Green Chemistry and Sustainability on a Budget: Bridgewater State College Plans for the Future
David Feth, Payette
Arlen Li, Payette
In a challenging economy, many state colleges and universities are seeing increased enrollment applications, particularly for science and technology programs. This case study will focus on how Bridgewater State College in Bridgewater, Massachusetts, given the opportunity to construct a new science center, will address the resulting need for modern facilities to accommodate more students in the various science disciplines, while fulfilling a strong sustainability mandate.
Like many other higher education institutions, Bridgewater State's existing science facilities (built in the early 1970s) are now reaching the end of their useful life. This presentation will explain how various factors, some sustainably-minded and some not, influenced the design decisions on the science center project, continuously balancing program and budget demands with a green agenda. One of the first decisions was to determine the most appropriate path for revitalization of the existing facilities, including partial renovation, demolition, new building construction, or some combination of the above. The presenters will discuss this and other selected issues that were encountered and the evaluation process for establishing a design direction, all against a common backdrop of a limited and first-cost oriented budget. Topics will include:
- The levels of environmental controls to be incorporated, particularly with respect to artificial lighting and daylighting.
- Use of operable windows with a hydronic mechanical system.
- The inclusion of “premium” features such as a high-performance envelope, which can be subsidized by reduced capital expenditure in other building systems.
Green chemistry is an active part of the Bridgewater State College curriculum, and the presentation will review how the innovations in teaching and research in science are having a profound effect on HVAC systems, through a reduction in fume hoods, and ultimately on the cost of the project. In addition, the presenters will show how the mindset from the green curriculum carried over to consideration of laboratory utilities and a realistic assessment of how they would be used. Other connections of curriculum to sustainable building have been identified and incorporated, such as extending an important exterior garden space through the building interior. Taking the approach of how, rather than whether, to pursue sustainability within the limits of the budget helped the project team redefine a cost and performance model for an undergraduate science center.
Biographies:
David G. Feth, AIA, LEED® AP, joined Payette in 1990. His professional concentration has been in university research facilities. David has led the design of many award-winning academic science and research projects for clients such as Middlebury College, Oberlin College, the University of Rhode Island, and Bridgewater State College. He also provides strong leadership in design for the young designers office-wide with his organization and panel participation on design reviews.
Arlen Li, AIA, LEED AP, has focused on university and corporate laboratory research and education buildings during his more than 25 years with Payette. The range of projects includes medical, dental, engineering, chemical, and biological facilities. Mr. Li was the founder of the in-house Sustainable Design group and is the firm's liaison to the U.S. Green Building Council. He has also served as an instructor at the Boston Architectural Center and as a member of his town's Design Review Board.