2008 Woodie Awards
New business, science buildings to be eco-friendly
New facilities could include air recycling, natural light
By: Michelle Oyola
Issue date: 3/2/06 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
It isn't easy being green, especially when it comes to buildings.
It requires environmentally-friendly planning that encompasses the entire life of the building, from choosing a site to painting the walls.
David Stone, Webster University's director of facility planning, said both the new school of business and technology building and science building will be built with green features. Both buildings will be constructed on the Webster home campus and are currently in planning and researching stages.
Robert Stern Architects of New York partnered with Mackey Mitchell Associates of St. Louis to create the design team for the new Webster buildings. Mackey Mitchell designed the Alberici Enterprises building located in St. Louis, which has been rated the greenest building in the world. It is the highest-scoring building with the United States Green Building Council.
The USGBC recognizes environmentally-friendly buildings. According to the USGBC Web site, buildings are scored using LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. LEED defines green buildings by establishing a common standard of measurement. Buildings are given points and if they receive enough points, they are awarded USGBC certification.
Webster will aim for certification for the science building, but will self-score for the business and technology building, Stone said. He said the science building provides more of an opportunity to improve the impact on the environment. The business and technology building will create "less of an environmental footprint," he said. However, the building will still have a green design.
Environment-Friendly Features
The science building will have to earn a certain amount of LEED points to earn certification. For example, Webster will receive points for constructing the science building on an old parking lot, as opposed to building on green space. In addition, some points are awarded through "dumb luck," Stone said. A bus line happens to go by Webster, so the university will receive points for that, since public transportation methods are better for the environment than everyone using their own vehicles.
Another feature of the building will be recycling the air going through the fume hoods. Fume hoods in science labs suck in heated air and release it outside. A system will be designed to recover this air.
John Guenther, Mackey Mitchell principle and project designer, said the science building will allow natural light in and views outside, creating a better indoor environment. The indoor environment is another factor LEED considers. Offices will be pointed south, and classrooms will be north. The windows also can be opened, allowing fresh air in to keep students awake.
In addition, Maren Engelmohr, a Mackey Mitchell architect, said the paints to be used on the buildings will have low VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds), which means they will release minimal pollutants and don't give off that "new paint smell." This results in a clean air environment, she said.
Mitchell said the roofs of both buildings will be highly reflective to bounce off light and save on cooling costs.
Guenther said the roof of the science building will have a vegetative roof area. Plants that require very little soil will be planted on the roof. These plants will absorb both heat and rain water.
Other features will include special plumbing, light censors and an outdoor living room, Engelmohr said.
Engelmohr said Mackey Mitchell has seen the growth of green buildings through the company. Five years ago, only one building aimed for certification. Now 20 buildings are going green, and some have already received their certification. Even more projects are using LEED as a guideline and are incorporating green techniques, like Webster is doing with the business building.
According to St. Louis Regional Chapter of USGBC Web site, membership has doubled to more than 200 and nearly 150 area professional have earned LEED accreditation.
"Building green is something that has really exploded in the last five years," Stone said.
Stone said when he was in college, building green was discussed in theory. He previously was taught to think about how to use the building and how much it will cost. Now, developers have the ability and technology to think of the environmental impact of the building in much earlier stages. Stone said building green involves spending more on the building up front, resulting in lower operating costs.
"It's broadening the view to what's best of us to what's best for the world," Stone said.
Guenther said building green is important in modern times, and he commended Webster for taking this initiative for the future.
"With limited natural resources, it is imperative to do the right thing," Guenther said.
More Classroom Space Needed
There is a need for both of these buildings on campus. Stone said classrooms haven't been added to the Sverdrup Building since 1985. However, enrollment has grown drastically in the School of Business and Technology and the School of Communications. The university has been renting classrooms at the Webster Groves High School for about four years. Stone wants to bring these classes back to campus. The new business and technology building will add 42 classrooms and will be about the size of the Sverdrup Building.
Science programs also are growing, but labs are outdated, Stone said. Some students and faculty trying to do independent research must fight for lab time. The new science building will contain 12 new labs or classrooms. All labs in classrooms in both buildings will have up-to-date technology.
The Board of Trustees is currently studying how much fund-raising is needed before construction can begin. This study encompasses a wide range of campus issues, not just these buildings.
It requires environmentally-friendly planning that encompasses the entire life of the building, from choosing a site to painting the walls.
David Stone, Webster University's director of facility planning, said both the new school of business and technology building and science building will be built with green features. Both buildings will be constructed on the Webster home campus and are currently in planning and researching stages.
Robert Stern Architects of New York partnered with Mackey Mitchell Associates of St. Louis to create the design team for the new Webster buildings. Mackey Mitchell designed the Alberici Enterprises building located in St. Louis, which has been rated the greenest building in the world. It is the highest-scoring building with the United States Green Building Council.
The USGBC recognizes environmentally-friendly buildings. According to the USGBC Web site, buildings are scored using LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. LEED defines green buildings by establishing a common standard of measurement. Buildings are given points and if they receive enough points, they are awarded USGBC certification.
Webster will aim for certification for the science building, but will self-score for the business and technology building, Stone said. He said the science building provides more of an opportunity to improve the impact on the environment. The business and technology building will create "less of an environmental footprint," he said. However, the building will still have a green design.
Environment-Friendly Features
The science building will have to earn a certain amount of LEED points to earn certification. For example, Webster will receive points for constructing the science building on an old parking lot, as opposed to building on green space. In addition, some points are awarded through "dumb luck," Stone said. A bus line happens to go by Webster, so the university will receive points for that, since public transportation methods are better for the environment than everyone using their own vehicles.
Another feature of the building will be recycling the air going through the fume hoods. Fume hoods in science labs suck in heated air and release it outside. A system will be designed to recover this air.
John Guenther, Mackey Mitchell principle and project designer, said the science building will allow natural light in and views outside, creating a better indoor environment. The indoor environment is another factor LEED considers. Offices will be pointed south, and classrooms will be north. The windows also can be opened, allowing fresh air in to keep students awake.
In addition, Maren Engelmohr, a Mackey Mitchell architect, said the paints to be used on the buildings will have low VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds), which means they will release minimal pollutants and don't give off that "new paint smell." This results in a clean air environment, she said.
Mitchell said the roofs of both buildings will be highly reflective to bounce off light and save on cooling costs.
Guenther said the roof of the science building will have a vegetative roof area. Plants that require very little soil will be planted on the roof. These plants will absorb both heat and rain water.
Other features will include special plumbing, light censors and an outdoor living room, Engelmohr said.
Engelmohr said Mackey Mitchell has seen the growth of green buildings through the company. Five years ago, only one building aimed for certification. Now 20 buildings are going green, and some have already received their certification. Even more projects are using LEED as a guideline and are incorporating green techniques, like Webster is doing with the business building.
According to St. Louis Regional Chapter of USGBC Web site, membership has doubled to more than 200 and nearly 150 area professional have earned LEED accreditation.
"Building green is something that has really exploded in the last five years," Stone said.
Stone said when he was in college, building green was discussed in theory. He previously was taught to think about how to use the building and how much it will cost. Now, developers have the ability and technology to think of the environmental impact of the building in much earlier stages. Stone said building green involves spending more on the building up front, resulting in lower operating costs.
"It's broadening the view to what's best of us to what's best for the world," Stone said.
Guenther said building green is important in modern times, and he commended Webster for taking this initiative for the future.
"With limited natural resources, it is imperative to do the right thing," Guenther said.
More Classroom Space Needed
There is a need for both of these buildings on campus. Stone said classrooms haven't been added to the Sverdrup Building since 1985. However, enrollment has grown drastically in the School of Business and Technology and the School of Communications. The university has been renting classrooms at the Webster Groves High School for about four years. Stone wants to bring these classes back to campus. The new business and technology building will add 42 classrooms and will be about the size of the Sverdrup Building.
Science programs also are growing, but labs are outdated, Stone said. Some students and faculty trying to do independent research must fight for lab time. The new science building will contain 12 new labs or classrooms. All labs in classrooms in both buildings will have up-to-date technology.
The Board of Trustees is currently studying how much fund-raising is needed before construction can begin. This study encompasses a wide range of campus issues, not just these buildings.