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      THE R.W. KERN CENTER AS A LIVING LABORATORY: CONNECTING CAMPUS SUSTAINABILITY GOALS WITH THE EDUCATIONAL MISSION AT HAMPSHIRE COLLEGE, AMHERST, MA

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          1. INTRODUCTION

          The R. W. Kern Center

          In 2016 the R.W. Kern Center became Hampshire College's first new building in 40 years (Figure 1). Located at the heart of the Hampshire College campus, the R.W. Kern Center is a multi-purpose facility intended to embody a high threshold of forward- thinking sustainable design: generating its own energy; capturing and treating its own water; and processing and recycling its waste. Its design also embodies a broader definition of “green” building, prioritizing non-toxic materials, local and ethical products, and principals of biophilia and natural beauty. The new building, which includes classrooms, offices, and a community café and gallery, serves as a primary entry point to the campus and was designed to engage prospective students as well as provide community space. In the spring of 2018, the Kern Center became the 17th building to be certified and meet the Living Building Challenge (LBC) (International Living Future Institute, 2018a) after a year of post-occupancy performance verification. At 17,000 square feet, it is the largest Living Building on a higher education campus and considering the relatively small size of the college (~1300 students) it showcases Hampshire College's substantial commitment to sustainable design and development.

          The Living Building Challenge

          A program of the International Living Future Institute, the Living Building Challenge is a building certification system and sustainable design framework for creating built environments that have a positive impact on people and the environment (International Living Future Institute, 2018a). The Challenge is organized into seven performance areas covering different aspects of holistic sustainable design: place, water, energy, health + happiness, materials, equity, and beauty. In order to achieve “Living” status, projects must fulfill all imperatives in each of these categories.

          Hampshire College

          Hampshire College is an innovative private college in Amherst, Massachusetts. The academic program is highly dynamic and interdisciplinary, emphasizing an inquiry-based and learner-centered liberal arts education. Students are empowered to think, discover, advocate, and build essential skills through an individualized divisional system utilizing portfolios, narrative evaluations, and self-reflection. The College's motto, Non Satis Scire (To Know is Not Enough), is a call to action for students, as well as the institution. It is not enough for colleges and universities to merely educate students on issues of sustainability or environmental and social justice; Hampshire College has the added responsibility of applying this knowledge in all of its operations. The R.W. Kern Center embodies the commitment to environmental sustainability at Hampshire and is a powerful example of the dynamic role sustainable design can play in educating the next generation of sustainability leaders.

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          Most cited references15

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          A NOT SO COMMON COLLEGE COMMONS: Sustainable Dining at Bates College

          The growing emphasis in the United States on a building's sustainability as it is constructed is clearly indicated by the exponential growth of the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED rating system. In addition, society is beginning to pay attention to the existing building stock's environmental footprint, focusing on energy and water efficiency. There is less discussion, however, on how the design of the building can actually facilitate sustainable living within and even affect behavior beyond the building's envelope. In some cases, what we do in the building may outweigh the environmental impact of the building itself. A dining facility on an average college or university campus, for instance, has potentially the single highest environmental footprint compared to all other buildings on campus, outside of laboratory or medical facilities. It is one of the most costly to operate and employs a high percentage of campus staff. The dining facility is one of the campus's largest consumers in terms of purchased goods and producers of waste. It is also one of the biggest energy and water hogs. Conditions for the people working in the building can be dismal, with many kitchens lacking natural light, let alone fresh air or views to the outside. Yet, at the same time, the dining facility often serves as the center for student life on campus and has the greatest opportunity to affect students' behaviors relative to sustainability. In 2004 when Bates College began planning for a new dining facility (Figure 1), the goal was to break the stereotype for campus dining. The College wanted to push the envelope of the healthy and sustainable dining experience. In the end, Bates built a new dining Commons that is energy and water efficient, equitable to staff, produces close to no waste, supports local and organic food, uses materials responsibly, and increases relationships between students and faculty, coursework and dining, and campus life and community work.
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            Seasonal performance of an outdoor constructed wetland for graywater treatment in a temperate climate.

            The seasonal treatment efficiency of a pilot-scale constructed wetland system located outdoors in a semi-arid, temperate climate was evaluated for graywater in a comprehensive, 1-year study. The system consisted of two wetland beds in series--a free water surface bed followed by a subsurface flow bed. Water quality monitoring evaluated organics, solids, nutrients, microbials, and surfactants. The results showed that the wetland substantially reduced graywater constituents during fall, spring, and summer, including biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) (92%), total nitrogen (85%), total phosphorus (78%), total suspended solids (TSS) (73%), linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS) surfactants (94%), and E. coli (1.7 orders of magnitude). Except for TSS, lower removals of graywater constituents were noted in winter--BOD (78%), total nitrogen (64%), total phosphorus (65%), LAS (87%), and E. coli (1.0 order), indicating that, although wetland treatment slowed during the winter, the system remained active, even when the average water temperature was 5.2 +/- 4.5 degrees C.
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              BIOLOGY AND BUILDING—THE LIVING LEARNING CENTER AT WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY’S TYSON RESEARCH CENTER: A Journey on the Path to the Living Building Challenge

              “In a time of drastic change it is the learners who inherit the future.” —Eric Hoffer INTRODUCTION The result of equal parts serendipity, exploration, creativity, and the enduring persistence of a dedicated team of designers and its university client, Washington University’s Living Learning Center, has quickly become a locus of sustainability. It is a deep green place filled with fresh air and daylight, an ongoing achievement in zero net waste, zero net water, and zero net energy design, a space that inspires higher learning about the natural world. The Center is also well on its way to certification as the first living building in the world.
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                Author and article information

                Journal
                jgrb
                Journal of Green Building
                College Publishing
                1552-6100
                1943-4618
                1943-4618
                Fall 2018
                : 13
                : 4
                : 123-146
                Author notes

                1. Associate Professor of Hydrology, School of Natural Science, Hampshire College, Amherst, MA, ccNS@ 123456hampshire.edu

                (corresponding author)

                2. Associate Professor of Mathematics, School of Natural Science, Hampshire College, Amherst, MA, shNS@ 123456hampshire.edu

                3. Professor of Microbiology, School of Natural Science, Hampshire College, Amherst, MA, jmtNS@ 123456hampshire.edu

                4. AIA Principal, Bruner/Cott Architects, Cambridge MA, jjewhurst@ 123456brunercott.com

                5. School of Natural Science, Hampshire College, Amherst, MA, clns15@ 123456hampshire.edu

                6. School of Natural Science, Hampshire College, Amherst, MA, matt.raymond9628@ 123456gmail.com

                Article
                jgb.13.4.123
                10.3992/1943-4618.13.4.123
                23247c07-1a4b-4d7c-923a-4e9109d28ff9
                © 2018 College Publishing
                History
                Page count
                Pages: 23
                Categories
                NEW DIRECTIONS IN TEACHING AND RESEARCH

                Urban design & Planning,Civil engineering,Environmental management, Policy & Planning,Architecture,Environmental engineering
                Living Building Challenge,regenerative design,innovative curriculum development,sustainability,higher education,Net Zero

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