A Dormitory Experience Like Few Others: Sustainable

The 500 undergraduates living in the University of South Carolina’s new West Quad residence hall will enjoy a dormitory experience like few others. that’s because the 172,000 square-foot, $30.9 million residence hall, being hailed as the world’s largest green dorm, is as resident-friendly as it is environmentally responsible. And the construction cost was about the same as a similarly sized non-green residence hall.

“At the beginning of the process, everyone was scared to death, having heard of 15% cost premiums for green buildings,” says Michael Koman, the university’s environmental program manager. “We debunked the myth that green buildings cost more.” The building is expected to receive a LEED-Silver certification.

The facility uses 45% less energy and 20% less water than similarly sized residence halls. Reflective light shelves in the windows, a green roof on part of the facility, high-efficiency washers and dryers, low-flow plumbing fixtures, a 5 kW hydrogen fuel cell and a solar heating system for hot water are all elements of the facility’s water- and energy-efficient design.

Residents are rewarded for being energy efficient as well. Each suite has its own temperature control and students can evaluate their suite’s electricity use on monitors in the lobbies. Residents that reduce their electricity are awarded “Green Bucks” that can be used to enter drawings for prizes. Students can also earn Green Bucks for arranging educational green programs, which are held in the facility’s 9,000 square-foot Learning Center for Sustainable Futures.

The facility itself also serves as an educational tool. The rooftop fuel cell will be used for teaching and research. Biology students grew plants that are used in a phytoremediation system. The plants are also key components of the facility’s storm water management system. A six-tiered amphitheater in the facility’s courtyard works as both a filter and a terrace system to control rainwater.

And finally, a greenhouse is being designed as an addition to the facility. It will be used for horticulture experiments and for growing plants that will be used for establishing a backyard wildlife habitat, a place where students can learn about the wildlife certain plants attract.

FROM the Green Building Report, published in Building Operating Management, a SustainableBusiness.com Content Partner.