Within sight of the Manhattan skyline, the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission’s Centerfor Environmental and Scientific Education provides increased educational opportunities and experiences for the more than 40,000 residents, tourists and students who visit the Meadowlands Environment Center annually. Situated within 19,000 acres (7,600 hectares) of marshland in Lyndhurst, N.J., the 10,000- square-foot
(929-m2) center is operated by Ramapo College of New Jersey and provides a diverse lineup of artistic and environmental activities and workshops, as well as a comprehensive environmental educational program for students in grades K through 12.
In the Making
The idea for the new center began when NJMC staff visited a private school designed using U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED principles. NJMC decided it would be worthwhile to provide this type of learning environment where staff could incorporate green building elements into the curriculum and bring this special environment to children within the Meadowlands District and beyond.
Its developers had hoped the center would serve as an example for municipalities and businesses in the district that seek to incorporate green building practices in their own projects. In addition, the NJMC’s commitment to green building is demonstrated through its regulations, which offer incentives to developers and property owners in the Meadowlands District who build to LEED standards.
As a result, the center is a strong example of how the NJMC has become a leader in green building design. It contains several classrooms and science labs, as well as a multipurpose room, and plays a major role in the green building practices curriculum. Adjacent to the center is the William D. McDowell Observatory-named for NJMC’s first executive director-which also was built to LEED standards.
In fact, LEED certification was a central consideration in the development and design of the education building. For example, NJMC landscape architects incorporated a nearby park into the design with sustainable landscaping featuring plants native to the region. Architects also successfully proposed installing infrared sensors on bathroom sinks, low-flow toilets and waterless urinals to reduce water use.
They designed a 165-unit rooftop solar panel array to generate electricity for the building’s power needs and also installed motion-sensitive lighting controls that automatically shut off lights when rooms are not in use. Within the coming year, the 165 GE Energy PVp 200-MS solar units are expected to produce a peak maximum of 33,000 watts of electricity. The solar panels from GE Energy, Atlanta, are attached to four sections of a standing-seam metal roof by brackets made by S- 5! Attachment Solutions, Colorado Springs, Colo.
Expectations Above
The standing-seam metal roof chosen was an Englert Series 2000 standing-seam metal roof, selected because “it met green building criteria and was aesthetically pleasing, the latter being a very important reason for the selection,” said Fredric A. Rosen, the Ridgefield, N.J.-based architect who designed the center. The bone-white roof meets emissivity and reflectivity requirements for Energy Star approval, as well as qualifications for several LEED credits for energy savings, recyclability, reuse and local manufacturing. The coil used in rollforming the roofing material was manufactured at the Englert Inc. plant in nearby Perth Amboy, N.J., less than 25 miles (40 km) from the center and well within the 500-mile (800- km) radius LEED requires for manufacturing.
“This is not the kind of facility where you would use asphalt shingles,” Rosen explained, praising the roofing contractor, Cipollini Roofing & Construction of Dover, N.J.
The 18-inch- (457-mm-) wide standing-seam panels and the solar array “appear to be working very well,” said Ralph Venturini, the Meadowland Commission’s on-staff project manager for design/ build on the center. The roof’s ability to earn LEED credits for energy savings, recyclability and local manufacturing were key considerations for choosing metal, he said.
The designers incorporated solar tubes in the ceiling to allow natural light into the center and to reduce reliance on traditional power sources. They specified energy-efficient heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems-as well as a fume hood in the chemistry lab-to maintain indoor environmental quality.
Reaching for Stars
Even the William D. McDowell Observatory was designed to be LEED-compliant.
The observatory’s state-of-the-art telescope, contained within a 19.6-foot (6-m) retractable dome, has special filters designed to help minimize the effects of the area’s pollution. This research-grade instrument is equipped with tools such as specialized cameras to photograph various astronomical objects, a photometer to measure the brightness of stars and study how they vary over time, and a spectroscope to analyze the wavelengths of light to determine the chemical composition of light-emitting objects.
The observatory earns LEED credits for recyclability and reuse because its dome is made from Galvalume rollformed material. Manufactured by Ash-Dome at its Plainfield, Ill., plant, the dome is made of panels measuring 16 inches (406 mm) at their base and tapering upward to the top. The dome’s up-and-over style shutter system allows the astronomer to view any portion of the sky through a protected viewing aperture. The shutter also keeps wind turbulence in the observatory to a minimum.
High Ratings
Right now, Venturini and Rosen are shooting for a Platinum LEED certification for the structure and are hopeful it can earn a Gold rating. The metal used in the classroom roofs that face south to capitalize on sunlight hitting the solar panels and the Galvalume in the observatory dome will hopefully help them in their rating quest.
Tom Dyszkiewicz is senior vice president of business development and marketing at Englert Inc., Perth Amboy, N.J. He is responsible for Englert’s product management and development, including the growth of high priority business opportunities such as the Englert Environmental Group. Dyszkiewicz has been responsible for the integration of Englert metal roof systems with technologies such as solar photovoltaic laminates and crystalline panels, geothermal solar structures and rainwater harvesting systems. Details can be found at www.englertinc.com.
Meadowlands Environment Center, Lyndhurst, N.J
Architect: Fredric A. Rosen, Ridgefield Park, N.J.
Roofing contractor: Cipollini Roofing & Construction of Dover, N.J.
Observatory dome: Galvalume rollformed materials from Ash-Dome, Plainfield, Ill.
Solar tubes: Solatube, Vista, Calif.
Rooftop solar panel array: PVp 200-MS solar units from GE Energy, Atlanta
Solar array brackets: S-5! Attachment Solutions, Colorado Springs, Colo.
Metal roof: Englert Series 2000 standing-seam from Englert Inc., Perth Amboy, N.J.
