A Screened Lab Addition to Enhance New Ecological Research at Clemson's Baruch Institute

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Coastal landscapes experience a variety of environmental stresses caused by changes in land
use, climate, storm frequency and intensity, and saltwater intrusion. Research at the Clemson University 
Baruch Institute of Coastal Ecology and Forest Science (BICEFS) focuses on understanding how three major components of the landscape - water, vegetation, and wildlife - are affected by and respond to man-made and natural disturbances. Research at BICEFS spans from the heart of cities to the wildest places in the landscape in an effort to understand how these components
are interconnected. In the last three years, BICEFS has doubled the size of its faculty from five to ten, adding new research lines in wildlife biology, landscape ecology, and ecosystem service economics. This project responds to that growth by adding a 1110-square-foot screened lab to an existing lab building to provide new, flexible workspace to support new research initiatives, field lab activities, and training. The institute's location in coastal South Carolina enables outside activities year-round and therefore the design provides energy efficiency and simplicity for cleaning, maintenance, and project specific set up. Like many field stations, BICEFS operates its labs and major equipment on a shared basis. Lab space is designated to various activities or analyses that support major research lines, rather than to individual investigators. As the faculty has expanded in the last two years, common space has been repurposed for more specialized uses and upgraded or new instrumentation has been added as part of start-up or state-funded initiatives. As a result, the lab is limited by available workspace for staging experiments, sample processing, instrument maintenance, etc. Various space studies have provided recommendations for lab space on a per scientist basis that is sufficient to support a vibrant research program and the development of graduate
and undergraduate research. To bring capacity up to these recommendations, a 1110-ft2 screened workspace will be constructed on the side and end of the existing laboratory building. The construction is a simple design, with a concrete slab, screened walls, and a metal roof. Basic electrical and plumbing hookups are included, as well as shelving, cabinets, and portable furniture. A walk-in cooler will be installed at one end of the space to store plant, soil, and animal samples. The flexible, all-season design facilitates research by faculty and students and, in part, that of collaborators from 39 other institutions that use the property. The design also facilitates lab-type classroom activities and workshops. The Institute's web site is www.clemson.edu/baruch.