Regina Best Heldrich Science Building
Douglass Campus

EI Associates was retained to renovate the Regina Best Heldrich Science Building at Rutgers’ Douglass Campus as part of Rutgers’ HECIP (Higher Education Capital Improvement Program) project. Our design work covered the complete exterior restoration of the building including a total window replacement and slate roof replacement, new entry plaza and landscaping as well as an interior upgrade consisting of a gut renovation of the main basement chemistry lab.

For the 4,000 SF Chemistry Lab, our renovation included the replacement of 50 makeshift canopy hoods with 32 six foot wide hoods, each capable of handling 2 students to serve a total of 60 students. The Rutgers Environmental Health and Safety (REHS) group’s initial requirement for testing air flow for any hood was 100 Feet per Minute, with the hood at a full open position. With the number of hoods requested by the user for this space, this standard would have created a number of problems, including air turbulence, which would have impacted the safety of the space. Through several meetings with Rutgers, EI was able to successfully recommend a “low-flow” hood. These hoods are safely tested, and meet strict ASHRAE requirements, utilizing only 50FPM, half the level originally required by REHS. Utilizing this low flow hood reduced the amount of make up air required for this lab, thus reducing the initial mechanical equipment costs as well as future energy costs. All new mechanical units were located at the rear of the building to minimize the visual impact.

A new mechanical system (new make up air unit), new lab furniture and resin tops and new bench top utilities consisting of vacuum, water and electricity were also installed. New epoxy flooring was installed and the existing masonry walls and ceiling painted. New pendant fluorescent fixtures were installed.