CNR  BUILDS "GREEN"
WELLNESS CENTER

In the words of Kermit the Frog, “It’s not easy being green.” But that is exactly what CNR is doing with the building of its $28 million holistic Wellness Center, due to be finished in December 2007 and open for the Spring 2008 semester. Significant planning done by the College and its architecture firm, ikon.5, of Princeton, New Jersey, has ensured that the first building constructed on campus in 40 years will be environmentally sound and built with consideration for the Residence Park community that surrounds the construction. This state-of-the-art building is pursuing the prestigious LEED “Silver” rating certified by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

Building “green,” in its most simple definition, is to create a structure that is in harmony with the environment and uses materials, water and energy in such a way that it does not harm human health or the environment. It also involves all aspects of a new building, from design to the choice of building site, to construction, to operation and maintenance. The complete building life cycle is taken into consideration with respect to environmental impact and sustainability.

According to Charles J. Maira, a principal architect for ikon.5, the Wellness Center qualifies as “green” in a number of ways. “The below-grade portion of the building utilizes the grade above for a roof garden, which is then available for use by the College Community and for College functions. Moreover, a large percentage of the building will be constructed with local and regional materials and environmentally friendly recycled materials.”

For example, recycled crushed glass and recycled blast furnace slag were mixed into the concrete used for the polished floor slabs, thus consuming less concrete and taking advantage of material that would otherwise end up in a landfill. The building also will have a heat recovery system to recycle energy, so that warm air, instead of being discharged from the building, will run through a system of pipes to warm the pool water and pool area.

In addition, the Wellness Center is designed with large windows, including six skylights, so large amounts of daylight reach the pool area, concourse, gymnasium and the multi-purpose rooms. By taking advantage of available natural light, the building will reduce its dependence on artificial (energy-using) light sources. All of these choices in design and construction earn points towards the LEED certification.
Going “green” at colleges and universities is an increasingly common phenomenon. A LEED certification proves to the community that the institution is committed to sustainability and environmental responsibility.

The certification process, however, takes time and money. A third party commissioning agent evaluates that the project has been designed and built to meet LEED guidelines. This assures both the institution and the community that during construction standard guidelines were met. The benefit for the college is that these standards of construction will mean reduced energy costs, better air quality and superior comfort and quality for users.

According to Joe Tattoni, another principal architect from the ikon.5 firm, “Many colleges and universities are committed to Green Building and are receiving certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. CNR is right in step with what is happening across America.”

Recent figures from the USGBC show that a total of 90 college and university buildings have been certified as environmentally friendly and energy-efficient. One example of this trend is the new math, business, computer science and computer engineering building at Pacific Lutheran University in Washington State, which recently received a gold rating from the USGBC. Construction materials for this building included bamboo flooring, recycled carpet and wheat board. Also the building is heated and cooled by geothermal pumps and produces no carbon emissions.

Some colleges and universities are electing not to seek certification but still designing to LEED guidelines. “We have seen this trend recently with larger universities,” says Tattoni. “We suspect it is because these schools already have a few LEED-certified buildings and know how to guarantee the higher performance level, and they have a very extensive campus green program that they have tailored to their particular needs.”

Other colleges and universities that are, like CNR, committed to environmental integrity are Carnegie Mellon University of Pittsburgh; Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Duke University; Lewis & Clark College; Northwestern University; and The University of California.

The College of New Rochelle joins these institutions in improving the quality of life for students by creating a building that has environmental integrity while remaining consistent with the College’s Catholic heritage that takes seriously our responsibility to be good stewards of the earth. 

As CNR President Stephen Sweeny said in announcing the construction of the Wellness Center, “We are not content to simply build a building. We want to bring the strengths of the College to bear on this project and, at the same time, address pressing societal needs.” And with the Wellness Center, we are doing just that.