St. Olaf College science hall goes green
The Minnesota school's Regents Hall of Natural and Mathematical Science is on track to be the first university building of its size to earn LEED Platinum certification.
By Consulting Specifying Engineer Staff -- Consulting-Specifying Engineer, 12/1/2008 12:21:00 PM MT
This fall, St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minn.,, opened a 200,000-sq-ft, $63 million science facility. If certification for Regents Hall of Natural and Mathematical Sciences goes as anticipated, it will be the first college or university building of its size and use to earn LEED Platinum certification.
According to school officials, Regents Hall, compared to a similar structure that only meets code, will save enough energy each year to power more than 250 homes annually. It is the first U.S. science facility designed to incorporate a green chemistry curriculum using water-based reactions to decrease lab waste and the need for conditioned air. Additionally, a stormwater system manages runoff from Regents Hall and the surrounding area (the building also has a planted roof), and its furniture includes tables and benches handcrafted from lumber harvested from the construction site.
Learn more and watch a movie on the construction process.
