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Volume CXXXIII, Number 17 |
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Did You Know?: New dorms to be green
KEISHA PAYSON & MATTHEW PETERS
CONTRIBUTORS
Did you know that the two new Bowdoin dorms that will begin construction this summer on Coffin Street will be green? Not painted green-but green, as in environmentally friendly.
Builders of the new first-year dorms planned for South and Coffin Streets will strive for LEED certification. LEED certification is a third-party green building rating system developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). LEED, which stands for "Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design," aims to increase awareness and recognition to those "developing high performance, sustainable buildings." While certification sometimes adds cost, studies have shown that LEED buildings have higher levels of worker productivity and decreased utility costs, saving money in the long run.
In order to become certified by the USGBC, a developer must obtain a certain number of credits in the rating system. Credits include everything from site placement, using local and recycled materials for construction, and maintaining a comfortable and healthy indoor air quality. The requirements for each credit are specific in reaching a desirable building solution. Here are a few of the many credits that the college is striving for in the attempt for LEED certification.
The College is looking into using geothermal energy to receive credit under the section of renewable energy. Geothermal uses the consistent temperature (approximately 50øC) of the underlying aquifer to drive cooling and heating systems within the building. With the increased efficiency of this type of system the savings generated is estimated to have a payback of about three to four years.
Another credit the College hopes to get is granted for using 20 percent local materials that are manufactured within a 500-mile radius-or all the way to Washington, D.C. The requirement exists to promote local and regional self-sufficiency and to keep money and jobs within the region. This should be a relatively easy credit to get since the College has a history of purchasing local materials for building projects.
The physical and environmental aspects of a building affect occupants' health and well-being. Factors such as air quality, temperature control, and access to natural daylight all have an impact on a person's level of happiness. To assure high indoor air quality the college is planning to limit volatile organic compounds (VOC), which are often found in adhesives, paints, carpet, and composite wood products. VOC's create toxicity in the ambient air inside the building. Products containing VOC's leak the toxic compounds into the surrounding air over the lifespan of the products. There are four possible LEED credits the college is hoping to get for using no-or-low-VOC products.
The recent campus master plan proposed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill calls for all new and renovated buildings to be LEED certified. Many educational institutions across the country, from primary schools in New Jersey to colleges such as Carnegie Mellon, have achieved LEED certification.
Sustainable Bowdoin would like to extend a special thank-you to treasurer Katy Longely and the Campus Planning and Design Committee for making the decision to pursue LEED certification on the new dorms. This commitment from the College speaks to the importance of our institution leading the way in ideas and principles.
More information can be found about LEED certification at the US Green Building Council's website: www.usgbc.org
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