Net-Zero Federal Lab Set to Open in Colorado in 2026

The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) has announced plans to build a new Food and Drug Administration (FDA) lab in Lakewood, Colorado. The new all-electric facility, which is set to open in 2026, aims to be net-zero, releasing no new emissions into the atmosphere. The new lab is being built as part of the GSA’s first batch of projects, which aim to boost clean energy innovation by using energy-saving technologies and materials that minimise carbon emissions in construction and renovation projects at federal facilities. The GSA estimates that its first round of clean energy projects, totalling more than $300 million from the Inflation Reduction Act, will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by about 12,000 metric tonnes – equivalent to the emissions created by more than 25,000 cars in one year – and reduce energy costs by $35 million over the next 20 years.

Potential environmental impact:

The new FDA lab is part of President Joe Biden’s goal for federal buildings to reach net-zero emissions by 2045. The lab, which will be built with solar panels and other ways of offsetting power generated by coal or natural gas, will help reduce carbon dioxide emissions. The building design and construction, a combination of steel and concrete, will help the lab use half the amount of energy a typical lab uses, which is about 10 times as much energy as an office building of a similar size. The south and west sides of the new building will be made of glass in order to bring in sunlight, which will help to reduce energy consumption. The lab will also recapture energy as it leaves the building and put it back, using runaround loops, ground-source heat pumps and other technologies.