Summary of Sustainable Design Efforts on the Campus
October 11, 2004

Sustainability Awareness Workshop

On March 30, 2001, an all-day workshop was conducted on the campus, with a broad constituency of University staff and faculty and visiting environmental designers. There were two chief purposes:

• Presentation of a general overview of sustainable design principles and the process by which real projects can happen on a University campus, featuring opening remarks by Tom Wojciechowski of Northland College.
• LEED Scorecard sessions for the School of Music/ Performing Arts Center and new residence halls for North Campus and South Campus. These projects were due to enter the design phase in the very near term.

The workshop was a resounding success and set the stage for the LEED targeting of the School of Music/ Performing Arts Center, and for the effort to include a geothermal HVAC system for the South Campus residence halls. For more detail, see the attached copy of the agenda.

Sustainable Landscape Workshop

In order to build on the momentum of the Sustainability Awareness Workshop, a half-day session featuring a presentation by Carol Franklin of Andropogon Associates was held in July 2001. Again a broad range of University personnel attended. The presentation was inspiring and influenced design of the East Campus over the next year. Three years later, the Environmental Council is following up on the concept of daylighting a stream, an idea first presented to most University attendees at this session.

East Campus Parking and Roads

Construction of infrastructure to support the School of Music/ Performing Arts Center and a future academic building on East Campus is nearing completion. Work includes a new access road and parking lot, with associated modifications of road intersections and sidewalk networks. This project offered a number of opportunities for watershed protection and water resource conservation. Features include:

• Stormwater for the surface parking lot and the roof of an adjacent Parking Structure is directed to biofiltration planting in the islands of the surface parking lot, through which the storm water is filtered on its way to a stone infiltration bed. This system will accommodate a 2-year storm
• Low-cutoff light fixtures to minimize light pollution
• Shading of the parking lot to eliminate a heat island
• Rain water gardens in two landscaped areas
• Selection of native plant species throughout

Sustainable design features at East Campus Parking and Roads Project
Infiltration Bed at Surface Lot under construction October 2004
	Rainwater Garden #2 - Under Construction October 2004

School of Music / Performing Arts Center (SOMPAC)

SOMPAC is a new home for the School of Music, and will also feature an auditorium with full theatrical machinery and backstage facilities, enabling it to become a regional cultural nexus.

SOMPAC is a LEED Silver-targeted building. Prior to the start of design, the University developed a LEED scorecard, as discussed above. The design professionals worked diligently to keep the target in sight through a design process with more than a modicum of budget crises, and in the end the University committed to a Base Bid that included more costly items essential to boosting the targeted rating from Certified to Silver. These items are listed in the attached Base Bid No. 2 from the SOMPAC specification.

The LEED Scorecard included in the Bid Specification is also attached. The LEED strategy focuses on:

• Sustainable Sites, integrated with the previously discussed East Campus Parking and Roads Project;
• Materials and Resources, including Construction Waste management and materials with a high recycled content such as blended cement, recycled-glass tile, and FSC- certified wood;
• IAQ, particularly appropriate material selections and thermal comfort.

The foundations for the 90,000 SF building are currently being completed, using concrete with blended cement.

South Campus Residence Halls

A deep-well geothermal system serves all the South Campus Residence Halls built in 2004. The South Campus Residence Halls was a design/ build project by a development company. The University's RFP for this project included the scorecard from the Sustainability Awareness Workshop; the developer was required to investigate feasible sustainable design components.

Environmental House

A two-story stone residence stands southwest of and adjacent to the East Campus projects described above. The University acquired this property in 2002, and it is now serving as the Environmental House, a residence for students enrolled in ecology courses, as well as a demonstration site for environmental initiatives.

Design development for a project to install an array of photovoltaic panels on the garage roof is scheduled to start shortly. A Schematic Design has been prepared by the University, configured to allow for competitive bidding and to qualify for a PA Sustainable Design Fund grant.

EO Bull / Swope Hall LEED Workshop

In November 2003, an all-day workshop with Paul Ziegler of the Governor's Green Governance Council, a consultant team, and Facilities representatives was conducted. LEED Scorecards were developed for the next two major renovation and addition projects slated for design:

• EO Bull Center, immediately north of the SOMPAC site, to be completely renovated, with a 10,000 SF addition;
• Swope Hall, to be vacated by the School of Music upon completion of SOMPAC; with renovation scheduled to start immediately thereafter.

The LEED Scorecard and specific ideas about how to configure the EO Bull floor plan and how to daylight the interior of Swope Hall have been provided to the design consultant for Swope Hall and the Feasibility Study team for EO Bull Center.

EO Bull Center Sustainable Design Concept for LEED Workshop
Addition A: 3-story atrium to bounce daylight into Lobby and offices
Addition B: Oriented to south to maximize opportunities for passive solar

North Campus Plazas and Vistas Workshop

On April 27, 2004, a workshop was conducted in order to advance thinking about the center of North campus, currently an amorphous accident of vehicular patterns. Participation was again spread across the University spectrum. In the first moments it became clear that the consensus opinion was that cars should be removed from the campus superblock, to create a pedestrian-friendly North Campus. The Consensus Plan which resulted by the end of the day appears below.

Points A: Bus routes and drop off zones at two peripheral points Opportunities for groundwater recharge are to be sought

Points B:Reconfiguration of pathways is to take bicycles into account Plantings are to eliminate heat islands and enhance solar control for adjacent buildings

Swope Hall Renovation

On the basis of the November 2003 LEED Scorecard, the design will target a Silver rating. A LEED-accredited design professional has been appointed and the scope of services has been negotiated. The design professionals will conduct a Feasibility Study first, with design set to follow starting in January 2005.

The building is programmed for two academic programs on the top floor, with sufficient flexibility to allow for an atrium or light court, to allow for added window wall on the First (top) Floor, and skylights to allow daylight to penetrate to the inner areas of the Ground Floor.

The scope of design services includes energy modeling, daylight analysis, and all LEED Documentation.

Swope Hall Conceptual Plan with Roof Garden / Atrium

Environmental Council

The University's Environmental Council has been active for approximately 2 years. Besides being instrumental in setting up the Environmental House discussed above, and limiting activities to those relating solely to Facilities, the Council has:

• Sponsored the University as a forum for the SCUP "Making Sustainability a Foundation..." satellite broadcast of October, 2003;
• Reviewed and commented upon 1) stormwater system proposals discharging into Plum Run and affecting the Robert B. Gordon Natural Area, 2) the addition to Lawrence Dining, 3) new artificial turf fields.

Council anticipates being able to provide early and timely input into the next round of major capital projects, including EO Bull and Swope hall renovations. The Facilities Division now requires that major projects be taken to the Council for a nonbinding review.

Interiors

Standards for finishes and materials are being developed and applied to each new project. In some case budget constraints and limited palettes or options in preferred product lines have limited application; we anticipate that as more manufacturers adopt sustainable manufacturing methods and the array of choices widens, there will be more opportunities to use these materials. That said, the following has been or will be implemented on most campus projects:

• No VOC, high-albedo paint;
• Carpet or carpet tile with high recycled content for both face fiber and backing;
• Participation in the Dupont carpet recycling operation, which involved the University paying a recycling fee of $1.59 per yard of removed carpet;
• Selection of locally produced furniture such as the Knoll line, made in Greenville, PA

Prepared by:
West Chester University
Facilities Planning and Construction Department
West Chester, Pennsylvania 19383
610-436-2712 FAX 610-436-3275