The Harm A. Weber Academic Center
A Model for 'Green' Architecture and Environmental Stewardship
The Harm A. Weber Academic Center's genuinely ‘green’ design begins and ends with energy consciousness. The use of a building-integrated photovoltaic system and other thermal recovery features like natural ventilation and natural daylighting will make the Harm A. Weber Academic Center one of the “greenest” buildings in the United States.
Click HERE for an interactive file highlighting the many unique features of this amazing building.
The facility’s integrated thermal energy recovery system is designed to minimize life-cycle costs while providing a healthy environment for study and work. It will cut operational fossil fuel costs by at least 50 percent by optimizing solar gains in the spring and fall, allowing the building to run naturally, with little or no mechanical intervention, for six or more months of the year. The system also cuts environmental ‘costs’, as it allows the building to release considerably less or possibly even zero CFC's (chloro-fluoro carbons) into the community.
Innovations like these have global significance, as mechanical HVAC systems account for 40 to 60 percent of the energy used in U.S. buildings. While integrated thermal energy recovery systems have been employed on a number of buildings in Europe, the Judson College project will be one of its first uses in the U.S.
The facility is designed to meet the standards of the U.S. Department of Energy high-performance buildings and is expected to earn a LEED silver rating by the U.S. Green Building Council. Due to its potential impact as an international model for environmental stewardship, the project has been awarded grants from the U.S. Department of Energy and The Kresge Foundation.
Additional Sources of Information:
The Harm A. Weber Academic Center and the Greening of Judson University (PDF)
Keelan Kaiser, Professor of Architecture, Judson University
David Ogoli, Assistant Professor of Architecture, Judson University
Why "It's Good to be Green"
- Cuts operational and environmental costs
- Healthier working environment improves productivity
- Lessens dependence on foreign energy sources
- Contributes to cleaner air for community and the world
- Reduces consumption of energy, water, electricity
- Reduces carbon dioxide emissions and waste materials
You can find great energy-saving tips at the U.S. Department of Energy’s website at www.energy.gov.