Big Ass Fans’ unique new laboratory (October 2009)

Big Ass Fans, Lexington, Ky., has built a new LEED Gold, 46,000-square-foot (4,273-m2) research and development laboratory. Specifically designed for the unique requirements and challenges of testing very large Big Ass Fans, this facility is the first and only of its kind. In this new space, Big Ass Fans is able to fully conduct fan performance testing including air velocity profiles, fatigue testing of fan assemblies and components, and prototype builds of the newest and most cutting-edge fan innovations. By utilizing its own Big Ass Fans to achieve LEED credits and as part of its commitment to sustainable practices, the company designed a modern facility that uses 35 percent less energy, 58 percent less water, 51 percent less waste to the landfill during construction and 9 percent less materials to build. Big Ass Fans were utilized to meet the requirements of the following LEED prerequisites and credits: Minimum Energy Performance; Optimize Energy Performance; Minimum IAQ Performance; Increased Ventilation; Thermal Comfort, Design; Innovation in Design: Materials Minimization. The performance testing area is a 42,000- square-foot (3,902-m2) space with 60-foot- (18- m-) high ceilings and minimal floor obstructions. Large, heavy curtains allow the space to be divided into four quadrants and the curtains can be pulled back to create a single space to allow for the testing of the largest fans. Additionally,the new R&D building is large and flexible enough that it can be reconfigured to simulate various applications. Computational Fluid Dynamics mapping is also utilized to determine the performance of Big Ass Fans in a space.