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Eastern’s new Science Complex capitalizes on green building technology
80,000-square-foot Science Complex, it didn’t just call in the backhoes and hard hats and start digging. Before shovel met earth, University officials met with building planners, designers and contractors to discuss creating a state-of-the- art structure that would make the most of the latest green building technology. As a result, the Univer-
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sity erected a highly efficient structure that incorporates some of the best in eco-friendly building design and materials. But the Science Complex isn’t just a model of environmental sustainability. It also creates new opportunities for ad- vanced learning and research at Eastern.
Maximum Efficiency The six-story, $90 million
complex opened in January 2011 as an addition to the Mark Jefferson Building. The facility is the nucleus of science activity at Eastern, housing classrooms, offices and labs for the biology, chemistry, geography, physics and astronomy, and psychology departments. It also features a breathtaking spherical classroom/ planetarium, suspended five stories over an atrium. The facility is the largest building project completed in Eastern history. Achieving high energy ef-
ficiency was no small feat for a project of this magnitude. But that was a primary goal from the moment the blueprints were drawn up, says Steven Moore, EMU’s Energy and Sus-
hen Eastern made plans in 2007 for its new
President Susan Martin introduces the Science Complex and its distinctions, including a rock garden and a spherical classroom (a.k.a. planetarium), to visitors during the December 2010 preview event. The addition is now open and is hosting classes, while the Mark Jefferson section of the building is renovated.
tainability Manager. “The old science complex
[in the Mark Jefferson Building] opened in 1969 and became outdated by the late 1990s,” Moore says. “We want to offer the technology and other ameni- ties students need for cutting- edge learning and research. Our design philosophy for any new construction or renovation proj- ect centers on being energy- and resource-conscious. That’s why we embrace the ‘green building’ concept—we applied everything we could to make the Science Complex as efficient as possible.” Science buildings tend
to have the highest energy demands among university buildings, but planners incor- porated enough energy-saving
features to apply for the highly coveted Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. Created by the U.S. Green Building Council, LEED is the benchmark for evaluating aspects of a building that add up to high efficiency and sustainability. Eastern will seek LEED-Silver status for the Science Complex and Mark Jefferson Building as a unit, once efficiency upgrades and renovations in Mark Jefferson are completed.
Trend-Setting Structure A number of elements place
the Science Complex at the forefront of green structures. The building is one of a few in the upper Midwest to incorpo-
rate energy-saving chilled beam technology, which cools the air by pulling it past coils filled with chilled water. The system is commonly used in Europe and uses about 30 percent less en- ergy than the industry standard. A building-wide control system monitors the temperature and air flow of every room. In-room sensors detect the presence of people and adjust air flow accordingly. “We need to continually
exhaust air and introduce fresh, exterior air to the building be- cause of the chemicals involved in lab experiments,” Moore says. “The advanced heating and cool- ing system allows us to control air flow and maintain a reason- able interior temperature while
6 Eastern | WINTER 2011
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