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AIA Green Building Awards 2008 | |
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People and Places | |
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AIA Portland Design Awards 2007 | |
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Australian Gold for Richard Johnson | |
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Palladio Awards 2008 | |
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AIA Green Building Awards 2008 Green Schools Two of this year's honorees are private schools: the Garthwaite Center for Science and Art at the Cambridge School of Weston in Weston, Massachusetts, designed by Architerra Inc., and the Nueva School Hillside Learning Complex, California, by Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects. Both benefit from extensive daylighting (95 and 90 percent of area daylit, respectively) and natural ventilation (90 and 85 percent of area, respectively, can be naturally ventilated). The Garthwaite Center houses laboratory classrooms, faculty offices, meeting space, a large community gathering gallery, and other display and study spaces. Architerra designed the building to integrate with its sloping, rocky, wooded site, with floor levels arranged to meet the natural grade of the hillside. The hillside protects the building from prevailing northwesterly winter winds. A southward orientation optimizes daylighting and passive solar heating. Only three spaces are mechanically cooled. Several of the building's systems were left exposed to offer teaching opportunities: an enthalpy heat wheel, which recovers 87 percent of energy from exhaust air, which is then used to precondition the ventilation air; a biomass boiler, which burns waste wood pellets, meeting 80 percent of heating needs; and toilet composters, which work in tandem with other systems to treat all wastewater on site. Stormwater is also managed fully on site through a partial green roof and underground rainwater discharge system fed by roof gutters and trenches. "There is a strong connection between the interior and exterior environments," commented juror Brager, "and the extensive green strategies were made clearly visible so that the building itself became a teaching tool." The Nueva School Hillside Learning Complex includes a library and media center, a student center, and a classroom building, all organized around a central plaza. Leddy Maytum Stacy and the project team designed the buildings, made primarily of steel and concrete, to last at least 100 years. Simple building forms minimize conditioned area, reduce material use, and maximize efficiencies. Wood from nonnative cypress trees removed from the site was used in screens, benches, and decks on the buildings. Vinyl-free flooring was used in much of the project. Many building materials include recycled content, including cotton insulation, carpet, and steel. By cost, 36 percent of all materials were regionally harvested and manufactured. High-performance glazing and other systems reduce the project's energy use. A 30-kilowatt photovoltaic system meets about 24 percent of the facility's energy needs. Jurors praised the project both for conveying "a real sense of delight" (Rebecca Henn) and for "balancing design and performance" (Jason McLennan). Brager called it "a great school design" that "incorporates a wide number of sustainability strategies in a very integrated, straightforward way with a design sensibility that is elegant in its simplicity." Desert Library Cesar Chavez Library in Laveen, Arizona, designed by Line and Space, LLC, achieves sustainable design in a desert climate. The building was integrated into an existing park with a large constructed lake. To lessen cooling needs, the building was built into the site and bermed with excavated earth. Window walls on the long, narrow building provide daylighting and views, with large overhangs that minimize solar heat gain and glare as well as extending the usability of outdoor spaces. A rooftop system collects rainwater for irrigation, and low-flow fixtures inside conserve water. An open-plan design in the stack and reading areas facilitates daylighting and allows for long-term flexibility. The building is split into zones for heating and cooling, each with its own thermostat and controls. Materials such as concrete masonry, steel, and aluminum were chosen for their appearance, durability, low maintenance needs, recyclability, and local availability. "Lawn and water in the desert can be inappropriate, but this was existing," noted juror Glenn Murcutt. "The architects have contributed to the maintenance of park environment." "We saw leadership on the part of the city here, given the selection of this site for this building," added Susan Rodriguez. "There's a 37,000-square-foot [3,400-square-meter] roofscape that is a part of irrigating a 40-acre [16-hectare] park. We felt this showed strong vision to solve multiple problems at once." "This is an oasis," she added, "a living room for a densely developed area." Environmental Education Another award-winning educational facility is the Pocono Environmental Education Center in Dingmans Ferry, Pennsylvania, by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson. The building provides a flexible multipurpose gathering space for dining, meetings, lectures, and other environmental learning activities. It also serves as a community gathering place, meeting place, conference center, and public hall. The south-facing shed is designed to take advantage of the warmth of the sun, cool mountain breezes, natural light, and forest views. The structure also outwardly expresses the principles of green design and serves as a teaching tool. Public areas are largely daylit (93 percent of public areas) and naturally ventilated (91 percent) while minimizing dependence on artificial light and ventilation. Manual devices were chosen over automated systems to control natural ventilation and artificial lighting so that the users — mostly small children — would be involved in making energy-use choices. Forced-air systems were entirely eliminated from naturally ventilated areas, and ceiling fans were provided to increase air flow if needed. To supplement the passive solar heating, a hydronic radiant-floor system was installed. Under most conditions, the supplemental lighting and mechanical systems are not used. Many of the building's materials — including the exposed concrete floor slab and structural frame and wood structural system — will not require refinishing during the life of the building, reducing both first costs and operational costs, and improving indoor air quality. Some products, such as the recycled-tire cladding for the north wall, were selected for their ability to serve as clear examples of environmental design. The project team sought to design a building that people would love, want to maintain, and continue to use in the future. That said, much of the structural system can be disassembled, allowing its components to be salvaged and reused if the building outgrows its useful life. McLennan praised the project for both its quantitative performance its whimsy. "This building is much more than its simple shed design might initially suggest," commented juror Brager. "The wall of recycled tires is beautiful, textural, and compelling as an educational statement..." "This project grows from the site," added Malecha. "Great scale and materials." >>> Discuss this article in the Architecture Forum...
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