle – including development, transport, use, and disposal. Financial benefits are realized by the initial investment of energy-efficient technologies such as heat recovery in building heating and cooling systems. This reduction in energy use not only lowers operational carbon – but also the operational cost of a facility.
Do you still envision, with COVID-19 economic implications, the new expansion providing new jobs? NEB has focused our efforts during this pandemic towards maintaining a safe and healthy work environment – which has allowed us to maintain production of reagents that are being utilized for the development of important diagnostics and vaccines. We continue to maintain our growth initiatives and the expansion of our facilities.
As you expand in size as a company and building, is it harder to cater to the natural environment or is it more of an exciting challenge? Our team of engineers and architects would agree it is an exciting challenge to develop new facilities at NEB. In addition, at every design review meeting, we are reminded by our leadership team that expansion and further development will not be done at the consequence of the natural beauty or impact of the surrounding environment. One way that NEB is preserving natural beauty is an underground parking lot. This not only hides the eye-sore of tarmac but also allows water and solar radiation to go back to the earth, instead of being trapped by the pavement. Other green choices, among others, NEB has incorporated into the project are rooftop gardens, native planting, HVAC system that has 85% efficient heat recovery, building around existing copper beech trees and a solar aquatic system that treats lab waste without chemicals and returns better quality water than drinking water to the groundwater supply.
Do you see this new building as an opportunity to further foster a relationship with the Ipswich Public schools and develop more robust sustainable and science educational programs? NEB will continue to engage with the Ipswich Public School students and teachers in programs supporting science and sustainability. We’re looking forward to the time we can host a tour of students through our facilities to highlight the systems being developed in support of our sustainability goals.
What do you say to other businesses that don't see themselves as players in climate change mitigation and won't get involved in initiatives such as Drawdown, a mission to reach a point where atmospheric greenhouses gases are on the decline? How do you get them motivated and engaged? I would prefer to challenge the younger generation and students entering into industry to drive change. It’s encouraging to be working with groups like the Green Team – I’m confident in your efforts and ability to develop new climate solutions.
About the Author : Ella Borgman is a tree-hugging highschooler engaged in bettering her community. She wrote this article for the Green Team, of which she has been a member for eight years.