New Science Center Builds Learning Into the Structure
The new Science Center will be situated between the new McDonough School of Business building and the existing Reiss Science building, perpendicular to the Leavey Center. (Courtesy Payette)
The new Science Center building was designed with the LEED for New Construction green building standards in mind. (Courtesy Payette)
The interior spaces are designed to be naturally lit during daylight hours as part of an energy-efficient design. (Courtesy Payette)
By Alicia Chin
Shortly after the end of the Spring 2008 semester, ground will be broken to begin construction on Georgetown’s new Science Center. A 155,000 gross-square-foot facility, the building will support the Departments of Biology, Chemistry, and Physics and house all of the teaching laboratories and the majority of the research labs that are currently located in Reiss Science and White-Gravenor. Students and teachers hope to move into the new classrooms and offices by the 2010-2011 academic year.
The new Science Center is a significant step in enhancing the Main Campus science departments. The new facility hopes to attract new students and faculty, enable an enriched education and research experience, and connect students, researchers, and faculty with one another. Many of the labs will have glass walls facing the hallways so that curious passers-by can view the equipment and experiments being run. Student lounges and communal areas are on every floor to foster a greater sense of community.
“The new building is one component of our efforts to grow the natural, mathematical, and computational sciences at Georgetown. We recognize that Georgetown is particularly well poised to educate students and conduct research that includes multi-disciplinary perspectives in a socially relevant context,” says Dr. Ali Whitmer, assistant dean of sciences. “Our goals include to build and renew our facilities, increase the number of faculty members, and grow the number of science majors and opportunities for non-majors to engage in science learning.”
The new Science Center also promises to be the first major step in fostering sustainable growth on a campus that is hindered by its lack of acreage. The U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program is the most popular certification for green buildings in sustainable design and construction. The new Science Center building is aiming for LEED Silver Certification for New Construction, meaning that it will receive more than half of the possible credits. Buildings can achieve credits for satisfying various criteria including lowering energy and water usage, choosing sustainable materials, and limiting its environmental impact on the surrounding area. Efficiently designed, the new Science Center maximizes the use of each square foot, reducing the building footprint without eliminating the essential requirements of the science building, demonstrating how Georgetown is continuing to use all of its land efficiently.
Creating a science building geared towards LEED certification can be difficult, according to Anne Eisele, a LEED Accredited Professional and Georgetown's director of sustainability initiatives. Scientific research in particular can be energy draining due to use of lab equipment and maintaining conditions regarding temperature and humidity.
“The typical laboratory,” says a report from Labs21, a voluntary government program sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy, “uses far more energy and water per square foot than the typical office building due to intensive ventilation requirements and other health and safety concerns.”
Georgetown, in partnership with Labs21 for this project, has invested in science labs that work within the LEED program. For example, low-volume, highly efficient fume hoods that use 40 percent less energy than conventional hoods will be placed in the new building.
The building will sport other design elements to make it energy and water efficient. Captured rainwater from roofs, air handler condenser water, and process water used by research equipment will be recycled and used for irrigation, leading to enhanced water use reduction. Optimized energy performance will be achieved through energy-recovering heat wheels that use recaptured exhaust air to bring sensible and latent energy to heat or cool incoming airflows. Low energy chilled beams and other alternate induction technologies will cool rising hot air.
Other LEED highlights of the building include:
* protection and restoration of the habitat
* maximization of open space
* dual flush toilets
* local and regional materials
* recycled and rapidly renewable materials
* green cleaning products (already used in residential halls)
* education program on green building
“Aiming for LEED's certification is particularly appropriate for our new science building where teaching and research focuses on cutting edge science and technology," Dr. Whitmer says. "Our aim is to make the LEED innovations completely transparent so the building itself becomes a teaching tool.”
The LEED features will play an important role in enhancing the learning experience for students and researchers. Drought-tolerant vegetation will be planted on the building’s terrace, which will connect the new McDonough School of Business building (also is aiming to be LEED certified), and in the greenspace quadrangle between the two buildings. The teaching garden with natural habitats will provide an opportunity for professors and students to perform experiments and learn about native vegetation and species interactions. Kiosks will be placed around the building to teach students about sustainable design.
An added benefit of the green building is a more productive and satisfying atmosphere for the occupants. Improved indoor environmental quality through the use of low-emitting materials and control of lighting and thermal comfort in schools are shown to produce higher test scores and greater academic enthusiasm. Design plans are calling for the achievement of credits designating the use of natural daylight; studies have shown that connection with the outdoors increases productivity.
After the completion of the new Science Center, Reiss, the current science building, is looking to undergo an extensive makeover of its own to better handle the increased demand of the growing science program. The eventual re-invention of Reiss and the possibility of a bridge between the two facilities will physically, operationally, and symbolically connect the two buildings to create a single integrated Science Center focused on the betterment of Georgetown’s science program and the environment.