IDL at a Glance

Who  We  Are

The University of Washington Integrated Design Lab (UW IDL) is operated by the Department of Architecture in the College of Built Environments at the University of Washington in the Center for Integrated Design. We are a self-sustaining organization of interdisciplinary faculty, staff, students, professional collaborators, and partner organizations working together to push the boundary on what’s possible in sustainable, high performance, building design. Our shared mission is to discover solutions that overcome the most difficult building performance barriers, and to meet the building industry’s goals of moving towards radically higher performing buildings and healthy urban environments. 

Our  Work

The Integrated Design Lab carries out research to advance knowledge and policies that support the healthiest and highest performing buildings and cities. It measures and analyzes modeled and actual building performance data in order to influence the building industry’s understanding of how to radically improve the design and operation performance of buildings. Our performance research includes energy efficiency, daylighting, electric lighting, occupant energy use behavior, human health and productivity in buildings, and advanced building management systems. Our mission is underpinned by three service streams that work in tandem to promote an energy efficient, healthy built environment: 

Discovery through Research – We perform targeted research projects on high performance buildings in order to discover new technologies and strategies for healthy, energy efficient buildings. 

Guidance through Technical Assistance – We apply our research findings by providing technical design assistance that translates new strategies and technologies to building project teams and industry partners. 

Knowledge Transfer through Education and Outreach – We share technical knowledge and lessons learned with our commercial clients and industry partners through professional education programs and public tours of the Bullitt Center.

The outcomes of our work intersect with people, policies, cities and buildings, and markets. Work examples are highlighted throughout this report. In the past decade the Integrated Design Lab has produced: