Building with a Conscience

Sustainable architecture is responsible architecture. Many structures around New York state are designed and built with energy efficiency in mind, including new and renovated facilities on many Independent Sector campuses. The designs are often unique, the technology sophisticated, and both form and function remarkable – but the goal is the same: to protect our natural resources, take only what we need, use and reuse responsibly, and create buildings that work for people and the environment.

At Bard College, students can live the green life. The college’s Village Dormitories, designed with student input, are nine environmentally friendly student residence halls (see photo below). The buildings are made of timber from nonvirgin sources and heated and cooled using geothermal heat from a system of wells drilled under a nearby parking lot. Bioponds of dense native vegetation absorb water and avoid the need for storm water retention ponds. Low-toxicity paints and insulation of recycled newspaper also reduce hazards to the environment.

A straw-bale house may sound like a short-lived structure, but not in the hands of students from Hartwick College. This substantial-looking house is charming in design and environmentally responsible in construction and materials. Spurring the Hartwick College 2003 curricular theme, “Sustainable Living,” the straw-bale house project was initiated by students interested in building a structure that embodied their environmental concerns. The 600-square-foot house is wind- resistant, fire-resistant, economical to build and use, and has high insulation ratings. Suitable for classes and other gatherings, the straw-bale house was built from materials that are plentiful and nontoxic. Locally grown straw was used as insulation within the post-and-beam construction and sealed with concrete stucco and gypsum plaster to control contamination and prevent disintegration. The straw bales also provide high thermal performance, effective soundproofing, aesthetic appeal, and security.

Hobart and William Smith Colleges uses wind power to provide roughly five percent of the colleges’ annual electricity needs and to power a new building, Stern Hall, currently under construction. The use of wind reduces dependence on oil and coal and the associated emissions of greenhouse gases. It also provides a commitment to alternative energy usage and a clean environment.

 


 

Teaching green.

Students in the MFA program at the New York School of Interior Design (NYSID) will learn about “Green Design,” in a newly created course offered this spring. Research on commercial and residential green projects will include applying parameters for energy reduction, healthy and sustainable construction and finish materials, HVAC, lighting, recycling, and cost payback. A public exhibition of course projects is scheduled for summer 2003 in NYSID’s gallery. Visit www.nysid.edu for further details or call 212-472-1500 x9.

 


Long Island University’s Southampton College promotes green thinking in every aspect of campus life, including new building and structure renovations. Chancellors Hall building, completed in 1998, was constructed with thoughtful environmental sensitivity, from siting (no trees were unnecessarily cut down), to use of materials (copper and cedar age naturally while insulating glass uses natural energy), to aesthetics (sweeping lines integrate the structure into the landscape). The campus will soon break ground on a new library and learning center, which will utilize geothermal heating and cooling, natural light, and other green building principles.

In September 2000, Nazareth College of Rochester purchased 73 acres of property and buildings adjacent to the current campus in an expansion plan that doubles the size of the campus. In just one example of efforts to preserve and use existing natural resources, a small forest of 200-year-old oak trees has remained untouched during construction activities. Recently, a local donor helped Nazareth create an “outdoor classroom” around one such tree that will be used for study groups and class lectures.

Energy efficiency and environmental considerations are central to the design, construction, and future use of the Monika A. and Charles A. Heimbold Jr. Visual Arts Center at Sarah Lawrence College, scheduled to open Fall 2004. The 60,000-square-foot structure is situated between two small, English Tudor-style buildings typical of the architecture of the campus. To minimize its relatively large size and settle into its environs, the new arts center will be built into a hill with the lowest of its three levels partially below ground. A rooftop terrace with grassy, landscaped areas will add a green note to its finished look. All construction methods and materials utilized in the building plan adhere to guidelines of the U.S. Green Building Council: rock removed during blasting will be recycled or used in construction, geothermal walls will reduce energy use to heat and cool the building, and abundant glass will take advantage of natural daylight.

Sustainable architecture concepts and student input will be a part of St. Lawrence University’s new science facilities. Some of the environmental considerations include: siting of the structure to capture direct sunlight; use of local materials, which require less energy for shipping; use of materials that require less energy to manufacture; and selecting landscaping materials that allow for water percolation rather then runoff which can erode soils. The plan also takes into account indoor air circulation, reducing energy consumption, and adaptive reuse of existing structures, which preserves materials used by past builders and reduces energy for demolition.

The new 150,000 square-foot School of Management building at Syracuse University includes a central corridor that maximizes the amount of daylight penetration to all interior spaces, along with an efficient building skin that dramatically reduces heating and cooling loads on the building’s mechanical systems. The environmentally responsible building features state-of-the-art ventilation systems to monitor and control indoor air quality and save energy. The design also uses low-emitting materials containing no volatile organic compounds and incorporates regional building materials made with recycled content.

The College of New Rochelle is planning to build a $25 million, 60,000-square-foot holistic Wellness Center with skylights and variegated glass to use solar energy as a means of energy-efficiency while diffusing light in the gymnasium, a potential distraction for competitive sports such as swimming and basketball. A significant section of the Wellness Center will be built into the ground to adapt to the area’s sloping topography and reduce the visual impact on the neighbors of the Residence Park Association.

At Rochester University, a new Biomedical Engineering (BME) and Optics Building is currently under construction. This forthcoming addition to the River Campus, scheduled for completion in late 2006, not only marks the innovative collaboration between two emerging sciences, but also the use of new technologies to produce the University's most environmentally sustainable building to date.

In January 2006, St. Francis College opened its new 32,000 square-foot Academic Center, which houses a state-of-the-art library, 14 wireless classrooms, a 90-seat theater, and a high-definition television studio and editing suite. Energy efficiency and sustainable design elements were central to the design and construction of the building, which was designed to provide a superior indoor environment. Extensive daylight modeling optimizes natural light in classrooms, while special glazing controls daylight in south-facing windows. During the summer, heat and glare from the sun are minimized. In winter, daylight is projected deep into classrooms. High-efficiency lighting contributes to overall visual comfort and energy efficiency. A state-of-the-art underfloor air distribution system delivers fresh, conditioned air more comfortably, quitely, and efficiently than conventional systems. In addition, the exterior skin of the building limits the passage of air through joints and seams. All components of the HVAC system were selected to serve the building with minimal maintenance, maximum controllability, and high efficiency. Acoustics were carefully considered to ensure optimal sound within classrooms. Finally, building materials that are environmentally friendly were chosen; products with recycled content were used wherever possibe.

The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art is building a new academic building, slated to be an exceptional example of energy-efficient green design. The combination of radiant panels, facade, and integrated design make the new academic building extremely energy efficient. Adding to the savings is a co-generation plant that will reduce the amount of electricity purchased from the local utility, while capturing waste heat to offset thermal energy needs. The co-generation systme will also reduce energy related poulltants 30 to 70 percent. The New York State Energy Research and Development authority, known as NYSERDA, recently awarded Cooper Union a significant grant for design and implementation of an innovative on-site-co-generation plant. The atrium is an exceptional showcase of the building's integrated green design principles, providing natural daylighting and a heat stack effect that draws natural ventilation up through the building.



Matter of Fact: Private colleges and universities in New York compose the largest Independent Sector of higher education in the world.

 


 

A different shade of green.

Not all green building is new construction. Sometimes it involves taking an eminently useful older building and seeing it in a whole new light -- or shade, maybe, of green.

When Marist College purchased the former Poughkeepsie Steel plant, located across from its main campus, the plant’s first re-use was as a temporary location for the college library. After Marist built a new library, the fate of the old steel plant once again became a topic of discussion. While there was some thought to tearing down the building to create a new art facility, a closer look revealed the enormous potential of this existing industrial space.

Today, the structure lives on, reincarnated and named The Steel Plant Studios. Housing both The Marist College Art Gallery, which exhibits a wide variety of media from painting and sculpture to digital and video art, as well as studio space, The Steel Plant Studios is a masterpiece of adaptive reuse. With its free-flowing form (The New York Times pointed out that the “gallery is large and unobstructed by any architectural details”), natural lighting for studios, and large accommodating spaces, the former steel plant is a glorious example of what happens when we think in shades of green.

Across town, the renovation of a 19th Century building at Vassar College will provide a facility for the Environmental Studies Department while preserving the building’s historic roots using sustainable principles in the process. Office space and research facilities will maximize daylight and fresh air, without altering the exterior walls of the building. Daylight “harvesting” will be used to bounce light from the outer windows to penetrate the interior. Full-height glass/storage partitions will separate offices from research areas. All materials will be selected for maximum renewal and health benefits, avoiding compounds that release toxins over time. Graphics and text contributed by students and faculty, and incorporated throughout the building, will serve to raise awareness of the need for environmental preservation.