For one recent client, HOK designed the air supply system so that the air was distributed low in the lab, beneath the casework. The idea was to bring in the air low and allow it to rise naturally, reducing the heating or cooling required to temper the space.

“You obviously save energy by introducing the air at a higher temperature than you would if you were trying to push it down from the ceiling,” says David Hronek, director of science + technology (Southeast Region).

In this particular project, HOK worked with lab casework manufacturers to design a way of using the casework system to distribute the air through the toeplate at the bottom of the island bench. While the system ultimately wasn’t installed for first-cost reasons, the idea is worth considering.