Natural edge
Investigating best of breed construction, Andre Cooray takes a look at the American Institute of Architects’ top ten eco-builds
"The Macallen Building in Boston, Massachusetts is a 350,000 square-foot condominium with 140 units, which uses 600,000 gallons less water per annum than a conventional building and 30 percent less electricity"
The American Institute of Architects’ (AIA) top ten green projects of 2008 are concrete evidence that it pays to be smart in design – a plethora of benefits ranging from the monetary to the environmental are already being reaped and will continue for generations to come. The AIA believes the selected buildings are the best examples of innovative architecture and sustainable design in the US today. By highlighting these projects, it seeks to prove that improved building functionality can reduce not only carbon emissions and energy and water consumption, but also operating costs.
The Aldo Leopold Legacy Centre located in Baraboo, Wisconsin, was the first building to be recognised for achieving zero carbon emissions by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) programme. Through its 98-panel 39.6-kilowatt electrical system it can produce 10 percent more energy than it consumes. Completed in April 2007, the 11,900 square-foot building sees a small complex built around a central courtyard. The site is separated into high- and low-use areas to reduce energy consumption, heating, cooling and operating costs. About 65 percent of water is saved through the use of waterless urinals, dual-flush toilets and water-efficient faucets.
In order to reduce its carbon footprint, the Cesar Chavez Library in Phoenix, Arizona, completed in January 2007, fends off the intense heat by using extensive overhangs – providing indoor and outdoor spaces with a ‘hat-like’ protection from the desert sun. The 25,200 square-foot building is built into the site and bermed with excavated earth to help keep it cool naturally, and all windows are shaded. Thanks to the installation of rainwater tanks, the 37,000 square-foot roof-scape contributes to the irrigation of 40 acres of surrounding parkland.
The Discovery Centre in Seattle, Washington is an 11,000 square-foot portable structure that can be reconfigured as needed. The modular design separates at three integrated joints to break
into four individual models that can be transported to any location via road. The cantilevered exhibit space, completed in March 2005, sits suspended on top of concrete piers, leaving the sloping terrain and vegetation below undisturbed. It was built to be disassembled but is in no way temporary.
With fifty-five sustainable-specific goals, including renewable energy, the Garthwaite Centre for Science and Art at the Cambridge School of Weston, Massachusetts, was completed
in August 2007. Students were involved in the design of their building. All spaces except for three are naturally ventilated and an artificial lighting system uses less than one watt per square foot. There is 100 percent storm water infiltration on site, and no water is discharged to the local sewer.
The Lavin-Bernick Centre for University Life in New Orleans, Louisiana was redesigned in January 2007, just fourteen months after Hurricane Katrina. A range of environmental systems are used to combat the hot and humid climate. The new 151,000 square-foot building is layered with canopies and balconies to allow for variable exchanges of air and light. The centre can now do without air conditioning for five months of the year.
The Macallen Building in Boston, Massachusetts is a 350,000 square-foot condominium with 140 units, which uses 600,000 gallons less water per annum than a conventional building and 30 percent less electricity. It was completed in April 2007. The building has two key features, a 20,000 square-foot outdoor terrace and an overhanging roof, which together filter pollutants such as carbon dioxide, reduce heating and cooling energy consumption, control storm water drainage, reduce the building’s contribution to the urban heat-island effect and provide an ecosystem for wildlife.
More than 80 percent of all construction debris for the Nueva School, Hillside Learning Complex in San Francisco, California was recycled. Drip irrigation and drought-tolerant landscaping along with efficient plumbing fixtures reduce the use of water. About 24 percent of the 27,000 square-foot site’s energy is produced by a 30-kW photovoltaic system. Paints, adhesives and sealants with low chemical emissions, and urea-formaldehyde-free wood products protect the indoorair quality. The campus was completed in September 2007 and is surrounded by a thriving oak wood.
The Pocono Environmental and Educational Visitors Centre in Dingmans Ferry, Pennsylvania was built in October 2005. While construction debris was used to create the exterior, the entrance of the 7,750 square-foot building is made from shingles cut from recycled tires. Native grasses planted around the site create a low-maintenance natural environment that integrates with the existing milieu. The use of operable windows provides natural ventilation, and solar heating lowers energy costs.
Completed in September 2007, the Queens Botanical Garden Visitor Centre in New York City, New York has been designed to heighten visitor enjoyment of the surrounding landscape. Priorities are storm water management and rainwater collection. Rainwater from the roof canopy feeds a moat, as well as various streams throughout the gardens. In the 15,800 square-footstructure, toilet-water reuse, waterless urinals and composting toilets have reduced potable water consumption by 55 percent. Energy is generated through photovoltaic panels and a ground-source heat-pump system.
panel, the exterior of the Yale Sculpture Building and Gallery in New Haven, Connecticut is designed to control the flow of natural light. Operable 8-foot high windows allow for natural ventilation, and an air displacement system helps supply fresh air at low velocities. Completed in September 2007, the gallery successfully balances warm and cold season operation. The 62,000 square-foot roof features green landscaping to provide a natural habitat for birds.
Using smart design to achieve their goals, it’s clear that all the projects listed are the result of a thoroughly integrated approach to architecture, natural systems and technology. Solving multiple environmental problems at once, they also make a positive contribution to their communities and improve comfort for building occupants.
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