Energy efficiency, low capital costs, and laboratory safety were important mechanical design concerns for the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) President-Kennedy Science Building in downtown Montréal. The 10-story, 400,000 ft² (37 160 m²) academic building serves 4,000 students and staff, and offers teaching and research programs in biology, physics, earth sciences, mathematics, and computer sciences. About 100,000 ft² (9290 m²) are wet laboratories and more than 100,000 ft² (9290 m²) are dry laboratories. The building is designed for 160 fume hoods. Therefore, flexibility was a concern, because the laboratory area will be entirely rearranged every five years on average to fit evolving research programs.