Lehman College’s new Science Hall has been awarded top honors for its sustainable, energy-efficient design. The new 69,000 sq. ft. university building in the Bronx recently earned the extremely rare LEED Platinum Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, making it the very first university in New York City to do so. Now in its first year of operation, the Science Hall is just the first step in the college’s three-phase plan to create a ‘campus in a campus” dedicated to the sciences.
The Science Hall officially opened for classes in Spring 2013, providing Lehman College students with new, high-tech classrooms and laboratories as well as a rooftop teaching and research greenhouse. Architectural firm Perkins+Will designed the $70 million building, and the structure was built by the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York as a gateway to the sciences for both undergraduate and graduate students. At the same time, the building is a hub for students of all grades, from kindergarten through high school seniors, and facilitates STEM programs in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
The Science Hall glass-covered façade lets in lots of natural light, cutting down on the amount of artificial lighting needed and the building is also equipped with an elaborate rainwater and greywater recycling system that cleans and recirculates water for use in restroom flushing fixtures. Meanwhile, rooftop solar panels heat the building’s water and a highly reflective “cool roof” helps curb solar gain.
To further reduce the building’s energy footprint, the designers also incorporated built-in occupancy sensors linked to an intelligent building management system that automatically turns off light and climate control systems when no one is in a room. The combination of these sustainable systems makes the Science Hall CUNY’s “greenest” building.
via CUNY Newswire
Images © CUNY and Perkins+Will
