Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory - Building 583
Livermore, California

For the US Department of Energy Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory campus, LDA provided a design for a generic office building, as the record architect for a design/build team. Working from Department of Energy requirements, we designed and coordinated the work of engineers to meet stringent programmatic needs and a constrained construction budget, while delivery an adaptable building to the Lab.

The building shell utilizes full-height precast concrete wall panels, supported by a structural steel frame. Early design and off-site fabrication of these elements allowed these assemblies to be erected immediately upon completion of the ground floor slab. Throughout the building, similar timesaving design decisions permitted this 2-story, 20,000 sf building to be ready for occupancy in 10 months.

Aluminum windows with insulated glass and louvered sunshades provide light and reduce energy consumption. This sustainable feature is carried through the interior where exterior spaces utilize expansive interior windows to carry natural light to interior spaces. A compact core provides for fixed building resources while allowing for an adaptable interior plan that can accommodate hard-walled offices as well as it can suit an open plan when future reconfiguring is desired. This practical acknowledgement of the evolution of the building is highlighted by utility loops and cable tray that allow for quick and easy infrastructure changes to suit changes.

Design efficiencies were achieved by utilizing features and details from other LLNL generic buildings, including finish materials, where savings in both fee and client approvals were realized by repeating previous successful decisions. Building 583 is now a model for future generic office buildings on the LLNL campus.