Sustainable Campus Coalition

Completed January 2007

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Green Features

Cost

• According to “College Planning & Management Magazine,” the median cost per square foot for academic buildings in 2006 was $190 per square foot. The cost for the Education Center was $162 per square foot.
• The geothermal heating system and the commissioning of the building for LEED certification were cost premiums. However, these costs will be recovered by energy savings within the first five years.

Building Site

• Three buildings on the site were recycled (e.g., one used for a home in Farmington).
• The building was built in a previously occupied site, avoiding disturbing new land, using existing utility hookups, and limiting sprawl.
• The building was oriented to take maximum advantage of angle of the sun for heating, cooling, and daylighting of interiors (see below).

Heating, Cooling, and Air Quality Systems

• Geothermal wells provide most of the thermal energy for heating. There is no fossil fuel burning boiler on site. The geothermal system includes 14 pipes and 3 wells per pipe, which run into and out of the pump room of the building. The pumps have variable frequency drives controlled by heating and cooling needs. Compressors (driven by electricity) extract heat in winter and expel heat in summer by taking advantage of the difference in temperature between the underground and aboveground air. See Figures 1 & 2 at the end for how geothermal heating and cooling work.
• Heating system efficiency is further boosted by heat exchanger on roof that grabs exiting heat and sends it back into building, along with fresh air.
• The building is wrapped in a high performance, continuous insulation shell.
• The reflective white membrane roof decreases heat load and air conditioning in summer.
• Air ventilation sensors measure CO2 levels. If levels are high, additional outside air is mixed with air entering room.
• Windows have high insulation value because they are double paned and glazed with argon gas between the panes.
• Window frames are made of wood.
• Every occupied room has an operable window.
• Ductwork was closed during construction to minimize spread of airborne debris. To enhance air quality, entire ventilation system was flushed for two weeks, 24 hours per day, and air filters were changed after flushing prior to occupancy.

Light, Electricity, and Water

• Extensive use of daylight to light interiors. Building orientation, size and configuration of windows, slanted ceilings in offices, and wood blinds to reflect light (inside or outside) are all design features that bring light into the building from outside, including the main hall. This saves on electricity, heating and cooling, and provides natural light for occupants. See Figure 3 at the end for illustration of how daylighting works.
• Up-to-date fluorescent and compact fluorescent lighting are used throughout building.
• Urinals are waterless. Waste goes through liquid traps preventing odor.
• Low-flow toilets are used throughout the building.
• Water conserving toilets and faucets are used throughout the building.
• Light sensors read light coming in from outside and automatically adjust lights.
• Motion sensors in bathrooms and stairwells turn lights on and off.

Floor, Wall, and Ceiling Coverings

• Low VOC (volatile organic compounds) paint was used on block walls. Wall paint is free of VOCs on all other surfaces.
• Paint throughout the facility was produced from water based technology that exceeds the most stringent environmental standards - environmentally friendly plus durable.
• The acoustic ceiling system is made of some recycled material, mainly the metal grid which is made of 10\% recycled materials.
• Carpet tiles are made up of 100\% post-production recycled yarns that in the past would have gone into landfills. The tile technology offers a simple solution with a minimum of waste. Reclaimed carpet tiles will be used for new tile backing.
• Marmoleum flooring in hallways and elsewhere is made from natural materials - linseed oil, wood flour, rosin binders, and dry pigments - mixed and bonded onto a natural jute backing.
• Porcelain stone tile in the entry and student lounge produces no fumes or gases, will not support mold, mildew or bacterial growth, and requires no strong chemicals for normal maintenance, only clean water.
• “Dakota Burl” wall panels used in the student lounge are created from rapidly renewable agricultural fiber and sunflower hulls, making this a beautiful environmental alternative to hardwood.
• Adhesives and sealants are low in VOC.
• Round tables in the faculty lounge and in lobby are marmoleum (see description above).

Recycling, Recycled Materials, and Local Materials

• Construction waste was recycled, including concrete, brick, lumber, and metal.
• Structural steel and rebar were made of partly recycled material.
• Much of the building material is from local sources and companies: concrete block (Belgrade), concrete foundation (Rockland), wood and steel doors (South Portland), steel (Lewiston), brick (Auburn), Dakota burl panels and MDF cabinet panels (Windham), metal deck and joists (North Reading, MA), foundation rebar (Milford, MA), and roofing insulation (Kingston, NY). See Table 1 at the end for details.
• Home of the Everyone’s Resource Depot, a center that sells cast-offs (e.g., fiber, plastics, paper, dowels) from industry, the university, and individuals at very low cost.
• See above and below: carpets, marmoleum, chairs, and ceiling tiles are at least partially from recycled materials.
• See above: buildings at site are recycled.

Landscaping and Transportation

• Building is sited in such a way as to require minimum landscaping.
• Some large trees were left next to building, which reduces heat island effect, improves storm drainage, and shades and cools building.
• Landscape plantings do not need watering.
• Flow of rainwater is controlled to reduce erosion. Water goes into the level lip spreader and into a stone pit that collects the water to seep into the ground as a buffer so the creek does not overflow.
• Bicycle racks are provided to facilitate bike use.

Furnishings

• Seat webbing for chairs, benches and stools in the student lounge is constructed using industrial surplus webbing (seatbelts from planes and automobiles).
• Panel fabric at administrative and Everyone’s Resource Depot workstations is derived from corn. Its quality and performance is identical to that of conventional fabrics, and it can be quickly composted at the end of its useful life.
• Chairs in faculty lounge are made in part of recycled plastic. Chairs in the faculty lounge are made in a VOC-free manufacturing process with recycled plastic and have been GREENGUARD indoor air quality certified for low emitting products.
• Student lounge table tops are surfaced in marmoleum which is a natural product consisting of linseed oil and cork.
  Cabinetry was constructed using “woodstalk” fiberboard with the unique characteristics of annually renewable wheat straw fiber and formaldehyde-free resin.