At Princeton University's new Frick Chemistry Laboratory, dedicated in April, a highly efficient lighting scheme is one of several tightly integrated strategies that contribute to the building's ambitious energy-saving goals: Frick is designed to use 24 percent less site energy than allowed by the 2007 version of ASHRAE 90.1 standard.

This building's configuration is a product of both environmental and programmatic goals, according to its architects, London-based Hopkins and Payette Associates of Boston. The 265,000-square-foot structure has two four-story, largely glass-enclosed wings'one on the east for research and another on the west for offices. The pieces are joined by a 75-foot-tall, skylit atrium topped with photovoltaic panels that provide shading in addition to generating electricity. Along with its transparency, the scheme promotes connectivity between individual elements and interaction among occupants, says Robert Schaeffner, Payette principal.