Brookhaven Lab Opens New $66.8M Research Building

A new $66.8 million research facility focused on energy research, the Interdisciplinary Science Building, opened its doors Thursday at Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton.

"Energy innovation plays a direct role in the continued prosperity and security of the United States. ... The research done here will have long-lasting and far-reaching impacts," DOE Office of Science Director Bill Brinkman said in a statement.

The 87,700-square-foot facility will be home to customized laboratories and experimental environments in which researchers will engineer and optimize materials related to batteries, biofuels, and solar panels.

"The ISB will enable research to understand complex materials at a level that is unprecedented and will advance solutions for 21st century energy technologies," said Jim Misewich, associate laboratory director for basic energy sciences.

The building itself has been engineered to be environmentally friendly. It is designed to reduce potable water use by 55 percent and energy consumption by 37 percent, compared to other typical laboratory designs. Together with heat recovery systems and energy efficient lighting, those savings will help achieve an overall cost avoidance of 29 percent.

State Sen. Ken LaValle, R-Port Jefferson, said energy is one of the world's most pressing priorities right now, in both the short- and long-term scope.

"There is no simple solution, however I am positive about this: The men and women working in this new interdisciplinary space will help create the technologies that will power us into the future," LaValle said in a statement.

Brookhaven National Laboratory, which is co-managed by Stony Brook University, also received $18 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds to help speed its construction in 2009.