Biological and Computational Sciences Facility (BCSF)

Located on the west portion of the Pacific Northwest National Lab (PNNL) campus operated by Battelle Memorial Institute, the BCSF is composed of two research wings: the Biological Sciences Facility (BSF) and Computational Sciences Facility (CSF). The BSF includes biological laboratories for advanced genomic research focusing on advanced analytic technologies for environmental and human health applications. The CSF houses replacement-computing capabilities in information and visual analytics like high-performance computing. These world-renowned computing capabilities are critical for homeland security and other government missions such as detecting terrorist activities, cyber security, and critical infrastructure protection.
The driving factors behind the design of this facility stem from the building’s capability to adapt to changing missions and security, and the ability of teams to work in a secure environment. This, in addition to essential mission requirements, dictates the building be designed and constructed with robustness, flexibility and sustainability.
The facility boasts several features designed to reduce its impact on the environment including: geothermal heating and cooling, sun shading devices, recycled materials content, high-efficiency HVAC equipment and extraordinary recycling abilities to name a few. In addition, the BCSF educates visitors about its environmentally friendly designs. A user-guided interactive educational display highlights the sustainability of the building for everyone to explore. The legacy of the BCSF is not only how it will care for the environment by reducing its impact on it, but also how the sustainable features serve as an inspiration for future facilities on campus and for future generations.