ARCHITECTURE&ENGINEERING

Every year, third-year architecture students at North Dakota State University visit UND to tour the Gorecki building and Wilkerson Commons, a Silver-certified building. Which also is a sign of the times: “When I was at that point in architecture school, we never even talked about sustainability,” Galloway said. “It wasn’t on the radar at all.”

But what the NDSU students discover is worth the visit, because it shows how far sustainability has evolved beyond energy efficiency.

For example, “in the Gorecki building, the office interiors are all glass,” Galloway said. The design brings natural daylight to 97 percent of the spaces and greatly reduces the need for artificial light.

And in Sustainability 2.0, that matters. LEED’s point-based system evaluates not only energy use but also other factors, including whether occupants have access to daylight and outside views.

There are three reasons for the focus on daylight, said Breiner of Ackerman-Estvold. The first is aesthetic; daylight has been a factor in architecture for centuries, as the world’s cathedrals show.

The second is economic, as sunlight can cut lighting and heating bills.

And the third is comfort. “There’s a ton of research that shows that people work more productively and are more comfortable in a natural versus an artificial light setting,” Breiner said.

Breiner helped craft the National Energy Center of Excellence at Bismarck State College, another building that incorporates sustainable design. Besides daylighting, architects considered transportation – “we made sure we had a place where people could store their bicycles if they chose to ride to work,” Breiner said – recycled and low-emitting building materials for indoor air quality, water conservation and light pollution, among other factors.

“We were conscious of the light fixtures we’d select so we wouldn’t send light off-site,” he said.

“It’s not just the building itself. It’s how it treats the people inside as well as how it extends out and affects the community around it.”

Net Zero

Net zero construction is an even newer element of sustainable design. A net zero building is one with zero net energy consumption, meaning the energy used by the building equals the renewable energy produced on site, typically through solar or wind.

“That’s one of the things we’re seeing: a shift from energy efficiency to a goal of being carbon neutral,” Galloway said.

“We’re working on project right now in Colorado – a hockey arena at Colorado College, the goal of which is to be net zero.”

Details about the arena haven’t been finalized, but the Tutt Library at Colorado College achieved net-zero construction when it was renovated in 2017. The library earned this status by virtue of an 80-well geothermal energy field as well as rooftop and offsite solar arrays, among other factors.

Above And Beyond

All of the institutions referred to above are colleges or universities, and that’s no accident. For a big reason why energy efficiency – Sustainability 1.0 – now is a part of virtually all new construction is that it pays for itself in a short period of time. It makes clear economic sense, in other words. But the payoff for aiming higher – toward highlevel LEED certification or net-zero construction, for example – generally is longer-term.

And at this point, universities tend to be the owners who’ll spend extra to “go green.”

One reason is that high-level sustainability now is a part of colleges’ brands. It matters, especially when it comes to student and faculty recruitment.

“Students today are so much more sophisticated in picking one college over another,” Graves said. “They’ll ask about whether you have a sustainability program or not.” They’re drawn to colleges that make net-zero a priority.

“And once they’re here, they insist that the university walks the walk,” he said. “They want to know your carbon reduction plans – and not only for the existing campus but for new buildings as well.”

Now, here’s a prediction: Other industries will follow the path that higher ed is on.

Expect to see more companies touting their sustainable designs, in other words.

Why?

First, because the movement toward sustainable architecture shows no sign of stopping. Second, because social and environmental awareness now are important in corporate brands. And third, because the higher-level investments still can pay off – just not as quickly as laying fiberglass batting in the attic can.

“If I were to speak with some MBA students – the people who’re going to build and own buildings in the future – I’d tell them that high-performance and sustainable buildings are good business,” Galloway said.

“It’s in their interest; it helps their corporate reputations.” It also can enhance productivity, because most people perform better in a building with clean air, lots of daylight, a rooftop garden and other green features.

“I’d start that conversation early, because over time, I think they’d realize that this is just a good investment for them.”

Tom Dennis Editor, Prairie Business 701-317-5083

tdennis@prairiebusinessmagazine.com