Visual sight line and green space extends from Barnard Hall to Milbank Hall
The green roof will provide additional outdoor space for students and events, along with environmental benefits
ARTICLES
What does it mean to build green?
What does being a Challenge Partner mean for Barnard?
Barnard’s award-winning Brownfield Action environmental simulation expands its reach
Barnard SGA Go Green Committee
GREEN ROOF ADVANTAGES
- Extends the green space of the campus
- Reduces heat transfer through roof, improving energy efficiency
- Limits rainwater surges
- Outdoor classroom
- An entertainment venue
For more information about green roofs, visit:
Green Roofs for Healthy Cities
LINKS
GREEN BUILDING @ BARNARD
Barnard has a long commitment to maintaining a healthy campus for its students, faculty, administrators, and guests, and one that is environmentally responsible. As such, the Nexus will incorporate several “green,” or sustainable, features.
THE NEXUS'S DISTINCT
SHADE OF GREEN
Green Roof
An occupiable planted green roof will help extend the life of the roofing membrane, provide energy savings, and create valuable public green space.
Additional Landscaping
The existing paved plaza between Altschul and McIntosh will be replaced with landscaped terraces, expanding college green spaces for relaxation and recreation as well as mitigating the rise in grade from Milbank to Barnard Hall.
Plumbing systems
Low flow faucets and other low use fixtures will increase water use efficiency.
Lighting Systems
Daylight dimming systems will maintain the interior light levels according to exterior conditions. The interior light fixtures are high efficiency compact fluorescent. Occupancy sensors and a building time clock for lighting circuits will keep artificial light at minimal use.
Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system
The building will use a high efficiency condensing boiler which achieves enhanced efficiency by incorporating an additional heat exchanger to recapture energy that would otherwise be lost. A high efficiency chiller plant and air handlers will provide further energy conservation.
Efficient, comfortable radiant flooring will heat all public spaces. Evenly distributed heat from a radiant floor heating system allows the thermostat to be set at a lower level than in a forced air heating system, reducing energy costs by 10 to 40 percent.
Curtain Wall
The exterior enclosure is insulated low-e (low emissivity) frit glass, thermally improved mullions and insulated metal panels which exceed city and state energy codes. Low-e glass has an ultra-thin metallic coating on or in the glass that reflects heat back to its source. In the summer, the glass prevents external heat from being absorbed into the building. On colder days, the glass helps retain heat.
Natural light
Building geometry, varying levels of transparency/opacity throughout the curtain wall system, and skylights on the roof and at the plaza level will bring daylight into the buildings and allow sweeping views of the outdoors.
Natural ventilation
Operable window lights allow for natural ventilation in the classrooms and offices.
Shading
Public double height spaces have an automated motorized shading system tied to photo sensors that will adjust to exterior daylight conditions.
Structure & Materials
The superstructure is steel and concrete both of which are made of partially recycled content or recyclable materials.
Much of the existing McIntosh structural enclosure will be reused as structure and foundation walls for the Nexus. The exterior aluminum and glass curtain wall is composed of partially recycled materials which are completely recyclable.
Roofing
High-emittance waterproofing will reduce heat absorbed by the roof, reducing the demand for electric power, especially air conditioning in the summertime.
Waterproofing
Waterproofing will have no volatile organic compounds (VOC). VOC react to sunlight and heat to form ground-level ozone.
Construction Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Management Plan
Careful construction and waste management practices will be employed by contractors during the building process that will minimize the potential for indoor air quality problems and protect workers on the site from undue health risks during construction.
Interior Materials
Regional materials and low emission adhesives and coatings will be used whenever possible.
Most interior finishings, such as countertops, tabletops, ceramic tiles, carpeting, and rubber stair treads will be made from recycled and/or fully recyclable material.
Materials will have no or low formaldehyde content.
Low-VOC paint will be used.
The polished concrete flooring will be of partial recycled content.
These geen building choices will make Nexus a LEED-certified building
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO
BUILD GREEN?
What's green all over and saves vast amounts of energy and water, while giving people healthier, user-friendly places to study, work, and live? And what also happens to be one of the hottest construction trends in the country?
The answer in both cases: green building. Green building, in short, is an eco-friendly approach to construction design, aimed at promoting more efficient use of electricity, oil, and water and minimizing harmful effects on the environment.
On a practical level, that involves a whole range of steps big and small, says Ashley Katz, a spokesperson for the U.S. Green Building Council, covering everything from the core architectural and engineering plans to what sort of carpets cover the floor. For example, green buildings are typically angled toward the sun, and they're designed with plenty of windows to maximize the amount of natural daylight they receive, so that, as Katz notes, there's no need for massive overhead fluorescent lights.
They also tend to have better insulation, along with more decentralized heating and ventilation systems that give workers in, say, a big office building more control over the temperatures in their individual work areas-and thereby ensure that the entire building isn't overheated in winter or overly frigid in July. Indeed, unlike in conventional buildings, Katz points out that green ones typically have windows that actually open and close, and let in fresh air.
Sensors that automatically dim artificial lights on sunny days or when there's no one in an office or work station are standard fare, as are water and energy-saving plumbing systems. Besides making use of rainwater collected in rooftop tanks, those so-called smart systems typically rely more heavily on gravity (instead of electricity) to keep water pumping, and feature low-flow toilets and faucets that automatically shut off.
Green buildings also tend to use significant amounts of environmentally-friendly materials – for instance, paints and finishes made with non-toxic chemicals, as well as recycled carpeting and floors or countertops made out of bamboo, which can be harvested easily and plentifully and doesn't require cutting down vast tracts of old-growth forests.
To cap it all off, a truly green building will feature a green rooftop – that is, a roof outfitted with a specially-designed waterproofing and drainage system, enabling a building owner to lay down soil and begin growing plants, bushes and other vegetation. That greenery in turn not only helps insulate the building, but provides cleaner air for everyone since plants help filter out toxins and absorb carbon dioxide.
That's just one piece of the environmental pay-off. The U.S. Green Building Council contends that not only do eco-friendly buildings consume up to 50 percent less energy and 40 percent less water use than conventionally-designed structures. They also help curtail the emissions of carbon dioxide – thought to be a key contributor to global warming – and other harmful chemicals, and reduce solid waste.
The good news? Across the country, more and more buildings are going green. The prime example on the Barnard campus is the new Nexus building-a project built around core green construction principles, according to Mike Harshman, an architect with Manfredi/Weiss, the New York City architectural firm charged with Nexus's design. Plus, like other green buildings, the Nexus project will rely heavily on recycled building materials. "It's definitely catching on," says Harshman, referring to the green building boom.
Many other academic institutions, including Wesleyan, Duke, Emory, and the University of Colorado, have their own eco-conscious building projects in the pipeline. The same goes for state and local governments, says the USGBC's Katz, not to mention a wide range of businesses. Indeed she notes that not only have companies like Starbucks and Whole Foods been building green retail outlets. But last fall, the Hearst Corporation opened its new 46-story green building in midtown Manhattan, and Bank of Americas has its own green midtown office tower in the works. All of which, says Katz, should definitely help make the planet a more livable place. "Green building is a proven, measurable way of making a difference," she says.
— by Susan Hansen
For further information, the city of Seattle has a comprehensive green-building glossary.