Schools need to be safe, healthy, educationally appropriate and sustainable. Many of our schools do not make the grade, but a lack of comprehensive data on existing school facilities makes determining the actual need impossible. The last comprehensive sur
Both security and sustainability are important. Newtown and other school shootings make the case for security. The case for sustainability is strong, too. Estimates say that buildings produce 35 percent of the carbon dioxide emitted in the U.S. and use 37
- By Michael Fickes
- 04/01/13
In today's world, educational organizations are moving more and more to a hybrid model of the private and public cloud. Most corporations are at the same place; I am not aware of corporations placing their entire data operations out in the cloud.
While the nonstop, point-grabbing treasure hunt for Silver, Gold, or even Platinum certification has forced architects to get better at designing and creating more efficient structures, everything outside the building envelope has basically remained an afterthought. This narrow approach not only downplays the complex role a project’s site plays in its overall sustainability, it also ignores cultural and contextual considerations that are critically important to campus planning and design. Thankfully, there could be help on the horizon with the long-overdue introduction of the Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES) into the certification game.
Given that an investment in a LEED building is 40 to 50 years or longer, a related investment in management and maintenance will also run for many decades. Unfortunately, maintenance is often not adequately considered in advance, and when budgets tighten, deferring building maintenance can seem like an attractive option to universities who are trying to stretch their dollars. So how does a cash-strapped public institution pay for green construction and maintenance?
Carbon neutrality, net-zero, whatever you call it, is going to be the way everybody will judge the success of sustainability strategies for school districts. Schools are public institutions by their very nature, and the public more and more desires that i
In an age when digital has become such a key channel, the colleges and universities that embrace this concept will outpace those that don’t. It’s not a financial question anymore, a bifurcation of the haves and have-nots; it’s more of a mindset issue. While having the vast resources of a major institution certainly helps, it doesn’t matter how much money you throw at a website project if it’s not seen as the central hub of your overall communication efforts. And if it isn’t used as a chance to engage an inclusive set of stakeholders from across campus, it’s a huge opportunity missed.
Unity College in central Maine is a small liberal arts college with a big voice in the national sustainability conversation. We take seriously our leadership role in higher education and across sectors, preparing our students for leadership roles of their own in a changing world. From our unique sustainability science focus throughout the curriculum, to our first-in-the-nation commitment to divest our endowment from fossil fuels, we aim to model viable approaches to sustainability education that improve learning, engage the community, and decrease environmental impact.
- By Jesse Pyles, Doug Fox
- 04/01/13
The Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council was established to educate and change our schools into sustainable and healthy places. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn in an environment that enhances the educat
- By Mallory Shelter
- 04/01/13
Information technology is a highly dynamic, rapidly evolving sector. So are the risks and threats that surround it, and the functions it provides for our institutions. Effective risk management is essential.
Higher education has already taken a leadership role in climate mitigation — that is, preventing climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions — as displayed by the 660 signatory campuses of the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) who have collectively reduced net carbon emissions by 25 percent in just five years. Now, higher education must take the lead in climate adaptation — preparing for and responding to the impacts of climate change.
- By David Hales, Sarah Brylinsky
- 04/01/13
For 17 years, Studio 804 has pioneered new technologies and advanced construction techniques to produce one building per year, including four LEED Platinum projects completed to date and two additional projects pending LEED Platinum certification. The studio operates out of the School of Architecture, Design, and Planning’s 67,000-sq.-ft. East Hills shop and fabrication facility, just outside Lawrence. The facility allows for much of the design to be prefabricated, an asset to each project’s intense schedule. It is through the support of organizations and individuals committed to environmental stewardship that Studio 804 is able to continue its service to the community and educate the general public through the use of innovative technologies.
Everybody loves the idea of creating a clean, green world and passing that world on to future generations. People recycle competitively, monitor energy usage dashboards, and approach LEED certification with gusto. Security, on the other hand, is reactive. Most individuals don’t really consider it until an event brings safety to the forefront. Yet both must co-exist on today’s college campuses even though they may be at odds.
Longwood has practiced sustainability by heating with biomass fuel (sawdust) for over 30 years. Longwood is the only public institution of higher education in Virginia and one of only two state agencies that burns biomass for heating fuel. Current annual energy savings are more than $4.9M when compared with burning oil, which the University used as its fuel source before switching to biomass.
Increasing demands for high-performance and sustainable designs are challenging laboratories and research facilities to consider their energy and water usage. Laboratory design is constantly evolving and outdating previous methods due to new building and energy codes, and lab designers are seeking game-changing ideas. This makes innovative design solutions more imperative than ever.
- By Gerald Williams
- 04/01/13
So, why have smart campuses found sustainability such an attractive value proposition? In short, because our customers are demanding sustainability, because it saves money, and because higher education’s ethical license to operate is at risk if we don’t respond to a society beset with myriad unsustainable ailments.
As of April 4, 2013, there were 665 signatories to the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment. Sustainability efforts on campus have become essential as college hopefuls are now adding a “green campus” to their selection criteria!
Regardless of the factors driving the continued market focus on environmentally sustainable construction strategies, we have noted some recurring trends that continue to be popular. The following sections will briefly note each of these trends and some of the unique opportunities of their implementation.
- By Jessie Houlihan Bingen
- 04/01/13
Here's how Cedar Rapids Community School District and its team produced a $44.5 million, sustainable headquarters, capable of a 50 percent energy savings, on schedule and below budget.
The political drama continues in Washington, D.C., with the White House, Congress and individual agencies. One thing is for sure: no one really knows the true impact of the budget cuts on the nation's economy, national security, defense preparedness
- By Fritz Edelstein
- 03/01/13
The $5.6M Gaillard Hall restoration/rehabilitation marks the final project in a $69.85M, two-phase public/private venture that included six additional new structures and a cadet formation plaza, all designed by LAS. Gaillard Hall and two of the new residential buildings — Patriot Hall and Liberty Hall — are organized around the formation plaza to create a military education precinct in the heart of the campus of what is now the University of North Georgia. Nestled in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, the University is one of only six senior military colleges in the U.S.