Challenges of LEED© for Advanced Technology (AT) Facilities
Chasey, Allan; Beasley, James
(Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona and ISMI, Austin, Texas)
Sustainability and Sustainable Development are buzz words in today’s society. Since its introduction with the Bruntland Commission Report in 1987, the philosophy of Sustainability and Sustainable Development have made significant progress moving from the traditional ideas of economy and environmentalism to discussions and actions in corporate board rooms. As the Global Reporting Initiative of the UN Environment Program has indicted, business responsibility extends beyond the shareholders to people and places both near and far from a company’s facilities. The needs/requirements for energy conservation and facility cost reduction are key components of the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS), a 15 year look ahead that guides the semiconductor industry. The ESH chapter indicates that facilities energy, water optimization, resource conservation and sustainability will be future difficult challenges. These challenges indicate the need to develop methodologies, processes, and/or systems that will provide a comprehensive understanding of the way that advanced technology (AT) facilities, process equipment, and resource use affects the continued responsible performance of the semiconductor industry in the ESH arena. ESH requirements must be integral in the planning, design, construction and operations of any advanced technology facility. As pointed out by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Labs21 EPC (Environmental Protection Criteria), lab facilities present a unique challenge for energy efficiency and sustainable design. Semiconductor manufacturing plants and other advanced technology facilities much more so due to the complexity of systems, health and safety requirements, energy use intensity, and environmental impacts that could limit the ability to expand existing facilities or build new ones. This presentation will address a path forward for defining and developing metrics for an environmental performance rating system that will assist in the design and construction of resource efficient facilities that will respond to both the ESH requirements and the facility cost reduction challenge for advanced technology facilities. The ISMI Green Fab project will be introduced, in which the ISMI Companies are working with the US Green Building Council, Arizona State University, and others to conceptualize and develop a LEED© style fab-specific environmental performance criteria for designers and operators of fabs.