EFS Profiles
The Barney Green Renovation
Denison University
Granville, Ohio
Purpose: Greening the Campus
Please note that the copyright for this profile is retained by the institution.
The renovation of Barney Memorial Hall (Built in 1894) restored the historic character of the building and now houses the McPhail Center for Environmental Studies and the English Department. The Barney renovation project produced a statement building: a place where environmental principles are upheld and demonstrated to the community.
This project was especially distinctive because it recycled (reused) an existing building, instead of constructing a new building from the ground up. The new Barney-Davis Hall is a showcase for the reuse of an existing structure, energy-efficiency, sustainability, renewable resources, the reduction of toxins and the recycling of wastes.
The Barney renovation project was a real-life exercise in environmental education for the students and community of Denison University, and is now used as a working laboratory for education and research.
Highlights of the Barney Green Renovation
Renovation of an Existing Structure
Many "green" buildings are being constructed from scratch which claim to be completely environmentally sustainable, but they believe that the reuse of an already-existing building is even more green. No new land has been purchased or cleared, and they have reused and restored as many of the original features (beautiful hard wood floors, solid wood furniture, large windows for daylighting, etc.) as possible.
Education
Barney is a real-world exercise in sustainability and environmental economical planning which provides those students and faculty involved with first-hand experience in applying the goals of environmental studies to the world outside of the classroom. The Barney green renovation has been, and will be in the coming years, integrated into the academic curriculum. Also, Barney is a tool for educating the whole community about ecological responsibility.
Student Involvement
Throughout the course of the project, more than 100 students have been and continue to be actively involved in the planning of the project. Students have done research on green building materials and have given recommendations to the architects and engineers (many of their recommendations have been incorporated into the final specifications). They have also developed a zero-toxics policy for the building which states their desire to reduce the use of toxics (in cleaning products, wood finishes, adhesives, carpet off-gassing, etc. -- See "Barney's Non-Toxic Policy" on their website). Some students have even participated in the actual construction process, and students also created the web page detailing the project.
Experimental Nature
Barney is a real living laboratory for environmental technology as several cutting-edge eco-friendly technologies are employed and tested for practicality and effectiveness by the faculty and students of Denison University. For instance, in a given bathroom, there may be three different models of toilets, along with two different types of faucets. It is their hope that Barney can serve as a guideline to help other schools, businesses, organizations, and home owners who want to make their buildings more environmentally sustainable by providing information they have found about green products and energy-efficiency strategies (See the Index of Green Products on their website)
Partnering Opportunity
The renovation has provided the opportunity for partnership between Denison University and the manufacturers and distributors of environmentally innovative products. Permanent displays throughout the building, publicity from the re-opening of the building, and other sounding boards like the Barney Green Renovation web page have provided businesses with favorable exposure in exchange for playing a role in this unique project.
Waste Management
Demolition and construction waste from the renovation project have been recycled and reused as much as possible. Old radiators, windows, ceiling tiles, insulation, wallboard, and computers have been taken to recycling centers. The original wood floors, doors, cabinets, shelves, slate blackboards, and floor tiles have been restored to be used again in the new building.
Recycled Content
Products containing some percentage of recycled content were specified for the project. Wallboard containing recycled and synthetic gypsum and paper have been used as well as carpets made from recycled plastic bottles. Ceiling and floor tiles, furniture, and insulation also contain recycled resources.
Non-Toxic Policy
Many building materials can be sources of harmful toxic gasses such as formaldehyde, benzene, xylene, toluene, and VOC's. Special considerations were taken in choosing the carpeting, plywood, furniture, paints, finishes, and adhesives to eliminate the toxic off-gasses they bring into the building. It would be contradictory to take care in the selection of these materials only to allow for other toxic-containing products to enter the building in the future. Therefore, they have developed a policy that discourages the use of all cleaners, polishes and office products that contain toxic substances from being used in Barney-Davis Hall.
Lighting Technology
Natural light from the large windows in Barney is utilized more through the use of transoms, skylights, the uncovering of windows previously blocked out by lowered ceilings, and the installation of light shelves. The need for artificial lighting has also been minimized and made more efficient through the use of continuous dimming circuits in classrooms, occupancy sensors which turn lights off in unoccupied rooms, and the use of the latest in ultra-efficient fluorescent lights with electronic ballasts. This system drastically decreases lighting costs, and is economically beneficial as well as environmentally sound.
Solar Energy
Barney has been wired to house a 5 kilowatt photovoltaic solar panel system in the future. The photovoltaics will eventually help power Barney's lighting system with less reliance on fossil fuels. The photovoltaic system will be expanded in the years to come so that it can eventually support the entire lighting system.
Natural Gas
Barney gets its heat from two stand-alone natural gas boilers, running at an efficiency of 85-90%. This system avoids reliance on the central campus heating plant, which makes extensive use of coal and operates at greatly inferior efficiencies. Aside from improving the overall efficiency, this system can be swapped out easily when better heat source options become available (especially those based on renewable resources) and it avoids the air pollution contributions made by the central heating plant. This is a stepping stone toward their ultimate goal of total energy self-sufficiency and the minimization of fossil fuel use.
For additional information:
The Barney Green Renovation
This document was last modified on 02/20/2002 11:12:58 AM
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