Green Education

by Jonathan McGaha | October 31, 2011 12:00 am

Current college and university students are already conquering mid-term exams and perhaps even scheduling next semester’s classes. Along with the pressure mounting for high school seniors to decide where they’re going to launch their academic careers, campus tours are in full swing. From classrooms to extracurricular meeting spaces to athletic and wellness facilities, the buildings housing campus activities have taken on increased importance-both from a student recruiting and retention standpoint as well as an overall budget perspective. In today’s higher education market, universities are under increased pressure to keep overall operating costs manageable and remain competitive. This is a key reason why green building projects have taken a prominent role on campuses across the country.

According to the “2010 Green Building Market and Impact Report” by Rob Watson, executive editor of GreenerBuildings.com[1], LEED-certified building projects experienced a growth rate of 14 percent, or one billion square feet, in 2010. While this growth was evident across nearly every market, institutions of higher education were at the forefront by far, expanding their LEED facilities 377 percent from the previous year and emerging as national leaders in sustainable building practices. In fact, according to the most recent Yudelson Associates[2] “Green Building Trends in Higher Education” white paper, 571 buildings on college campuses were LEED certified at the end of 2009, accounting for 15 percent of total LEED registrations.

As the battle rages between shrinking funds and amplified student demands, sustainable buildings are becoming less of a luxury and more of a necessity when designing new higher education facilities. And while there is no doubt that buildings with efficient HVAC and lighting technologies preserve both budgets and the environment, the real dollar-saving solution occurs by designing energyefficient buildings-from the outside in.

 

Administrator Concerns

From an ongoing operating perspective, buildings use more energy than any other human activity. According to a Touchstone Energy[3] report, a typical 50,000-square-foot higher education building in the U.S. uses more than $100,000 worth of energy every year. Green building can reduce this energy use by 30 to 50 percent, dramatically reducing energy costs. Tight budgets aren’t the only reason administrators are going green. The environmental effect of an energy efficient campus is a contributing factor. LEED buildings save approximately 8 million tons of CO2 emissions due to their high energy efficiency. In 2010, 33 billion gallons of water were saved by LEED facilities.

 

Building Envelope Solutions

The critical aspect to an energy-efficient building is the largest and most visible part-the building envelope. That’s why colleges and universities are looking to architects, designers, and engineers to find the highest value building materials that combine easy installation with performance that will hold up over time. Finding such materials eliminates costly building repairs and high long-term maintenance expenses while gaining savings through energy-efficient materials and design. Often composed of recyclable materials, metal building envelopes are quickly becoming a preferred solution to these multiple and varied concerns.

“Until now, panelized design has been considered both expensive and challenging to install,” says Taylor Cupp, an Associate AIA at Holland Bashem Architects, based in Omaha, Neb., who helped design the University of Nebraska’s LEEDGold Mammel Hall College of Business. “Mammel Hall is a testimony that architects can achieve a look that is affordable and ready-to-use for institutional building design.”

For example, Moon Township, Pa.-based CENTRIA[4]‘s Formawall Series PE wall system, used to construct the exterior of Mammel Hall, provides both advanced thermal and moisture control in a single panelized component. Unlike traditional wall construction-typically requiring up to seven separate components such as a rainscreen, an air barrier, exterior gypsum sheathing, fiberglass insulation and a vapor barrier-this panelized design simplifies rather than complicates installation, resulting in quicker completion time and advanced performance.

 

Student Concerns

Today’s prospective college students have grown up “green,” surrounded by people and programs supporting sustainable lifestyles. According to USA Today, 69 percent of prospective students now desire an “eco-friendly campus,” a 5 percent increase from last year. In fact, The Princeton Review has even developed a campus sustainability rating system and now includes a “Green Honor Roll.” The popular college guide also teamed up with the U.S. Green Building Council[5] to produce “The Princeton Review’s Guide to 311 Green Colleges,” proving just how important this factor is to prospective students.

 

Sustainability without Sacrificing Aesthetics

Campus facilities have become important recruiting tools. Attractive, efficient facilities are the visual representation of the programs housed within. Students will often chose a school based on the feeling they are left with after a campus visit. Campus and facility aesthetics are an essential piece of this sentiment. Perhaps this is why, even amidst budget cuts, colleges and universities continue to construct new state-of-the-art facilities to attract students.

When the University of Nebraska at Omaha commissioned the Mammel Hall College of Business Administration to accommodate increasing enrollment numbers, they wanted a building that would support the school’s sustainable operating practices taking place within, but they also wanted a dramatic aesthetic staple that would support connectivity between UNO and the adjacent Aksarben Village mixed-use shopping and residential development.

“Mammel Hall not only serves as an iconic gateway to UNO’s Pacific Street campus, but also demonstrates a leadership attitude of doing ‘the right thing’ in terms of sustainability and positioning itself as a leader among peer institutions,” says Curt Witzenburg of Holland Basham Architects.

The exterior of Mammel Hall was constructed using CENTRIA’s Formawall Dimension Series panels and contributed significantly, not only to the desired sustainability, but also to the dramatic aesthetic.

“CENTRIA understands the challenges architects and builders face in designing structures that can weather the elements while retaining the beauty and style they aspire to create,” says Joe Foral of Omaha-based SHG Inc., a member of CENTRIA’s dealer network. “Unlike other wall systems that rely on face applied sealants to prevent water penetration, Formawall provides a high performance insulated panelized exterior metal wall system using pressure equalized joinery that’s suited for an endless array of design options. We knew we wanted to use CENTRIA. We liked the aesthetics, performance and the longevity.”

Using metal panels offer colleges and universities the ability to maintain sustainability goals without sacrificing the aesthetic qualities that draw prospective students to campus. They also attract investors to these projects, and, in some cases, attract a whole new set of funders from foundations and other organizations committed to green building.

 

Sustainability without Sacrificing Performance

Sustainability was an important goal when Bunker Hill Community College decided to build a new Health and Wellness Center, but the Boston school couldn’t ignore the need for a high-performance building enclosure when considering unpredictable New England weather. Again, metal panels were employed to satisfy the goals of performance, aesthetics and sustainability.

Due to their ability to maintain high insulation values, metal panels are more energy efficient than other exterior building products. Boston-based Di- Nisco Design Partnership Ltd., the architectural firm that designed Bunker Hill, chose CENTRIA’s Profile Series because, depending upon configuration, these panels can offer high R-values, helping buffer the interior of the building from temperature swings. This performance was not achieved at the expense of aesthetic, though. CENTRIA’s Concept Series Concealed Fastener Profiles provided a dynamic asymmetrical form to bring the school’s innovative design to life. The panels were installed horizontally and the common lock joint allowed the panels to be mixed in an alternating color pattern for a custom, mosaic-like look.

Chemeketa Community College in Salem, Ore., had similar concerns when commissioning its Health Science Complex.

“Overall, our project goal was to establish a very well insulated wall,” says Bjorn Clouten, SRG Partnership, Portland, Ore. “I think we ended up at an effective R-24 or 25, which is pretty phenomenal. On paper we’re at R-30, R-31. Then overlaying that criteria with simplified construction opportunities, like the manageable size of the metal panels, it just really helped the construction move more quickly and more efficiently.”

CENTRIA has invested a tremendous amount of resources in design and development to achieve this level of efficiency, particularly in insulated metal panel systems utilizing its proprietary Advanced Thermal and Moisture Protection technology. Maintaining true high insulation values with minimal thermal short circuits, these products help buildings reduce HVAC system load while providing 95 percent insulation efficiency. Its all-weather installation capability permits fast-track scheduling, potentially reducing the building time by up to four months. This translates to energy savings for building owners and fossil fuel preservation for the health of the environment, all while providing decreased maintenance and replacement demands due the high life cycle of the recyclable exterior metal envelope.

 

The Overarching Solution

“The first step toward saving energy is to create a high performance enclosure system,” says Richard Keleher, AIA, CSI, LEED AP, in his article “Creating Higher Performance Buildings.”

And for colleges and universities, saving energy transcends a mere budget saving device. By implementing cutting-edge green features and technologies, higher education institutions can influence current and prospective student behavior, promote sustainable practices and enhance their curriculum. LEED certification is a primary indicator of green building growth on campus, and that is why it is becoming such an important consideration for both schools and architectural firms during such a tumultuous economic period.

Janice Citeroni is a marketing specialist at Moon Township, Pa.-based CENTRIA, where she plays an instrumental role in marketing the company’s extensive line of sustainable metal building products. For more information, visit www.centria.com[6].

Source URL: https://www.metalarchitecture.com/articles/green-education-sustainable-building-trend-in-higher-education/

---